Rocco game. Bucs WIN

	R	H	E	LOB
	2	7	1	10
	1	7	0	7

The Pirates finally caught a break.  No errors came back to haunt them, no dropped popups that turned into home runs, no baserunning blunders (well, at least none that cost any runs), no late inning fiascos that cost the Pirates a win.  Just a good solid effort, especially from the pitching staff, something that has been sorely lacking of late.  Paul Maholm went 8 innings, with 1 ER, 7 hits and no walks, and came away with his 5th win of the year.  Octavio Dotel was outstanding in relief, striking out 3 batters.  Even though he did hit the lead-off batter with a pitch, it didn't come back to hurt the Pirates' efforts.

On the batting side it was very evenly distributed.  7 players had 1 hit each.  Andrew McCutchen hit an RBI triple in the 3rd that bounced off the right center wall, and might have been an inside-the-park home run if he hadn't hesitated coming out of the box.  His speed around the bases is nothing short of incredible.  I never get tired of watching his helmet fly off while he's running.  Jose Tabata hit a nice RBI double in the 9th to score Ryan Doumit,  who almost didn't make it to the plate before the throw from right center came in.  No harm done, this time.

The only bad thing to note about this game is that the Pirates lost another 2nd baseman on the same type of pop fly that caused Ryan Church to collide with Neil Walker.  This time it was Bobby Crosby who collided with Lastings Milledge.  Delwyn Young came in to replace Crosby.  No word yet on whether Young will start at 2nd until Crosby or Walker recovers, or when that will happen.  I wish them both a swift recovery, and I hope the "RF collides with 2B" play never happens again.

Overall, it was a great effort by everyone on the team, something you don't always see around this time of year from the Pirates.  I hope this trend continues.

Rocco game. Bucs WIN

	R	H	E	LOB
	1	4	0	8
	2	7	1	9

It's funny how this game went from "man, I can't believe the Pirates only have 1 hit" to "wow, I can't believe they've only allowed 3 hits this late."  But that's pretty much how the season has gone, compressed into one game.  As Pirates radio man Rocco DeMaro said (paraphrasing), "You can pretty much count on it that the Pirates will get 2 runs.  The question is whether or not they can hold the opponent to 1."  That's exactly what happened in this game.  Ross Ohlendorf had his first truly great game, going 7 innings allowing 3 hits, 1 ER, 2 walks and striking out 6.  Evan Meek and Octavio Dotel combined for 1 hit and 3 Ks in the final 2 innings.  Meek got the W as the score was tied when Ross was relieved, but the fake W definitely goes to Ohlie.  Garrett Jones broke his long streak of games with no homers with a solo shot in the 6th (his 32nd RBI), and Bobby Crosby added a pinch-hit RBI to take the lead in the 8th.  Jones and Walker both went 2 for 4, and Neil's average is now .321 with 28 at bats, the best average on the team currently.  His OPS is .809, third behind Cutch and Doumit.  The Bucs snap a 5-game losing streak which is good, but they still have a lot of ground to make up as they're still in double digits in games under .500.  With the win today, the Bucs move into first place on the all-time Memorial Day wins list (they were tied with the Cubs previously).

Another Doumit Dinger. Bucs WIN

	R	H	E	LOB
	2	11	0	6
	1	8	0	7

Tight pitcher's duel in this game.  Leake was very good, Maholm was even better.  Through the 7th, Maholm had only thrown 89 pitches, 54 of which were strikes.  No more than two batters for either team got on base in any half inning this game.  Score was still tied at 0 in the 8th when Aki Iwamura got a triple because the Reds' outfielder lost the ball in the sky.  One play later Neil Walker, the International League doubles leader and freshly called up player from Indianapolis, hit his first Major League double of the season, scoring Iwamura.  He then got picked off at second, somewhat tarnishing his effort in the inning.  Still, the Pirates had the lead, and their excellent bullpen was coming in to pitch the final two innings.

But the lead would not last for very long.  In the bottom of the 8th, Joel Hanrahan, part of the Meek-Hanrahan-Dotel trio which has been so effective all year, allowed only his 3rd home run all year to Brandon Phillips.  He was able to escape the inning with the score tied, but the W was taken from Paul Maholm, who has been very good all year but somewhat unlucky with the bullpen.  Hanrahan gets a blown save, and would also get the W.

To the 9th, where Ryan Doumit smacks 2 out homer to deep right center, his 2nd game-winning home run in the last 3 games.

Octavio Dotel shuts the Reds down in the bottom, preserving the win and earning his 10th save of the year, good for 5th on the NL list.

GAME.

Lloyd Braun gets greedy. Bucs WIN

	R	H	E	LOB
	4	10	0	10
	6	12	1	8

This one was neck and neck until the 7th.  That's when the Bucs took the lead for good.  Legend, Doumit, and Steve Pearce hit 3 straight RBIs, scoring Milledge, Cutch, and GFJ.  Twice in this game the Beers had the bases loaded, but it was all for naught.  The bullpen was great again, even if D.J. Carrasco had a bit of trouble in the 7th, allowing 1 run to score.  After that it was 4 straight Ks, 2 each by Javier Lopez and Joel Hanrahan.

In the 9th, Lloyd Braun bunts a quick ball, realizing that LaRoche was playing deep.  He steals second as Prince Fatass strikes out for the 3rd time, but then he gets greedy.  Not realizing that Andy LaRoche, who had been playing the shift to right for Fatass, was still holding the ball that was thrown to him by Doumit, he tries to steal third.  Andy quickly turns around and makes the tag.  2 quick outs in a weird little double play.
McGehee flies out after that and Dotel earns his 9th save.

GAME.

---

Miscellaneous shit

Steve Pearce went 3 for 4, raising his average from .167 to .273 in the process.  Hope this is the start of a return to the way he was hitting in AAA, because it was really starting to look like he was going back to the way he hit at the end of last year.

Garrett Jones went 2 for 4 and Andy LaRoche went 2 for 3 with a walk.  That's good news for Andy, who was in a bit of a slump after being red hot earlier in the year.

The bullpen combined for 6 Ks in just 3 innings of work.  Brian Burres added another 3 as the starter.  He also had an RBI, a pretty rare thing for a pitcher.

Bucs look for the 2-game sweep tonight.

The Phantom Shutout. Bucs WIN

	R	H	E	LOB
	0	4	0	7
	2	8	0	9

Ronny Cedeno batted the Bucs to a 1-0 lead in the 2nd, and that's the way the score stayed until Jason Jaramillo scored Lastings Milledge with a single in the 8th.  Or, at least, that's what the box score would lead you to believe.  Jaramillo, basically the center of the universe as far as this game is concerned, gets a throw from the outfield to the plate and tags Ludwick to get the out.  Only one thing, however -- his glove never touched Ludwick.  Still, he makes it look good and gets the call.

So what happens if he doesn't get the call?  The score is tied at 1, and Freese is up to bat.  He didn't exactly have a great hitting day (0 for 3 with a walk).  So the Bucs probably still win, although not in a shutout.

I'm sure the Cardinals' fans will be bitching and moaning about the call, but as the first place team by a wide margin, you can afford to drop one.  Suck it up.  Sometimes the calls don't go your way. And sometimes they do.  Just the nature of the game.

Karstens goes 6 with only 3 hits allowed and 4 Ks.  More bullpen brilliance ends it.

GAME.

---

Miscellaneous shit

One of those "good" problems to have is about to show up as Ross Ohlendorf is about to come back from the DL in a few days.  Who do you send down to Indy to make room for him?  Both Burres and Karstens have been very good.  Personally, I would put Karstens on bullpen duty, keep Burres as the 5th starter, and send someone like Delwyn Young or Jeff Clement down.

Jason Jaramillo basically was this whole game, going 3 for 4 with an RBI and was on base when the first run scored.  Not to mention that "tag".

Dotel was solid in closing duties, striking out the final two batters for the Redbirds.  Not normally known for Ks, so that was a welcome surprise.

Poo Holes was held to just 1 for 3 and a walk.  He also struck out with two runners on base in the 8th.

Bucs look to win the series in a few hours.  Won't be able to watch it because I have to work.

Go to Church. Bucs WIN

	R	H	E	LOB
	2	8	0	12
	3	8	0	5

Wasn't able to watch this game, for obvious reasons, so I'll have to go by the box score.  Basically, this game was all about home runs.

Andy LaRoche started things off with a big homer to the left corner.  He's starting to look like a good pickup if he keeps hitting the way he is.

Soriano homer in the top of the 4th and Soto homered in the top of the 6th to give the Cubs a 2-1 lead.

Ryan Church says "Not In My Town." A 2-out, 2-run shot by him over the Clemente Wall in the bottom of the 6th gave the Bucs the lead for good. 3-2.

Relievers took out the rest of the trash.

GAME.

---

Miscellaneous shit

Once again the Bucs win a one-run game.  they are now 6-1 in those situations.

Andrew McCutchen was out of the lineup, presumably with his ankle problem, although he was available as a pinch-hitter if needed.

Steve Pearce was on the bench, which in turn sent Brendan Donnelly to the DL and Raynor back to the Marlins.

3 Buccos had 2 hits: Andy LaRoche, Ryan Church (playing CF for Cutch), and Ronny Cedeno.  Cedeno went 2 for 3.

A total of 5 walks by the Buccos' pitching staff and only 1 by the Cubs contributed to the lopsided LOB stat. Meek apparently beaned some joke too.

Dotel got his 4th save of the season.  Meek and Hanrahan had holds.

Nearly 11,000 showed up during a Pens playoff game.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Blass. Bucs SWEEP

	R	H	E	LOB
	3	5	1	5
	5	5	1	4

This game immediately turns into a pitching duel if not for Bronson Arroyo's meltdown in the 4th.  Only one player made it on base through 3 innings for both teams, a Maholm walk of Cabrera in the 1st.

In the 4th, Delwyn Young and Clutch get singles and Legend draws a walk to load the bases.  Ryan Church hits a single to shallow left to score one run, but the other baserunners are forced to hold.  Bobby Crosby gets hit by a pitch to score Young.  2-0.  Jason Jaramillo comes up to the plate.  Bases clearing double.

5-0.

That was pretty much it for the Pirates' bats, but that was all it took.  Jay Bruce hit 2 solo home runs and Maholm gave up a run on a double in the 7th, but it was all meaningless.  Octavio Dotel had 3 strikeouts in the 9th.

GAME.

---

Miscellaneous shit

• Much has been made about this season so far resembling the 1960 World Series.  I can definitely see where they are coming from.  Currently, the Pirates are 1 game behind the NL Leaders (St. Louis, San Francisco, and Philadelphia all are at 8-4) and a half game behind Florida (8-5).  And yet, the Bucs have the third worst run differential in all of baseball at -22.  Only Baltimore and Houston are doing worse (-24 and -29, respectively), but neither of those teams have more than 3 wins.  So what does this mean?  The Bucs had a few bad outings. And I mean really bad.  However, they're winning the close games.  Games where maybe in previous years they don't get it done.  The relievers, apart from those really bad games where the starter had already made the game a foregone conclusion, have been pretty good.  Not great, but good.  Good enough to get the job done when necessary.  Yeah, they might give up a run here and there.  Yeah, they might have that one night where they walk in 2 runs.  In those cases, the batters have stepped up, as evidenced by the 3 walk-off wins the Pirates have so far this year.  The only thing I can say about it is that I would rather take those close wins and a few blowout losses than to lose the close games and have a few blowout wins.  In the world of baseball, and especially for the Pirates, winning is everything.

• There were a lot of defensive highlights in the early part of this game.  Ronny Cedeno had a nice leaping throw in the 2nd to record an out at first that you can see here (it's the #4 play).  Just ignore the random splicing of clips from the Deadliest Catch.  Later in the game Garret Jones made a couple leaping grabs and Paul Maholm made a nice catch between the mound and first base.  Not exactly his circus throw of a few games ago, but pretty neat nonetheless.  Lastings Milledge made a nice diving catch at some point too.

• Paul Maholm had a great start today, with only 4 hits, 2 runs and 1 walk allowed.  He also had 5 strikeouts in his 6.6 innings.  The win improves his record to 1-1.

• Nearly 14,000 for a 43 degree, cloudy game is a pretty decent draw.

• Bucs take on the Brewers next at PNC.  This series will be a good measure of exactly how well this team is doing.

Dead even. Bucs WIN

	R	H	E	LOB
	6	9	0	5
	5	11	1	7

The end of this game is what I like to imagine playoff baseball is like.

The Bucs started out by taking a slow 3-0 lead through the 3rd, including an Aki Iwamura homer to left field.  How clutch has he been so far?  Very.

This lead was slowly eaten away by the Giants and by the end of the 6th the score was tied at 3.  The Pirates bats couldn't get anything from the 4th through the 7th.  The Pirates went down in order in 5 total innings (2nd, 4th-7th).  In 3 of those the batters were Andy LaRoche, Paul Maholm/Ryan Church, and Ronny Cedeno.  Hmm.

But then the Pirates were able to score one in the 8th to take the 4-3 lead thanks to a costly error by Edgar Renteria.  If that ball doesn't bounce out of his glove it was almost certainly an easy double play and the Bucs do not win this game.  Brendan Donnelly (who has been pretty clutch so far) gets things done in the bottom of the 8th by taking the Giants' bats down in order.

So, top of the 9th, Pirates up 4-3.  Bobby Crosby strikes out.  And Andy LaRoche is up to bat.  Oh boy, here we go.

What? A home run? Andy LaRoche?

Yes, it's true.  He blasts it out of the park to center.

5-3.

Then Ryan Church, who struck out in the 7th, hits a triple because some jobber on the Giants misplays the ball.  Aki Iwamura hits a clutch single to score Church.

6-3.

Ok, so the Bucs are up 6-3 in the bottom of the ninth, a comfortable lead for solid closer Octavio Dotel, right?

Wrong.

Pinch-hitter Eugenio Velez hits a two-run homer to deep right.  Suddenly, it's 6-5, and the Giants are at the top of their order.

But Dotel calms down and gets it together.  He takes the next three down, including a panda, which I guess must've escaped from the zoo or something.  Only in San Francisco.

GAME.

---

Miscellaneous shit

Paul Maholm made an amazing rolling scoop glove throw in the 3rd.  You can watch it here (the #1 play).

Garrett Jones made a nice reaching catch to end the game.  He had a nice game in other areas too, with 3 hits and 2 RBIs.

Ryan Doumit had a nice hit in the 3rd, scoring McCutch,  but got a little greedy trying to stretch it into a double.

Speaking of McCutchen, he appears to be getting into stride as he had a hit, scored 3 runs, and stole 2 bases.

Pirates now lead the NL in stolen bases with 8 (tied with Dodgers).  Their basestealing percentage is still 100%.

The Pirates pitchers, not normally known for strikeouts, had a nice outing with 8 combined.  Maholm had 3 over 5, Meek had 3 over 2, and Donnelly had 2 over 1 inning.

Bucs try to win the series in about 2.5 hours.