Much like they did so many times in the first half of the season, the Pirates quickly put to bed any fears of a collapse by defeating the Rockies, 9-6, this afternoon to take two of three in Colorado and end their six game road swing with a 3-3 mark.
After losing two of three in Milwaukee to start their second half and then losing a tough game in Colorado Monday night, there was fear in Pirate Nation that maybe the team was in the throes of yet another second half melt-down.
If you'll recall, the Pirates were in first place in late July last season before losing 10 games in a row and permanently removing themselves from the NL Central race for the rest of the season.
Everyone's been saying that this season just feels different, and I'll be darned if it hasn't been so far.
Today, the Pirates fell behind, 5-1, behind starter James McDonald, who gave up six runs over five innings. However, thanks to the long ball, the Pirates were able to get back in the game and eventually take control.
Pedro Alvarez, Garrett Jones, Rod Barajas and Casey McGehee all went deep to account for the majority of the offense.
It was the second straight shaky outing for McDonald, but thanks to a dominant effort by the team's outstanding bullpen, he was able to get the win. Brad Lincoln, Jason Grilli, Tony Watson and Joel Hanrahan quieted the Rockies potent bats and pitched four scoreless innings to preserve the victory.
The Pirates haven't made it look easy so far in the second half, but as I wrote before, sometimes a young and inexperienced team just needs to stay afloat during the rough times. So far in 2012, the Pittsburgh Pirates have managed to wade through the rough waters.
Now, they sit at 51-40, and depending on what happens in the game between the Reds and Diamondbacks this evening, they could finish the day in a tie for first place.
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