Pirates 2 Sox 0

Well, that was a pleasant surprise. I really didn't think any Pirate pitchers would shut out the Red Sox in this series, especially not Dave Williams, Rick White, and Jose Mesa. Dave Williams joins the Mark Redman "I pitched like that and I can't even get a win" club. Then again for most of his six innings he used a combination of smoke, mirrors, magic, and who knows what else to keep the Sox off the board. In his six innings he gave up 5 hits and 4 walks, but the Red Sox stranded everyone. That everyone includes David Ortiz who, in a culmination of all of the bad calls that have gone against us, reached base last night on the single worst call I have ever seen an umpire make. He tried to check his swing on a 3-2 pitch, and in doing so spun all the way around in the batters box so that he was just about facing the home plate umpire. Cota fired the ball around the horn. Williams slapped his glove. Unfortunately home plate ump Jerry Crawford decided to ask third base ump Ed Rapuano for an appeal, and Rapuano said no swing. An amazingly awful call. I was sure Lloyd was going to come out, stand up for the way his players have been treated this week, and throw the tantrum to end all tantrums, getting himself tossed and maybe suspended. And instead, he came out, chatted with Dave Williams, and had a nice laugh with Jerry Crawford on the way back to the dugout. Everyone talked about the wonderful new Lloyd McClendon and maybe Lloyd knows something I don't know, but there are certain times and places where a manager needs to go out, throw a fit, and get tossed to prove to his players he's standing up for them. Yesterday was one of them, and instead Lloyd was cracking jokes with the homeplate ump after one of the worst calls I've ever seen going against us, and the third bad call in four games against us. Apparently the players didn't mind because they still won, but if it happens again today and Lloyd doesn't get tossed, I'm going to be sorely disappointed.

Well, we could've (should've?) beat the Sox in one game in this series, and we did beat them last night. Maybe Kip Wells and co. have something akin to the Mother's Day surprise in stock for the Sox on Dad's Day today. Taking two out of three might be enough to keep our heads afloat for the Nats at home, the Cards (with Rolen back) and Nats on the road. And once we get through June, things should start looking up, at least schedule wise. Today is a big game and hopefully Kip brings his A-game and not whatever level game it was he brought to Yankee Stadium on Tuesday.