SEATTLE – On the shoulders of an early offensive explosion, and another fantastic outing from Jeff Locke, the Pirates knocked off the Mariners tonight by a score of 9-4.
The game started off with a bang, as the first hitter of the game, Starling Marte, lead the game off with a triple. He scored on a Jordy Mercer ground out, and the Pirates finished the inning up 1-0.
The second inning was a huge one for the Bucs, as three players hit home runs. Russell Martin hit a solo shot to lead off the inning, and after Neil Walker and Tony Sanchez each reached base, Brandon Inge hit a three-run homer. The home run was Inge’s first as a Pirate, and it silenced a lot of the fan who have been criticizing him lately. Shortly after Inge’s homer, Marte followed it up with a home run, giving them three home runs on the inning, and making the score 6-1 in the second inning.
The Bucs added another run on an error, and Marte hit his second home run of the game in the eighth inning. Gaby Sanchez hit his seventh homer of the season in the top of the ninth.
Locke continued his All-Star campaign picking up his sixth win of the season. He allowed two runs on four hits, while striking out four.
Tony Watson pitched a scoreless inning, and Bryan Morris allowed a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth. Duke Welker closed the game out.
The Bucs (47-30) play the final game of the two game series tomorrow afternoon as Jeanmar Gomez makes his return against former Cy Young winner, Felix Hernandez. First pitch at 3:05 P.M.
