Chad Bad; D-Backs Score Early and Often In 9-3 Win

So what's new? Jon Jay dropped an opp-field fly that hopped the railing for a leadoff double followed by a walk to Goldy. A force out and sac fly brought one run home. Then, one pitch away from heading to the dugout, Ketel Marte got a 1-2 slurve and banged it into the stands; looks like the extra day of rest didn't do Chad Kuhl a whole lotta good. Austin Meadows singled with an out but presented no prob for Zack Godley. The Snakes started the second with another two-bagger and a rap that left D-Backs on the corners. A bunt later, Jay doubled them both home and a Goldy knock plated him. Gregory walked for all the Bucco action. Arizona led off the third with a single followed by a homer, and Chad was mercifully yanked for Steven Brault who quieted the bats. The Pirates went in order again. The Snakes worked a pair of fourth inning walks without any additional mayhem resulting. Starling walked, and a grounder, wild pitch and Cervy single got him home.

Ric Rod tossed two zips in his return from the DL (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

No walks or runs in the fifth for Arizona, though Brault did bop a batter. Godley spun another clean frame. Ric Rod got the ball in the sixth and was touched for just a single in his first outing in two weeks. The Pirates opened with an AM knock and run-producing two-bagger by Starling. Another wild pitch moved him up and a Red Beard just-missed sac fly to center sent him home. It was another calm frame for Rodriguez v the 'Zona nine; Fernando Salas kept the Buc bats quiet, too. Michael Feliz tossed a 1-2-3 eighth. Jorge de la Rosa climbed the hill and AM greeted him with a rap. Red Beard singled after a Starling force out to no avail; Amore rolled into a DP when 2B Ketel Marte made a nice stop and feed to kill the rally. Feliz got a second frame in the ninth. S-Rod threw a ball away with an out and a double shipped the gift-wrapped runner home. J-Bell opened with a single and was quickly erased on a Gregory DP. S-Rod walked and Jake Barrett took the ball. Fraze welcomed him with a knock, but Eli fanned chasing a slider that was ball four. Goodnight, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are.

Chad never gave the Bucs a chance; he was fastball heavy with no command. Hopefully the up-and-down of last night disrupted his rhythm. While they were buried early, the Pirate batters were still pretty undisciplined at the plate, and there is a correlation between their success as hitters and patience (especially against a young guy known as a wild child). Might as well get it all out of the system...right?

Notes:

• The Pirates had eight hits and Austin Meadows had three of them. 
• Marte's sixth-inning double was his 800th career hit and drove home his 300th RBI.
• The mystery of Gregory Polanco - he's tied for the team high in homers (9) and second in RBI (34). He also has the lowest BA of any regular (.212) and tops the team in K (63) and GIDPs (8).
• Tonight's paid attendance at PNC Park was 20,554.
• No one took a flyer on DFA'ed Petey Alvarez; he accepted his Oriole's assignment to AAA Norfolk.