PITTSBURGH, Pa. — After taking a 5-1 lead over Cincinnati in the bottom of the second inning, things looked to be in the Pirates favor at PNC Park on Friday night. But the hitter heavy lineup of the Reds scratched and clawed to make the game interesting.
The Pirates plated four runs in a five hit second inning against their rival Reds. That lead slowly dwindled after starter A.J. Burnett allowed two more runs to Cincinnati, and infielder Brandon Phillip’s homerun tied the game up at 5 in the seventh. But that’s where Andrew McCutchen picked up his team and blasted a go-ahead long ball in the bottom of the seventh in the eventual 6-5 win at PNC Park.
“I know that if I get myself into hitting position, I know I’m able to hit whatever pitch that it is may come,” McCutchen said. “Just using my hands, that’s all I’m trying to do. Be ready to hit.”
“It’s good because it shows we’re not going to wait around. We’re a team that’s going to fight. Just because they tied the game up, just because we had a four run lead doesn’t mean that we’re going to give up. We worked too hard to get those five runs. I was ready to go. I was able to deliver and the pitching was able to do their job.”
“He’s an accomplished hitter,” Manager Clint Hurdle said. “It just goes to show you of the importance of getting your hands back. Your body can get a little out in front. He’s a strong man. Like many good hitters, his hands are probably his greatest weapon. His hands are extremely quick, which can generate a lot of bat speed. Just sitting back there like he did like that and then just snapping the barrel to it –that is impressive.”
During A.J. Burnett’s first two trips to the mound to start the 2013 season, the offense wasn’t there. The Pirates were unable to scratch a run across the plate for their team’s No. 1 starter, giving him an 0-2 record despite posting a respectable 3.27 ERA. The Pittsburgh bats sparked some offense in front of 24,366 fans, but were unable to give Burnett his first win of the 2013 season. They did, however, improve their team record to 4-6 on the young season.
Jumping ahead quickly, the Pirates picked up a run off right-hander Mike Leake in the bottom of the first. Starling Marte continued his hot start by picking up his sixth straight leadoff hit to start a game and swiped second for his second steal of the season. He was tagged out at home plate after Garrett Jones grounded out to first base and the Reds Joey Votto threw to home. Russell Martin didn’t allow the opportunity to drive in his first RBI as a Pirate pass him by, as he singled up the left side to drive in Neil Walker from second base.
Back-to-back knocks started the rally off Leake in the second. After Burnett laid down a sac bunt to push Travis Snider and Clint Barmes into scoring position, rookie Starling Marte was hit by a pitch on the left leg to load them up. Walker followed by driving in a pair with a base hit into center field to take a 3-1 lead. Andrew McCutchen picked up two of his own with a single to left in the four run frame.
“I like Neil hitting with runners in scoring position,” Hurdle said. “I have since I’ve been here. He had some opportunities batting fifth earlier in the season a couple of times. Today, it was good to see that happen…I just thought he’s always done a good job at finding outfield grass with runners in scoring position.”
Since being traded from New York to the Pirates in February 2012, A.J. Burnett has had some good memories with Pittsburgh. He fell in love with the game again having lost it during some rough years with the Yankees. He bounded quickly with the fan base and made his first Opening Day start, but one milestone in his career will have to wait –strikeout No. 2,000.
The veteran tossed a quality start at PNC Park on Friday in his third start of the season. Burnett held the Cincinatti Reds to three runs on six hits over six frames. He walked three and struck out eight while throwing 106 pitches, 65 for strikes. Those whiffs tallied up to 1,998 since making his debut with the Florida Marlins in 1999. Burnett has now combined for 27 strikeouts over his three outings (17.0 innings).
“It would mean a lot, I guess,” Burnett said of reaching 2,000. “That’s a lot of k’s. Just goes to show you how good those guys who have 3,000 are.”
After punching out two in a perfect first, Burnett gave up a leadoff home run to Phillips on a 0-1 fastball to center field to tie the game up at 1. The veteran right-hander went on to walk a pair, but a strikeout and a fly out left them stranded.
He followed that up with two more strikeouts in a scoreless third before giving up a run on two hits in the fourth. Devin Mesoraco drove in the lone run with a groundout to third to plate outfielder Jay Bruce. The Reds brought the game within two in Burnett’s final inning of work in the sixth. Devin Mesoraco laced a RBI double -his second RBI of the night– to the wall in left field to charge a third run to Burnett.
“Anyway that I look at it I could have pitched a lot better. I could have made better pitches when I needed to,” Burnett said. “I need to go deeper. And I will. It’s making that first one too nasty and then making an adjustment afterwards instead of making the adjustment beforehand. A lot of deep counts, and guys were fighting off. Gotta give credit to the hitters sometimes, too.”
With Burnett out of the game, Hurdle looked to Tony Watson in the seventh. The lefty gave up a walk, and with two outs, dished up a home run to Phillips -his second of the night– to tie the game at 5. In the bottom of the frame, however, McCutchen picked his team up and took a 1-2 curveball into the seats in left for his second long ball of the season to retake the lead in the 6-5 victory. Mark Melancon and Jason Grilli tossed up zero’s in their inning of work to take game one of the three game set.
“Watty is in the bullpen for a reason,” Burnett said. “That’s why he’s in the big leagues, he’s good. It’s baseball. It happens. I did run down and give Cutch some love after that homer, though.”
“Games are nine innings for a reason,” Hurdle said. “Always have been, always will be. You give things up sometimes. You fight to get something back. That’s what we were able to do tonight. They kept scratching, they kept clawing. That’s kind of what we expect when these two teams meet –a battle.”
