I have no idea how to explain this. Without the injured Andrew McCutchen in the line up, the Pirates bats have shown fire power that was lacking all season. Pedro Alvarez homered twice for the second straight game and Delwyn Young homered and knocked in five to support a nice outing from Zach Duke.
This one started out not so good. Ryan Doumit was knocked from the game a couple of innings after a home plate collision with Rickie Weeks when Weeks scored on a sac fly from Casey McGehee in the first inning. The Pirates scored twice in the first (RBI knocks from Young and Neil Walker). Pirate killer George Kottaras homered in the second with no one on to tie it and Carlos Gomez delivered an RBI single in the third to push Milwaukee ahead against Zach Duke.
The Pirates exploded for six runs in the fourth with Young’s two out, three run homer capping the scoring as the Pirates sent nine men to the plate. Alvarez’ first homer came in the next inning with Jones aboard. Wolf’s night ended in the following frame when four singles and a double play grounder resulted in two more runs.
The Milwaukee bullpen was also a bit porous. In the 7th, pinch hitter Andy LaRoche and Walker had RBI singles. Jones bookended the night with a solo homer in the 8th.
Duke gave up three runs (two earned) in six plus innings. He yielded to Brendan Donnelley after allowing the first two hitters to reach in the seventh. Donnelley escaped unscathed by getting the next three hitters in succession. Duke allowed six hits and walked two. Wolf went 5-2/3 and gave up 12 earned runs on 13 hits.
The Good
18 hits. 15 runs. Three homers.
Seven of the 8 Pirate position players had two hits. Duke had one.
The Bad
Bucs committed two errors.
Doumit getting knocked out of the game. Erik Kratz was hitless in his place.
The Rest
Young’s five RBI were a career high.
Alvarez had three homers coming into yesterday’s game. Now he has six.
Lastings Milledge has a nine game hitting streak and his current BA is the high water mark on his season.
IF he had enough at bats to qualify, Walkers .314 BA would put him in the top five in the NL.
Ronny Cedeno is 15-36 over his last nine games. He went through a 7-58 tailspin in June.
Kottaras came into the game with no more than three hits against any other opponent but Pittsburgh this year and then added two more, giving him a total of 10 knocks against the Bucs in 2010.
