This club is 4-2 and needs just 78 more wins to a season above .500. Early returns on Kevin Correia are beyond my expectations. The Pirates starter and winner on Opening Day made his second outstanding start of the year. Correia limited St. Louis to five hits and two walks in seven shutout innings to run his record to 2-0 and drop his ERA to 1.38.
If there is a concern it is the lack of production. The Pirates collected five extra base hits among their 11 total knocks. But had trouble hitting with guys on as only three runs were tallied. Chris Carpenter never quite found a groove, but was never hurt enough to have the game get away from him. Pittsburgh put men on base in each of the first three innings with no one able to get past second base.
Pittsburgh put a run across in the fourth. Lyle Overbay singled and moved up on a throwing error on the play from Albert Pujols who was trying to throw him out at first. Ryan Doumit delivered a one out double for his first RBI of the young season. In the next frame Neil Walker curved a long drive inside the right field foul pole for a solo dinger. Pittsburgh added the final run in the ninth when Andrew McCutchen and Overbay poked consecutive doubles.
St. Louis had advanced just one runner past second base until the ninth inning. Joel Hanrahan relieved. He gave up a lead off double to Lance Berkman and a two out, run scoring double to Yadier Molina before Daniel Descalso popped out to end it.
Hanrahan’s save was his fourth on the year. Carpenter gave up two runs (one earned) in six innings. He walked none and whiffed six.
The Good
Walker, McCutchen, Overbay and Pedro Alvarez combined to go 8-19.
More please, Kevin Correia.
Evan Meek tossed a perfect, ten pitch eighth inning.
The Bad
Bucs left 11 men on base.
The Rest
I’m trying not to get too excited about Correia’s start. Zach Duke started 2-0 in 2010. But I’ll also enjoy it and hop that it lasts.
Pujols continues to scuffle with a 1-4 day and an error.
This is entirely off topic, but if any readers are fans of classic rock, you might be familiar with the work of Chuck Leavell from the Allman Brothers Band and the Rolling Stones (he plays keyboards). I had no idea until this article that he was involved in the forest products industry, just like me. And I agree with his op ed 100%.
