Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press
Mark Melancon pitching to Matt Holliday on Wednesday. "Our pitching is as strong as anybody's in baseball," Melancon said.
PITTSBURGH — In the sixth inning of the nightcap of Tuesday's doubleheader, a black bat circled above the seats just behind the Pirates' third-base on-deck circle and ultimately settled high on the fans' side of the screen. There it remained for the duration, utterly immobile and impervious to those who soon rocked the sold-out stadium in celebrating the Pirates' twin-bill sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals that reclaimed the National League Central division lead from the visitors.
For much of the two games, the Pirates' bats were similarly inactive. The team managed only nine hits in the first 15 innings of play, with only one inning featuring two hits. But amid the aviary intrusion, Pittsburgh bats of the wooden variety suddenly stirred. The Pirates managed three singles, a double, three triples and a home run to score five runs in a 17-batter window — damage that would have been even more pronounced if the two players who hit leadoff triples had scored.
It was a scene reminiscent of the one in 1969 during a crucial series at Shea Stadium when a black cat scooted past Ron Santo in Chicago's on-deck circle just as the upstart Mets took another step forward to overtake the fading Cubs.
Pittsburgh's victories Tuesday, 2-1 in 11 innings and 6-0 in the nightcap, followed Monday's 9-2 defeat of St. Louis and gave the Pirates a one-and-a-half-game lead, assuring they would enter August in first place. Pittsburgh is looking to end a 20-season playoff drought. Barring a near-complete collapse, at least a wild-card berth seems assured for the Pirates, with the Arizona Diamondbacks lagging 10 games behind them.
Three playoff teams could emerge from the N.L. Central, with the Reds, who have the National League's fourth-best record, lurking four and a half games behind the Cardinals. Those teams are scheduled for a three-game series in Cincinnati this weekend.
Before that, though, St. Louis has its hands full in Pittsburgh. After the doubleheader, necessitated by an April rainout, the Cardinals again fell to the Pirates, 5-4, on Wednesday to fall two and half games back. The teams will meet again Thursday.
Divisional rivalry aside, Tuesday's single-admission doubleheader was rare enough in an era of maximum-profit ownership. Cardinals catcher Rob Johnson remarked that the doubleheader was reminiscent of the six- and eight-game home-and-home series he experienced in the minor leagues. Adding to the oddity was batters facing unknown pitchers promoted for the day to make spot starts, he said.
That occurred for both teams in the nightcap, with newcomers, Tyler Lyons for the Cardinals and Brandon Cumpton for the Pirates, on the mound.
"It throws you off," Johnson said.
Johnson entered the second game after catcher Yadier Molina aggravated a knee injury. Johnson's counterpart, Tony Sanchez, meanwhile, reveled in his first major league start at catcher, racing from the Pirates' dugout the instant Matt Adams swung and missed to end the sixth inning.
"That's what I do, that's my schtick — I'm a high-energy guy," Sanchez said later of his sprint. He added, "Lining up on the field after the shutout, you have no idea how emotional I got."
The Pirates fans' own pent-up positivity was on display throughout the seven hours of baseball. Some had worn yellow and black wigs and temporary team tattoos or paint. Others waved skull-and-crossbones flags. Pirates shirts were abundant, from throwback Roberto Clemente No. 21 jerseys to the contemporary variety, the most common being center fielder Andrew McCutchen's No. 22. McCutchen got the party off to a sterling start with a sprawling lateral dive after Carlos Beltran's liner. Two runs might have scored if the ball had bounced past him, but McCutchen made the catch, rose and easily tossed the ball to first base to double off Matt Holliday and end the inning. In the bottom of the first, McCutchen hit a double off the left-field wall and then raced home when Pedro Alvarez doubled to right.
The Pirates then went hitless until the eighth inning, as the pitching duel between their ace, A. J. Burnett, and the Cardinals' Lance Lynn, and both bullpens — the teams combined for only 12 hits in 11 innings — stretched on.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
A Rare Sight in Pittsburgh as the Pirates Enter August in First Place
Dengan url
http://suporterfanatikos.blogspot.com/2013/08/a-rare-sight-in-pittsburgh-as-pirates.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
A Rare Sight in Pittsburgh as the Pirates Enter August in First Place
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
A Rare Sight in Pittsburgh as the Pirates Enter August in First Place
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar