Pittsburgh Pirates weekly report

The Pirates opened the week on Wednesday with their ninth loss in the last 10 games, an 8-0 defeat at the hands of the Colorado Rockies. The Bucs only managed four hits. Kevin Hart (3-2) made an early mistake in his second start for the Pirates, giving up a first-inning homer to Carlos Gonzalez. Brandon Moss had two of the Pirates' four hits. Hart pitched 5 1/3 innings, giving up eight hits, five earned runs, one homer, walking one and striking out four.

On Thursday, the Pirates' anemic hitting continued in their 10-1 loss to the Rockies in the rubber game of their three-game series. Andrew McCutchen's sacrifice fly in the top of the fifth plated the Bucs' only run. Paul Maholm (6-7) pitched 6 1/3 innings, giving up 11 hits, seven runs (six of them earned), two home runs and striking out five.

The Pirates were on the wrong end of a major blowout on Friday, as the Chicago Cubs took batting practice against the Bucs' hurlers in their 17-2 trouncing. A four-run bottom of the first was followed by a 10-run second for the Cubs, and they tacked on a three-run fourth for good measure. Starter Charlie Morton (2-6) was chased after a bit more than one inning, facing six batters in the second and failing to retire any of them, and the bullpen didn't do much better. Morton gave up seven hits, 10 earned runs, one homer, walked three and struck out one. Reliever Chris Bootcheck pitched 2 1/3 innings, surrendering seven hits, seven earned runs, walking two and striking out three.

After losing big on Friday, the Pirates lost small on Saturday, 3-1 to the Cubs. Losing pitcher Zach Duke (9-11) tried to keep the Bucs close, but the bats stayed home. Duke pitched 7 1/3 innings, giving up nine hits, three earned runs, one homer, walked one and struck out three.

On Sunday, the rain gave the Pirates a day of rest as their game was postponed.

The Pirates came on strong in their 9-5 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday. Behind a solid start by Ken Hart (4-2) and a big five-run inning in the bottom of the third, the Bucs led 6-2 after four innings and never looked back. Andy LaRoche had his sixth homer of the season in the second to start the Pirates' offensive against Brewers pitching. Hart pitched six innings, giving up nine hits, four earned runs and two homers. He walked two and struck out four.

The Pirates on Tuesday resumed their recovery with a 5-2 win over the Brewers. Lastings Milledge went deep for the first time as a Buc and the shot sealed Ross Ohlendorf's 11^th win of the season. Ohlendorf (11-8) pitched seven innings, giving up five hits, one earned run and one homer, and he walked two and struck out five.