Pittsburgh Pirates outclassed by Philadelphia Phillies 4-5 at Citizens Bank Park – MLB Update
Pittsburgh Pirates were outclassed by the Philadelphia Phillies 4-5 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday, June 26 in the second game of their three match series of the 2012 Major League Baseball regular season.
Carlos Ruiz had an excellent game with the bat as he played a key role in deciding the outcome of the clash. The catcher had an RBI single to left in the first inning to put the Phillies on the board. His average of .361 for the season is considerable higher
than his career average and it will be exciting to see if he can continue his superb form to earn a huge pay day at the end of the season.
Ty Wigginton homered to left in the third to extend Phillies lead to 4-1 and Ruiz belted a home-run in the eighth to ensure the Phillies reach home. For the Pirates, Michael McKenry homered in the bottom of the ninth but Philadelphia held on to take a decisive
2-0 lead in the series.
"I was trying to stop myself from jumping in the crowd," Phillies’ relief pitcher Michael Schwimer said. "I'm an emotional person. You have to be who you are. My plan of attack was just to execute pitches and go from there. Those are situations I love. I've
gotten in trouble in the past by getting too excited. I've learned to channel that."
"There were some good things going on," Pirates’ manager Clint Hurdle said. "He's probably like the changeup back to Wigginton, but he kept us in the game."
The win will be of great importance for the Phillies who have now improved their record to 36-40. Right now, they are placed fourth on the National League East Division standings, six games behind the leaders Washington Nationals. However, if Philadelphia
can bring some consistency in their results, things can change very quickly for them.
Pirates, on the other hand, have now fallen three games behind National League Central leaders Cincinnati Reds. They will be looking to regroup themselves as soon as possible to put things back on the right track. The Phillies will be happy with their performance
as they are looking to build some confidence in the line-up and become more competitive.
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