Karstens, Doumit stamp out Pirates' worst week
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The Pirates' Ryan Doumit sends Milwaukee closer Trevor Hoffman's 2-0 fastball into the second deck in right field for the winning grand slam in the ninth inning. -
Pirates pitcher Jeff Karstens pitches in the first inning. -
Pirates shortstop Ronny Cedeno celebrates after hitting a home run in the ninth inning. -
Pirates outfielder Lastings Milledge makes a diving catch on Brewers outfielder Jim Edmonds in the eigth inning. -
Milwaukee fans appear to realize right away that the Pirates' Ryan Doumit has hit a grand slam. -
Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun steals second base as Pirates shortstop Ronny Cedeno is late with the tag in the first inning.
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MILWAUKEE -- The Pirates' clubhouse was a tight, tense place Tuesday afternoon, gripped by one of the worst week-long stretches for any team in Major League Baseball history.
At one stall, sitting silently, was Jeff Karstens, freshly recalled from Class AAA Indianapolis with a 7.31 ERA mostly as a reliever. He would be, by all appearances, the latest sacrificial lamb served up to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Strolling across the room to break that silence was Ryan Doumit, fresh off one of the most forgettable nights of his career. He tapped Karstens on the knee with his catcher's mitt and said, "Let's do this."
Game: Pirates vs. Milwaukee Brewers, 1:10 p.m., Miller Park..
TV, radio: FSN Pittsburgh, WPGB-FM (104.7).
Pitching: LHP Paul Maholm (1-2, 4.74) vs. LHP Chris Narveson (1-0, 7.20).
Key matchup: Maholm has owned the Brewers' Prince Fielder, retiring him 30 of 34 times up, with 10 strikeouts and a walk..
Of note: Octavio Dotel, the Pirates' closer, has been scored upon in five consecutive appearances, and opponents are batting .382 with three home runs in 7 1/3 innings.
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And so, hours later, they did ...
Pirates 7, Brewers 3.
No, that is not backward.
Karstens limited Milwaukee to two runs over 6 2/3 what's-so-hard-about-this innings for the Pirates' first quality start since April 18, and Doumit capped a five-run rally in the ninth with a tiebreaking grand slam off legendary closer Trevor Hoffman.
Gone, just like that, was the Pirates' 22-game losing streak at Miller Park with their first victory here since May 3, 2007.
Gone, too, was the overall seven-game losing streak, one in which the Pirates were outscored by an astounding 72-12. It was the worst such span in franchise history, and the worst in the majors since the New York Giants, as part of an eight-game losing streak Sept. 2-6, 1901, lost seven in a row by a combined 90-27, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
As Doumit put it, "This one feels good. We haven't won here in three years, and everybody knows that. And, obviously, the last seven days were pretty trying for us as a team. But Jeff came in and gave us what we needed."
There was more to it: Ronny Cedeno led off the ninth with a home run that tied the score at 3-3. Jeff Clement had his finest performance with the Pirates, hitting his third home run, a double and a single to inch above the Mendoza Line at .208. And Andy LaRoche went 4 for 5 to extend a 12-for-18 tear since returning from back spasms.
First Published April 28, 2010 12:12 am
