Clint Barmes Signs Two Year Deal With Pirates

Photo Credit: Bob Levey/Getty Images

After days of speculation, it’s official:  Clint Barmes and the Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to a deal.  The free agent, who spent parts of eight seasons with the Colorado Rockies and was the Houston Astros’ shortstop in 2011, signed with the Bucs for 2 years, $10.5 million.  Rumors spread throughout the morning, and they were later confirmed by the Bucs’ MLB.com reporter Jenifer Langosch.

The Barmes signing obviously lays to rest any thoughts of Rafael Furcal or Ramon Santiago coming to Pittsburgh.  Even though there were rumors stating such, I personally still am not convinced that Furcal was ever a serious option for the Pirates.  He’s much more offensive-minded than defensive, and he would have wanted more money than the Pirates would be willing to offer.  Further, he is a little older and has just won a World Series, so one would have to wonder his interest level in coming to Pittsburgh.

Today’s deal also eliminates the possibility of the Pirates re-negotiating a deal to bring Ronny Cedeno, whose option the team decided not to exercise after this past year, back for another season.  Backup options for the Bucs include Chase d’Arnaud and Pedro Ciriaco, as well as Josh Harrison, who can survive as a reserve at third and even second base as well.

So how much of an upgrade is Clint Barmes over Ronny Cedeno, if at all?  First of all, there is sure to be a much better relationship between player and manager, as Barmes and Clint Hurdle were together in Colorado.  Cedeno and Hurdle never really seemed to get along all that well, and with certain antics and hustle-less players displayed by Ronny on multiple occasions in 2011, it’s not shocking that the Pirates replaced him when given the opportunity to do so. 

For the most part, this doesn’t necessarily seem to be a huge upgrade for the Pirates.  Clearly, the team believes that they are getting a better player in Barmes at $10.5 million over 2 years in comparison to the $3 million option they denied on Cedeno, but based upon the on-the-field production, arguments could be made for either player.

Cedeno is four years younger than the 32-year old Barmes, but Ronny has been wildly inconsistent since coming to Pittsburgh in the Jack Wilson deal with Seattle.  Barmes is a career .252 hitter as opposed to Cedeno’s .246, while Ronny was one of the top-rated defensive shortstops in the National League in 2011.  Their numbers this past season were pretty identical, with the exception of homeruns (Barmes’ 12 vs. Cedeno’s 2). 

Barmes:  .244 average, 27 doubles, 39 RBI’s, 47 runs scored, .312 on-base %

Cedeno:  .249 average, 25 doubles, 32 RBI’s, 43 runs scored, .297 on-base %

From an offensive standpoint, power seems to be in favor of Barmes, as Cedeno has never hit more than 10 homeruns in a season.  Clint, on the other hand, has done so four times, including a 23 round-ball campaign in 2009 with Colorado.  While Ronny has eclipsed 40 RBI’s only once in a season, Barmes has done so four times. 

The huge question is, though, whether or not Barmes’ age will play a factor.  At 32 years old, he’s actually more likely to get worse on offense and defense than he is to get better.  Following that line of thinking, it’s bizarre that the Pirates were willing to fork over $10.5 million while objecting to exercise Cedeno’s $3 million option.

With the Barmes signing, the Pirates have added another piece to the puzzle this offseason, having already inked catcher Rod Barajas to a deal.  The attention now shifts to first base as well as the starting pitching rotation to see what changes and upgrades the team will make in preparation for the 2012 season.

As always, stay tuned to Fans From The Stands for the latest reactions to the Pirates’ news and rumors.

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Meet Your Bucs: Matt Pagnozzi

By Chad Carlson

Photo Credit: Chris Schneider/AP

The Pittsburgh Pirates claimed catcher Matt Pagnozzi off waivers yesterday, after he had been designated for assignment by the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.

Pagnozzi was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 8^th round of the 2003 June amateur draft, and made his professional debut with the New Jersey Cardinals of the New York-Penn League.  After advancing to AAA Memphis in 2008 and into 2009, the Cardinals called up him in September, making his Major League Baseball debut on September 29.  Pagnozzi hit his first MLB homerun on September 28, 2010, against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

On November 29, 2011, Pagnozzi signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies.  He appeared in just seven games with the Rockies this year, with six hits in only 21 plate appearances.  He played in 54 games at the Triple-A level this season, hitting .275 with three homeruns, 13 doubles, and 29 RBI’s.

The Bucs made room for Pagnozzi on the 40-man roster by transferring Steve Pearce to the 60-day DL. 

This move was obviously made for next season, and not the remaining two weeks of 2011.  While the Pirates hold club options on both Chris Snyder and Ryan Doumit, a move like claiming a 28-year old catcher from another club implies they’re not looking to exercise either of those options.  If that’s the case, the three catchers vying for the starting catching job in 2012 will be Pagnozzi, Michael McKenry, and Jason Jaramillo.

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Meet Your Bucs: Michael McKenry

by Zane Heiple

Photo by mlb.com

With injuries to catchers Chris Snyder, Ryan Doumit and Jason Jaramillo, it is easy to say the Pittsburgh Pirates are in dire need of help behind the plate.  Late Sunday night they went out and made a trade with the Boston Red Sox to acquire minor league catcher Michael McKenry for cash considerations or a player to be named later.  In order to make room for McKenry, Wyatt Toregas was sent back to AAA Indianapolis.

McKenry is a former 2006 seventh round draft pick of the Colorado Rockies, whom he would make his Major League debut with on September 8^th, 2010.  He was then traded to the Red Sox in March of 2011 and has spent all of this season with the AAA Pawtucket Red Sox.

This season in Pawtucket, he has hit .274 with 3 home runs and 12 RBI.  Defensively he has thrown out 5 of 19 base runners.  A big reason why he was acquired is that Pirates manager Clint Hurdle and coach Mark Strittmatter spent time working with Michael during their time with the Rockies.

Catcher is a very important position on the diamond and while it is very tough to replace players with the experience of Snyder and Doumit, it is good to see the organization make a move to help sure up the need of a player behind the plate.  Be sure to check back often to Fans From The Stands for the latest roster moves.

Bucco Blast From The Past: Tony Womack

by Zane Heiple

Photo By Sports Illustrated

Welcome Pirates fans to this week’s edition of Bucco Blast From The Past.  Today we look back on the career of Tony Womack.

Tony was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1991 during the seventh round of the draft.  He made his Major League debut with Pittsburgh on September 10, 1993.  From 93-96, Womack appeared in only 37 games with the Buccos.  He finally became a starter with the Pittsburgh in 1997 and would have a career year.  His stats for the year included a .278 batting average, six home runs, 50 RBI, and 60 stolen bases.  1997 would also be the first of three consecutive seasons that he was the National League Stolen Base Champion and was his only year as an All-Star.

After the 1998 season Tony was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for two minor league players.  He would spend five seasons with the Diamondbacks and was a key member of their 2001 World Series Championship team.

From 2003 to 2006, Womack would bounce around with six baseball teams including the D-Backs, Colorado Rockies, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, and Cincinnati Reds.  His final Major League appearance came with the Cubs in June of 2006.

While never a superstar, Tony Womack will be remembered by baseball fans as a reliable defender and a speed demon on the base paths.

Be sure to check back next week for another edition of Bucco Blast From The Past.

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!!!

FFTS Podcast: Episode Eight!

Happy Cinco De Mayo everyone!  Here we are already at Episode Eight of the Fans From The Stands Podcast!

The Pirates arrived home early this morning following another successful road trip out west.  The Buccos took two out of three games from both the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres, and now return to PNC Park for a seven game home stand.

Zane and Chad are all amped up in this, the eighth edition of the podcast.  They recap the team’s road trip, look ahead to the home stand, and look back at the first month of the season, including the most impressive and disappointing moments of the year so far.

Also featured is another Ask Zane Anything segment, one of the funniest ones thus far, as well as the announcement of another ticket giveaway!  It’s a big one!  Check it out!

FFTS Podcast: Episode Eight

Comments?  Questions?  We want to hear from you!

comments@fansfromthestands.com

fansfromthestands@yahoo.com

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Offense Comes Alive As Pirates Take Game, Series From Rockies

By Zane Heiple

Photo Credit: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies faced off for the final time of the 2011 season in the rubber match of this three game series.  Xavier Paul made his first start in a Pirates’ uniform filling in for the injured Jose Tabata.  Charlie Morton started for the Pirates, while Ubaldo Jimenez was his mound opponent for the Rockies.

For the sixth game in a row, the Buccos’ offense struck first with a big four run second inning.  After a Ryan Doumit walk and a Pedro Alvarez single, Ronny Cedeno laid down a bunt along the first base line that scored Alvarez from third.  With two outs and runners on first and second, Paul hit a two-run triple to give Pittsburgh a 3-0 lead.  Garrett Jones added a double to put the Pirates up by four.

Todd Helton was able to get Colorado on the board when he hit a two-out single to left field, scoring Dexter Fowler from second to make it 4-1.  The Rockies added another run an inning later when pinch hitter Ryan Spilborghs singled home Fowler.  This spelled the end of the day for Jimenez who only went four innings, allowing four runs on six hits, with six K’s and four walks.

Pittsburgh had another big four run inning in the fifth.  Charlie Morton stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Lyle Overbay.  Andrew McCutchen singled up the middle, bringing home Alvarez.  After Paul walked to lad the bases for the second time in the inning, Jones hit a two-RBI single to centerfield, giving them an 8-2 lead.

Morton’s day ended during the sixth inning.  He didn’t have his best stuff today, but thanks to the offense scoring eight runs, the four runs he gave up did not hurt.  Mike Crotta came in and gave up a double to Dexter Fowler that scored two runs.  Joe Beimel entered the game to finish the sixth and then got three outs to maintain a four run lead into the eighth.

The third man out of the Pittsburgh bullpen was Jose Veras, and it would only take him nine pitches to record two strikeouts and a fly out to shut down Colorado.  Joel Hanrahan came out and finished the day, getting three outs and allowing the Pirates to pick up the 8-4 win.

Batting and defense led the way on a day where the pitching was a little shaky at time.  It was great to see the Buccos take down the Rockies two out of three games this series after Colorado took three out of four in early April.  The win today marked the fourth road series win of 2011, which equals the amount they had for all of 2010. 

Hopefully this streak of road success will continue tomorrow as the Pirates head to San Diego for a three game series with the Padres.  James McDonald will get the ball to start game one of the series.

Record Vs. Rockies:  3-4

Record Vs. N.L. West: 4-6

Record On The Road: 9-7

Overall Record: 13-15

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Correia, Bullpen Shut Down Rockies, Pirates Win 3-0

By Zane Heiple

Photo Credit: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

The Pittsburgh Pirates headed west after finishing 3-3 during a six game home stand.  For the first three games of this six game west coast swing, the Buccos take on the red hot Rockies.  Colorado came into this series with a Major League best record of 16-7 and had taken three of four from the Pirates early this month.  Pittsburgh sent their ace Kevin Correia, who was sporting a 3-2 record and an ERA of 3.48, to the hill.  His mound opponent was Jhoulys Chacin, who came in with a 3-1 record and a 2.67 ERA.

The Pirates continued a trend of getting on the board first, when Andrew McCutchen hit a solo homerun in the third inning.  This was Cutch’s fourth homerun of the year and ended the 0-16 slump he was in at the plate.  Garrett Jones blasted his fifth homerun on the season to give Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead in the sixth.

Ronny Cedeno, who had a great game defensively, hit the Pirates’ first triple of the season in the seventh inning.  This three-bagger scored Pedro Alvarez from first and put the Buccos on top 3-0.  The bottom of the inning saw Jose Tabata rob Todd Helton of an extra base hit with a leaping catch at the leftfield wall.

Correia pitched great tonight and was taken out of the game with two outs in the seventh inning after he threw his 106^th pitch.  His final line of the night was zero runs on three hits, with one walk and four strikeouts.  Jose Veras came out of the bullpen to get the final out of the seventh, a strikeout of Jose Lopez.

Chris Reop worked the eighth inning for the Buccos and allowed one hit, while striking out the side.  Three runs were more than enough for Joel Hanrahan to close the game and earn his eighth save of the year, which is second in the National League.

This was a great way for the Pirates to start the road trip.  While the offense didn’t light up the scoreboard, they had timely hits and drove two balls out of the ballpark.  The pitching was phenomenal tonight, starting with Correia going all the way to the bullpen.  The errors that plagued the Pirates during the Giants’ series were non-existent tonight as the defense made the routine as well as the spectacular plays.

These teams will battle again tomorrow night at 8:10, with Paul Maholm looking to bounce back from a rough home opener against the Rockies.  Colorado will counter with Jason Hammel

Record Vs. Rockies: 2-3

Record Vs. N.L. West: 3-5

Record On The Road: 8-6

Overall Record: 12-14

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

FFTS Podcast: Episode Seven!

Hey Bucco Fans!

It’s time for another episode of the Fans From The Stands Podcast!

We realize the name of the podcast is weak and unoriginal, so if you have a suggestion as to what our name should be, send us an email at comments@fansfromthestands.com or fansfromthestands@yahoo.com and you may win free tickets to an upcoming Pirates’ game!

On this week’s podcast, Zane and Chad discuss the recent Pirates’ homestand against the Washington Nationals and San Francisco.  They talk about the continued strength of the Bucs’ starting rotation, the struggles of Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez, as well as looking ahead to the upcoming road trip against the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres.

Check it out, and be sure to let us know what you think!

FFTS Podcast: Episode Seven

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Meet Your Bucs: Joe Beimel

By Zane Heiple

The Pirates added another piece to their big league roster today, as it was announced that left-handed pitcher Joe Beimel would be added to the 25 man roster.  In order for this to happen, the Buccos designated lefty Garrett Olson for assignment.  If Olson clears waivers the team has ten days to either trade, release, or send him to the minor leagues.  On the year, Garrett is 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA, 4 K’s and 3 walks in 4.1 innings of work.

Beimel was a free agent signing by the Pirates during the offseason after spending parts of the past two seasons with the Colorado Rockies.  This is not his first time with his home town team.  Joe was drafted by the Buccos in the 18^th round of the 1998 draft and made his Major League debut in April of 2001 against the Houston Astros.  After Pittsburgh released him following the 2004 season, he made just three appearances with the Minnesota Twins that year.  He spent 2005 with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Finally in 2006 Beimel put it all together and became a valuable member of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ bullpen.  Unfortunately right before the 2006 playoffs, he cut his hand on a broken glass at a bar in New York.  The Dodgers lost the series in four games.  He rebounded in 2007 when he set the Dodgers’ record for most appearances, 83, by a left-handed pitcher.

After one more year in Dodger Blue, Joe signed a one year deal with the Washington Nationals and was their set up man for the first part of the 2009 season.  In July of 2009 he was traded to the Rockies for Ryan Mattheus and Robinson Fabian.

A lot has changed for Beimel since he last put on a Pittsburgh uniform.  He will not be looked at as a veteran of a young staff and is expected to be the main lefty to come out of the bullpen.  For his career, he has a 23-31 record with a 4.16 ERA and 315 strikeouts.

Be sure to check back to Fans From The Stands for more roster moves.

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Crotta Walks In Winning Run, Rockies Take Three Of Four From Bucs At PNC Park

By Zane Heiple

Photo Credit: AP

If patience is a virtue, the Colorado Rockies are full of it then.  Seven total walks, including two in the first inning, helped them jump out to a 4-0 lead and then three more in the seventh put them back on top for a 6-5 win over the Pirates.

James McDonald got the start for Pittsburgh and early on it looked like he would be a part of the woes that is a Buccos’ home Sunday game.  But after giving up four runs in the first, he settled in and finished his day after 6.2 innings, five earned runs, three strikeouts, and three walks.  With his limited work during Spring Training, it may take a few starts for James to find his groove.

The Pirates began to chip away at the lead in the second inning.  A Ronny Cedeno sacrifice fly to center field scored Pedro Alvarez to make it a 4-1 game.  Pittsburgh tied it in the third when Andrew McCutchen scored Jose Tabata on a single.  With runners on second and third, Lyle Overbay tied the game with a double.  The fourth inning saw the Buccos take a one-run lead when Neil Walker grounded out to first, scoring McDonald from third.

FFTS Pre-Game:

Unfortunately, Pittsburgh’s bullpen couldn’t hold the one-run lead.  Clint Hurdle replaced McDonald with two outs and a runner on first in the seventh inning.  Mike Crotta came in and walked the first batter he faced, gave up an RBI single to Jason Giambi, walked the bases loaded, and finally walked the winning run home.  Daniel McCutchen got Jose Lopez to pop out to Cedeno to end the inning, but the damage was done.

Coming to a four-game series, I think, as fans, we hope to at least earn a split.  After a home-opener blowout, the Buccos had a chance to win the next three, but only got one win.  This series showed that they still have a lot of work to do before they can contend for division and wild card titles. 

FFTS Post-Game:

With the Milwaukee Brewers coming into town to start a three-game series on Tuesday, the Pirates will need to step up their game quickly if they hope to salvage this home stand.

Record Vs. Rockies: 1-3

Record Vs. N.L. West: 1-3

Record At Home: 1-3

Overall Record: 5-5

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Rockies Score Three In The Eighth, Beat Pirates In Another Close Game At PNC Park

By Chad Carlson

Photo Credit: AP

After their late-night, 14-inning slugfest last night, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies faced off tonight for the third of the four-game series at PNC Park.  The Buccos sent Charlie Morton to the mound for his second start of the season, while the Rockies started Greg Reynolds. 

For the third straight game, the Rockies took the lead in the first inning.  Tonight it was Morton who ran into early trouble, finding himself in a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the opening frame.  Carlos Gonzalez grounded into a double play, scoring Dexter Fowler, but that would be the only run Morton would surrender that inning.

Pittsburgh took the lead in the second inning on Ryan Doumit’s two-run blast to deep center, which also brought Lyle Overbay around to score.  Doumit went 2-3 on the night, also tallying a double later in the game.

After Gonzalez singled home Fowler to tie the game in the third, Seth Smith crushed a Morton fastball into the bleachers to give the Rockies a 3-2 lead.  Our Buccos battled back in the seventh, tying the game once again on a Matt Diaz single which scored Ronny Cedeno from second.

FFTS Pre-Game:

Jose Veras came in to pitch the eighth inning, and the Rockies would deliver the knockout punch against the Pirates’ right-hander.  After loading the bases with no outs, Veras was able to get the next two batters out, but with two strikes on Ty Wigginton, gave up a three-run double, taking the air out of PNC Park and the Pirates’ players.

Jose Tabata provided a temporary spark for fans with his second homerun in as many nights to deep center field, but after getting runners on first and second in the ninth inning, Steve Pearce grounded into a double-play, ending the game in the Rockies’ favor, 6-4.

This was a tough loss for the Pirates.  Once again, for the majority of the game, the offense seemed unorthodox.  Neil Walker, Pedro Alvarez, and Garrett Jones were all hitless, and the Buccos just couldn’t seem to string together a pair of hits.

As for Morton, he pitched a pretty nice game, giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits through seven innings.  The alarming statistic from his performance is the fact that he gave up five walks.  It certainly would be easy to place all of the blame on Veras, who gave up the three runs in the eighth, and he does rightfully deserve the loss. 

Daniel McCutchen pitched 1/3 of an inning, after being called up from the Minors after Ross Ohlendorf was placed on the DL following last night’s injury.  Kevin Correia also made a surprise appearance tonight on the mound, pitching an inning of shutout, no-hit baseball.

FFTS Post-Game:

The Buccos will take on the Rockies for the final time this series tomorrow afternoon at PNC Park at 1:35.  The Pirates will try to even the series 2-2, and they will send James McDonald to the mound.  While it will only be the tenth game of the season, this is, without a doubt, the most important game of the season so far for the Buccos.  With a feisty Milwaukee Brewers team coming into town next, and a rather difficult road trip in the future, the Pirates need to split this series with Colorado.  Of course, as we, Bucco fans know, Sundays are not always great game-days for us.  Hopefully the Pirates’ bats can come alive, give McDonald some run support, and earn the split and get back on the winning track.

Record Vs. Rockies: 1-2
Record Vs. N.L. West: 1-2
Record At Home: 1-2
Overall Record: 5-4

And…

As Always….

Let’s Go Bucs!

Tabata Has Big Night, Pirates Win In 14 Innings

By Zane Heiple

Photo Credit: AP

After losing to the Rockies 7-1 on Opening Day, the Pirates were looking to even the four game series up at 1-1 on a cold and rainy night at PNC Park.  Pittsburgh faced their first left-handed pitcher of the year in Rockies’ starter Jorge De La Rosa.  The Pirates countered with Ross Ohlendorf, who had a rough start to the game, giving up three runs on three hits in the first inning.  He left the game in the third inning with right shoulder soreness.  Hopefully it is nothing serious and Ross will be able to make his next start on Thursday against the San Diego Padres.

With their starter leaving early due to injury, the bullpen would be the ones to put the Buccos on their back tonight.  Jeff Karstens pitched the next 3.1 innings allowing two hits, three walks and five strikeouts.  Mike Crotta, Jose Veras, and Joel Hanrahan pitched all an inning a piece.  Chris Resop pitched inning ten through twelve, striking out two, walking three and allowing two hits.  Scott Olsen picked up the win for the Pirates after pitching two innings, while walking one and striking out one.

FFTS Pre-Game

Pittsburgh’s bats would strike in the fourth inning.  With runners on second and third with one out, Matt Diaz grounded out to Ty Wigginton, scoring Neil Walker from third.  The Pirates cut the lead to one in the fifth when Jose Tabata hit his first homerun of the year, a solo shot to center field.  One inning later the Buccos tied the game at three, when Jason Jaramillo singled to left field scoring Lyle Overbay.  That would be all the scoring until the bottom of the fourteenth, which is when Tabata would double off the Clemente wall in right field, scoring Josh Rodriguez to lead the Pirates to a 4-3 win over the Rockies.

FFTS Post-Game:

This was an important win for the Pirates, since they avoided going into a 2-0 hole.  Ronny Cedeno made another error in the field, his second of the season and Olsen made one when he couldn’t pick up a bunt attempt with his glove.  Note to Olsen, when fielding a bunt like that, go with the bare hand.  With everyone in the bullpen, except for Evan Meek, being used in this game, it is very important that Charlie Morton have a good start against the Rockies on Saturday.  If he can go seven and allow Meek and Hanrahan the chance to close it out in the eighth and ninth, then Pirates’ fans will once again be leaving PNC Park with their heads held high.

Record Vs. Rockies: 1-1
Record Vs. N.L. West: 1-1
Record At Home: 1-1
Overall Record: 5-3

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Maholm Struggles And Offense Disappears As Pirates Lose Home Opener To Rockies

By Chad Carlson

Photo Credit:  Getty Images

After a very surprisingly successful road trip, the Pittsburgh Pirates came home to PNC Park for their first home stands of the 2011 regular season.  The Buccos opened up a four-game series this afternoon against the Colorado Rockies, who have also had a strong start to the season.  Paul Maholm took the mound for the Pirates today to face off against the Rockies’ Esmil Rogers.

  

Unfortunately, both of our predictions were incorrect on this day.  Colorado would ruin the Pirates’ opening day celebration as they dismantled our Buccos at PNC Park, 7-1.

One of the main contributing factors to the Pirates’ productive road trip was, without a doubt, the starting pitching.  Unfortunately, that did NOT carry over to today’s game, as Maholm was hit early and often, and didn’t put together the quality start the Pirates needed in their home-opener.

Take a look at the first Fans From The Stands Pregame Show of the 2011 Season:

Paul gave up five runs (three earned), on eight hits through 5.2 innings, and he was tagged with the loss today.  His defense certainly didn’t help him either.  Neil Walker’s throwing error on a play which appeared to be a routine double-play ball by Carlos Gonzalez allowed the Rockies to get on the board in the first inning.  After Troy Tulowitzki’s sacrifice fly, Colorado took a 2-0 lead before the Pirates even came to bat.

As disappointing as Maholm’s performance was today, the offensive production was even worse.  The Buccos’ first two batters of the game, Jose Tabata and Neil Walker, both got on base with singles, leaving runners at first and third base with no outs.  Andrew McCutchen was able to get Tabata home on a sacrifice ground out, but after that, the offense disappeared.  In fact, the Pirates didn’t even tally another hit until the eighth inning.

Tulowitzki was the hitting star of the day for the Rockies, going 2-3 with a homerun and three RBI.  Colorado scattered 11 hits on the Pirates’ pitching staff, including two runs on three hits off Chris Resop, who didn’t even pitch a full inning.  On one of the only bright notes of the afternoon, Garrett Olson and Mike Crotta each pitched scoreless baseball over the last 2.2 innings of the game.

The Pirates managed only four hits this afternoon.  McCutchen, Lyle Overbay, Pedro Alvarez, Ryan Doumit, and Garrett Jones were all held hitless on the afternoon.  After the first inning, the team only had two hits over the next eight innings.  Embarrassing. 

This was, by far, the most frustrating game of the season so far for fans.  Not only was the starting pitching putrid, but the offense was stagnant, and didn’t put up a fight once the team got down by 3+ runs.  The lack of energy and enthusiasm in the dugout and the field was apparent from the onset, which is unbelievably mind-blowing considering it was the home-opener.  As Zane-The-Train stated in the post-game show (below), this performance was VERY reminiscent of last year’s team, which is unacceptable. 


Fans From The Stands Postgame Show:

The Pirates will look to get back on the winning track tomorrow evening at PNC Park against the Rockies.  Ross Ohlendorf will take the hill for the Buccos, hoping to build off his last start and get the pitching staff back on track.  First pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm.

Record Vs. Rockies:  0-1

Record Vs. N.L. West:  0-1

Record At Home:  0-1

Overall Record:  4-3

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!