Marte, Kang Provide The Muscle As The Bucs Outlast the Tigers 5-3 In 10 Innings

Matthew Boyd leads the AL in strikeouts, and he puffed up that position by striking out the Bucco side in the first. Joe Musgrove wasn't quite all that, but did toss a 1-2-3, nine-pitch, frame. J-Bell opened the second with a 412' drive to straight center; sadly, Comerica's wall is deepest CF in baseball at 420'. Melky and JHK followed with knocks. JB bounced into a forceout, and his hustle to beat the get-two relay paid off when Pablo's infield single plated a Bucco run. Detroit went down in order, and the Pirates went quietly in the third. The Tigers opened with a Gordon Beckham double. A single to left followed, but Pablo was up to the task, throwing out Beckham at home with a laser beam and strong tag by Cervy to keep Motown off the board. J-Bell began the fourth with a rap and an out later, JHK drilled one over the fence to put the Bucs up 3-0. Detroit came to life. A Miggy double, single and passed ball plated a tally and Christin Stewart's double made it a one-run game. The Tigers fourth straight one-out knock left runners on the corners; Big Joe reached back for a couple of whiffs to leave them there.

Big Joe looking good in the early goin' (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Gonzo started off the fifth with an infield rap and Fraze walked on four pitches. Starling bunted them up (don't ask me; ask Clint. Small ball w/the meat of the order up...?) then Cervy and Josh whiffed on seven offerings to kill the promising  inning. Motown went quietly, and neither club made a peep for the next two innings until Detroit drew a two-out walk (on a borderline call) that led to nothing. Buck Farmer took over for Boyd in the eighth and kept the Buc bats silent. Ric Rod got the Pirates call; he was nicked for a knock but K'ed the last two Tigers to keep the zeroes comin'. Blaine Hardy flipped the rosin bag in the ninth and ran the Bucco funk to 15-down-in-a-row. Keone Kela answered the bell and gave up a leadoff double on a hung 0-2 curve, Stewart's second two-bagger of the night. A 2-2 fastball was banged into right, and it was a tie game. A wild pitch put the lead run at second before KK kicked it in and off to extra innings we go.

Shane Greene got the ball in the 10th. J-Mart led off with a pinch hit single; Gonzo missed two bunt tries and K'ed. Fraze benefitted from a missed strike three call, allowing him to at least move Martin up on a ground out. It didn't come into play; Starling's two-run, two-out, 406' bomb into the bullpen just made J-Mart's jog home a little shorter. Nick Kingham climbed the bump, ISO his first MLB save. Clint's bullpen use has not been by the book tonight as Nick hasn't pitched since April 7th; at least he's rested as he faces the top of the Tigers order. The naptime did him good; he had to battle Miggy at the end, but worked a clean inning to raise the Roger.

The King shut the door (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Well, Clint and Keone will make ya nuts, but they both had enough good moments to overcome the questionable, and JHK and Starling provided enough muscle. The new Cardiac Kids made their share of plays - Pablo's throwout at home, Big Joe and KK hangin' tough to close out potential big innings, JB's hustle to keep a run-scoring frame alive, Starling's two-out game-winner - and it was enough to grind out another W, the name of the game.

Notes:

• Keone Kela has been scored on in four straight appearances and five of his last six outings.
• Jung Ho Kang was on an 0-for-18 streak before tonight's game. He went 2-for-4, the only Buc with multiple hits.
• This was the Pirates fifth extra inning contest of the year, in their 15th game. They're 3-2 in overtime.
• James Wagner of the New York Times writes that while the MLB hasn't retired Roberto's #21, it hasn't been worn by a Puerto Rican player in five years, and that the ones who have donned it did it mainly to honor Clemente.