Pirates Morning Report, Mismanagement at Its Best

Final Score: Pirates 4 Marlins 5 in 10 innings

Why The Pirates Lost: I could not believe that they could have started a worst lineup than the one they did the other night, but they managed it. I wonder how many teams this time of the year lead off the game with a batter not hitting .200. I thought the headline might read one hit, one run, and one win, with Brubaker pitching a great 7 innings, allowing 0 runs on 3 hits, 2 walks and striking out 9. That’s what I thought it would be, until DUJ came into the game in the bottom of the 8th. He had been doing a pretty good job lately and got the first 2 outs. Then he imploded by hitting a batter, walking a batter and hitting another batter. He did help speed up the game. A single then drove across the 2 gift wrapped runs. The Pirate staff walked 4 and hit 3 after giving up no walks in the first 2 games of the series. The Pirates battled back with 1 in the 9th and 2 in the top of the tenth to take a 4-2 lead. But they blew the lead in the bottom of the 10th when an obviously tired David Bednar gave up 3 runs on multiple rocket shots and ended this debacle by wild pitching the winning run home. Management was all smiles tonight.

The Key Moment of The Game: Bringing Bednar in for the bottom of the 10th and having no one ready when it was obvious, he did not have it last night. Bednar threw 12 strikes, and they all were either fouled off or rocketed in play, a bunt being the exception, with 2 of them nearly taking his head off. The game would have been over sooner if it were not for a baserunning gaffe by the Marlins that got the 1st out. This game went past Shelton’s bedtime.

Next Game: This Afternoon, Marlins in Miami. I cannot imagine who they might play today or won’t play. It is a shame, because if they played the best players, brought up some better players and cut the dead wood, this team would be so much better.