Saturday, June 21, 2008
John McDonald misplayed Jason Michaels’ grounder to allow the game winner.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Shortstop John McDonald misplayed Jason Michaels’ hard-hit grounder with the bases loaded and none out for a game-ending error in the 12th inning, and the Pittsburgh Pirates ruined Cito Gaston’s return as the Toronto Blue Jays’ manager with a 1-0 victory Friday night.
Doug Mientkiewicz doubled for his third hit to start the 12th against Jesse Carlson (1-1), Toronto’s fifth pitcher, and Jack Wilson singled off the plate on a ball that traveled about 45 feet down the third-base line. Jason Frasor replaced Carlson to walk Raul Chavez before pinch-hitter Michaels ended it with his grounder against a drawn-in infield.
Tyler Yates (3-0) pitched two innings to win it after Zach Duke shut out Toronto for seven innings and relievers Damaso Marte, Matt Capps and Yates combined for five scoreless innings. Toronto was shut out for the fifth time in 75 games, and in the first game at PNC Park since its opening in 2001 to last more than nine scoreless innings.
Gaston said before the game — his first as a major league manager since being fired by Toronto in September 2007 — that he wanted to turn around a promising but underachieving Blue Jays offense. It didn’t happen in this game, even though Pirates pitchers were coming off their worst three-game series in 58 years — the White Sox outscored Pittsburgh 37-15 and hit 10 home runs during a three-game sweep in Chicago.
That terrible series didn’t prevent Duke from extending the Blue Jays’ hitting miseries by limiting them to six hits, including a pair of Alex Rios doubles, as Toronto ended with eight hits.
Toronto has been limited to 26 runs in 10 games, and had to score seven in an 8-7 loss to Milwaukee on Thursday to get that many runs.
Duke needed to be that good to match Jays starter Roy Halladay, who got a big scare while also pitching seven shutout innings. Halladay was struck on the right temple by a Nyjer Morgan ball up the middle to end the seventh, but apparently was not injured and is expected to make his next start.
Pittsburgh loaded the bases in the seventh on singles by Adam LaRoche and Mientkiewicz and an intentional walk, but Halladay threw his glove up to partly deflect the ball hit by Morgan to third baseman Scott Rolen for the inning-ending out.
Teammates rushed to check on Halladay, who didn’t return for the eighth after throwing 96 pitches, 62 for strikes, while striking out seven and walking two.
The Blue Jays didn’t announce until minutes before the game ended that the ball struck Halladay in the right temple.
TV replays appeared to show the ball striking his glove before deflecting to Rolen.
Notes
The Blue Jays played in Pittsburgh for the first time. The only other interleague series between the two was a three-game Toronto sweep at home in 2004. ... The only other game at PNC Park to go into extra innings scoreless was the Pirates’ 1-0 win over Atlanta on Aug. 28, 2002. ... The shutout was Pittsburgh’s third.