One of the most depressing parts about 2010 for the Pirates was their uncanny ability to slide into 6+ game losing streaks. They wouldn’t seem to be playing all that badly, but the losses would just pile up and after a while it seemed like they would never end.
Suddenly, the 2011 Bucs find themselves on a three-game streak despite two decently-played games against the Rockies and a five-inning no-hitter that quickly went right to hell last night. So can they stop this slide before it gets to ugly proportions? Tonight, Paul Maholm and Randy Wolf take the mound in the last game of the Pirates’ slightly-abbreviated home-stand. Wolf was terrible last year and has gotten rocked for four homers in ten innings this year, so maybe the Pirate lineup that’s been in desperate need of a bit hit for about ten days will be able to break through. They’ll have to do it with Pedro Alvarez on the bench, as Clint Hurdle’s juggling the lineup a bit and giving the struggling Pedro the night off against the lefty, even though he’s had some success against him in the past. Steve Pearce will play third base tonight instead, which should be interesting (read: harrowing).
First pitch tonight is 7:05. I’m going to miss the first few innings because of a softball game, but I should be around later. Hopefully the Bucs bring their bats tonight.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
