There’s always that one pitcher that fans of a team hate to see. For the Pirates, it isn’t Clayton Kershaw, Matt Cain or any other elite pitcher; it’s Jeff Samardzija. In two starts against the Pirates this season, Samardzija allowed just one run in 15 innings. In a rematch of opening day, Samardzija and A.J. Burnett squared off in the windy city Thursday afternoon. Finally, the Pirates were able to figure Samardzija out as they knocked him around for four runs en route to a 6-2 victory.
The Pirates were able to record eight hits and four runs off the Notre Dame alumni. The Pirates got the scoring going early in the second inning as Pedro Alvarez drove Garrett Jones in with an RBI single. Travis Snider pushed the score to 2-0 in the third with a single of his own, scoring Starling Marte.
The Pirates took advantage of the windy weather as they belted two mammoth homers on the day. Alvarez hit a two-run shot out of the stadium in the fourth and for insurance purposes only, Russell Martin hit a two-run shot of his own in the eighth inning. The home run was Martin’s 100th of his career.
On the mound, Burnett’s record doesn’t highlight his effectiveness as the offense has struggled to give him the proper run support. With the offense putting up six runs on the board, Burnett delivered what was the best outing from a Pirates pitcher all year. Burnett allowed just four hits and struck out five over his 8.1 innings of work. This marks the first time a Pirates pitcher has pitched past the seven inning mark this season. The Pirates allowed Burnett the opportunity to record the shutout, but he surrendered a two-run shot to Alfonso Soriano to put the Cubs on the board. It was all-for-not as Tony Watson recorded the last two outs for the Pirates victory.
The Pirates will look to complete the three-game sweep of the Cubbies as the surprising Jeff Locke (5-1, 2.45 ERA) will take the mound for the Pirates. The disappointing Edwin Jackson (1-8, 6.29 ERA) will look to prevent the sweep. First pitch is scheduled for 2:20 p.m.
