7:05 PM
FSNP, WPGB
Kyle Davies (0-1, 6.41) vs. Zach Duke (1-3, 5.50). Nearly two years after the Pirates faced Kyle Davies for the first time, the Braves are still waiting for him to get it together, but he was horrible in 2006 and hasn't been much better last year.
Here's the box. Jack Wilson continues to bat eighth, with Xavier Nady in center and Ryan Doumit in right. Our old friend Craig Wilson bats eighth and plays first for the Braves.
UPDATE: In his first at-bat against the Pirates, Craig Wilson made a bizarre play in which he was hit by a two-strike pitch and kind of swung at it at the same time, thus resulting in a strikeout. If that isn't the best possible one-at-bat summation of Wilson's Pirate career, I don't know what is. Awesome.
UPDATE II: What happened to the Pirates in the sixth inning is a good indication of how important team defense is, and how inadequate the Pirates' is. The Pirates didn't do anything horrible in the inning, but they ran into all kinds of trouble after there were two outs. First, Xavier Nady missed a ball at the wall that would've ended the inning. It was a tough play, but many centerfielders would've made it. Instead, Chipper Jones wound up at second, and then the Braves hit back-to-back homers. Then Adam LaRoche missed a scoop on a tough throw that would've, again, ended the inning. Then Freddy Sanchez let a hard-hit ball gobble him up. Again, it was a tough play, but many second basemen would've made it. As a result of all this, a 1-0 game became a 4-1 game, and Zach Duke got sent to the showers.