Pirates Give One Away at Demon House

Games that are given away are the most difficult to watch.  The Pittsburgh Pirates gave the Braves a ballgame yesterday in Atlanta.  We started writing this post in a list format, but became so discouraged after seeing runners in scoring position in seven of the nine innings without the team delivering a knockout blow that we realized that Atlanta is hell.

Runner after runner got on base yesterday;  the problem was, they were left stranded – in fact, eight of them were left on base by Atlanta Braves pitcher Tim Hudson, who was making his first ML start after having back surgery.

When it was over, the Buccos had stranded ten total baserunners….and once again snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

The Pirates let the Braves get back in the game by booting the ball all over the field after they had grabbed a 2-0 lead.  Andrew McCutchen dropped a lazy fly ball in the third to gift wrap an Atlanta run.

It’s difficult to win against a solid offensive club like the Braves when a team gives them five outs, like the Buccos did in that third inning as Pedro Alvarez also had a boot.

For some unknown reason, Kevin Correia threw a strike to Braves SS Tyler Pastornicky, who continued to kill the Bucs from his eighth spot in the lineup, and he tied the game on a double.

Correia then couldn’t throw a strike when he needed to and walked in the Atlanta go ahead run. All told, the Pirates’ starter gave up five walks.

Left fielder Alex Presley had his 12 game hitting streak snapped.  Jose Tabata ripped a two-run single to right field to plate two runs in the second, after the Bucs loaded the bases and appeared ready to blow the game open.  He would also score on a wild pitch in the ninth.

So, the streak remains – a franchise record, in fact – the Pittsburgh Pirates have still not scored more than five runs in a game, a new franchise record.

Despite the errors, the Bucs drew within a run of tying the game in the ninth inning, but in the end, as so often happens, the Demon House won.  Damn, we hate Atlanta.