Pirates, Duke pull off 7-1 win
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Willie Stargell must have been correct.
The Pirates' Hall of Famer, tutoring Houston rookie Joe Morgan years and years ago after a late night in Pittsburgh, suggested: "Rest is over-rated."
The Pirates, whose charter flight from Houston didn't land until 4:05 a.m. yesterday, shrugged off the lack of rest and put the better-rested St. Louis Cardinals to sleep, 7-1, last night at PNC Park.
Zach Duke summoned sufficient strength to pitch his -- and the Pirates' -- second complete game of the season.
The left-hander yielded eight hits but no walks in almost matching his performance May 2 in an 8-0 shutout in Chicago.
Albert Pujols, a .397 lifetime hitter at PNC Park, had half the Cardinals' hits, getting three line-drive doubles and a line-drive single.
"That's why he's the best hitter in the game right now," Duke said.
When Duke walked in front of Pujols after the sixth inning ended, he looked at Pujols and said with a grin: "Take it easy on me."
Pujols grinned back, and that was just about the happy highlight for the Cardinals on this evening.
"A tremendous pitching performance by Zach Duke," Pirates manager Jim Tracy said. "That was vintage Zach Duke. A low pitch count. Double plays when he needed them. An outstanding effort."
Duke threw only 101 pitches, liberally mixing in 75 strikes.
"I really focused on each pitch and made sure I executed," Duke said. "Every inning, I had the feel and the release point."
Duke's teammates ably supported him.
John Heller, Post-Gazette photosPitcher Zach Duke celebrates a complete-game win.
Click photo for larger image.
Today:
Game: Cardinals (Weaver 5-12) vs. Pirates (Snell 9-8), PNC Park.
When: 7:05 p.m.
Radio: KDKA-AM (1020) and Pirates Radio Network
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"A tremendous pitching performance by Zach Duke. That was vintage Zach Duke. A low pitch count. Double plays when he needed them. An outstanding effort."
-- Jim Tracy
Pirates manager
The infield turned three double plays. The offense, which had produced only five runs in the previous four games, went 4 for 10 with runners in scoring position. That exceeded by one hit its 3-for-40 effort in the previous five games -- all losses.
"Just being able to come up with our share of those kinds of hits in our fair share of those situations was key," Tracy said.
Nate McLouth had a home run and a two-run triple, while Jason Bay had three hits and Jose Bautista, Ronny Paulino and Chris Duffy each had two.
McLouth tweaked his left ankle running out his triple in the sixth and left the game. It isn't known if he will be able to play tonight. If he can't, it's likely Tracy will move Duffy, who batted eighth again last night, back to the leadoff spot.
"He's going to be out there somewhere," Tracy said of Duffy. "I feel like with his speed and the things he brings to the table at the top of the order, it's a wonderful place for him to be."
Because the Pirates figured to be short on sleep and the Cardinals figured to be well-rested -- they arrived in Pittsburgh from Cincinnati just about when the Pirates' game started in Houston -- this one figured to be a mismatch.
Which, of course, it was.
"It's August, and everyone's getting toward the end of the season, so it's not like [the Cardinals are] fresh like in April and we're sluggish out of the bed," Jack Wilson said.
The Pirates didn't have to be in uniform until 5 yesterday afternoon. They also took no batting practice in an effort to refresh themselves further.
"At this stage of the season, the first day you have enough adrenaline to get you through it," Joe Randa said. "It's the second day where you're kind of lagging a little bit. But, with the youth we have on our team, I don't think it's going to be a factor at all. I think with a veteran team it's hard to get the body and mind going.
"But, hey, we're all professionals here. We've all been through the traveling and the minor leagues. There will be no excuses that everybody's tired. Obviously, it's an advantage to have rest, but, once the first pitch is thrown, the adrenaline kicks in, and it's a pretty even field."
Duke, tagged for four runs in the first inning in his previous start Saturday in Chicago, almost made it through the first inning unscathed last night.
He quickly got the first two outs and was 0-2 on Pujols. But Pujols lined a 2-2 pitch into right field for a double. Juan Encarnacion bounced a single through the middle, giving the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.
Duke, 8-10 (5.09), has allowed at least one run in the first inning in 13 of his 25 starts this season.
The 29 total first-inning runs he has yielded are the most in the National League.
Last season, when he finished 8-2 with a 1.81 ERA in 14 starts, Duke allowed at least a run in the first inning in only four starts -- with a total of just five.
Last season, the opposition batted .280 against Duke in the first inning. This year, it's hitting .386 against him.
The Pirates erased their 1-0 deficit in the second. Following a leadoff single by Bay, Jeff Suppan hit Xavier Nady with a pitch. Bautista lined a 3-2 pitch over left fielder So Taguchi's head. The ball bounced into the stands, and only Bay could score on the double.
With the Cardinals' infield playing back, Paulino's bouncer to second put the Pirates up, 2-1.
The Pirates stung Suppan for another two-spot in the fifth.
McLouth opened with a home run into the right-center field seats on a 3-2 pitch.
One out later, Freddy Sanchez (.340) lined his 39th double into right-center field. He scored on Bay's single into left-center field.
McLouth's triple made it 6-1 in the sixth. Paulino singled in Bay in the seventh.
Zach Duke puts down a sacrifice bunt in the second as Scott Spiezio charges in from third.Click photo for larger image.
First Published August 12, 2006 12:00 am
