April 16, Pirates back at .500

This game offered very little good news for the Pirates outside of the the great pitching by Zack Duke, and ultimately the win. He was amazing. Yet, the bullpen gave up two runs in the 8th mainly by being unable to throw a strike. That included Lopez and Donnelly. Yet, they still managed to turn the game over to Dotel, who then turned into "Doh-tel" by giving up a triple that came in on a sacrifice. He is not a long term option out there.

Yet, McCutchen showed again how important he is to the team. He is not having a great year by any means. He had two hits today, but scored both times. That is unbelievable. He is the center of this offense and seems to be involved in all the scoring. He got a two out hit in the ninth, stole second, and then Milledge delivered a base hit and McCutchen scored from second. That is what a "Carrier" does. He finds way to carry his team even when he is not playing all that well. If McCutchen can heat up, the Pirates have a chance to be real good.