stevereno159

Even though I'm a cubs fan, i dont hate any team, especially nl centrals, i mean i have the team's rivalry, but when there not playin the cubs or are gunna beat the cubs for the wildcard or the lead i want them to win, but for the pirates, i want them to win no matter what

"Perhaps the Pittsburgh Pirates might want to consider wearing their road Grays more often.
Dressed in the replica baggy threads of the Negro League powerhouse Homestead Grays, the Bucs upended the Cleveland Indians, 9-6, Saturday night before a crowd of 30,799 at Jacobs Field. The win was just the fourth for the Pirates in 22 road games this season.

One night after being limited to four baserunners by Indians lefty C.C. Sabathia, the Pirates clubbed four long balls and received at least one hit each from every player in the starting lineup.

"Something like [Sabathia's performance] can cripple a team for a week or two sometimes. It was nice to see that we came out [strong]," said Pirates left fielder Jason Bay, who led the Pirates offense attack by going 3-for-5 with two home runs and four RBIs. "And it wasn't just one guy. It was everyone chipping in."

It wasn't just Bay who did a passable impression of Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston, Cool Papa Bell and the other legendary Grays hitters. Nate McLouth scored twice, swiped a pair of bags and kickstarted the Pittsburgh offense with his first career leadoff home run. Jose Castillo extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a two-run home run when the Bucs batted around in the fourth inning.

"We did a lot of good things offensively. We took some very good at-bats obviously in some significant offensive situations," said Pirates manager Jim Tracy.

"Up and down the lineup what we saw tonight is another testament to how well C.C. Sabathia pitched against us."

Bay's three-run home run in the third inning staked the Pirates to a 5-2 lead, and the Bucs tacked on three more runs in the fourth to chase Indians starter Jason Johnson (2-4). After the Indians rallied to cut the deficit to two runs, Bay capped his big night with a solo home run in the ninth inning off of Indians reliever Guillermo Mota.

"The add-on home run in the top of the ninth was big," said Tracy.

After struggling to drive in runs throughout the first month of the season, Bay has hit .318 with 18 RBIs in his last 12 games.

"I know I am a big part of the offense in the middle of the order. That's what makes it tough when your team is not winning and you are not doing well," said Bay. "Things snowball when you try to do too much sometimes. It makes it a little tougher to swallow. On a personal note, it's nice for me to get out of a funk and get rolling a little bit especially if that translates to wins for us."

Bay hinted after the game that he wouldn't mind wearing the Negro League uniforms again soon.



Complete coverage >"I think I did well in the [Pittsburgh] Crawfords uniform [last year], too," said Bay. "We might have to bring back the 'Turn Back the Clock Night' more often."

Bucs starter Ian Snell was anything but Satchel Paige-like, but he was able to hang around just long enough to even his record at 3-3. Snell allowed five runs (two earned) on four hits and five walks, and needed 105 pitches to get through his five innings of work.

"[The Indians] are tough to pitch to. They scrap with you," said Snell. "We got enough runs to hold them off."

On a night when the two teams wore throwback uniforms to celebrate the legacy of Negro League baseball, the win was especially satisfying for Snell.

"It meant a lot," said Snell. "I have a collection of [Negro League] cards that my grandmother bought me."

Four Pirates relievers combined to limit the Indians to one run over the final four frames. Closer Mike Gonzalez struck out the side in the ninth for his sixth save.

"Michael Gonzalez's ninth inning was his best inning of the year," said Tracy. "When he throws his fastball with the authority and the effectiveness that he did tonight, he's real tough to deal with for three outs."

"These are one of those games where you've got the lead and you've got to shut it down," said Gonzalez. "All I was thinking was, 'These guys worked to hard to get to where we are at right now. I've got to go in there and do what I've got to do.'"

Prior to their win Saturday night, the Pirates had dropped 12 of their previous 13 road games against American League opponents. They are 19-42 all-time on the road in Interleague Play."

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Clinton Lumberkings - *A* of the Texas Rangers