The Pirates kicked off the 2010 season by winning the opening series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, 2 games to 1.
The Buccos pummeled the Dodgers’ pitching on opening day, notching 11 runs on 10 hits, and getting contributions from everyone on the team. Garrett Jones led the charge with 2 homeruns and 3 RBI’s, picking up right where he left off last season. Ryan Church had a huge 3 run double in the 5th, which helped break the game wide open. Doumit also went 2-4 with a 3-run homer in the 8th. Zach Duke, in limited action (5 innings), faired decently well, giving up 2 runs on 7 hits. A sellout crowd, near 40,000, witnessed another strong showing by our Battlin’ Buccos on opening day.
Garrett Jones did it again in game 2 of the series, belting a 3-run homerun in the bottom of the 1st to give the Pirates an early 3-0 lead. Unfortunately, it would be his one and only hit of the evening. The Dodgers fought their way back on Ross Ohlendorf throughout the rest of the game, tying it up in the fifth inning, while the Pirates’ offense disappeared for the majority of the game. Then, in the bottom of the 10th, with the bases loaded, Ronny Cedeno hit a crisp liner over shortstop to drive in the winning run, giving the Pirates a fresh 2-0 record.
Unfortunately, the brooms didn’t come out on Thursday. The Dodgers looked like the team of last year, and…well…so did our beloved Buccos. Pittsburgh never really seemed motivated to play, and the Dodgers took advantage of that, inning by inning, on their way to a 10-2 rout at PNC Park. Craig Billingsley notched the win, while Paul Maholm took the loss. Ronnie Belliard was the hitting star of the day for Los Angeles, going 3-5 with 1 HR and 4 RBI’s.
Despite the disappointing and rather embarrassing loss yesterday, the Pirates (and their fans) should walk away from their season-opening series feeling pretty good about the situation. Garrett Jones is on fire to start the year, two of the three starting pitchers looked good, and they have gotten quality plate appearances and performances from the majority of their lineup. This has been a bright start, but there is still a lot of work ahead. The Buccos travel out west for an early season set against the Arizona Diamondbacks for a weekend series. We’ll get our first look at starters Charlie Morton and Daniel McCutchen. Drink some caffeine, stay up late and cheer on our beloved Buccos to another series win!
Check Out Fans From The Stands Pre-game and Post-game shows from Opening Day!
Fans From The Stands Pre-Game
Fans From The Stands Post-Game
Current Record: 2-1
And….As Always….Let’s Go Bucs!!!
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