Pittsburgh Pirates: Regular season results for July - MLB 2011 - Part 3
After making the most of available opportunities against Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates were hoping to deliver the goods in a three match series with the Houston Astros as well. With a decent 47-43 win-loss record, things were very bright for Clint Hurdle
and his men.
This was the first time Pirates had managed to win more than half of their games in Major League Baseball in more than a decade. The kids looked very confident and motivated and they aimed to continue their impressive run throughout the month of July.
The pitchers played a crucial role in deciding the outcome of game one as the Pirates demolished the Astros 4-0 to take a 1-0 lead in the series. It was a superb result for Clint Hurdle’s side after the batting line-up had failed to execute their game plan.
Jeff Karstens was the leader of the pack as he shut down the Astros and brought his side into a tie for first place in the NL Central. The starter allowed only five hits and Andrew McCutchen tripled and drove in two runs to let the Pirates secure a deserving
win.
“I had an idea it was kind of low, but I didn't know how low it was,” Karstens said of his pitch count. “It's just one of those things.”
“It's one of the best pitched games I've seen,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. “You take into account the pitches thrown, 21 out of 30 first-pitch strikes, and then you get the leadoff hitter six out of nine innings ... defense helped him out a couple
times, but that was a masterful outing. You talk about throwing strikes, pounding down in the zone, changing speeds, he had it all working tonight.”
The Pirates put up a valiant effort in game two of the series. However, they eventually lost the meeting 4-6. It was a disappointing defeat for them considering the quality of their game play during the contest.
Astros took complete advantage of their opponents’ unforced errors and they also handled the pressure with more ease. Hunter Pence produced a match winning performance for Houston as he swiped third base and scored in the closing stages of the game.
Clint Hurdle promised the fans to put up a better show in the decider to clinch the series. The NL Central team did exactly that as they bounced back superbly in the third and final game to win a very well contested series, 2-1.
Showing no signs of nerves, the Pirates secured a nail-biting 7-5 win to improve their win-loss record to 49-44. Pinch runner Josh Harrison scored on a pass ball and rookie Alex Presley scored three runs to lift the Pirates to a thrilling win.
Continued in part 4
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