2 Pirates Game and a Steelers Game to Catch Up On

The Pirates and Phillies previous two games were pretty much what we could expect. Paul Maholm pitched another very solid game, going 7 innings. In those 7 innings, Maholm gave up 5 hits, 0 runs, 3 BB. 10 K. Sean Burnett, Denny Bautista, John Grabow, TJ Beam, and Craig Hansen combined with Maholm to shutout the Phillies. The Pirates were also shutout until the 12th inning. Doumit led off with a double and Steve Pearce's double drove him in. Pearce then scored on a Freddy Sanchez single. The game would end 2-0.

In game 2 of the series, Ian Snell started off poorly again, giving up 2 runs in the first inning. He would settle down and last six innings, yielding only one more run. McLouth was the only solid performer for the Bucs. He had two hits in four at bats, driving in a run and scoring a run. The Bucs would go down 4-2.

The Steelers game was a bit of a surprise. For one, the offensive line looked pretty solid, yielding only one sack the entire game. They also paved the way for 118 rushing yards. First round draft pick, Rashard Mendenhall played well. He ran 7 times averaging nearly five yards per carry to lead the Steelers rushing attack with 34 yards. Second round draft pick, Limas Sweed, led the receiving corps with 23 yards on 3 catches.

The first team offense started the preseason off strong. They marched 80 yards in 8 plays on a game opening touchdown drive. The score came from Roethlisberger throwing a quick hit to Santonio Holmes in the flat and Holmes outran everyone to the endzone.

The first team defense was not so lucky. They failed to stop the Eagles' first drive numerous times, resulting in a field goal. Many times the defense looked a step behind without starters Casey Hampton and Troy Polamalu.

Once the second team came in, the Steelers continued to play well. Unfortunately, partway through the second quarter, backup QB Charlie Batch went down with a broken collarbone. News reports now suggest that Batch will be out for 4-6 weeks. The Steelers are looking to sign either Byron Leftwich or Daunte Culpepper to fill the void.

The second, third, and fourth stringers had some pleasant surprises. QB Dennis Dixon played a solid game. He threw 9 passes and completed six of them for 30 yards. LB Keyaron Fox stood out in my eyes. He was all over the field. His speed was a surprise for me. He tied for the lead on the team with 4 tackles for the game. Other than that the game was far from exciting, each team scored a touchdown and the rest of the scoring came from FGs. Final Score Steelers 16 - Eagles 10.