Game 10: Giants 8 Pirates 2 Pirates 5

Let's see... the red uniforms are brutal. I mean those things are bad in person. The red is so dark that the names and numbers on the uniforms are pretty much invisible from the stands. I would say that the team on the field was unrecognizable as the Pirates last night, but, umm...

Russ freaking Ortiz. You've got to be kidding me. Yes, that's right, the first thing that come to mind from last night's game is Russ Ortiz. I don't even know what to say about a game in which Russ Ortiz came out for the ninth inning only having given up 2 runs. He struck out seven batters. Seven! I don't even know what else to say. Ortiz is washed up and will probably finish the season with an ERA in the 6.00 region, and yet he almost threw a complete game at us last night. Something has to get this offense started, but if it's not Braden Looper, Randy Keisler, or Russ Ortiz I don't know what it's going to be.

Also can't talk about the game last night without talking about Bonds. Actually, everything pretty much went down like I said it would in my Fanhouse post. The fans booed loudly, Bonds came out and waved and touched the bill of his cap, then raked Pirate pitching for three hits, two homers, and four RBIs in his three and a half innings of work, the took off for the night, preventing the crowd from seeing something really special. He crushed the ball last night. I don't know how else to put it, both his homers were screaming liners that couldn't get out of the park fast enough. Watching the replays, they seem to be pretty much all upper body because his legs are mostly useless at this point in his career. I feel the same way about Bonds as 99% of all other Pirate fans, but damn, last night was impressive.

Don't have much else to say about the game. Duke struggled early and that's why we lost. BP Chacon and Marte were both impressive out of the pen, but they did it well after the game was over. The one thing that still boggles my mind was the decision to walk Randy Winn with two outs in the first and runners on second and third. Winn was punchless last year and has been worse this year. If you give Duke a chance to get him out, he's out of the first inning at only 3-0 and Ortiz leads off the second before the top of the order comes up again. Instead, we walked Winn and Duke served up a double to Ortiz and it was 5-0. Sure, it was still only the first inning, but a five run deficit seems like a million with this offense. Then again, maybe I'm just nitpicking and maybe Duke wouldn't have gotten anyone out last night.