Operation Shutdown - A Pittsburgh Pirates Blog

IN 36 DAYS...

2012-02-29T06:30:00.000-05:00

IN 37 DAYS...

2012-02-28T06:30:00.000-05:00

IN 38 DAYS...

2012-02-27T19:20:00.001-05:00

Sunday Starters 2/26/12

2012-02-26T12:46:00.000-05:00

Pirates hope A.J. can still "draw blood"

Lincoln is open to bullpen role

Pirates President Frank Coonelly is facing DUI charges

Nutting: Bucs can win the NL Central

Nutting on 2012 Pirates:

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2012-02-26T10:15:00.003-05:00

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2012-02-24T06:30:00.000-05:00

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2012-02-23T06:30:00.000-05:00

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2012-02-22T06:30:00.000-05:00

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2012-02-21T06:30:00.000-05:00

Monday Night Classics: 2/20

2012-02-20T22:15:00.000-05:00

Tonight on Root Sports, the Pirates continued their installment of Monday Night Classics, where they replay some of the best games of the past season. Tonight's game was from August 16th. The Pirates squared off against the Cardinals and won the game on a walkoff homerun by Garrett Jones. What we said in our recap:

"I would like to give credit to Neil Walker. If it wasn't for him, the Pirates would not have won the game, or given Garrett Jones a game winner."

The game started off as 1-2-3 innings for both teams. In the second inning, Matt Holliday starts up the inning with a lead-off double,and then Skip Schumaker gets a RBI single, giving the Cards a 1 to 0 lead. But the Bucs answered back an inning later, when Andrew McCutchen moonshot a 3-run home run, scoring Karstens and Tabata. After that the Pirates fell off a cliff, only getting 2 hits till the 9th inning(Walker, McCutchen singles). In the 6th, Albert Pujols hit a solo home run, and then Lance Berkman scored off a David Freese double, which tied the game back up at 3. In the ninth, the Cardinals got the lead off a sacrifice fly out to center, scoring Jay. But in the bottom of the ninth, Neil Walker put the team on his back and hit a solo shot, sending the game in to extra innings. In the eleventh, Garrett Jones sent one into the river, winning the game on a walk-off home run.

45 more days. Go Bucs.

A.J. reports to Pirate City

2012-02-20T18:50:00.000-05:00

He made it down to Bradenton.
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IN 45 DAYS...

2012-02-20T14:56:00.000-05:00

Sunday Starters 2/19/2012

2012-02-19T11:33:00.000-05:00

Links that will make you want to head down to Bradenton and watch some baseball
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Players excited about the addition of A.J.

Nutting: 'We can be a championship organization'

Pedro article

Brief NL Central preview

Happy Pitcher/Catcher Day

46 Days

Burnett to Pirates

2012-02-17T16:24:00.000-05:00

The A.J. Burnett saga has finally ended, as the Pirates and the Yankees agreed to a deal that will send the 35 year-old to Pittsburgh. New York originally wanted Garrett Jones for Burnett, but they eventually settled on right handed relief prospect Diego Moreno and outfielder Exicardo Cayones. The Yankees are also giving the Pirates $20 million to cover the rest of the $33 million owed to him at the end of the 2013 season.

In exchange for Burnett, the Pirates are giving up two prospects that both played in A-ball last season. It doesn't appear that these two players have a promising future, so the Pirates aren't giving up a lot in this trade.

Burnett is coming off of a bad season with the Yankees, going 11-11 with a 5.15 ERA. Most people in New York, as well as manager Joe Giradi, thought they should move Burnett to the bullpen and out of the starting rotation. Burnett struggled pitching in the bright lights of New York, but coming to Pittsburgh should be a nice weight off of his shoulders.

Per Dejan Kovacevic of the Trib:

Nailed It.

So who's coming out of the dugout on Opening Day as the starting pitcher? We personally think A.J. Leave your answers below.

Go Bucs.

Pirates win Jones case

2012-02-16T12:46:00.001-05:00

The arbitrator has ruled in favor of the Pirates' offer of $2.25 million for Garrett Jones this season. He had originally asked for a salary of $2.5 million. Also the Pirates agreed with Casey McGehee for $2.35 million, the last arbitration case this offseason.

Sunday Starters: 2/12/2012

2012-02-12T10:17:00.000-05:00

Links that will get you thinking Bucs again

Pirates Top 20 Prospects

Andrew McCutchen Future MVP?

Big Bats leaving the NL Central

A.J. to Pirates "has legs"

MLB.com's Jeremy Brisel discusses Burnett

AJ Burnett Update

2012-02-11T13:07:00.000-05:00

Been a while since the last post, so here's the summary of the AJ Burnett situation:

- As you've most likely seen, the potential trade of getting AJ Burnett from the Yankees has been the topics of discussion throughout Twitter and many other places. To sum it up: the Yankees owe Burnett a mammoth amount of money the next 2 years (33 million to be exact) and pitched pretty awful (walks on walks on walks) last year. Yanks have been looking to deal him this offseason, and are willing to absorb some of that salary. New York originally wanted Garrett Jones straight up in exchange for Burnett, but that was nixed. With Jones now off the table, New York has asked for a "okay" prospect in return and around a 50-50 split of Burnett's salary. As RTJR said, if this deal gets done with the Bucs absorbing around 10 million of Burnett's salary and an "okay" prospect, consider it a good deal.

More posts coming soon.

Operation Shutdown at PirateFest

2011-12-18T18:49:00.001-05:00

We took a trip downtown today for PirateFest at the Convention Center. Got us really pumped for the season (108 days until Opening Day). Pictures after the Read more...

Within 5 minutes of being in the building, we got a picture with Pirate manager Clint Hurdle.


Bought a Derek Bell card for 10 cents. Great purchase

Hit the bullseye on Dart Toss. Won 2 free left/right field grandstand tickets. WOOOOOOO!!

Alvarez shed a ton of weight and looks like he's in great shape. Look Out.


Section 143(Us)>Left Field Loonies

Rock Climbing Wall. I have no idea why

Sick nasty

J-Mac with announcer Tim Neverett

Josh Bell Spikes Jersey

PR Pride #RamGangorDie

Merry Christmas. Go Bucs

McCity! Pirates acquire Casey McGehee

2011-12-12T21:51:00.001-05:00

Pirates received 3rd baseman Casey McGehee from the Brewers in exchange for reliever Jose Veras. Veras, who is a non-tender candidate, was not likely to be offered arbitration by the Bucs so it makes sense to trade him.

McGehee, however will be offered arbitration before midnight. McGehee had 2 strong years in 2009 and 2010 (hitting .301 and .285 respectively) before batting a lowly .223 in 2011.

I'm personally a huge fan of this trade. McGehee will basically be the contingency plan if Pedro Alvarez struggles again this year.

Let's Go Bucs!

Free Agency Aftermath: The Year of Mc

2011-12-11T17:01:00.001-05:00

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Wow has it been a crazy off season already.

Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell signing with the new-look Miami Marlins.

Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson signing huge deals with the Angels.

Ryan Braun suspended 50 games for steroids.

Suck a dick Braun

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And then the Pirates....

Out: Ryan Ludwick, Xavier Paul, Brandon Wood, Pedro Ciriaco (Noooooooooooooo), Ronny Cedeno, Ryan Doumit, Chris Snyder, Jason Jaramillo, Paul Maholm, Ross Ohlendorf, Jose Veras

In: Nate McLouth, Clint Barmes, Yamaico Navarro, Rod Barajas, Jose Morales, Erik Bedard, Casey McGehee

Mc x6

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If we can get Derek Lee/Carlos Pena, and maybe another pitcher, I actually like our chances for the pennant.

Lets Go Bucs

Erik Bedard Inks Deal with Bucs

2011-12-07T20:24:00.001-05:00

Shortly after announcing that they resigned former player Nate McLouth, the Pirates agreed to a deal with free-agent pitcher Erik Bedard. He was acquired last year from the Mariners by the Red Sox, before their 7-20 collapse in September. If the Red Sox took a chance on this guy last season, the Pirates signing him isn't all that bad of an idea to me.

Read More for Bedard's reaction to joining the Bucs...

Bedard will take Paul Maholm's spot in the rotation as the left-handed pitcher who can eat up innings. NH signed him to a one-year, $4.5 million deal, which is mostly loaded with incentives due to his injuries in past seasons.

Nate McLouth Signs One-Year Deal with Bucs

2011-12-06T22:52:00.001-05:00

As first reported by Ken Rosenthal on Twitter, Nate McLouth signed a 1 year deal with the Pirates on Tuesday night (pending a physical). Things will be a tad different in McLouth's 2nd stint with the Buccos. It's assumed that McLouth will be primarily the 4th outfielder, coming off the bench. McLouth is somewhat of an upgrade on the bench over someone like Xavier Paul.

McLouth's career stats with Pittsburgh:
.261/.339/.462

Pirates sign Clint Barmes

2011-11-21T22:12:00.003-05:00

The Pirates have formally announced the signing of shortstop Clint Barmes. Barmes, a Pirate-killer in recent years, signed a 2-year $10.5 million contract with Pittsburgh. The 32-year-old is scheduled to be the highest paid player on the team this upcoming season.

Barmes on joining the Pirates

Read More if you heard about the return of that Sidney Crosby guy...

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First game back. 2 goals. 4 points. Watch Out.

Wow.

Doumit Signs with Twins

2011-11-19T00:10:00.000-05:00

Today the Minnesota Twins added catching depth behind Joe Mauer by signing former Pirate Ryan Doumit. Doumit agreed to a one-year $3 million contract with Minnesota. Doumit was the longest tenured Pirate, being drafted by Pittsburgh in the 2nd round of the 1999 MLB Draft.

Read more for what we will remember about Ryan Doumit...

The beard and the devil's eyes

Doumit was known for growing his nasty-looking beard. Could be in the same class as Brett Keisel.

Alright, maybe not.

And the eyes, I would not want to mess with him.

The Horrible Defense

As you all know, Ryan Doumit's defense was absolutely horrid. Also, he could not throw down to second if his life depended on it.

Poor John Grabow.

The Walk-Up Song

"Mother" by Danzig, was heard by Buccos fans 1,010 times at PNC Park during Doumit's 7-year career with the Pirates. This song became a fixture at PNC, being one of the few songs we consistently heard throughout the years of losing.

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All in all, Doumit became more of a liability than a difference maker for the Pirates. His power bat could not make up for his poor defense. If we played with a DH all season, he would make a great player for us. So long Ryan. Its been nice knowing ya.

Got Wood? We don't anymore

2011-11-17T20:46:00.003-05:00

The Colorado Rockies have signed Brandon Wood, after the Pirates outrighted the former infielder to AAA this past October. The 57 home run year in the Minors never translated into the Majors, as he hit .271 with 7 HRs and 31 RBIs in 99 games this year. The career .186 hitter was thought to be the next Cal Ripken, but obviously that did not happen.

Read more for what we will miss about Brandon Wood...

Got Wood? We do.

So the Pirates acquired Wood on a Friday and we had tickets for the game on Saturday. After pulling an all-nighter in anticipation for Wood's debut(not really), and a dismal 8-2 Penguin playoff game, we made this. We went for batting practice, hoping to get Wood to sign the poster. Evan Meek saw it and loved it. He got B-Wood to come over and sign it, and had a great conversation about Meek tweeting about his shopping experience at Walmart. No idea how that came up but it did.

Got Wood? We don't anymore. Who cares. He sucks.

Lets go bucs

Astros to AL, 2 More to Playoffs

2011-11-17T17:53:00.002-05:00

The Houston Astros sale finalized today, and as required by the sale, they switched from the NL Central to the AL West to join the Rangers and company. Former owner Drayton McLane sold the team to Jim Crane for $615 million. This is the first realignment the MLB has seen since the Milwaukee Brewers jumped to the NL after the '97 season.

The departure of the Astros gives both leagues 15 teams, meaning that there will have to be interleague play from April through September. As you know, interleague play is often played only during the month of June. This means the Bucs could be seeing a lot more of the DH in the coming years. The change isn't expected to be until the 2013 season though so the Astros still have a chance to finish at the bottom of the NL Central one last time.

The MLB and commissioner Bud Selig also announced that 2 more teams would be added to the playoffs. One more team from each league will make the playoffs, and earn a chance to play a one game playoff against the other wild card team. The winner will then continue to the Divisional Round, which will remain the same. This puts 10 of 30 MLB teams, or 30%, in the playoffs each year, which is still lower than the other 3 major sports. 38% (12 of 32) of NFL teams make it, and 53% (16 of 30) make it in the NBA and NHL. Considering that it's a one game playoff, it's hard to even consider it "making the playoffs". It's more of a play-in game or a tiebreaker.

In other news, the Cubs hired ex-Milwaukee hitting coach Dale Sveum to be their new manager. There's NO way they won't win the World Series now!!!

Xavier Paul sold to Australia?.....Not Really

2011-11-15T15:51:00.003-05:00

The Brisbane Bandits of the Australian Baseball League thought they were getting the steal of the century, signing Pirates outfielder Xavier Paul. NOT. Minor league failure Breland Brown tried to act as Paul's agent and signed a contract with the team for Paul. Of all people he picks Paul? Why not Cedeno? The world may never know.

Deadspin's article on this....

Rod Barajas is a Pirate

2011-11-10T18:23:00.007-05:00

The Pirates made a splash in free agency today, signing former Dodger catcher Rod Barajas to a $4 million deal, with a 2013 club option. Barajas is considered the 2nd best catcher available in this free agent class, behind Ramon Hernandez.

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What they're saying...

True Blue LA

Maybe not exactly what we need at the catching position at this time, but Barajas is a definite upgrade over Michael McKenry and Jason Jaramillo. $4 million might be a reach for Barajas, but considering that we paid Lyle Overbay $5 million last year, it's not that bad of a deal. Hopefully he gives us experience at the catching position, and in the locker room.

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In other news:

Wilson Ramos got kidnapped in Venezuela.

Alex Ovechkin, among many things, cannot park a car.

Hear what happened at Penn State? Absolutely disgusting and horrifying.

Free Agent Preview: Pitchers

2011-11-03T18:05:00.001-04:00

Thanks to Rumbunter for the pic

With Paul Maholm now gone, there is now a major hole to fill in the top of the rotation. Maholm was a major innings eater during his tenure with the Pirates and the team will most likely look to free agency to fill that void. Seeing that our pitching staff as of now is made up of mostly right-handed pitchers (16 to 3), and none of the lefties being Major League starters, I believe the Pirates' main focus pitching-wise this off-season would be on left-handed starting pitchers. More after the jump..

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5 Potential Options:

Chris Capuano

2011 Season: 11-12 4.15 ERA, 186 IP

Chris Capuano is exactly what the Pirates need. An innings eater. If Paul Maholm didn't end up on the DL at the end of the season for his "shoulder injury", he would have had around the same innings total as Capuano. Capuano is a 7 year veteran in the National League and is 33 years old. Seems like it would be a logical fit for the Pirates.

Jeff Francis

2011 Season: 6-16, 4.82 ERA, 183 IP

Jeff Francis is another southpaw that may be on the Pirates' radar. Looks to be the same type of pitcher as Capuano. Francis was selected 9th overall to the Rockies in the 2002 draft, one year before Paul Maholm went 8th to the Bucs.

Edwin Jackson


2011 Regular Season: 12-9 3.79 ERA, 199 IP

Going against the lefty-themed post here but I'd like to see the Pirates go after Edwin Jackson. Traded at the deadline the past 2 seasons, Jackson could find a home in the Pirate rotation. Jackson would bring the Pirates post-season experience, winning the World Series with the Cardinals this past season. And hey, when was the last time a pitcher on the Pirates has thrown a no-hitter?

C.J. Wilson


2011 Regular Season: 16-7, 2.94 ERA, 223 IP

This will probably never happen but I don't care. I want to be sitting at PNC Park on Opening Day watching C.J. Wilson strike out Phillies. If Nolan Ryan thinks they can replace Wilson within their organization, Wilson will probably look for the most $$$. Huntington has the money, now go out and do it.

Paul Maholm

2011 Season: 6-14, 3.66 ERA, 162 IP

Yes, Paul Maholm. I am aware NH just declined his option for this year, but don't be surprised to see Maholm back in a Pirate jersey this upcoming season. If the Pirates don't see what they like in free agency, they just might consider bringing him back, but for less money than his $6.25 option for this year. The question would be if Maholm wants to come back to Pittsburgh. Judging from his tweet (below), it doesn't look like that's the case.

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Free Agent Infielders Preview coming up in a week or so...

Operation Shutdown on Season Recap Video

2011-11-03T15:52:00.002-04:00

0:51 mark

We're back, Some Quick Hits

2011-10-31T16:52:00.008-04:00

The Pirates have announced today that they will not bring back SS Ronny Cedeno, P Paul Maholm, and catchers Ryan Doumit and Chris Snyder. This frees up about $15 million for potential free agents and contract extensions for Andrew McCutchen and Neil Walker. NH might want to offer Maholm a deal more in the Pirates favor and see if he takes it....

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Maholm tweeted this earlier in the day. Sounds like he's a little pissed off at management, we'll see what happens.

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Neil and Ronny have been nominated for Gold Gloves. Wouldn't that be funny to see the Pirates let Cedeno walk and he ends up winning a Gold Glove. Also, Ronny apparently has a twitter account, @ronny_cedeno. Everyone go heckle him.
McCutch and the Hammer are up for the GIBBY Awards.

Stay tuned..free agency begins on Sunday

Bucs Top Astros in the Rain

2011-09-05T21:05:00.000-04:00

Raise the Jolly Roger! Bucs win 3-1!

WP: James McDonald (9-7)

LP: Henry Sosa (2-3)

S: Joel Hanrahan (35)

James McDonald was called upon today, and he answered in a big way. With the starting rotation depleted, with Jeff Karstens missing his next start, and Paul Maholm and Kevin Correia on the DL, the bullpen is going to be doing a lot of work over the last month of the season. JMac made sure that they didn't have to work hard tonight. The game was delayed for about an hour, but that didn't bother McDonald. He went 7.1 innings, a season-high, and allowed just 1 run on only 3 hits. He also recorded 6 K. The Bucs only had to throw 2 relievers, Jason Grilli, and of course, Joel Hanrahan.

Houston opened the scoring in the third inning, as Jose Altuve tripled on a ball that Jose Tabata misplayed pretty badly. Henry Sosa, who had earlier walked, scored on the play. Tabata was later pulled due to a wrist injury.

The Pirates had an opportunity early, but squandered that chance quickly. After a Derrek Lee fly out and a Neil Walker walk, Ryan Doumit doubled to left center to put runners on second and third with 1 out. But Josh Harrison grounded into a fielder's choice at the plate, and Ronny Cedeno grounded out to shortstop. The Bucs got on the board in the fourth, with another Doumit double, scoring Andrew McCutchen. Lee then came home on Harrison's single. Cedeno then walked, bringing up JMac. But he grounded into a double play with the bases loaded to end any further threat.

McDonald was pulled after walking 2 men in the eighth, and Jason Grilli shut the 'Stros down. Derrek Lee tacked on a solo shot in the bottom of the frame to give the Pirates some cushion, putting them up 3-1. Hanrahan came on for the save, and he was shaky at best, giving up a walk and 2 hits. The Astros helped him out with some baserunning mistakes, and he was able to lock down the save.

Three Stars:

3) Jason Grilli (0.2IP, 2 runners inherited, 2 runners stranded)

2) Ryan Doumit (3 for 4, 2 Doubles, RBI)

1) James McDonald (7.1IP, 3H, 1R, 6K)

Liveblog 141: Astros at Pirates

2011-09-05T13:34:00.002-04:00

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;altcast_code=8a301bb561" &amp;gt;Game 141: Astros at Pirates&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Gameday 141: Astros

2011-09-05T13:33:00.001-04:00

Astros (47-93) vs Pirates (64-76)

1:35 - PNC Park

TV: Root Sports, Fox Sports Houston

Starting Pitchers:

Houston - Henry Sosa (2-2, 4.34 ERA)

Pittsburgh - James McDonald (8-7, 4.11 ERA)

With the Pirates' second-to-last homestand beginning Monday at PNC Park against the Astros, the team has placed a huge emphasis on finishing out the season strong. Their first series is against the cellar-dweller Astros, who swept the Pirates in Houston last week.

Henry Sosa will be on the hill for the Astros. Sosa has lowered his ERA in each of his past two starts, going 2-0 with two earned runs allowed in 12 innings. Acquired in the Jeff Keppinger trade, this will be his sixth career start after the Astros called him up.

His mound opponent will be James McDonald, who pretty much has been the Pirates' most consistent starter in the second half. McDonald allowed two runs (one earned) on seven hits in six innings on Wednesday, but got stuck with a hard-luck loss in Pittsburgh's 2-0 loss in Houston. He struck out six and walked two in his third consecutive quality start.

UPDATE: The start of the game has been delayed due to rain. Stay tuned to liveblog for further updates.

Liveblog 140: Pirates vs Cubs

2011-09-04T14:37:00.001-04:00

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;altcast_code=fcfd826586" &amp;gt;Game 140: Pirates at Cubs&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Gameday 140: Cubs

2011-09-04T14:06:00.002-04:00

Pirates vs Cubs

2:10- Wrigley Field

Starting Pitchers:
Pirates- Charlie Morton

Cubs- Randy Wells

Kind of a quick gameday considering that the game starts in about 7 minutes. We need some electricity today from Charlie. Randy Wells owned the Bucs his last start against us. Let's Go Bucs.

Liveblog 139: Cubs at Pirates

2011-09-03T14:01:00.001-04:00

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;altcast_code=8661495a8f" &amp;gt;Game 139: Pirates at Cubs&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Liveblog 138: Cubs vs Pirates

2011-09-02T14:30:00.002-04:00

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;altcast_code=3f39fa2477" &amp;gt;Game 138: Pirates at Cubs&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Recap: Former Pirate Gets the W

2011-09-02T11:15:00.006-04:00

Pirates fall to LA 6-4
WP: Dana Eveland (1-0)
LP: Brad Lincoln (1-1)
S: Kenley Jansen (3)

The Dodgers got off to an early lead, when third basemen Aaron Miles singled to right, scoring Dee Gordon and Matt Kemp. The inning wasn't done yet. Tony Gywnn hit a sacrifice fly out to Andrew McCutchen, but it was deep enough for Andre Either to score their third run of the inning. In the second the Pirates were able to get a run of their own. With Neil Walker on first and Ryan Doumit at third, Josh Harrison grounded into a double play, scoring Doumit. The next few innings were boring so I'll talk about pitching.

Dana Eveland gave up one run and six hits in his first major league game since he pitched 2.2 innings for the Pirates when they played at Texas on June 23, 2010. He was promoted from Triple-A Albuquerque earlier Thursday. Eveland struck out three, walked none and retired 11 in a row after giving up consecutive singles to start the second inning. "I took it as a challenge," Dana Eveland said of going back to Triple-A this season. "I knew I needed to get it right, get back to where I was a couple of years ago. I won some games early for Toronto last year, so I knew I could still win. In fact, I know I'm better than I was last year."

Brad Lincoln allowed three runs...all in the first, and six hits in six innings for Pittsburgh. Lincoln got his first lose of the season, even though it's his 11th appearance.

In the seventh inning James Loney scored off a passed ball making the score 4 to 1 Dodgers. The Dodgers were able to get a pair of runs, when rookie SS Dee Gordon hits a double, scoring A.J. Ellis and Jamey Carrol. The Pirates tried battling back in the 9th, when Alex Presley hit a 2 run Home Run. And Neil Walker hit a sacrifice pop out to Andre Either, deep enough for the wheels of Andrew McCutchen to score, but it was to late for the mojo. The Dodgers got the win, and so did Dana Eveland, who got his first win of the year...and against his former team.

Three Stars:
3) Matt Kemp (2 for 5, 1 R, 1 SB)
2) Ryan Doumit (3 for 4, 1 R)
1) Dana Eveland (8 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 SO)

The Pirates look to the losing ways when the go to Chicago to start a three-game series versus the Cubs.

Gameday 137: Dodgers

2011-09-01T12:08:00.005-04:00

Pirates(62-74) vs Dodgers(65-70)
4:05 - PNC Park
TV: ROOT Sports, FSN PrimeTicket
Starting Pitchers:
Pittsburgh: Brad Lincoln (1-0, 3.42 ERA)
Los Angeles: Dana Eveland (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Matt Kemp is most of the reason the Dodgers are only five games under five hundred. A career year for Kemp could earn him the NL's vote for Most Valuable Player, but probably not since they aren't in for the playoff race. He is leading the Dodgers in Home Runs (31), RBIs (102), Runs (87), Batting Average (.320), and OPS (.965). The Dodgers have won 8 of their last 9 games, but other teammates have contributed other than Kemp. Andre Either is 9 for 16 in the past five games, and James Loney is hitting .476 with four homers over his last 10 games. Former Pirate Dana Eveland will make his season debut after going 12-8 with a 4.38 ERA for Triple-A Albuquerque. The left-hander has made 54 starts for five teams since 2005. His last start came July 7, 2010, when he allowed three runs in five innings of a loss to the Chicago Cubs while with Pittsburgh.

The Pirates, which has lost four straight and six of seven after being swept by major league-worst Houston, look to get the win versus a former teammate and the streaking LA Dodgers. The Pirates hope to see a quality performance in their pitcher Brad Lincon. Lincoln will be making his fourth start of the season after going 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA in his first three. He's pitched six innings in each outing and didn't allow a run in picking up his first victory this year at St. Louis on Saturday. Andrew McCutchen's only two hits in the set were home runs to account for three RBIs, though he went 0 for 3 on Wednesday. He hit two solo homers May 10 in Pittsburgh's 10-3 loss to the Dodgers.

Go Bucs

Recap: Nightmare of the Bottom

2011-08-31T23:25:00.000-04:00

Pirates lose 2-0

WP: J.A. Happ (5-15)

LP: James McDonald (8-7)

S: Mark Melancon

Yes, the title is a Carter IV reference. But it describes this situation perfectly. The Astros are at the bottom of the NL Central. Hell, they're at the bottom of the MLB, and the Pirates go in there and get SWEPT. They scored 6 runs and got 6 hits while recording 33 strikeouts in 3 games! James McDonald had one-fourth of the Pirates' hits tonight! This is a nightmare that I don't think the Pirates have any intention of waking up from. Lack of hustle (Ronny Cedeno) shows that the Pirates have checked out on us. Plain and simple, they've given up.

Coming into this game, J.A. Happ had an ERA of 6+! The Pirates managed just 3 hits off of him! NOT ONE PIRATE REACHED SECOND BASE! You know how easy it should be to reach second base when you're facing a pitcher who has 15 losses and an ERA of 6?! A good hustle play could get you to second base on one swing!

James McDonald did everything he could tonight, even recording a base hit. He gave up 2 runs, but only one was earned, thanks to Garrett Jones. Humberto Quintero check-swinged, and Ryan Doumit got the out at first, but Jimmy Paredes broke from third. Jones threw to McDonald covering home, but he threw it away (summary of our miseries).

Now one point that cannot go unnoticed. In the top of the 8th inning, Josh Harrison singled, bringing up Ronny Cedeno. Cedeno hit a grounder to second, easy double play ball right? Nope, Harrison hustled his ass off and tried breaking up the double play. It would've worked, if Ronny Cedeno didn't jog to first. Harrison forced a weak throw from Angel Sanchez, but Cedeno slowed up and didn't have a chance at beating the throw. This is the way that most of the Pirates roster has looked for the past few weeks, and it is sickening.

Not doing 3 stars because quite frankly, no one deserves it. Not from the Pirates. Not from the Astros.

The lone highlight of the night.
The Pirates play tomorrow, but I wouldn't say they're "back at it" tomorrow.

Liveblog 136: Pirates vs Astros

2011-08-31T17:26:00.001-04:00

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;altcast_code=cd0fd73058" &amp;gt;Game 136: Pirates at Astros&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Gameday 136: Astros

2011-08-31T15:01:00.003-04:00

Pirates (62-73) vs Astros (46-90)

8:05- Minute Maid Park

Starting Pitchers:

Pittsburgh- James McDonald (8-6, 4.22 ERA)

Houston- J.A. Happ (4-15, 6.03 ERA)

The Pirates try to avoid a sweep against the Astros. Um, yes, the Astros. Also, WE TRADED MATT DIAZ. HEEEEEE GONE! Remember that one time he hit a single!? I can't tell you how much I hope the Pirates win tonight, so tomorrow PNC Park's jumbo tron will have a stat similar to this: "The Pirates are undefeated since trading Matt Diaz on 8/31".

Taking the mound for the Buccos tonight is James McDonald, who has probably been the most consistent starter in the 2nd half of the year, while the rest of the of the rotation has fallen apart. J.A. Happ will take the mound for the Astros. Happ was acquired in the Roy Oswalt trade, and really hasn't been the pitcher that the Astros thought he would be as evidenced with the above 6 ERA.

Starting Lineups

Pittsburgh - Tabata 9, Presley 7, McCutchen 8, Doumit 2, Walker 4, Jones 3, Harrison 5, Cedeno 6, McDonald 1

Houston - Schafer 8, Altuve 4, Martinez 7, Lee 3, Bogusevic 9, Paredes 5, Sanchez 6, Quintero 2, Happ 1

Diaz to Atlanta

2011-08-31T11:53:00.005-04:00

The Pirates traded Matt Diaz to the Braves for a PTBNL or cash considerations. Diaz hit .259/.303/.324 in 231 plate appearances this year. He was signed this year to provide a needed power boost against left-handed pitchers. Matt obviously failed this task, as he failed to hit a home run all year with the Pirates. Trading Diaz will open up a roster spot on the 40-man roster. I believe Matt asked for a trade after seeing this picture of him.

Let's go bucs

Liveblog 135: Pirates vs Astros

2011-08-30T18:49:00.001-04:00

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;altcast_code=b2f3c13686" &amp;gt;Game 135: Pirates at Astros&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Gameday 135: Astros

2011-08-30T18:44:00.000-04:00

Pirates (62-72) vs Astros (45-90)

8:05 - Minute Maid Park

TV: Root Sports, Fox Sports Houston

Starting Pitchers:

Pittsburgh - Charlie Morton (9-7, 3.63 ERA)

Houston - Henry Sosa (1-2, 5.09 ERA)

The Pirates square-off with division rival Houston in the 2nd of this 3 game series tonight at Minute Maid Park. The Astros are currently the worst team in baseball, but there's nothing but optimism in the Houston clubhouse. Optimism for the future, optimism of the play of rookies Jose Altuve and J.D. Martinez, and maybe even optimism for the potential number 1 pick in next year's draft. The Pirate's on the other hand, don't look too optimistic. Paul Maholm and Kevin Correia may have been shut down for the year, and Charlie Morton and Jeff Karstens look as though they need to be shut down.

Henry Sosa, who was acquired in a trade with the Giants, starts for the Astros tonight. He has started 4 times for Houston this year, picking up 1 win and 2 losses, while racking up an ERA of 5.09. Sosa picked up his first career win on Thursday by holding his former team to 1 run in 6 innings of work. He has never faced the Pirates.

Morton allowed more runs (five) in his last start than he had in four previous August starts combined. It's worth wondering if fatigue is setting in, as Morton hasn't had sharp command of his pitches in his last two outings. Chuck has faced the Astros 3 times this year, acquiring 2 wins and 1 loss in 18 innings of work.

Recap: Happy One-Year Anniversary to Matt Diaz

2011-08-29T23:35:00.007-04:00

Pirates lose 7-4
WP: Wandy Rodriguez (10-9)
LP: Jason Grilli (1-1)
S: Mark Melancon (15)

I would like to congratulate Matt Diaz for going a full year (365 days) without hitting a home run. He should celebrate, celebrate some more, and then retire from baseball. Anyways the Pirates gave away the game tonight against the Astros, striking out a season-high 16 times. Wandy Rodriguez spun a good game as he struck out the side twice and fanned 13 batters for his 10th double-digit strikeout game of his career.

Pathetic, I mean pathetic record. Also, Jason Grilli should not be running his mouth after his performance tonight. Douche move.

3 Stars:
3) Andrew McCutchen (1-3, HR, 2 RBI)
2) Jose Altuve (3-5, RBI)
1) Carlos Lee (2-3, HR, 3 RBI)

LVP: Jose Veras (0.2 IP, HR, 2 RBI)

The Astros have won 5 of their last 6 home games. Watch out.

Gameday 134: Astros

2011-08-29T20:23:00.000-04:00

Pirates (62-71) vs Astros (44-90)

8:05 - Minute Maid Park

TV: Root Sports, Fox Sports Houston

Starting Pitchers:

Pittsburgh - Ross Ohlendorf (0-1, 7.24 ERA)

Houston - Wandy Rodriguez (9-9, 3.41 ERA)

Houston starting pitcher Wandy Rodriguez was rouged up for 4 runs from the first 4 hitters to face him at Coors Field Wednesday against the Rockies. He didn't have his curve working for him that day. He settled down though, allowing just more 2 unearned runs, lasting a total of 6 innings amidst trade rumors with the Rockies.

Ross "The Boss" Ohlendorf's return to Pittsburgh didn't go so smoothly, as Milwaukee rocked him for a 7 run second inning in his five-inning start. His fastball velocity dropped as the start went on and way too many pitches were left over the heart of the plate, and they got crushed. Hopefully this start is more "boss-like".

Go Bucs

Recap: 100th Carrer Win for Lohse

2011-08-28T17:25:00.005-04:00

Pirates Lose 7-4
WP: Kyle Lohse(12-8)
LP:Jeff Karstens(9-8)
S: Jason Motte(1)

The Pirates started off the game with a early run when Andrew McCutchen got a RBI single, scoring Jose Tabata. The Cardinals didn't care, responding with three runs making the score 3 to 1 after the first inning. In the second, the Pirates got 3 runs of their own off a RBI single by Ronny Cedeno, a wacky play made by the Cardinals on a Jeff Karstens ground out from second turns into a run for the Bucs, and a Jose Tabata RBI ground-out. The Cards inched back in the 3rd when Ryan Theriot hits in Lance Berkman, making the score tied at 4 after 3rd. The Cardinals toke the lead in the 4th when Allen Craig hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Kyle Lohse. After that the Bucs couldn't put it together, and the Cardinals ran away with it in the 7th, scorning two runs, and making the score 7 to 4 which it stood for the last 2 innings.

Three Stars:
3) Chris Leroux (2 IP, 2 SO)
2) Ryan Theriot (2 H, 2 RBI, 1 BB)
1) Michael McKenry (1 R, 1 H)
LVP: Jeff Karstens (3.2 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO)

The Pirates look to get back on the winning train tomorrow against Houston.

Gameday 133: Cardinals

2011-08-28T13:14:00.003-04:00

Pirates (62-70) vs Cardinals (69-64)
2:15- Busch Stadium
TV: Root Sports, FS-Midwest
Starting Pitchers:
Pittsburgh- Jeff Karstens (9-7, 3.09)
St. Louis- Kyle Lohse (11-8, 3.73)

The Pirates will try to squeeze out a win and the series split today against the Albert Pujols-less Cardinals lineup. The Pirates will also try to win back-to-back games for the first time since beating the Cards in extra innings on August 16th at PNC Park.

Jeff Karstens will look to continue his good pitching from his last start against the Brewers. Karstens kept the Bucs in the game, pitching 7 innings and only giving up 2 runs to the powerful Milwaukee lineup. Kyle Lohse, on the other hand, has not been pitching well as of late. In his last start, Lohse gave up 8 runs in only 3 innings pitched. Today could be a milestone day for Lohse as he is going for his 100th career win.

Starting Lineups:
Pit- Tabata 9, Presley 7, McCutchen 8, Walker 4, Jones 3, Harrison 5, Cedeno 6, McKenry 2, Karstens 1

Stl- Jay CF, Craig RF, Holliday LF, Berkman 1B, Freese 3B, Schumaker 2B, Theriot SS, Laird C, Lohse P

The Pirates haven't won consecutive games in St. Louis in the same series since April 16th and 17th, 2007. Get it done.
Lets go bucs.

Liveblog 132: Pirates @ Cardinals

2011-08-27T16:28:00.001-04:00

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;altcast_code=9b4b24a56e" &amp;gt;iPhone on staging&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Gameday 132: Cardinals

2011-08-27T15:43:00.005-04:00

Pirates (61-70) vs Cardinals (69-63)
4:10- Busch Stadium
TV: Fox Sports
Starting Pitchers:
Pittsburgh- Brad Lincoln (0-0, 4.58)
St. Louis- Chris Carpenter (8-8, 3.57)

The Pirates will try to stop the Cardinals today from winning the game and the 4-game series. Brad Lincoln is on the mound for the Bucs. Cardinals-ace Chris Carpenter is taking the mound for the redbirds, trying to recover from his last game in which he got pulled after allowing a ninth-inning home run. He is 12-2 with a 2.33 ERA against Pittsburgh in his career.

Starting Lineups:
Pit- Tabata RF, Presley LF, McCutchen CF, Doumit C, Walker 2B, Jones 1B, Harrison 3B, d'Arnaud SS, Lincoln P

Stl- Jay CF, Furcal SS, Pujols 1B, Holliday LF, Berkman RF, Schumaker 2B, Molina C, Descalso 3B, Carpenter P

Lets go bucs

Recap: Cards Dig The Long Ball. Bucs Lose.

2011-08-26T23:53:00.001-04:00

Pirates Lose 5-4

WP: Kyle McCllelan (10-6)

LP: Jose Veras (2-4)

This game was another game that the Pirates let get away, this time at the hands of the bullpen. Jose Veras let a 2 run homerun to Lance Berkman which gave the Cards' the lead, and sealed the fate of the Buccos for tonight. As mentioned in the title, the Cards' did get all of their runs, with the other 3 coming on a Yadier Molina dinger.

The Pirates unfortunately let a good James McDonald start go to waste (6.0 IP, 3 ER). These are the games that the Pirates have to win. Yes, the Pirates didn't play perfect tonight, but good teams find a way to win these types of games. McDonald gave them a chance to win, and you have to take advantage of that.

Bucs back at it tomorrow at 4:10.

Gameday 131: Cardinals

2011-08-26T17:40:00.001-04:00

Pirates (61-69) vs Cardinals (68-63)

8:15- Busch Stadium

TV: ROOT Sports, FS-Midwest

Starting Pitchers:
St. Louis- Jake Westbrook (10-7, 4.80)

Pirates- James McDonald (8-6, 4.21)

The Buccos are trying to get back on the winning track vs St. Louis, and tonight seems like a great night to do it. After getting Alex Presley and Chase D'Arnaud back,(Edit: D'Arnaud is not in the lineup tonight) this Pirates team became a little less offensively challenged. On the hill for the Buccos is James McDonald who had a solid performance in his last start and was in line to get the win (Sunday vs Cincinnati, 6.0 IP, 3 ER) only to see the bullpen blow it. His counterpart tonight is Jake Westbrook who has only faced the Pirates once in the career, getting the loss in that start.

As previously mentioned, tonight would be a good time to put "everything together". And by together, I mean that either one part of the Pirates falls apart each game, the hitting, pitching/bullpen, usually one of them is poor. Tonight is a perfect opportunity because J-Mac can keep us in the game, the hitting is sparked by the returns of Presley and D'Arnaud, and the bullpen has seem to broken out of their recent slump.

Line-ups:

Pirates- Tabata 9 Presley 7 McCutchen 8 Doumit 2 Walker 4 Jones 3 Harrison 5 Cedeno 6 McDonald 1

Cardinals- Schumaker 4 Craig 8 Pujols 3 Holliday 7 Berkman 9 Freese 5 Molina 2 Furcal 6 Westbrook 1

LETS GO BUCS.

Recap: No Electric Stuff, Bucs Lose

2011-08-25T23:33:00.004-04:00

Bucs lose, 8-4
WP: Edwin Jackson (10-9)
LP: Charlie Morton (9-7)

Well, the game started out with Jose Tabata getting plunked on the first pitch. Intentional? Don’t know. Don’t Care. All I know is that Tony La Russa is a bum.

Albert Pujols doubled in the first to put the Cards up 1-0. Good pitch. Great hit, not Morton’s fault there. Lance Berkman then poked a double to right field, scoring Pujols.

So the Cards were up 3-0 until the Pirates’ bats woke up. Elvis, I mean Alex Presley got the Bucs on the board with a single that scored Mike McKenry. After two walks that loaded the bases, Garrett Jones singled to center scoring Elvis and Andrew McCutchen.

In the 8th Matt Diaz came to the plate. Call to the bullpen. In comes Jason Motte and his 98 mph fastball. Not a chance for a Diaz hit here, but he did manage to ground out to first which advanced Xavier Paul to third. Ronny Cedeno then struck out on some high cheese and Ryan Doumit, pinch hitting for the Fort, popped out to center. Missed opportunity.

Jon Jay led off the St. Louis half of the 8th with a double, kicking off of the end of the tarp in the left field foul territory. Tony Watson and the Pirates then decided to intentionally walk Pujols for the second time in the game. It backfired because Matt Holliday drilled a 3-run bomb to left field, making the game 8-4.

Game.

Three Stars:
3) Lance Berkman (2-4, RBI, BB)
2) Garrett Jones (2-3, 2 RBI, BB)
1) Matt Holiday (3-run HR in 8th)
LVP: Charlie Morton (4.1 IP, 9 H, 5 ER)

Liveblog 130: Pirates @ Cardinals

2011-08-25T20:00:00.000-04:00

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;altcast_code=56c1b5752f" &amp;gt;iPhone on staging&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Presley and d'Arnaud back from DL

2011-08-24T18:16:00.004-04:00

According to @msanserino on twitter, Alex Presley and Chase d'Arnaud will be back up with the Pirates in St. Louis tomorrow. If this is true, I would expect a Paul DFA to make room on the active roster. Stay tuned.....

Recap: Bucs Split Series with Brewers

2011-08-24T16:05:00.007-04:00

Pirates win 2-0
WP: Jason Grilli (1-0)
LP: Shaun Marcum (11-4)

The Pirates sent Aaron Thompson to hill today to make his Major League debut, bringing his family to PNC Park all the way from Houston, Texas. He didn't get the win, but he did pitch a solid 4.1 scoreless innings, letting up only 4 hits, walking 2, and striking out one.

The Pirates were able to get both of their 2 runs off sacrifice fly outs to left field. One came in the 1st, when Andrew McCutchen popped up Ryan Braun, but it was deep enough for Jose Tabata to score. The other was in the 4th when Neil Walker flew out to Braun, scoring Josh Harrison. Besides that the game was quite boring. Nothing much else to talk about.

The Pirates look to get another win tomorrow when they face the Cardinals.

Three Stars:
3) Ryan Braun (2 for 4)
2) Josh Harrison (1 for 3, 1 R)
1) Joel Hanrahan (31st save)

Gameday 129: Brewers

2011-08-24T10:25:00.006-04:00

Brewers (78-53) vs Pirates (60-68)

12:35 - PNC Park

TV: ROOT Sports, FSN Wisconsin

Starting Pitchers:
Milwaukee: Shaun Marcum (11-3, 3.40 ERA)
Pittsburgh: Aaron Thompson (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Pittsburgh is pulling out a new toy today in starting Aaron Thompson against the Brew Crew in his first MLB start. This move could be what is needed to get this win over the Brew Crew, and split the series with two each. Thompson throws and bats lefty. Perfect replacement for the mysteriously injured Paul Maholm. I myself am not a huge fan of Paul. Never have, never will. Thompson's last two outings were at Double A Altoona, in which he both pitched four scoreless innings. He has struck out fifty-one batters in 83.2 innings pitched so far this year.

The Brewers look to stay hot, as they try to win their 25th of their past 28 games. Taking the mound today for Milwaukee is Shaun Marcum, who since the All-Star break, is 4-0 with a 3.54 ERA. In Marcum's last appearance at PNC Park, he threw 7 scoreless innings, only allowing 4 hits, holding the Bucco bats to a overall .167 average that day. Stats proven, he has done very well against the Pirates.

Lets hope today the Pirates can bust out a W against the Brewers. It seems like they never can, but today is the day. I'm sure Thompson would like a W on his first outing.

Line-Ups:

Pittsburgh- Tabata 7, Harrison 5, McCutchen 8, Walker 4, Jones 3, Paul 9, Cedeno 6, McKenry 2, Thompson 1
Milwaukee- Hart 9, Hairston Jr 8, Braun 7, Fielder 3, McGehee 5, Betancourt 6, Lucroy 2, Wilson 4, Marcum 1

Go Bucs

Recap: No Chance. Pirates Lose

2011-08-23T23:33:00.001-04:00

Pirates Lose, 11-4

WP: Marco Estrada (4-8)

LP: Ross Ohlendorf (0-1)

For every game that's like game 2 of yesterday's doubleheader, there's about 5 of tonight's games. Pirates really had no chance. Ross Ohlendorf was un-boss like tonight giving up 7 runs. Also, the Pirates shot themselves in the foot a few times, including Ryan Doumit's garbage throwing error on a bunt. Typical Brewers game. No chance.

Liveblog 128: Brewers @ Pirates

2011-08-23T19:46:00.000-04:00

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;altcast_code=4362544d26" &amp;gt;Game 128: Brewers at Pirates&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Gameday 128: The Boss is Back

2011-08-23T17:42:00.000-04:00

Brewers (77-53) vs Pirates (60-67)

7:05 - PNC Park

TV: ROOT Sports, FSN Wisconsin

Starting Pitchers:

Milwaukee - Marco Estrada (3-8, 4.28 ERA)

Pittsburgh - Ross Ohlendorf (0-0, 7.27 ERA)

The Pirates finally beat the Brewers last night, snapping an 0-9 skid against the Brew Crew this season. Despite the loss, the Brewers are still one of the hottest teams in baseball, as they have won 16 of their last 19 contests. They have opened up a 9 game lead in the NL Central, the largest lead in franchise history and also the largest lead of any division currently. The Pirates hope to have another big inning like last night's 7th inning, in which they scored 7 runs, their biggest inning of the year. Jose Tabata has been on a roll since coming off the DL, batting .414 (12 for 29) since his return.

Ross Ohlendorf has finally returned after missing plenty of time with a lingering shoulder injury. When I talked to Tim Neverett the day that Ross went on the 15-day DL, he said that he shouldn't be out more than a few weeks. Well, here we are 4 and a half months later, and The Boss is finally making his return. He has not pitched in the majors since April 9th, but went 7 innings giving up only 2 runs in his last rehab start with Triple-A Indianapolis. Current Milwaukee hitters are hitting .250 off Ohlendorf, with home runs from Prince Fielder and Casey McGehee.

Marco Estrada moved into the rotation when Chris Narveson suffered a cut on his left thumb, and he will get at least this one start. In his start last week against the Buccos, Estrada allowed just 1 hit in 5 innings of scoreless ball. In his last 3 starts, he is 1-1 with a 2.53 ERA and 12 K. He has thrown a total of 9 scoreless innings this year against the Pirates.

Go Bucs

Pirates DFA Beimel

2011-08-23T13:25:00.002-04:00

Joe Beimel was DFA'd this morning in order to clear up a roster spot for today's starting pitcher: Ross Ohlendorf. Beimel, who is now 34, had an ERA of 5.33, 6.0 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, 2.1 HR/9, and 34 hits allowed in 25.1 innings this year out of the pen. He also surrendered a homer to Ryan Braun in game 1 of last night's doubleheader.

ESPN's Buster Olney reports on twitter that the Yankees and Phillies may have interest in acquiring Beimel, as they are both seeking veteran lefties.

Beimel was signed in January to a minor-league deal, but that was not his first stint in Pittsburgh. Beimel was the Pirates 18th round pick in the 1998 amateur draft, and was with the Pirates through 2003. He also has more local ties to Pittsburgh, as he was born in St. Marys, PA, and went to college at Duquesne University in downtown Pittsburgh.

Liveblog 125: Pirates v Reds

2011-08-21T13:35:00.000-04:00

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;altcast_code=3968c3a0ef" &amp;gt;Game 125: Reds at Pirates&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Recap: Messy. Pirates Lose.

2011-08-20T00:44:00.001-04:00

Pirates lose 11-8

WP: Travis Wood (6-5)

LP: Joel Hanrahan (0-2)

So before this game, if i told you that Kevin Correia had a typical Kevin Correia home start, you say the Pirates lose right? Well, you would be right. But, it wouldn't be the game you would expect.

This game was slugfest city. Kevin Correia gave up 6 runs, and for one of the few times, the offense gave the pitching a lift. The Pirates did manage 10 hits, with the bulk of those coming off the Reds bullpen. The buccos did manage to tie it in the 8th, but then Joel Hanrahan had a rough performance, giving up 3 runs.

The Pirates did give away 2 outs at crucial times, at the hands of 3rd base coach Nick Leyva, costing them 2 potential runs.

As a rarity in the 2nd half of the season, the hitting held up their end of the bargain, but the pitching did not.

Pirates are back at it tomorrow at 4:10.

Paul Maholm to DL

2011-08-19T22:56:00.000-04:00

Pirates starting pitcher Paul Maholm has just been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left shoulder. This is the first time in Paul's 6 year career that he has been put on the DL.

Maholm is 6-14 this year with an ERA of 3.66. Since the all-star break, Paul has not had his best stuff. He is 0-5 with an ERA of 5.75 since the Midsummer Classic. His last start looked like this:
IP H ER BB K
5.0 8 3 1 1

No corresponding move has been made yet, but it seems likely that Ross Ohlendorf will be recalled to take Maholm's spot. Ohlendorf hasn't pitched since April 8th, as he was on the 60-day DL with a shoulder injury. He is 13-25 in his career, with a 4.47 ERA. In 2 starts this year, his ERA is 7.27.

Tabata Gets Extension

2011-08-19T22:20:00.000-04:00

Well I'm packing up from my vacation and I will be leaving in the morning, meaning that all members of Operation Shutdown will be home from their respective vacations. That means that we will get back on track with gameday/recap posts either tomorrow or Sunday. In other news.....

According to Enrique Rojas of ESPNdeportes.com, Pirates outfielder Jose Tabata received a 6-year contract extension, with team options for 2017-2019, worth a possible total of $37.25 million. The structure of the contract looks like this:

2011 - $500,000 with a $1 million signing bonus

2012 - $750,000

2013 - $1 million

2014 - $3 million

2015 - $4 million

2016 - $4.5 million

The options from 2017, 2018, and 2019 combine for an additional $22.5 million if picked up.

Tabata also dropped his former agency -ACES, Inc- because of the negotiations with the Bucs. "There were philosophical differences over some aspects of the contract, but there's still a lot of respect," a source close to the negotiations said. "In the best interest of both, the parties decided to seperate, without ruling out the possibility of working together again."

In his second season in the majors, Tabata is hitting .261 with 4 homers, 14 steals, and 17 RBIs entering tonight's game.

Recap: Walkoff Win for Bucs; 5-4

2011-08-17T10:08:00.004-04:00

Pirates Win 5 to 4
WP: Chris Resop (4-4)
LP: Arthur Rhodes (0-1)

I would like to give credit to Neil Walker. If it wasn't for him, the Pirates would not have won the game, or given Garrett Jones a game winner.

The game started off as 1-2-3 innings for both teams. In the second inning, Matt Holliday starts up the inning with a lead-off double,and then Skip Schumaker gets a RBI single, giving the Cards a 1 to 0 lead. But the Bucs answered back an inning later, when Andrew McCutchen moonshots a 3 Run Home Run, scoring Karstens and Tabata. After that the Pirates fell off a cliff, only getting 2 hits till the 9th inning(Walker, McCutchen singles). In the 6th, Albert Pujols hits a Solo Home Run, and then Lance Berkman scored off a David Freese double, which tied the game back up at 3. In the ninth, the Cardinals got the lead off a sacrifice fly out to center, scoring Jay. But in the bottom of the ninth, Neil Walker put the team on his back and hits a solo shot, sending the game in to extra innings. In the eleventh, Garrett Jones gets a water shot, winning the game on a Walk-Off Home Run.

The Bucs and Cards faced it off one more time this series tonight at 7:05

Three Stars:
3) Neil Walker (1 R, 3 H, 1 HR, 1 RBI)
2) Garrett Jones (1 R, 2 H, 1 HR, 1 RBI)
1) Andrew McCutchen (1 R, 2 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI)

Gameday 121: Cardinals

2011-08-16T14:33:00.000-04:00

Cardinals (65-57) vs Pirates (57-63)

7:05- PNC Park

TV: Root Sports, Fox Sports Midwest

Starting Pitchers:

St. Louis- Chris Carpenter (8-8, 3.68 ERA)

Pittsburgh- Jeff Karstens (9-6, 3.04 ERA)

Karstens recorded a career-high 9 strikeouts in his last start. He's allowed two or fewer runs in 14 of 18 starts and hasn't issued a walk in 7 of those starts. Karstens has won 6 of his last 8 decisions.

Carpenter looks to move above .500 for the first time this season and will face the Pirates for the third time this season. The right-hander allowed 4 runs in 8 innings in his last start at PNC Park and has won 7 of his last 8 decisions.

Headin' to the beach, so this is it for the gameday.

Go Bucs.

Bucs Lock Up All Top-10 Picks

2011-08-16T00:32:00.000-04:00

The Pirates made another deadline deal tonight, signing both Gerrit Cole and Josh Bell for $8 and $5 million, respectively. This is HUGE for the Pirates, as they have now signed all of their top 10 picks, and 24 picks overall. Neal Huntington spent just under 16.5 mil in with all of these signings. I see good things in our future...

Gameday 120: Cardinals

2011-08-15T16:10:00.004-04:00

Cardinals (65-56) vs Pirates (56-63)

7:05- PNC Park

TV: Root Sports, Fox Sports Midwest

Starting Pitchers:

St. Louis- Jake Westbrook (9-6, 4.74 ERA)

Pittsburgh- James McDonald (7-6, 4.24 ERA)

The Pirates' Miller Park woes are finally over, and they look to rebound tonight as the Cardinals roll into town to open a 3-game series at PNC Park. It doesn't get any easier for the Bucs though, as the Cardinals are 7-3 in their last 10 games, as opposed to the Pirates' 2-8. But no one has been able to keep up with the red hot Brewers. The Cardinals lost 2 of 3 against the Brewers last week, dropping to 5 games back in the division. The Pirates on the other hand, got swept by the Brewers over the weekend to drop to 13 games behind Milwaukee, 8 games behind St. Louis, and 2 games behind Cincinatti.

Jake Westbrook gets the call for the Red Birds, and he has been mediocre this year. He has the worst numbers of the St. Louis 5-man rotation this year, but has been good as of late. Westbrook turned in one of his best starts of the year in his last outing, going eight innings against the Brewers and allowing three runs in a losing effort. The right-hander has lasted at least six innings in each of his last five starts, posting just a 2-2 record and lowering his ERA from 5.26 to 4.74.

James McDonald will pitch for the Bucs tonight. The last time McDonald picked up a victory was July 25th. He has not managed a win in 3 starts since then though, with an 0-2 record and an ERA of 6. After allowing 13 homers in his first 20 starts, McDonald has surrendered seven in these last three. On an encouraging note, McDonald has shown better efficiency his last two times out. He has faced the Cardinals once this year, surrendering 2 runs on 4 hits in just 4.2 innings of work. Only one member of the Cardinals has managed to hit a home run off of McDonald in their career, and its not Albert Pujols, Lance Berkman, or Matt Holliday. Nope, its Allen Craig.

And guess who comes to town tonight? None other than Jerry Meals, who may or may not be solely responsible for the Pirates' downward spiral into oblivion with his home plate call in the epic 19-inning game against Atlanta. Be prepared for tons of boo's Mr Meals.

Jose Tabata is on his way to Pittsburgh as I type and will be in the lineup if he can get here in time! Hopefully he can help us get back on track!

Go Bucs!

Recap: What is it With These Guys?

2011-08-14T21:01:00.000-04:00

Pirates lose, 2-1

WP: Takashi Saito (3-1)

LP: Chris Resop (3-4)

Not exactly sure how to recap this game. Let's do it Coors Light style.

Cold Hard Fact: Pirates CANNOT WIN IN MILWAUKEE. Just can't. No love from the baseball gods.

Charlie Morton has given up 2 runs in his past 3 starts, and the Pirates just can't score runs. Simple as that.

Gameday 116: Giants

2011-08-10T12:20:00.003-04:00

Pirates (55-60) vs Giants (64-53)
3:45- AT&T Park
TV: ROOT Sports, CSN- Bay Area
MLB.TV Game of the Day

Starting Pitchers:
Pittsburgh- Jeff Karstens (8-6, 3.05 ERA)
San Francisco- Jonathan Sanchez (4-6, 4.10 ERA)

Quick hits... The Pirates are hitting .178 (13 for 73) with 24 strikeouts and no home runs against lefties since July 31.
Karstens is 3-0 with a 1.94 ERA over his last six road starts.
Sanchez has fanned the current Pirates 25 times over 59 at bats in his career.
On vacation so here ends the gameday

Lets Go Bucs

Recap: Huff's bat + Bumgarner's arm = Giants win

2011-08-10T01:19:00.003-04:00

Pirates lose 6 to 0

WP: Madison Bumgarner (7-11)

LP: James McDonald (7-6)

The game started off to a kind of slow start. The Bucs were able to put a couple of hits the first four innings, and reaching every base..except for home. The Giants didn't even get their first hit till the fourth inning. Keppinger gets a double to start off the inning, and a few batters later Huff also got a double, scoring Keppinger. The Pirates continuted their struggles at the plate. Ryan Doumit was the only Pirate starting position player not to have a strikeout the entire game (McCutchen, Jones, Wood, and Cedeno had two). In the fifth, Chris Stewart hits a solo shot to right field, giving the world champion Giants a 2 to 0 lead. The bats contiued to struggle for the Buccos. Even if the Pirates got a runner or two on base, they were unable to capitalize, leaving a total of nine runners left on base(Giants had four). In the sixth Huff hits a homerun to left field, which would have been a water shot if a fan wouldn't have robbed the ball from leaving the park. The homerun was the second of the game for McDonald, third earned run. I seem to harsh when i talk about the Pirates when they lose, but Bumgarner did throw a lights out seven innings. He had ten strikeouts, and only allowed four hits. The bullpen didn't give the Bucs enough life at the end of the game to win, allowing three runs in the eighth inning, making the score six to none. The Pirates ended up getting bases loaded in the ninth by Wood getting on base by a fielders choice, Alvarez reaching on a error by Sandavol(2nd of the game), and a walk by Pearce. Up comes McCutchen. Hoping for some two out lightning, but no. Strike three, game over.

I find it ironic how i was saying in my gameday post that Bumgarner was the one who never gets the run support, and tonight it was the opposite. McDonald doesn't get the run support, causing his record to drop to seven and six.

The Battling Bucs look to get back on the winning train tomorrow, and clinch the rubber match. Project Starters: Pittsburgh: Karstens San Francisco: Sanchez

Three Stars:

3) Chris Stewart (1 for 4, 1HR, 1RBI)

2) Aubrey Huff ( 3 for 4, 1HR, 12B, 11B, 1RBI)

1) Madison Bumgarner (7IP, 4H, 0ER, 10K)

LVP: Brandon Wood ( 0 for 4, 2K)

Gameday 115: Giants

2011-08-09T16:49:00.007-04:00

Pirates (55-59) vs. Giants (63-53)

10:15 AT&T Park

TV: ROOT Sports, CSN - Bay Area

Starting Pitchers:
Pittsburgh: James McDonald (7-5, 4.23 ERA)

San Francisco: Madison Bumgarner (6-11, 3.71 ERA)

Morale is high, higher than usual at least. The Bucs were glad to be on top for the first time in the past 11 games. Last night's 5 to 0 win over the Giants needs to boost the Pirates back to where they were about two weeks ago, first place. I know the Pirates themselves, and the fans were not too pleased with the Pirates preformances the past 10 games, but hey! We finially won. After last night's win, the Pirates moved back into third place in the NL Central, passing up the Cincinnati Reds. The Pirates are now 9.5 games back in the divsion, so these next few road games are must win if they are looking for the quest to October.

The Giants had higher expectations this season for the twenty two year old starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner. He's had his fair share of ups and downs this season, but the stats keep showing that when he is on the mound, the offense doesn't provide for him. Six of the eleven losses Bumgarner has, the Giants failed to score a single run, and only once were able to score over three runs and still lose (July 30th vs. Reds). Bumgarner has already faced the Battling Bucs once this year. It was at PNC Park on April 27th, and the attendence to that game was a low 9,048. The Pirates only got 5 hits of Bumgarner, but were still able to score two runs, the only two runs for both teams all game. The lack of run support gave Bumgarner the loss, and James McDonald his first win of the year. The Pirates are looking to come out tonight with the same end result as that game, a "W."

James McDonald is hoping to keep the winning going tonight, as he steps on the mound tonight with a blister on his throwing hand's middle finger. This will be the twenty second time McDonald has got the call this season. McDonald deserves as much as win as the rest of the team does tonight. His last outing was one of the best times I saw him pitch all year. It was August 4th vs the Cubs. McDonald threw a solid seven innings, and got a base clearing three RBI double. Although the game ended up a 7 to 6 loss for the Pirates, which gave them their seventh straight loss(and their second straight series being swept).

ESPN's AccuScore Projections only gives the Pirates a 29% chance of victory for tonight's game, so go out there Bucs and show those bastards what you're made of.

Tonight is going to be another nippy night out. The temperature could drop to as low as 54 degrees. It's starting to feel like October in San Fran. The Pirates need to get used to the climate because once we start winning again, they will be playing in that weather all October.

Tyler was unavailable today to do the game day post so he gave me (Nick Roth, Illustrator) the chance to do my very first post. I hope you enjoyed it. Follow me on twitter @timmyscrot and make sure to tell all your Bucco loving friends to follow the blog on twitter as well
Go Bucs

Recap: The Streak Has Ended

2011-08-09T02:00:00.000-04:00

Raise the jolly roger for the first time in 10 games!! Bucs win 5-0!

WP: Charlie Morton (9-6)

LP: Ryan Vogelsong (9-2)

Charlie Morton deserves all the credit in the world for tonight's win. He threw 8 scoreless innings tonight as the Bucs downed the defending champs. Morton flashed his electric stuff, pushing his scoreless inning streak to 15 innings. Unlike his last outing, Morton got run support from the Pirates lineup.

The Bucs opened the scoring early with back-to-back doubles from Garrett Jones (more from him later) and Neil Walker. Ryan Ludwick singled to score Walker, and the Bucs led 2-0 after the first frame.

Ground Chuck didn't get many swinging strikes tonight, but goshdarnit he didn't need them as he got 14 groundouts, good for 60% of the total outs of the game, which is lower than his average for the year, but was enough to throw 8 scoreless innings against the defending champs. As usual, Morton fared much better against right-handed hitters than lefties. All 6 of the Giants hits came off the bat of left handed hitters. Right handers put up a goose-egg (if only Chuck could face a lineup of all righties).

The Bucs had a big opportunity to cash in during the top of the 3rd, loading the bases with Pedro Alvarez up. El Toro drew a walk, scoring Andrew McCutchen, but Brandon Wood grounded out to end the threat. The Pirates tacked on 2 more in the 5th inning, with back-to-back-to-back singles from Ludwick, Alvarez, and Wood.

Garrett Jones had an excellent night tonight, going 4 for 5 and scoring twice. That raises his batting average to .249 on the year. His .444 average in August has been a major improvement over his .183 average in July. He is making his case to stay in the lineup, as outfielder Jose Tabata is nearing his return.

Charlie Morton improved to 6-2 with an ERA of 3.29 on the road, and 3.56 overall. With the win tonight, the Pirates have now won 9 of 10 series openers on the road this year.

Three Stars:

3) Garrett Jones (4 for 5, 2R)

2) Ryan Ludwick (2 for 3, 2RBI)

1) Charlie Morton (8IP, 6H, 0ER, 4K)

LVP: Derrek Lee (1 for 4, 3B, 3K)

Gameday 114: Giants

2011-08-08T16:19:00.000-04:00

Pirates (54-59) vs Giants (63-52)

10:15- AT&T Park

TV: Root Sports, CSN - Bay Area

Starting Pitchers:

Pittsburgh- Charlie Morton (8-6, 3.80 ERA)

San Francisco- Ryan Vogelsong (9-1, 2.19 ERA)

Just two weeks ago, both the Pirates and the Giants were on the top of the world. Both have performed poorly as of late, but the Pirates' slump may prove to be fatal to their playoff hopes, unlike the Giants. The Pirates have lost 10 in a row and show no signs of stopping. The Giants have lost 8 of their last 10, but still sit atop the NL West. The Pirates have dropped to fourth in the NL Central, 0.5 games behind the third place Reds, 7 games behind the Cardinals, and 10 games behind the division-leading Brewers.

The West Coast has not been particularly friendly to the Pirates either. They have lost 21 of their last 28 games in the state of California. "It's obviously not easy right now," Neil Walker said. "...Nobody likes the feeling that we have right now." Walker may be the only silver lining in this dark cloud of losing, having 9 multi-hit efforts in his last 13 games.

Ryan Vogelsong is pitching for the Giants tonight, and he is hardly the same as he was 5 years ago for the Pirates. From 2001-2006, Vogelsong was 10-19 with an ERA of 6. This year with the Giants, Vogelsong has almost achieved as many wins (9), and his ERA is almost one-third of that with the Pirates (2.19). Current Pirates are hitting .333 against Vogelsong, with Neil Walker and Derrek Lee leading the charge. Walker is 3 for 3 against Vogelsong, and Lee is 5 for 9. Vogelsong has pitched once this year against Pittsburgh, allowing just 2 runs on 4 hits in almost 6 innings of work. His last start was a good one. He pitched 6 innings, allowing 1 run on 5 hits in a 8-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Charlie Morton is coming off of one of his best outings of the year against the Cubs. Morton didn't allow any runs in 7 innings of work and struck out 7 in a 1-0 loss against Chicago. Morton has pitched once this year against San Francisco, back on April 26th. His line looked like 7IP, 4H, 1ER, 6K. He got the no-decision though as the Pirates were unable to pick up Morton in that contest. He's 1/3 with a 3.48 ERA in five career starts against San Francisco.

For the sixth consecutive season, the Pirates are dealing with a losing streak of nine games or more. Until their current skid, the Bucs' longest losing streak of the season had been six games (May 10-16). Hopefully this Nightmare on Federal Street doesn't extend to Willie Mays Plaza.

Go Bucs

Gameday 112: Padres

2011-08-06T17:14:00.002-04:00

Padres (49-64) vs Pirates (54-57)

7:05- PNC Park

TV: Root Sports, 4 San Diego, 47 Uniradio TV

Starting Pitchers:

Pittsburgh- Paul Maholm (6-11, 3.27 ERA)

San Diego- Cory Luebke (3-6, 3.21 ERA)

This nightmare has gone on long enough. The Pirates are currently riding an 8-game skid, their longest since June of 2010. That team won a total of 57 games all year long. The Pirates have proven that they are not the same team as they were last year, but they sure have looked like them lately. They have also dropped 7 in a row against San Diego at home, dating back to 2009. Last night, the Pirates gave up 15 runs to one of the worst hitting teams in baseball. The Padres have a collective average of .234, 62 home runs, and 3.6 runs per game. Their 946 strikeouts are also tops in the majors. The Pirates will be without Pedro Alvarez, Garrett Jones, Derrek Lee, and Ryan Doumit tonight, since San Diego is sending a lefty to the mound.

Starting for the Padres is Cory Luebke, who began the year in the Padre bullpen, but was put into the rotation towards the end of June. His first few starts were very good, and his ERA reflected that. On July 22nd, his ERA was 2.65, but it has since gone up. His last start was not good. He gave up 5 runs on 10 hits to Matt Kemp and company, as the Padres fell to the Dodgers 6-2. His only appearance against the Pirates came in relief. He threw 3 innings of scoreless ball, striking out 2 and walking none in a 4-3 Pirate victory on May 2nd.

Paul Maholm looks to put a stop to the Pirates losing ways as he gets the call for the Buccos tonight. Maholm has not won a game since July 10th, but its no surprise that he got hardly any run support in those games. Padre hitters have not fared too well against Maholm in their careers, with no player having more than 2 hits against Paul. He has not faced the Padres yet this year. His last start was against Chicago, when he earned the loss, allowing 4 runs in 6 innings of work.

ESPN Accuscore has the Pirates' chances of winning at 43%, which is sad considering that they are facing a basement-dweller team. Oh well, looks like they're going to have to end the losing streak the hard way.
I will be on hand at the game tonight, and I expect nothing less than a 14-2 win by the Pirates (based on my MLB 2K11 game today).
Go Bucs.

Recap: Barf. Pirates Lose

2011-08-05T23:19:00.000-04:00

Pirates Lose, 15-5

WP: Aaron Harang (10-3)

LPJeff Karstens (8-6)

Typically, most of the Pirates' first half and some second half games would go something like this: excellent starting pitching, enough hitting to get a lead, and turn it over to the bullpen to get the "W". During this 8 game losing streak, the games go like this: the starting pitching either really holds up, or takes the Buccos out of the game with a huge deficit. The latter was the case tonight. Jeff Karstens gave up 9 runs, including a grand slam to Chase Headley. Besides the Pirates being up 2-0 after the 1st, they were never really in this game. Plus, the bullpen continued its struggles with Jason Grilli, Daniel McCutchen, and Tony Watson all giving up a long ball.

We also like to point out the positives here at Operation Shutdown. Keep the good energy going you know? Well, Ryan Ludwick went 4 for 4 with a walk, definitely his best game as a Pirate. Ryan Doumit also had a home run, his 1st since coming off the DL.

All in all, this is a series the Pirates cannot afford to lose, as i mean, we're playing the Padres. The friggin Padres. I think its save to say the Pirates have 2 must win games coming up.

Buccos are back at it tomorrow at 7:05.

Gameday 111: Padres

2011-08-05T17:33:00.000-04:00

Padres (48-64) vs Pirates (54-56)

7:05- PNC Park

TV: Root Sports

Starting Pitchers:

Pittsburgh- Jeff Karstens (8-5, 2.49 ERA)

San Diego- Aaron Harang (9-3, 3.76 ERA)

Well that dreadful Cubs series is finally over, and it seems as though the Pirates playoff chances are over as well. They hope to prove that they are still legitimate contenders as they open a 3 game set with San Diego tonight at PNC Park. They also hope to end their season-long 7 game losing streak. They have the perfect opportunity to do that tonight as the last-place Padres roll into town. The only problem is that San Diego has beaten the Pirates 6 straight times at PNC Park. During this stretch, the Padres have outscored the Bucs 37-15. Ryan Ludwick will face his former team for the first time since getting dealt to the Bucs on Sunday.

On the bump for the Pirates is Jeff Karstens, who has been the Pirates best starter all year long. He has not been as spectacular against the Padres this year, though. In 1 previous start against San Diego, Karstens only lasted 4 innings, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits. After that start, Karstens' ERA was 4.05, which is more than 1.5 points higher than it is now. He has not won a game since July 15th though, but he has only received 1 loss since then. His last outing was on July 31st against Philadelphia. He went 7 innings, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits, earning a no-decision in a 6-5 loss.

Aaron Harang is pitching for San Diego. He has pitched against the Pirates once this year. He allowed 4 runs in 5 innings of work, earning the loss in a 4-3 Bucco victory. His 3.76 ERA is 3rd among Padres starting pitchers. His last appearance was on July 30th against Colorado. He allowed 6 runs in 5.2 innings, spiking his ERA from 3.45 to 3.76.

Recap: A Nightmare on Federal Street

2011-08-05T00:29:00.009-04:00

Pirates lose, 7-6

WP: Jeff Samardzija (6-4)

LP: Daniel McCutchen (3-3)

S: Carlos Marmol (23)

The Operation Shutdown team took a trip to Altoona tonight to watch the "future pirates" play. The Curve lost 3-0, only 3 hits. WOOO.

The Cubs completed the 4-game sweep against the Pirates, beating the Bucs 7-6 in front of 29,317 stunned fans at PNC Park. Ten days ago, who would have thought the 1st place Bucs would get swept by the Cubs? Not me. The Pirates have now lost 9 out of 10 games and a season-high seven straight. 7 back of Milwaukee. Yikes.

James McDonald pitched a season-high 7.0 innings, giving up 4 runs on only 4 hits in his 22nd start of the season. McDonald had not pitched 7 innings in any of his previous 21 starts, becoming the 5th pitcher in the modern history of baseball to go at least 21 starts into the year without getting through the 7th inning. J-Mac also drove in his first 3 RBIs in his career, a double to deep center in the 4th inning.

Andrew McCutchen is on a tear against the Cubs, reaching base safely in each of his past 28 games against the Cubs. He has hit safely in 31 of his past 32 home games as well.

The Pirates will look to end their seven game losing streak against the Padres today at 7:05. Ryan Ludwick will be facing his old team for the first time since being traded on the July 31st Trade Deadline. Against San Diego's Aaron Harang, Ludwick is batting .367 with 3 HR and 8 RBIs. Harang is scheduled to pitch Friday against Jeff Karstens.

3 Stars:

3) Carlos Marmol (4th save in 5 days)

2) Carlos Pena (1-3, HR, 2 RBI)

1) James McDonald (7.0 IP, 4 ER, 3 RBI)

LVP: Rodrigo Lopez (4.0 IP, 7 H, 6 ER)

Gameday 110: Cubs

2011-08-04T14:19:00.000-04:00

Cubs (46-65) vs Pirates (54-55)

7:05- PNC Park

TV: Root Sports, Comcast Sportsnet, MLB Network (subject to blackout)

I said it yesterday and I'll say it again, this game is a MUST WIN. Hopefully the Pirates actually win this one though. The Pirates are currently riding a 6 game losing streak, tied for the longest of the season. The Cubbies are pitching Rodrigo Lopez who is 2-3, with a 4.40 ERA. Ryan Ludwick is 5 for 15 lifetime against Lopez. Ludwick has still yet to get a hit as a Pirate, so look for him to have a good night tonight. On the hill for the Buccos is James McDonald who has been a pretty solid starter all year, when he has good command. Walks have been a problem for J-Mac.

The Operation Shutdown Blog team will be in Altoona tonight for the Curve game, so the recap might be out a little late.

Let's Go Bucs.

Recap: The Quest for .500 Begins...Again

2011-08-03T23:09:00.000-04:00

Losing streak extends to 6, Bucs lose 1-0

WP: Matt Garza (5-8)

LP: Chris Resop (3-3)

S: Carlos Marmol (22)

Chris Resop in the dugout after giving up the go-ahead HR to Starlin Castro

The Bucs lost a heartbreaking pitching duel tonight. Charlie Morton pitched one hell of a game, but so did Matt Garza. Morton threw 7 scoreless innings, allowing 5 hits and striking out 7. Garza also threw 7 scoreless and struck out 7, but he only allowed 4 hits. Charlie Morton also continued his dominant pitching against the NL Central this year. Morton has thrown 59.1 innings this year against division rivals, posting a 6-1 record and and ERA of 1.97. You can't ask for much more than that.

Andrew McCutchen started the game with a single tonight, and then stole second base on a Garrett Jones strikeout. He advanced to third on the groundout by Neil Walker, but he was stranded there. Derrek Lee lined out to Starlin Castro to end the inning.

Nothing much happened after that besides dominant pitching by both Morton and Garza, up until the 8th inning. Chris Resop came in to replace Morton, and his stuff was not as "Electric" as Chuck's. The first batter Resop faced was Starlin Castro. He hammered a 3-2 pitch to left center field to put the Cubs on the board. The next batter, Darwin Barney, doubled to right. Aramis Ramirez, who thankfully was a non-factor tonight, struck out swinging. Carlos Pena was intentionally walked to get to Marlon Byrd, who grounded into a double play to end the threat.

The last Pirates opportunity came in the bottom of the 9th. Carlos Marmol was in for the save, and as usual, he was wild, but so was home plate umpire Bob Davidson's strike zone. Marmol hit Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick sacrificed him to second. Many people disagree with this bunt, but Ludwick has no hits with the Pirates and he probably wasn't going to get a hit in this situation, so a K or GIDP wasn't going to help us as much as a sacrifice bunt (Do you agree or disagree? Let me know with a comment). Pedro Alvarez then drew a 3-0 count, but a couple of shaky calls by Davidson pushed the count to 3-2 and El Toro went down swinging. Ryan Doumit, who is making his first appearance since spraining his ankle in a May 29th collision, struck out to end the game.

Many people believe that this losing streak is all because of Jerry Meals and his game blowing call. As much as I believe that it was an absolutely terrible call, you can't blame just him. It was not a guarantee that the Pirates were going to win that game. Although we will never know if they would've won, the Pirates shouldn't be dwelling on an umpire's mistakes. I understand he blew the game, but there's 161 other games and you need to stay focused. As much as I hate to say it, Jerry Meals is not at fault here.

Three Stars:
3) Charlie Morton (7IP, 5H, 0ER, 7K)
2) Matt Garza (7IP, 4H, 0ER, 7K)
1) Starlin Castro (3 for 4, 1RBI, Go-Ahead HR)

LVP: Chris Resop (LP, 1IP, 2H, HR)

Bucs have a MUST win game tomorrow, 7:05

Gameday 109: Cubs

2011-08-03T15:30:00.000-04:00

Pirates (54-54) vs Cubs (45-65)

7:05- PNC Park

TV: ROOT Sports, Comcast Sportsnet

Starting Pitchers:

Pittsburgh- Charlie Morton (6-8, 4.04 ERA)

Chicago- Matt Garza (4-8, 3.99 ERA)

Well I don't know about you, but I'm calling this a must win game for the Pirates. They face off with the Chicago Cubs tonight for the 3rd of this 4 game series. The Pirates have dropped the first 2 games of this series, and have lost 5 overall. They have also lost 7 of their last 8 games, which is extremely disappointing for a ballclub who was leading the division just last week. The Pirates have dropped to 5.5 games behind the division leading Milwaukee Brewers. The pitching staff, which has been phenomenal all year long, has been just awful as of late. In the last 8 games, the starting rotation has an ERA of 6.59. During this 5 game losing streak, the Pirates have been outscored 39-21. And the worst part is, the last 2 losses have been to the CUBS. The 45-65 Chicago Cubs! Last night's performance especially, was embarassing!! Kevin Correia is a disaster at home, and the bullpen was no better! The Bucs need to get back on track tonight or they're in big trouble. The Pirates would drop below .500 with a loss tonight, so this is a must win.

Matt Garza is on the mound for the Cubs tonight. He has pitched once against the Buccos this year, going 7 innings and allowing 3 runs, earning a no-decision in a 5-4 loss against Pittsburgh on April 3. His last outing was not a good one. He gave up 6 runs in 5.2 innings in what would be a 9-2 loss against St. Louis. Garza is 4-8 on the year, with an ERA of just under 4. Pedro Alvarez had a big game against Chicago in Garza's last outing on April 3, going 2-4 with an RBI against Garza, and 3-5 with 3 RBI overall. Despite getting 12 hits off of Garza last time, none were for extra bases.

Charlie Morton will pitch for the Pirates, and he hopes that he will have his "Electric Stuff" back tonight. Morton had a poor outing back on July 29th against the Phillies. He allowed 8 runs (6 ER) in just 4 innings of work, raising his ERA from 3.69 to 4.04. He has not pitched yet this year against the Cubs, so hopefully his "Electric Stuff" catches them off guard.

Go Bucs.

Recap: Bucs lose the HR Derby

2011-08-02T22:32:00.005-04:00

Pirates lose, 11-6

WP: Randy Wells (3-4)

LP: Kevin Correia (12-9)

Like the long ball? Well, tonight was your night as the Cubs and Pirates combined for 9 home runs. Kevin Correia might have pitched the worst game as a Pirate, allowing 4 home runs in 2.0 innings. After tonight's game, Correia is 2-7 and has a 6.62 ERA at home this season. "I'm going to move into the Westin downtown because it seems I can only get people out if I sleep in a hotel bed." Hopefully he actually does this.

Garrett Jones put the Bucs ahead 2-1 in the bottom of the 1st when he hit a bomb to centerfield scoring Andrew McCutchen. Then, all hell broke loose. Tyler Colvin absolutely murdered a one-hopper into the Allegheny River to tie the game 2-2. 6 home runs later, the Pirates were down 10-2 and the game was over from there.

In the 8th inning, Garrett Jones hit his 2nd home run of the night to give the PNC Park crowd something to cheer about. Brandon Wood rang one off of the left-field foul pole for his 6th home run of the season.

Might be a must-win game tomorrow for the Pirates' playoff chances this year. Electric Stuff on the mound tomorrow.

3 Stars:

3) Tyler Colvin (Moonshot HR into River)

2) Garrett Jones (2-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI)

1) Aramis Ramirez (2-4, HR, 4 RBI)

LVP: Kevin Correia (2.0 IP, 8 ER, 4 HR)

Gameday 108: Cubs

2011-08-02T15:35:00.001-04:00

Pirates (54-53) vs Cubs (44-65)

7:05- PNC Park

TV: Root Sports, Comcast Sportsnet

Starting Pitchers:
Pittsburgh- Kevin Correia (12-8, 4.24 ERA)
Chicago- Randy Wells (2-4, 6.16 ERA)

You can't call this game a "must win" game considering its the beginning of August, but the Bucs would certainly like to win this one to end their 4 game losing skid. Tonight seems like the perfect opportunity to do that, as the Pirates will face Randy Wells, who has had his fair share of struggles this season. Wells had a 1-4 record, giving up 19 total runs in 5 starts in the month of July.

Kevin Correia will have to figure out how to pitch at PNC Park. Correia is coming off an excellent start in Atlanta, keeping up with his road dominance in 2011, giving up 1 run on 9 hits. It's been well documented that Kevin Correia has had his woes at home this year, with a 2-6 record, and 6.62 ERA.

This is now the 2nd game for the Bucs with their new lineup, with the additions of Ryan Ludwick and Derrek Lee. Ryan Ludwick will be looking for his first hit as a Pirate, and we all know about the amazing debut of Derrek Lee. Also, Andrew McCutchen is back at the lead off spot, trying to give the lineup a spark.

Go Bucs.

Recap: Breaking Out the New Toys, but Bucs Lose

2011-08-01T23:03:00.002-04:00

Bucs Lose, 5-3

WP: Carlos Zambrano (8-6)

LP: Paul Maholm (6-11)

Well, tonight, even though the Bucs got to play with the additions of Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick, they still did not manage enough run support for Paul Maholm. However, Derrek Lee had a MONSTER debut with 2 HR's and driving in all the Pirates' runs (more on him later, concerning the Operation Shutdown blog team). Carlos Zambrano had a solid game, giving up 3 runs and limiting the damage and giving the Cubs a chance to win.

The Pirates main problem tonight was really just, producing. Every Pirates player had a hit except for Ryan Ludwick, and weren't really to put any major innings together, besides the Lee HRs.

Now, back to Derrek Lee. If you watched the game on TV, you probably noticed the guys with L-E-E on the chest. Well, those guys are on the Operation Shutdown blog team (Nick, Andrew, Tyler). If you have any pics of them, send them to operationshutdownblog@gmail.com

Bucs are back at it tomorrow at 7:05.

Gameday 107: Cubs

2011-08-01T16:31:00.000-04:00

Pirates (54-52) vs Cubs (43-65)

7:05- PNC Park

TV: ROOT Sports, Comcast SportsNet

Starting Pitchers:

Pittsburgh- Paul Maholm (6-10, 3.16 ERA)

Chicago- Carlos Zambrano (7-6, 4.59 ERA)

New acquisitions Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick look to make an immediate impact for the Pirates as they begin a week-long homestand tonight against the Cubs. Both Lee and Ludwick will be in the lineup tonight, batting 4^th and 5^th respectively. The Pirates are looking to rebound from Hell Week, in which they lost 5 of 7 games against the Braves and Phillies. The Cubs have also lost 5 of their last 7, including a 5 game losing streak against the Brewers and Cardinals. Paul Maholm will square off with Carlos Zambrano tonight in the first of this 4 game set.

Carlos Zambrano is 7-6 this year with an ERA just over 4.5, but it also doesn’t help that he has not got much run support this year. 4 times this year, Zambrano has pitched at least 7 innings, but the Cubs ended up losing that game. He has faced the Bucs once this year, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits in 6 innings of work. He left in the 7^th inning with a hand cramp and earned a no decision in a 5-3 win over the Pirates. His last performance was July 27^th against Milwaukee, in which he threw 6.2 innings, allowing 2 runs and got tagged with a loss in a 2-0 game.

Paul Maholm has been a similar story, getting 0 run support in most of his starts this year. Hopefully the acquisitions of Lee and Ludwick will change that though. His 6-10 record doesn’t reflect his performance this year. His 3.16 ERA more accurately reflects that. He has faced the Cubs 3 times this year, posting a 2-0 record with a stellar ERA of 0.39. In 3 starts, he has pitched 23.1 innings, allowing only 1 earned run, while striking out 15. He pitched a shutout against Chicago on May 18^th, allowing just 3 hits. His last appearance came on July 27^th, when he allowed 1 run on 9 hits, earning a no decision in a 2-1 loss at Atlanta.

In other news, Lyle Overbay has been DFA’d, meaning that other teams can claim him, which isn’t very likely given his lack of production and salary remaining. The Pirates will have 10 days to trade, waive, or release Overbay, and it seems most likely that he will be released, which also means that the Pirates will have to pay off the rest of his 1 yr/$5 million contract. This move was made to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

Recap: No Brotherly Love In Philly

2011-07-31T17:13:00.006-04:00

Bucs lose, 6-5

WP: Antonio Bastardo (4-0)

LP: Tony Watson (0-2)

The Phillies completed the sweep against the Pirates, beating them 6-5 in 10 innings. Raul Ibanez hit the game-winning double to win the game for the Phillies in the 10th inning. After today's game, the Pirates stand 4.5 games back from the Brewers in the NL Central. The Phillies have a 6 game lead on the Braves.

In light of the Derrek Lee acquisition, Lyle Overbay went 1 for 4, including a 2-Run Home run in the 6th inning. Raul Ibanez homered twice, going 3 for 5 with 4 RBI.

I think this is a good series to forget and throw away in your back pocket. 4.5 games back with the Cubs and Padres coming to town? Plus Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick? NO MORE OVERBAY? I'll take it.

Lets go bucs

3 Stars:

3) Jimmy Rollins (2-4, 2 RBI, 2 SB)

2) Lyle Overbay (1-4, HR, 2 RBI)

1) Raul Ibanez (3-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI)

LVP: Jose Veras (0.2 IP, 1 HR)

Gameday 106: Phillies

2011-07-31T10:30:00.007-04:00

Pirates (54-51) vs Phillies (67-39)

1:35- Citizens Bank Park

TV: ROOT Sports, WPHL-TV

Starting Pitchers:

Pittsburgh- Jeff Karstens (8-5, 2.41 ERA)

Philadelphia- Vance Worley (7-1, 2.02 ERA)

The Bucs look to avoid the sweep as they wrap up in Philadelphia today at 1:35. This also marks the end of hell week, which has most certainly been just that. The Pirates need a win today to prove that they are still legitimate contenders and that they will not back down. The Pirates have been outscored 26-19 during hell week, and 17-7 by the Phillies. Runs will be at a premium today, as two pitchers with sub-2.5 ERAs square off. Jeff Karstens is on the bump for the Pirates. His mound opponent will be Vance Worley.

Karstens has been excellent all year long, allowing 3 ER or less in each of his last 17 starts. He has been less than spectacular against the Phillies though, posting a 4.15 ERA in 2 career starts, both no decisions. All 5 of Karstens's losses have come during day games, and unfortunately today he will be pitching while the sun is still high in the sky. His 1-5 day game record is unfavorable as opposed to his 7-0 record in night games. He earned a no decision in his last appearance, pitching into the 6th inning and allowing 3 runs in what turned out to be a 19 inning loss for the Pirates (don't even get me started).

The Pirates faced all-star pitchers in the first 2 games of this series, and although Vance Worley isn't an all-star, he sure is pitching like one. Worley has won his last 5 starts, while posting a 1.24 ERA in the process. He is also coming off his first career complete game against the Giants, in which he allowed just 2 runs.

Since I am posting this in advance, I do not know if Derrek Lee will be making an appearance for the Pirates today. Lee was acquired in a trade with the Orioles last night, that send minor league slugger Aaron Baker to Baltimore.
Do work Bucs.

Can Derrek Lee Be the Answer?

2011-07-31T01:15:00.001-04:00

Hope to be seeing more of this

Many have speculated, but now GM Neal Huntington has proven that the Pirates are buyers. The Pirates have acquired 1B Derrek Lee tonight from the Orioles in exchange for minor league 1B Aaron Baker. Lee is certainly an improvement over Lyle Overbay at first base, which doesn't say much. Lee's line of .248/.306/.409 with 12 homers is significantly better than the .228/.303/.343 line of OverPay.

"He is an experienced, productive right-handed hitter and a solid defender who should add to our team on the field and in the clubhouse," Pirates GM Neal Huntington said in a statement.

The Pirates will be giving up single-A slugger Aaron Baker, who had decent numbers in Bradenton, but he is not on Baseball America's list of top 30 Pirates prospects. The Orioles will also be sending cash (400K?) along with Lee.

Lee will not put up numbers like other players being shipped around (such as Carlos Beltran and Hunter Pence, or players staying put, Carlos Pena), but he will most certainly be smart addition. Hopefully he will be there in time for gametime (1:35) in Philly.

Recap: Can We Come Home Yet?

2011-07-30T23:10:00.004-04:00

Bucs drop another one in Philly, 7-4

WP: Cliff Lee (10-7)

LP: James McDonald (7-5)

Hell Week continues as the Pirates lose against yet another all-star pitcher in Cliff Lee. Not everything about this game was terrible though. We saw some positives in areas that have been lacking lately, such as Pedro Alvarez. Alvarez homered for the first time since he came off the DL, which was also his first home run since May 18th.

Cliff Lee was on the hill for the Phillies, and when Cliff Lee's on, he's spot on. Before the 8th inning, the Pirates managed to 2 runs on only 5 hits off of Lee. They did, however, manage to get 2 runs on 3 hits in the 8th inning before Antonio Bastardo replaced Lee.

The Pirates opened the game by putting runners on 1st and 3rd with 2 outs, but Steve Pearce was unable to produce a big hit, leaving Pirates begging for a new bat (DERREK LEE). James McDonald did not have his best stuff tonight, allowing a leadoff homer to Ryan Howard in the bottom of the 2nd, and then another homer to Jimmy Rollins in the 3rd. Howard also had a double, his 1,000th hit, to score Shane Victorino, making it 3-0 after the 3rd.

The Pirates had an answer to the Phillies' early home runs, with a home run of their own from none other than Pedro Alvarez. After Neil Walker flew out, and Pearce went down looking, Brandon Wood singled and El Toro brought him home with a blast to right center. The Bucco bats went quiet after that, managing just 1 hit in the next 3 innings.

The Phillies put some distance between them and the Pirates when they hit 4 singles and got some help from an error by Pearce, making it 5-2. Pearce nearly threw out Jimmy Rollins on the last single by Howard, but the ump ruled that Michael McKenry missed the tag.

Daniel McCutchen relieved McDonald in the 6th, and looked pretty sharp; allowing only a double to Ryan Howard. Chris Resop pitched the 7th, and he gave up 1 run on 2 hits, increasing the deficit to 6-2. The Pirates showed life in the 8th by scoring twice. Pedro Ciriaco reached on a bunt single, Matt Diaz walked, and Andrew McCutchen grounded into a fielder's choice to put runners on the corners. Walker then brought Ciriaco home with a single to right. Another fielder's choice put runners on the corners again, and this time Brandon Wood cashed in with a single to left. That was the end of Lee's night, but unfortunately it was also the end of the Pirates night. They went down quietly in the 9th, and that was your ballgame, folks.

Game Notes:
Phillies Hunter Pence went 1-5, giving him his first hit and RBI in a Phillie uniform.
Catcher Michael McKenry went 0-4, 4K to end his 6-game hit streak and also gave him the Golden Sombrero.
Cliff Lee had 2 more hits tonight, giving him 11 on the year, most among Phillies pitchers.

Three Stars:
3) Jimmy Rollins (2 for 5, HR)
2) Pedro Alvarez (1 for 4, HR, 2 RBI)
1) Ryan Howard (4 for 4, HR, 3 RBI)

LVP: James McDonald (5IP, 10H, 5ER, 2HR)

Gameday 105: Phillies

2011-07-30T17:15:00.002-04:00

Pirates (54-50) vs Phillies (66-39)
7:05- Citizens Bank Park
TV: ROOT Sports, Comcast Sportsnet
Starting Pitchers:
Pittsburgh- James McDonald (7-4, 3.95 ERA)
Philadelphia- Cliff Lee (9-7, 3.05 ERA)

Hell Week continues as the Bucs face off against the Phillies for Game 2 tonight at Citizens Bank Park. The Pirates need to come out ready to play unlike last night, which resulted in a 10-3 thumping at the hands of Roy Halladay and the Phillies. Hunter Pence will be playing his first game in a Philadelphia uniform, after being acquired yesterday from the Astros for 4 minor league prospects. Pence is slated to bat fifth and play right field for the Phillies tonight.

James McDonald gets the start for the Pirates tonight, hoping to silence Pence and the rest of the Phillies lineup. Last Monday, J-Mac struck out a career-high nine batters in 5 1/3 innings for the win against the Braves. "The confidence is pretty high, but I still can't get content with what I'm doing," McDonald told the Pirates' website. "There is still a lot of work to be done. I still have a lot of season left in front of me."

Taking the mound for the Phillies will be Cliff Lee, who is looking to earn his first win since beating Boston on June 28. Lee will face the Pirates for the second time in his career. He earned a No-Decision after pitching seven innings of Cleveland's 3-2 loss against the Pirates on June 25, 2009. Lee was hit hard in his last appearance, allowing 5 ER in 4.o innings while receiving the loss.
Let's Go Bucs

Recap: The Power Was Out, Bucs Lose

2011-07-30T00:22:00.002-04:00

Bucs Lose, 10-3

WP: Roy Halladay (13-4)

LP: Charlie Morton (8-6)

One word to describe this game: yikes. The Bucs never really had a chance in this one. Facing Doc Halladay, you don't have that good of a chance to begin with. And to pile on that, Charlie Morton's "electric stuff" was definetely not electric. It was actually pretty much water tonight. Although Charlie did not pitch well at all, this one was not totally Charlie's fault.

The Bucs were out of this from the very beginning. Jimmy Rollins started the inning off for the Phils with a leadoff walk (although he was later picked off). Domonic Brown gets on base after a Brandon Wood miscue, Chase Utley tripled, and the hitting parade continued. Ryan Howard doubled off a ball that Garrett Jones misplayed. 3-0 after the first, 8-0 after the 2nd. No chance. Charlie Morton lasted 4 innings, giving up 8 runs (6 earned).

Not too much really happened after the first and second innings. Pirates only managed one hit off of Doc Halladay. The Buccos did however get their runs in the 8th inning with a Pedro Ciriaco RBI double (PEDRO CIRIACO?!?!?!?!) and a Xavier Paul RBI single.

This is truly hell week for the Pirates, as they face Cliff Lee, with newly acquired Hunter Pence most likely in the lineup. Once again, yikes.

3 Stars:
1) Chase Utley
2) Doc Halladay
3) Domonic Brown
LVP: Charlie Morton

Bucs back at it tomorrow at 7:05

Gameday 104: Phillies

2011-07-29T17:02:00.003-04:00

Pirates (54-49) vs Phillies (65-39)

7:05- Citizens Bank Park

TV: ROOT Sports, Comcast Sportsnet

Starting Pitchers:

Pittsburgh- Charlie Morton (8-5, 3.69 ERA)

Philadelphia- Roy Halladay (12-4, 2.55 ERA)

The Pirates continue their 7-game NL East road trip as they roll into Philadelphia tonight to take on the Phillies. The Phillies have lost back-to-back games for the first time since June 3rd-4th when the Pirates beat them in the first two games of the series. The Pirates are coming off of a series split with the Wild Card leading Atlanta Braves. The Phillies dropped 2 of 3 to the Giants in their last series. The Phillies are currently sitting atop the NL East, 5 games ahead of the Braves. The Pirates on the other hand, are 1.5 games back of the Brewers, and are percentage points ahead of the Cardinals.

The Phillies send Roy Halladay to the mound tonight, and the Phillies are excellent when Roy Halladay pitches at home. They have won 9 consecutive home games that were started by Halladay, who has been nothing short of spectacular this season. Halladay is looking to become the National League's first 13 game winner, and the Phillies are seeking to improve their NL best 65-39 record. Halladay is 2-1 with an ERA of 1.45 in 4 career starts against the Pirates. His last appearance was on July 24th, when he went 8 innings, allowing just 2 runs in a 5-3 win over the San Diego Padres.

Charlie Morton gets the start for the Pirates tonight, hoping to defeat the man who he has been compared to all season long. Many people say that a change in Morton's windup resembles Doc Halladay, and it has certainly paid off for Morton. Morton is 8-5 with an ERA of 3.69, which is a major improvement from last years 7.57 ERA. Morton says that he watches and admires Halladay and all of his accomplishments, but he did not model his windup after him. Morton has been excellent on the road this year, posting a 5-1 record and an ERA even at 3. His last performance was less than spectacular when he was pulled after just 5 and a third innings in a 4-3 win over the Cardinals.

The Wounded Bull

2011-07-29T14:32:00.000-04:00

As of late, Pedro Alvarez has been as nerve-racking to watch as the Steelers secondary. One moment he's smacking a double or drawing a walk and the next he's striking out on a fastball down the middle. Last year we got what appeared to be just a glimpse of the star potential from Pedro when he hit 16 homers and knocked in 64 runs while batting .256 in a little over half a season.

But so far Pedro's first full season in the bigs has been plagued with injury and lack of production. Pedro started the year in a slump batting near .200 with only 2 homers and 10 RBI in the first month and a half of the season before missing about 2 months with a quad injury that loomed over him during his rehab assignment and ultimately kept him out much longer than expected. Since returning from the injury Pedro doesn't appear to be the savior many people (including myself) hoped for him to be.

With the trade deadline quickly approaching and the Pirates in search of a power bat to help their offensive production, there is a lot of pressure on Pedro to live up to his potential. In the last four games, Pedro's at-bats have been as frustrating as third and 5 runs by the Steelers, but let's not give up on our boy Pedro. To quote The Shawshank Redemption, ''hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things", so lets not lose hope for Pedro.

Its only been 4 games since his return and he's faced some darn good pitching, so there is no reason to panic and call Alvarez a bust or a bum, which many people are starting to do. Its only his second year in the big leagues and he's just getting over a bad quad injury, so let's give El Toro more of a chance before we throw down the red flag.
-Alex, @honeymoney412

Recap: Cutch's Bat Powers Bucs Passed Braves

2011-07-29T01:09:00.001-04:00

Raise the Jolly Roger! Pirates win 5-2!

W: Kevin Correia (12-8)

L: Derek Lowe (6-9)

S: Joel Hanrahan (30)

Andrew McCutchen broke out of his slump tonight to power the Pirates passed the Braves. This win gave the Pirates a split of the series, which was extremely important as they head to Philly for a 3 game set tomorrow. McCutchen had 3 hits, including a double and his 15th homerun of the year. The Pirates also got contributions from Pedro Alvarez and Kevin Correia as they defeated the Braves 5-2 tonight at Turner Field.

Kevin Correia was on the hill tonight for the Pirates, but he also contributed at the plate, getting the first Pirate RBI of the night. After Lyle Overbay drew a walk and Michael McKenry hit a double, Correia blooped a single over shortstop Alex Gonzalez's head to bring home Overbay.

Correia also pitched an exceptional game, which experienced a 47 minute rain delay in the bottom of the 4th. He threw 6.1 innings, allowing 1 earned run on 9 hits. He got the big outs when he needed them, and he got some help from a stike-em-out-throw-em-out double play from McKenry, who threw out Martin Prado trying to take 2nd base.

The Pirates tacked on 2 more runs in the top of the 5th to push the score to 3-1. The inning began with back-to-back singles from Xavier Paul and Garrett Jones, putting runners at the corners. McCutchen doubled to center to score Paul. Neil Walker then flew out to center on a fly ball not deep enough to score Jones. Luckily that was only the first out, and Jones was able to score on a groundout by Pedro Alvarez.

Freddie Freeman led off the bottom of the 6th with a double to deep left field, and later scored on a throwing error by Ronny Cedeno. That put the tying run, Dan Uggla, on base with no men out. Correia managed to get Eric Hinske to ground into a double play and David Ross to fly to center to end the inning.

Joe Beimel was called upon to face 7-time all star Chipper Jones in the 7th with one man on and one man out. Jones, batting from the right side, pulled a hard groundball to Alvarez, who made a phenomenal diving play to start a 5-4-3 double play.

Andrew McCutchen secured the Pirate victory with a two run homer to left center (421 feet). Steve Pearce led off the inning with a walk and he scored on Cutch's 15th homer of the year. Joel Hanrahan made his first appearance since Monday and secured the 4 out save, allowing 1 hit in 1.1 innings of work to get his 30th save of the year.

Three Stars:
3) Joe Beimel (1.1IP, 1H, 0R)
2) Freddie Freeman (3 for 4, 2B, R)
1) Andrew McCutchen (3 for 5, HR, 3 RBI)

LVP: Ronny Cedeno (0 for 4, K)

Gameday 103: Braves

2011-07-28T16:15:00.002-04:00

Pirates (53-49) vs Braves (61-44)

7:10- Turner Field

TV: ROOT Sports, Peachtree TV, Fox Sports South, MLB Network

Starting Pitchers:

Pittsburgh- Kevin Correia (11-8, 4.38 ERA)

Atlanta- Derek Lowe (6-8, 4.49 ERA)

The Pirates look to rebound from back-to-back extra innings losses tonight against the Braves. After dropping 2 of the first 3 games in Atlanta, they are also looking to split this four-game series before heading to Philadephia. The Pirates, who have lost 5 of the last 7 games, are desperately in need of somebody to step up and to hit the ball. During this 7 game stretch, the Bucs have batted .214 and averaged 2.4 runs per game. In addition to that, they have scored 1 run in the past 27 innings against the Braves. They look to turn the tides tonight against Derek Lowe, who has been excellent in his career against the Pirates. In 10 previous starts against the Bucs, Lowe is 10-0 with a 2.64 ERA.

Lowe's mound opponent is Kevin Correia, who has been less than spectacular lately. In his last 3 starts, Correia is 0-2 with a 9.42 ERA. He claims that he feels fine when he's pitching, saying: "My stuff has been as good as it's been all year." Despite his recent performance, Correia's road performance has helped prove why he was chosen as an All-Star. He is 9-2 with an ERA of 2.85 on the road, compared to 2-6 with a 6.62 ERA at home. He has 4 career starts against Atlanta, in which his is 1-1 with an ERA of 4.74.

During this recent 2-5 skid, the Pirates have dropped to 1.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central standings and 1 game behind the Cardinals. Atlanta are 5 games back of the Phillies in the NL East, but lead the Wild Card by 3.5 games over the Diamondbacks. The Pirates are currently 6.5 games behind the Braves in the Wild Card.

We hope that Joel Hanrahan decides to make an appearance tonight, after not pitching in the 19-inning thriller, and again last night. It has been debated whether Hanrahan should've taken over for Chris Leroux last night, after he loaded the bases with an intentional walk, but manager Clint Hurdle never even had Hanrahan warming up. Hanrahan hasn't pitched since Monday, so he should be rested and ready to pitch in any situation tonight.

Recap: Not Enough Run Support for Paul, Bucs Lose

2011-07-27T23:06:00.003-04:00

Pirates lose 2-1
WP: Scott Linebrink (4-2)
LP: Chris Leroux (1-1)

This is indeed Hell Week.
Things got started before the game as Pirates manager Clint Hurdle and 3rd base Umpire Jerry Meals shook hands and exchanged a few words during the line-up card exchange. Hurdle then gave Meals a pat on the back and returned to the Pirates’ dugout.

The game was dominated by pitching for the first 5 innings tonight. Both Paul Maholm and Jair Jurrjens were working on shutouts up until the 6th inning.

In the top of the 6th, Garrett Jones belted a solo home run to right center field to put the Pirates on top 1-0. Jones has a knack of hitting solo home runs, as 36 of his 53 career home runs have been solo shots. The Braves answered in the bottom half of the 6th, when David Ross poked a single into left field, scoring Martin Prado to tie the game 1-1.

The Pirates gave Jair Jurrjens and the Braves 3 outs in the top of the 7th. Eric Fryer got his signs crossed and attempted a bunt with Brandon Wood stealing 2nd base. On 0-2, Fryer struck out for the first out of the inning. Maholm then popped up a bunt right in front of Jurrjens, who smartly let the ball drop and turned a 1-6-4 double play. This was a great heads-up play by Jurrjens to get the Braves out of the inning.

Tony Watson pitched the 8th for the Bucs, giving up a leadoff single to Freddie Freeman. Watson then got David Ross to ground out into the inning ending 4-6-3 double play.

Craig Kimbrel pitched a dominant 1-2-3 top of the 9th for the Braves, striking out Pedro Alvarez on 3 obvious balls and Steve Pearce on a 97 mph fastball.
Jose Veras pitched the 9th for the Pirates, getting Chipper Jones to ground out and fanning Julio Lugo for the golden sombrero. Karma’s a bitch isn’t it Lugo? Jose then got Eric Hinske to strike-out on a backdoor breaking ball to send the game into extras.

In the bottom of the 10th, Freddie Freeman almost won it for the Braves on a deep fly ball to left that just hooked foul. On the next pitch, he smoked a ball to right, advancing Nate McLouth to third. Hurdle then decided to intentionally walk Dan Uggla to load the bases with only 1 out. Sure enough David Ross hit the walk-off single that scored McLouth and won the game for the Braves. #Hurdled
The Pirates let two games get away the past two days. Winning these types of games is how the Pirates are going to win this division. Big game tomorrow, Pirates can’t lose 3 in a row heading into Philly.

From Elias Sports Bureau: The Braves have posted consecutive extra-inning walk-off wins in their last two games. The last time the Braves won back to back games at home and each game was won in extra innings was May 16-17, 2006.

Three Stars: According to WPA
3) Tony Watson (1.0 IP, 1 H, 3 TBF)
2) Jose Veras (1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 SO)
1) Paul Maholm (7.0 IP, 1 ER, 8 SO)

LVP: Chris Leroux (let up GW run)