Summary: Xavier Nady doomed the Astros once again, hitting another homer and knocking in the go-ahead run to lift the Pirates to a 3-2 win. While the Pirates are getting clutch hitting, Adam Laroche has been non-existence through the first two games.
‚Ä¢ Turning point: Nady’s RBI single off Dan Wheeler in the eighth brought Jason Bay home, which lead to closer Solomon Torres shutting down the Astros in the 9th.
• Snell of the a Ace: Pirates starter Ian Snell struck out a career-high 11 batters. Ian Snell has started right where he left off last season. He has great stuff and the confidence to go with it. The Pirates hopes to contend this season will be on the shoulders of Ian Snell and Zach Duke. Snell is the ace of the club and managed 14 wins last season despite a horrific start. If the Buccos can get 16-18 wins out of Snell and at least 13 out of Duke, the Pirates will have a slight chance of competing in the weak NL central.
‚Ä¢ Depaoli says: In the 132-year history of Major League Baseball, the Pirates’ win marks only the second time that a team has started a season with a pair of road wins in which it trailed going into the eighth inning. Bucco fever is brewing but it’s early folks. Remember they started 4-0 in 03 and still finished with over 85 losses.
