Friday, May 07, 2010
By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/?m=1
When a franchise has dug itself a hole as deep as that of the Pirates, it takes more than a handful of walkoff wins to overshadow the massive blowout losses.
It takes winning convincingly once in a while.
It takes playing good, clean baseball.
And it takes overcoming some of the franchise's more persistent demons head on ...
Kind of like this: Pirates 11, Cubs 1.
Matt Freed/Post-Gazette
A Pirates fan holds a broom hoping for a sweep Thursday at PNC Park.
Lastings Milledge had two two-run doubles, and Brian Burres pitched seven more scoreless innings as the home team clobbered long-time nemesis Chicago, 11-1, Thursday night to complete a three-game sweep before 11,085 at PNC Park.
"They're a team, like the Brewers, who have had our number," catcher Ryan Doumit said. "For us to come out and not only sweep them but to have an offensive output like this, it's huge for us, knowing we can play with anybody."
"That was great," shortstop Ronny Cedeno said. "It's a lot of fun right now. Because we beat the Cubbies. And because we played good baseball."
The sweep was the Pirates' second of the season, first of the Cubs since Aug. 28-30, 2006, and manager John Russell pointed to the pitching, as he has done in good times and bad.
"That's what we're capable of doing," Russell said. "If we pitch, we feel like we've got a great opportunity to win. You're going to sweep a team like Chicago, you've got to pitch."
The Pirates allowed just five runs and 19 hits over these three games, and that was particularly important in the narrow opening two victories.
In this one, though, Chicago performed abysmally in every facet, looking much like a team trying to get manager Lou Piniella fired as cries mount in that direction: The most talented hitters looked disinterested at the plate, the pitching was little better, and the infielders were charged with three ugly errors.
"We scored, what, five runs the whole series?" Piniella said. "We didn't hit, we didn't pitch, and we certainly didn't play good defense."
This morning, the 13-16 Cubs are looking up at the 13-15 Pirates in the standings.
Burres followed 5 1/3 scoreless innings in Los Angeles eight days ago with seven more, limiting Chicago to three hits and three walks. It was only his third start, but he now has the rotation's best record at 2-1 to go with a 4.09 ERA.
Is he making a case to stick?
"I would think yeah, definitely," Russell said. "He's shut down two pretty good offensive clubs. The way he's throwing the ball, I think he deserves every right to continue to pitch for us. We've got to look at the rotation with Ross coming back, but Brian's done a great job for us."
Ross Ohlendorf is expected to return from the 15-day disabled list Monday, bringing the rotation back to full health. That could make Jeff Karstens, the starter Saturday, the odd man out.
Burres was asked if he felt he was making a statement to stick.
"I just know that I felt better in this start than the one in L.A., and I just want to try to keep that going," he replied. "I'm going to try to not worry about everything else."
Matt Freed/Post-Gazette
Pirates pitcher Brian Burres throws.
Burres, a left-hander facing an all-righty lineup, went hard and inside all night, usually with his fastball, often with his sinker. Doumit called his stuff "nasty" and praised its effect, in particular, on Chicago's heart of the order -- Derrek Lee, Xavier Nady and Aramis Ramirez -- who went a combined 0 for 8 against Burres.
Even so, this one was defined by the bats breaking out after just 15 runs in the previous six games.
The first five batters against Chicago starter Randy Wells reached safely, including RBI hits from Andrew McCutchen, Garrett Jones and Doumit's double to the Clemente Wall. One out later, Milledge lined the first of his two clutch doubles inside the left-field chalk, and it was 5-0.
Wells had been 3-0 with a 3.45 ERA.
"I came in too cocky," Wells said.
It was the Pirates' biggest first inning since Sept. 20, 2008, against Houston.
"We've been on the other side of that a couple times this year," Russell said.
It kept coming, too.
Jones roped a two-run double in the second into the right-field corner, and Milledge's other double capped a four-run fourth. The latter momentarily looked like a grand slam in striking the top of the left-field fence, but umpires correctly ruled it in play.
In an embarrassing moment rendered mostly moot by the 10-0 score, Milledge was hung up between second and third on the play.
"I think he heard the fireworks and music," Russell said with a laugh.
"Most exciting double in PNC Park history," Milledge said.
Although Milledge's overall numbers have been down -- .240 average, still no home runs -- he is 16 for 47 with runners in scoring position, a .340 clip that is roughly a 100 points higher.
"That definitely means a lot to me," Milledge said. "I've been trying to take pride since spring training of moving runners up and moving 'em in."
This might mean more: Milledge drove the ball with authority to left after a month of mostly opposite-field softies, this after several days of working with hitting coach Don Long on new positioning for his feet.
Jones, too, is snapping out of a slump, now 10 for 28 with six RBIs in his past seven games. His RBI total of 20 leads the team.
Because of the lopsided score, McCutchen was lifted in the fifth inning to rest his still-sore right ankle. Russell called his move precautionary.
The only downer on the night was continued low attendance, on a night when the city's attention was focused on the Penguins' game in Montreal: It was the seventh crowd in a row smaller than 14,000, and the PNC Park average of 16,797 now is fourth-lowest in Major League Baseball.
Dejan Kovacevic: dkovacevic@post-gazette.com. Find more at PBC Blog.
Today
Game: Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals, 7:05 p.m., PNC Park.
TV, radio: FSN Pittsburgh, WPGB-FM (104.7).
Pitching: LHP Zach Duke (2-3, 6.09) vs. RHP Chris Carpenter (4-0, 2.84).
Key matchup: Carpenter long has dominated the Pirates -- 11-1 record, 2.27 ERA, .197 batting average -- but not Ryan Doumit. The Pirates' catcher is 5 for 16 off him, with two home runs.
Of note: Andrew McCutchen is batting .440 in the first inning this year -- 11 for 25 -- including two singles, a double and home run in his past eight games. That average ranks second in the National League.
• The PBC Blog
• Box score
• Statistics
• Standings
• Minor-league report
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