Off the Schneid

A tale of two games:

Game A: A home game. Brandon Moss hits an RBI triple off the center field wall. Andy LaRoche homers. The Paul Maholm pitches superbly. Matt Capps tries to close it out in the 9th.

Game B: A home game. Brandon Moss hits his first homer. Adam LaRoche homers. Zach Duke pitches wonderfully. Matt Capps finishes it off in the 9th.

Game B was last night against the Cardinals. The Pirates won 7-1, ending their 8 game losing streak. A very well played game, completely dominated by the home team. Game A took place just 8 days prior. From a superficial perspective, many of the same things happened in this game that happened in last night's, but each was to a lesser degree. And, of course, Game A was played against the Brewers. What a difference a week makes, and what a difference the opponent makes.

Another interesting note about last night's game is that it was the Pirates' first win in a series opening game since April 20, against the Marlins. Actually, the Pirates had won the first game of each series up until that point, and they've lost the first game of every series since, prior to last night's game. This does not necessarily mean the Bucs are about to embark on some epic winning streak, it just means that last night may have marked a return to their winning and, more refreshingly, competent style of baseball that they began the season with.

Ross Ohlendorf takes the hill tonight, against Joel Pineiro for the Cards, looking to give the Bucs their first series win since late April in San Diego. On Thursday, Jeff Karstens faces Mitchell Boggs, hopefully going for the sweep. It should be a good series.