The Pirates’ bullpen faltered yet again as they lost the makeup of the previous day’s rainout on the road to Philadelphia, 7-3.
John Candelaria made his first start of the season and had just a decent outing. He gave up nine hits and three runs, while fanning five, over six innings.
The Pirates got the lead with a run in the second, as Ed Ott singled off Dick Ruthven to drive in Bill Robinson, who’d doubled to lead off the inning. The Phillies, though, reached the Candy Man for two singles and two doubles in the bottom half, plating a pair to make it 2-1.
Philly upped it to 3-1 in the sixth, when long-time nemesis Garry Maddox (his career OPS against the Pirates was his best against any Phillies’ NL opponent other than Atlanta) tripled and Manny Trillo doubled. Maddox finished with three runs and three hits, and Trillo with three RBIs. New Phillie Pete Rose also had three hits.
The Pirates tied the game in the top of the seventh after Phil Garner singled with two out. John Milner, batting for Candelaria, tripled in Garner and a Ruthven wild pitch brought in Milner.
The tie was shortlived, though, as Enrique Romo and Kent Tekulve combined to allow four runs in the bottom half of the inning. Romo gave up a walk and a one-out double before departing. Teke intentionally walked Greg Luzinski to load the bases, but Mike Schmidt foiled the strategy with a two-run single. (Schmidt wasn’t normally that much of a Pirate nemesis, posting a lower career OPS against them than against any other opponent.) Trillo singled in two more before the inning ended.
That finished it, as Ruthven allowed just a pair of harmless singles over the last two innings. He finished with a complete game and just seven hits allowed.
