Game Thread: 8/7 Padres @ Pirates

Happy Breakfast to all you wonderful Gaslamp Ballers and Breakfasttowners! Early game today to go along with the best and most important meal of the day.

Yesterday we continued Friday's offensive explosion, combining for 13 runs on 16 hits. The highlight of the game was Kyle Blanks' grand slam in the 7th inning, the team's second grand slam in as many days. Cory Luebke pitched a strong game, going for seven innings and allowing just one earned run on five hits while striking out nine, before handing it over to our PENitentiary. Erik Hamren gave up a solo homer in the 8th and Anthony Bass pitched a shutout 9th to secure the 13-2 beatdown of the Bucs.

Can we continue our hit parade today and make it a sweep in Pittsburgh? The Pirates' current 9-game losing streak has taken them out of the race for the lead in the NL Central. They came into this series hoping to break out of their slump and make up some ground in their division against a struggling Padres team, but we have only made it worse by outscoring them 28-7 in the first two games.

Pittsburgh desperately needs a win today to salvage any hopes of contending for a playoff spot, and they will send former Padre Kevin Correia to the mound to try to make sure that happens. But Correia has been struggling himself lately. He has lost seven of his last eleven starts and only has two wins at home this season. His last start was especially disastrous. He only lasted two innings and giving up eight runs on ten hits.

This is good news for our boys, who have found an oasis of offense at PNC Park. Yesterday 11 different players got a hit. Today we will try to follow that up similarly for Mat Latos, who has been pitching a lot better recently. Latos has had six quality starts in his last seven outings. He has felt stronger in his last few appearances and seems to be hitting his stride and coming back from a rough start to the season. No better way to boost his confidence than to have another strong outing today with some well-deserved offensive support.

Enjoy today's game with a side of bacon and eggs. Maybe a bowl of oatmeal or fruit, some pancakes or french toast. And hash browns. Definitely hash browns.

Let's swab the decks! [Get it? Pirates! SWEEP!]

GO FRIARS!! KEEP THE FAITH!!

P.S. 3B is looking mighty aristocratic today. Logan Forsythe will play in place of Chase Headley, who fractured his left pinky sliding in yesterday's game.