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Big Night From Alvarez Can’t Overcome Rough Start From Morton

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The Pittsburgh Pirates scored seven runs tonight, which was only the second time this season they’ve scored more than five runs. Pedro Alvarez had another big night at the plate, going 2-for-4 with his sixth homer of the year. Unfortunately for the Pirates, they also gave up ten runs, which was the most the pitching staff has allowed on the season.

Charlie Morton was off to a good start until the fifth inning. Morton gave up an unearned run in the first after an error by Garrett Jones. He gave up another run in the fourth inning when Adam Wainwright reached on a fielding error by shortstop Clint Barmes, allowing Yadier Molina to score with two outs. That tied the game at two, with the Pirates previously getting on the board after a two run homer from Jose Tabata in the third — his first of the year.

Morton ran in to trouble in the fifth, with a 2-2 tie. With one out, Morton gave up a single to Matt Holliday, walked Carlos Beltran, then after a visit to the mound from Ray Searage, gave up a three run homer to David Freese. A Yadier Molina double and an Allen Craig single in the next two at-bats brought in another run, and ended the day for Morton. Jared Hughes came on and ended the day for Morton without any further damage.

Hughes did give up a run in the sixth when Matt Holliday hit a one out solo homer. Hughes was then credited for two more runs in the seventh. Yadier Molina led off by reaching on an error by Pedro Alvarez. Hughes gave up a single to Craig, then got Skip Shumaker to fly out to left. Tony Watson came on, and while facing his first batter, the Cardinals attempted a double steal. Rod Barajas threw wide of the bag to third, allowing Molina to score, and allowing Craig to move to third. Craig then scored on a two out homer by Rafael Furcal, putting St. Louis up 10-4.

The Pirates got two runs in the top half of the seventh when Pedro Alvarez hit his sixth homer of the year, bringing in Neil Walker on the two run shot. The ball off Adam Wainwright was absolutely crushed, with right fielder Carlos Beltran taking two steps, then watching it sail in to the stands. The homer puts Alvarez tied for ninth in the majors in home runs. On the season he has a homer every 10.33 at-bats in 62 at-bats.

The Pirates rallied in the eighth inning, putting three runs on the board to cut the lead in half. Garrett Jones came to the plate with two outs and runners at second and third and delivered with a two RBI single. Neil Walker followed with a single that moved Jones to second. The Cardinals went to left hander J.C. Romero with Alvarez coming to the plate, but the third baseman came through with an RBI single.

That was all the Pirates could pull together, as Jason Motte closed out the three run game in the ninth inning, giving the Cardinals a 10-7 victory.

GAME NOTES

  • Relief: Jared Hughes – 2.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 K, 1 HR; Tony Watson – 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 K, 1 HR; Brad Lincoln – 1 IP, 1 K
  • Alvarez is 13-for-39 (.333) in his last 11 games, since starting the season 1-for-24. During that time he has five homers and four doubles. His slugging percentage over that span is .829.
  • The Pirates’ defense committed four errors, with the errors coming from Garrett Jones, Pedro Alvarez, Rod Barajas, and Clint Barmes.
Tim Williams
Tim Williams
Tim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.

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