Josh Johnson God Like, Marlins Shutout Pirates 6-0

The interesting story for us heading into the game was the fact Florida Marlins Josh Johnson has developed a curveball.  He doesn’t throw it often we had read, but just enough to keep hitters off balance. 

The Pirates hitters were off balance all night.  Johnson pitched ahead and put the Bucs away over and over again.

Pirates starter Paul Maholm didn’t look good.  At all.   It was over for us when he was tossing curveballs to Josh Johnson.   The fact that the left handed hitting Johnson flicked one of them over Neil Walker’s head for a single simply did us in for this game.

Maholm was drilled on a comebacker.  Why the training staff didn’t even come out and take a look at him was a little puzzling.  The replay showed it hit his glove, but he was never in rhythm after that and he didn’t give the Bucs a chance to win.

For every everything Maholm wasn’t Johnson was.  Johnson had his slider all night long.  His curveball wasn’t really even needed as he only threw a handful of them.   He struckout nine Pirates hitters.   Garrett Jones broke up Johnson’s no-hitter with the longest single of the season off the Jiffy Lube sign in right field.

Every Bucco in the lineup struckout.

John Bowker had the only other Pirates hit.

Johnson is God.

Manager Clint Hurdle had seen enough of Maholm before the fourth inning was over.  He went to Michael Crotta who he thought was “a better matchup.”  It didn’t work out immediately, but the boxscore will say Michael Crotta made it six of eight “scoreless” outings.

There has to be something good come out of this doesn’t there?  Crotta and Daniel McCutchen strung some nice innings together, stretching it to 15 or 16 straight Marlins retired after the Fish jumped to a 6-0 lead.

"“There’s not much to think about after this one….”  Clint Hurdle“He was never in sync..”  Clint Hurdle in referring to Maholm"

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Florida has great weather, but we’ll take the wins. ROOT Sports. Who writes this stuff?

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