I'm not posting again until after the pirates win and break this losing streak...until then, let's go bucs.

Pirates vs. Cubs: Must win...?

Dear Pirates,

For my sanity, you NEED to win tonight.  Get in the lead and play good, all around baseball to get the taste of losing 4 straight out of your mouths.  The guy who is on the mound for the Cubs has a 6.16 ERA.  Score some runs and leave no doubt in the game.  Let Hanrahan pitch the 9th even though it isn't a save situation.  We all need a win.  Now go out and do it.  Thanks.

Ben

P.S. If you could also win the next 2 against Chicago and then sweep the weekend series with San Diego, that would be great.  Thanks.

Pirates vs. Cubs: 8.1.11

Trying to do a live blog tonight so I can not only give you game reaction but also some thoughts about the trades and the direction of the ballclub.  7:05pm start time, be there or be square...

Pirates (54-52) vs. Cubs (43-65) @ 7:05 PM, PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

Lineups:

Pirates:                                                                    Cubs:

Andrew McCutchen, CF                                     Reed Johnson, RF

Garrett Jones, RF                                              Starlin Castro, SS

Neil Walker, 2B                                                 Jeff Baker, 3B

Derrek Lee, 1B                                                  Geovany Soto, C

Ryan Ludwick, LF                                              Marlon Byrd, CF

Pedro Alvarez, 3B                                             Alfonso Soriano, LF

Ronny Cedeno, SS                                            Carlos Pena, 1B

Mike McKenry, C                                               Darwin Barney, 2B

Paul Maholm, LHP                                            Carlos Zambrano, RHP

Game Updates:

7:10pm - Quick inning for Paul Maholm getting two groundballs, with one going for a double play.  Nice inning.  Bucs turn to bat and hopefully we see Lee and Ludwick get their first cracks in the bottom of the 1st.

7:19pm - Pirates go down nice and quick against Zambrano in the 1st with Derrek Lee's debut a strikeout.

7:29pm - Maholm has walked two and struck out two in the top of the 2nd and now is ahead 1-2 on Darwin Barney, will the two walks come back to haunt him...?  Now a passed ball and a full count to Barney.  Runners on 2nd and 3rd, need a big pitch from Maholm with Zambrano, an excellent hitting pitcher in the on deck circle...

7:32pm - Barney pops up and Maholm gets out of the inning.  He has attacked hitters all year and he got away from that in Pena's at bat.  Need to go right at him, can't be afraid to make a mistake.

7:37pm - Pedro is up and I would like to see a stat showing how many first pitch fastballs he fouls off to the seats down the left field line.  I think he is pulling off the ball, needs to stay on it all the way through...in my humble opinion.  Well, he didn't strikeout but did GIDP.  Baby steps.

7:48pm - Bucs get behind 1-0 on a sac fly with a real strong throw from Ludwick in left field.  Run scoring got on by HBP.  Free passes will kill you.  Paul is struggling with his control and he either needs to find it soon or the Bucs need to score a couple runs for him.

7:55pm - Cutch just walked, if he doesn't steal with 2 outs I will be pissed.

8:00pm - Jones flies out.  After three, Cubs up 1-0.  Also, nice looking crowd tonight for a Monday.  Good to see people supporting the club after a tough roadtrip.

8:05pm - Maholm retires the Cubs in order including going after Pena and getting him to fly out to center.

8:13pm - As I was typing the fact that the Pirates were quietly getting no hit in the middle of the 4th inning, Derrek Lee launches one into the left field bleachers, tying the score at 1-1.  Neil Huntington = smartest man alive.

8:16pm - Pedro swings at 1st pitch fastball and drills it up the middle, followed by a base hit for Cedeno.  Fort McKenry up with a runner in scoring position and 2 outs.

8:19pm - How the hell did Pedro just get picked off at 2nd.  Unbelievable.

8:27pm - Another double play as Maholm gets out of the 5th after giving up a base hit to Zambrano.

8:35pm - McCutchen hits a ball to the notch that is caught and Maholm gets hit by a groundball that probably would have been an out anyways...no luck tonight.  1-1 after 5 innings.

8:44pm - Maholm gives up 2 singles and a double and now the Bucs are down 2-1 with runners on 2nd and 3rd.  Gonna need some magic to get out of this without much more damage.

8:50pm - A slow roller that can't be turned into a double play and a sacrifice fly and the Pirates now trail 4-1 at the end of the top of the 6th.  Need some runs and need them soon.

9:01pm - Pirates string two hits together but all with 2 outs.  Cedeno swings at ball four (surprise) and the Bucs are still down 4-1.

9:08pm - Grilled cheese goes 1-2-3 in the 7th.  Bucs need to cut into the lead.

9:18pm - Pearce is worthless as a pinch hitter.  Big, long swing and doesn't know how to lay off a curveball in the dirt.  Worthless.

9:29pm - Bottom of the 8th, Need. Runs. Now.

9:32pm - Holy Derrek freakin' Lee.  Hammers a ball into the right centerfield seats.  Neal Huntington = genius.  Keep it going.

9:41pm - Ronny strikes out again on a 3-2 pitch way out of the zone.  Learn plate discipline Ronny.  Bucs now down 4-3 heading to the 9th.

9:51pm - Daniel McCutchen hangs an 0-2 slider and it is drilled into left field for a double scoring a run.  Bucs now down 5-3 heading into the bottom of the 9th.  McKenry, a pinch hitter and then the top of the order will face Marmol.  Need some baserunners.

10:01pm - Bucs lose their 4th straight game and fall to 54-53.  Not good.  Maholm struggled to throw strikes and get ahead of hitters while the offense really couldn't string any hits together.  Only runs scored tonight for the Pirates came on 2 home runs from Derrek Lee who was awesome in his debut.  Ryan Ludwick was ok.  He played really well in left field and put some good swings on the ball.  Bucs need to get healthy against the Cubs over the next few days or they may really go into a free fall.  Until tomorrow sports fans...

Well last night wasnt very good. Tonight will be different. Just win baby. Let's Go Bucs!

East Meets West: Part II

I love when the Pirates play @ the Phillies because really the entire series we are playing with house money. If we lose 2 of 3, well we weren't suppose to win a series against the best team in their yard anyways. Buy if we somehow win 2 of 3, the Pirates have not only won an important series but have also stuck to our in state rivals, a team that most would consider to be far superior in talent. I am not sure how the series will play out, but one thing I am sure of is that this young group of Pirates does not have the word quit in their vocabulary. They will play hard every game and make the Phillies earn everything they get. Let's just hope that for one more weekend, heart outweighs talent.

Tonight Charlie "Halladay Lite" Morton goes up against Roy "Doc" Hallway. Charlie obviously doesn't have nearly the stats or stuff that Halladay does but now their delivery and pitches are identical. Tonights game should be the most difficult of the three to win so I am not expecting to much. However, the Phillies lineup doesn't scare me all that much so if Charlie can locate his tinker and spot his fastball and curve then he should pitch well. With all that being said I think Morton will pitch well but the Pirates hitters will struggle against Halladay. Phillies win 4-2. As always though, let's go Bucs!

Just win baby. Let's go Bucs!

I AM P-IRATE...

I stayed up for all 19 innings.  I saw Jerry Meals call Julio Lugo safe at home plate BEFORE he even actually touched home plate.  I saw Clint Hurdle and Mike McHenry turn red while arguing the call.  I saw Lugo slump his shoulders because he knew he was out.  I watched the Braves telecast replay and heard their announcers shocked and astonished at the initial call.  I heard those same announcers speechless when they saw the replay.  What I didn't see was the umpires going into the clubhouse to review the call...that's because baseball doesn't have instant replay.  Now I am not saying instant replay should be used everywhere in games, the games are long enough as is.  But when runs are scored (plays at the plate, home runs, foul balls) an umpire with the "human element" just isn't good enough.  Here is a quote after the game from home plate umpire Jerry Meals, "I looked at the replays and it appeared he might have got him on the shin area. I'm guessing he might have got him."  Are you freakin' kidding me?  It APPEARED like he may have tagged him, I'm GUESSING he might have got him.  Umpires need to be defiant and sure of their calls and this guy surely isn't too sure of anything giving his performance in last nights game.  He was bad all over the place for and against both teams.  Last nights game was an epic show of grown men giving in their all for 6 1/2 hours, too bad Jerry Meals had to ruin it.

This type of loss is one that can either cause a team to rally and drive forward or stumble and fall down, hopefully these young Pirates can rally around each other and overcome this injustice (too much...?).

*Oh by the way, Meals will be umpiring 3rd base tonight, directly in front of the Pirates dugout, yeah that should go well...*

Pirates @ Braves: 7.26.11

Did not see that victory coming.  James McDonald was spectacular for 5 innings and then ran into some trouble in the 6th before being yanked for Chris Resop who promptly dominated and got out the the bases loaded jam.  The rest of the bullpen shut it down to give the Bucs a 3-1 win, allowing them to keep pace in the NL Central.  Tonight, Jeff Karstens (8-5, 2.28 ERA) goes against Tommy Hanson (11-5, 3.06).  Both pitchers have been fantastic as of late so I expect another low scoring game.  I also think Pedro Alvarez will square up a ball against Hanson and drive it somewhere either for a double or home run.  This game could go either way for me, but I think that Karstens pitches well but the Bucs fail to figure out Hanson.  Braves win 4-1.

Pirates @ Braves : 1992 NLCS Rematch

Today the Pirates travel to Atlanta and in doing so embark on a 7 game road trip against the cream of the crop in the National League.  The Pirates (52-47) look to remain relevant in the NL Central race and in order to do that must play exceptionally well over the next week.  Tonight, the Pirates send James McDonald (6-4, 4.15 ERA) to the mound against the Braves Tim Hudson (9-6, 3.39 ERA).  Tonight's game will also be the first since early July that the Braves will have their full compliment of starters at their disposal with the return of Chipper Jones.  McDonald has been sharp as of late and in eight starts since the beginning of June, he has gone 6-2 with a 3.22 ERA.  Tim Hudson has been equally good for the Braves over the past month going 3-0 with a 2.96 ERA in 4 July starts.  Look for Garrett Jones to get a start in right field tonight against Hudson as he is a career .500 hitter against the Braves starter in 6 AB's. 

*During the time that I was writing this post, Alex Presley was put on the 15-Day DL with a bruised thumb.  To take his place on the 25 man roster, ladies and gentleman from Vanderbilt, Pedro Alvarez...it's about damn time.*

For those of you watching the ESPN broadcast of the game tonight (since it is blacked out in Pittsburgh), let me know the amount of times ESPN shows clips from the 1992 Pirates season.  I say O/U 11.

I wish I could predict a Pirates win tonight, but I just don't feel great about it.  With that being said, it wouldn't surprise me if JMac pitches really well and the Pirates are in it in the late innings.  However, if they are down going into the 7th they are in big trouble with Venters, O'Flaherty and Kimbrel at the back end of that bullpen.  In the end, Braves win 3-2.  (Yes that is the same score as Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS, sue me.)

Pirates vs. Cardinals: 7.22.11 - 7.24.11

*Update* - The Mets just beat the Cardinals with a walk off homerun by Angel Pagan in the bottom of the 10th.  The Cardinals remain 1.5 games behind the Pirates.

Series: Pirates vs. Cardinals; PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

TV, radio: Root Sports, WPGB-FM (104.7).

Facts/Reaction: I am not going to say a whole lot about the Reds series.  The Pirates scored only 4 runs in 3 games, yet were able to win 2 of 3 games.  That is a testament to the remarkable job that the pitching staff (both starting and relief) has done throughout this year.  Today's game against the Reds was one of those days when the Pirates look like the team that won only 57 games all of last year.  But the past is the past and this weekend's series against the Red Birds is huge.  The series marks the 3rd time this season where the Pirates will play the "biggest" series in PNC Park history.  The previous two series (Phillies and Red Sox) equated to great crowds, great baseball and most importantly, series victories for the Pirates.

 

Pitching Probables:

Friday, July 22 - Paul Maholm (6-9, 3.06 ERA) vs. Chris Carpenter (5-7, 3.69 ERA)

Saturday, July 23 - Kevin Correia (11-7, 4.04 ERA) vs. Jaime Garcia (9-4, 3.11 ERA)

Sunday, July 24 - Charlie Morton (8-5, 3.62 ERA) vs. Kyle Loshe (8-7, 3.45 ERA)

Stats and Matchup: As I write this preview the Cardinals are tied with the Mets heading into the top of the 9th inning.  The Cardinals started the day 1.5 games behind the Pirates in the NL Central and even with a win would enter their weekend series with the Pirates at least .5 game behind the Buccos in the standings.  Both the Pirates and the Cardinals will send their best pitchers to the mound (except for Jeff Karstens who took a tough luck loss today against the Reds) in this series which could lead to a bunch of low scoring games.  Over the past few years the Cardinals have owned the Pirates and leading that charge is their game 1 starter Chris Carpenter.  Carpenter is 11-2 with a 2.09 ERA and 108 K's in his career against the Pirates.  Even though Carpenter has historically dominated the Bucs, he took the loss in a 3-1 Pirates victory back in early April.  Each game of the series features great pitching matchups but the matchup that I am most interested in is Game 2.  Of all the Pirates pitchers in the series, Correia has had the most success going 2-2 with a 2.79 ERA and 23 K's in his career.  Opposing Correia is Jaime Garcia who has made only 2 starts against the Pirates and owns an 0-1 record with a 0.96 ERA in those starts.  This is a game that I really think Correia exerts himself and gets back to his early season form, working both sides of the plate and mixing his pitches with great effectiveness.  As far as the hitters in the series go, I truly believe the stars of the series will be each team's best player.  Albert Pujols has killed the Pirates in his career, hitting .372 while belting 45 long balls and driving in 136 runs in 159 career games.  For the Pirates, my player to watch has to be Andrew McCutchen.  I know he has struggled as of late but he is starting to drive the ball more consistently and something tells me he is going to have a huge series in front of three huge home crowds.  McCutchen is a career .322 hitter against the Cardinals with 11 doubles and 17 runs scored in 24 career games.  He only has 1 career home run against the Cardinals so this weekend will be as good as any for him to add to that total.  Also, look for the return of Ronny Cedeno to the starting lineup as well as the possible return of Steve Pearce who may see some action at the hot corner.  However, it does not look like we will see "El Toro" Pedro Alvarez just yet, but I am hopeful that he will return sometime around the trade deadline.

Prediction: Pirates win 2 of 3.  I think they lose game 1 to Carpenter, there is just no way that they beat him twice in one year after losing something like 15 straight decisions before that.  With that being said, I wouldn't be surprised if they win Games 1 and 2 again and they go into their shell for Game 3.  Actually, it wouldn't surprise me if they only won Game 2.  I am sticking to my guns.  Pirates win 2 of 3.  Let's Go Bucs.

Programming Note: I will be in Deep Creek, MD for a "bachelor party weekend" so there will be very few if any updates over the weekend.  Hopefully I will get to see a few innings while enjoy a beverage at one of Maryland's fine drinking establishments.