Game 64: Pirates 5 D'Backs 3

I don't understand it, but somehow a Pirates' lineup featuring Luis Rivas, Jason Michaels, Jose Bautista and Doug Mientkiewicz beat Randy Johnson. I get that Johnson is old and on the last legs of his career while Michaels and Rivas are on fire right now (against all odds), but still, it all seems rather improbable to me.

I didn't see the game so I can't know for sure, but I think that for the first time this year having Dougie Ballgame's giant mouth in black and gold payed off for the Pirates. He called a late timeout, which was granted, Randy Johnson got mad, Dougie jawed at him, the benches emptied, and Johnson lost his composure for long enough to walk in a run and get the Pirates the lead. From that point on, Johnson was a bit unhinged as he walked 5 batters in less than 6 innings, allowing the Pirates to score 5 runs without ever seeming to generate a ton of offense. That was just enough when Zach Duke lost it in the seventh, then Damaso Marte gave up a homer in the eighth.

As we stand, the Bucs are two games under. 500 on June 9th and with the Nationals and Orioles looming on the horizon, they're not going to get a better shot at .500 this year. If they don't do it now, it's not going to happen.

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