After starting the season with seven wins and just three losses, the Arizona Diamondbacks just lost a home series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
You know, the same Pittsburgh Pirates that lost 90 games last year while the D'Backs won a division title.
The D'Backs couldn't put runs together in yesterday's matinee game at Chase Field, losing 2-1 to the Pirates, who won the series two games to one.
After ex-ASU man Willie Bloomquist hit a triple to lead off the bottom of the first inning -- and scored off a Jason Kubel single -- the Snakes didn't get another extra-base hit until a lead-off triple by Aaron Hill in the bottom of the sixth.
Hill then sat on third the entire inning, as Kubel struck out, catcher Miguel Montero walked, and Ryan Roberts grounded into a double play.
And that was the only other extra-base hit for the D'Backs yesterday, as the trend of poking singles every so often didn't yield any more runs.
One big reason for the Pirates' success in Arizona this week was the work of center fielder Andrew McCutchen, who didn't exactly have a tough time hitting D'Backs pitchers.
In game one, McCutchen wasn't spectacular -- one hit in four at bats.
In game two, that was four hits in five at bats for McCutchen, with two runs scored and one batted in.
McCutchen was two-for-three in yesterday's game.
The Pirates also had another short outing from their starting pitcher, James McDonald, who went just four innings.
The Diamondbacks' Daniel Hudson went 7 2/3, giving up two runs on six hits while striking out five.
Two is all the Pirates needed to win, though, as Hudson gave up a home run to Pedro Alvarez in the seventh inning, and Hudson was tagged with the run in the next inning after D'backs reliever David Hernandez inherited two of his base-runners and gave up a single to his very first batter.
The Diamondbacks looked anemic without outfielders Chris Young and Justin Upton -- both out with injuries -- and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt was on the bench in favor of Lyle Overbay.
With that, only the first four batters in the D'Backs got hits -- Bloomquist in the lead-off spot with his triple, followed by two singles from Kubel, a triple and single from Hill, and a ninth-inning single for Montero in the ninth.
The Diamondbacks are staying at home tonight, as tomahawk-tosser Josh Collmenter gets the start against the Atlanta Braves at 6:40 p.m.
