GAME 1
The good news? The Pirates are in 1st place…. The bad? If they play 161 more games like this, John Russell and all of the fans might be dead…..
First, the key- we won-12-11 in 12 innings. This game will not make the instructional DVD series but was entertaining to say the least.
Pirates made Braves starter Tom Glavine work and did not chase bad pitches. Braves young IFs made some key errors that led to runs and did not help the staff. Ian Snell competed and kept the team in the game til the Pirates bullpen took the game over with a lead. Jason Bay made several fine catches in LF and Jack Wilson made a game changing play on a doubleplay ball in the 5th.
Pirates took an early 1-0 led in 2nd when Jack Wilson scored on an throwing error by 2b Kelly Johnson. Braves answered in the 3rd when Snell committed the ultimate sin walking the pitcher, Glavine came around to score on SS Yunel Escobar’s 2 RBI triple, after another run it was 3-1 Braves. The Pirates got a run back in the 4th on some good situational ball by the bottom of the order, leadoff man Nate McLouth drove in Jose Bautista but Jack Wilson was gunned down at home by CF Mark Kotsay. Braves C Brian McCann homered to RF to put the Braves up 4-2. With Glavine out of the game, Pittsburgh got it to 4-3 on a RBI groundout by Jose Bautista. The hometown team tied it in the 7th off a combo of 3 relievers and a throwing error on a routine play by young Braves SS Yunel Escobar.
Newly acquired RHP Tyler Yates pitched a strong 7th and they responded by scoring 4 runs on Home runs, first a solo shot by RF Xavier Nady and then a Huge 3 run HR by McLouth. LHP John Grabow pitched a strong, clean 8th and the Pirates added an insurance run on a Jose Bautista sacrifice to make it 9-4 going into the bottom of the 9th… then things got interesting!!!!
LHP Damaso Marte mixed in a strikeout among 3 walks and Manager Russell summoned his closer, Matt Capps. He then walked his first batter. Then Chipper Jones hit a hard single to right, 9-7. Then things went sideways… again! With 2 outs, Brian McCann hit a high pop up into short, mid Left center that Bay and McLouth misplayed and allowed to drop between them to tie the game at 9. Capps regained his composure and got us to the 10th by getting a fly out with a great diving catch by Nate in CF.
The game stayed at 9-9 til the 12th when Nady hit a tremendous HR to right to score McLouth and Bay to make it 12-11. RHP Franquelis Osoria stayed on the mound for his 2nd inning and got two quick outs. Then Jeff Francoeur homered to left,12-10. Mark Kotsay hit a double and scored on a Matt Diaz single. Osoria ended the drama by getting C Corky Miller, the last Braves player on the bench, to fly out to McLouth to end the game.
WOW….
Nice win, one crazy inning kept this from being a really nice, easy late game win. Team made the Braves pay for errors, got some runs with outs and had some key players(McLouth and Nady) get some big hits. All positive signs and things contending teams do. Good execution throughout the lineup and they made a Hall of Fame pitcher work. Defense, except for the 27th out, was great and the pitchers threw the ball well.
One interesting game note was the team started Ryan Doumit at C instead of Ronny Paulino. Manager John Russell believed Ryan’s plate discipline would make this a good matchup and still lists Paulino as his starting backstop.
Star of the Game- RF Xavier Nady-4-7 -2 Hrs and 4 RBI
Day off Tuesday—-LHP Tom Gorzelanny for Pittsburgh vs Atlanta answers with RHP Jair Jurrjens Wednesday- 7:10 start
Character win!!!!
ENJOY 1st PLACE!!!!
