After Alex Presley and Jose Tabata led off the bottom of the first inning with base hits, the Pirates were unable to muster another one for the rest of the game. Aside from Andrew McCutchen and Clint Barmes getting plunked by pitches later on in the ballgame, the Pirates were completely blanked by Phillies ace Roy Halladay. The good news to take away from the game was the effectiveness of newly acquired pitcher Erik Bedard.
Bedard went seven innings, allowing only one run on a sacrifice fly by Carlos Ruiz (who went 3-3 on the day), struck out four and walked on on 81 pitches. Bedard, who made his third opening day start, said it was “nice” to start another opening day. Bedard threw 21 of 26 first-pitch strikes, mixing in his curveball with his fastball, which averaged 89 mph.
Taking the hill for the Phillies today will be Cliff Lee. Lee, who serves as the Phillies second ace with Halladay, went 1-0 giving up four runs against the Pirates in his lone start against them last season. With Lee on the bump, the Pirates have made adjustments to their opening day lineup. Presley and Tabata will swap spots at the top of the order, which makes sense because if Tabata reaches base and is being held on by the Phillies, then that leaves a lot of room open on the right side of the infield for the left-handed Presley. The “hit collector” Matt Hague will make his major league debut tonight starting at first base for the Pirates, filling in for the left-handed Garrett Jones. Also making his Pirates debut tonight will be Casey McGehee. McGehee, who was acquired in an off-season trade sending Jose Veras to the Brewers, will get the start over Pedro Alvarez at third base. While I’ve been vocal on playing Alvarez everyday, the team has opted to sit him against Lee.
Andrew McCutchen had the following to say about facing Lee just two days after facing Halladay.
“We faced him before and he’s still a pitcher and we still can beat him,” McCutchen said. “He’s just another pitcher to me and you just have to show up and do your job.”
Taking the hill for the Pirates will be Jeff Karstens. Karstens, who was by many accounts the Pirates best pitcher last season, started 26 games last season with a 9-9 record and an impressive 3.38 ERA. Karstens had an impressive start to the season before showing signs of fatigue in the latter part of the year.
Three things to watch in the game:
1) When will the Pirates score – The Pirates have recorded 27 outs since their last base hit and are still looking for their first run of the season. Neil Walker and Barmes both showed warning track power to right field, but John Mayberry Jr. was able to make athletic catches on both balls. While no one can blame the Pirates bats for being silent against Halladay, how will they do against the equally talented Lee?
2) Matt Hague – The 26-year-old Hague earned himself a position on the roster with his bat during the spring. He was tied with Freddie Freeman and Albert Pujols for the Major League lead in home runs in spring training with seven. If Hague regressed at all, he wouldn’t have made the team. While he did have an impressive camp, fans should temper their expectations of Hague in his first season in the majors.
3) Jeff Karstens – For his first couple of years with the organization, Karstens showed the capability to be a starter, long-reliever and middle-relief. After his impressive season last year, Karstens has earned a starting spot with the team. With proving himself last year to the team, will Karstens be able to keep the trust of Manager Clint Hurdle?
Pirates (0-1) vs Phillies (1-0)
Jeff Karstens (0-0 0.00 ERA) vs Cliff Lee (0-0 0.00 ERA)
First pitch – 7:05 p.m.
Pirates lineup
Tabata – 9
Presley – 7
McCutchen – 8
McGehee – 5
Hague – 3
Walker – 4
Barajas – 2
Barmes – 6
Karsens – 1
Phillies lineup
Victorino – 8
Polanco – 5
Rollins – 6
Pence – 9
Nix – 3
Mayberry – 7
Ruiz – 2
Galvis – 4
Lee – 1
Photo Credits: Jared Wickerham/Getty Images
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