Wandy's Back: Bucs Win 6-0

Well, Tim Hudson will get his 200th win pretty soon - but it wasn't tonight. After Wandy put away the Bravos easily in the first, Hudson danced between the raindrops to put up a zero. With an out, Travis Snider doubled, but stayed at second as both Cutch and Garrett Jones lined out.

Wandy got three fly outs in the second, and the Bucs kept squaring up, banging four extra base knocks against the Atlanta veteran. Walker went the opposite way for a leadoff triple on a ball that eluded Justin Upton and Pedro followed by launching a ball that landed on the River Walk to make it 2-0. Russell Martin then banged another double. Hudson got the 8-9 hitters, but Jose Tabata came through with yet another double, this one off the Clemente Wall, and it was 3-0.

The third, fourth and top of the fifth went by quietly. Then the Bucs erupted again in the bottom half.

JT and Cutch walked around a Snider single to load the bases. Jones singled home a pair on a looper to left. That was it for Hudson; last night's winner, Anthony Varvaro, took the ball. He got Neil Walker on a medium fly and struck out Pedro looking. Martin walked to jam the sacks, and John McDonald struck out on a hook in the dirt. But the pitch, the fourth that Varvaro bounced to the plate, took a huge hop over Gerald Laird's head, and Old McDonald beat the throw to first to make 6-0 Pirates.

And that was pretty much the game. The Braves trotted out three more relievers who held the Bucs hitless, and Wandy left after seven innings. He gave up a hit and struck out five using 82 pitches. Mark Melancon and Vin Mazzaro finished off the game, with the Braves adding an infield single.

Tomorrow is another challenge. Ex-Bucco lefty Paul Maholm, who hasn't given up a run in three starts, faces James McDonald, who is looking for a decent outing.

• Travis Snider had a pair of knocks to run his hitting streak to seven games, while Russell Martin and Neil Walker also chipped in with two-hit nights.
• Pirate pitchers didn't issue a walk and there were no errors. Both Bravo hits were erased on DPs, so the Buc staff faced the minimum 27 hitters tonight. Elias Sports Bureau reports that's the first time Pittsburgh hurlers have done that since John Candelaria on July 25th, 1982 - against Atlanta
• The Braves have been shutout three times, and those games have been there only three losses they've suffered this season.  
• Tonight's game was the first time this year that Atlanta pitching has allowed back-to-back games surrendering four runs or more.
• Considering the weather, the fans showed up in respectable numbers tonight, with 18,705 on hand.
• Indy beat Louisville 4-1 behind six one-hit, shutout innings from Andy Oliver. The lefty walked three and whiffed 10. 
• The Pirates will play "Sweet Caroline" in the middle of the first inning in honor of the people of Boston, and give the proceeds of a Saturday raffle to the One Fund Boston charity. And the crowd tonight added a nice roar when they heard the Boston idiot was in cuffs.