But in the end, the Bucs won 5-4.  The Pirates now hold the lease for The (kinda) Great American Ballpark having won seven of their last nine games in the Reds yard.

On a larger scale, the Bucs have won their last four series with a weekend matchup against Kansas City starting tonight.

Let’s get this one rolling for you by poking some fun at Reds announcer Marty Brennaman. Heh Marty, you should have kept your mouth shut a couple of years ago about these young Bucs.  You were warned.

Ahh, poor Marty Brennaman

Jose Tabata with a laser in the first inning keeps the Reds off the scoreboard.

Nine straight Buccos were sent back to the dugout.  Five of them had struck out against Reds starter Mike Leake.  Heh, Mike Leake….

In the top of the fourth, the red hot Alex Presley doubled, Neil Walker followed by driving in his 22nd run of the season with a double off the wall.  Does Hometown own the Reds or what?  Garrett Jones followed with a knock to drive in Walker.

Pedro Alvarez got a rip, but then Tabata bounced into a double play.

In the bottom of the fifth, first pitch…Ludwick bomb.  The score was now tied at two.

With Presley on second base and one down, Andrew McCutchen was robbed.  But not to disappoint, GFJ flicked a pitch into left field (not a typo) to drive in Presley and put the Bucs up 3-2.

In the Reds bottom of the sixth  they came to life off Correia with back to back to back singles that chased the Bucs right hander who as we pointed out earlier is performing at about the same level as last year—without the win total.

No worries.  In came Jared Hughes who got three straight outs stranding runners at first and third.   An unbelievable effort that concluded with getting Ludwick to whiff at a fastball in the dirt.

Tony Watson came in and got a crucial punch out to end the threat.  Jason Grili did the usual whiff job in his inning of work.  The Bucs bullpen have become the New Nasty Boys.

After Tabata had reached base to start off the eighth inning, Clint Barmes bunted him to second.   The bunt was fielded cleanly and thrown to Brandon Phillips who was covering first base.  Phillips got the Reds an important out.  But then he started  scoping out the hotties sitting in the third row.  Tabata was focused on the play and raced for third narrowly getting in ahead of the tag.

Up came the Hero of the night, Michael McKenry, who plated Tabata with a sacrifice fly which gave the Bucs a 4-3 lead.

In came Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan looking for another save.  On Hanrahan’s first pitch….guess what.  Yep.  Ryan Ludwick blasted a bomb to the upper deck setting the stage for what could be bonus baseball.  Hanrahan shut the Reds down and sent his team to the plate tied in the tenth.

In came the phenom Ardolis Chapman who dominated the Bucs just 24 hours before.  Clint Barmes battled Chapman making him throw seven pitches before #AlwaysSmooth crushed a double.  Mike McKenry ripped a two-strike double to break the unscored upon record Chapman had been enjoying.

5-4 Bucs.   Pinch yourself.

With nobody left to pitch, well you know what we mean, Chris Resop got the call.  After giving up a double to Joey Votto….Resop must have got intensly focused.  He pitched his best ball of the season.  It was unreal.  He got Brandon Phillips to groundout to shortstop Clint Barmes which froze Votto at second base.  He got another out we missed because we were digging for a cold Troeg’s, and then the big out came.  Ryan Ludwick was sent back to the clubhouse looking on strike three ‘slide step ambush’ from Resop.

The King of the Heap shuts it down and sends the Pirates scurrying to get home.

Exhale.

The Bucs are two back.

Reviewing the most read Pittsburgh Pirates stories from RumBunter in 2011

The hardest thing to do is look back on a Pittsburgh Pirates season.  (more…)

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The Marty Brennaman (more…)