The Bucs had lots of opportunity early, but all they had to show for it was a Neil Walker solo shot in the third. Their big chance was in the fifth, when they loaded the bases with one out, but a Walker bouncer and a Garrett Jones K could only bring home a run.
The Cubs scored first in the second inning off J-Mac when - you guessed it - the 7-8 hitters, with two away, singled and doubled. Chicago added a pair in the third as a single and two doubles did the damage.
James McDonald's line: 5 IP, 3 R, 8 H, 2 BB, 6 K, and 2 WP. He threw 98 pitches, 59 for strikes. He needs to get more efficient; his command doesn't come near matching his stuff yet.
The Cubbies iced it in the seventh when Daniel McCutchen hit the first batter. Wil Ledezema came on and gave up a double and single for a run, and Chan Ho Park gave up another single to give the Cubs a 5-2 lead.
Pittsburgh had another opp in the eighth, when an error and a couple of walks plated a run and left the bases juiced, but Jose Tabata K'ed. 5-3 is how it ended.
Pretty much the same 'ol - the starter couldn't go deep, the bullpen couldn't keep the game in hand, the hitters went 0-for-9 with RISP, and struck out a dozen times, offsetting the eight walks they drew. Of course, six hits, three of them off the bat of the Pittsburgh Kid, isn't going to fatten anyone's RBI totals.
The Pirates are off tomorrow.
-- Tom Gorzelanny lasted 2-2/3 innings against his old running mates. He took a liner to the hand, ala Evan Meek, in the third from the bat of Jose Tabata.
-- The Pirates called OF John Bowker (.318/18/46) up from Indy. He's played a little at the gateway sack, but is yet another LH 1B/OF added to an already crowded mix. He pinch hit today, and fit right in - after fouling off some close ones, he looked at strike three.
-- RHP Zach Von Rosenburg, one of the Pirates top high school signees last year, was shipped to the GCL from State College. It doesn't appear to be a baseball-related move. Though he's 1-6, his ERA is 3.23 and his peripheries, except for K's (39 in 60 IP) are good.
It's just a matter of getting guys moved around at the end of the minor league season, causing a logjam at State College. ZVR is probably done for the year and on his way to the Instructional League, though he could be easily recalled if they want him to get in one more start before the season ends.
-- State College OF Andury Acevedo was suspended for what the Pirates' farm director Kyle Stark described as "disrespecting a staff member." Hey, we thought only bloggers could do that!
5 comments:
Bowker is a semi-interesting guy, except of course for the fact that he bats lefthanded, and we've already got several other players on hand who have similar skillsets. Maybe getting him is a precursor to other deals, but ya gotta wonder if anyone is manning the helm.
Doumit, Jones, Bowker, Moss (and Lambo in AA, not to mention DY)...should be a busy off season for small deals, unless they're gonna give guys away for nothing, like they did with Capps. Add Andy LaRoche to that list, too.
I think, Will, that they're not so much asleep as just taking the highest rated piece available. But geez, you'd think there'd be a righty corner in someone's doghouse.
I guess Clement fits in with that list, too.
I feel bad for Clement, because it's pretty evident he's had bad knees for, like, forever. He definitely launched a few for us this season, even if he didn't do much else. Now it looks like he's headed under the knife again.
The injuries are a little odd in their frequency, Wil. Whether that's the nature of the beast or an indictment on the Pirates' medical evaluation skills, I don't know.
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