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Pittsburgh Pirates @ Cincinatti Reds - Game Four of Four

This will be a powerful matchup between two very, very powerful teams. Pittsburg is looking for a sweep over the Reds, while Cincinatti looks to defend itself from that very thing. As always, we bring you live coverage of what unfolds during this matchup.



If you know who those two men are, then you're a sports fan. If you do not, however, let me tell you. The man on the left is John Maine, starter for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The man on your right is Bobby Livingston, starter for the Reds. Maine had the better season out of the two last year, but don't count Bobby out. If he has a chance to mix things up, the Pirates' won't be able to "steal" a victory. Though, Maine is a superman. He can win games, throw strikes, and recover from even the worst shot over the fence!

Pittsburgh Pirates Starting Lineup

1. Carl Crawford - CF
2. Nate McLouth - RF
3. David Wright - 1B
4. Dan Uggla - 2B
5. Cody Ross - LF
6. Chris Snyder - C
7. Ryan Zimmerman - 3B
8. Robinson Cano - SS
8. John Maine - Pitcher

Cincinatti Reds Starting Lineup

1. Carl Crawford - CF
2. Nate McLouth - RF
3. David Wright - 1B
4. Dan Uggla - 2B
5. Cody Ross - LF
6. Chris Snyder - C
7. Ryan Zimmerman - 3B
8. Robinson Cano - SS
9. Bobby Livingston - Pitcher

go tides! (maine's wearing a tides uniform, i liked the tides 'til they switched from mets to orioles for their affiliate)
good luck.

First Inning Recap

Time flies when you're enjoying a good baseball game! Well, they say "Time flies when you're having fun." Excuse me for making a mistake.

Anyway, the Pirates had a great first inning. Carl Crawford got on base with a single, and was then drove in by David Wright's ninth homerun. It was incredible to watch as he safely secures his lead as second in homeruns, behind Dan Uggla, teammate. Uggla got a double in the gap, and was later scored by Chris Snyder. Then, Zimmerman grounded into a double play.

John Maine was decent... he allowed one run to score, who was Ryan Freel. Freel pulled of a leadoff single, stole second, and rounded third as teammate Eric Byrnes got a double. Then, Maine calmed down and was able to get Ken Griffey, Edwin Encarnarcion and Scott Hatteberg out!

Second Inning Recap

Carl Crawford was able to get a single, but everyone else got out. That's all that really happened.

John Maine easily retired the Reds in 1-2-3 fashion.

2 Crawfords?

no, his first inning was so big (7-8 hits, probably) that crawford came up the next inning.

You know me so well.

Third & Fourth Inning Recap

Remarkable. Robinson Cano is remarkable. He belted that one long. Oh wait -- in the third inning, Robinson Cano was able to belt the first grandslam of the season just barely out of Ken Griffey Jr.'s reach. After that, in the fourth, Uggla came up and hit a homerun. He put the Pirates up by eight, making the score 9-1.

John Maine continues to be dominant on the mound. He was able to fool Cincinatti hitters, making them (all) groundout to Uggla.

Fifth Inning Recap

Not much to say other than Cano went deep for his second time in the game, putting the Pirates up by nine. That, of course, makes the score 10-1.

On the mound, John Maine has been persistant. He has continued to strikeout Cincinatti batters, easily. However, he had trouble against Adam Dunn who came into pitch hit for Kent Mercker, immediatly after he came into relieve Bobby Livingston. The trouble I describe is the fact that Dunn hit two balls that went out of the park, but they were foul.

We now enter the sixth inning with Pittsburgh on top, and McLouth up.

Sixth Inning Recap

Nothing spectacular happened on offense for the Pirates. That's a first, am I right? Well, yeah... it is. Although, Dan Uggla came close to getting a homerun, he was robbed by Ken Griffey Jr., who jumped up, over the fence, and stuck his glove out. That old-timer still has it!

John Maine proves to be an ace in the making. He didn't have any trouble with the Cincinatti bats, but he allowed Edwin Encarnarcione to get a double to left-center. Other than that, he maintains a low ERA of 1.50, with one strikeout.

Seventh Inning Recap

Well, the Pirates offense was kept at bay. It wasn't able to ignite its own engine. Which means, they were unable to score any runners or even get a hit - sad.

However, I can see why. The Reds must have stolen some gas, or changed their oil. They were able to get John Maine to give up two runs and a walk to load the bases for Edwin Encarnarcion. However, Maine regained his composure and struck out Edwin, while Chamberlain was warming up. So much for a pitching change, eh?

Just a suggestion - you don't have to split a game up into innings. In other words, play the game through, if you totally rout them there is no need to describe what happened every inning. However if there is a close game at the end, then splitting up your posts into innings (or even pitches) will produce the most suspense.

Just a suggestion.

Anyway, good game so far! Uggla is being totally insane right now. Just can't wait to see what he wants in the offseason!!

2 Crawfords in the lineups

oh.

Pirates win!

Slug-fest. Lop-sided battle. The Pirates are the victors, no surprise there. John Maine was incredible on the mound, and the offensive support he had was incredible!

John Maine pitched a complete game, allowing three runs, striking out one, all while the other team got thirteen hits. He had the best performance this series for any starting pitcher for the Pirates, with the exception of maybe King Felix. He walked away with his first victory of the season...

Dan Uggla, Robinson Cano and David Wright all came together as they lead their team away with the victory. Uggla it three homeruns, as did Wright. Then, Cano came in and hit the first grandslam of the season! He might be looking for a promotion in the lineup now after that...




Those three men hope to lead the Pirates' to the pinnacle of baseball this year...