Pirates drop Astros, snap losing streak

Kyle McPherson allowed four runs (three of them coming on a bases-clearing, pop-up double by Brett Wallace on a windy day in Bradenton), but the Pirates still dropped the Astros, 8-6, snapping an utterly-meaningless six-game losing streak.

The Pirates scored five runs in the second, an inning keyed by a two-run double by Jose Tabata and a throwing error by Tyler Greene that led to two more runs. But the Astros put up their four-spot against McPherson the next inning, then tied it in the fifth. The Bucs scored one in the bottom of the inning, though, and then two in the sixth (thanks in part to a triple by Tony Sanchez). Scoring slowed down in the late innings, which the radio broadcasters attributed to the home-plate umpire widening his strike zone on an uncharacteristically chilly day in Bradenton.

Again, none of this means anything, but it's funny to see the Pirates beat the Astros by two in a game in which the Astros made an error that led to two runs. We're all going to miss them this year. Also, the Astros sure do have a lot of players named Martinez. That is all.