Reds and Pirates Play an Ugly Game, Sun Comes Up

· Steele: <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/10/06/curt-flood-an-extraordinary-man-of-principle-and-conviction/">Man of Conviction | <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/10/06/hank-greenberg-could-relate-to-flood/">Greenberg Relates
· Moore: Flood's Peers Owe Him Apology
· Blackistone: <a href="http://kevin-blackistone.fanhouse.com/2009/10/06/curt-flood-belongs-in-the-hall-of-fame/">Cooperstown Should Open Doors
· Fletcher: <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/10/06/curt-flood-a-hero-to-todays-players-those-who-know-his-name/">Modern Players Know Little of Flood
· Stradley: <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/10/06/for-curt-flood-antitrust-meant-exactly-that-at-supreme-court/">Antitrust Meant Just That

Lots of times when two bad teams get together, they play a largely uneventful series that doesn't leave fans shaking their heads in amazement. Luckily for everyone involved, game one of the sad Pirates/Reds match-up wasn't such a game. In fact. after a kind of slow start, the Pirates 10-4 extra inning win (yes, a six-run extra inning win) had everything you'd expect from two such teams.

Just some of the highlights:

Paul Maholm and Aaron Harang, two struggling starters both with ERAs of over 4.80 coming into tonight's game, looked like Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson on the mound last night. Harang went eight innings and allowed two runs on five hits with five K's, Maholm went seven and allowed two runs on seven hits with 6 K's.
Neither team actually mounted any offense in the first nine innings. The Pirates hit two solo homers (Jason Bay and Xavier Nady) in the second innings, the Reds hit two (Ken Griffey Jr. and Brandon Phillips) in the sixth.
The Pirates scored eight runs in the tenth inning against the Reds sad excuse of a bullpen.
The Reds botched a wheel play on a bunt to allow those eight runs to score.
Even with an eight run lead, Pirate closer Salomon Torres gave Pirate fans everywhere heart attacks when he gave up two runs in the bottom of the tenth.

To give some quick perspective on the Pirates' eight-run tenth and the meltdown required for David Weathers, Brad Salmon, and company to allow it to happen, the Pirates didn't score eight runs in a game in the entire month of April and in fact only had three games all season in which they'd scored eight or more. I know what you're thinking. Yes, these teams will play three more games before this is all said and done.