Yankees Roughup Pirates Under The Lights

by Zane Heiple

Photo by bradenton.com

The Pittsburgh Pirates came out swinging early in their game with the New York Yankees tonight, but the Yanks took the early punches and delivered a knockout with a 10-3 win. 

The offense was a familiar scene for us fans plenty of hits, but a lack of runs.  Jose Tabata, Andrew McCutchen, and Neil Walker, three faces who will be leading the offense this season, each accounted for two hits in their three at bats.  The Buccos took an early 2-0 lead when McCutchen took a 3-2 pitch deep to left field.  That was the last of the Pirates leading for the night as New York would score the next nine runs before Walker would single home Tabata in the sixth.  The Yankees would finish off the scoring in the eighth inning.

Pitching was obviously well off track tonight and it all started with Erik Bedard.  He would work 3.2 innings allowing four runs on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts.  Bedard was brought in to help this rotation with experience, his ERA is up to 6.23 and needs to start putting consistently good starts together if he hopes to regain his form from his days with the Baltimore Orioles.  I think Jo Jo Reyes days in a Pirates uniform are soon coming to an end.  He gave up three runs tonight without recording an out and now  has a spring training ERA of 12.86.  Daniel McCutchen and Daniel Moskos looked good again tonight as they each struck out a batter in their inning of work.

While some of us at Fans From The Stands are expecting big things out of Pedro Alvarez this season, I keep waiting for him to show that he is even a baseball player.  Tonight he would go 0-3 with a strikeout and is now batting .148.  But it does not end their folks, a fielding error in the third inning would give the Yankees their first run of the night.  Do not get me wrong, I hope that he figures things out and at least resembles some form of what all us hoped he would be when the Pirates drafted him, but as the days go by the word bust seems to stick to him more and more.

Well the great thing about baseball is that there is no time to dwell on the game before.  Pittsburgh is back in action for their first of three straight games in Bradenton.  Tomorrow they will take on the Boston Red Sox.  Kevin Correia will start for the Buccos and first pitch is scheduled for 1:05.

Grapefruit League Record:  6-10

And...

As Always...

Let's Go Bucs!

Pirates Bats Dominate Twins

by Zane Heiple

Photo by Christopher Horner/Tribune Review

Defense may win championships, but offense is what puts fans in the seats.  While it is still only spring training, offensive days like this should keep PNC Park plenty full during the regular season.  The Pittsburgh Pirates dominated the Minnesota Twins by the final of 17-6.  The first inning alone was enough to earn the W, as the Buccos would send 15 batters to the box scoring 10 runs.

After what had mostly been a stagnate spring for the offense, the bats have awoken these past two games scoring 28 runs on 34 hits.  Alex Presley, Matt Hague, and Garrett Jones each went deep today bringing in seven runs between them.  While Presley and Jones are locks for the roster, Hague was brought up to fight for a job and if he keeps hitting with a .429 batting average I think we will be seeing him in Pittsburgh come April 5^th.

Now in a game where 23 total runs were scored, pitching obviously was not a key factor in the game.  Minnesota started rule 5 draft pick Terry Doyle in place of Scott Baker.  Doyle gave up the first eight runs of the game, while recording only two outs.  Pirate’s starter Jo-Jo Reyes did not fair much better allowing four runs in 2.1 innings pitched.  It’s a long shot for Reyes to make the team as a starter and will most likely be used in long relief.  If he does head north with the team he will need to lower that ERA and be more consistent on the bump.

Up next for the Pirates will be a home contest against the Philadelphia Phillies, a team that has owned the Buccos this spring.  Kevin Correia will make his third start of the spring against one of the Phillies aces Cliff Lee.  First pitch is scheduled for 1:05.

Grapefruit League Record:  5-7

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

McGhee Excels As Pirates Fall To Twins

by Zane Heiple

Photo by Grant Jefferies/Bradenton Herald

The Pittsburgh Pirates may have had a few holes to fill this off-season, but none were bigger than those at the corner infield positions.  Pedro Alvarez may still be the front runner and future of the third base position, but has yet to show that he intends to be the superstar one would expect from a number one draft pick.  Across the infield first base has been a huge question mark for many years with the Pirates and they still do not appear to have the long term answer to who will fill that position.  That is why Pittsburgh went out and traded for Casey McGehee.  McGehee is capable of playing both positions, is young, and if he can play more like he did his first two seasons in the Majors, will definitely give the Pirates the pop in the lineup we all are looking for.

Today McGehee started at third base and defensively looked like someone who has played the position for years.  The second inning alone made him look like a gold glove caliber player.  The first out came on a ground ball that appeared to head down the line, but with english on the ball, it began to spin towards the hole into short.  Casey was able to stop pick up the ball and gun the runner out at first.  He would then record the final out of the inning by diving to prevent a ball from going to the outfield and throw the runner out.  Offensively he showed signs of regaining that early career form going 3-3 with an RBI.

Erik Bedard had a great day on the bump for the Buccos as he would go three innings allowing one hit with three strikeouts.  If Bedard can build on starts like today he should be considered as an option to start on opening day.  Nate McClouth also looked like his old self today going 2-2 with a walk at the plate.  Chase d’Arnaud would collect a hit and an RBI today.  Joel “The Hammer” Hanrahan looked lights out again striking out two in an inning of work.

Unfortunately there were some signs that this was a spring training game.  McClouth would be caught stealing twice today, Rod Barajas was thrown out going from second to home on a ball that was hit to the outfield wall, and with the bases loaded and no outs Pittsburgh managed only one run.  Jo Jo Reyes had a rough outting allowing four runs on five hits while striking out two and walking one in three innings of work.  These mistakes were big factors in the Pirates losing to the Minnesota Twins 4-2.

Neil Walker is said to be back in action tomorrow as the Pirates will head to Port Charlotte to take on the Tampa Bay Rays tomorrow at 1:05.  It was also reported that A.J. Burnett has been cleared to begin working out, as he looks to get back on track to recovering from an orbital fracture.

Grapefruit League Record:  3-5

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!