Recap: One Bad Inning. BUCS SWEPT.

For the second night in a row, the Pirates held the Marlins to scoring in only one inning. And in both cases, that inning doomed them. This time, there were no XBH for the Bucs, and only Jason Jaramillo coming in for the injured (again) Ryan Doumit was able to gain more than 1 hit (he was 2 for 2). 10 wins seems to avoid every Bucco starter not named Kevin Correia like the plague. The Pirates did not win a single game against the Marlins all season, yet the Fish came into this series with a record that was 2 games WORSE than the Pirates! Sigh. Up next is the end of the homestand as the Cards come to town for the last time this year. The Pirates can only lose one more game all year to avoid Season 19, but I don't really see that happening.

Recap: There Was No Doubt About It. BUCS SWEEP.

A very ugly win, but it's nice to see the offense stepping up when the pitching is not at a high level. One other thing I've noticed lately is the offense's ability to get hits with 2 outs, something that's a necessary component of a good team. James McDonald is still struggling, but he pitched a lot better towards the end of his outing and the offense was able to get him just enough to get the win. Veras still worries me every time he steps on the mound, but he got some big help from the defense (Brandon Wood especially) and was able to pick up his first save since 2009.

The Bucs will roll into Cleveland on 4-game win streak to face a struggling Indians team that has lost 7 of its last 10 after leading their division previously. These interleague series are critical if the Bucs are to keep their hopes alive for the division crown (only 3 games out of first right now).

VFPH's 3 Stars of the Game

1. PIT Garrett Jones, 1B: 1 for 4, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR
2. HOU Hunter Pence, RF: 3 for 5, 1 RBI
3. PIT James McDonald, SP: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 K

Play of the Game: Jones's 3-run homer in the 1st