San Diego Padres Vs. Pittsburgh Pirates: July 23-25, 2010

The Pittsburgh Pirates welcomed the NL west leading San Diego Padres for the final three games of a ten game home stand. The Buccos had taken two out of three from the Astros and split a four game series with the Brewers. It would be a big momentum swing for the Pirates in the second half of the series if they would be able to take at least one from the Padres and finish the home stand at .500.

Friday, July 23: On this night one bad inning would lead the Pirates to defeat. Aaron Cunningham would lead off the second inning with a triple and be the first of four runs that would cross the plate for the Padres. These four runs would end Paul Maholm’s streak of sixteen consecutive scoreless innings. This inning may have been prevented if Jose Tabata, who was filling in for the injured Andrew McCutchen, didn’t misread the ball. After the triple the Padres were able to get a walk, two singles, a double, and sacrifice flies by Jerry Hairston Jr. and Adrian Gonzalez. Those four runs would be just enough as the Padres would go on to win by the score of 5-3. Not much went well for the Buccos this night. The defense misplayed some hit balls, the pitching was sporadic in times when they needed to close the door, and Pedro Alvarez was the only player with more than one hit in the lineup.

Saturday, July 24: This would be a bad night to begin with and after the rain delay things would only get worse. The Pirates are the type of team that cannot afford to give their opponent extra opportunities to score runs. Pirate’s third baseman Pedro Alvarez would misplay a grounder by Hairston Jr. that would begin a three run six inning for the Padres. This would happen again during the rain interrupted eighth inning. This time the error would occur across the diamond when Garrett Jones made an error to allow the onslaught of five runs the Padres would score this inning. To add insult to injury new Pirates reliever Sean Gallagher would commit a balk with the bases loaded allowing another run to score. This 9-2 win assured the Padres of their 10th consecutive series win at PNC Park. It’s hard to believe that the Pirates had a two run lead with solo home runs by Jose Tabata and Delwyn Young. Errors and pitching mistakes lead to another Buccos defeat by Padres.

Sunday, July 25: Sundays are typically rough for the Pirates and this day would be no different as the Padres went on to sweep the Buccos by defeating them 6-3. The win would go to Wade LeBlanc. This would be his first win in six weeks. Pirate’s pitcher Brad Lincoln would give up five runs in the third inning allowing his ERA to balloon to 9.61. After the start he was quickly demoted back to Triple-A. After almost blowing a nine run lead on Tuesday against the Brewers, Lincoln would blow a two run lead on this afternoon. Those two runs came off a homerun by Ronny Cedeno. The only bright side of this game for Pirates fans was seeing Andrew McCutchen back in the lineup.

The Padres continued their dominance of the Pirates at PNC Park and upped their record to 23-9 since PNC Park was built in 2001. Another disturbing stat for the Pirates is the fact that their starting pitchers have a record of 18-53 this season. This goes to show that things will not turn around for them until they are able to have a stable consistent pitching staff. After completing this home stand with a 4-6 record, the Pirates hit the road with a trip to Colorado and St. Louis. Hopefully they are able to play better on the road during the second half of the season than they did in the first.

Fans From The Stands: Friday, July 23 Pregame Show

Fans From The Stands: Friday, July 23 Postgame Show

Fans From The Stands: Saturday, July 24 Pregame Show

Fans From The Stands: Saturday, July 24 Postgame Show

Fans From The Stands: Sunday, July 25 Pregame Show

Fans From The Stands: Sunday, July 25 Postgame Show

Current Record: 34-64

And...As Always...Lets Go Bucs!!!!!

Milwaukee Brewers Vs. Pittsburgh Pirates: July 19-22, 2010

The Pirates’ 4-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers featured 2 games of the Buccos hammering the baseball, sandwiched between a pair of games full of missed opportunities and offensive struggle.

Monday, July 19: Monday night’s game, the first game of the 4-game set against the Brewers, featured two pitchers who threw solid games, but one was just a little bit better. Milwaukee starter Chris Capuano pitched 5 innings, while giving up only 1 run on 3 hits, out-throwing the Pirates’ Jeff Karstens and beating Pittsburgh at PNC Park, 3-1.

Karstens lasted 6 innings and only gave up 3 runs on 3 hits, but unfortunately, two of those hits were homeruns. Prince Fielder blasted a solo shot in the 5th, and Rickie Weeks followed that up the next inning with a 2-run shot of his own. The Pirates’ only run of the evening came on Ronny Cedeno’s RBI triple in the 5th, scoring Pedro Alvarez. Both Cedeno and Neil Walker had 2 hits to lead the Pirates attack in the losing effort.

Tuesday, July 20: Pedro Alvarez had the type of game on Tuesday night that we all, as Pirates fans, have hoped and wanted him to do since being called up to the majors. The Bucco third baseman went 2-4 with 2 homeruns (the first multi-HR game of his career) and 5 RBI as the Pirates won a wild outing at PNC Park, 11-9.

Alvarez blasted a grand slam, the first of his career, in the first inning, one which featured an astonishing 9 runs for Pittsburgh. In addition to Pedro’s blast, the inning featured standout doubles from Jose Tabata, Delwyn Young, and Neil Walker, all producing RBI’s. After the Brewers battled back, tallying 3, 4, and 2 runs in the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th innings respectively, Garrett Jones sacrificed Young home on a hammer to deep center field. Neil Walker led the charge for the Pirates with 5 hits.

Octavio Dotel closed out the game for the Pirates, striking out the side and earning his 20th save of the season. While the offense was impressive on this night, the starting pitching was equally as disappointing. Starter Brad Lincoln lasted only 2.1 innings, giving up 7 earned runs. But sometimes you need to win the crazy games in major league baseball, and that’s exactly what the Pirates did on Tuesday night, evening the series at a game a piece.

Wednesday, July 21: For the second straight night, the Pittsburgh Pirates were the hottest team in baseball. The Buccos scored 15 runs on 18 hits while holding Milwaukee to only 3 runs, blowing out the Brewers and providing more fireworks on this night than any other so far this season.

Pedro Alvarez once again hammered two homeruns, one in the 5th and one in the 8th, while Delwyn Young continued his hot streak with a 3 hit evening and 5RBI, a career high for him. Seven Buccos had multi-hit games, led by Young and Alvarez who had 3 each. Lastings Milledge also chipped in 2 hits of his own, raising his average to .285, while Jose Tabata and Garrett Jones added a pair of knocks as well.

Zach Duke, while not shutting the Brewers down, contained them through his 6 innings of work, giving up only 2 earned runs on 6 hits. Brendan Donnelly and Sean Gallagher pitched 3 innings combined of 1 hit baseball, as the Pirates dominated the Brew-Crew both offensively and defensively. I think I speak for all Pirates fans and players when I say…this one felt REALLY good.

Thursday, July 22: The final game of the series almost identically mirrored Monday’s game, which included missed opportunities by the Pirates’ offense, solid starting pitching, and timely Brewers’ hitting.

Ross Ohlendorf was out-pitched by Brewers’ starter Yovani Gallardo and Milwaukee’s offense did just enough to take the final game at PNC Park against the Pirates. Rickie Weeks was the star of the night for the Brewers, going 2-4 with 1 HR and 2 RBI. Neil Walker provided the lone offensive output for the Buccos, going 2-3 including a 2-run double in the 7th inning. Still, it wasn’t enough for the Pirates to complete the comeback and win the series over the Brewers.

So the Pirates looked absolutely incredible in two of the games against the Brewers, and unfortunately, they resembled the same team they have been for the past 2 months in the other two contests. While there are many positive signs offensively for the Pirates, the pitching has to improve if they are going to have any success throughout the rest of the year. The Pirates welcome the N.L. West leading San Diego Padres this weekend, which could cap off a very impressive homestand.

Current Record: 34-61

And…As Always…Let’s Go Bucs!

Houston Astros Vs. Pittsburgh Pirates: July 16-18, 2010

Following an absolutely horrid first half of the season and an All Star Game in which, once again, one of their own didn’t even take the field, the Pirates opened the second half hosting the Houston Astros at PNC Park for a 3 game series.

Friday, July 16: Once again, the Pirates lost to the Astros, this time at PNC Park. Jeff Keppinger blasted a HR and tallied 3 RBI, while Houston starter Brett Myers outlasted the Pirates’ Zach Duke, earning the winning decision in 5-2 victory on Friday. The Astros jumped on top early in the first 2 innings, tallying a pair of runs. Houston would never surrender the lead from that point, and their relief pitching was solid enough to close out the game.

Andrew McCutchen and Jose Tabata were the most productive Pirates on this night, both slating 2 hits, while Pedro Alvarez and Lastings Milledge added a hit each. Duke lasted only 5 innings, dropping his 9th game of the season.

Saturday, July 17: The Pirates’ bats FINALLY came alive at PNC Park on Saturday night. Garrett Jones doubled home a run and Lastings Milledge earned a 2-run single in the first inning, giving the Pirates a 3-0 lead. After surrendering the lead the very next inning, the Pirates regained the edge on Jose Tabata’s 2-run double, giving the Pirates a lead, one which they wouldn’t give up for the rest of the night.

All in all, a total of 7 players had multi-hit games, with Neil Walker topping the list with a trio of knocks himself. The Pirates would score a dozen runs on an astounding 17 hits, easily one of the top offensive games of their season. While starter Ross Ohlendorf didn’t make it out of the 2nd inning, the bullpen came in and did a solid job, denying the Astros any runs over the last 4 innings, solidifying a blowout victory for the Pirates, earning them some redemption against a team who has owned them this season.

Sunday, July 18: For the second consecutive game, the Pirates’ bats were on fire, and unlike Saturday evening, the starting pitcher, in this case, Paul Maholm, was unbelievably dominant. The Pirates shut out the Astros 9-0, earning the series win and ending one of the most offensively productive series of the 2010 season.

Maholm earned a complete game shutout, giving up only 3 hits and lowering his ERA to 4.03. The unlikely hitting star of the day was Ronny Cedeno, who had a perfect afternoon at the plate, going 4-4, while Jose Tabata and Ryan Doumit had 3 hits each, and Neil Walker, Pedro Alvarez, and Lastings Milledge each had a pair. Milledge, absolutely on fire as of late, has raised average exponentially to .282 for the season.

So the Pirates won the first series of the 2nd half over the Astros. This may not seem like a great accomplishment, considering the fact that Houston is one of the worst teams in the N.L., but it’s more of a motivating factor for our Pirates. They had been dominated by the Astros up to this point in the season, struggling to score runs while the starting pitching fairing absolutely terrible in every outing. But this series was a completely different story, as the Pirates scored a total 23 runs in the 3 game stretch, starting their homestand off the right way. The Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres come into town next, two teams which the Pirates can certainly hold their own ground against at PNC Park.

Current Record: 32-59

And…As Always…Let’s Go Bucs!

Pittsburgh Pirates Vs. Milwaukee Brewers: July 9-11, 2010

There are some series in which a casual baseball fan would be able to tell that the Pittsburgh Pirates are completely overmatched and best we can hope for is for them to be competitive. There are other series, however, such as their most recent one against the Milwaukee Brewers this weekend, in which the Pirates could have and most likely SHOULD have won all three games but unfortunately, didn’t tally a single victory.

Friday, July 9: The opening game of the Pirates’ final series before the All-Star Break featured a surprise turn of events…a surprise that wasn’t so pleasant for Pittsburgh fans. After leading the game 4-2 through 7 innings, the Pirates’ relievers surrendered 1 run in each of the final three innings of the game, as the Brewers toppled the Buccos in 10 innings, 5-4.

Paul Maholm put together a strong game, lasting 7 innings, while only giving up 2 runs on 3 hits. Unfortunately and uncharacteristically though, the relief pitching gave up the lead, and eventually, lost the game for the Pirates. Joel Hanrahan, Octavio Dotel, and all-star Evan Meek each gave up 1 run on their way to ruining Maholm’s strong performance.

Andrew McCutchen was the hitting star of the day for the Pirates, going 2-5 with 1 HR and 2 RBI. Jose Tabata and Lastings Milledge each added 2 hits of their own, but their bats, as we’ve seen so often already this season, quieted as the game went further and further into the later innings. Corey Hart had a homerun and 2 RBI for the Brew-Crew, while Ryan Braun (Pittsburgh’s favorite Brewer) delivered the game-winning single in the 10th inning.

Saturday, July 10: The roles were reversed in the second game of this 3-game series, as the Brewers took the early lead and the Pirates attempted to mount a comeback. Unfortunately, the Pirates couldn’t equal what Milwaukee did the night before, and the Pirates dropped their second straight to the Brewers at Miller Park.

Chris McGehee singled home Ryan Braun in the first inning, giving the Brewers the early lead. Braun then homered in the 3rd inning, and was followed immediately by Prince Fielder with a solo shot of this own. Craig Counsel continued the scoring in the 5th with a sacrifice fly to deep right center, barely missing a homerun of his own, but still enabled Braun to score on the play.

The Pirates’ rally began in the 6th inning with Garrett Jones’ solo homerun to right, and was followed up in the 7th inning as Andrew McCutchen sacrificed Bobby Crosby home. The comeback came up short in the 9th, however. After Ryan Doumit led off the inning with a solo homerun, the Pirates then went down in order, to secure the win for the Brewers, setting up an afternoon game between the two N.L. Central teams for the final outing before the All-Star Break.

Sunday, July 11: In the most frustrating game of this series, the Brewers and Pirates exchanged punches throughout the 9-inning contest, with the final punch from Milwaukee being a knockout in the bottom of the final frame. The Pirates jumped on top in the 2nd winning, tallying 3 runs by way of a Lastings Milledge homerun, a Brad Lincoln RBI single, and Andrew McCutchen’s sac fly.

After the Brewers tied the game up, Pittsburgh re-took the lead in the 6th on Pedro Alvarez’s solo moon shot to dead center. Again, Milwaukee evened the game and as they went into the 9th inning, it seemed as though this one could be headed for extra innings. The Pirates manufactured a run in the inning, though. After Ronny Cedeno reached base safely on a bunt and a sacrifice, Andrew McCutchen blasted a deep fly to right field, allowing Cedeno to tag and score, giving our Buccos the lead. But in the bottom of the inning, after Jim Edmonds doubled to lead things off, Corey Hart smashed a walk-off 2-run homerun to the right field bleachers, ending the game and completing the sweep of the Pirates.

So the Pirates have finished another road trip dismally, this time being swept by the Astros and Brewers and going 0-6 to finish up the first half of the season. It has been a terrible stretch for the Pirates, and a 4-day break is EXACTLY what they need. They open up the second half of the season at home, where they are 1 game over the .500 mark on the season. While their overall record is pathetic, the all-star break represents the time, when we, as Pirates fans, can look at the rest of the season as a season in itself. Rather than looking at the overall record, it will be interesting to observe how the Pirates perform for the rest of July and into the months of August and September. Hopefully this break is just what they need, and they’ll be able to come out of the gate strong at PNC Park. As we all know, nothing is ever for certain when we’re talking about our Battlin’ Buccos.

Current Record: 30-58

And…As Always…Let’s Go Bucs!

Pittsburgh Pirates Vs. Houston Astros: July 6-8, 2010

The Pittsburgh Pirates started the month of July winning three of four games from the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park. After the short home stand the Buccos hit the road for a six game road trip, starting off with three in Houston. The Pirates were swept by the Astros in a three game series back in late April.

Tuesday, July 6: On this night Astros pitcher Wandy Rodriguez was on as he would strike out 10 Pirates in a 6-2 win over the Buccos. This win would also snap a three game losing streak and continue the Pirates road woes. The Astros also got some big hits in the form of home runs by Carlos Lee and Lance Berkman. Pirate’s pitcher Brad Lincoln got off to a bad start as he gave up two runs in the first. The Pirates first run of the night would come in the fourth when Andrew McCutchen would score on a Ryan Doumit single. The second run would come on a Garrett Jones single that scored Neil Walker in the eighth inning. The Astros would go on to score three in the third and one in the seventh to round out their six runs on the night. The loss would drop Lincoln to 1-3 with a 5.25 ERA.

Wednesday, July 7: The long ball would once again bring the Buccos to defeat and the Astros would hit four home runs in a 6-3 win. Carlos Lee and Lance Berkman would go deep again for the second night in a row. They would be joined by homers from Jeff Keppinger and Hunter Pence who would both hit solo shots. Pirate’s starter Daniel McCutchen would allow three of the four home runs in five innings of work. With his record dropping to 1-4 he was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis to make room on the roster for recently required reliever Sean Gallagher. For the second night in a row, the Pirates failed to capitalize on a bases loaded situation, this time in the fifth inning.

Thursday, July 8: Two solo home runs and a one hitter allowed the Astros to sweep the Pirates in the series finale. Lance Berkman would hit his third and fourth home runs in the series. The first coming in the 1st inning and the second was given up in the fourth. While in most major league games two runs is not enough to get the win, Roy Oswalt pitched a complete game one hitter. He would also strike out 8 and walk 2 in the win. Ross Ohlendorf would pitch well again as he would go seven innings allowing two runs on seven hits, while walking one and striking out five. Unfortunately for him the Pirates bats were silenced, with their only hit coming from Neil Walker in the first inning.

This road trip has started off like most road trips for the Pirates this season. The Astros have a 6-0 record against the Pirates this season and will not play the Buccos again until they travel to the Burgh for a three game set starting July 16. The Pirates must now lick their wounds and head to Milwaukee for a three game series against the Brewers. The Pirates are 3-5 against the Brew Crew this year, but are 2-1 in Milwaukee this year.

Current Record: 30-55

And...As Always…..Lets Go Bucs!!!!!

Philadelphia Phillies Vs. Pittsburgh Pirates: July 1-4, 2010

The Pirates were glad to change their calendars to July after a terrible month of June saw them go 6-20. The start of the month also marked a return to PNC Park after completing a nine game road trip that saw them go 2-7. While the month of June was difficult, the Pirates were hoping to build on the momentum that they had gained by taking two out of three from the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Their opponent for this short four game home stand would be none other than their cross state rival the Philadelphia Phillies. The two teams met earlier in the year and split a short two game series.

Thursday, July 1: Timely hits and great pitching performances by starter Daniel McCutchen, relievers Javier Lopez, D.J. Carrasco, Evan Meek, and closer Octavio Dotel were the keys to the Pirates 3-2 win in game one of the series. The Buccos drew first blood in this game with a Bobby Crosby single that scored Lastings Milledge in the second. The Phillies would answer in the top of the third with a Wilson Valdez solo home run. The Pirates would act quickly by regaining the lead in the bottom of the inning with a Pedro Alvarez double that scored Jose Tabata. This act is something that Pirates fans hope to see for years to come. In the fourth the Pirates would add their final run of the night in the form of a Tabata single that would score Andy LaRoche. The Phillies would cut into the lead once again in the fifth on a Greg Dobbs single that would score Shane Victorino on a throwing error by LaRoche. It was unfortunate that LaRoche was tagged with the error, since he made a great play up the middle. While the throw was in the dirt, first baseman Garrett Jones should have made the catch. Daniel McCutchen would work 5 1/3 innings giving up six hits, striking out four, walking one, and giving up one earned run, while earning his first win of the year. The three headed monster of Lopez, Carrasco, and Meek would go 2 2/3 innings giving up one hit, striking out one, walking one, and the key stat no runs given up. This bullpen work would allow Dotel to come in and collect his 17th save of the year, when he caught Victorino looking at strike three for the final out.

Friday, July 2: Another good pitching performance, this time from Ross Ohlendorf, provided the Pirates with their third win in a row. Ohlendorf went seven innings allowing five hits while striking out eight. The Phillies Jamie Moyer also pitched well despite two infield hits and a throwing error allowed the Buccos to score their two runs on the night. Those two runs would come in the fourth inning when with the bases loaded Andy LaRoche hit a slow roller towards third that Moyer threw away allowing Andrew McCutchen and Ryan Doumit to score. Octavio Dotel would come into the game collecting his 18th save on the year. While it was great to see Ohlendorf get his first win of the year, it would be nice to see the Pirates offense give their pitcher more run support in these types of games, but us Pirates fans will always take a win.

Saturday, July 3: After three straight wins the Pirates hit a wall on this night as they would lose to the Philles 12-4. Ryan Howard would drive in three runs and Jimmy Rollins would homer as they lead the Phillies offense. An error by Pirates shortstop Bobby Crosby would lead to a five run third for the Phillies that would ultimately put the game out of reach. Paul Maholm would have one of his roughest outings on the year as he would go three innings allowing ten hits, seven earned runs, two walks, and only one strikeout. The Phillies would receive a great outing from starter Kyle Kendrick as he would pitch a complete game allowing ten hits, three earned runs, two walks, and striking out four. The only true bright spot on the night for the Pirates was when rookie Pedro Alvarez finally hit his first Major League home run, a solo shot, in the second inning.

Sunday, July 4: Happy 234th Birthday America!!! What a better way to celebrate then a cross state battle between the Pirates and Phillies. This game was a rare sight for the Bucco faithful as they would overcome a three run deficit in the seventh inning to defeat the Phillies 8-5 and take three out of four games in the series. The Pirates started the game off strong by scoring two runs in the first inning when Garrett Jones would ground out to second scoring Jose Tabata and Pedro Alvarez would single in Neil Walker. Philly would score a run of their own in the second when Wilson Valdez ground out to shortstop scoring Ben Francisco. The Phillies would then score three more runs in the third on a Raul Ibanez single, Ryan Howard sacrifice fly, and Greg Dobbs double. Then in the top of the seventh the Phillies would add one more run this time on a Dane Sardinha solo home run. Usually with the Pirates down 4 runs in the seventh it’s a safe bet that you can chalk up a loss to the Buccos, but on this day the Pirates decided to bring out the bats at just the right time. The bottom of the seventh provided the fireworks for the Buccos as they would score six runs taking an 8-5 lead. The would receive their runs from a Alvarez solo shot, a Delwyn Young double, a Tabata single, and a Jones single. Dotel would then come in and collect his 19th save of the year. It was also announced earlier in the day that Evan Meek would be representing the Pirates at the All-Star game in Anaheim this year.

It’s always a great feeling to see the Pirates win and even better when they take a series from the Philadelphia Phillies. Along with the series win the Pirates took the season series four game to two from the Phillies. After an awful June it was good to see the Pirates win three out of four to start July. Now they must head to Houston and then Milwaukee for a six game road trip. They will need to carry this momentum to the road if they hope to have success prior to the All-Star break.

Current Record: 30-52

And….As Always….Lets Go Bucs!!!!!