Saturday, May 15, 2010
By Chuck Finder, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/?m=1
Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
The Pirates' Andrew McCutchen, right, is congratulated by Garrett Jones after hitting a solo home run in the ninth inning Friday at Wrigley Field.
CHICAGO -- This was history.
Not merely because the Pirates scored some runs after 18 previous innings of zilch. Not merely because the quiet Pirates bats rang up a season-high 16 hits, which previously represented a strong week for them.
Rather, Andrew McCutchen and Garrett Jones alone created enough offense Friday in a 10-6 romp against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, it forced the Elias Sports Bureau archaeologists to go back, back, back in Pirates time.
To 40 years ago.
To Willie Stargell.
That was the previous time two Pirates offered the same kind of offensive punch in one game: five hits apiece by any two batters in the same lineup, let alone back-to-back ones.
Hall of Famer Stargell and regular first baseman Bob Robertson did it batting fifth and sixth Aug. 1, 1970, amid a 20-10 thumping of the Braves in long-gone Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.
Also on the field that day were the Pirates' Roberto Clemente plus Atlanta's Henry Aaron and Orlando Cepeda. (An ailing Bill Mazeroski sat out the week.) That's a lot of future Hall of Famers.
To hear McCutchen tell it, the northwest breeze here did not help him to hit four singles, including a bunt, or even a ninth-inning home run. It did not help Jones collect five RBIs and match McCutchen with a career-high five hits in front of friends and family from his suburban Chicago home.
"You see that," McCutchen said of the flags rippling northward atop Wrigley Field, "and I'm trying to hit homers, and I'm 0 for 3 with three pop-ups."
Instead, he continued of Friday, "I'd get on base ... let Garrett do the rest."
"He did it all up there," Jones added. "It was fun to hit behind him, that's for sure."
McCutchen, batting third, went 5 for 5 (he walked the other time) with five runs scored and two stolen bases. Jones, batting fourth, went 5 for 6 (he struck out the other time) with a run-scoring single, a run-scoring double and a three-run homer off Carlos Zambrano in the eighth to break a 6-6 tie.
They collectively carried the Pirates on a day when the remainder of the team went 6 for 31, for a .193 average, with one other extra-base hit, an Andy LaRoche double for their first hit.
They combined to drive in seven of the 10 Pirates runs.
No, it was not a wind-aided effort.
"Andrew has done a nice job for us," manager John Russell said of his still-blossoming star, who is hitting .500 (15 for 30) with five multi-hit performances in his past nine games.
"And Garrett in the past four of five days has been swinging the bat better," although, in reality, Jones is Mr. May with a .372 average (16 for 43), seven doubles and 13 RBIs in 11 games this month. His home run ended a 14-game drought and was only his second in the 28 games since he opened the season with three in two games.
"When they do things like that, we're capable of scoring some runs pretty quickly," Russell continued.
But do not forget those two consecutive shutouts by Cincinnati, the one run scored by the Pirates in the Reds' three-game sweep, the six previous games it took to find a total of 10 Pirates runs.
"It has been a struggle for us [lately]," Russell said. "So, we'll take today. It's one game. Fortunately, it worked out for us. We've got to come out and do it again."
The bullpen bailed out the club once more, D.J. Carrasco following up Brian Burres' four innings, Evan Meek recording four strikeouts in his two innings, and Joel Hanrahan and Octavio Dotel doing the rest.
Zambrano hung a down-the-middle sinker to Jones after plunking LaRoche on the hip and yielding a single to McCutchen, and it seemed to be just another instance of Cubs ineptitude amid a 2-8 skid in which half of their losses came against the Pirates.
And look who stands a half-game ahead of the Cubs in the National League Central this morning?
Those previously parched Pirates, who entered Wrigley Field having lost five of their prior six games and desperately seeking offense.
"We had a rough series against the Reds," Jones said. "The guys just came out aggressive, attacking, got some pitches to hit, and did some damage."
"I knew sooner or later we were going to be able to score some runs," McCutchen added.
But the team became almost completely reliant on him and the Chicago-area native batting behind him, Jones.
"I'd get a hit, he'd get a hit," McCutchen said. "He'd get a homer, I'd get a homer."
When they do things like that, the Pirates score runs, and statistical historians dig deep.
Today
Game: Pirates vs. Chicago Cubs, 1:05 p.m., Wrigley Field.
TV, radio: FSN Pittsburgh, WPGB-FM (104.7).
Pitching: LHP Paul Maholm (2-3, 4.61) vs. RHP Ryan Dempster (2-3, 3.44).
Key matchup: Maholm vs. Aramis Ramirez. Maholm kept the Pirates' former third baseman to an 0-for-3 outing last week after Ramirez previously had batted .400 with two home runs, six RBIs in 20 career at-bats against him.
Of note: Three times this season in the majors, one team has outslugged another by 14 hits or more. Two of those belong to the Pirates: Milwaukee by 25-8 April 22, Cincinnati by 15-1 Tuesday. Total score in those games: Them 29, Pirates 0.
• The PBC Blog
• Box score
• Statistics
• Standings
• Minor-league report
Chuck Finder: cfinder@post-gazette.com. Find more at PBC Blog.
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