Taking Out the Trash

When you have had 18 straight losing seasons, you take wins any way you can get them. When the chance for a 3 game sweep presents itself, against a terrible team all too willing to give games away, you take it and run like hell. The 2011 Pittsburgh Pirates are playing like a viable MLB team. The Houston Astros are downright awful, playing at a pace that would duplicate the 105 loss season the Bucs had a year ago. They were ripe for the picking and the Bucs took as much as they could get. That is what good teams do, beat the bad teams.The Pirates are looking like a good team, maybe not the most talented team, but a good TEAM.

Yesterday's game started off with a bang when GI Jones blasted a 3-Run job for his 7th HR of the season and RBI's numbers 22,23, and 24. For those scoring at home, that is one more HR and 1 less RBI than Overpaid has in 71 more at-bats. Moving on, J-Mac found himself in trouble quite often, loading the bases with no harm in the bottom the first. The Bucs went down in order in the top of the 2nd and the Astros, ever the gracious host, followed suit in the bottom half. In the third, the Bucs went down in order again but the Astros threatened when Carlos Lee doubled to left with 2 outs and Hunter Pence already on first. Pence was waved home but Tabata's relay got him in time, prompting a Mr. Sunshine "Browngasm" per Pucks_And_Pols.

The top of the 4th was yet another 1-2-3 for the Bucs and the Astros made it interesting the bottom of the inning, scoring a pair to cut the Bucco lead to 3-2. The same Bucs trio that went down consecutively in the 2nd did the same in the 5th, giving the Bucs 3 runs on 2 hits through 5. The Astros tied it up in the bottom of the inning when Pence doubled in Michael Bourn, 3-3 after 5. However, as has been the case for the 2011 Bucs, they got the runs right back in the top of the 6th. As has also been the case for the 2011 Bucs, they got a considerable amount of help from the opposition in doing so.

After Tabata and Paul went down to start the inning, Cutch singled up the middle. The Pride or PR matched Cutch's single and then the fun started. GI Jones lined a 2-out shot to center and the speedy Bourn ran on, looking like he had a beat on the ball. However, he COMPLETELY MISSED with his glove the ball hit his wrist, allowing Cutch score and giving the Bucs a 4-3 lead. Josh Harrison then doubled  the Pride of PR home and GI Jones was nabbed at the plate to end the inning, Bucs 5, Astros 3. If Bourn makes the fairly routine catch, it's the end of the inning and it's 3-3, but he makes the Astros 56th error in 70 games. A poor throw by Corporan in the 9th would make it Heinz 57, tying the Astros with the Cubs for first in MLB for errors. It's no wonder those 2 teams are in the NL Central basement..............

J-Mac again found himself with a RISP  in the bottom of the 6th and with 1 on and 2 out was lifted for Tony Watson. The rookie continued his hot streak by getting a line out to end the inning and preserve the 2-run cushion. Can't say enough about Watson's performance this season, most of his appearances in high pressuers situations. Two of the same three guys who went down in order in the 2nd and 5th innings did the same in the 7th, only this time Brandon Wood made the 1-2-3 inning official, pinch hitting for J-Mac. The Astros also did nothing with their share of the 7th and the Bucs had 2 on and 1 out in the top of the 8th but the Pride of PR did what he does when he isn't driving in big runs: GIDP to end the inning. Watson retired the first 2 batters he faced in the bottom of the 8th before walking Angel Sanchez and giving way to Tim Wood, who got the final out of the inning.

The Bucs had lefty specialist Matt Diaz on base but Cedeno and Dusty Brown, the guys who went down in order in the 2nd, 5th, and 7th innings, failed to get him in. Jose Veras, not Hammer Hanrahan, came on to pitch the 9th for the Bucs and the adventure began. Maybe Hanrahan was tired from obliterating opposing batters or maybe he was too busy chasing Reg Dunlop around afrer he called his wife a lesbian. Anyways, Jose Veras was Jake Taylor's choice, looking for his first save with the Bucs. Veras has been a solid late reliever his entire career, but coming in to yesterday's save attempt, he had converted 3 saves in 10 chances over the span of his MLB career. He doesn't exactly have ice water in his veins like the Hammer.

Veras allowed the first batter, PH Jason Bourgeois, to single and promptly steal second. Bourn then hit a tweener towards the hole between 1st and 2nd, but Walker showed nice range in getting the ball quickly and threw on to Overpaid in time for the first out. Jeff Keppinger then singled in Bourgeois to cut the lead to 5-4, with 1 on and 1 out. Pence was next and he hit a chopper to 3rd, which Wood fielded and came up firing to first, ignoring the tying run moving to second when it seemed he had an easy play there. The next batter was Carlos Lee and he ran a 3-0 count on Veras before getting the green light and ripping a line drive foul down the 3rd base line. After fouling off a pitch to cut it to 3-2, Lee hit a hot shot to 3rd which Wood could not field cleanly, kicking the ball towards shortstop. Wood did not give up on the ball, fielded it and threw JUST in time to get Land Mass Lee, chugging up the line. Replayed showed Lee was clearly out by about a millimeter, but inch or a mile, it was the final out, Bucs 5, Astros 4. Bucs are 2 games above .500, 35-33!!!!!

Player of the Game: GI Jones- 1 for 4 with the 3-run HR and also hit the error ball that gave us the W.

Head Scratcher of the Game: Not really of the game, but cumulatively. GI Jones appears to be a better option at 1B than Overpaid  for about 1/10 the price and in RF that Paul or Diaz for about 1/4 the price. Jones adds power to a power sick lineup; he hit 21 HR in his first half season in 2009 and last year hit 21 again and also had 86 RBI. His fielding % is .01 behind Overpaid and I've never seen him trip over a ball like Diaz did in RF against the Mets last Friday. People who say 2010 was a disappointment for Jones beacuse he hit as many HR in a full season as he did in half of 2009 are crazy if they expected him to hit 42 bombs.

Face Palm of the Game: Not so much the decision to not use the Hammer, because Hanrahan probably needed a break,  but the performance of Veras was awful. Jake Taylor likes to play the odds, batting Ronny Cedeno and his .157 June average 2nd because he was 5 for 10 career against a guy. So why send a guy out for a save when he was 3 for 10 in save opportunities prior? Oh well, he got the save and the Bucs got the sweep. Can't question a winning manager, unless he's Mike Tomlin and just lost the SB after winning the division for the 3rd time four years,  going 12 -4 playing 1/4 of a season with no QB, 30 different OL combos, and taking the team to a 2nd SB in 3 years, winning more home AFC title games in 4 years than Cowher did in 15.... Obviously sarcasm there; although I was ticked off at Tomlin after "unleash hell" was a failure but the way he got that team playing last season proved why he is coaching the best franchise in the NFL. Just  taking a swipe at some of the SmizBlog posters who trash MT, Arians, LeBeau, Rooneys, Steelers Draft picks like Ziggy "AFC Divisional Playoff Clinching Sack" Hood, and like to point out the 4 years the Pens didn't make the playoffs out of the last 20......

Overall, a very nice series. The Astros are lousy, they helped us get some runs, etc. But the Bucs are also responsible for making their own luck. Jones put the bat on the ball, it's not our fault Bourn can't catch it. Wood boots a ball, but NEVER GAVE UP and got the final out at first. Good teams get lucky because they put themselves in a situation to benefit from luck. Awful teams are the Houston Astros. Ugly wins are wins none the less, especially since there is no such thing as a beautiful loss. After 18 years of losing baseball, ugly wins , pretty wins, downright disastrous wins, we'll take 'em all! Freak Show part II might be on it's way to make this a fun summer for Pittsburgh Baseball fans.