ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Lloyd McClendon was ejected. So was his replacement, Bill Virdon. Then things really got whacky in an 8-5 loss to the Anaheim Angels last night.
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Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson attempts to toss the ball to second baseman Pokey Reese after making a diving stop on a ground ball hit by Angels' Benji Gil during the second inning last night. (Associated Press /Chris Urso) |
After fighting back from a three-run deficit, the Pirates were undone by a bases-loaded triple by David Eckstein that broke a 4-4 tie in the seventh inning. The ball bounced in front of Chad Hermansen, then caromed into right field as three runs scored.
Reliever Brian Boehringer was charged with the loss, which came with third base coach Trent Jewett in charge. The bullpen had won its past four decisions and had given up 12 earned runs in its past 60 innings. But the bullpen gave up five runs in three innings to the Angels.
Craig Wilson drove in two runs with a double and threw a runner out at the plate, and Pokey Reese had three hits and two RBIs as the bottom of the order continued to produce. But all of that was to no avail as the Pirates fell to 13-25 on the road in interleague play.
McClendon was ejected in the fourth inning by umpire Rick Reed, who was involved in McClendon's stealing of first base last year and also tossed him from a spring training game this year against the Reds in Sarasota.
Strangley, McClendon was thrown out while Angels Manager Mike Scioscia was arguing a play. The sequence began when Scioscia sprang from the dugout to argue with first base umpire Tim Tschida, probably the positioning of Pirates first baseman Kevin Young and whether he interfered with an Angels runner.
While all that was going on, Reed walked briskly over to the Pirates dugout and peered down the steps. After a brief exchange, he ejected McClendon, the third time this year McClendon has been tossed from a game. That brought McClendon out for a heated face-to-face exchange that lasted several minutes.
Later, Virdon was ejected by Tschida for arguing a call at first in the bottom of the sixth. Tschida ruled that reliever Sean Lowe's foot had missed the bag while taking a toss from Young, giving slow-footed Bengie Molina an infield single. The ruling ended up costing the Pirates. After a fielder's choice and a strikeout, singles by Eckstein and Benji Gil tied the score, 4-4.
That set the stage for Eckstein's big hit in the seventh, which came after two walks -- the second of which was intentional -- and an infield single by Orlando Palmiero.
Starter Joe Beimel was wild early, but the Angels could have done even more damage than the three runs they scored in the second inning. Beimel gave up two doubles, a infield single, two walks and he also hit a batter. Jason Kendall threw out a runner trying to steal to help minimize the damage.
The trouble started with a walk to Tim Salmon and, one out later, Molina doubled to right. Both runners scored on a double by designated hitter Brad Fullmer off of the fencing in right field. Beimel hit Julio Ramirez in the foot with a pitch, but Ramirez was caught stealing for the second out.
After a walk to Eckstein, Gil drove in the third run with an infield single that Jack Wilson couldn't make a play on.
The Pirates scored four runs in the fourth, and it was the bottom of the order that did the bulk of the damage.
Kendall and Brian Giles singled to lead off the inning. Aramis Ramirez, whose average has dived to below .200, flied out to center. But Craig Wilson, who grew up about 15 minutes from Edison Field, doubled to left for two runs.
Young singled to center, too sharply to score Wilson. But after Rob Mackowiak walked to load the bases Reese had an infield single to score the tying run and keep the bases full.
Hermansen drove in the fourth run with a fly ball to left. Young tagged and scored, with the Angels losing an argument that Young left too soon.
Reese also singled home a run in the eighth.
Kendall denied the Angels a chance to tie the score in the fifth. Salmon hit a two-out double and tried to scored on Scott Spiezio's single to right. Craig Wilson's throw arrived in plenty of time for Kendall, who deked the runner into thinking the throw was late and applied a swipe tag.
The Pirates also had a runner thrown out at the plate in the seventh. Hermansen doubled and advanced on a sacrifice. Then with the infield up, Eckstein fielded Kendall's bouncer and threw in plenty of time to get the out at home.
The Pirates did set a season-high mark for playing errorless ball, boosting the previous mark of 48 to 56 innings. They also entered the game with a team batting average of .237, the second time this season it had been that high, and banged out 11 hits.
Pirates run out of fight 
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