Pittsburgh Pirates: Regular season results – MLB August 2011 - Part 4
Losing all three games in an important series against Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates were now hoping to end their losing streak in a convincing manner. Their recent poor run in Major League Baseball had damaged their win-loss record to 56-63.
It was a certainly a very demoralising situation for them considering they were well over the breakeven point three weeks ago. However, Clint Hurdle and his men aimed to do their home work to yield decent results in their next three match series against
the St. Louis Cardinals.
Making the most of the available opportunities, the Pirates scored a big 6-2 win in the opening game to start the series on a positive note. Ryan Doumit was the star of the show for the Pirates as he hit a tie breaking three-run home-run and went 4-for-4
to help the NL Central team secure a crucial 1-0 lead in the series.
"There is always concern when somebody is coming back after being out for so long but he's come back as clean as any player I've ever had," manager Clint Hurdle said of Doumit.
James McDonald led the pitching pack in an emphatic fashion as he pitched 5 2-3 uneven innings to end his three-starts losing streak. Allowing only two runs and six hits during the contest, he made sure the Cardinals did not put enough runs on the board.
The Pirates put up a brave show in game two of the series as well. Handling the pressure absolutely brilliantly, Clint Hurdle’s side clinched a thriller 5-4 to secure a decisive 2-0 lead. Andrew McCutchen didn’t have a great time in the field but he made
up for that with his impressive hitting skills. McCutchen hit a three-run home-run and took a crucial run saving catch to help the Pirates obtain their fifth win in 21 games.
"It didn't sound like it was hit that well off the bat and it wound up going 15 feet over my head," McCutchen said. "It was pretty embarrassing running after that ball."
"It's funny how baseball works," McCutchen said. "I messed up one play about as badly as I could mess it up but in the same game I came back and hit a home run and made a big catch."
However, despite having the winning momentum on their side, the Pirates failed to live up to the expectations in the third and final game. The Cardinals took complete advantage of their opponent’s unforced errors and they secured a comfortable 7-2 win to
end the series on a bright note. The Pirates looked like they were in trouble as they began to struggle against some of the top tier teams in the League.
Continued in part 5
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