video thumbnail

PIT@CLE: Burnett gives up two runs over 6 2/3 in win

A day after James McDonald and the offense halted Pittsburgh's losing skid at three, Thursday's starter A.J. Burnett will do whatever he can to help the team gather some momentum and put together a little winning streak.

Burnett has been nothing but money for the Pirates this season, both with his performance on the mound and his presence in the locker room. The veteran righty has won each of his last seven starts, becoming the first Bucs hurler to do so since Dock Ellis in 1974. Another win in Philadelphia on Thursday, and Burnett will have tied the run Ellis enjoyed nearly 40 years ago.

"As long as we win, it's all good," Burnett said after beating Detroit at home last week. "No, I don't feel young. This doesn't do it. I do feel like I can make a pitch when I need to with [catcher Rod Barajas] back there. It's been nothing but a blast to work with him again."

Barajas won't be behind the plate for Burnett on Thursday. The catcher suffered a bone bruise on his left knee Monday, making room for Michael McKenry, who has starred in the batter's box during this week's series in Philadelphia.

Through three games, Pittsburgh's backup catcher is 7-for-11 with two home runs and six RBIs. He has never faced Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick.

Kendrick will toe the rubber Thursday looking to improve upon his most recent four starts, in which he's gone 0-3 with an 8.10 ERA. Although the Phillies won his last start, the righty hasn't added a tally to his personal win column since June 1.

Kendrick's finest performance this year came last month in St. Louis, when he threw a complete-game shutout, allowing seven hits and striking out four.

"We had a good game plan," Kendrick said after the win. "We mixed it up, kept them off balance a lot with first-pitch changeups, sinkers down. I knew they would be aggressive, so I tried to force some early contact and get some quick outs."

Pirates: Big games coming more frequently for Bucs
The Pirates scored 11 runs Wednesday evening as they snapped a losing streak and took the third game of a four-game set in Philadelphia. The output was their most in a game this season and it marked the eighth time in 2012 that they scored eight runs or more. Six of those games have come in the month of June. Through 74 games, Pittsburgh has scored 267 runs, making for an average of 3.61 per game.

Phillies: Utley comes back, but won't play every day
Fan-favorite Chase Utley played his first game of 2012 on Wednesday, going 3-for-5 with a homer. Fans shouldn't look for the second baseman on Thursday, though, as the team has decided to give its star infielder a rest every third day as the All-Star Break approaches. Utley had been out all year with bilateral chondromalacia, a chronic issue with his left knee.

Worth noting
• The Pirates are two games behind Cincinnati in the NL Central race, while the Phillies are nine games back of Washington in the NL East.

• The season series between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia is tied at 3-3. Thursday's matchup will be the last time the two teams face each other, unless both sides of Pennsylvania experience playoff baseball, something that has never happened in the same year.

MLB.com Comments