Backs To The Wall, Pirates Hit Back Hard Vs. Division Leaders At Home

A series against the cellar-dwelling Pittsburgh Pirates was supposed to be the "last stop" for the Los Angeles Dodges in clinching their division, right? Not so fast, when it is in Pittsburgh—as the New York Mets found out in 2006.

Having beaten the division-leading Mets 3-0 at home in mid-September three years ago, the Pirates won their final homestand 3-1 against the Dodgers in 2009.

In the first game of the series, the Pirates pitched "by committee," with the score at 3-1, Pirates, after a three inning contribution from "straw" starter Jeff Karstens, who didn't pitch long enough to get the win.

That went instead, to rookie Donnie Veal, who pitched two scoreless innings to the end of the fifth, followed by one and two inning contributions from Steve Jackson and Jesse Chavez. Matt Capps closed a scoreless session against Pirate relievers.

In the second game, Paul Maholm pitched seven innings of a three-run quality start, earning a no-decision, leaving with the Pirates ahead 4-3. But Denny Bautista lost the game by giving up two runs in the top of the eighth, and three more relievers each allowed one run toward an 8-4 debacle.

Dan McCutchen pitched six-plus innings of a two-run quality start in the third game, but was denied the win when the second Dodgers run tied the game at 2-2.

The Dodgers went ahead by three runs, 5-2 in the top of the ninth, against Matt Capps. But Capps got the win when an error-laden bottom of the ninth led to a Pirate rally for four runs.

Zach Duke pitched eight innings of shut-out ball in the last game, before giving up a run on a triple and sacrifice fly in the ninth. So Donnie Veal closed out the game.

Meanwhile, the Pirates ran up their tally to 11 runs, scoring five runs in an error-laden second inning, two solo homers by Andy LaRoche and Garrett Jones in the fourth, and two more runs on a double sandwiched between two singles in the sixth. Andy LaRoche hit a two run homer in the eighth.

This series win echoes a similar victory against the Eastern Division-leading Mets in 2006. Maholm and Duke were the two starters that won games in that series, with Duke pitching eight innings of scoreless ball before being relieved in the ninth, with Salomon Torres protecting his shutout.

In the third game, a "committee" of Tom Gorzelanny, Shane Youman, and Damasco Marte pitched eight and a third innings to a 2-2 tie. Matt Capps closed out the top of the ninth, and was credited with a win as Ronnie Paulino hit a walk-off RBI double in the bottom of the ninth. 

The series against the Dodgers may augur well for the Pirates' start in 2010. It will be in PNC Field, against the Los Angeles Dodgers.