Lots of firsts this series.
Pirates won more games than they lost in Miller Park this season. First time since 2002.
The Pirates reached 80 wins. The lowest n such that n > max_wins(1993-2012).
The Pirates reached 81 wins, clinching a 0.500 record for the first time since 1992.
I was, as many others were, hoping for the bigger milestone, #82, to come this series, but alas it will have to wait.
Let's get to the games:
2 September - Pirates 5 Brewers 2 - Got some unusual contributions offensively in this one. Clint Barmes went 2 for 4 and scored 2 runs, being knocked in my Jose Tabata (Tabata went 3 for 4) both times. That's how the Pirates made it 2-1 in the 5th.
In the 7th, Neil Walker hit a 3 run bomb with nobody out. His 10th HR of the season.
Charlie Morton, who's unusually good performances are starting to become the usual, pitched a very good 7 innings, only giving up one earned run.
Mark Melancon closed it out for the save on this fine Labor Day afternoon.
Win #80.
3 September - Pirates 4 Brewers 3 - Jason Grilli returned from the DL, a welcome sight, as more quality arms in the pen is always a good thing. Here's to hoping he can regain his midseason form, though he won't be thrust into the closer role right away (a move that I think I agree with, I'm not a huge buyer into the whole closer pattern, but if we're gonna have a closer, I'd stick with Melancon, if it ain't broke don't fix it basically).
Cole had a fine outing. 6 IP 2 ER 5 H 1 BB 5 Ks. He was denied the win when Mazzaro allowed the Crew to tie in Vin's second inning of work.
Andrew McCutchen hit the 100th HR of his career to get the Pirates to a 1-0 1st inning lead. Byrd continued the scoring with a 2 run scoring single in the 3rd and a run scoring double in the 8th, which gave the Bucs a 3-2 lead.
After Vin's aforementioned run. Travis Snider (haven't heard that name in a while, huh?) came up to lead off the 9th, game tied 3-3, and pulled a pitch from Brewer closer Jim Henderson deep into the Milwaukee night (a.k.a., the right field bleachers) for a crazy dramatic run grabbing homer.
Fantastic hit. Clutch hit from a guy who hasn't given us much this year. Earlier in the year I was really up on Snider, but he just faded. I'm thinking a lot of that had to do with his toe injury, but it's hard to know.
Regardless, a big hit, no doubt! Then Shark Melancon came in a closed the door once again.
And that's how the Pirates won game #81. An injured, forgotten, player dusted off the shackles of the bench to play the biggest part in a big win against an opponent who's just beaten us down over the years.
Hows that for a bit of synecdoche for you.
For many long time Bucs fans, this game was a big deal. Not so much for me, since I endured (and I say endure lightly, because the Pirates have never been my only team) but a quarter of the 20 year sentence many fans received.
But even still, let's not lose sight of our goals this year [along with how I feel about each goal]:
1. Get a winning season. (One game left. I prefer this goal to getting 81 because it's a more positive one) [alright, let's do it]
2. Make the playoffs [this would be great, would love to see it]
3. Win the division [I would be fucking ecstatic if the Bucs won the Central for the first time ever]
4. Make a run in the playoffs [I am dying to see the Bucs make some noise in the playoffs, maybe win a series, that would be heaven]
5. Win the World Series [I'm not even gonna consider this, but if I did...]
Basically 1 & 2 are in the bag. 3 is the major one to work on right now, and with some of the recent moves the Bucco management have aligned the team very well to make runs at 4 and 5, although now is not really the time to think about those, both because we're a ways off from October still, and also because the MLB playoffs are a giant crapshoot.
But I digress... great win this night.
4 September - Pirates 3 Brewers 9 - Francisco Liriano did not have a good start against the Brewers today. He struggled with his control and just couldn't stop the bleeding once the hits came.
The thing is, earlier in the year a game like this from their starter would mean the Bucs were solidly out of it from the get go, but with their newly bolstered lineup, they can make a run at a 3, 4, 5+ run deficit. And don't let the final score fool you, because the Bucs had plenty of shots offensively at this one, despite being down by a handful.
The top of the 5th started off 7-2. When McCutchen, who's continuing to feast on whatever HR crack exists in Miller Park, launched a solo shot. Boom 7-3, and the Bucs are starting to smell blood on Brewer starter Wily Peralta.
A weird thing happened next where Peralta plunked Justin Morneau (aside: who switched his number from #36 to #66 today) up and in. It hit him in the forearm, but it was rising up to his chin. Some speculation after the game said that this was due to McCutchen trotting around the bases too slowly during his homer, which would be a pretty weak excuse for hitting Morneau.
The benches cleared as more of a precautionary measure, as everyone wanted to stand behind their teammates as the mood got a little touchy. Nothing happened though. If a Pirate team has ever gotten involved in a brawl, I haven't seen it. (I guess you have to be good for teams to care enough to fight you)
If Peralta did do this on purpose, he couldn't have picked worse time. Because the human dynamo Marlon Byrd jumped on a full count pitch and hammered it to the gap in left. Morneau, who's gotta be one of the slowest guys on the team was inexplicably sent home by Nick Leyva and was thrown out on a decent relay. The throw beat him handily, but the throw was up the first base line, and it looked like maybe Morneau got his toe around Maldonado's glove, but he was called out nonetheless. Replay made me think he was probably safe, but I don't think there was irrefutable evidence, and you're not gonna get that safe call unless it's the 19th inning and Jerry Meals is the home plate umpire. Bitter? What? I'm not still bitter...
The real issue was him being sent in the first place, which was a big mistake considering his speed and the fact that we would've had runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out. And even if Morneau had scored we would still be down by three runs! It made no sense.
So the situation became 1 out and runner at 3rd. Alvarez struck out on a quality 3-2 curve by Peralta, and John Buck hit a sharp grounder up the middle right into a shift to end the inning.
Such is life. Such is baseball.
The Pirates had another opportunity to score in the 7th when they got the first two runners on base (Walker and McCutchen). Morneau struck out and Byrd lined out (it's impossible to blame either one of them though, especially Byrd). Pedro was hit to load the bases and bring the tying run to the plate, and again John Buck ended the threat, this time he flew out on a decently struck fly to center-right-center.
A few other odds 'n ends:
- Stolmy Pimentel made his ML Debut in the sixth. He had a great 6th, but couldn't navigate around a defensive meltdown by Neil Walker in the 7th. He threw an inning and two thirds and game up 3 hits. 2 Ks.
- Jason Grilli made his first appearance since July 22. His velocity was down around 92 (we're more used to seeing him 94-95, but maybe it was the low pressure situation? That's what Grilli would tell you anyway). He gave up one hit and struck out two for a scoreless 8th inning in the loss.
- While the Pirates were enduring this catastrophe of a baseball game, the Reds and Cardinals were locked in a deep extra inning battle that saw both teams score in the 14th (including a missed batter's interference call that led to a steal that led to the Reds tying the game), a weird botched squeeze play with two outs and Chris Heisey at the plate (this play made no sense to me, whyyy??), and an eventual Cardinals victory in 16 innings. Crazy game, that. The Cards pulled to within 1 game of the Pirates and could pull to a half game back tomorrow on account of the Bucs' off day.
Set sail to St. Louis. Last series with the redbirds this year, and since it's gonna be impossible to stop them from going on a run in the last couple weeks as they take on their lighter opponents, I'd really like to take 2 of 3 from them at Busch Stadium. Hope that's not asking for too much.
Though perhaps a 0.500 season was too much to ask for.
Yet look where we are.
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