Kevin Correia had a huge game as the Pirates defeated the Cubs late last night in a rain-delayed matchup, 3-0. Correia allowed just two hits over seven innings, striking out six and walking one. Jason Grilli and Joel Hanrahan then each pitched scoreless innings for the win.

Travis Wood struck out nine Bucs over 5.2 innings, and the Pirates struck out 15 times total, but they still got more than enough offense. They got all three of their runs in the third. Clint Barmes led off with an HBP, and Brock Holt followed with a single. After Correia struck out, Starling Marte tripled to left, bringing both runners home. Then Marte came home when Jose Tabata followed with a double.

The score was 3-0 when I went to bed last night, and I was dreading checking my computer this morning. The Pirates are in this strange state where it's unclear whether the goal is to make the playoffs, or have a winning season, or simply to not embarrass themselves. But after a game like last night's, that hardly matters.

The Pirates host Milwaukee tonight in a series that will be crucial to all three goals. We'll see how they perform, especially tonight -- they got back to PNC at something like 6:00 this morning.