The most important thing that happened in this game was that Pedro Alvarez came up twice late in the game with Andrew McCutchen in scoring position, worked six pitch at-bats both times, and on two separate full counts hit the ball sharply and in a fashion that resulted in McCutchen scoring. He needed the help of a Yangervis Solarte error in the seventh, but he had a clean single for the walk-off hit in the ninth that helped the Pirates to a comeback 2-1 win over the Padres (and Pedro’s father-in-law, the Pads’ interim manager Pat Murphy).
The comeback was well-appreciated, both because it made sure that an excellent AJ Burnett start (one run in 7 2/3 innings on five hits, four walks, and three strikeouts) didn’t get wasted, and because weird and bad things seem to always happen to the Pirates in PNC Park against the Padres. Such a thing nearly happened in the eighth inning after AJ Burnett struck out Derek Norris to end the inning, only to find out that home plate ump Paul Emmel called the third strike a “foul tip” (Norris missed the pitch by nearly a foot). Norris singled, Yangervis Solarte singled him to third, and Clint Hurdle had to summon Tony Watson to get the inning’s final out.
Watson got that final out, though, and the Pirates rallied for the winning run in the ninth, so it’s all good now. Style points matter when you’re trying to figure out if a team is good or not so good. When you’re sure a team is good, wins are wins. Wins are wins especially in non-division series before a looming Huge Divisional Battle, especially when players are hurt.
Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images
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