Bucco Beat: Episode 16

The Pirates have just wrapped up their most recent road trip, and that means it's time for another episode of Bucco Beat!

Zane and Chad discover the team's series against the Braves and Phillies, while also looking ahead to the upcoming home stand against the Cubs and Padres.

The FFTS guys also reveal another ticket giveaway. You can win two free tickets to the upcoming game between the Pirates and Padres on August 6, 2011. Listen to the podcast to find out how you can win!

Bucco Beat: Episode 16

And...

As Always...

Let's Go Bucs!

Phillies Complete Sweep Of Pirates With Walk-Off Win In Extra Innings

By Chad Carlson

Photo Credit: Drew Hallowell/Getty Images

The Pirates entered the final game of their most recent seven game road trip trying to avoid a sweep at the hands of their cross-state rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies.  After surrendering 17 runs in the first two games of the series, the Pirates turned to Jeff Karstens to keep the Phillies’ bats under control this afternoon at Citizens Bank Ballpark.

Despite Karstens’ strong performance today, the Phillies still came up with the big hits when they needed to, coming back late to tie the Pirates and eventually stealing a walk-off victory 6-5 in 10 innings in front of their home crowd.

Phillies’ starter Vance Worley pitched six innings, giving up four runs on seven hits, while striking out seven and giving up one homerun on the afternoon.  While he earned a no-decision in the game, his ERA still sits at an impressive 2.33 for the season.

As for Karstens, he gave up just three hits on seven hits through seven innings against the stacked Phillies’ lineup. 

The Phillies took the early lead in the second inning when Raul Ibanez hammered a solo homerun off Karstens.  It would be the first of three hits for Ibanez, who also had another homerun as well as a double, which proved to be very costly to the Pirates.

Pittsburgh took their first lead of the series in the fifth inning when Xavier Paul slapped an RBI single to left field, scoring Brandon Wood and Eric Fryer.  The lead didn’t last long, though, as Jimmy Rollins singled home Brian Schneider and Michael Martinez to give the Phillies the lead right back, 3-2.

Lyle Overbay answered for Pittsburgh with a surprising two-run homerun in the sixth inning, scoring Neil Walker and giving the Bucs a 4-3 lead.  Garrett Jones’ RBI double in the seventh gave the Pirates a 5-3 advantage, and, at the time, it seemed as though the Pirates had that very important insurance run for their almost-always reliable bullpen.

Ibanez’s second hit of the game, which was a two-run homerun to deep left center field, came off Jose Veras and also scored Hunter Pence, tying the game, 5-5.

After the teams traded zeros over the next few half innings, Ibanez closed out the game for Philadelphia with an RBI double off the Bucs' Tony Watson to right field, scoring Pence once again.  The Phillies, and the capacity audience at Citizens Bank Ballpark, celebrated fanatically, while the Pirates walked off the field in disappointment.

Coming into this series, we, as fans, were hoping for one victory against the Phillies.  Unfortunately, the Pirates’ starters gave up the lead early, the bullpen had a few hiccups, and the offense simply couldn’t keep up with the high-powered Phillies’ lineup.  While it is very disappointing to be swept in this series, it’s important for everyone to realize just where the Pirates stand in comparison to the top teams in the National League.

The Phillies are a phenomenal team, with a complete starting pitching rotation, a dominating bullpen, and an offense that is stacked from top to bottom.  They are the team to beat in the National League, and they proved that in this series against a Pirates’ team who was beginning to garner quite a bit of national attention.

Thankfully, the Pirates are returning home to face a couple of teams at the bottom of the National League standings.  First up are the Chicago Cubs, who will come to PNC Park for a four game series beginning tomorrow night.  The Pirates will send Paul Maholm to the mound.

Record Vs. Phillies: 2-4
Record Vs. N.L. East: 12-19
Record On The Road: 28-27
Overall Record: 54-52

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Phillies Get The Best Of The Pirates Again

by Zane Heiple

Photo by Getty Images

The Pittsburgh Pirates were back at it again against their cross state rivals the Philadelphia Phillies tonight.  The Phillies once again proved why they are one of the top teams in the league by using their loaded lineup and great pitching to top the Pirates 7-4.

James McDonald was roughed up by the Phils offense in five innings of work, giving up five runs on ten hits while striking out five and walking two batters.  His counterpart, Cliff Lee, was able to keep the Buccos offense in check allowing four runs on eight hits while striking out eleven and walking two in 7.2 innings of work.

The Philadelphia offense would score three runs in the first three innings before Pittsburgh was able to close the gap to one on a Pedro Alvarez home run to right centerfield that scored Brandon Wood.  The Phils regained those runs in the bottom part of the inning on RBI singles by Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.  The Phillies added another run in the seventh.  The Pirates made one more attempt to tie the game in the top of the eighth.  Neil Walker would single home Pedro Ciriaco and Wood brought home Andrew McCutchen.  Unfortunately the rally ended when Alvarez struck out with runners on first and second.

As of right now with all the injuries, lack of experience, and under achieving on the offensive side of the ball it should not be that big of a surprise that the Pirates have hit a slide here over the past week.  Even though the trade deadline is approaching, one player is not going to make that much of a difference unless this team can get healthy quick enough to make some noise in the division.  That being said the Buccos will try to avoid a sweep in the finale of this series tomorrow.  Jeff Karstens will take on Vance Worley.

Record vs. Phillies:  2-3
Record vs. N.L. East:  12-18
Record on the Road:  28-26
Overall Record:  54-51

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!!!

Ballpark Tour: Nationals Park

Chad and Zane continued their tour of Major League Baseball stadiums on Friday night, as they headed to the Nations Capitol to check out the game between the Washington Nationals and New York Mets.

Pregame Show:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI7u0zQxODY

After the game Fans From The Stands gave their opinions on the game and their overall experience at Nationals Ballpark.

Postgame Show:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrlDTnyljLM

Be sure to check back to www.fansfromthestands.com for tonight's game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies.

Phillies Rout Pirates In Series Opener

By Chad Carlson

Photo Credit: Len Redkoles/Getty Images

The Pirates continued their toughest stretch of the season so far tonight against their cross state rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies.  After splitting a highly-competitive series against the wild card-leading Atlanta Braves, and winning the final game of the set Thursday night, Buccos’ fans were hoping that the momentum from the victory would carry over to tonight.  That didn’t happen.

The Phillies lit up the Pirates for eight runs in the first two innings on their way to a 10-3 rout of our Buccos at Citizens Bank Ballpark tonight.

Charlie Morton took the hill for the Pirates tonight.  As has been evident for most of the season, we, as fans, never know what we’re going to get with Charlie.  Tonight, he never stood a chance against the Phillies’ high-powered offense. 

Chase Utley started off the scoring with an RBI-triple in the first inning, and Ryan Howard’s RBI-double and Raul Ibanez’s run-scoring single put the Pirates in an early hole…one they would never be able to crawl out of…and one that would only get deeper.

For Utley, his first inning three-bagger was the beginning of a very good night at the plate for him.  The Phillies’ second basement went 3-5 and 4 RBI’s, including a three-run homerun in the second inning which really blew the game open.

Jimmy Rollins added to the onslaught in the seventh inning with a two-run homerun of his own, increasing the lead to 10-0 at that point.

Morton had a night to forget, giving up eight runs (six earned) on nine hits and walking four batters through four innings.  After Tony Watson had another strong start, throwing two innings of hitless baseball, Jason Grilli came in and gave up two runs on two hits in his pair of innings.

Roy Halladay, who made the start for Philadelphia tonight, was virtually impossible to hit.  In fact, the Pirates were only able to manage just a single hit against the Phillies’ ace, who improved to 13-4 on the season, while lowering his stingy ERA to 2.44

The Pirates were able to put a few runs up on the board late in the game, which only made the score look a little better on paper.  Pedro Ciriaco, who was called back up by the club after the injury to Chris Leroux placed him on the disabled list, smacked a double to shallow left, scoring Lyle Overbay and Michael McKenry.  Ciriaco scored on Xavier Paul’s RBI single.  Paul had two hits on the night.

This was the worst possible outcome of the opening game of this series.  Our starting pitcher threw a horrible game, walking batters, giving up homeruns, and was barely able to get through four innings of work.  Furthermore, our offense continues to struggle.  Don’t let the three runs fool you….they all came late in the game and…well, let’s just say we can’t expect to get too many more two-run doubles off the bat of Pedro Ciriaco.

Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker, and Pedro Alvarez combined to go 0-9 tonight, while Overbay’s hitless game dropped his batting average to an embarrassing .228.  Paul was the only Pirate to have a multi-hit evening.

While the Pirates lost tonight, the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, and Milwaukee Brewers all won, gaining a game in the standings on our Battlin’ Buccos.  Pittsburgh is currently 2.5 games out of first place behind the Brew-Crew.

The Pirates will need to play much better in all aspects tomorrow night in the second game of the series.  James McDonald will start against Philadelphia, who will be welcoming their newest edition, Hunter Pence, who was acquired from the Houston Astros earlier this evening.

Fans From The Stands will be in attendance for game two of the series.  First pitch is scheduled for 7:05.

Record Vs. Phillies: 2-2
Record Vs. N.L. East: 12-17
Record On The Road: 28-25
Overall Record: 54-50

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Bucs Salvage Series, Earn Split With Braves

by Zane Heiple

Photo By AP

As if a four game series is not long enough, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves had two games go to extra innings and two delayed by rain.  Tonight’s game was the latter, and like the first game of the series that was delayed by rain, it saw the Pirates come out on top.  Tonight our Battlin’ Buccos won 5-2.

Kevin Correia continued his trend of pitching well on the road tonight as he picked up his 12^th win of the season going 6.1 innings allowing one earned run on nine hits, with three strikeouts and one walk.  Joe Beimel finished off the seventh inning and got the first two outs of the eighth before Joel Hanrahan stepped in and collected four outs to earn his 30^th save of the year.

After Atlanta scored in the bottom part of the first inning, Pittsburgh would tie it in the top of the second, when Kevin Correia singled home Lyle Overbay.  The Buccos took the lead for good in the fifth.  Andrew McCutchen would hit an RBI double and Pedro Alvarez would ground out to first allowing Garrett Jones to score from third.

The Braves inched closer in the sixth when Dan Uggla hit the ball to Ronny Cedeno.  Cedeno made a throwing error to first that allowed Freddie Freeman to score from second base.  Cutch would strike the final blow in the ninth inning by giving the Pirates two insurance runs on a home run to left centerfield.

This was a big win for the Pirates in what ended up being a very grueling series.  The proved that they were able to hang with one of the better teams in the National League and currently sit 1.5 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers.  The level of difficulty is about to get amped up on this road trip as the Pirates head north to take on in state rivals the Philadelphia Phillies in a three game set.  The Phillies maybe at the top of the NL, but they have lost three of their last four and two straight to the San Francisco Giants.  While Pittsburgh did take 2 of 3 from Philly earlier in the year, it will take a complete team effort to have this kind of success once again.  Game one is tomorrow night at 7:05 with Charlie Morton taking on Roy Halladay.

Be sure to check out www.fansfromthestands.com tomorrow night for coverage of the Pirates game and the Washington Nationals vs. New York Mets.  Chad and I will be on location in our nation’s capital giving you an inside look at Nationals Ballpark.

Record vs. Braves:  2-4
Record vs. N.L. East:  12-16
Record on the Road:  28-24
Overall Record:  54-49

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!!!

Pirates Offense Missing As Braves Win Again In Extras

by Zane Heiple

Photo by AP

Well the Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves are all about value, as they gave ticket holders and TV viewer’s bonus baseball for the second straight night.  They one thing that either team did not provide was offense as this game finished the regulation nine in a 1-1 tie.

Most of this was because of stellar starting pitching as Paul Maholm went seven innings allowing one run on nine hits with eight K’s and 0 walks .  His counterpart Jair Jurrjens was just as impressive giving up one run on six hits, while striking out four and walking three in seven innings of work. 

Garrett Jones gave the Pirates their only run off of Jurrjens with a solo home run in the sixth inning.  The Braves wasted little time tying the game in the bottom part of the inning as David Ross would single home Martin Prado.

Defense also played a big part in limiting the scoring chances of both teams tonight.  Xavier Paul would throw out Prado as he tried to stretch a double into a triple during the first inning.  Prado would redeem himself during the fourth as he threw out Pedro Alvarez at home when he tried to score on a sacrifice fly.

After both bullpens were taxed in the 19 inning debacle on Tuesday night, it would be up to them to bridge their team’s way to victory after the starters left the game.  The Atlanta bullpen of Eric O’ Flaherty, Craig Kimbrel, and Scott Linebrink did their part pitching three innings of one hit baseball.  The Pirates bullpen started out well as Tony Watson and Jose Veras shut the door on any Braves threats in two innings of work.  However Chris Leroux, who was called up today to give the bullpen relief with Chase d’Arnaud heading to the DL, would load the bases and give up the game winning RBI single to Ross, to give the Braves a 2-1 victory.

Maybe it’s the lack of sleep over these past two nights and I hate to say it, because this has been an exciting season for the Pirates, but I think this is the end of the line of any chance of reaching the playoffs.  The lack of offense that has been on display since the all-star break is appalling and it does not look like anyone on this roster carries the bat this line-up desperately needs.  Also, the bullpen is stretched to the max with innings and with pitchers like Lowe, Halladay and Lee up next, this will be the part of the year when we look back and see where it all went wrong.

I truly do hope I am wrong, and these Pirates will have the chance to prove it tomorrow night when these two teams wrap up this four game series at 7:10.  Kevin Correia will pitch for the Buccos as they look to earn a split before heading north. 

Record vs. Braves:  1-4
Record vs. N.L. East:  11-16
Record on the Road:  27-24
Overall Record:  53-49

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!!!

Braves, Umpires Beat Pirates In 19 Innings

By Chad Carlson

Photo Credit: AP

For the second straight evening, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Atlanta Braves played deep into the night at Turner Field.  After rain delayed last night’s first pitch over two hours, the two clubs faced off tonight it what would turn out to be a marathon battle between two of the best bullpens in baseball…and they proved it tonight.

In what began as one of the more exciting games of the 2011 season, the result would turn out to be one of the biggest letdowns and official blunders in recent baseball memory. 

The Buccos got things started early with two runs in the first inning.  Xavier Paul led off with a single, stole second base, and scored on Neil Walker’s RBI triple.  Pedro Alvarez then knocked Walker in with an RBI single to right field, giving the Pirates the early 2-0 advantage.

Michael McKenry belted his second homerun of the year in the second inning on a blast to deep left field, increasing the lead to 3-0.

The Braves tied the game in the third inning, and all of the damage was done after starter Jeff Karstens had recorded the first two outs.  Brian McCann’s seeing-eye single just past Alvarez got things started.  Freddie Freeman then singled.  Dan Uggla smacked a single up the middle, scoring McCann.  After Eric Hinske walked, Jason Heyward slated another slow single up the middle, scoring Freeman and Uggla, tying things up at the end of the third frame.

Both teams stranded numerous runners on base and squandered opportunities over the middle innings of the game.  The Pirates had a great opportunity to take the lead back in the fifth inning.  With two outs, Walker singled and Andrew McCutchen drew a walk, but Alvarez chased a ball downstairs on a full count to end the inning.

The Braves’ best chance to snag the lead came in the sixth inning as they loaded the bases with only one out against the Bucs’ Tony Watson.  But the Pirates’ left hander worked his way out of the inning, as the bullpen has successfully done over and over this year, by striking out Nate McClouth and getting Martin Prado to ground out to first to end the frame.

This would prove to be somewhat of a preview of what was to take place over the next hours that stretched into the early Wednesday morning hours.  Both teams left runners on base, emptying their bullpens and dugouts, while players stretched their physical and mental limitations.

As Daniel McCutchen entered his sixth inning of relief, Julio Lugo forced a one out walk in the bottom of the 19^th inning.  Jordan Schafer singled, pushing Lugo to third base with the pitcher, Scott Proctor approaching the plate.  Proctor hit a soft single to Pedro Alvarez, who threw home to beat Lugo home by a mile…or at least that’s what everyone thought.  Umpire Jerry Meals called Lugo safe, ruling that McKenry missed the tag, which came as a surprise to everyone at Turner Field, including Lugo and Mckenry. 

Lugo and the Braves quickly ran inside their dugout, while Clint Hurdle barked at the umpiring crew as they left the field.

The game, lasting a Pirates’ record six hours and 39 minutes, ends in a travesty.  Sure, the Pirates had their opportunities to win, but for a historic game like this to end the way it did, it’s a travesty folks.  This is, without a doubt, a heartbreaking loss for Pittsburgh.

The 19 inning game included 28 hits and 39 men left on base.  For the Pirates, Walker and McKenry led the team with three hits, while Paul and Ronny Cedeno added two a piece. 

Following this disastrous loss, the Pirates will now face off against the Braves’ ace Jair Jurrjens in game three of the series.  Pittsburgh will send Paul Maholm to the mound.

Record vs. Braves: 1-3

Record Vs. N.L. East: 11-15

Record On The Road: 27-23

Overall Record: 53-48

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Pitching Story Again As Pirates Beat Hudson, Braves 3-1

By Chad Carlson

Photo Credit: Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

Tonight’s game against the Atlanta Braves marked the beginning of the Pirates’ most brutal road trip of the season thus far.  As Clint Hurdle has said on numerous occasions, the Pirates need to take the season one game at a time, and tonight was the first test for the Buccos, who took the field in Atlanta tied for first in the N.L. Central.  The team also welcomed back Pedro Alvarez tonight, who was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis, and was immediately put into the starting lineup, while Alex Presley was placed on the 15-day DL.

The pitching staff was the story of the game tonight for Pittsburgh, in this the 100^th game of the 2011 season, as it has been much of the season thus far, holding the Braves in check as the Buccos took the first game of the four-game set, 3-1 at Turner Field.

James McDonald started for Pittsburgh, giving up eight hits and striking out a career-high nine batters through 5.1 innings, while Chris Resop, Daniel McCutchen, and Jose Veras combined to set the table for Joel Hanrahan to close the door on the Braves to secure his 29^th save of the season.  

While McDonald earned his seventh victory of the season, Braves’ starter Tim Hudson, despite a strong performance, lost his seventh game of the year.  Hudson gave up just five hits and struck out eight batters, but his three walks proved to be detrimental to the Pirates’ success, as all three runners that reached base on a walk scored.

The Pirates jumped on Hudson early this evening.  After Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez led off the 2^nd inning with walks, Lyle Overbay hit a fly ball to center field, deep enough to move runners over to second and third base.  Ronny Cedeno’s ground out to Chipper Jones scored Cutch, and Michael McKenry’s broken-bat bloop single to left field scored Alvarez.  The Bucs occupied a 2-0 lead.

Pittsburgh tacked on a run in the sixth inning, much to the dismay of the Braves’ fans in attendance who actually began booing their hometown team.  Garrett Jones drew a one out walk, and moved over to second on Neil Walker’s ground out.  McCutchen then hammered a single straight up the middle, scoring Jones and pushing the lead to 3-0.  Cutch advanced to second on Nate McClouth’s fielding error, stole third base, but was stranded as Alvarez struck out to end the frame.

While McDonald struck out a lot of batters, he also had to work his way out of a few jams throughout the night.  In fact, the Braves left a total of eight men on base through the first six innings, including squandering a huge opportunity in the sixth.  With the bases loaded and one out, Hurdle pulled McDonald for Chris Resop, who got McClouth to pop out to McKenry and struck out Alex Gonzalez to end the inning.

Chipper Jones finally broke the silence of the Braves’ offense with a solo HR to right field to lead off the eighth inning.  After D-Cutch gave up the homerun and a walk to Freddie Freeman, Hurdle made the call to the bullpen, bringing in Jose Veras. Despite his recent struggles in his last few appearances, Veras responded well, setting the Braves down in order, including a strikeout of pinch-hitting Brian McCann.

This was a perfect start to a very difficult road trip for the Pirates tonight.  After losing three games in a row, the Buccos have responded the past two days by winning close games against very good teams.  Again, these are the types of games they’re going to have to win if they plan to keep pace with the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers in the N.L. Central division.

Despite the victory, the Pirates’ offense continued to struggle tonight.  While they faced a very tough pitcher in Hudson, this, as we all know, has been an ongoing trend for the club, and something that continues to raise concerns.  Not a single Pirate have a multi-hit game, and as a club, the team managed just five hits total.  Neil Walker went 0-3 and Lyle Overbay went 1-4, lowering their averages to .267 and .234 respectively.

In his first game since mid-May, Pedro Alvarez went 1-3 with a walk and a run scored, while Andrew McCutchen 1-2 with two walks, an RBI and a run scored.

Still, this was yet another game that the Pirates found a way to win.  It’s extremely inspiring to see the team continue to win games when the offense is lacking as much as it is currently.  With the win tonight, the Buccos improve to six games over .500 and, with the Cardinals’ win, remain tied for the first place in the N.L. Central.  Jeff Karstens will make the start tomorrow night against the Braves’ Tommy Hanson.

Record Vs. Braves: 1-2

Record Vs. N.L. East: 11-14

Record On The Road: 27-22

Overall Record: 53-47

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Pirates Salvage Series With Win Over Cardinals In Extras

by Zane Heiple

Photo by AP

The Pittsburgh Pirates came into Sunday’s game with the St. Louis Cardinals in the midst of a three game losing streak and were a day away from heading on a seven game road trip against the top two teams in the National League.  This game may have not been a must win, but it was very important to notch a win against their Central Division rival.

Charlie Morton had an ok start going 5.1 innings giving up three runs on six hits while striking out three and walking five.  This has seemed to be the trend of the pitching staff lately after they got off to a red hot start to begin the season.  Outings like this have showed how the Pirates lack of offense is of much concern to the team if they hope to remain a contender in the division race.

The offense received some help from some unlikely sources today.  This was important considering the likes of Neil Walker and Andrew McCutchen went a combined 1-7.  Eric Fryer was able to come around and tie the game at one in the third inning.  He would reach base on a single and then while stealing second base, an error by SS Ryan Theriot would allow him to reach third.  Chase d’Arnaud brought Fryer home on a double.

After the Cardinals regained the lead in the top of the fifth, Pittsburgh was able to tie the game when Morton helped his own cause on a sacrifice fly that would score Ronny Cedeno.  St. Louis did not waste any time regaining the lead in the sixth as the first batter of the inning, Colby Rasmus, hit a solo home run to right field. 

The seventh inning looked like it could have been a big one for the Buccos, as Cedeno would lead off with a double and would be followed up by a Fryer single.  Unfortunately, Steve Pearce would ground into a double play, that would score a run, but would put an end to any thought of the big inning occurring.

The Pittsburgh bullpen closed the door on the Cards offense as the combo of Jason Grilli, Chris Resop, Joel Hanrahan, and Joe Beimel pitched 4.2 innings allowing only four hits and not allowing a run.  This type of pitching allowed the team to win it in the tenth inning.  Xavier Paul would single with one out to give the Pirates a sign of life.  He would then steal second and advance to third on a throwing error by Gerald Laird.  This allowed d’Arnaud to be the hero with a sacrifice fly to center allowing Paul to cross the plate and give the Pirates a 4-3 victory.

The Pirates stepped up and avoided the sweep today.  What impressed me the most was that they were able to capitalize on the mistakes made by the Cardinals, and they did it players that no one really knew about before the season started.  With this win and the Milwaukee Brewers loss, the Pirates will head to Atlanta tomorrow in a three way tie for first place.  The four game series with the Braves will begin tomorrow with first pitch scheduled for 7:00.  The pitching matchup will feature James McDonald of the Pirates taking on Tim Hudson of the Braves.

Record vs. Cardinals:  3-3
Record vs. N.L. Central:  25-16
Record at Home:  26-25
Overall Record:  52-47

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!!!

Bucco Beat-Episode 15

It's July 24, 2011, and the Pittsburgh Pirates are battling it out for the N.L. Central lead alongside divisional foes the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers.

In the latest edition of Bucco Beat, Zane and Chad discuss the recent homestand, which saw the Pirates take two of three from the Cincinnati Reds and lose two of three from the Cardinals.

The FFTS guys talk about the recent offensive struggles, the possibilities of trades and players returning from injuries, as well as looking ahead to the upcoming road trip against the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies!

Check out the podcast and stay tuned to http://www.fansfromthestands.com for all your Bucco updates!

Bucco Beat: Episode 15

And...

As Always...

Let's Go Bucs!

Pre and Post Game Videos

Fans From The Stands was in attendance for tonight's game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals.

Even after a tough loss, Chad and Zane gave their postgame thoughts on what occured on the field.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sut34Y216Eg

Be sure to check back tomorrow for more live reports only at fansfromthestands.com

Cardinals Rout Pirates 9-1, Clinch Series Victory At PNC Park

By Chad Carlson

Photo Credit: AP

For the second straight game, the Pirates entered play against the St. Louis Cardinals with the top of the N.L. Central on the line, and, for the second straight night, they were outslugged and outplayed by their opponent.  The Cardinals lit up the scoreboard, and Kevin Correia, on their way to a 9-1 rout of the Buccos tonight at PNC Park.

Correia lasted just 4.2 innings, giving up seven runs on eight hits, while walking three and giving up two homeruns, losing for the eighth time this season.  His ERA has ballooned to 4.38 for the year.

Jaime Garcia, on the other hand, pitched a strong game for St. Louis, surrendering just once run on eight hits through 7.1 innings, lowering his ERA to 3.01 on his way to his 10^th victory of the season.

The Cardinals took the lead early again tonight, tallying two runs in the second inning off RBI singles by Yadier Molina and Daniel Descalso.  After the Buccos cut the lead in half in the bottom half of the inning, St. Louis blew the game wide open in the fifth frame.

Albert Pujols smacked an RBI single to right center, scoring Skip Schumaker from third base.  Two batters later, Lance Berkman hammered a three-run homerun to deep center field, his 27^th on the year.  Molina added a solo homerun to make the score 7-1 after five innings.  The Cardinals added two more in the ninth to end the scoring. 

The Pirates’ offense continued to struggle tonight.  Chase d’Arnaud and Matt Diaz each had two hits, while Brandon Wood recorded the only RBI for the Bucs.  Still, the offense couldn’t muster together multiple hits at a time, and ended up leaving five men on base.  Neil Walker and Andrew McCutchen were a combined 1-7 on the night, while Garrett Jones, Lyle Overbay, and Alex Presley all had the night off.  Where were we expecting the offense to come from?

This was arguably the worst performance by the Pirates this season.  Kevin Correia didn’t pitch well at all and the offense couldn’t score runs.  Walker and McCutchen, the two leaders of the club, didn’t do anything at the plate, and when the Pirates were able to put runners on base, they weren’t able to bring them home.

The game tonight was reminiscent of a game from last year or previous years.  So far this season, the Pirates have played to the level of their competition, meaning they play worse against the bad teams and good against the good teams.  Unfortunately, this weekend, they have looked like a far inferior team when compared to the Cardinals.  If they are going to stand any chance of competing in this division alongside the Cards as well as the Milwaukee Brewers, the Pirates are going to need to find a way to score runs. 

Pittsburgh will try to avoid the sweep tomorrow afternoon at PNC Park.  Charlie Morton will make the start for the Pirates against the Cardinals’ Kyle Lohse.  First pitch is scheduled for 1:35pm.

Record Vs. Cardinals: 2-3

Record Vs. N.L. Central: 24-16

Record At Home: 25-25

Overall Record: 51-47

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Cardinals Use Long Ball To Power Past Pirates

by Zane Heiple

Photo by AP

While the Pittsburgh Pirates have improved in many areas this year, the one area that still has much room for improvement is the ability to hit the home run.  The lack of home runs is why the Buccos need to add a bat before the trade deadline if they hope to contend in the N.L. Central.  The St. Louis Cardinals showed what can happen when you have power in the lineup as they would hit three long balls to give them a 6-4 edge over the Pirates.

The first two HR for the Cards came in the first inning off of starter Paul Maholm.  After Garrett Jones narrowly missed a ball at the Clemente wall, Albert Pujols would hit a two run shot to centerfield.  With two outs, Lance Berkman would double and then be brought home on a David Freese homer to right field.

Pittsburgh answered with two runs in the second.  Jones would double and then score when Ronny Cedeno singled.  Maholm would help his own cause by singling home Cedeno.  While the run scored, the first of two costly base running errors would occur as Michael McKenry would be tagged out trying to return to second base. 

St. Louis starter Chris Carpenter was excellent at the plate tonight as he would go 2-4 and drive in a run during the third inning after the batter in front of him, Nick Punto was intentionally walked.   Carpenter would go eight innings allowing four runs on ten hits, while striking out four and walking one.

The Buccos cut into the lead again in the sixth inning when Jones would bring in two runs, but would be thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double.  This proved costly as the two batters after him singled, meaning that the game could have been tied at five, instead of the Cards leading 5-4.

The final home run came in the eighth inning when Yadier Molina went deep off of Pirates reliever Chris Resop. 

This was the second game in a row that the Pirates hurt themselves with costly mistakes.  Tonight it was poor pitch location against a team that has power in their lineup and poor choices on the base paths that possibly cost the team runs.  The loss tonight makes tomorrow night’s game even more important to win so that Pittsburgh has a chance of winning this series on Sunday.  Tomorrow night’s game is scheduled for 7:05.  The Buccos will send Kevin Correia to the bump, while the Cards will counter with Jaime Garcia.

Record vs. Cardinals:  2-2
Record vs. N.L. Central:  24-15
Record at Home:  25-24
Overall Record:  51-46

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!!!

Meet Your Bucs: Jason Grilli

By Zane Heiple

Photo by blog.syracuse.com

On Thursday the Pittsburgh Pirates signed veteran relief pitcher Jason Grilli.  In order for this move to be made they sent Pedro Ciriaco and Josh Harrison back to AAA Indianapolis.  The reason for two players to be sent down is so that either Ronny Cedeno or Steve Pearce can have a spot available when the Pirates start a three game set against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.

The acquisition of Grilli should be looked at in one way and one way only, experience.  He is not a guy that’s going to be brought in during tight, late inning situations.  He will probably be used mainly as a matchup pitcher brought in to face right handed hitters.

He has not pitched in the Majors since 2009 and has spent all of the 2011 season pitching for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, which are the AAA team of the Philadelphia Philles.  While with the IronPigs, he would post a 1.93 ERA in 32.1 innings.  He missed all of the 2010 season with a knee injury.

Jason was drafted by the New York Yankees, but chose to play college baseball at Seton Hall.  He was then drafted in the 1997 draft in the fourth round by the San Francisco Giants.  Grilli would make his debut in the Majors during the 2000 season with the Florida Marlins.  After spending the 2002-03 seasons in the Minor Leagues, he would play the 2004 season with the Chicago White Sox.  The next three years Jason would play with the Detroit Tigers.  For parts of the next two years he would play under Clint Hurdle in Colorado before signing with the Texas Rangers after being designated for assignment.  Through 2009 Jason has an 18-18 record with a 4.74 ERA and has 262 strikeouts to his record in the big leagues.

Hopefully this was just a small ripple before the Pirates front office makes a splash with the trade deadline soon approaching.  Grilli does have a lot in common with some of the current Bucco bullpen seeing he has been on the DL at one point in his career.  This move, at least to me, is one the Hurdle wanted to make since he did coach Grilli for parts of two seasons with the Rockies.

Stay tuned to www.fansfromthestands.com for more moves to the Pittsburgh Pirates 25-man roster.

Cueto, Bullpen Shut Down Pirates As Reds Avoid Sweep At PNC Park

By Chad Carlson

Photo Credit: Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

The Pirates entered this afternoon’s game against the Cincinnati Reds with the opportunity to stay atop of the N.L. Central standings by completing a three-game sweep of their divisional foes.  After scoring just three runs in the first two games of this series, the Buccos needed two things to come away successful today:  to score more runs and they would need another top-notch performance from their pitching staff.

Unfortunately, a pair of costly errors and a lack of offense contributed to the Pirates’ 3-1 loss to the Reds today at PNC Park.

On paper, this matchup looked to have the potential of being an old-fashioned pitchers’ duel with the Reds’ Johnny Cueto facing off against the Bucs’ Jeff Karstens.  Both starters held the opposing offenses in check for the majority of the afternoon.  Karstens gave up three runs, just one of them earned, on seven hits while walking one and striking out one, lowering his ERA to 2.28 but falling to 8-5 on the season.  Cueto bested his on-mound opponent slightly, giving up just one run on four hits through six innings, earning his sixth win of the season.

The Reds got on the board first this afternoon by scoring a run in each of the first pair of innings against Karstens. 

Chris Heisey led off the game by reaching first base and advancing to second on Chase d’Arnaud’s throwing error.  Joey Votto’s sacrifice fly eventually allowed Heisey to score to give the Reds the early advantage.

Similarly in the second inning, Jay Bruce led off the inning by reaching first base.  This time, the Reds’ first batter reached on a walk from Karstens.  After stealing second base and advancing to third on Jonny Gomes’ single,Bruce tagged and scored on Miguel Cairo’s sacrifice fly.  The Reds occupied a 2-0 lead after two innings.

The Pirates cut the lead in half in the fourth inning.  After Neil Walker led off the frame reaching base after being hit by a pitch, Andrew McCutchen crushed an off-speed pitch to the wall for an RBI double, scoring Walker.  Unfortunately, though, Lyle Overbay, Garrett Jones, and Brandon Wood were set down in order, and Cutch was stranded.

Cincinnati responded the very next inning with another unearned run.  After setting the first two men down in the order, Karstens forced Cueto to ground to d’Arnaud, who bobbled the place and elected not to try to throw out the Reds’ pitcher.  Heisey and Edgar Renteria hit back-to-back singles to score Cueto, giving the Reds a 3-1 advantage.

That would be the last of the scoring on the day, as both bullpens shut down the opposing offenses throughout the latter innings.  The Pirates, in particular, had a number of chances to score more runs, leaving five men on base in the fifth-seventh innings.  In all, the Pirates left eight men on base.

The Pirates failed to complete the three-game sweep of the Reds today, but still come away from the first a tough four-series stretch taking two of three from an N.L. Central opponent.  The pitching staff continues to be the dominant story, giving up just three total runs this series against the National League’s highest scoring offense.

Unfortunately, as impressive as the pitching has been for Pittsburgh, the offense has been just as frustrating.  The Buccos only managed a total of four runs this entire series.  That type of offensive output won’t win many games at the Major League level….in fact, it’s pretty incredible that given the fact they only score four runs in a three-game series, they were able to win two out of three games.

So the Pirates are off to a good start in this difficult stretch of games to close out the month of July.  Hopefully, they’ll be able to carry over some this momentum to this weekend’s series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Record Vs. Reds: 7-2

Record Vs. N.L. Central: 24-14

Record At Home: 25-23

Overall Record: 51-45

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Pirates Pitching Carries Team To Victory Over Reds

by Zane Heiple

Photo by Getty Images

For the second straight night the Pittsburgh Pirates road the back of their pitching to earn a victory.  Tonight the combination of James McDonald, Joe Beimel, Chris Resop, and Joel Hanrahan led the Buccos to a 1-0 defeat of the Cincinnati Reds.

McDonald had his best outing in quite some time going 6.1 innings allowing zero runs on four hits with seven strikeouts and three walks.  The bullpen stepped up in a pressure situation duringthe seventh inning.  After McDonald left the game with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh, Beimel would strike out Jay Bruce.  Beimel was then replaced by Resop, who would get Drew Stubbs to ground out to first to end the threat and inning.  Resop came back out to pitch a 1-2-3 eighth inning.  This allowed Hanrahan to come out in the ninth and earn his 28^th save of the year.
Reds pitchers had a pretty good night as well as Mike Leake, Nick Masset, and Logan Ondrusek allowed only one run over eight innings while striking out five and walking three batters. 

For as great as the pitching was the offense was just as bad.  Andrew McCutchen went hitless again tonight, but did drive in the only run during the first inning.  No batter in the lineup had more than one hit and five of the nine batters had zero hits.  These past two games show why the “so called” experts have a very good point when they mention how much the Pirates need to make a move for a power bat before the trade deadline if they plan on staying in contention for the National League Central Division title.

The final game of this series will take place tomorrow afternoon at 12:35pm.  Jeff Karstens will start for the Pirates, while the Reds will counter with Johnny Cueto.

Record vs. Reds:  7-1
Record vs. N.L. Central:  24-13
Record at Home:  25-22
Overall Record:  51-44

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!!!

Morton, Bullpen Shutout Reds In Pirates' 2-0 Victory

By Chad Carlson

Photo Credit: Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

The Pirates took the field tonight against the Cincinnati Reds (after a 50 minute rain delay) only a half-game back of the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the N.L. Central.  This evening’s matchup is the first of a two-week span that has been predicted to be the make-or-break point of the season for Pittsburgh.  A strong start in this series against the underachieving Reds would be huge for our Buccos to get the home-stand off on the right track.

An incredible pitching performance by the entire staff and a pair of manufactured runs proved to be the difference tonight at PNC Park, as the Pirates won a low-scoring contest against the Reds, 2-0.

Charlie Morton took the hill for the Pirates, looking to improve on his 7-5 record and lower his 3.80 ERA.  After a phenomenal start to the season, his performance has curtailed tailed off as summer has progressed.  Tonight, while less than stellar, Charlie managed the game and pitched his way out of some serious jams, giving up just three hits through his five innings of work while improving to 8-5 for the year.  Tony Watson pitched 2.2 innings of shutout, no-hit ball himself, and Daniel McCutchen came in and finished up the eighth inning.

Joel Hanrahan showed no effects following his first blown save of the season yesterday.  The Buccos’ closer set the Reds down in order to record his 27^th save of the season.

The Reds threatened early in the first inning tonight against Morton and the Buccos.  Drew Stubbs was hit by a pitch, and Zack Cozart smacked a single to put runners on first and third with no outs.  After Joey Votto’s ground out pushed runners to second and third, Brandon Phillips struck out.  Jay Bruce was then intentionally walked to load the bases for Miguel Cairo.  Just before the 1-2 pitch of the at-bat, the game was halted for a one hour 23 minute rain delay. 

After the break, Morton came back out and forced Cairo to slap a weak ground ball to second base, which was stabbed by Chase d’Arnaud and flipped to Neil Walker for the force out.  While it was only the top of the first inning, this half-frame proved to set the tone for the game that featured the Reds leaving too many men on base and the Pirates cashing in their chances on the offensive end.

The Pirates took the lead in the fourth inning.  d’Arnaud and Walker led off with back to back hits, putting runners on second and third with no outs.  Unlike the Reds earlier in the game, the Buccos capitalized on their opportunity.  Andrew McCutchen grounded out, allowing d’Arnaud to score, and Matt Diaz smacked a sacrifice fly to right field, which scored Walker.  The Pirates owned a 2-0 lead, which would ultimately be the final.

Wow, this was a phenomenal performance by the Pirates’ pitching staff.  Morton, Watson, McCutchen, and Hanrahan combined to pitch nine innings of shutout baseball, allowing just three hits and three walks to one of the highest scoring offenses in the league.  For the Reds, it was a game of missed opportunities, as they left a total of nine runners on base.

This was a perfect way to start the home-stand for Pittsburgh.  On a night when the offense struggled mightily, managing just six hits, Morton and the bullpen shut down the high-powered Reds’ offense.  In what is being called the most important stretch of the season thus far, the Pirates couldn’t have started off on a better note.

Neil Walker extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a two-hit performance tonight, while McCutchen and Diaz, on a night where runs were at a premium, each added an RBI.  Alex Presley continued his impressive run with two more hits tonight, raising his average to an impressive .352 for the season. 

In addition to the excitement at PNC Park, scoreboard watching was at an all-time high this evening as the Arizona Diamondbacks shut out the Milwaukee Brewers, 3-0.  With the win and the Brewers’ loss, the Pirates are now sitting atop the N.L. Central standings alone, a half-game up on the Brew-Crew and the St. Louis Cardinals.  The Bucs are now six games over .500 and have put themselves in fantastic position to take this series against the Reds.

Tomorrow evening’s game is set for a 7:05pm first pitch.  James McDonald will take the hill for the Pirates, looking for his sixth win of the season against Cincinnati’s Mike Leake.

Record Vs. Reds: 6-1

Record Vs. N.L. Central: 23-13

Record At Home: 24-22

Overall Record: 50-44

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Toughest Stretch Of Season For Bucs Begins Tonight At PNC Park

By Chad Carlson

The Pirates enter tonight’s game against the Cincinnati Reds five games over the .500 mark and a half game back in the N.L. Central standings.  Back in April, those of us who follow the Buccos closely could only dream about the first three months of the season going the way they have thus far.  Still, the Pirates are at the point of the season where they must prove to the critics, the other teams in MLB, the fans, and most importantly, themselves that they belong in this N.L. Central race.  The true test begins tonight.

The Pirates have arguably their toughest stretch of the 2011 season ahead of them in the next couple weeks.  Their home-stand, which kicks off tonight, includes a three game set against the Reds, one of the more underachieving teams in Major League Baseball to this point in the year.  Unable to find any type of consistency between their pitching and offense on a regular basis, the Reds find themselves one game under .500 and 3.5 games back in the division.  Still, with the likes of Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, and Jay Bruce in the lineup, this team is more than capable of putting some big numbers up on the scoreboard.

Do we even need to talk about how important the series this weekend against the St. Louis Cardinals is to the Pirates?  The two clubs are tied in the standings right now, just a half game back of the Brewers (ugh).  The Red Birds will travel to New York for a three-game series with the Mets.  Depending on how that series goes, and considering the fact that the Mets are about as inconsistent as fair-weather Pirates’ fans, the upcoming weekend series could be a battle for first place in the division.  It’s still strange to think that way about our Buccos…especially in July.

You think the home-stand is tough?  Next week’s road trip is even worse.  Following a brutal four-game set in Atlanta against the wild-card leading Braves, Pittsburgh will travel to Philadelphia for a three-game series against their cross-state rivals.  Considering the fact that the Pirates took two of three from the Phillies earlier in the season at PNC Park, they will certainly be out for revenge.

And there it is, the next 13 games for the Pirates will be the toughest stretch of the 2011 season, at least to this point.  Ronny Cedeno and Steve Pearce are expected to possibly be ready for the Cardinals’ series this weekend, which will hopefully provide more offense that the Pirates certainly need.  The Buccos are going to face some outstanding pitching over the next couple weeks, which means they are going to need to match those performances on the mound.  Kevin Correia and Charlie Morton need to pitch better than they have the past few starts, and Jeff Karstens needs to continue his outstanding season.  Neil Walker needs to continue to hit well, and Andrew McCutchen needs to return to where he was before the All-Star break.  Lyle Overbay needs to become the doubles-machine he was a few years ago, and Alex Presley needs to continue to play out of his mind on both sides of the ball.

Does this all sound like it’s a lot to ask of this team, a club who wasn’t expected to even be in contention by the end of May?  Well maybe it is…but if they want to be considered in the race for the division along with teams like the Cardinals and Brewers, they need to prove themselves to the rest Major League Baseball over the next two weeks.

Tonight is the first step in a series of 13 in which the Pirates can solidify themselves as a legitimate National League contender.  If they conclude the next two weeks of baseball within reach of the division lead, they’ll be setting up a VERY interesting last two months of the season, one they’ll be playing with the entire city of Pittsburgh in their corner.

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!