Back End of Rotation Exposed, As Pirates Lose First Series of Year

Starting pitching was the Achilles' heel of the 2008 Pirates, but through seven games this year it was looking like a strength. Unfortunately, that was because Jeff Karstens had not yet pitched. Karstens got the nod today in the final game of a three game series against Houston, with the teams having split the first two. Zach Duke was brilliant on Monday, as the Bucs won 7-0. Ross Ohlendorf, not so good on Wednesday, as the Astros won. Today, Karstens showed his rust as he struggled through 4 innings, allowing 3 runs, 4 hits and 5 walks. This forced the Pirates to use their bullpen for 5 innings, a day after needing 4 innings from the 'pen, and Sean Burnett gave up a tie-breaking 3-run homer to Lance Berkman, as the Astros held on for a 6-3 win. The Pirates now sit at 4-5.

There were some positives in this game though. Nyjer Morgan continued his hot start with 3 hits, including a double and a triple. Andy LaRoche recorded his very first hit of the year, though he did ground into a double play to end the eighth. Hopefully with the first one out of the way, Andy can relax and get it going a bit. Speaking of LaRoches, big brother Adam continued his nice start to the year with 2 doubles. He's currently hitting .294, which is Hornsby-esque for LaRoche this month. Also, Jason Jaramillo made his big league debut, spelling Ryan Doumit for the day. Jaramillo collected his very first hit in the fourth but, unfortunately, was 0-2 throwing out would-be base stealers. The Braves come into town tomorrow for three games, and the timing might work out for the Bucs as Chipper Jones is nursing a sore thumb and may miss some of the series.

Just for fun, here's a little look at how Adam LaRoche has fared through 9 games each of his three seasons with Pittsburgh:

2007: .097 BA, 1 HR, 2 RBIs, .426 OPS
2008: .129 BA, 1 HR, 2 RBIs, .487 OPS
2009: .294 BA, 3 HR, 6 RBIs, .961 OPS

Okay, now that I've officially jinxed him...