CHRISTOPHER PANSINO – OVATHLETICS.COM
The Pirates were off to a great start after winning the first two game to open the season. A win today would have put the Pirates at 3-0 in the standings and mark the first time in ten years that the Pirates swept the Dodgers.
However, this was not to be, as the Dodgers crushed the Pirates 10-2 on a rainy afternoon.
It was an ugly all around game for the Pirates who played bad defense and had trouble putting any runs on the board.
The statistics tell almost the entire story of the game. The top five batters in the Dodgers lineup combined for a total of 13 hits, 10 of runs, and 8 RBIs. And they did so without the help of Andre Ethier (left ankle) and Manny Ramirez (day off).
Meanwhile the first five batters in the Pirates order, a list that includes Iwamura, McCutchen, Jones, Doumit, and Church, combined for a total of 3 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run in the loss.
Pirates were charged with 3 fielding errors, including two by shortstop Bobby Cosby, which summed up the sloppy defense play in this game.
The one bright spot came from Delwyn Young who finished the day 2 for 2 with two walks, a run scored, and an RBI. Young made his first start of the season today and accounted for the teams only extra-base hit of the game.
On a positive note, the Pirates did win the overall series and showed impressive play in both fielding and hitting against last years NL west champion.
The Pirates hope to carry that with them as they begin a six game road trip starting with the Arizona Diamondbacks Friday evening.
