Pirates Come-from-Ahead, Lose at House of Horrors in 9th

Miller Park is a house of horrors for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Just when you started feeling good about the Pittsburgh Pirates at the house of horrors, the ending ripped out your heart.  Of course, so many games have been played at Miller Park between the Pirates and Brewers with so many outcomes and in 2014, most every single one of them has been a dramatic Brewers victory.  Nothing new this afternoon.

Today’s episode highlights the poor performance of normally solid Mark Melancon.  The right hander is no longer dancing as the Pittsburgh Pirates closer.  The Pirates have now blown ten saves in 2014.  Or is it eleven, it’s so many it’s hard to even watch.

The game sucked most of us in with the storyline being a start from Wandy Rodriguez, but of course it was the scary ending that everyone will remember.

The Pirates got five innings from southpaw Wandy Rodriguez (which is an inning longer than I thought the team could,) homeruns from Tony and Gaby Sanchez, and the left handers in the bullpen were dominant as Justin Wilson and Tony Watson did some outstanding work.    Wilson gave up no hits, no walks, and struckout four.   Watson struck out two.

Tony Sanchez hit a two-run homer which was his first. Gaby hit a solo shot, his fourth.

So after all of that work on the mound, the big finish was what the Bucs needed.  But the Brewers saved the best for last against Melancon and his cutter which is as dull as plastic cutlery.  A single from Ryan Braun and then two walks followed, as Melancon went into full implosion mode.  The story was finished when Khris Davis hit a broken bat single to center field and Andrew McCutchen was unable to get a strong throw off as the Brewers walked off the Buccos who now head to the Bronx to face the Yankees.

Some notes:

Melancon failed to record an out.

The Bucs dropped the series and the game, a 4-3 crushing defeat.

Wandy Rodriguez returned from injury and despite giving up two homers, which puts him at a mind numbing nine on the season, did better than most anyone imagined.  The lefty struck out four.   But it wasn’t without some tense moments.  Wandy should send a gift certificate to the white hot Rickie Weeks who doubled in the first, but stood at third as Wandy turned a double play off the bat of Braun.  Jonathan Lucroy  left Weeks and third on a ground out.

Wanderful’s home runs allowed is certainly becoming concerning for the well-paid starter.  Rodriguez gave up a bomb to Weeks in the third and a bomb from sucker punchin’ Martin Maldonado in the fifth inning.

The Pirates suck on the road again,  not just as Miller Park.

It should be very interesting to watch this team on the biggest of stages against the Yankees.  They are showing heart, but simply always come up short when it counts.

See you in August House of Horrors.  It can’t come soon enough.