Game 13 31: Pirates 4 Cubs 3

I think at some point Ian Snell actually took the mound in this one. Here's what I know: I went to see Spider Man 3 (which if you like Spider Man or movies in general, I would strongly recommend you avoid) at 7 tonight. Got home about 10ish and put the game on. It's almost one now and I'm starting the recap. How do we get ourselves into so many of thse games?

So what kind of game was this? Jason Bay and Xavier Nady went a combined 7-for-13 with two doubles and scored one run apiece while driving in none. Jack Wilson went 0-for-6 but drove in the tying run in the ninth and winning run in the fifteenth with sac flies. Of course I also had to listen to Bob Walk praise his fouling off a pitch eleven feet out of the strikezone to keep from striking out while thinking to myself, "Wouldn't it just be easier to, you know, not swing at balls that far out of the strike zone?" Despite getting breaks left and right in the extra frames, the Pirates didn't actually break through until Aramis Ramirez's brain exploded and he tried to catch Michael Barrett's throw to third base while he was charging trying to cover an anticipated bunt and Cesar Izturis covered third. I'm still not fully sure what happened on that one.

Let's see, what else... Ian Snell gutted through seven innings, allowing 10 hits but only two earned runs and an unearned one. He didn't walk anyone, which is probably what saved him in this one. He left the game in the bottom of the eighth with runners on second and third and no outs, but Damaso Marte managed to come into the game and not destroy our chances of winning by getting out of the jam. In fact, the bullpen was excellent tonight, most likely because Jim Tracy was stripped of the option of going, "F*** it, I'm old. I want to go to bed. Let's bring Wasdin in." Yes, I'm fully aware that Jim Tracy is not that old. I'm just tired.

Anyways, just for fun, the Pirates stranded a runner on third in the tenth, got one thrown out at the plate in the eleventh, and stranded another one at third in the twelfth before finally getting a run across in the fifteenth. The offense is so bad that when Jack Wilson squared around to bunt with the tying run on third my dad yelped in pain at the sight and I said, "Well what the hell is Jack going to do? HIT him in? I don't think so." I suppose I was wrong, but only partially.