DeAngelo Williams has carried Steelers through first two weeks

By Mark Madden

http://www.timesonline.com/sports

September 18, 2016

Pittsburgh Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams (34) is tackled by Cincinnati Bengals strong safety Shawn Williams (36) during the first half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016. (Don Wright/AP)

I’m not sure if the Steelers defense is better than advertised, or if Cincinnati’s offense was sloppy Sunday.

I’m not sure if Ben Roethlisberger had a good day, or bad. His was definitely a tale of two halves, and the prevailing moisture diluted his touch.

I’m not sure if Antonio Brown and A.J. Green played. There’s precious little statistical evidence: The marquee receivers combined for six catches and 77 yards.

But I am absolutely sure that the Steelers feel a lot more like the Steelers when they pound the ball on the ground. (I’m speaking for ownership and management, not necessarily Roethlisberger and Brown.)

I am even more certain that the Steelers’ MVP after two weeks is a man who’s barely going to play come Week 4.

The Steelers have run 142 offensive plays over two games. DeAngelo Williams has 68 touches. That’s a cool 48 percent, and if the 33-year-old running back hasn’t been spectacular, his effectiveness is undeniable.

As is Williams’ availability. That’s the most important ability. Stay off the weed, kids.

Williams had 94 yards on a career-high 32 carries in the Steelers’ 24-16 home win over the Bengals, tacking on four catches for 38 yards and a touchdown.

When Le’Veon Bell returns to the lineup for Kansas City’s visit to Heinz Field on Oct. 2, Williams may well be the NFL’s rushing leader when he gets benched. That never happened to Jim Brown.

Before the debate starts, there isn’t one: No matter what happens between now and Week 4, Williams won’t retain the starting job at RB. (That’s assuming there isn’t another drug test.) Nor will Williams and Bell split duty. Bell will be the workhorse.

Williams is what he is: A 33-year-old backup who would likely wilt under a full season’s heavy labor. But a frenetic three weeks is right up his alley.

The Steelers have affected an odd persona en route to 2-0.

The NFL is a passing league. Williams’ success, and what Bell does upon his return, won’t change that. With Roethlisberger and Brown, the Steelers are extremely well-equipped to deal with said reality.

But offensive coordinator Todd Haley was smitten with the sidecar handoff out of the shotgun yesterday. Williams justified his love, not unlike Madonna.

Williams’ performance didn’t totally eliminate the Steelers’ anxious moments. The result wasn’t decided until just past the two-minute warning, when Clairton High School product Tyler Boyd did what he’d doubtless dreamed of since childhood: He made a play that clinched a Steelers victory at Heinz Field.

It’s odd how things turn out.

Yesterday was no masterpiece, but the Steelers are undefeated and atop the AFC North. They still have to play Cleveland twice, so that’s not far from clinching a playoff berth.

Brown twerked to celebrate a touchdown in the Steelers’ opening-game victory at Washington. That drew a 15-yard penalty and a $12,000 fine. He was also fined $9K for wearing improperly colored shoes.

Brown explained thusly: “Obviously, I’m not a guy trying to bring extra attention to myself.”

Yes, Brown really said that. Swear to God.

Despite the absurdity of that statement, Brown did his best to back it up Sunday. He was just shy of invisible, and his frustration seemed to simmer just below the surface.

Brown is now officially on pace not to get 2,000 receiving yards. That’s probably OK by him. Who wants all that extra recognition?

Meantime, Steelers tight ends caught two touchdowns. Who the heck is Xavier Grimble?

Usually, the Steelers chances largely come down to Roethlisberger and Brown. Just not Sunday.

Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).

Steelers' defense looks promising after vintage performance vs. Bengals

Jeremy FowlerESPN Staff Writerhttp://www.espn.com/blog/pittsburgh-steelersSeptember 18, 2016

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver James Wright (86) is wrapped up and brought down by Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Cortez Allen (28) on a reception in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 2 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016. The Bengals fell to 1-1 with a 24-16 loss to the Steelers.  (Sam Greene/Cincinnati Enquirer)

PITTSBURGH -- So this is what the Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive rebuild is supposed to look like.

One soggy, throwback day of football in Heinz Field validated all those defensive draft picks and free-agency signings over the past four years. Pittsburgh slowly "de-striped" the Bengals' offense in a 24-16 victory and is at least entertaining the question of whether vintage Steelers defensive football is finally back.

Well, maybe not Polamalu-and-Harrison-in-their-prime back. But two touchdowns allowed in eight quarters? That's a heckuva start heading into Sunday's matchup with Carson Wentz and the Philadelphia Eagles.

"I think you'll continue to see us get better," safety Mike Mitchell said.

The Steelers sealed the game with the recovery of a Tyler Boyd fumble with 2:00 left. The ball came loose on a James Harrison tackle at the Steelers’ 33-yard line, and safety Robert Golden recovered.

The Steelers used to struggle to overcome the rare sluggish day from the offense. But with the passing game's inconsistency in the rain, there was the defense, holding the Bengals to 34 rushing yards on their first 16 carries and Andy Dalton to less than 50 percent passing for much of the day.

If the Steelers can win games this way, especially without having to force a bunch of turnovers, they'll really have something, because the offense’s timing won’t be this off very often.

The defining moment came late in the third quarter, with the Bengals driving 74 yards to the Steelers' 1. On first-and-goal, the Steelers got a tackle for a loss from linebacker Ryan Shazier and forced two incompletions. Shazier said the Steelers spent significant time during the week diagnosing the Bengals' goal-line offensive tendencies. They held Cincinnati to a field goal, and even that wasn't satisfying. "We were trying to hold them to nothing," Harrison said.

Make no mistake, Dalton's play was disjointed for the first three quarters, and so was the Bengals' offense. The only favorable matchup for Cincinnati’s offense was Gio Bernardin the passing game. Bernard had 100 receiving yards, including a 25-yarder where he blew by rookie corner Artie Burns.

And the rain affected both offenses. Bengals-Steelers isn’t built to be high-scoring in even good weather.

But the Steelers didn’t rely on splash plays like last year. They simply got stops, holding A.J. Green to two catches for 38 yards with Ross Cockrell following him in coverage much of the day. Two length-of-field Bengals drives resulted in field goals. This is a good red zone defense.

Dalton finished with 366 yards, but much of that came in come-from-behind fashion against softer coverage, and he needed 54 passing attempts to get there.

"I believe in the group," said coach Mike Tomlin of his secondary.

The Steelers have one sack through two games and are still getting wins. That's a good sign for the pass coverage. The secondary isn't perfect, but it's definitely better. Third-down dime coverage worked well for much of the game, with rookies Sean Davis and Burns on the field together. Save both missing tackles on Bernard's touchdown, they acquitted themselves well in an extended look.

Safety Mike Mitchell and corner William Gay were hitting with aggression all day. And Shazier looks like the Steelers' next great linebacker.

The Steelers will face better quarterbacks than Kirk Cousins and Dalton. But they won't face an elite one until Tom Brady in Week 7. And after spending seven first- or second-rounders on defensive players since 2013, that investment is starting to pay off.

Mitchell points to a cohesive defensive backfield settling in after a few years of personnel changes.

"I think we've found our core group of guys," Mitchell said. "Today we had to cover. And we were able to get ourselves off the field."

Bengals should forget loss to Steelers

Paul Daugherty, pdaugherty@enquirer.com

http://www.cincinnati.com/sports/bengals/

September 18, 2016

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd (83) fumbles the ball in the fourth quarter during the Week 2 NFL football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.  (Kareem Elgazzar)

PITTSBURGH – Maybe Tyler Boyd fumbled, and maybe he didn’t. Maybe C.J. Uzomah made that catch in the back of the end zone and maybe, as Andrew Whitworth suggested, the Steelers offensive linemen held every available Bengals body part like drowning men seeking a life raft.

It’s a hard game, some days harder than others. Ask Boyd, the Pittsburgh kid who was having a good homecoming until he fumbled away Cincinnati’s last chance, at the Steelers 33-yard line with 1:50 to play. The best you can do when you lose a game like this is forget about it. That was the theme in the postgame locker room after Pittsburgh won Round 1 in the Great AFC North Blood Feud, 24-16, at Ketchup Stadium.

“It’s an extremely long season,’’ Whitworth said, and for once, the most obvious quote was also the most astute. “A lot of things happen from now to Week 17.’’

The Bengals have bigger worries than this loss. Start with the running game, which is 0-for-the season. On a day when an annoying rain fell most of the time, it’s a big edge if you don’t have to throw 54 times, the way Andy Dalton did. But for the second straight week, Jeremy Hill tread water.

Hill had nowhere to go, mostly. The Bengals ran 18 times for 46 yards.   Most notably they had a first-and-goal from the 1-yard line in the third quarter and had such faith in their ground game, they threw twice in three plays, both incomplete. Hill ran once, for nothing.

The Bengals also saw lots of third-and-longs, usually because the Steelers stoned runs on first down. The line kept Dalton clean this week, but again it got no push. That’s a problem in a division where teams pride themselves on grinding out wins.

And before we forget, this was not the Grudge-a-palooza some might have expected. It looked remarkably like a football game, not a Dana White garden party. The Bengals and Steelers played within Mr. Goodell’s rules of gentility.

Nor was it a game the Bengals should have won because, well, they never gave anyone that impression. The Steelers won the game on only their second credible drive of the afternoon. Their 68-yard, 12-play march was a thing of willful beauty that put them ahead 24-9 with 6:48 to go. Ben Roethlisberger didn’t have a titanic day – two first-half interceptions, a QB Rating of 78.5 – but he was at his resourceful best when it was needed most.

Roethlisberger’s twinkle-toes ability to extend plays seems eternal. He ran 14 yards on 2nd-and-9 on that decisive TD drive, to give the Steelers a first down at the Bengals 5. Three plays later, Pittsburgh scored.

Roethlisberger overcame a terrific Bengals effort on Antonio Brown. Pacman Jones and Dre Kirkpatrick bumped and bothered Brown at the line and generally kept him from being a factor. Roethlisberger threw at Brown 11 times, completed just four, for 39 yards. Even as, according to Whitworth, there was some cheatin’  going on.

“I think when the NFL gets a look at  the tape they’re going to be shocked at how many holds (the Steelers) got away with,’’ he said. “Good lord, I saw a couple of complete, turn-around takedowns.’’

Meanwhile, the Bengals' offense waited until after that touchdown to loosen up and show itself. Watching them for three-plus quarters gave you the impression they weren’t quite sure who they wanted to be or what they wanted to do. Last week, they struggled the same way, until they upped the tempo with short completions from the no-huddle. This week, they didn’t force the action until they had to.

A.J. Green devastated Darrelle Revis last Sunday. This week, he couldn’t solve Ross Cockrell. Is there a reason for that beyond “that’s just how it works in the NFL’’?

Regardless, zero touchdowns for almost 57 minutes is no way to win a football game.

Afterward, Tyler Boyd allowed that he didn’t think he fumbled, Andy Dalton allowed that the weather was no factor and everyone else allowed that there was pride to be taken from the aborted comeback and beyond that, fuhgeddaboutit. It was solid thinking, especially if they follow through.  Denver comes to PBS next Sunday.

The Steelers were clearly better than the Bengals this time. The teams will meet again at least once more this year. Strip away the hype, Sunday meant little. We’ll all reconvene Sunday night Dec. 18, Game 15, and see where we stand.

Meantime, Bengals, do something about the running game.

For Bengals and Steelers, familiarity breeds contempt

Jim Owczarski, jowczarski@enquirer.com

http://www.cincinnati.com/sports/bengals/

September 16, 2016

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert is hit as he comes down with a pass reception in the first quarter of the NFL AFC wild-card playoff game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paul Brown Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016. (Photo: Sam Greene)

PITTSBURGH — In Cincinnati, it is impossible to not look at the long road to the Northeast, about 300 miles, down the passages of Interstates 70, 270 and 79, where the mist hangs between the hills early in the morning, and wonder how different it truly is.

Pittsburgh is a river town, but for those who root for the Bengals off these particular banks of the Ohio, it’s like peering through the looking glass. The orange is muddled to yellow within the color spectrum; the Ohio bleeds out into the Allegheny and Monongahela.

It’s a distorted look, yes. Much different, if it’s further filtered through the lens of football history. Yet, over the last five years, it seems like there are fewer differences than there used to be.

“What’s that saying, familiarity breeds contempt, or something like that,” Steelers safety Mike Mitchell said. “It’s one of those things.”

Which is perhaps why Bengals-Steelers have become a pair of games so notorious they are debated nationally across all media forums, where the league office on Park Avenue in New York is compelled to send mid-week instructions to officials, where its fans rage over which team breaks which rules most.

But the players insist there isn’t anything more than the line of scrimmage between the locker rooms.

“Hate? Nah,” Steelers guard Ramon Foster said. “An animosity between us? I don’t think there’s animosity.”

Bengals left tackle Andrew Whitworth shook his head in agreement, and he and Mitchell both felt off-field exchanges added an unusual and unnecessary element to the games a year ago.

“I don’t think there’s any personal vendettas,” Whitworth said. “I think last year the only thing that got out of hand was the one social media instance. Other than that, I don’t think things have really gotten out of hand.”

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis is in his 14th season, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin in his 10th.  Both men have talked about how 2016 is literally a new year. That means Sunday will feature new teams. The players in both locker rooms have echoed as much to the mass media this week.

But it’s not really that cut and dry.

Continuity is what is preached in both places. It clearly has started at the top, and has filtered deep into the rosters. Lewis says the Steelers' defense has been the same since he left in 1993, and Todd Haley has been coordinating the offense since 2012. The Bengals' defense has looked largely the same since 2008, its offensive roots dating to 2011.

Then there are the players.

Ten of the Bengals’ starting defenders in its base 4-3 defense on Sunday have already played 105 career games against the Steelers. Defensive tackle Domata Peko is into his second season against the Steelers, suiting up for his 21st game on Sunday.

Nine core players on the Bengals’ offense have played a total of 67 career games against Pittsburgh, with Whitworth leading the way with 19.

Where orange turns yellow, there are similarities.

Nine of Pittsburgh’s offensive starters have combined to play in 94 games against the Bengals. Eleven of their top defenders have played in 101.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is getting set for his 25th game. Sunday will mark James Harrison’s 22nd, Lawrence Timmons’ 19th and William Gay’s 17th.

“It’s been chippy the last couple years, man, so I wouldn’t expect anything different, but this is what makes football great when you’ve got rivalries like this,” Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey said, smiling, lifting his arms into the air. “This is what you watch when you’re a kid, like, man, I want to play in that game. I know there’s going to be a (expletive) load of people watching us this Sunday saying that ‘I wish I was in that.’ I don’t think it’s a hatred thing at all.”

In February, the Wall Street Journal reported that the average length of an NFL career has dipped to under three seasons.

Yet, on the eve of Sunday’s contest, these teams will likely have 44 players out of the active 92 (48 percent) running onto the field for at least their third year against one another:

2002: Harrison

2004: Roethlisberger

2005: Greg Warren

2006: Whitworth, Peko

2007: Timmons

2008: Pat Sims

2009: Ramon Foster, Michael Johnson, Rey Maualuga, Kevin Huber, Clark Harris

2010: Pouncey, Antonio Brown, Adam Jones, Vinny Rey, Carlos Dunlap, Geno Atkins, Mike Nugent

2011: Dalton, Green, Clint Boling, Cameron Heyward, Marcus Gilbert

2012: Kevin Zeitler, David DeCastro, George Iloka, Dre Kirkpatrick, Robert Golden.

2013: Giovani Bernard, Markus Wheaton, Jarvis Jones, Vince Williams, Margus Hunt, Rex Burkhead

2014: Ryan Hewitt, Will Clarke, Darqueze Dennard, Jeremy Hill, Russell Bodine, Stephon Tuitt, Arthur Moats, Ryan Shazier, Mike Mitchell

That list does not include three other players who are not playing Sunday in Cincinnati’s Vontaze Burfict (2012) and Tyler Eifert (2013), and Pittsburgh’s Le’Veon Bell (2013).

“It’s the same dudes,” Foster said. “And we’ve all, on both sides, grown up together.

“I think the competition of seeing each other is really amazing. I don’t know if there’s any other conference that has type of comparison.”

Such personal and schematic continuity is why Bengals-Steelers looks different — sounds different — than any other rivalry in the league.

Sure, wrinkles are added. There are some personnel variances. But in these games, it’s purely man against man, snap after snap.

“It really is just mano a mano and trying to win and beat each other,” Whitworth said. “It makes it tougher on each other. It’s one of the reasons why I think we get so banged up. We know each other. We’re both trying to beat each other to the spots we know each other is going to. It’s just constant collisions all day.”

That familiarity also adds emphasis to technique, but Bengals defensive end Michael Johnson also had to admit that yes, “Some plays you just gonna have to whoop the man across from you,” he said. “And then some plays be like you know you what’s coming and you better prepare to play it.”

Another — and perhaps the most important — reason behind such on-field viciousness is that, since 2011, the highest of stakes are always on the line. Since the re-boot of the Bengals' franchise that year, the team has gone 52-27-1, winning 65 percent of their games.

“You’re familiar with each other and we both have good teams, so it’s going to be a lot of competition within that. That’s just the mixture,” Johnson said. “That’s what that mixture provides.”

The Steelers have handed the Bengals seven of those losses, helping themselves to a 49-31 record in that same timespan for a 61.3 winning percentage.

The two teams have alternated winning the last three division titles and have combined for eight playoff appearances.

“It’s a big picture is what I’m trying to get you to see,” Mitchell said. “That’s why these games are so nitty gritty…”

He began slapping the top of one hand into the palm of the other for emphasis.

“And they’re so physical because each team feels like they gotta have it because the games are so important.”

Foster agreed.

“I think it’s that competition, that will to want to win,” he said. “Animosity, I don’t think so. I think it’s the spirit of the competition and the fact that they are no longer the old Bengals – they’re a team that’s trying to compete and win a championship."

But the Bengals are aware that when they peer through that looking glass, there are spaces in Pittsburgh they have not yet seen on their own side. The Steelers have beaten the Bengals twice in the postseason in Lewis’ tenure, have won two Super Bowls and lost a third in that time.

In a media scrum, Foster referenced the Steelers’ drive for a seventh Lombardi Trophy this year. The Bengals haven’t won a playoff game since 1990.

And that difference is reason enough for the added physical nature of this rivalry.

“I said this last year and I don’t think anybody actually wrote the quote down: Let’s just say anytime, no matter what profession you’re in, no matter what it is in life, if you keep seeing the same face, or same company, or same organization, kind of in your way of your goals, there’s naturally going to be some rivalry there,” Iloka said.

“In the season we’ve all got the same goal and we know regardless of how we may be cool or not cool off the field, our goals directly affect our goals. Their goals directly affect our goals…”

He clapped the top of one hand into his palm for emphasis.

“So, there you have it.”

Mercer, Freese lead Pirates past Reds, 9-7 in 10 innings

The Associated Press

http://www.espn.com/mlb/

September 16, 2016

Pittsburgh Pirates' Jung Ho Kang, left, hits a game-tying two-run home run off Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Blake Wood in the seventh inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 16, 2016, in Cincinnati. (John Minchillo/AP)

CINCINNATI -- The Pittsburgh Pirates did the little things to come up with a big win.

Jordy Mercer had an RBI single with the bases loaded in the 10th inning, David Freese added a two-run single, and the Pirates overcame some shaky defense to preserve their chances in the NL wild-card race with a 9-7 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night.

The Pirates loaded the bases against Tony Cingrani (2-5) with a walk and two infield hits, including catcher Francisco Cervelli beating out a bunt to load the bases before Mercer snapped a 6-6 tie with a single to left. Freese singled to center two batters later.

"With (Cingrani), you have to be patient," Cervelli said. "He throws the ball down and wants you to hit ground balls. We tried to do the little things. In that situation, you trust the guy behind you. The way I've been swinging, I had to do it perfectly."

"You can't walk the leadoff man," Reds manager Bryan Price. "It's basically a nothing-nothing game. You have to come in throwing strikes. Tony has had a terrific year, but that's been his nemesis lately."

The Pirates have scored a combined 11 runs in their last at bats over their last two games. They scored eight in the ninth inning on Thursday against Philadelphia.

"They continue to play," manager Clint Hurdle said. "That's it. They're looking to continue games and finish games. That game was fun. Different things happened. Different opportunities presented themselves to different people."

Gregory Polanco and Jung Ho Kang homered to help the Pirates to their third win in four games after a four-game losing streak. Pittsburgh remained 5 1/2 games behind the New York Mets for the NL's second wild card.

Antonio Bastardo (3-0) pitched a perfect ninth and Tony Watson allowed Steve Selsky's first career home run before finishing up for his 13th save.

The teams combined to use 15 pitchers.

Polanco followed Andrew McCutchen's RBI double with a two-run homer to right in the first, his first since Aug. 29.

After Brandon Phillips' RBI single in the first, Ramon Cabrera tied the game 3-3 with a two-run homer in the second. Robert Stephenson hit Kang with a pitch with the bases loaded to give the Pirates a 4-3 lead in the fifth.

Scott Schebler cashed in on two Pittsburgh fielding gaffes with a tie-breaking triple to give the Reds a 6-4 lead in the fifth.

Joey Votto singled with one out in the sixth for a 4-4 tie. One out later, Brandon Phillips reached when pitcher Ryan Vogelsong dropped first baseman John Jaso's throw for an error. Schebler followed with a line drive to center field that McCutchen uncharacteristically misplayed, allowing it to sail past him and roll to the wall for a two-run triple.

Kang tied the game with a two-run homer in the seventh off Blake Wood.

RECORD(S) SWAT

Kang's seventh-inning home run was the 236th allowed by Reds pitchers this season, tying the franchise record set in 2004. It also was the 93rd allowed by the Reds' bullpen, breaking the major league record of 92 set in 1964 by the Kansas City Athletics.

WET BLANKET

The start of the game was delayed 31 minutes by rain, one day before the teams play a day-night doubleheader created by a postponement from May 10.

MANDATORY HBP

Stephenson grazed Kang with a pitch in the first inning and plunked him solidly with the bases loaded in the fifth, pushing to 20 the number of Pirates batters hit by Reds pitchers this season and to 53 the number over the last four seasons, the most by any major league staff against any opponent.

FRIENDLY SKIES

A drone was spotted flying around outside the ballpark before and during the game. A Reds spokesman said the Federal Aviation Administration had given the City of Cincinnati permission to let the drone record events on Friday and Sunday along the Ohio River.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Pirates: Continuing low back problems kept LF Starling Marte out of Friday's starting lineup. Marte hasn't played since Sept. 5.

Reds: A day off on Thursday wasn't enough for SS Zack Cozart's right knee to improve enough to play. Cozart hasn't played because of soreness in the surgically repaired knee since being scratched from Sunday's starting lineup.

UP NEXT

Pirates: RHP Trevor Williams (1-1) is scheduled to make his first major league start in the second game of Saturday's day-night doubleheader. RHP James Taillon (3-4) is the first-game starter.

Reds: RHP Anthony DeSclafani (8-3) can match the career high for wins he set last season in doubleheader's first game. LHP Robert Finnegan (9-10) is scheduled to start the second game.

McCutchen hits 2 of Pirates' 5 homers in 15-2 win over Phils

By Rob Maaddi, The Associated Press
http://www.espn.com/mlb/
September 15, 2016



Pittsburgh Pirates' John Jaso follows through on a home run off Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Jerad Eickhoff during the first inning of a baseball game, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016, in Philadelphia. (Matt Slocum/AP Photo)

PHILADELPHIA -- Chad Kuhl's fan club brought the noise.

Andrew McCutchen hit two solo homers, Kuhl pitched six effective innings and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Philadelphia Phillies 15-2 Thursday night.

Jordy Mercer hit a three-run homer and John Jaso and Sean Rodriguez also went deep to help the Pirates split a four-game series.

Kuhl (4-3) allowed two runs and four hits, striking out five. He retired the first 12 batters before Tommy Joseph lined a double to right-center in the fifth.

The righty grew up in nearby Delaware and more than 100 of his family, friends and acquaintances turned out to show their support. Many of them sat behind Pittsburgh's dugout.

"It was loud," Kuhl said.

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle was amused to see so much enthusiasm on the road.

"Now we know what it sounded like when Chad played Little League," Hurdle said. "It was very entertaining. They were cheering every pitch. It was fun."

Kuhl hid his emotions well.

"I was definitely amped up, seeing people I hadn't seen since I was maybe 12 years old," he said. "I was nervous. I tried to block it out."

Phillies starter Jerad Eickhoff (10-14) gave up six runs -- three earned -- and five hits (four homers) in 6 2/3 innings.

"I feel like I let the guys down in here," he said. "These guys are fighting. I have to live with that. That's the most frustrating thing."

Jaso led off the game with his sixth homer. McCutchen drove one out to center in the fourth. Rodriguez connected in the fifth to make it 3-0.

Mercer's shot increased the Pirates' lead to 6-2 in the seventh. McCutchen hit his 23rd homer off Frank Herrmann in the eighth.

BUSTING OUT

The Pirates had seven hits and eight runs in the ninth to put the game way out of reach.

BARRY'S NEXT

McCutchen has 174 career homers with the Pirates. He trails Barry Bonds by two for fourth place on Pittsburgh's all-time home run list.

MINOR SHAKEUP

Dusty Wathan, who led Double-A Reading to the best record in the Eastern League this season and a second consecutive Eastern Division championship, will manage Philadelphia's Triple-A affiliate, Lehigh Valley, in 2017. Wathan replaces Dave Brundage.

PROPER GOODBYE

Phillies manager Pete Mackanin plans to start Ryan Howard all three games of the season-ending home series vs. the Mets on Sept. 30-Oct. 2. The 2006 NL MVP is the last player remaining from Philadelphia's 2008 World Series championship team. The Phillies will exercise a $10 million buyout after the season ends, so Howard is down to his final games in red pinstripes.

HEY A.J.

Former Pirates and Phillies pitcher A.J. Burnett drove from Maryland to Philadelphia to see two of his former teams. He watched the Pirates take batting practice on the field and chatted with many of his old teammates.

UP NEXT

Pirates: RHP Ryan Vogelsong (3-5, 4.66 ERA) starts the opener of a four-game series at Cincinnati. RHP Robert Stephenson (2-1, 4.43) goes for the Reds.

Phillies: LHP Adam Morgan (2-10, 5.73) takes the mound in the start of a three-game series vs. Miami. RHP Tom Koehler (9-11, 3.97) pitches for the Marlins.

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/article102150482.html#storylink=cpy