Milwaukee Brewers Vs. Pittsburgh Pirates: May 19-20, 2010

The Pirates “welcomed” the Milwaukee Brewers into PNC Park on Wednesday and Thursday for the first time since their embarrassing series against their N.L. Central foes where they were outscored 36-1 in the three-game set.

Wednesday, May 19: The Pirates jumped on top early and came back late to take the first of the short two game set against the Brewers on Wednesday. Andy LaRoche got things going early in the 2nd with a sacrifice ground out to shortstop, scoring Ryan Doumit. Ronny Cedeno also sacrificed in the inning, scoring Steve Pearce.

After the Brew-Crew took a 4-3 lead going into the bottom of the 7th, the Buccos’ bats came alive again. Garrett Jones singled home Lastings Milledge, Doumit singled home Andrew McCutchen, and Pearce, who went 3-4 on the night, scored Jones. The Pirates’ closer Octavio Dotel picked up his 9th save, holding off the Brewers.

Brian Burres had a solid outing once again, lasting 6 innings while giving up 3 runs on 7 hits. The bullpen continued their success, giving up only 1 run on 3 hits in 3 innings of work. This was a great start for the Pirates’ home stand at PNC Park, as they then looked for the shortened series sweep on Thursday.

Thursday, May 20: The Pirates and Brewers once again played a highly competitive ballgame, but this time, the Buccos were on the wrong end of the scoreboard when the last out was recorded. After scoring 3 runs in the first inning, the Pirates failed to score another run throughout the game, while the Brewers had big innings in the 2nd and 4th on their way to a 4-3 win and a split in the series.

Steve Pearce tripled home 2 runs in the first, and then scored on Andy LaRoche’s RBi double. Unfortunately, the bats disappeared after that point. The Brewers, on the other hand, managed decent run support with timely hitting, something the Pirates have typically been able to put forth as well. An RBI triple by Corey Hart and a sacrifice by Gregg Zaun narrow the Pirates’ lead to 3-2 in the 2nd inning. Then, scores by Casey McGehee and Hart in the 4th gave them a 4-3 lead, which was all their bullpen needed to close out the game.

Paul Maholm was decently solid on this night, giving up 4 runs on 7 innings, while the bullpen, ONCE AGAIN, turned in a solid performance as a whole, surrendering only one hit in their 2 innings of work.

The Pirates earned a split in the series against the hated Brewers, a team that once dominated our beloved Buccos. Still, while it’s promising to see the Pirates continue to be competitive against their divisional foes, one can help but be frustrated by the fact that they really SHOULD HAVE won both games. The Pirates now enter the weekend with a 3 game series against Nate McClouth and the Atlanta Braves.

Current Record: 18-23

And…As Always…Let’s Go Bucs!!!

Pittsburgh Pirates Vs. Philadelphia Phillies: May 17-18, 2010

It may be hard to find another state that has such a sports rivalry between two cities as Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. If you ever want to know where a fellow Pennsylvanian’s sports allegiance lies, bring up the Pirates vs. Phillies, Eagles vs. Steelers, Penguins vs. Flyers, or 76ers vs…… well forget the NBA in this matter. While the Pirates and Phillies are not division rivals and only play six times a year, it still brings a lot of passion out of fans on both sides of the spectrum. This particular series would have the Pirates ending a short five game road trip in the city of brotherly love after a successful series in Chicago.

Monday May 17: The Charlie Morton project was on display once again and as usual it was a disappointment. Morton would go only four innings allowing six earned runs on six hits. The Pirates brass keep talking about Morton’s stuff and us Pirate fans keep waiting for him to deliver. The only bright side for the Pirates offense was a leadoff home run by Delwyn Young. Unfortunately for the Pirates, the Phillies came out with the offense and pitching one would expect from the two time defending National League Champions. Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick would go eight innings allowing two runs on five hits. The performance of the night came from the $125 million dollar man Ryan Howard. Howard would go 3 for 5 at the plate with six RBI’s and a massive grand slam in eighth inning, off of Pirates reliever Jack Taschner, to give the Phillies a 12-2 win over the Buccos.

Tuesday May 18: When the pitching matchups came out for the series Bucco Nation had a bad taste in their mouths when they saw Roy Halladay would be on the hill for the second and final game of this series. Amazingly Zach Duke had the pitching performance of the season, and possibly his career, as he would out duel the former Cy Young award winner. Duke would go six innings allowing only one run and pick up his third win of the season in a 2-1 win over the Phillies. Evan Meek, Joel Hanrahan, and Octavio Dotel would come out of the bullpen for the Buccos to seal the victory. Halladay would pitch a great game of his own as he went the entire game allowing only two runs on nine hits. The Pirates would collect their offense off of an Andy LaRoche double and a Garrett Jones single. The Phillies lone run would come from Juan Castro who singled in a run. When the Pirates play against a pitcher the caliber of Halladay, their only chance of winning is to get an amazing pitching performance, which they did from Zach Duke.

When you play a short two game series the least you can hope for is a split and while the Pirates were outscored this series 13-4 they finished the road trip 3-2. They now head back to PNC Park for a short home stand against the Brewers and Braves. Be sure to check back to Fans From The Stands for coverage on those series.

Current Record: 17-22

As Always…..Lets Go Bucs!!!!!

Pittsburgh Pirates Vs. Chicago Cubs: May 14-16, 2010

The Pittsburgh Pirates headed west to the windy city to take on the Chicago Cubs for the first three games of a five game road trip. These two division rivals met earlier this month in Pittsburgh where the Pirates swept the Cubs in three games. This was an important series for the Pirates as they had just been swept by the Cincinnati Reds in a three game series at home.

Friday May 14: Game one of this series matched Brian Burres vs. former Bucco Tom Gorzelanny. Fortunately Gorzelanny showed the colors we Bucco fans have expected from him as he would go five innings giving up five runs on nine hits. Garret Jones and Andrew McCutchen lead the damage for the Pirates combining for ten hits in eleven at bats, with a home run apiece and batting in seven RBI’s. Fortunately the Pirates bullpen held down the Cubs offense after Burres was only able to go four innings giving up five earned runs on seven hits. It was great for the Pirates offense to explode for ten runs after scoring only one in their previous three games.

Saturday May 15: The best way to describe game two of the series was a nail biter. The Pirates started the game off with three runs in the top of the first and appeared to be on their way to an easy win over the north siders, but the Cubs battled back with two runs in the bottom of the third. Paul Maholm of the Pirates pitched a solid game giving up only two earned runs in six innings of work and earning his third win of the year. The Cubs also got good work out of their starter, Ryan Dempster, who went seven innings giving up three runs. The biggest hit of the day for the Pirates came in the top of the ninth as Jeff Clement hit a solo home run, his fourth of the year, which would end up being the game winner. Octavio Dotel earned his seventh save of the year after he gave up and RBI triple to Kosuke Fukudome in the bottom of the ninth to make the score 4-3 in favor of the Pirates. With a runner on third and one out Dotel would strike out the next two batters to give them their seventh straight win over the Cubs.

Sunday May 16: The final game of the series would be another nail biter. Ross Olhendorf gave the Pirates another solid outing after coming off the DL as he would go six innings allowing only two runs. Unfortunately for Ross the Pirates would only manage three runs in the game and former Bucco Xavier Nady would deliver the fatal blow. After Olendorf left in the top of the seventh, Evan Meek would come on in relief. The bullpen which was solid in games one and two of the series finally slipped up. Meek would throw a wild pitch that got the Cubs within one. The next batter Derek Lee would then tie the game with a RBI single. In the eighth inning D.J. Carrasco came in and would give up the eventual game winning single to the X-Man. The Pirates would go 1-2-3 in the ninth, losing the final game 4-3.

This was a key series for the Pirates as they played much better than they had in their previous series against the Reds. The starting pitching was good, the offense showed up and the bullpen showed their potential in games one and two. The defense had a few errors which did hurt the Pirates in the third game. Overall fans should be happy with their windy city performance. Up next the Pirates head to the city of brotherly love for an in state battle with the Philadelphia Phillies. Be sure to check out Fans From the Stands for the series recap.

Current Record: 16-21

As Always…..Lets Go Bucs!!!!!

Pittsburgh Pirates Vs. Cincinnati Reds: May 10-12, 2010

The Pittsburgh Pirates wrapped up a nine game home stand with a visit from the division rival Cincinnati Reds. Upon the time that the Reds visited the Steel City the battling buccos had gone 4-2 in the previous two series against the Cubs and Cardinals. Fans were expecting good things in the series, since the Pirates had swept the Reds at PNC Park back in April. But as any true Pirate fan knows when it comes to the Pirates expect the unexpected.

Monday May 10: In game one of the series the Pirates faced former Bucco Bronson Arroyo. Arroyo made sure to remind everyone in Bucco nation that they had traded a formable pitcher. He would go seven innings against the Pirates allowing only one run. A solo home run from Ronny Cedeno would be the only production from the Pirates line up. Unfortunately this one run performance would allow a beautiful pitching performance from Ross Olendorf, who participated in his first game since coming off the DL, Javier Lopez, Evan Meek, and Joel Hanrahan go to waste. The pitching staff would only allow two runs. These runs would come in the top of the fourth and eighth inning on doubles from Lance Nix and Scott Rolen.

Tuesday May 11: Game two of the series turned into route as the Reds would go on to down the Pirates 9-0. Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto pitched a gem as he went the distance throwing a complete game one hitter. Ronny Cedeno was the only one to figure out Cueto with a single into left off the glove of shortstop Paul Janish’s glove in the third inning. While the Pirates bats were silenced, the Reds belted fifteen hits off of four Bucco pitchers. This game marked the 13th time in 33 games that the Pirates lost by six runs or more. Starting pitcher Charlie Morton did go six innings and only allowed three runs, which shows that the bullpen was unable to help him giving up six earned runs in only three innings.

Wednesday May 12: An afternoon game in baseball is known as a businessman’s special. It’s a time for people to leave work early and enjoy America’s past time. Unfortunately for Pirates fans it seemed the team forgot to show up. The Pirates came into the game with their ace Zach Duke on the mound and hopes to salvage something from this series and finish the home stand at .500. It didn’t take long for the Reds to ruin that hope. The scoring started in the top of the first when they scored two runs and then copy that feat again in the second. The Reds would finish their scoring the fourth with a solo home run from Drew Stubbs. The Reds would have another great pitching performance this time from Homer Bailey. Bailey would toss a complete game four hit shutout against the Pirates.

Plain and simple the Pirates didn’t even come to play in this series as they were outscored 16-1. This three game set highlighted the plights of the their season as inconsistent pitching and defense along with non-existent offense doomed them from game one and continued in games two and three. Hopefully a day off and a five game road trip to Chicago and Philadelphia, will allow the Pirates to clear their heads and play good quality baseball that they have shown glimpses of this season.

Current record: 14-20

As Always…..Lets Go Bucs!!!!!

St. Louis Cardinals Vs. Pittsburgh Pirates: May 7-9, 2010

The Pirates slated 2 solid outings and one hideous performance on their way to dropping just their 2nd home series of the season, dropping 2 out of 3 to the N.L Central leading St. Louis Cardinals.

Friday, May 7: The Buccos’ first challenge of the series was to face the once again-rejuvenated Chris Carpenter. The Cardinals’ ace had good stuff on Friday, but it wasn’t the best, giving up 2 runs on 8 hits through 7 innings. The Pirates’ bats were alive, slating a total of 11, but had just as many wasted opportunities, stranding runners, tallying numerous base-running mistakes, and lacked timely hitting. Andrew McCutchen continued his hot streak, going 3-4, while Lastings Milledge and Andy LaRoche each added 2 hits.

The Cardinals took the lead for good in the top of the 9th inning, as Yadier Molina smashed a run scoring double, which capped off his 4-5 performance by knocking in his game-leading 3rd RBI. One of the more frustrating outings lately, the Pirates lost a 1-run game for only the 2nd time this season.

Saturday, May 8: Pirates’ Jeff Karstens pitched a gem on Saturday, giving up only 3 hits in 6 innings of shutout baseball. In all, five Bucco pitchers only gave up 4 hits, and Octavio Dotel slated his 6th save of the season as the Pirates evened up the series, setting up the rubber match on Sunday.

The Pirates’ bats, on the other hand, were much more active, as Jason Jaramillo notched 3 hits, while Ronny Cedeno and Andrew McCutchen added a pair of knocks a piece. This was a good old fashioned pitchers’ dual in truest sense of the word between Karstens and the Red Birds’ starter Jaime Garcia. The Pirates didn’t need much offense, which was fortunate because they certainly didn’t get much in the way of runs. Cedeno singled in the 2nd inning, scoring Steve Pearce, while Jaramillo delivered a HUGE RBI single in the 8th, giving our beloved Buccos an insurance run. As a Pirates fan of…well…forever, I can honestly say that the Pirates can never have too many insurance runs.

Sunday, May 9: As with every Sunday home game, it was kids’ day at PNC Park. It’s always a great tradition for the little tikes to meet their favorite Pirates. Unfortunately, the Pirates played as if they were either Little Leaguers or as though they were hung over from the night before after winning on Saturday night.

Their putrid performance on Sunday erased any positive vibes from their victory the night before. The Pirates lost for the 12th time by more than 6 runs this season. Ugh. Paul Maholm got roughed up in his 3.1 innings of work for 6 runs (4 earned) and 6 hits, suffering his 3rd loss of the season. Joe Mather and Ryan Ludwick each had multi-hit games. The Cardinals first stepped on the gas in 3rd inning with 4 runs, and didn’t let up the entire game, notching 2 runs in the 4th inning and 5 in the 6th on their way to the 11-4 route of our Pirates. The Cardinals leave Pittsburgh today after winning another series against the Buccos.

Despite the awfully embarrassing performance today, the Pirates still find themselves dwindling around the .500 mark. Their extremely competitive first two games against the Cardinals provide further proof that when they get solid pitching from their starting pitchers, the Pirates are a different team. We now welcome the Cincinnatti Reds to PNC Park for a 3 game set starting tomorrow. We all hope the Bucs can wrap up their homestand with a series win against the N.L. Central rivals.

Current Record: 14-17

And…As Always…Let’s Go Bucs!

Chicago Cubs Vs. Pittsburgh Pirates: May 4-6, 2010

After a difficult time on the road, the best thing to do is go home. That’s exactly what the Pittsburgh Pirates did, and PNC Park was happy to see them. The starting pitching was phenomenal, the bullpen was solid, and timely hitting from the team’s offensive stars wrote the recipe for a series sweep of the Chicago Cubs.

Tuesday, May 4: Paul Maholm pitched a solid 6 innings against a red hot Cubs offense on Tuesday, giving up 2 runs while scattering 8 hits on his way to his 2nd win of the season. Evan Meek, Joel Hanrahan, and Octavio Dotel pitched an inning each of hitless baseball, securing the Buccos 3-2 win over their division rivals.

Alfonso Soriano and Giovano Soto each blasted a solo homerun, serving as the Cubs only 2 runs of the game. The Pirates’ scoring also came a pair of homeruns, including Andy LaRoche’s solo shot in the 1st and Ryan Church’s lead-changing 2 run shot in the 6th, scoring Garrett Jones. The Pirates ended a 3 game losing streak and got the homestand off to the bright start, defeating the Cubs at PNC Park.

Wednesday, May 5: Charlie Morton pitched his best game of the year by far, lasting 6 innings of 2 run, 5 hit baseball, on his way to his first win of the season. Once again, Evan Meek, Joel Hanrahan, and Octavio Dotel pitched shutout baseball for the 2nd night in a row, holding the Cubs hitless from the 6th inning on.

Garrett Jones was the hitting star for the Pirates, going 2-4 with 2 RBI, while Bobby Crosby, Andrew McCutchen, and Ronny Cedeno each added two hits as well. The Pirates had control of the game for the 2nd straight day, and took down the Cubs one out at a time, wearing them down on the way to a 4-2 win, securing a series win and opening the door for the opportunity of a sweep.

Thursday, May 6: For the 3rd straight game, a Pirates pitcher was the best player on the field. This time, Brian Burres was the hero, pitching 7 shutout innings, while only allowing 3 hits and issuing 3 walks. The bullpen surrendered only 1 run on 3 hits, accumulating a series total of just 5 runs in the 3-game set.

The Buccos destroyed Cubs’ pitching, scoring 11 runs in the first 4 innings, including 5 in the 1st inning alone. Lastings Milledge went 2-3 with 4 RBI, and helped put the game away early in the 4th. Garrett Jones and Andrew McCutchen had 2 hits a piece, while Ryan Doumit and Ryan Church had a hit as well, and the Pirates made the Cubs look like a minor league ball club, on their way to a 11-1 victory.

When the starting pitching is solid, the Pittsburgh Pirates are a good baseball team. That’s right, a GOOD baseball team. They are not an overpoweringly aggressive offense, but if kept in a game through the first handful of innings, accumulate timely hits, are patient at the plate, and make smart decisions. Their record in close games in phenomenal, and with every game like the 3 they have played here against the Cubs, the Buccos gain more and more confidence that yes, they can play with the teams of the N.L. Central. Their next opponents are the St. Louis Cardinals, the top team of the division. The Pirates certainly have the momentum going into this series, especially considering the Red Birds were just swept by the Philadelphia Phillies. Zane The Train Heiple and I will be at the Buccos-Cards games on Saturday and Sunday, so be sure to check out our FFTS videos coming up. Here’s to a great upcoming weekend!

Current Record: 13-15

And…As Always…Let’s Go Bucs!

Pittsburgh Pirates Vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: April 29-May 2, 2010

The Pirates experienced an extremely disappointing and frustrating series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team they defeated 2 out of 3 games to begin the season.

Thursday, April 29: Ryan Doumit hammered a 2-run triple in the first inning, and the Pirates’ pitching staff took care of the rest, defeating the Dodgers 2-0 in the first game of the series on Thursday. Brian Burres pitched an abnormally solid game, going 5.1 innings of shutout ball, while only allowing 4 hits. One of the more boring games of the season to this point, the Pirates took a very important game, extending their winning streak to a whopping 3 games.

Friday, April 30: The Dodgers scored timely hitting, got key outs when they needed to, and took advantage of a few Pirates’ mistakes to defeat Pittsburgh in the 2nd game of the series, 6-2. James Loney led the charge for the Dodgers, going 3-3 with a HR and 3 RBI.

Ryan Doumit continued his hot streak, going 3-4 with an RBI. Andrew McCutchen also added two hits, including a run scoring double in the 1st inning. Charlie Morton fell to 0-5 on the season after giving up 3 earned runs on 6 hits through 6 innings of work.

Saturday, May 1: Andre Ethier burned the Buccos with 3 hits, including a HR and 3 RBI, while the Dodgers’ pitching staff continued to dominate the Pirates’ bats on their way to a 5-1 win. Zach Duke lost for the 3rd straight game after starting the season 2-0, giving up 4 runs on 9 hits through 6 innings of work. The Dodgers, on the other hand, used 4 pitchers throughout the game, only giving up a total of 6 hits, one of which was off the bat of Andrew McCutchen, blasting a homerun and scoring the Pirates’ only run.

Sunday, May 2: A disappointing trip to the west coast ended on Sunday with a 9-3 loss to the Dodgers, dropping 3 out of 4 games and 3 games in a row. Andre Either once again was the hitting star of the day, pelting two HR’s on his way to a 4 RBI effort. Garrett Jones was the bright spot for the Pirates, going 2-4 with an RBI. Jeff Karstens, the Pirates starter, lasted 5 innings with giving up 6 runs on an unacceptable 11 hits.

The Pirates return home to Pittsburgh after a disappointing 3-7 road trip, which included a sweep by the Houston Astros and losing 3 out of 4 games to the Dodgers. The upcoming homestand is one of the more significant stretches of the season thus far, which includes series against the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, and Cincinnati Reds. The Buccos need to make some noise in these next three series against N.L. Central opponents.

Current Record: 10-15

And…As Always…Let’s Go Bucs!