Murphy’s Law & The Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates come off of a disappointing loss at the hands of the Chicago Cubs largely in part to several miscues in what proved to be a disastrous 8th inning.




After yielding no runs in 6.2 innings pitcher Paul Maholm turned the ball over to the bullpen to preserve his 3-0 lead. With reliable set-up man Evan Meek ready to toe the rubber in the bottom of the 8th the Bucco’s manager Clint Hurdle had to have felt positive about his chances of taking the first two games of a three game series in Chicago.



What proceeded in that half inning is what many Pittsburghers’ have become so accustomed to over the past 18 seasons. If something could go wrong for the Pirates, it did. Beginning with a walk to pinch-hitter Kosuke Fukudome, shortstop Starlin Castro would follow that up with his second hit of the day, doubling in Fukudome from first. Castro would score just a few pitches later on a Lyle Overbay error at first base. From there it only got worse as Meek lost his control in critical counts.



The first instance came in Cub’s catcher Giovanni Soto’s at-bat in which Meek left an 0-2 fastball up in the zone that Soto would poke through the right side of the infield for a single. Then, with a chance to get out of the inning still up a run, Meek would leave a 1-2 fastball just enough out and over the plate for Alfonso Soriano to drive in the game tying run. Later on in the inning after Meek was removed from the ballgame, relief pitcher Chris Resop surrendered a two run double to pinch hitter Blake Dewitt that would put the Cubs ahead 5-3. That hit would prove to be the final blow as Clubs closer Carlos Marmol would breeze through the Pittsburgh 9th striking out the side.



Aside from an implosion late, the Pirate ball club looked like a disciplined squad with a new confidence about them, but it is the small things like untimely errors and poor pitch locations that have hampered the Pirates for years. Poor execution is unacceptable and something that this young team cannot afford if they hope to compete in the NL Central. Lets just hope that this was a minor lapse in focus and not a sign of more of the same old Pittsburgh Pirates.

written by Shane McFarland