I don’t know why, but I didn’t really feel like the Pirates were going to lose this game when Carlos Gonzalez hit the two-run homer in the seventh inning that turned a 1-0 Pirate lead into a 2-1 deficit. Given that the Pirates are still afloat in the wild card race and the NL Central race despite their awful record against the better teams in the division, obviously finding a way to win these games against lesser teams is important.
Anyway, the bullpen was just excellent tonight, throwing four mostly shutdown innings without Tony Watson even needing to be involved and with only one magician’s act 1-5 double play in the 11th inning, and the Jordy Mercer finally came up with the big hit in the 11th to put the Pirates over the top. As much fun as it is to watch games like last Saturday when Andrew McCutchen puts the team on his back and carries them, I always like to see the other guys get their big moments, too. Jordy Mercer is a nice reminder that just because a player isn’t a first round draft pick and just because a player doesn’t show up on a Top 100 prospect list, it doesn’t mean that he can’t turn into a solid big league player. He’s been quietly putting together a very nice season after his horrendous April, and it’s nice form him to get a moment in the spotlight here.
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