Pirates Drop Close Game to Dodgers in Series Opener

Karstens Couldn't Avoid the Mistake vs LA

"You live by the sword, and you die by the sword"  I'm not really sure who said that, but that is a saying that reminds me of this 2012 Pirates team.  The Pirates have been hitting the long ball all season, and winning with the long ball.  However, recently they've been giving up the long ball, and losing by giving up the long ball.  Last night was no different.  The Pirates were battling back the entire game, first from 2-0, then from 5-2, but it turned out to be Shane Victorino's 2-run HR that was the final answer that sank the Pirates' ship.  Even after the Battling Bucs scored 2 runs in the 8th, they failed to complete the comeback and lost the game 5-4. 

This game was a tough one to lose based on the fact that Karstens followed suit when it comes to the Pirates' pitchers...what does that mean?  He pitched a solid game and only made a few mistakes that led to runs scored.  The Bucco pitching staff isn't pitching poorly, just throwing a few bad pitches and the opposition's hitters are taking advantage.  With the Reds idle last night, the Pirates are now really behind the eight ball as they are 5.0 games behind the Reds in the NL Central.  They are still very much a contender for the Wild Card, but the reality of the situation in the NL Central is that if they slip much more than 5.0 games behind the Reds it would be a tough hill to climb and they would need ALOT of help.  Hence why in my previous post I stated they needed to go 5-2 in their next 7 games.  They could still take the series from the Dodgers and hopefully get on the roll, but que the broken record - IT ALL COMES DOWN TO PITCHING.  If the Pirates pitchers can eliminate those huge mistakes and putting batters on base, this team has a chance to beat ANY TEAM in MLB.

I posted yesterday and talked about it on the latest podcast about the upcoming pitching matchups for the Buccos.  There has been a slight change in the rotation as Clint Hurdle announced he is moving AJ Burnett back to normal 5-day rest with their 6-man rotation.  What does that mean?  AJ Burnett will be pitching the finale of the Dodgers series and James McDonald will start in the first game when they travel to St. Louis to face the Cardinals.  Lets hope that Kevin Correia can give the Pirates a solid start tonight and get them back in the Win column!  RAISE THE JOLLY ROGER!