Cards Do It Again, Pull Out 2-1 Win In 10 Frames

Ya know, one day it will be the Pirates instead of the Cards that find a way to win. But last night wasn't that night as the Bucs fell 2-1 in 10 frames.

Pittsburgh scored first in the sixth after AJ and Lance Lynn hooked up in a pitching staredown. Of all people, AJ himself singled home a run (since that's apparently the only way the team will score when he's on the slab). That was followed by a walk to El Coffee to load the bases with no outs and the 2-3-4 hitters up. Josh, who was dropped to second just for these chances, fouled out to first. Cutch worked the count full, then was rung up a pitch that looked to be way inside. The Kid K'ed, and that was it for the offense.

AJ - what's a guy gotta do? (photo Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

The Cards two runs...well. In the seventh, the first two runners reached on a walk and single off Arquimedes Caminero. He finally got an out (it was originally ruled a DP, but the second out was overturned on review), then Antonio Bastardo came in to collect a K. The Cards double stole on the K; Josh didn't cover (likely a bench call), conceding the sack. It quickly came back to bite them. That sequence was followed by a visit from Jared Hughes to face Mark Reynolds. He got a soft grounder from him, but the Bucs were in a shift, and Neil Walker stopped the ball but had no play as St. Louis tied the game.

Tony worked the eighth and Rob Scahill the ninth, with Mark the Shark on ice until the Bucs got the lead and Radhames Liz in reserve. Rob got the first two outs in the tenth, then a single and double put him in the red zone. Clint had him intentionally walk Matt Holliday, a righty - as is Scahill, but he was 3-for-3 lifetime against him - to face lefty Mike Adams. Adams singled, and the Pirates lost another game to the Cards that just makes no sense.

It wasn't Clint's finest day, as he double swapped both Starling Marte and Pedro out of the game, let Greg Polanco bat against a lefty with a runner on third with Corey Hart & Jung-Ho Kang on the bench, and burned four relievers in one frame. Maybe he channeled Tony LaRussa; maybe he was just trying to push all the buttons against the Bucs nemesis.

Francisco Liriano takes on John Lackey this afternoon.

• Cutch was gimpy after a force out slide at second; geez, that knee...
• AJ Burnett passed Sandy Koufax for 42nd place on the all-time strikeout list with his sixth inning whiff of Matt Holliday for career K #2,397.
• Charlie Morton's rehab has been slowed down; instead of going on rehab, he's staying in Florida for at least one more extended outing.
• Pirate scouts are said to be looking at Nexen 1B Byung-ho Park, a KBO teammate of Jung-Ho Kang. Park is a 50 homer guy who is due for posting after the season.