Pittsburgh Pirates: Regular season results – MLB August 2011 - Part 7
Clinching a thrilling fourth and final game, Pittsburgh Pirates had showed amazing determination, fighting spirit and mental strength to level the series.
Clint Hurdle and his men were hoping to achieve similar results in their next four match series against St. Louis Cardinals. However, they looked completely out of sorts throughout to let the Cardinals secure a comfortable 3-1 series win.
In game one of the series, the Pirates made too many unforced errors and the Cardinals won comprehensively 8-4. David Freese had a go ahead run, two-run single in the 5th innings. Matt Holliday also made a useful contribution as he hit a crucial three run homer to let the Cardinals take 1-0 lead in the series.
"You play this game for six months and sometimes things are going to get tough on you," Freese said. "You play this game long enough, you don't sweat when things aren't going well."
Clint Hurdle was pretty disappointed with the performance of his team and he expressed his displeasure in the post game interview.
"We didn't see what we normally see from Charlie," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. "Balls were hit in the air for a high percentage of the night, which is not normal for him."
The Pirates put up a decent fight in second game of the series but once again, they were unable to handle the pressure at crucial stages and the Cardinals clinched a nail biting contest to take a decisive 2-0 lead.
Clint Hurdle’s side certainly had their chances during the contest but they failed to take them and eventually paid the heavy price. Opening with three runs in the first innings, the Pirates could have put themselves in a lot better position. Andrew McCutchen scored an RBI on three hits for the Pirates.
"A big hit would have blown it open, there's no doubt," manager Clint Hurdle said. "We've been shaking the pom-poms for that throughout the season”.
For Cardinals, Lance Berkman hit a go ahead two run homer in the 8th innings and Molina drove in a three run shot in the 2nd.
The Pirates looked in commanding form in third game of the series as they inflicted a heavy blow on their rivals with a sensational 7-0 win. Dominating the Cardinals in almost all aspects of the game, they raised their game to an entirely new level.
Brad Lincoln was absolutely superb in pitching department of the game as he pitched six scoreless innings and participated in an RBI double to lead the Pirates to a much needed victory.
Continued in part 8
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