Pittsburgh Pirates series takeaways vs. St Louis Cardinals

Jul 11, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher A.J. Burnett (L) and center fielder Andrew McCutchen (22) celebrate after Burnett hit McCutchen with a cream pie for hitting a game winning home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the fourteenth inning at PNC Park. The Pirates won 6-5 in fourteen innings. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Game Three: A.J. Burnett (7-3, 1.99ERA) vs. John Lackey (7-5, 3.09ERA)

Result: Pirates win 6-5 (14 innings)

Winning Pitcher: Vance Worley (3-4, 3.38ERA)

Losing Pitcher: Nick Greenwood (0-1, Infinity ERA)

• What went right:
  • The Battlin’ Bucs! The Pirates won one of the most amazing and dramatic games in PNC Park history. Overcoming two different extra inning deficits to beat the hated Cardinals.
  • Andrew McCutchen kept his hitting streak alive by hitting a two-run walk off home run in the bottom of the 14^th inning. Sending all the Pirates fans in attendance into a state of euphoria.
  • A.J. Burnett hit his first home run in over a decade and kickstarted a stagnant crowd in the process. He also pitched very well. Going 6.2 innings, allowed three runs on six hits and struck out six.
  • Chris Stewart manage to fill in very well for the ejected Francisco Cervelli and played a huge role in the dramatic comeback.

• What went wrong:
  • The umpires called another strikeout a foul tip, which gave the Cardinals an extra strike, which Mark Reynolds took advantage of as he homered to give the Cardinals an early lead.
  • Francisco Cervelli and Clint Hurdle were both ejected very quickly by an over zealous homeplate umpire.
  • John Lackey pitched very well as he went 6.2 innings, allowed one run on five hits and struck out five.
  • The Cardinals stole five bases on the evening.

What would the Pittsburgh Pirates do for an encore?

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