Charlie Morton's Great Stuff was not enough to get past the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night, as he allowed six hits and six runs in four innings of a 12-2 Pirate loss.
Ryan Howard, who always impressed me as the kid on your Little League team that everyone backed up for, inflicted the most damage with a grand slam and six RBI. Jayson Werth hit a two-out, two-run home run and drove in four, and every Philly position player had at least one hit.
As one would expect, Philadelphia starter Kyle Kendrick, who came into the game with an ERA perilously close to 6.00, shut down the Pirate bats to the tune of five hits and two runs over eight innings. Delwyn Young hit his first homer of the season to start the game, and the Pirates would reach base only five times the rest of the way: Ryan Doumit's two singles and one walk, a Ronny Cedeno double, and a Garrett Jones single.
As far as the numerous struggling Buccos went, Aki Iwamura came up with a pinch-groundout in the fifth, meaning he's now 0-for-his-last-27. I'm going out on a limb and guessing he probably won't go down as the best acquisition in Neal Huntington history. Counting the pitcher's spot, seven of the Pirate starters on Monday were batting .254 or worse, with five OBPs below .300. That's tough to go to war with against the Phillies.
The odds don't get much better tonight as Roy Halladay and his microscopic 1.59 ERA battle with Zach Duke and his comparatively larger 5.56 ERA tonight in Philly. If you like contrasts in offensive firepower and tune into the occasional Bucco contest, this might just be the game for you.
As one would expect, Philadelphia starter Kyle Kendrick, who came into the game with an ERA perilously close to 6.00, shut down the Pirate bats to the tune of five hits and two runs over eight innings. Delwyn Young hit his first homer of the season to start the game, and the Pirates would reach base only five times the rest of the way: Ryan Doumit's two singles and one walk, a Ronny Cedeno double, and a Garrett Jones single.
As far as the numerous struggling Buccos went, Aki Iwamura came up with a pinch-groundout in the fifth, meaning he's now 0-for-his-last-27. I'm going out on a limb and guessing he probably won't go down as the best acquisition in Neal Huntington history. Counting the pitcher's spot, seven of the Pirate starters on Monday were batting .254 or worse, with five OBPs below .300. That's tough to go to war with against the Phillies.
The odds don't get much better tonight as Roy Halladay and his microscopic 1.59 ERA battle with Zach Duke and his comparatively larger 5.56 ERA tonight in Philly. If you like contrasts in offensive firepower and tune into the occasional Bucco contest, this might just be the game for you.
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