Ohlendorf Hit Hard Again, Pirates Lose To Phillies

By Chad Carlson

Neil Walker And Lyle Overbay Had Big At-Bats Tonight

The Pirates returned to Pennsylvania after another Spring Training in sunny Bradenton to take on the Philadelphia Phillies tonight.  The Buccos had games tonight and tomorrow against their cross-state rivals, serving as their final tune-up before they open up the 2011 regular season against the Chicago Cubs on Friday.

Ross Ohlendorf started tonight for the Buccos.  Unfortunately, his final start of the spring was just as disappointing as the rest of his outings in the past month and a half.  He lasted only four innings tonight, giving up six runs (four earned) on seven hits.  His ERA at the conclusion of Spring Training sits at a putrid 9.82.

Other than Ohlendorf, the rest of the pitching staff performed fairly well tonight.  Other than Chris Leroux giving up a run, the staff kept the game close throughout.  Jose Veras and Michael Dubee each threw an inning of shutout baseball. 

For the most part, the Pirates’ offense looked good tonight, jumping out on top of the Phillies’ Roy Oswalt early in the first inning.  Lyle Overbay doubled in Jose Tabata and Neil Walker to give the Buccos a 2-0 lead. 

The Phillies took control of the game, tallying runs on the Pirates from a complete team attack.  Luis Castillo had two hits for Philadelphia, and Jimmy Rollins knocked in two RBI’s. 

After the Phillies had stormed ahead 6-2, Pittsburgh battled back in the fifth inning.  Walker singled home Josh Rodriguez and Tabata.  Neil would then score on Andrew McCutchen’s line drive single to center field.  Walker and McCutchen had three and two hits on the night respectively.

The Buccos dropped the game to the Phillies, 8-5.  With the loss, the Pirates have fallen to 11-21 this spring.   They will play the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park tomorrow at 4:05pm as their final Spring Training contest.  The Buccos will then take Thursday off before taking on the Cubs in Wrigley Field to kick off the 2011 regular season.

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!