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| "Ugly" Win and All...this 2013 Pirates Season Is SPECIAL |
Miami Marlins - 3
WP - Morris
LP - Dunn
My what a weird game, and what a unique team this 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates team is. If one thing is for certain, this team can NEVER be counted out of a contest. When things were bleak, the Pirates responded and picked up their starting pitcher, Jeff Locke, and got him off the hook. Locke struggled for his 2nd start in a row, as he gave up 9 hits on 5 2/3 innings. He allowed 3 earned runs and walked 3 while striking out 4. Locke, a NL All Star, hasn't seemed to be the same pitcher as he was before the All Star break. Some are calling him the James MacDonald of this 2013 pitching staff. I am not going to go to such lengths...at least not yet anyways. If you remember "J Mac's" meltdown, it wasn't allowing 3 runs on 5 2/3 innings. No, instead it was allowing 4 runs on 2 2/3 inning and forcing an already overused bull pen to bail him out. Locke is a much better pitcher, but hasn't been hitting his spots recently. Maybe its that lingering back issue that is keeping him from performing to his capabilities, maybe the young arm isn't used to this many innings, or maybe its just a bump in the road to a stellar career. Only those that are privy to that information truly know the answer. What I do know, is the Pirates need Locke to regain his form sooner than later, as bigger and better games approach.
Outside of Locke's pitching, the Pirates continued to get stellar play by their young stars. Andrew McCutchen is really starting to hit his stride at the plate, and some of the plays he is making in the field are unbelievable. "Cutch" went 2-3 with 2 RBI and a run scored last night (boosting his BA to .309), but he wasn't the only one at the plate that contributed. Neil Walker had a night for himself going 3-4 and scoring a run. With Walker starting to produce, its imperative that Starling Marte start to find his way on the basepaths more often. Marte put up another doughnut last night in the hit column dropping his average to .277. Everyone is talking about Pedro Alvarez's triple, and it was nice. The big bull, or anyone for that matter, sprinting around the bases in one of the most exciting plays in baseball, but his let down in the bottom of the 8th is what stained this performance for me. If you didn't see the game, or listen to it like I do, the Pirates had the bases loaded with 0 outs and Alvarez at the plate. Alvarez works a 2-0 count, and everyone in the ballpark SHOULD have known he was getting the green light. A 96mph fastball equated to a swing and a miss, and at that moment I knew the pitcher had him. Strike 2, and then he watches strike 3 grooved right down the middle. What a momentum killer. Have no fear, Russell Martin followed the Alvarez AB with a handy 6-4-3 DP groundball that ended the threat. Bases loaded. Zero Outs. ZERO RUNS. When you have your cleanup hitter at the plate in that situation, a strikeout CANNOT happen. A groundball to the right side would have scored Marte from third.
As Mike Tomlin says "Style points don't matter..." and this Pirates team follows that montra to a 'T'. It was an ugly win, but today everyone is clamoring over Clint Hurdle's pinch hitter, Josh "J-Hay" Harrison going "Oppo Taco" for a walk off, game winning, HR. Its funny though that on Twitter people were ripping Hurdle to shreds for pinch hitting for Jones in that situation. All I can say is...sometimes the stars align. They sure have been aligned for this 2013 Pirates team so far this season...its been a wild roller coater, but alwasy a blast!
Upcoming Games and Starters:
8/7 - 7:05 - Pirates vs. Marlins - Morton vs. Koehler
8/8 - 12:35 - Pirates vs. Marlins - Cole vs. Fernandez
8/9 - 8:40 - Pirates @ Rockies - Liriano vs. De La Rosa
8/10 - 8:10 - Pirates @ Rockies - Burnett vs. Nicasio
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