Well, if Jimmy Barthmaier could have gotten that third out in the first inning a little sooner, the Bucs may have come home with a scalp. But he didn't, and Pittsburgh went down 3-2.
After nailing the first two hitters on long flies, Barthmaier walked Brian Giles. You can guess the rest. A double and homer later, it was 3-0. Oh, he, Denny Bautista, Sean Burnett and Jesse Chavez shut down the Friars the rest of the game, but Chris Young and Trevor Hoffman had all the runs they would need.
Adam LaRouche and Jay Michaels drove home two-out runs to make it close, but that first inning walk ultimately did in the Pirates. They had a shot in the seventh, when the first two batters reached and were bunted to second and third.
John Russell opted to pinch hit for the pitcher with Jack Splat against the RHP Mike Adams. The book says that's the spot for Dirt Dog Doug, but if there's one thing we know about Russell, it's that he has no book.
Wilson struck out swinging, but maybe the lefty-righty thing didn't make any difference, as Nate McLouth did the same - on three pitches.
So ends another mighta-been game for the Pirates. Only one more battle before the 2008 wars end. It's been a long year.
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