The Fallout Continues for the Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates season is not finishing well.

Surely, something is going to happen soon. The Bucs have dropped twelve of their last fifteen games.

The Pirates pitching has become so bad, that even when the Pirates score nine runs they still lose by four runs.   Jeff Locke couldn’t get out of the fifth inning, and the Pirates bullpen brought their gas cans to the mound as they blew a 6-1 lead.

Pedro Alvarez hit two bombs out of Wrigley Field, and nearly had a third bomb late in the 13-9 loss to the Cubs yesterday.  The Bucs had a chance to stay two back in the wild card race, but have no dropped behind Milwaukee.  It was only a matter of time actually.

Each game becomes more and more vital, but the problem is the games are disappearing like sand through a massive hour glass.  Normally, it’s hard to watch this late in the Pittsburgh Pirates season, but damn if it wasnt fun for the first few innings of this game while also watching the Pittsburgh Steelers.

And then suddenly, much like the losing streak hit us like a 34 ounce Old Hickory in the back of the head, Anthony Rizzo crushed a grand slam.

The Bucs were up six to freaking one!  But Rizzo crushed an oppo and then in the sixth inning crushed a Jared Hughes pitch into the left-center bleachers to put the Cubs ahead 10-9.

Alvarez crushed his first bomb in the fifth inning, a two run shot that gave the Bucs a four run lead.  He hit another oppo in the sixth, this one was a three-run bomb giving him six multi-homer games this year.

The Cubs added on in the ninth with three more runs to set the final.

Andrew McCutchen reached base four times and is on a sick streak of hitting the ball very well.  He just didn’t get it done when the team needed him the most in the seventh inning.

The Bucs spoiled an opportunity to tie the game at ten in the seventh inning, when they wasted a leadoff Starling Marte triple.  Neil Walker and Andrew McCutchen failed to plate the Bucs rookie and then a bizarre play ended the inning.  (well that’s a word that is actually overused when describing the decisions this season.)  Garrett Jones broke for second, but nobody was covering for the Cubs as Jaye Chapman thought he had him picked off.  Unfortunately, Marte broke for the plate and was caught in a rundown to kill the opportunity.

"“Actually that’s a forced balk, break late try to get the run to second and try to steal a run at home is what it was,” Clint Hurdle tried to explain. “I do believe if Starling could’ve shown a little more patience that play would have worked for us, but in the heat of the moment he left a little bit early.”"

Odd decision when the team has scored so many runs.

Kevin Correia will pitch tomorrow night against lefty Travis Wood.  Chalk up a win.