Bucs Bop

CC Sabathia, Boone Logan, Hector Noesi, Charlie Morton and Brian Burres pretty much put on a clinic of how not to pitch this afternoon.

The first four Bucs bopped CC - Andrew McCutchen singled, Ronny Cedeno doubled, Lastings Milledge singled, and Garrett Jones bombed one - as he struggled through 2-1/3 innings, scattering seven hits and allowing five earned runs, with one walk and two strikeouts.

The Yankees picked it up some after that, and silenced the Bucco bats on two hits until the eighth frame. That's when Logan gave up a pair of runs to toe the game at sevens, the inning keyed by Bobby Crosby's double.

The Pirates added four more in the ninth, when Mr. Noesi gave up three hits and a walk. John Raynor, Pedro Alvarez, Steve Pearce, and Hector Gimenez drove the runs home, making it 12-7.

Not that the first two Bucco hurlers fared much better. Morton had control issues again, and gave up three runs and four hits in three innings, striking out two and walking two. Nick Johnson loved him; up twice, homered twice.

And he looked like Sandy Koufax compared to Burres. BB couldn't stagger through an inning; he gave up a couple of hits and walked three while surrendering four runs and notching just two outs. But hey, he did fan a guy.

But then the pen came through. Ron Uviedo finished the inning for Burres, and DJ Carrasco worked the fifth and sixth, striking out four batters while yielding a hit. Donnie Veal got through a pair of frames, walking a pair and earning the win. Anthony Claggett, a former Yankee farmhand, closed it out.

There were some nice performances this afternoon. John Raynor (.538), Bobby Crosby (2 doubles), Garrett Jones (home run, double), and Ronny Cedeno (double) each had a pair of hits. You could tell it's been a while since Cedeno has been on base; he was picked off second and thrown out trying to steal third.

In McKechnie Field's only night game of the spring, Pittsburgh will try to even their Grapefruit League slate against the Orioles tomorrow when Zach Duke will take the mound for the Pirates, followed by Daniel McCutchen. The 7:05 PM game will air on MLB.TV.