Pittsburgh (25-35) at Toronto (34-30)

[BPBlueSox]

Game 1, Tuesday, 7:05 pm
Kris Benson (5-6) vs. Cory Lidle (8-4)

Game 2, Wednesday, 7:05 pm
Jeff D'Amico (4-6) vs. Roy Halladay (8-2)

Game 3, Thursday, 7:05 pm
Jeff Suppan (5-5) vs. Mark Hendrickson (4-5)



Hey, at least we're going on the road. We play our best ball there...however, with the way our pitching staff has been giving up runs...going to face the Jays in Toronto should not be pretty. Plus, we got to go up against Lidle and Halladay.

We lose two out of three, at best.

[renuszm]

You guys will win when Hendrickson pitches. He has a 8.10 ERA at home.

[Greymire]

So far tonights game is ugly for both teams, but especially the buccos.

[renuszm]

Yeah, I thought we were going to have a pretty good pitching matchup with Benson and Lidle.

[BPBlueSox]

Pirates can't keep up with Jays
Offensive effort goes to waste as Benson implodes
By Ed Eagle / MLB.com

TORONTO -- The Pittsburgh Pirates' first regular-season trip to Toronto was one that they will not soon forget, although they'll probably wish that they could.
The slugging Jays, who came into the game averaging a Major League-best 6.2 runs per game, pounded out 19 hits -- including four home runs -- on their way to a 13-8 win over the Bucs at SkyDome on Tuesday night.

Pirates starter Kris Benson took the bulk of the abuse from Blue Jays hitters. Staked to leads of 2-0 and 5-2 in the first two innings, the Pirates' No. 1 starter did not make it through the third as Toronto jumped on him for eight runs on eight hits -- including three home runs -- and three walks in 2 1/3 innings.

"I hate giving up a run period, but especially when the team scores you a bunch of runs and you kind of squander that whole thing by giving up a bunch of runs yourself," said Benson. "[We] came out swinging the bats today and I just didn't make the pitches and I cost us the ballgame today."

Six days earlier, Benson surrendered eight runs (seven earned) in 6 1/3 innings to the Boston Red Sox. In 11 career Interleague starts, he is 3-6 with a 7.11 ERA.

"These are just two bad games in a row that I would rather forget about but I can't because this has cost us two ballgames," said Benson. "I just have to keep on going out there and get it clicking again."

"[Benson's] command just wasn't there for the second outing in a row," said Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon. "When you go up against good teams and you don't have good command, you are going to get hurt. Tonight was not a good night for him."

Early on in the game, the Pirates looked as if they would be able to keep pace with Toronto's offense as the Bucs wasted no time jumping on Blue Jays starter Corey Lidle. After Brian Giles' two-out double to left in the first, Aramis Ramirez deposited a Lidle pitch over the right-field fence for a 2-0 Pittsburgh lead. The home run, Ramirez's third of the season and first since May 18, extended the third baseman's hitting streak to a career-high 21 games.

After the Blue Jays scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the first to tie the game at 2-2, the Bucs bounced back for three more runs in the second to reclaim the lead. Matt Stairs, out since May 18th with a slight tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right finger, singled to begin the inning and scored on Jeff Reboulet's one-out double to the wall in left field. Jason Kendall singled through the legs of Lidle two batters later to score Reboulet. Kendall then advanced to second on a Giles single and scored when second baseman Orlando Hudson mishandled a groundball up the middle by Ramirez.

But the five early runs would not be nearly enough on this night. With two on and two out in the bottom of the second, Carlos Delgado drilled a Benson offering into the right-field seats to tie the game at 5-5. The three-run home run was the American League-leading 20th of the season for Delgado, who also leads the Major Leagues with 70 RBIs.

The Blue Jays took the lead for good in the third. Josh Phelps and Hudson led off the frame with back-to-back home runs and Vernon Wells added an RBI single later in the inning to put Toronto ahead, 8-5. Two innings later, Frank Catalanatto's three-run home run to right off Brian Meadows put the game out of reach.

Meadows did not fare much better than Benson, allowing four runs (three earned) on eight hits and three walks as he watched his ERA balloon to 6.92 on the season.

"Right now, we're just struggling," said Meadows. "You go through times where they hit everything and you go through times where you can get away with mistakes. Right now, I'm just not getting away with any mistakes. That's the bottom line." Benson and Meadows, however, have not been alone in their struggles. In their seven games during the month of June against the St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves and the Blue Jays -- four of the toughest lineups in baseball -- Pirates hurlers are 1-6 with a 7.76 ERA. Bucs pitchers have allowed 13 home runs in the last three games.

"Whether it's Delgado, [Vernon] Wells, [Albert] Pujols, [Manny] Ramirez or [Gary] Sheffield -- it doesn't make a difference," said McClendon. "You have to hit your spots. You have to have command.

"We have not done our job. It's that simple. If you make mistake pitches like we made tonight and the last four or five nights, you are going to get your [butts] kicked. Tonight was no different.

"We've given up 13 home runs in three games. Our pitching is too good to do that."

The pitching struggles by Pittsburgh wasted a good night by their offense. Giles picked up three of the Pirates' 14 hits, including a solo home run in the sixth. Stairs was 2-for-3 and connected on the Bucs' third home run of the game, a solo shot off Lidle to begin the sixth.

Backed by his team's impressive offensive showing, Lidle improved to 9-4 on the season despite allowing seven runs (six earned) on 12 hits in six innings. The Blue Jays have scored 92 runs in Lidle's 14 starts this season.

The loss was the sixth in the last seven games for the Pirates. They are a half game ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers for last place in the National League Central Division.

[BPBlueSox]

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Pirates 2 3 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 8 14 3
Blue Jays 2 3 3 0 3 1 1 0 X 13 19 2


Pittsburgh AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG
Lofton, CF 5 0 0 0 0 0 2 .300
1-Hyzdu, PR-CF 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .091
Kendall, C 4 1 2 1 1 1 1 .280
Giles, LF 4 2 3 1 0 0 1 .316
Ramirez, 3B 4 1 2 3 0 0 1 .303
Simon, 1B 5 0 1 0 0 0 5 .283
Sanders, RF 5 0 0 0 0 2 2 .253
Stairs, DH 3 2 2 1 0 0 0 .202
a-Wilson, C, PH-DH 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 .238
Wilson, J, SS 5 0 1 0 0 1 3 .246
Reboulet, 2B 5 1 2 1 0 2 1 .263
Totals 42 8 14 7 1 6 16

a-Singled for Stairs in the 7th.
1-Ran for Lofton in the 8th.

BATTING
2B: Giles (11, Lidle), Reboulet (3, Lidle).
HR: Ramirez (3, 1st inning off Lidle, 1 on, 2 out), Stairs (2, 6th inning off Lidle, 0 on, 0 out), Giles (6, 7th inning off Lidle, 0 on, 0 out).
TB: Kendall 2; Giles 7; Ramirez 5; Simon; Stairs 5; Wilson, C; Wilson, J; Reboulet 3.
RBI: Ramirez 3 (30), Reboulet (8), Kendall (20), Stairs (6), Giles (26).
2-out RBI: Ramirez 2, Kendall.
SF: Ramirez.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Simon 2, Wilson, J.
Team LOB: 10.

FIELDING
E: Meadows (1, drop ball), Ramirez (13, fielding), Wilson, J (7, throw).
PB: Kendall (5).
DP: (Wilson, J-Reboulet-Simon).


Toronto AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG
Johnson, RF 6 2 2 0 0 0 4 .263
Catalanotto, LF 6 3 3 3 0 0 3 .333
Wells, CF 5 0 2 1 1 0 3 .292
Delgado, 1B 4 2 1 3 2 0 3 .323
Myers, C 4 1 1 0 1 0 3 .361
Phelps, DH 5 1 3 3 0 0 1 .274
Hudson, 2B 4 1 1 1 1 1 3 .286
Woodward, SS 5 1 2 1 0 1 3 .264
Clark, 3B 4 2 4 0 0 0 0 .611
Bordick, 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .262
Totals 44 13 19 12 5 2 24

BATTING
HR: Delgado (20, 2nd inning off Benson, 2 on, 2 out), Phelps (8, 3rd inning off Benson, 0 on, 0 out), Hudson (3, 3rd inning off Benson, 0 on, 0 out), Catalanotto (6, 5th inning off Meadows, 2 on, 0 out).
TB: Johnson 2; Catalanotto 6; Wells 2; Delgado 4; Myers; Phelps 6; Hudson 4; Woodward 2; Clark 4.
RBI: Phelps 3 (30), Delgado 3 (70), Hudson (26), Wells (60), Catalanotto 3 (38), Woodward (23).
2-out RBI: Phelps 2, Delgado 3, Wells, Woodward.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Woodward 2, Myers 2, Hudson, Delgado 2.
GIDP: Catalanotto.
Team LOB: 12.

FIELDING
E: Hudson (8, fielding), Lopez (1, drop ball).



Pittsburgh IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Benson (L, 5-7) 2.1 8 8 8 3 1 3 5.00
Meadows 2.2 8 4 3 1 0 1 6.92
Beimel 1.0 1 1 1 1 0 0 3.18
Torres 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 4.17
Tavarez 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 5.13

Toronto IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Lidle (W, 9-4) 6.0 12 7 6 0 3 3 5.07
Miller, T 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 4.98
Tam 0.1 1 0 0 0 0 0 6.00
Lopez 1.0 0 1 0 1 1 0 3.62
Politte 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 6.00


Lidle pitched to 2 batters in the 7th.
Meadows pitched to 3 batters in the 6th.
Beimel pitched to 1 batter in the 7th.

WP: Meadows.
HBP: Giles (by Lopez).
Pitches-strikes: Benson 62-36, Meadows 60-40, Beimel 14-9, Torres 18-11, Tavarez 12-7, Lidle 83-55, Miller, T 9-6, Tam 11-7, Lopez 25-16, Politte 12-7.
Ground outs-fly outs: Benson 3-3, Meadows 2-6, Beimel 2-1, Torres 2-0, Tavarez 3-0, Lidle 7-8, Miller, T 0-1, Tam 1-0, Lopez 1-1, Politte 1-1.
Batters faced: Benson 18, Meadows 19, Beimel 4, Torres 4, Tavarez 4, Lidle 31, Miller, T 2, Tam 2, Lopez 6, Politte 4.
Inherited runners-scored: Meadows 1-1, Beimel 3-1, Torres 1-1, Miller, T 1-0, Tam 1-0.
Umpires: HP: Dale Scott. 1B: Jim Joyce. 2B: Dan Iassogna. 3B: Jim Reynolds.
Weather: 68 degrees, roof closed.
Wind: 0 mph, None.
T: 3:12.
Att: 14,090.

[BPBlueSox]

Eh, we got swept.

Shocker. :hmm:

[GiveHyzduashot]

Sure am glad I missed this series.