Black and Gold

Monday, July 13, 2015

Pirates rally past Cardinals 6-5 in 10 innings

By Will Graves
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/pit/
July 13, 2015

Pirates rally past Cardinals 6-5 in 10 innings

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Francisco Liriano (47) drives in two runs with a hit in front of St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (4) in the second inning of a baseball game, Sunday, July 12, 2015, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The St. Louis Cardinals head into the All-Star break with the NL Central lead and the best record in the majors.

The Pittsburgh Pirates, however, have all the momentum.

Gregory Polanco capped another late rally, driving in Jung Ho Kang with two outs in the 10th inning to lift the Pirates to a 6-5 victory over the Cardinals on Sunday night.

St. Louis took a 5-3 lead in the top of the 10th on a two-run double by Randal Grichuk off Arquimedes Caminero (1-1). Pittsburgh, which won in 14 innings on a homer by Andrew McCutchen on Saturday, did it again 24 hours later against St. Louis All-Star closer Trevor Rosenthal (1-2).

Starling Marte brought Pittsburgh within a run with an RBI single. Francisco Cervelli tied it with a single and Polanco followed two batters later with a looper to right that sent Kang streaking across the plate and the rest of the Pirates streaming out of the dugout after their second walkoff win in two nights.

''The way we came together at the end, kept our nose down, kept grinding at-bats, just looking for that big hit,'' shortstop Jordy Mercer said. ''We kept it going and the last two nights were amazing, a lot of fun.''

Pittsburgh took three of four from St. Louis to pull within 2 1/2 games of the Cardinals heading to the All-Star break. Rosenthal blew a save for only the second time this season.

''That was Trevor coming at him with the best stuff he had tonight,'' St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. ''He's been worked hard. It's not the same when you've been worked that hard.''

Rosenthal threw 27 pitches while working 1 1-3 innings during Saturday's marathon and was on his 29th pitch Sunday when Polanco delivered the first walkoff of his career.

''They're hard ones to swallow,'' Matheny said. ''You have very few chances where you can put a game away. Had a few chances yesterday and again today.''

McCutchen's career-best, 18-game hitting streak ended but his teammates picked him up and brought the streaking Pirates - who trailed St. Louis by nine games on May 8 - within striking distance with 74 games to go.

''It was a big series for us to be able to scratch out some wins against a great club,'' Mercer said. ''They're the top and we know that.''

A night after the Pirates rallied three times to stun St. Louis, they did it again with a bunch of role players chipping in while McCutchen went 0 for 5. Mercer and Cervelli each had two hits and eight of Pittsburgh's nine starters had at least one.

Grichuk had three and Jhonny Peralta had three hits apiece for St. Louis but the Cardinals went just 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position.

Still, St. Louis came within an out of a series split.

Pittsburgh's normally reliable setup man Tony Watson came on in the eighth trying to preserve a 3-2 lead but struggled. Watson hit Kolten Wong with a pitch to start the inning, gave up a single to Peralta and loaded the bases when Mercer couldn't handle a chopper by Jason Heyward. Wong tied it on a fielders' choice by Yadier Molina, though Watson avoided further trouble by striking out Peter Bourjos with the bases loaded.

It stayed tied until the 10th when St. Louis went to work against Caminero. Grichuk delivered the big blow, a double to the gap in right-center. Mercer threw out Mark Reynolds as he tried to score from first on the play, a decision that would prove costly minutes later for the Cardinals.

''You don't realize it at the time but it's a big play,'' Mercer said. ''It helped us out.''

TRAINER'S ROOM

Cardinals: LF Matt Holliday hit some shag balls before Sunday night's game. He will sit out Tuesday's All-Star game to give his injured quadriceps a little more rest but should be ready to play for the first time since June 8 when St. Louis opens the second half on Friday against the New York Mets.

Pirates: 1B Corey Hart had a setback in one of his knees while rehabbing a hip impingement and has been shut down. General manager Neal Huntington said Hart will rejoin the team in Pittsburgh and have the knee re-evaluated. Hart has been out since June 21.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: St. Louis will send five players to Tuesday's All-Star game in Cincinnati: pitchers Carlos Martinez, Michael Wacha and Rosenthal, as well as Molina and Peralta before beginning the second half of the season at home on Friday against the New York Mets. Lance Lynn (6-5, 2.90) will get the start. Lynn is 1-3 with a 3.42 ERA in six games against the Mets.

Pirates: Pittsburgh sends Gerrit Cole, whose 13 wins lead the majors, A.J. Burnett and Melancon to Cincinnati, as well as McCutchen. The team begins the second half on Friday at Milwaukee when Charlie Morton (6-2, 4.15 ERA) gets the start. Pittsburgh is 133-152 after the break under manager Clint Hurdle.

Sunday, July 12, 2015

McCutchen homers in 14th, Pirates beat Cards 6-5

The Associated Press

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/pit/

July 12, 2015

McCutchen homers in 14th, Pirates beat Cards 6-5

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher A.J. Burnett, right, clasps hands with Andrew McCutchen after putting a towel full of whipped cream on his face after McCutchen hit a two-run game-winning home run in the 14th inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, July 12, 2015, in Pittsburgh. Burnett got no decision as the Pirates won 6-5 in 14 innings. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Pirates inched themselves closer to first place, overcoming three deficits and two ejections.

Pitching Details

Win

Vance Worley

3-4
Loss

Nick Greenwood

0-1

Andrew McCutchen's two-run home run in the 14th inning capped Pittsburgh's third rally of the night and helped the Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-5 on Saturday night.

McCutchen's homer to center off of Nick Greenwood (0-1) immediately followed Neil Walker's leadoff single and extended his hitting streak to a career-high 18 games. It was his 12th home run of the season.

''Quite the climactic ending right there. That was a lot of fun,'' McCutchen said. ''Who would've thought it would've came down to that?''

Especially after Jhonny Peralta's single off Vance Worley (3-4) in the top of the inning drove in Matt Carpenter to give St. Louis a lead.

Or after Mark Reynolds hit his second solo homer of the game during the top of the 10th.

Or even after Matt Carpenter scored the first of his three runs during the fifth inning to give the Cardinals a 3-0 lead.

''We had the lead three different times, and that's something that doesn't typically slip away,'' St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. ''But today was one of those days.''

Pittsburgh scored twice in the eighth on RBI singles by Jung Ho Kang and Pedro Alvarez to tie the game, and Chris Stewart singled in Kang in the 10th.

The Pirates have won seven of eight and 10 of 12. Pittsburgh, which has the NL's second-best record, lost the first three games of the season series with the Cardinals in extra innings in May.

''We had grit all over,'' Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. ''I'm proud, always been proud of these guys. Tonight was just another example with an exclamation point behind it. Grit, determination, perseverance, keep playing the game. When something doesn't go right, you keep playing the game.''

DISPUTED CALL

With two outs and nobody on in the second, Reynolds appeared to have struck out - indeed, television replays showed he swung and missed at a 1-2 Burnett curveball. But home plate umpire Vic Carapazza ruled a foul tip.

Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli and Hurdle each briefly argued the call. After the next pitch, however, each became livid.

Reynolds homered down the left-field line, his seventh. Cervelli was ejected moments later. Hurdle and coach Brad Fischer came out to argue and restrain an incensed Cervelli. After several minutes of arguing with Carapazza, Hurdle was ejected by him.

''If you look at the video, it looks like maybe I got a seam on it or something,'' Reynolds said. ''I heard something and Vic heard something, I guess, and gave me a foul ball, gave me another chance.''

Carapazza declined to comment after the game. Crew chief Larry Vanover told a pool reporter that Carapazza made a foul ball call because he heard a tip. The ejection, Vanover said, was due to language.

TRIAL BY FIRE

The Cardinals announced the recall of pitchers Sam Tuivailala and Greenwood from Triple-A Memphis on Saturday afternoon. Several hours later, both were needed.

Tuivailala pitched scoreless 12th and 13th innings, and was in line for the win until Greenwood allowed each of the two batters he faced to reach and, ultimately, score.

The Cardinals added an extra arm to their overworked bullpen just for such a scenario.

''We knew we had to get someone to get us later in the game and then somebody top throw until it was over,'' Matheny said. ''And it was Greenwood's game to throw - he's done a nice job at Triple-A for us, and he's done a nice job in the past. That was a tough spot for him to come into.''

UP NEXT

Pirates LHP Francisco Liriano has allowed more than three runs in just three of his 17 starts this season. However, that lone occasion came at PNC Park against the Cardinals, whom he will face in a nationally-televised game Sunday night. Pittsburgh has lost both of Liriano's starts against St. Louis this season.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Cardinals: 2B Kolten Wong left the game an inning after being hit by a pitch in the 11th. ''His hammy had tightened up because of that hit by pitch so I had to get him out,'' Matheny said. ''It didn't seem to be anything serious; just hit him in a bad spot that's all.'' . RHP Mitch Harris was placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday after sustaining a right groin strain while warming up in the bullpen Friday night.

Pirates: OF Starling Marte returned to the lineup Saturday after missing the previous five games because of discomfort in his left side. The team leader in home runs, Marte batted cleanup and went 1 for 4.

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Cole wins MLB-best 13th as Pirates beat Cardinals 5-2

By John Perrotto
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/pit/
July 10, 2015

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Gerrit Cole throws against the St. Louis Cardinals n the first inning of a baseball game, Friday, July 10, 2015, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Gerrit Cole ended a dominant first half of the season with another win.

Cole pitched seven strong innings to become the major leagues' first 13-game winner and Neil Walker had a two-run homer among his three hits as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-2 on Friday night.

''I feel good. I feel strong. I feel healthy,'' Cole said. ''I feel like I've gotten better every time out in some area.''

Cole (13-3) allowed two runs - both on Matt Carpenter's third-inning home run - and six hits while striking out three and walking two. He became just the second Pirates pitcher to win 13 games before the All-Star break, joining Dock Ellis, who had 14 in 1971.

''He's found out, even this year, that misexecuted pitches can have some bad results,'' Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said of the 24-year-old Cole. ''You've got to meet the challenges of the game and he's continued to do that through his first half in very strong fashion.''

Walker's home run, his seventh, extended the Pirates' lead to 5-2 in the fourth inning.

Mark Melancon pitched a scoreless ninth for his National League-leading 29th save in 30 opportunities.

The Pirates (51-35) won for the sixth time in seven games and drew within 4 1/2 games of the Cardinals (56-31) in the NL Central in the second of a four-game series between the teams with the best records in the major leagues.

''It's still July so you don't want to get too wrapped up in talking about a pennant race,'' Walker said. ''But the Cardinals are obviously a good team and they've been playing great all year. If we're going to catch them, we're going to have to beat them when we play them because you can't count on other teams beating them, as good as they are.''

Jung Ho Kang and Jordy Mercer each had two of the Pirates' 10 hits.

Lance Lynn (6-5) lasted just four innings and lost for the first time in seven starts. He was tagged for five runs and nine hits with five strikeouts and one walk.

Lynn has beaten the Pirates only once in his last nine starts.

''I kept falling behind the count and throwing pitches over the middle of plate,'' Lynn said. ''You can't do that against any team, especially a good team like the Pirates because they're a great fastball-hitting team.''

The Cardinals' Jhonny Peralta and rookie Tommy Pham had two hits apiece.

The Pirates went ahead 3-2 in the third inning on RBI singles by Kang and Pedro Alvarez.

Carpenter's ninth homer put the Cardinals ahead 2-1 in the top of the third, coming after a double by Pham.

Mercer doubled home the game's first run in the first inning.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Cardinals: Decided to keep RF Matt Holliday(strained right quadriceps) on the DL until they return from the All-Star break on July 17 after considering activating him to serve as a pinch-hitter in this series. ... RHP Matt Belisle (right elbow inflammation) has started a throwing program and could return by the end of the month.

Pirates: LF Starling Marte (strained left oblique) sat out his fifth straight game but is making enough progress that he might avoid the DL.

UP NEXT:

Cardinals RHP John Lackey (7-5 3.09) faces RHPA.J. Burnett (7-3, 1.99) on Saturday night. Lackey has made five straight quality starts with a 1.75 ERA in that span. Burnett has a 1.66 ERA in his last six starts.

Walker bedevils Cards with bat, footwork

By Rick Hummel

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/

July 11, 2015

Pittsburgh Pirates' Neil Walker follows through on a two-run home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Friday, July 10, 2015, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

PITTSBURGH • It could be said that Pittsburgh second baseman Neil Walker hurt the Cardinals with his bat, his feet and perhaps his brain Friday night. It also could be said that Cardinals starter Lance Lynn hurt himself by pitching behind in the count all night long.

“I felt like I was 2-1 to everybody,” said Lynn. “And when I made a mistake over the middle of the plate, they got a hit.”

One of those situations came in the fourth inning with the Pirates leading 3-2. Lynn ran the count to 3-1 on Walker. The result was Walker’s third career homer against Lynn, a two-run drive that led to a 5-2 Pirates victory that evened this much anticipated four-game series at one game apiece.

“When you’re behind in counts and throwing the ball over the middle of the plate, you’re going to get beat,” said Lynn (6-5), who had had a 1.19 earned run average over his last six starts.

Gerrit Cole, headed to the All-Star Game, gained his 13th win, holding the Cardinals to two runs — Matt Carpenter’s two-run homer in the third — over seven innings. Lynn, who was on an All-Star team three years ago, suffered his quickest hook of the season, lasting just four innings, and he wasn’t happy about being pinch hit for in the fifth.

Now, for Walker’s fancy footwork. He had singled and scored in the first. Then, in the third, running at second base with one out, he jumped, ostensibly trying to get out of the way of a ball hit by Jordy Mercer, which well could have been a double play ball if shortstop Jhonny Peralta had a chance to field it and then run to the bag.

According to the rule, when a runner is hit by a batted ball (Walker was hit in the left ankle), the runner is out but the batter is safe with a hit. Two outs on the play are almost never called, and they weren’t this time, either. This was despite Cardinals manager Mike Matheny’s lengthy debate with any umpire who would listen (the play was not reviewable by replay) that Walker had cost the Cardinals a double play.

There was no such tomfoolery in the fourth as Walker extended the lead. Lynn would fan Andrew McCutchen, but then he was done for the night.

“I wasn’t ready to come out, but it’s not my decision,” Lynn said.

“He had trouble finding the strike zone, which isn’t something we’ve seen from him this year,” said Matheny. “That never typically works out well for us.” Lynn threw 86 pitches, 38 of them balls.

Lynn said, “I’ve got to start getting ahead of (Walker) or just start walking him because he seems to have my number or he’s got something on me. So I need to figure it out.”

Matheny did not try to hide his disappointment that the Cardinals didn’t get the benefit of a call that he admitted he never had seen made.

“The way the rule is stated is that if (the runner being hit) is not intentional, then it’s only one out. That’s a tough one to wear,” said Matheny.

“You can’t prove intent. But it certainly was a good spot for Jhonny to be in, to step on the bag and turn two. That saves us a run right there.

“You’d like to see a little more umpires’ discretion on what could have happened there, but that’s a whole lot of guessing. My argument really was there may not have been intent for the ball to hit him, but did he slow down to get in the way of the ball (and shield the fielder), which guys do? If there’s intent in that regard, then that needs to be re-thought.

“That ball wasn’t hit that hard. Typically, when you see a guy get hit, they’re either on the dead run or it’s a missile, and that one was neither. (Walker) was still very close to second base and you’re going to be running. There could have been intent but not necessarily for the ball to hit him.”

With the inning alive, Pedro Alvarez, whose 45 runs knocked in against the Cardinals since the start of the 2012 season are the most of any major leaguer, singled in the go-ahead run.

Second baseman Kolten Wong, who was moving toward second when Mercer’s ball was hit, said “100 percent” the ball would have been a double play.

“It stinks,” said Wong. “Jhonny was right there. It’s catch, tag the bag, throw to first. Umpire discretion — and that’s it. Smart play, I guess. But we should be out of the inning.”

Lynn said, dryly, “It’s unfortunate he wasn’t able to get out of the way. He ran in place for a couple of steps.”

Carpenter, restored to the leadoff spot he had occupied the last couple of seasons and until April 27 this year, found the power he had been missing.

After working a long at-bat in the first inning before grounding out against Cole, Carpenter drilled his first home run since May 24 when he bombed a two-run shot over the center-field wall in the third inning to give the Cardinals a brief 2-1 lead.

Carpenter’s ninth home run followed a double by Tommy Pham, who had been one for 14 on this trip after breaking out in two games last weekend at home following his recall from Class AAA Memphis.

The Pirates had scored one in the first. Mercer, moved up to fifth in the lineup perhaps of his success against Lynn, doubled with two out to score Walker, who had reached on an infield single, a bad-hop job that glanced off Peralta.

McCutchen extended his hitting streak to a career-high 17 games before Mercer, seven for 15 (.467) against Lynn, doubled to right center.

Unlike Walker, Lynn said, Mercer “is a singles hitter. But he seems to get the hit at the right time. From now on, maybe I’ll just walk those two — and worry about the rest of the team.”

Friday, July 10, 2015

Marte more important now than later

By Rob Rossi

http://triblive.com/sports/

Thursday, July 9, 2015, 10:45 p.m.

Pittsburgh Pirates' Starling Marte singles off Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Sean O'Sullivan during the first inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, June 13, 2015. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

This ballpark was built for series such as their showdown with St. Louis, but there was something familiar missing from the Pirates at PNC Park on Thursday night.

A star left fielder.

How's it always seem to go? You don't know what you've got till it's gone.

With due respect to Sean Rodriguez, he isn't the Pirate Pittsburghers wanted to watch playing the position that has produced Pittsburgh's primo players for about three decades.

Barry Bonds.

Brian Giles.

Jason Bay.

That's an All-Star group, and suggesting Starling Marte might one day join it may sell short his talent. He's got game that even Bonds lacked. At the risk of waxing hyperbolic, Marte possess the power of a tank, the speed of jets and a throwing arm that fires like a cannon.

Skinny Barry, not that any Pittsburgher needs reminded, didn't always get his guy on throws home.

Marte most often gets his guy. And this season he's getting awful close to doing what Bonds did for the Pirates of the early 1990s, which is to say doing almost everything for a pennant contender. Marte leads the Pirates in home runs (13) and ranks second in RBIs (48), stolen bases (16) and OPS (.788).

It is all of that the Pirates played without when opening a four-game series against St. Louis that people somehow resisted comparing to the Reykjavik Summit — though, to be fair, manager Clint Hurdle didn't share everything he had heard about this showdown.

“I think it's fun,” Hurdle said of the September-in-July vibe that was not dampened by more of the rain that won't go away this summer.

“But what are we going to do — try harder because it's the Cardinals?”

No, of course not.

But the Pirates are at the crossroads regarding Marte, a point Hurdle conceded while providing an update on the “left side discomfort” that has sidelined him since Sunday. That side wrapped and taped, Marte took indoor batting practice, perhaps his first swings dating to the emergence of symptoms, Hurdle said.

And what are these symptoms? Well, there's discomfort, and ...

Yeah, that's the only official word, though the Cardinals wouldn't have needed an employee to hack into the Pirates' database to determine that Marte's oblique needs mending.

After a 4-1 loss to the Cardinals, Hurdle said Marte was improving.

Now, I'm not a doctor, but my orders are for the Pirates to promptly place Marte on the 15-day disabled list. Give him the rest of this week, next week's All-Star break, and whatever he needs after that to get healthy.

Because these Cardinals, already with an embarrassment of wins and a comfortable division lead considering all of their injuries, are going to be hard enough to catch if Marte is healthy for the final weeks of July and into August, September and October.

If Marte doesn't properly heal — and think back to James Neal's slow-starting final season with the Penguins for a gauge of how long oblique injuries can linger — the Pirates have absolutely no chance to knock the Cardinals from their familiar perch atop the National League Central.

“He's got everything,” Gregory Polanco said. “If he hits a ground ball to the hole, he races to first and beats a throw, and that gives us energy.

“Everything he does gives us energy. Other than McCutchen, Marte gives us the most energy.”

Marte has done what left fielders have made habit of doing in Pittsburgh since well before the late Sophie Masloff called for a new ballpark.

And the right-field wall at PNC Park was built 21 feet high for a reason. It's waiting on the same Pirate everybody has for about a year.

Your best friend is down, Gregory Polanco.

It's time to pick him up.

Rob Rossi is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at rrossi@tribweb.com or via Twitter @RobRossi_Trib.

Thursday, July 09, 2015

Buzz-killing Cards have Pirates fans seeing red

By Joe Starkey

http://triblive.com/sports/

Wednesday, July 8, 2015, 10:39 p.m.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina drops the ball as Pittsburgh Pirates' Andrew McCutchen scores during the sixth inning of a baseball game Friday, May 8, 2015, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

This one feels special.

It feels, in fact, like one of the more anticipated series in PNC Park's 15-year history.

The baseball alone would be enough. The Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals have played 49 times, including playoffs, since the beginning of 2013 and are separated by a single run (the Cardinals have 190 to the Pirates' 189). The games normally are tight and tense and packed with the kind of drama you saw in May at Busch Stadium, where three one-run affairs went a total of 35 innings.

On top of that, you'll have a rare Thursday fireworks night and a rare (for the Pirates) ESPN “Sunday Night Baseball” appearance.

You'll also have a bit of a psychological trauma to deal with, yes?

From what I'm told, the mere sight of Cardinals jerseys makes plenty of Pirates fans see red. One look at the logo, and people want to swat that pompous little bird right off its bat.

With apologies to Madison Bumgarner, the Cardinals have been by far the biggest buzz kill during Pittsburgh's baseball renaissance. They've won three straight NL Central crowns. They beat the Pirates in a playoff series. They are widely regarded as one of baseball's finest organizations, if not its finest, having been to the playoffs 11 times, the NLCS nine times and the World Series four times this millennium.

It's like being stuck in a division with the New England Patriots or San Antonio Spurs.

Which got me to thinking: Exactly how does this town feel about the Cardinals? Have they risen to Ravens- and Flyers-like status, which is to say, an object of pure, unadulterated hatred (in a sporting sense, of course)?

To that end, I conducted a little survey before Tuesday's game. It was by no means scientific, but I did speak with a few dozen fans across several generations.

What I found was a curious mix of envy and anger — lauding and loathing — directed toward not just the Cardinals but also Cardinal Nation as a whole.

Matt Johnson, 34, has been rooting for the Pirates practically since birth. He's been to St. Louis for a game. He came home plagued with an inexplicable rage.

“Cards fans are great,” he said. “They're smart. They really pay attention. They know the game. And I despise them for it. They think they're better than everybody.”

That is probably because their team has been better than just about everybody for some time, Johnson conceded.

North Side native Jim Snyder, 40, was wearing a Roberto Clemente T-shirt and eating dinner on the Clemente Bridge with his daughter, Morgan, when I asked if the Cardinals had reached Ravens-Flyers levels.

“It's been that way for years, mostly because of their smug fans,” he said. “You ever watch a baseball game with a Cardinals fan? It's tough. They've been successful for so long, and they know it.”

He added, as so many did in one form or another, “You're more envious than hateful. They do it the right way.”

That has come into question, what with the FBI seizing a bunch of Cardinals computers in recent weeks in the wake of an alleged hack into the Houston Astros' database. Some fans clearly took glee in seeing the Cardinals' pristine reputation take such a major hit.

“I can't stand the entire organization, from (manager) Mike Matheny on down,” said Tim Regan, 50, of Scott. “They just seem arrogant, pretentious.”

Next up was a group of four college students who answered emphatically and affirmatively when I asked if they loathe the Cardinals as much as any opponent in Pittsburgh sports. One pointed out it's not just that the Cardinals have beaten the Pirates when it's counted. It's how. They have seven walk-off wins in the past three years.

This season, the Cardinals, even with a recent slide, have overcome massive injuries to put up baseball's best record. That is admirable, obviously. But some find it extra aggravating.

It became clear there's just something about the Cardinals, kind of the way there was something about Danny Ainge in his day, that makes people want to elbow each one of them in the gut.

From this vantage point, the rivalry still is growing. It's not close to old Pirates-Phillies or even Pirates-Mets in the Jim Leyland years. To force it to a higher level historically, the Pirates need to win something significant, like a division title or a playoff series.

This series merely is a prelude to bigger things. The teams play nine more times after Sunday.

Julie Younkin of North Huntingdon has been a Pirates season-ticket holder since 2002. She still despises the Milwaukee Brewers more than the Cardinals, though that has begun to change.

Weekends like this could push her completely into the red.

“I don't have a visceral hatred for the Cardinals,” she said. “But it's getting there.”

Joe Starkey co-hosts a show 2 to 6 p.m. weekdays on 93.7 FM. Reach him at jraystarkey@gmail.com.

Black and Gold

Monday, July 13, 2015

Pirates rally past Cardinals 6-5 in 10 innings

Sunday, July 12, 2015