Pitch By Pitch

Within the same 15 minutes last night, I watched the Penguins fall to the Washington Capitals 3-2 to go down 2-0 in their NHL playoff series, and I listened to the Pirates blow an 8th inning and a 9th inning lead to lose their 16th straight game to the Milwaukee Brewers. sigh.

I know it’s unrealistic to expect the Pirates’ team to make a playoff run, and it’s probably even unrealistic to consider a .500 season, but losses like this really sting.

Paul Maholm made a strong start, giving the team a chance to win. He pitched 7 1/3 innings, gave up just six hits, struck out 7, and left with a 3-1 lead. Tyler Yates then got a 2nd out. John Grabow came in to replace Yates, and it was all downhill from there. Yates gave up a single and walk to load the bases, and then f@#$ing Ryan Braun hit a pinch hit double (for Chris Duffy) to tie the game.

Some clutch hitting in the bottom of the 8th by Jason Jaramillo put the Bucs back on top 4-3. Matt Capps came in for the 9th inning and gave up 2 singles and a walk to load the bases. A J.J. Hardy sacrifice fly and a Rickie Weeks home run put the game out of reach.

This is the 2nd consecutive game where Capps has looked bad. After seeing Saturday night’s disaster relief effort against the Reds this showing didn’t surprise me a great deal, but it’s still extremely disappointing.

On the positive side, Nate McLouth had another nice night, going 3-5 with an RBI, and I felt good with Jaramillo’s night.

We should have won this game. I guess the Brewers really do own us. I can’t wait to see what happens tonight.

Come On, Mad Capper, Let's Get it Together

The Pirates try to avoid a 3 game losing streak and their 18th consecutive loss at Miller Park.

Ian Snell @ Yovani Gallardo – 1:05 P.M.

Updated: Well, not too much to say about this one. Yovani Gallardo pitched a stellar game for the Brew Crew. He pitched 8 innings, allowed 2 hits, and struck out 11 Pirate batters. Oh yeah, he also hit a solo home run to lead his team to the 1-0 victory.

Ian Snell pitched well, but he probably shouldn’t have stayed in as long as he did. He threw 131 pitches.

The Pirates have now been swept, and they’ve now been defeated 18 consecutive times at Miller Park. The record is 19.

Former Pirate, Chris Duffy contributed a hit for the Brewers today.

From the Minor Leagues, the injury bug is still alive. Jose Tabata will be out 4-6 weeks with a hamstring injury.

The Reds are coming to Pittsburgh for the weekend. I’ll be there on Saturday!

Enjoy the off day! Go Bucs!

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