Ty Wigginton is the answer to a pretty good trivia question: Who is the player the Pirates acquired for Kris Benson while apparently passing on Ryan Howard? Pittsburgh also got Jose Bautista in that deal. Both players went on to much greater success while wearing other team’s laundry.
It was Wigginton who beat up on his old team tonight. With the score knotted at three in the eighth, Wiggy batted with the bases loaded and two gone. He poked one past Pedro Alvarez at third to empty the bases and push Colorado to victory.
Charlie Morton got off to a tough start. He walked the first two batters and Dexter Fowler, the lead off guy, advanced on an throwing error by Ryan Doumit. Morton got Carlos Gonzalez to hit into a run scoring double play.
Doumit made amends for his error with a two run homer in the second off Colorado starter Greg Reynolds.
Gonzalez got that run back in the next inning. Fowler induced a two out walk from Morton. Jonathan Herrera singled and Gonzalez singled in Fowler.
Pittsburgh kept Colorado off the board in the fifth when Garrett Jones threw Jose Morales out at the plate after Gonzalez singled with Morales on second. But The Stone would push one across in the sixth. Seth Smith hit a solo homer off Morton.
Pittsburgh tied it up in their half of the seventh inning. Doumit doubled and was singled in by Matt Diaz.
The tie was short lived. Jose Veras started the eighth in relief of Morton. He walked Herrera and gave up a single to Gonzalez to start the frame. But then he whiffed Smith and Troy Tulowitzki. But he plunked Jose Lopez to load the bases and set up Wigginton.
Pittsburgh got one of those three runs back in the bottom of the eighth when Jose Tabata homered.
The Pirates almost got to Matt Lindstrom in the ninth. He gave up consecutive one out singles to Diaz and Jason Jaramillo. But Steve Pearce hit into a game ending double play.
Reynolds gave up two runs on three hits in six innings. He walked two and whiffed two. Morton allowed two earned runs (three total) in seven innings. He walked five and struck out just one. Neither starter was around to get a decision. Matt Belisle got both the win and a blown save. Veras took the loss for Pittsburgh. Lindstrom was credited with a save.
The Good
Tabata has a nine game hitting streak.
Diaz and Doumit each had two hits. Maybe it is time to break a new bobble head featuring players whose last names start with ‘D’. A few years ago there was the Zach Duke/Ryan Doumit/Chris Duffy bobble. Maybe we need a Doumit/Diaz bobble. Maybe not.
Morton threw a lot of balls, but he worked himself out most of the trouble.
The Bad
Bucs have scored just 14 runs in the last five games.
The Rest
Wigginton was released by the Pirates following the 2005 season after playing in parts of two seasons unimpressively. The only Pirates position player left from that 2005 team is Doumit.
Reynolds, the second pick of the 2006 draft, was making his first appearance since September 2008 and his first ever appearance against Pittsburgh.
Steve Pearce made his first ML appearance at 3B in the ninth.
Gonzalez had three hits the day after going 0-7.
As was reported earlier, Ross Ohlendorf landed on the 15 day disabled list. Daniel McCutchen was brought up to take his spot on the roster and McCutchen got the final out in the eighth after Veras was pulled.
