Watson breezed through the seventh. Yes, the seventh. Not the eighth.
Constantly looking for an edge in a highly competitive league, the Pirates are trying to squeeze every drop of potential out of their club. Now, it seems Pittsburgh has taken its open-minded, analytically inclined approach to the bullpen.
Manager Clint Hurdle told Watson on Sunday morning that he might seek out late-inning matchups for the shutdown setup man rather than automatically giving him the eighth. Sure enough, the Cardinals sent three left-handed hitters to the plate in the seventh, so Hurdle called upon the southpaw.
"I'll look at opportunities how to best leverage Watson," Hurdle said.