Following three days off, one scheduled and two due to rainouts in Baltimore, the Pirates and Orioles finally took the field for a single-admission doubleheader on Thursday. Game One began at 4:05 on a day that, conveniently, both teams originally were scheduled to be off.
Pittsburgh (10-17) entered having lost five of six and picked up right where they left off, losing 5-1 in the opener of the twinbill. Charlie Morton (0-4) had another rough start, though he was certainly not entirely to blame. After four solid shutout innings, the game was delayed for 20 minutes due to a passing rain shower and, upon returning to the mound in the fifth, Morton was not quite as sharp. He allowed four runs between the fifth and sixth innings, two of which were unearned. Errors by Pedro Alvarez and Neil Walker contributed to runs for Baltimore (13-12). Morton struck out four and walked two, allowing seven hits.
Former Pirate journeyman Steve Pearce, who has been in and out of the Orioles organization in recent years, had three hits and drove in two runs. Nick Markakis added a solo home run off Jeanmar Gomez in the seventh, as the Orioles ran away with this one in the middle innings.
Pittsburgh’s only run was scored to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the third, when Alvarez drove in Jose Tabata on a two-out single. Aside from that, Pirates hitters were consistently unable to drive in baserunners, leaving 13 on base as a team. They hit just 1-14 with runners in scoring position.
Against Orioles reliever Brian Matusz in the ninth, the Pirates made noise with an Andrew McCutchen walk and a single by Alvarez, but closer Tommy Hunter came in to earn his seventh save, striking out Gaby Sanchez looking with a full count to end the game and strand two more.
Pittsburgh has now lost 14 of 18 and begins the month of May with another tally in the loss column. Game Two of the doubleheader was scheduled to follow soon after the completion of the first game. Brandon Cumpton (0-1) and Chris Tillman (3-1) were the scheduled starters.
