Derrek Lee returned from the disabled list and knocked in five runs. The big blow was a grand slam of Carlos Marmol with two gone in the ninth.
Pittsburgh took a 1-0 lead in the first. Alex Presley doubled. He moved to third on a passed ball. Andrew McCutchen walked. Derrek Lee – fresh off the DL – singled him in. Unfortunately the rally died on the vine as Neil Walker’s ball into left field was turned into a double play, with McCutchen doubled off second.
Ohlendorf worked into a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the first. Starlin Castro singled to start things off. One out later, Ohlendorf hit Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Pena to load the bases. Alfonso Soriano’s grounder was turned into an out at home and Marlon Byrd also hit a fielder’s choice for the final out of the frame.
The North Siders tied it up in the third. Ramirez singled and was doubled to third by Pena. Soriano put one in the air to center deep enough to score Ramirez and make it 1-1.
Pittsburgh wrestled the lead back in the fourth. Lee singled to lead off the inning. He was erased on a fielder’s choice that put Walker on first. Ryan Doumit doubled him in and Pittsburgh was up 2-1.
That lead didn’t last. In the fifth Darwin Barney’s dribbler down the third base line hit off the baf for a single. Ohlendorf’s control escaped him as he walked Ramirez and Peña consecutively. Soriano tied it with a single and chased Ohlendorf from the game. Chris Leroux relieved and gave up and RBI groundout to Byrd before getting the next two hitters without allowing any runs.
Kerry Wood relieved Coleman to start the seventh. Ronny Cedeño greeted him with a triple. He would score on a sac fly from Garrett Jones.
The rains came as Daniel McCutchen ran into troubled in the bottom of the seventh. Ramirez singled. Peña walked. They both moved up on a wild pitch. Soriano doubled sharply to left in a down pour. The Cubs had a two run lead. After Byrd was plunked, the teams were pulled off the field for what was a 91 minute rain delay. Chris Resop toed the rubber when the game resumed. He retired the next three hitters and then pitched a scoreless eighth.
Carlos Marmol was on the mound for the Cubs in the ninth. He allowed a pinch hit single to Xavier Paul. He struck out two of the next three hitters. But he gave up a one out walk to Jose Tabata and a two out walk to Andrew McCutchen to load the bases. Lee followed with his slam to put Pittsburgh up.
Joel Hanrahan got three fly ball outs in the ninth to end it.
Coleman tossed six innings, allowing six hits and two runs – one earned — while striking out six. Ohlendorf allowed seven hits and three runs in four innings for the Pirates. Resop was the winner in relief. Hanrahan got the save. Marmol blew a save and was saddled with the loss.
The Good
Lee, baby!
Presley had three more hits.
Nice job by Leroux and Resop out of the bullpen.
The Bad
Ohlendorf continues to struggle.
McCutchen was Roughed up.
Buc hitters struck out ten times.
The Rest
Coleman’s previous experience against the Pirates was 1/3 of an inning back on May 27 of this year.
Casey Coleman is the son of former Pirate Joe Coleman and grandson of the other Joe Coleman. Casey’s dad pitched for the 1979 Pirates but didn’t make it on the post-season roster.
Ohlendorf hit two batters in an inning just one other time in his career 5/7/09 against the Cards. He hit Albert Pujols and current teammate Ryan Ludwick in succession. That’s the ony other time he’s even hit two players in the same game.
Lee has thirteen career games with five or more RBIs. This was his second such game in 2011.
