Are The Pirates Interested In Alternative To Alex Presley?

Just yesterday on Fans From The Stands, we discussed the possibility of the movement of the Pirates’ outfielders.  On Monday, Jen Langosch reported that the Bucs may be interested in outfielder Josh Willingham, implying that the team may not be 100% satisfied with their current outfield.

Willingham was one of the players rumored to be of the Pirates’ interest during the 2011 Trade Deadline, during which they eventually acquired Ryan Ludwick.  Josh is 32 years old, and hits for power, not average.  In 136 games last year, he hit .246 with 29 homeruns and 98 RBI’s.  His homerun and RBI totals were higher than those of Andrew McCutchen, the Pirates’ leader in both categories. 

It has been reported that Willingham is looking to sign with a team that will guarantee him regular playing time.  Obviously, given the Pirates’ current situation with players like McCutchen, Jose Tabata, and Alex Presley, as well as up-and-coming prospects Starling Marte and Robbie Grossman, the outfield already seems pretty full.  That being said, rumors have swirled about the possibility of using Presley and Marte as potential trade bait, in such a case a regular-playing gig may be available.

This, of course, circles back to the question of Alex Presley.  He had an incredibly surprising and impressive run this past season after joining the big club in June, but with such a small sampling, it’s difficult to determine whether this was an accurate preview of what he can bring to the table consistently in the coming years.  With McCutchen and Tabata occupying two of the three spots in the outfield, and management clearly eyeing other possibilities, it’s apparent that the Pirates are necessarily sold on Presley being the solution at this point. 

The worst possible scenario, obviously, would be bringing in a guy like Willingham and having a repeat of what we saw this past year at first base with Lyle Overbay.  That being said, Willingham brings power to a lineup that sorely needs it.  It should be very interesting to see where Neal Huntington feels the most significance lies.  For now, though, it seems that Presley is still the third piece to the Pirates’ outfield puzzle.

Stay right here for reactions to the latest rumors involving potential Bucco-moves.

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Pirates Drop Final Game Of 2011 At PNC Park

by Zane Heiple

Photo by Getty Images

One of the storylines for the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 2011 season was the inability to sweep a series.  The Pirates came into today with ten previous failed attempts to sweep a team after taking the first two in a three game series.  Their 5-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds today marked the eleventh time that has happened.

The Reds got out to an early lead by scoring three runs in the first two innings off of Buccos starter James McDonald.  McDonald would improve over the course of his final three innings as he would last five innings today allowing only one earned run and six hits, while striking out four and walking two.

Pittsburgh’s offense would battle back tying the game at three in the bottom part of the second inning.  After a Derrek Lee single and Ryan Ludwick walk, Chase d’Arnaud would triple both of them home.  Michael McKenry would then hit a sacrifice fly to bring d’Arnaud home and tie the game.

The sixth inning saw the Reds regain the lead and score what would be the game winning run off of relief pitcher Daniel Moskos.  With runners on second and third Dontrelle Willis would double home both runners.  The Pirates then cut into the lead in the bottom part of the ninth when Neil Walker doubled in Andrew McCutchen.  Unfortunately neither Garrett Jones or Pedro Alvarez were able to bring in Walker.

While the Pirates road record improved dramatically from 2010 this year.  The home record was a disappointment as they won five less games at PNC Park this year.  Pittsburgh will head to Milwaukee for their final series of the year against the N.L. Central champions Brewers.  Charlie Morton will make his final start of the season, while Shaun Marcum will go for the Brew Crew.

Record vs. Reds:  10-5
Record vs. N.L. Central 38-39
Record at PNC Park:  36-45
Overall Record 71-88

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!!!

Ludwick's Walkoff Single Gives Pirates Edge Over Reds

by Zane Heiple

Photo by AP

The final home series of the year got off to an exciting start on Friday night as the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 on a Ryan Ludwick single to center field that scored Jason Jaramillo.  The win tonight gave the Buccos their 70^th win of the year, which is also the first time they have hit the 70 win plateau since 2004.

Pittsburgh got out to an early lead when Garrett Jones blasted a two run home run to center field in the second inning that scored Ryan Doumit.  They would then add a run in the bottom part of the third when Doumit hit an RBI single to right field. 

The Pirates once again used a lot of pieces out of the bullpen tonight, but that is what September baseball is about when you are out of contention.  Jeff Locke got the start tonight and lasted 4.2 innings allowing one run on six hits while walking two and striking out one.  The only run he gave up came in the fifth inning when Joey Votto hit a double that scored Edinson Volquez. 

Cincinnati then scored another run in the sixth inning off of reliever Chris Leroux.  Three more relievers were used to bridge the gap and hold onto the lead for closer Joel Hanrahan.  Hanrahan had a one run lead and was looking to collect his 40^th save of the year, but instead ended up getting his first win of the year.  The Reds tied the game in the ninth when, with the bases loaded, Todd Frazier was hit by a pitch.  The Bucco bats came through in the ninth however to seal the win.

Always exciting to see the Pirates win on a walk off hit and bring some excitement to PNC Park in September.  Andrew McCutchen and Doumit were the only Pirates to have multiple hits tonight, two.  These two teams will face off in the final night game at PNC Park for 2011 tomorrow night with Brad Lincoln getting the nod for the Pirates and Travis Wood heading to the bump for the Reds.  It will also be the final trip to the ball park for Fans From The Stands, so be sure to check back tomorrow night for the pre and post game videos.

Record vs. Reds:  9-4
Record vs. N.L. Central:  37-38
Record at PNC Park:  35-44
Overall Record:  70-87

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!!!

Ohlendorf Ineffective In Pirates' 8-5 Loss To Diamondbacks

By Chad Carlson

Photo Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Wow, does anyone want to be in the starting pitching rotation next season?  The past few weeks have spelled disaster for Pirates’ starters, as all potential members of the 2012 rotation have been obliterated. 

Ross Ohlendorf, though, had a surprisingly solid start last Thursday against the Dodgers, giving up two runs through seven innings, while earning his first victory of the season.  The Bucs, and Ohledorf, were hoping he could continue that success this afternoon in the series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

That didn’t happen.

Ohlendorf was tattooed by the Diamondbacks’ batters today, right from the start, and he never even made it out of the third inning.  Arizona went on to win the game 8-5.

He gave up three runs in the first inning, and after getting through the second inning, he surrendered another run in third inning and loaded the bases without recording an out.  Clint Hurdle had seen enough and replaced him with Jared Hughes.

In all, Ohlendorf was charged for seven runs on seven hits through 2+ innings.  His ERA is now at 8.29.  Ouch.  Hughes was charged for one run on two hits through his inning of work.  The rest of the bullpen, though the game was out of reach, pitched scoreless baseball.

Derrek Lee was the lone positive of today’s game, going 3-4 with a homerun and two RBI’s.  With the Pirates’ current first baseman situation up in the air right now, Lee would be a welcomed returner to the club next year.  But only time will tell.

Ryan Ludwick hit a solo homerun in the second inning, and Jason Jaramillo smacked a pinch-hit RBI double in the eighth inning.  As a team, the Bucs tallied 11 hits, while leaving seven runners on base.

After falling behind 8-1, the Bucs slowly battled back, scoring a single run in the fourth, sixth, seventh, and eighth innings each.  They had a chance to creep within a single run in the eighth, but Ryan Doumit grounded out with runners on second and third to end the inning.

Today’s game marked the Pirates’ 87^th loss of the season.  More worrisome, though, is the fact that they’re struggling to get quality starts.  Jeff Karstens and Charlie Morton have continued to show glimpses of what they did earlier in the season, and are favorites to return to the rotation next year, along with Kevin Correia.  But there are two other open spots that seem far out of reach for Ohlendorf, Aaron Thompson, Brad Lincoln, or anyone else. 

The Pirates have only six games remaining on their schedule this season, three of which will be played against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park this weekend.  Pittsburgh will need to go 4-2 the rest of the way to avoid another 90-loss season.

Record Vs. Diamondbacks: 3-3

Record Vs. N.L. West: 13-20

Record On The Road: 35-43

Overall Record: 69-87

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Pirates Clinch 19th Straight Losing Season With Defeat To Cardinals

by Zane Heiple

Photo by AP

After being in the running for the division crown throughout the first four months of the season, fans could see the hopes of a plus .500 season slip out of the Pittsburgh Pirates grasp with their awful 8-22 run during the month of August.  Today’s 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals clinched that 19^th straight losing season to extend the North American record.

The loss today was like many of the losses that Pittsburgh has suffered throughout the 2011 season.  A great pitching performance and solid defense was wasted by lack of offense.  The Pirates offense mustered eight hits today, one more than St. Louis, but only scored two runs.  The second inning started off as a great opportunity to bust the game open.  Derrek Lee started off with a single, which was followed by a double by Ryan Ludwick.  With runners on second and third, Pedro Alvarez came to the plate and grounded into a fielder’s choice, which resulted in Lee being tagged out at home plate.  Next up was Ronny Cedeno who would hit into a double play to end any threat.  This type of inning sums up much of the season.

The Buccos were able to tie the game in the third inning.  After Michael McKenry double, Alex Presley would hit a one out RBI double.  Unfortunately Neil Walker would ground out and then Andrew McCutchen would strike out to leave Presley at third base.  The fourth inning saw the Red Birds score the winning run, as Yadier Molina would double home Lance Berkman and Allen Craig.  Pittsburgh cut into the lead in the sixth inning as Lee would double home Presley. 

Charlie Morton started the game and would go seven innings allowing three runs on six hits.  He would strike out six and walk three, before being lifted in place of Tony Watson.  Watson would strike out two batters and not allow a hit in his inning of work.  Jared Hughes finished the game off with one inning of work in the ninth.

While it is depressing to see another season come and go with the Pirates continuing to lose.  There have been some upsides to this season, which we will talk about in two weeks.  The Buccos wrapped up this nine game home stand with a 3-6 record.  They will now hit the road for seven games starting tomorrow night with a four game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Ross Ohlendorf will take on Dana Eveland with first pitch scheduled for 10:10pm.

Record vs. Cardinals:  7-9
Record vs. N.L. Central:  36-38
Record at PNC Park:  34-44
Overall Record:  67-82

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!!!

Ciriaco Two Run Double Carries Pirates Over Cardinals

by Zane Heiple

Photo by Getty Images

The Pittsburgh Pirates battled back and forth all night with the St. Louis Cardinals, and in the end it was the Buccos that came out on top with a 6-5 win.  Brad Lincoln got the start for Pittsburgh tonight and was ok during his 5.1 innings on the mound.  He would give up three earned runs on four hits while striking out one batter and walking two.  The Pirates bullpen was once again consistent as Jason Grilli would pick up his second win of the season, while Joel Hanrahan collected his 37^th save of the year, even though he gave up a run during his ninth inning appearance.

St. Louis starter Kyle Lohse left the game after six innings of work with his team holding a 4-3 lead, but the Cardinals bullpen would falter in the eighth inning.  Former Pirate Octavio Dotel gave up the tying run when Ryan Doumit would double home Chase d’ Arnaud.  Marc Rzepczynski relieved Dotel and earned his fourth blown save of the year and collected the loss.  Rzepczynski intentionally walked Ryan Ludwick, struck out Josh Harrison, and then walked Jason Jaramillo to load the bases with two outs for Pedro Ciriaco.  Ciriaco then would hit a line drive to right field to score Doumit and Ludwick for what would be the win.

After a very sluggish series against the Florida Marlins the Pirates offense came through in clutch situations to keep their team in the game and ultimately pick up the win.  The Pirates starting lineup collected nine of the ten hits tonight, where as two nights ago they only had one.  Game two of this three game series will take place tomorrow night at 7:05pm.  Chris Carpenter will go for St. Louis while the Pirates will counter with Jeff Karstens.

Record vs. Cardinals:  7-7
Record vs. N.L. Central:  35-36
Record at PNC Park:  34-42
Overall Record:  67-80

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!!!

Brewers Continue Dominance Of Pirates With 8-1 Victory In Game One Of Double-Header

By Chad Carlson

Photo Credit: Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

The first-place Milwaukee Brewers came into town for a double-header against our Pirates tonight, and proved in game one why they are the hottest team in baseball.  The Brew-Crew beat down our battlin’ Buccos, who certainly didn’t battle at all, by a final score of 8-1 at PNC Park.

Pittsburgh fell to 0-9 on the season against the Brewers, who are playing better than anyone in baseball.  Jeff Karstens, who suffered his seventh loss of the season, pitched a nice game this evening.  The Buccos’ right hander gave up two runs on six hits through his seven innings of work. 

The big blow for Karstens came in the fourth inning.  After allowing two runners on with two outs, the Pirates intentionally walked Craig Counsell to load the bases for the Brewers’ pitcher, Chris Narveson.  The plan backfired for Pittsburgh as Narveson slapped a 2-run single to right field, giving the Brew-Crew a 2-0 lead.

Narveson pitched a dynamite game as well, giving up just five hits in 5.1 innings before leaving with an injury.  Kameron Loe and Takashi Saito shut the Pirates down through the seventh inning.

Milwaukee opened the game up in the eighth inning, scoring four two-out runs against Tony Watson.  Yuniesky Betancourt’s RBI double scored Corey Hart from first base to get things started.  After Casey McGehee was intentionally walked, Counsell delivered an RBI single, which scored Betancourt.  Jonathan Lucroy’s two-run double scored McGehee and Counsell, stretching the lead to 6-0.

After Ryan Ludwick blasted a homerun in the bottom of the eighth to get the Pirates on the board, Ryan Braun hammered a two-run shot in the ninth off Joe Beimel to make it 8-1.  Pittsburgh went peaceful in the ninth, with Ryan Doumit recording the final out.

As usual, the Brewers were better than the Pirates in every aspect of the game.  Their starting pitcher was better, they performed better with runners in scoring position, they fielded better, and their offense was more productive. 

Karstens pitched a solid game, giving up just two runs.  The bullpen, as has been the case as of late, led the game slip away.  Watson and Beimel combined to give up six runs on five hits through two innings of work.  To add to the frustration, the Brewers were able to score eight runs in a game in which Braun and Prince Fielder combined to go 1-10.  The Pirates, on the other hand, tallied eight hits, but were 0-8 with runners in scoring position. 

On a bright note, Jose Tabata continued his hot streak at the plate, going 3-4, while Josh Harrison added two hits, including a triple.

In other news, Steve Pearce was injured during the game, while Kevin Correia was placed on the DL.  That’s right…more injuries to the Pirates.

The two teams have a quick half hour break before taking the field again the second game of the double-header. 

Record Vs. Brewers: 0-9

Record Vs. N.L. Central: 28-27

Record At Home: 29-36

Overall Record: 59-67

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

McCutchen Leads Pirates In Rout Of Giants

By Chad Carlson

Photo Credit: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

Last night’s game was just plain frustrating for Pirates’ fans.  After being shut out by Madison Bumgarner and the Giants, the Buccos sat at 1-8 in the month of August prior to this afternoon’s game against the San Francisco Giants, while having dropped 14 of their last 16 games.

This afternoon was a big game for the Pirates, who had the opportunity to win a series for the first time since mid-July.  Jeff Karstens made the start today for the Bucs, coming off his worst start of the season against the Padres last Friday night.  The Giants countered in this rubber match with Jonathan Sanchez, a nifty left-hander looking for his fifth victory of the season.

The Pirates’ offense was strong today, getting contributions from a number of different players on their way to an 9-2 beat down of the Giants.

Sanchez, known for his inconsistency and at-times deceiving dominance, didn’t have his best stuff today, and the Pirates took advantage of it.  The Giants’ starter lasted only 4.1 innings, giving up five runs (four earned) on four hits while walking four batters. 

Pittsburgh took the lead early in the first inning.  After drawing a lead-off four-pitch walk to start the game, Andrew McCutchen stole second, and eventually scored on Ryan Ludwick’s two-out RBI single.

Pablo Sandoval quickly tied things up in the bottom half of the inning, blasting a two-out solo homerun to right field, tying the game 1-1.

The Pirates took advantage of Sanchez’s struggles to throw strikes…and made him pay.  After a leadoff walk to Jeff Karstens, Sanchez gave up a monster two-run homerun to McCutchen.  After a walk to Steve Pearce and a two-base error, Matt Diaz smacked an RBI single, scoring Pearce and giving the Bucs a 4-1 advantage.

San Francisco got a run back in the fourth inning on an RBI-single by Orlando Cabrera.  The base hit scored Aubrey Huff, who smacked a 1-out double down the first base line to reach base.  Karstens was able to strike out Aaron Rowand to end the inning with the Pirates still occupying a two-run lead.

Cutch scored for the third consecutive time after leading off the fifth inning with a walk, and eventually scoring on an RBI-single, this time by Garrett Jones.  Pittsburgh extended the lead once again to three runs.

The Buccos opened things wide open in the seventh inning with three more runs on an RBI single from Diaz and a two-run single from Brandon Wood. 

Karstens responded well to his last outing against the Padres, giving up two runs on eight hits in his six innings of work today against the Giants, while earning his ninth win of the year.  He effectively worked his way out of trouble on multiple occasions as well, including leaving two runners stranded in the fifth and sixth innings.

It was an interesting lineup devised by Clint Hurdle for this afternoon’s game.  Steve Pearce, despite his 3-31 mark since being recalled, made the start at third base, while Brandon Wood gave Neil Walker a day off at second base.  Matt Diaz started in right field and Garrett Jones spot-started for Derrek Lee at first base, who was a late scratch due to continued soreness in his hand.

Andrew McCutchen took this game over in the early-going, and set the tone throughout the afternoon for the Pirates’ victory.  Cutch went 1-1 with a homerun, two RBI’s, three walks, four runs scored, and two stolen bases. 

This was a huge victory for the Pirates.  After a horrible home stand, this was a huge step in the right direction for the Bucs to get back to their winning ways.  They won a series for the first time since mid-July, and earned a much-needed confidence boost as they now head into the series this weekend against the N.L. Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers.

Record Vs. Giants: 3-3

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

Record On The Road: 30-28

Overall Record: 56-60

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Bumgarner, Bullpen Silence Buccos Bats

by Zane Heiple

Photo by Getty Images

The Pittsburgh Pirates ended a 10 game losing streak after defeating the San Francisco Giants 5-0 on Monday night and were hoping that James McDonald could pitch at a high level like Charlie Morton did during the win.  The Giants, who are in a slump of their own, still sit atop the National League West Division, but have the Arizona Diamondbacks on their heels.

Through the first three innings there was not much offense to speak of, but Ryan Ludwick made a great diving catch in the bottom part of the third inning and doubled up San Fran pitcher Madison Bumgarner.  The Giants were able to jump on the scoreboard first when Aubrey Huff would double home Jeff Keppinger in the bottom of the fourth.

Pablo Sandoval made a great play at third base on a one hopper to prevent Ronny Cedeno from scoring on what would have been an Andrew McCutchen single in the fifth inning.  This play proved big as Chris Stewart would take the first pitch of the inning deep to give the Giants a 2-0 lead.  Huff would strike again, this time with a solo home run in the sixth inning.

McDonald’s night was finished after six innings of work and while his stat line of three runs on four hits with four strikeouts and three walks was not as impressive as Morton’s the night before, it was unfortunate that the offense could not give him any run support.  Bumgarner was the reason for the Pirates struggles at the plate on this night.  He pitched seven innings striking out ten batters, walking one, and allowing zero runs on four hits. 

The Giants added three more runs in the eighth inning.  The first was when Nick Schierholtz hit into a fielder’s choice allowing Sandoval to score from third.  The next came when Cody Ross hit a shallow fly ball to right that none of the Buccos defense could get too.  Ross would advance to third base on a throwing error by Ryan Doumit.  Ross then came into score on a Orlando Cabrera single to give San Francisco a 6-0 victory.
 
It was frustrating to watch the offense of the Pirates shut out only one night after they scored five runs.  Hopefully they will have an answer tomorrow in the rubber match of this series.  Also the bullpen struggled again tonight as they had to use three pitchers just to get out of the eighth inning.  Jeff Karstens will get the ball for the Pirates, while the G-Men will counter with Jonathan Sanchez.  First pitch is scheduled for 3:45pm.

Record vs. Giants:  2-3
Record vs. N.L. West:  10-14
Record on the Road:  29-28
Overall Record:  55-60

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!!!

Lee's Two Home Runs Can't Lift Pirates Past Cubs

by Zane Heiple

Photo by Getty Images

There was a lot of energy at PNC Park tonight as Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick would make their debuts in Pittsburgh Pirates uniforms tonight as they did battle with the Chicago Cubs.  Lee would have an amazing night at the plate going 2-4 with two home runs and three RBI.  Ludwick did not have as much luck as he would go 0-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.  Unfortunately for Pittsburgh Lee’s homers were not enough as they dropped their fourth straight game with a 5-3 loss to the Cubs.

Paul Maholm was on the mound tonight and thru the first five innings looked like the pitcher we have seen all season long, consistent with little to no run support.  Thru five innings he gave up one run on one hit.  It was the sixth inning that would haunt him.  Maholm was hit hard this inning allowing three runs on three hits.  Walks also hurt Paul tonight as he would give up three on the night.  When it was said and done, Maholm would go 6 innings allowing four runs on six hits  with three K’s and three walks.  The bullpen held it together as Jason Grilli pitched one inning of scoreless baseball striking out one batter.  Daniel McCutchen did give up an insurance run to the Cubs in the ninth.  He would pitch two innings striking out one and walking two. 

The offense did seem to gain a little bit of a spark tonight as seven of the eight position players to start the game did have at least one hit.  Unfortunately they did not come thru when it counted as eleven Buccos would be left on base.  Another chilling statistic was that out of the ten Pirates hits on the night only three were extra base hits, the two Lee home runs and an eighth inning double by Neal Walker.  Pedro Alvarez had two singles tonight but made a base running error when he was picked off second base by Chicago starter Carlos Zambrano.

This four game slide has the Pirates only a game over .500 now after they had been as many as seven over.  It also sees them drop to 5.5 games back of the division leading Milwaukee Brewers.  If this team is not feeling the pressure of a pennant race yet, I’m not sure they will.  With the loss tonight, these next three games against the Cubs become that much more important.  Kevin Correia will look to have a good outing at home tomorrow, while Randy Wells will look to give the Cubbies their third win in a row.

Record vs. Cubs:  6-4
Record vs. N.L. Central:  25-17
Record at Home:  26-26
Overall Record:  54-53

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!!!

Meet Your Bucs: Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick

by Zane Heiple

With the trade deadline passing on Sunday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Pirates picked up two players that they hope will contribute towards making a run at the National League Central Division title in 2011.  On Saturday the Pirates acquired firstbaseman Derrek Lee from the Baltimore Orioles for minor league prospect Aaron Baker.  General Manager Neal Huntington was not done yet, as he made a move for Padres outfielder Ryan Ludwick before the deadline had passed for a player to be named or cash considerations.

Photo by zimbio.com

Lee is a former first round pick of the San Diego Padres in the 1993 Major League Baseball draft.  He would debut with the Padres on April 28, 1997.  In 1998 Derrek was traded to the Florida Marlins for pitcher Kevin Brown.  Lee would end up being a member of the Marlins 2003 World Series Championship team and win his first gold glove at first base that season.  After that World Series season he was traded again, this time to the Chicago Cubs.  His best overall season in a Chicago uniform came in 2005 when he would hit .335 with 46 HR and 107 RBI.  Even with his stats slowly dropping after this season, the Atlanta Braves sought him prior to the 2010 trade deadline where he was traded for three Braves pitching prospects.  In 2011 he was signed in the offseason by the Orioles.  In 85 games this year with the Orioles Lee is hitting .246 with 12 HR and 46 RBI.

Photo by zimbio.com

Ludwick was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the second round of the 1999 MLB draft out of UNLV.  Prior to the 2002 season he was traded to the Texas Rangers where he would make his big league debut on June 5 of that season.  This season would be cut short when he fractured his hip and ultimately lead to him being traded to the Cleveland Indians during the 2003 season.  Between 03-06 Ryan would spend time between the Majors and the Minors before being dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2007.  His best year in the Majors came with the Cardinals in 2008 when he batted .299 with 37 HR and 113 RBI.  During the 2010 season he was sent to the Padres in a three team deal.  One of the reasons why San Diego felt like he was expendable to the Pirates was because of his struggles at Petco Park.  In 2011 Ludwick is batting .238 with 11 HR and 64 RBI.

While both of these players are past their primes, I feel that their experience in playoff runs with be a huge upgrade for the Pirates clubhouse.  This will also add some much needed pop to the Pittsburgh offense.  It was also good to see that the Pirates were buyers at this years trade deadline and did not have to give up hardly any talent to do so.