Cutch Gets the Love, Bucs Get the Win 11-2

Jamo got the Giants 1-2-3, even Cutch, who was rung up on a 50-50 full-count heater following a 90 second ovation when he stepped to the plate. After an out, Gregory doubled off Andrew Suarez and Starling took the next pitch over the wall to make it 2-0 in a hurry. And the lefty was lucky - both Mad Max and J-Bell fanned, but only after both banged just-foul homer tries. Cervy walked, but S-Rod's liner ended the opening act. The second was quiet for SF. Jordy started with a knock and was bunted up; Max just missed again with a long, loud fly out and Gregory couldn't chase Jordy home. Old Bucco Alen Hansen singled to open the third. He stole second and went to third on a misfire by Cervy with two gone, followed by a walk. JT got the man of the hour again, this time swinging. Amore singled and was caught stealing; the frame fizzled. Even worse, Jamo ducked into the tunnel to the clubhouse after 51 pitches. It looks like he developed a blister, and Steven Brault got the call for the fourth.

Jamo's got a sore paw; hopefully it's minor (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

He was banged for a leadoff two-bagger by Buster Posey - Steven is probably still a little cold - followed by a whiff and a walk and a whiff and a walk. Then he fed Austin Jackson a fastball - the sixth one of seven pitches - down the middle and his knock tied the game; the runners moved to second and third on the throw home. Then he whiffed the pitcher on the 33rd pitch; too much nibbling again. S-Rod singled with an out and came home when Jordy rattled a 3-2 heater down Broadway around The Notch for a triple. Suarez tried to blow a high two-strike fastball past Joey O; he couldn't as Osuna crushed it 420' to left to make it 5-2. Kyle Crick came aboard in the fifth and gave up a leadoff rap. An out later, a single put G-Men on the corners, but a pair of balls sent to Starling left them there. Pierce Johnson took the ball and threw a clean inning. Edgar Santana gave up back-to-back singles in the sixth, but nothing came of the brief uprising.

Cory Gearrin had two-out probs - Jordy singled, scored on Red Beard's double, and Gearrin was saved further embarrassment when Moran was tossed out at home (by Cutch) on Max's knock, even with a Bucco challenge. Michael Feliz took the ball and Andrew doubled with an out. The G-Men worked a tightly-called two-out walk but Michael worked out of it. Jose Valdez climbed the hill and was touched for a Starling rap & J-Bell bomb into the batter's eye shrubs. George Kontos was waved in for the eighth. He bopped the first batter and J-Bell splashed a little gas by trying to get the lead runner but throwing off-line to put two aboard. A two-out single juiced the sacks for Cutch, but Freeser made a glovely play on his left-side shot and got the inning-ending force. Tony Watson took his turn and S-Rod greeted him with a double. A grounder moved him to third, then Fraze walked. Max brought them all home when he finally coaxed a ball to clear the fence. Reyes Moronta entered and shut it down. Richard Rodriguez was called on to finish, and he did: infield knock, whiff and around-the-horn DP. RTJR for the fourth straight time!

Joey O came off the pine to go yard (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Easy to win when the bats are smoking, though the Giants were a couple of knocks away from making it interesting for most of the game. Let's hope they saved some lumber for tomorrow. It was a great game to start off a soft spell of opponents; hopefully it carries forward.

Notes:

• The Pirates equalled their season-high with four homers as Marte, Max, Joey O and J-Bell homered. They also added three doubles and a triple to their 15-hit pot. Starling and Jordy had three hits while Mad Max and S-Rod added a pair. 
• Jamo left the game with a "finger laceration," hopefully just a blister. It bothered him from the first inning on.
• Tonight's attendance was 34,720; welcome home, Andrew. He got two vid tributes and a couple of ovations as the Pirate faithful gave him a warm welcome home. His old teammates, eh, not so much...
• J-Hay made an appearance in the batting cage today, meaning he's on the downhill side of his recovery.