Derek Lowe moved to 10-0 all-time against the Pirates. Zach Duke didn’t make it out of the second inning. John Russell emptied the bench. The Pirates have 92 losses.
Atlanta got started early against Duke. They used three singles and a walk to score three runs in the first. Alex Gonzalez delivered the big blow with a two run, two out single. The Pirates hit three straight two out singles (from Neil Walker, Garrett Jones and Pedro Alvarez) against Lowe in the home half of the first. But he whiffed Ryan Doumit to end the threat.
Lowe’s lead off double keyed another tally in the second inning. Omar Infante followed Lowe’s double with a single. After Duke walked Jason Heyward, he was pulled for Daniel McCutchen. He wormed his way out of the jam by retiring three of the four hitters he face. But he walked Derrek Lee to force in Lowe.
McCutchen gave up consecutive singles to start the third. He then committed an error during Lowe’s at bat that scored one run and put runners and second and third with no one out. Omar Infante singled in one run and Martin Prado single in a pair. Suddently it was 8-0.
Pittsburgh eventually got one run off Lowe (RBI from Tabata in the fifth) and scored twice off the Atlanta bullpen. But it wasn’t nearly enough.
Russell felt the need to play nearly everyone. Eight pitchers toed the rubber and three hitters made their 2010 and/or ML debut. Brandon Moss singled and knocked in a run in the ninth. Pedro Ciriaco doubled in his first ML at bat, driving in Alvarez. He would later score on Moss’ kock. Alex Presley also picked up career hit #1. John Bowker remains hitless as a Pirate.
The Good
Winning two of three from Atlanta.
Getting twelve hits.
Getting two guys in the record books with their first hit
Walker extended his hitting streak.
Alvarez had three hits and didn’t whiff.
The Bad
Duke was stinky.
The Rest
As noted, Lowe has not lost to the Pirates. Duke is 2-5 against Atlanta now.
Last Pirate hitting streak that went longer than Walker’s current streak was a 20 game streak from Nate McLouth that stretched from the end of 2007 to the start of 2008.
