Monday, July 09, 2007
Xavier Nady greets Jason Bay at home plate after Bay's two-run home run against Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano in the third inning yesterday at PNC Park.
By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Carlos Zambrano, the Chicago Cubs' ace, once was so affected by how Jason Bay always got the best of him that he perched Bay's baseball card atop his locker stall all through the spring training of 2004.
A running gag?
A reminder to exact revenge?
"Honestly, I don't want to know," is Bay's diplomatic answer. "The last thing you need is for a pitcher that great, that competitive to be looking for you."
Well, judging from Zambrano's reaction to Bay's two-run home run that propelled the Pirates past Chicago, 6-2, yesterday at PNC Park, it is safe to say he is not about to add an autograph to the collection.
Here was the pivotal point in the Pirates' final game before the All-Star break ...
They trailed, 1-0, in the third inning when Xavier Nady's two-out single chased home Nate McLouth.
Next to the box was Bay, who might as well have been lugging a 10-ton crane instead of his bat.
The worst slump of his career included one hit in his previous 25 at-bats, one home run and seven RBIs in his previous 25 games, a .149 average since the start of June and ...
Crack!
Never mind.
Bay launched Zambrano's 1-0 fastball that drifted over the meat of the plate into the bullpens beyond center field.
"Last thing I'm thinking about there is a home run, the way things have been going," Bay said. "I just got a good swing."
The moment the ball was struck, Zambrano, without ever looking back at its path, strode off the mound in disgust.
And the reaction was not rash: Bay now is 11 for 33 with five home runs and 16 RBIs against Zambrano, one of the National League's elite pitchers.
"I either strike him out, or he hits a home run," Zambrano said. "He's a good hitter in the big leagues. You can't make a mistake against good hitters. They make you pay."
Bay follows through on his two-run single during the eighth inning against the Cubs Sunday, July 8, at PNC Park. Bay drove in four runs, as the Pirates won, 6-2.
The Cubs would continue to pay for that home run, as it surely gave Bay the confidence to come through with a two-run single in the eighth and cap his day with four RBIs.
So much for the slump.
"Every hitter goes through it," manager Jim Tracy said. "But, when you look at the history of the individual, you know they're going to figure it out at some point in time. It can take one swing, and they say, 'Oh, yeah, that's what it was.' "
Which is pretty much how Bay described it.
"One hit like that home run can kind of turn things around for you, feel-wise," he said. "After that, I did feel a little more comfortable."
Especially against Zambrano, the pitcher who gave up all eight of Bay's RBIs in a game Sept. 19, 2003?
"Sometimes, the numbers lie," Bay said. "Trust me: He's not the type of pitcher you enjoy facing."
Having Bay, the Pirates' best player, experience a one-day revival just before the break was only part of what made this one so satisfying for them.
Shane Youman won for the second time in as many starts since being recalled from Class AAA Indianapolis, limiting Chicago to two runs on six hits over six mostly quiet innings.
The Cubs did make some noise in the second when they loaded the bases with nobody out, but all they culled from it was Angel Pagan's sacrifice fly. Koyie Hill flied out to shallow center, and Zambrano grounded out.
"I'm just thinking damage control the whole time," Youman said.
A 3-2 lead was turned over to Shawn Chacon in the seventh, and he responded with two perfect innings, a level of efficiency that has become common since his return to the bullpen in mid-June.
"I'm starting to like this," Chacon said with a wide smile.
The Pirates, finally facing someone other than Zambrano in the eighth, pounced on reliever Bob Howry for three singles before there was an out. That loaded the bases for Bay, whose stroke to left field brought a three-run edge and drew a two-minute ovation from the 22,470 in attendance. Some had been booing Bay earlier in the week.
Jose Bautista added a sacrifice fly, Matt Capps pitched a scoreless ninth, and there were handshakes and backslaps all around.
Not without cause, given the Pirates' surge into the break ...
They have won nine of 13, including this 7-3 homestand, to match their best run over such a span in Tracy's two years.
They are eight games under .500 at 40-48, this shortly after a five-game losing streak pushed them to a season-low 13 under June 24 in Anaheim, Calif.
They have won four consecutive series, first time for that since May 30-June 12, 2005.
They just took series from the top two teams in the Central Division, Milwaukee and Chicago, and the Cubs had won 11 of 13 before arriving in Pittsburgh.
Oh, and this, too, in case anyone remains interested in the standings: The Pirates are nine games behind the Brewers, the closest they have been to first place at the break since being 7 1/2 back in 2003.
Tracy, optimistic in the worst of times, clearly was feeling buoyant on this occasion.
"This is a great way to end the first half, to maintain the momentum we've been building," he said. "And the manner in which we did it was great, too."
He credited the players with persevering.
"A lot of good has come out of this so far and, the fact is, it could have been better. We had to reconstruct our bullpen a couple times. We had problems with the back end of the rotation. We've yet to fire on all cylinders offensively. But we dealt with all of that, we stayed together, and we won our fair share."
He paused.
"We want to do a lot more of that in the second half, and I believe we can."
So, it seems, does first baseman Adam LaRoche.
"I believe," he said. "You know I believe. I like this group. I like what we're doing. Let's see what happens."
The Pirates resume play Friday in Atlanta.
(Dejan Kovacevic can be reached at dkovacevic@post-gazette.com.)
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