Phlattened

Very few good things came out of the Phillies 12-4 pummelling of the Pirates last night other than the first pro homer by Pedro Alvarez (1).
Paul Maholm was the loser and is now 5-7.
Ryan Church also homered (3).
Jeff Karstens (2-3) finishes the series against Joe Blanton (3-5)

Pirate Hooks

1) Paul Maholm didn't pitch well,but in the five run third it could be been lessened by better defense.
Bobby Crosby turned a double play ball into zero outs and Ryan Church botched a routine fly that added even more to the total.
The Pirates never recovered....

2) Crosby now has made eight errors in his fielding time this season.
There usually is a reason utility infielders are what they are,but to be this bad in the field makes one question holding that spot.

3) Best part of the Pedro Alvarez homer?
The opposite field shot.
Alvarez will have so much more success if he can establish himself as more than a pull hitter.
That leads in turn to teams not being able to play defensive shifts and playing him simply to pull and therefore more hits.

4) Maholm has now sandwiched his best outing of the season between his two worst outings of the year.
Funny how things work sometimes in that manner...

5) Pittsburgh has pulled away from Cleveland and Houston and now would own the second pick in next years draft.
They are still five games away from catching Baltimore for the top spot...