Friars String Three Two-Out Hits Together In Ninth To Rally Past Bucs 3-2

The Bucs needed someone with electric stuff to step up tonight, and did they ever get it. Charlie Morton went eight innings, giving up a run on two hits, three walks and nine K on 99 tosses. The score he surrendered, in the fourth, came off a deflected ball for an infield single and an around-the horn DP try that wasn't that wasn't very well executed (the feed and the turn were both bounced in the dirt). And that was it as he handed a 2-1 lead to Mark the Shark in the ninth.

Jedd Gyorko led off with a single; the WVU grad has been all that this series. Chase Headley flew out to the corner in left. Tommy Medica saw four cutters and sat down. Chris Denorfia came up to pinch hit as Andrew Casher came in to run. Denorfia slapped one through the right side to put runners on first and second with two down.

Logan Forsythe grabbed a stick, and hooked a cutter that was below the knees and on the outside corner softly past Gaby, who was holding the runner, to tie the game after an off line throw home by Marlon Byrd, and that chased Denorfia to third. It didn't end; Rene Rivera blooped a single to right, and the Padres were up 3-2. Kyle Blanks hit a grounder at someone, and the 6-3 ended the frame. San Diego didn't exactly square up, but they put a couple of balls in the right spot the opposite way and it paid off in spades.

Huston Street climbed the hill and got Garrett Jones to pop out. Marte banged a ball to left, but at The Notch, and was out number two. Walker lifted a fly to right, but it was just to the track, and the Bucs dropped another brutal one to the Padres. 

It's easy to blame Melancon, who has been money all season and was victimized by a couple of soft hits. The blame goes squarely on the Pirate hitters. San Diego's rotation is good, but it's not the 1967 Dodgers. Bucco batters have scored four runs on eleven hits (and just three today), in three games and 27 innings against the Friars. Today's runs came in the seventh on a strikeout/wild pitch that put Neil Walker on first ahead of Cutch, who homered between the Trib and Xfinity signs in right center and is leaving little doubt who the MVP is.

Gerrit Cole goes against Ian Kennedy tomorrow afternoon in the getaway day game.

• Andrew McCutchen became the second player in Pirate history with 3 consecutivet 20/20 seasons, joining Barry Bonds (1990-92).
• Charlie Morton matched his career high in strikeouts tonight with nine. 
• Bucco attendance picked up tonight with 27,640 in the house at PNC Park.
• Maz is auctioning off the jersey, bat and spikes he wore when he hit the homer, saying he'd like them exhibited somewhere instead of having them stored in a safe room. And no, it's not a mass selloff; Maz is keeping his rings and other memorabilia. The items will be on shown at PNC Park in the left field rotunda for a few weeks, and then sold off November 9th at the Louisville Slugger factory, with some of the proceeds going to Pirate Charities.