Not so Good

The Pirates blew a 3-0 lead in the 8th to go down in flames 5-3 to the Cubs. This was a great opportunity to get everyone rolling the right direction, open up a two game lead on a division opponent, and start out great on the road, which has been a real sore spot the last couple of years. Instead, the Pirates should just feel sick.

Evan Meek did not have a great day, but three of those runs were Overbay's fault. His error cost the Pirates the game. Meek did miss a lot of Spring Training, so I am going to give him a pass. However, JR did overuse him last year and this might be the beginning of a bad season for the kid.

I am still worried about the middle of the order. They missed a chance to hang a big number on the board in the third. Tabata got an infield single. Walker doubled him home, and then McCutchen walked. So the middle of the order comes up with no outs and a runner in scoring position. Overbay whiffed. Alvarez grounded into a double play. Not what you want from your RBI guys. They were drawing a blank yesterday as well. Alvarez did get the run home in the first, so maybe I am over reacting. It is something to keep your eyes on. Walker as the RBI guy is not going to bring a championship to Pittsburgh.

An interesting manager decision in the 5th. Tabata bunting with no outs and Malholm on first. It worked as a sacrifice, but Malholm stayed on second. Lots of second guessing on this one, but I don't have a problem with it. Tabata has speed, and if he could have caught the defense unaware, he could have turned it into another infield hit. Plus, McCutchen and Walker are usually great with a runner in scoring position. They failed today, but it is still a defensible call.

Jones did hit a bomb. Malholm pitched great. Sometimes you lose.