Pittsburgh 1, Houston 0
W: Locke (4-1)
L: Harrell (3-5)
Harrell was tough today, and the Pirate batters were willing to chase his darting stuff and miss his changeups enough so that solid contact was at a premium. The play in the field was good too, giving us hope that the recent bumblings might be forgotten, or at least intermittent. Victimized finally in the fifth by Alvarez’s breakup of the no-hitter this still was an excellent start for Harrell. He held Pittsburgh to four hits over seven, and they clung to that single run like a flashlight in a storm.
Troubling for the Astros though, was the fact that the Pirates have yet another Invincible Howling Beast on the mound, The Incredible Jeff Locke.
Also taking a no-hitter into the fifth, The Invincible teased us all by allowing a hit – oh look, he’s human – and then another and another, plus two walks over seven. Challenging our hold on reality, this Amazing Man-Child teetered on the high wire while flinging thunderbolts at the Astros. In the end, we had to suppress our spontaneous applause for the astonishing performance by Pittsburgh’s hurlers and the surprising way they were able to hold the fearful prowess of Houston’s bats at bay.