Bucs Use Two-Out Lightning In the First To Top Mad Bum & Giants 4-1; More Guys Lined Up In the Trainer's Room

The rain pushed the game back to 8:30; April showers have been a Bucco bane. It didn't seem to bother Jordan Lyles much, who served up a clean inning with a pair of whiffs. The Pirates smoked a couple of balls off Madison Bumgarner before JHK walked and J-Bell singled. The beat went on - Cervy doubled into the corner on a 3-2 pitch with the runners in motion for a pair, then Pablo and JB singled in runs before Gonzo left runners at second and third by fanning. Still, 4-0 against Mad Bum, woooo. SF didn't mope; a single and double put Giants at second and third with an out. Jordan wriggled out when Melky tossed out a tagging Brandon Crawford at the dish by three steps after a medium-distance fly to put the inning to bed. The Bucs caught their breath quietly in their half. Lyles struck out the side in the third and the Pirates went down 1-2-3. A one-out rap by the G-Men in the fourth was quickly erased by a 4-6-3 DP. Gonzo reached on a two-out bunt single, turning the order over for Pittsburgh. It was an efficient 10-pitch fifth for Jordan, while the only Pirates noise was a two-out knock by JHK. The Giants seem runner-adverse tonight; a one-out infield bleeder single was cleaned up by a 6-4-3 DP hit into the teeth of a shift. JB Shuck reached on a boot with two away and was picked off.

So who had this guy leading the NL starters in ERA? (image via Pittsburgh Pirates)

Frankie Liriano got the seventh inning call. Lyles was at 86 pitches, but left the sixth shaking his hand after getting clipped by a comeback liner and was yanked. After a single and two-out walk, Kyle Crick was waved in to face Kevin Pillar and fanned him on four pitches. Nick Vincent took the ball and worked a clean inning, saved by Pillar's fine grab of Big Joe Musgrove's liner to right center (he hit for Crick). Nick Burdi answered the eighth inning bell. He gave up a single when Eric Gonzalez and Starling Marte crashed in shallow center field. Both were down for a while; Gonzo walked off and Starling rode off on a golf cart. Lotta moves followed: JB went from LF to CF, with J-Mart replacing him. JHK moved to short (let the rumor mills begin) and Redbeard manned at third. All that was followed by a walk, a K (on a very generous cal), and a wave to the pen for Ric Rod to face Buster Posey. Kinda odd, but Burdi had left a couple of hangers he got away with and was a little shaky on command after the delay. Posey won, singling home a run before the third out. Vincent surrendered a two-out walk that caused no problems. Felipe came out for the ninth, and 12 pitches and three whiffs later, the game was done. Raise the Roger.

Money in the bank...(photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

Good thing Mad Bum started slow, but first-inning runs count as much as 10th inning ones and it is nice to not be on the edge of your seat for three hours. The pitching has been fantastic with the D chipping in, and at 11-6, the Pirates have the best record in the NL. It may be a bit premature to dance in the streets yet; they were 11-6 at this time last year, too, but a good sign considering the number of walking wounded. More importantly, we hope this wasn't a Pyrrhic victory; we'll see tomorrow when the docs get to look over Lyles, Marte and Gonzalez.

Notes:

• Pittsburgh had just six hits, with four in the first inning. J-Bell and JHK reached twice via a knock and a walk.
• The Pirates announced that Jordan Lyles left the game because of a contusion on his right hand, so we'll see how that develops overnight.
• Gonzo's crash wasn't his first; he collided with JHK last week and has had issues with no-man-land balls in the spring. The collision tonight was on a ball that was clearly Starling's, tho both could have made the catch. Hopefully, they just rattled each other and will be back in the saddle tomorrow.
• Cervy broke an 0-for-24 string with his first-inning double. 
• 15,049 was the announced attendance tonight.
• The Pirates were in a bit of a bind re: this game, as it's forecast to rain into the early afternoon tomorrow, and a Saturday day/night or Sunday twin bill would be an overload with the Easter holiday/getaway day for the Giants. That's why they wanted to sneak it in between the rain fronts, which cooperated for a change.