Pirates 12, Reds 2: Bucs Escape Cellar

by Charlie Wilmoth on Aug 22, 2009 10:22 PM EDT

The Pirates' 12-2 victory over the Reds today drops Cincinnati to last place and bumps the Pirates up to fifth. Everyone in the Bucs' lineup contributed--Ryan Doumit and Garrett Jones both had three hits to lead the team, but Lastings Milledge also had two hits (plus a great diving catch), Andrew McCutchen reached base three times, and everyone else in the starting lineup reached at least once. The Bucs got some help from Reds pitchers Justin Lehr and Danny Herrera, who both struggled to find the strike zone.

Zach Duke pitched seven strong innings for the win, and Phil Dumatrait pitched a scoreless eighth in his 2009 debut.

The Pirates could give fifth place right back in tomorrow's game, but the pitching matchup features Kevin Hart against Homer Bailey, who has a 7.53 ERA so far this year and hasn't had a decent start since late July. I like the Bucs' chances.

It's partly just an accident of timing and luck, but it's been really nice for the Pirates to be facing bad baseball teams rather than playing bad baseball themselves. Both the Reds this series and the Brewers last series have been loaded with dubious prospects (Adam Rosales, Wladimir Balentien, Chris Dickerson and Paul Janish for the Reds; Casey McGehee for the Brewers) and outright journeymen (Jonny Gomes, Laynce Nix and Ryan Hanigan for the Reds; Mike Rivera and Jason Bourgeois for the Brew Crew). I liked both these teams before the season, but they've been torn apart by disappointing performances and injuries. Of course the Pirates' roster is filled with dubious prospects too, but at least they're good enough to take on patchwork clubs like the Reds and Brewers, and there are many of that type in the National League. (I went to a Marlins/Padres game a couple of weeks ago and was stunned by the number of AAA players I had paid to watch, and the Marlins aren't even one of the N.L.'s worse teams.) And most of those have worse farm systems than the Pirates do. Maybe the thin air up here in fifth place is making me dizzy, but I still like watching this team.

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I think im having a dream

5 in a row and escaping the cellar all in the same night….someone pinch me…wake me up, or wait dont i want to win more!

by baseballssp3 on Aug 22, 2009 10:41 PM EDT reply actions

It's sad when...

we are happy about being in fifth place.

On a side note, wouldn’t it have been awesome if Brad Eldred had panned out and we had him and GFJ batting back to back in the order. It would have been an amazing 1-2 power punch. The only problem would be neither can play the field well at all. Even still, they would put on an amazing show every night, either striking out five times each or having a mini homerun derby.

by joegonzo on Aug 22, 2009 11:50 PM EDT reply actions

itd also be great if jvb and bullington worked out too

by PensRock1 on Aug 23, 2009 12:56 AM EDT reply actions

thats probably the same thing Littlefield babbles in his sleep

by ScrapIron79 on Aug 23, 2009 1:02 AM EDT reply actions

Two double digit winning pitchers

Duke and Ohlie both are in the double digit for wins. Last year, among other disappointments, the best was Maholm with 9 wins.
Really, Duke should have several more wins but when he was setting down the opposing hitters, our own offense was no where to be found.
I’m glad to see the team is putting together a little streak. I don’t think they are as bad as their record indicates. I do find it ironic that anytime the team celebrates the past on the field they play well, example, Homestead Grays jersey, 1979 jerseys.

Go Bucs !

"Baseball is better than football. Think about it, eighty degrees, a cold beer and a short-sleeve shirt is better than 30 degrees, a hip flask and six layers of clothes under a lap blanket. Take your pick: suntan or frostbite. " - Thomas Boswell

by Ketcham Bruce on Aug 23, 2009 2:52 AM EDT reply actions

Great win, and the team is obviously starting to gel and play better. Duke, Ohlendorf, and even Maholm have been impressive lately, as does Morton except for the Brutal Cubs disaster. Hopefully we can round out the great pitching performances by getting a quality game out of Kevin “The Hitman” Hart.

by Gorkys n' Beans on Aug 23, 2009 3:16 AM EDT reply actions

And it’s no coincidence that much better defensive play (including from defensive question marks Young and Milledge) have led to the better pitching statistics along with the wins.

by Gorkys n' Beans on Aug 23, 2009 3:19 AM EDT up reply actions