New York Mets Vs. Pittsburgh Pirates: August 20-22, 2010

The New York Mets are one of the more disappointing teams in professional baseball this year. With their payroll nearing the top of the list, The Mets are bordering the .500 mark. Similarly, the Pirates have been a disappointment for their fans here in Pittsburgh, sporting MLB’s worst record, an embarrassing 40-82 mark coming into their 3-game series against the Mets at PNC Park.

Friday, August 20: The Mets came out swinging early and often at PNC Park, lighting up Buccos’ starter Jeff Karstens for 7 runs on 11 hits through just 3.1 innings. Karstens fell to 2-10 for the season, but for the first time in a large number of starts, he wasn’t a victim of minimal run support; his pitching just simply wasn’t good enough on this night.

Though the Pirates were out-matched on both offense and defense, Andrew McCutchen and Ryan Doumit were two bright spots, as Cutch contributed 2 hits and Doumit hammered a solo homerun in the 2nd sinning. Still, it wasn’t enough to match the Mets, as the Buccos dropped game one of the series, 7-2.

Saturday, August 21: The Pirates and Mets played a rain-shortened game on Saturday, which, unfortunately for the Buccos, ended in a 5-1 victory for the Mets.

David Wright hammered 3-run homerun in the 5th inning, which was more than enough for starter Jonathon Niese, who went “the distance,” giving up a run on 5 hits. Andrew McCutchen went 2-3 with 2 doubles in the losing effort, but the rest of the lineup was virtually non-existent offensively. The win on Saturday guaranteed the Mets would win the series at PNC Park, the first road series victory of the season for New York.

Sunday, August 22: Zach Duke out-pitched Johan Santana and the Pirates got 2 huge homeruns in back-to-back innings as they avoided the sweep and slated a 2-1 victory over the Mets at PNC Park.

The Mets held a 1-0 lead into the 5th inning, when Lastings Milledge launched a 406 ft homerun to deep center field, tying the game. Jose Tabata followed that up the very next inning with a solo blast of his own, giving the Pirates a 2-1 lead, which would eventually become the final score.

To put it simply, Duke pitched a gem. After giving up 1 run and 2 hits in the first inning, Zach surrendered only 3 hits the rest of the game. His final line read 7 innings, 1 run on 5 hits, with 2 walks and 5 K’s. Santana fell to 10-8 on the season with the loss.

Sunday, August 22 Pregame Show

Sunday, August 22 Postgame Show

So the Pirates avoided a sweep at PNC Park against the Mets. Unfortunately though, the Pirates are 2-5 on this home stand so far, a place where the Pirates have played “well” this season. This doesn’t bode well for a team who will welcome the St. Louis Cardinals to town, a team who is in the middle of both a division and wild card race, and will certainly see this series as a huge opportunity to make up some ground in the standings. Hopefully the Pirates can seize this chance to once again become the spoiler rather than the contender, which has become familiar ground for them over the past couple decades.

Current Record: 41-83

And…As Always…Let’s Go Bucs!

Florida Marlins Vs. Pittsburgh Pirates: August 16-19, 2010

Following a pathetic 0-6 road trip, the Pirates returned to PNC Park for a 10 game homestand. While it was a nice change for the battlin’ Buccos to return to Pittsburgh, the three teams coming into town served as no easy match-up. First up were the Florida Marlins, a team that has been struggling this year, but, as in most cases, they haven’t been teetering as much as our beloved Buccos.

Monday, August 16: The Pirates’ bats were alive early, and starter James McDonald pitched another gem at PNC Park, leading the Buccos to a 7-1 in the first game of the 4-game set in Pittsburgh.

Pedro Alvarez went 2-4 with 3 RBI for the Pirates, while Andrew McCutchen and Chris Snyder each added 2 hits a piece in the winning effort. As for McDonald, he pitched 7 innings while only giving up 1 run on 3 hits. After a difficult road trip, this was a pleasant return to PNC Park.

Tuesday, August 17: Unfortunately, the hot Pirates-hitting couldn’t carry over to the second game of the series, as the Buccos were only able to manage 6 hits and couldn’t even break into the scoring column, losing to the Marlins 6-0.

Pedro Alvarez tallied 2 hits for the second straight night, while Jose Tabata added a pair of hits as well. The Pirates left a total of 6 runners on base, and, as is the case with many teams in Major League Baseball, the Marlins made them pay for it.

Zach Duke lasted 5.2 innings, giving up 5 runs on 9 hits, which clearly wasn’t solid enough for an offense that struggles to score on a consistent basis. Any momentum the Pirates gained in game 1 of the series was completely diminished on Tuesday.

Wednesday, August 18: The 3rd game of the series was a close-knit, highly competitive ballgame at PNC Park. This day also served as the birthday of FFTS co-host Chad Carlson, which, unfortunately, came on a day when the Pirates lost to the Marlins.

Ross Ohlendorf was the victim of another lackluster performance by an offense that couldn’t support him. Ross gave up 3 runs on only 4 hits through 8 innings. Dan Uggla was the hero for the Marlins, who went 2-3, including a HR in the 2nd inning.

Jose Tabata bumped into average up to an even .300 with a 3-hit evening for the Pirates, who tallied 7 hits as a team, but just couldn’t push enough runs across the plate for Ohlendorf to notch a win. Instead, poor Ross fell to 1-10 on the season, and the Pirates dropped their second straight game to the Marlins.

Thursday, August 19: Another close, tight game at PNC Park resulted in a Marlins’ narrow victory, as the Fish left Pittsburgh after taking 3 out of 4 games from our beloved Buccos.

All of the scoring for the Marlins came in the 6th inning, including a Gaby Sanchez 3-run homerun to deep center field, which gave Florida a 3-0 lead at the time.

Argenis Diaz was the surprise hitting star of the day for the Pirates, going 2-3, including an RBI ground rule double, scoring Chris Snyder in the 8th inning. Andrew McCutchen homered to start things off in the 9th inning, but unfortunately, the Pirates weren’t able to build on that momentum, and dropped another close contest.

So the Pirates dropped 3 games to the Marlins in a few different ways, including blown opportunities, leaving too many runners on base, and spoiling fantastic pitching performances by exhibiting non-existing offense. The Pirates are literally spiraling out of control, and it seems as though they literally have no idea how to close out ballgames and…well…win. It won’t get any easier as the New York Mets come into town for a 3-game weekend series.

Current Record: 40-81

And...As Always…Let’s Go Bucs!

Pittsburgh Pirates Vs. Houston Astros: August 13-15, 2010

After a terrible trip to San Diego, the Pirates traveled to Houston to take on the Astros for a 3 game series, looking for their first win on the current road trip.

Friday, August 13: The Pirates played a phenomenal baseball game defensively on Friday night…that is…until the 8th inning. A huge 4-run outburst by the Astros in the next to the last frame gave Houston a 4-1 win in the first game of the series at Minute Maid Park.

Ross Ohlendorf pitched arguably his best game of the season, going 6.2 innings and only giving up 4 hits and striking out 7, setting his team up for the victory. Unfortunately, the big 7th inning for Houston came at the expense of the usually reliable Evan Meek, who gave up 4 runs on 5 hits through just 1/3 of an inning.

Neil Walker tallied the only RBI for Pittsburgh in the 3rd inning. Carlos Lee was the game breaker for the Astros, smashing a 3-run homer in the 8th inning, giving them the lead.

Saturday, August 14: For the second consecutive night, the Pirates led for the majority of the game, only to squander opportunities to add to the lead, and eventually losing the lead, and the game, to the Astros.

The Pirates led off the game with a triple by Andrew McCutchen and a 2-run homer by Garrett Jones off of Astros starter Bud Norris. But from there, Norris struck out an unprecedented 14 batters throughout his 7 innings of work. Buccos’ starter Paul Maholm pitched a solid outing as well, only giving up 3 runs on 9 hits. Unfortunately, those 3 runs were enough to beat the Pirates.

Hunter Pence was the star of the day for the Astros, going 3-4 with a solo homerun in the 4th and an RBI-double in the 7th. The Pirates managed 6 hits, but were only able to notch one run in the game…and for the second straight night, lost a close game to Houston.

Sunday, August 15: After two close losses to the Astros, the Pirates were due to get blown out….and that’s exactly what happened on Sunday. The Astros trailed the Pirates heading into the bottom of the 6th inning, and that’s when they tallied 7 runs over the next 3 innings, resulting in a punishing 8-2 win over Pittsburgh at Minute Maid Park.

Jeff Karstens pitched a fantastic game until the 6th inning, when he was lit up for 4 runs, knocking him out of the contest. Lastings Milledge and Chris Snyder contributed an RBI a piece, which unfortunately, were the only runs the team could muster for the duration of the game. The Astros, on the other hand, got contributions from the entire team. Chris Johnson, going 3-4 with a HR in the 8th inning, was the start of the day.

So the Pirates end the road trip without a victory, going 0-6 against the Padres and the Astros. The Buccos scored only 5 runs in the 3 games, and in two of the games, the Pirates’ pitching was solid. On a bright side, Garrett Jones and Pedro Alvarez both had solid series at Houston. Alvarez, in particular, has raised his average to .245 for the season. Unfortunately, though, it seems as though the Pirates find news ways, day after day, to lose baseball games.

The Pirates now return to PNC Park for a series against the Florida Marlins. Hopefully they can turn something around, put a few decent offensive outings and pitching performances together to accumulate a win.

Current Record: 39-78

And…As Always…Let’s Go Bucs!

Pittsburgh Pirates Vs. San Diego Padres: August 10-12, 2010

The Pirates embarked on another road trip which would certainly test their ability, traveling to both San Diego and Houston, two cities where our beloved Buccos haven’t performed well in the past.

Tuesday, August 10: Minimal offensive production and Ryan Ludwick’s San Diego coming out party combined for a 4-1 defeat for the Pirates at the hands of the Padres in the opening game of the series at Petco Park.

Ludwick homered in the 2nd and 7th innings, while the rest of the Padres’ lineup added a few timely hits, which was more than enough offense for their starter Wade LeBlanc. Buccos starter Jeff Karstens pitched yet another serviceable game, lasting 6 innings while only giving up 2 runs on 3 hits. Unfortunately, the offense was virtually non-existent for the Pirates, as Pedro Alvarez’s 3rd inning RBI single was the only notable play. This certainly was not the start the Pirates, or their fans, hoped for in the first game of the road trip.

Wednesday, August 11: Padres powerhouse Adrian Gonzalez went 4-4 and was the hitting star of the day as the Pirates dropped their second straight game at Petco Park on Wednesday, 8-5.

Pitching wasn’t exactly impressive on either side as was the case the night before. Buccos’ starter James McDonald, after a stellar debut at PNC Park, didn’t match his earlier performance, giving up 4 runs on 7 hits through 4.2 innings. Reliever Chan Ho Park didn’t fare much better, surrendering 3 runs in one inning.

The offense for Pittsburgh did finally wake up from their slumber, tallying 5 runs in the losing effort. Neil Walker had 2 hits and Ryan Doumit tallied 2 RBI. The bulk of the scoring came in the 7th as the Pirates cut the deficit to 3 runs on Pedro Alvarez’s bases loaded walk, Doumit’s 2-run double, and Chris Snyder’s sacrifice. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t get any closer on this night.

Thursday, August 12: The Pirates went back into hibernation, Ryan Ludwick hit another homerun, and the Padres swept the series, and the season set, from Pittsburgh.

In a rather uneventful game, the only scoring came in the 3rd and 6th innings. Miguel Tejada doubled in the game’s first run in the 3rd inning, and Ludwick’s 2-run shot in the 6th gave the Padres some breathing room, which turns out, they didn’t need.

Ryan Doumit went 2-3 on Thursday, and was responsible for half of the team’s hits. Starter Zach Duke fell to 5-11 on the season, giving up 2 earned runs through 6 innings, slating his ERA at 5.20.

This was not the start to the road trip any Pirate fan could possibly hope for, as they drop the first three games, and now travel to Houston for a 3-game series against an Astros team who has owned them in Texas. The Pirates are sinking fast, and are now officially Major League Baseball’s very worst team. This is the point in the season when it begins to be very difficult to watch. Hopefully the Pirates can begin to work on building a foundation for next year, a phrase that has become all too familiar in the past 2 decades.

Current Record: 39-75

And…As Always…Let’s Go Bucs!

Colorado Rockies Vs. Pittsburgh Pirates: August 5-8, 2010

Following a difficult series against the Reds, the Buccos were happy to welcome the Colorado Rockies to town, a team that they had just recently taken 2 out of 3 games from as the away team, a rarity for the Pirates this season. This time around, the two teams took the field for a 4 game series at PNC Park.

Thursday, August 5: Pirates newcomer James McDonald was superb in his debut in a Bucco uniform, and timely hitting provided enough run insurance as Pittsburgh took the first game of the series from the Rockies, 5-1.

McDonald was, without a doubt, the story of the night, only giving up 4 hits on his way to 6 scoreless innings. The bullpen, despite giving up a run 8th, was once again solid, limiting Colorado to minimal chances at a comeback. McDonald struck out 8 batters on his way to his first win of the season.

The Pirates jumped on Rockie starter Jeff Francis in the 2nd inning with a pair of homeruns, a solo shot by Garrett Jones and a 2-run job by Ronny Cedeno, which scored Lastings Milledge. RBI singles by Neil Walker and Pedro Alvarez in the 3rd and 6th innings helped extend the lead to which the Rockies couldn’t touch.

Friday, August 6: Zach Duke wasn’t quite as successful in the second game of the series against the Rockies. The left-hander gave up 3 runs on 10 hits through 6 innings. The four relievers from the bullpen who made appearances on Friday didn’t fair much better, with the exception of Evan Meek. The Rockies’ offense showed just how explosive they can be, and why they are in the position they are: an outside shot at the N.L. west title. Carlos Gonzalez, in particular, put on a tremendous display, going 3-4 including a HR with 2 RBI.

Pedro Alvarez provided a spark for the Pirates in the 6th inning, hammering a 3-run shot which, at the time, tied the game. Jose Tabata tallied a two-hit evening, raising his average to .302. The rest of the club, slating only a hit here or a hit there, was ineffective from a collective standpoint, and thus, dropped the 2nd game of the series, 6-3. Considering the Rockies accumulated 15 hits, this score could have been A LOT worse.

Fans From The Stands: Friday's Pregame Show

Fans From The Stands: Friday's Postgame Show

Saturday, August 7: In one of the more exciting games of the season for the Pirates, Pedro Alvarez’s 3-run walk-off blast in the bottom of the 10th inning gave the Buccos a win in the 3rd game of the series against the Rockies.

Alvarez went 3-6 in all on Saturday, while Andrew McCutchen and Jose Tabata each added 2 hits as well. The Buccos tallied 14 total hits in the game, and after Chris Snyder’s 3-run HR in the 6th, had a 3-1 lead. Garrett Jones then absolutely hammered a pitch into the bleachers in the 7th inning, giving the Buccos a 4-2 lead.

Trailing 5-2 in the top of the 9th, the Rockies tied up the game in dramatic fashion on Ian Stewart’s 3-run homerun, evening the game at 5. The seemingly knockout punch occurred in the top of the 10th, as Todd Helton hammered a 2-run shot, giving the Rockies the lead, and the assumed win, 7-5. But with two men on in the bottom of the 10th, Pedro Alvarez strolled up to the plate and absolutely tattooed a pitch in the right field seats for the first walk-off homerun of his young major league career.

Sunday, August 8: As incredible as Saturday evening’s game was, Sunday afternoon’s performance was that much more frustrating. It seems the Buccos always struggle on Sunday afternoons, and this day was no exception. Pirates’ starter Paul Maholm fell to 7-10 on the season, giving up 6 earned runs on 7 hits through just 2.2 innings. Despite a strong showing from the bullpen, the damage was already done, and the Rockies defeated the Pirates, 8-4, earning a split in the series at PNC Park.

Jose Tabata, Neil Walker, and Ronny Cedeno had a pair of hits each, and by scoring runs in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th innings, the Pirates had brought the game back to a respectable score. Unfortunately, too many missed opportunities and stranded runners did the Pirates in, and they were never able to get any closer than that. The Rockies won the game, 8-4.

Fans From The Stands: Sunday's Pregame Show

Fans From The Stands: Sunday's Postgame Show

So the Pirates ended the homestand at 3-4, having split the series with the Rockies and losing 2 out of 3 from the Reds. They now face a very difficult road trip at San Diego and Houston, two places where the Pirates haven’t faired well at all in the past. The Pirates are the worst team in the N.L., and are only two games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles for the worst record in Major League Baseball. As we approach mid-August, it is becoming VERY difficult to watch these games…which, unfortunately, has become a trademark of nearly 2 decades of Pirates’ baseball.

Current Record: 39-72

And…As Always…Let’s Go Bucs!

Cincinnati Reds Vs. Pittsburgh Pirates: August 2-4, 2010

After a dreadful end to their most recent road trip, the Pirates returned home to PNC Park to host the Cincinnati Reds for a 3-game set. Unfortunately, while there were a few glimpses of improvement, the overall theme continued against the Reds, resulting in another series loss against a division foe, as Cincinnati took two out of three games from the Battlin’ Buccos.

Monday, August 2: Once again, the Pirates’ offense was basically non-existent during the first game of the series against the Reds. As a team, our Buccos managed only 3 hits, with Neil Walker, Lastings Milledge, and Delwyn Young each delivering a knock in a losing effort.

Ross Ohlendorf fell to 1-9 on the year after a 5 inning performance, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits while walking 4 on his way to being out-hurled by Reds’ starter Travis Wood. Chris Heisey was the hitting start of the day for Cincinnati, going 2-3 with a HR. The Reds improved to 60-47, bettering their chances in the race against the St. Louis Cardinals for 1st place in the N.L. Central division.

Tuesday, August 3: A huge 6-run 2nd inning proved to be just enough for the Pirates to snap their 5-game losing streak, beating the Reds at PNC Park, 7-6. Chris Snyder, in his second game as a Bucco following the trade with Arizona, got the scoring started with a 2-run single in the 2nd, and later scored on Jose Tabata’s single. Then Neil Walker, who went 3-4 with a career-high 4 RBI, laced a 3-run double, giving the Pirates a huge 6-0 lead.

The Reds certainly didn’t let up though, tallying a run here, a run there, and before long, it was a 7-6 ballgame in the top of the 9th. Joel Hanrahan, however, earned his first save of the season, and ended the Pirates’ losing streak with a much-needed victory.

Wednesday, August 4: Johnny Cueto once again had his way with the Pirates, while the Reds’ offense had their way with the Buccos’ pitching staff, as Cincinnati claimed the afternoon game, and in turn, the series, with a 9-4 win at PNC Park.

Cueto gave up only 1 run, off the bat of Andrew McCutchen on his solo shot in the 1st inning, and only surrendered 2 other hits through his 6 innings of work. Even though the bullpen did give up a solo HR from Pedro Alvarez and a 2-run blast from Jeff Clement, the Reds’ relievers held off the Pirates to ensure the victory.

Buccos’ starter Jeff Karstens lasted 5 innings, giving up 3 runs on 9 hits. Unfortunately, the typically solid bullpen gave up 6 more runs, including a huge 7th inning for the Reds, which broke the game open.

So once again, the Pirates lose a series…this time, at home. Consistency continues to be a problem for the Buccos, who have now lost 6 of 7 games. The Colorado Rockies come into town next for a 4-game set. While the Pirates did have success against the Rockies last week in Colorado, nothing is ever a sure thing for Pittsburgh, and if the bats don’t come alive a little more consistently, it could be a long weekend for the Buccos.

Current Record: 37-70

And…As Always…Let’s Go Bucs!!!

Pittsburgh Pirates Vs. St. Louis Cardinals: July 30-August 1, 2010

Well, any momentum that the Pirates had before the weekend was completely diminished by the time they left St. Louis. The Cardinals dominated the Pirates at Busch Stadium, something they have done consistently for years.

Friday, July 30: After a two and a half hour rain delay, the Pirates and Cardinals began their 3 game series at Busch Stadium. Both pitching staffs brought their “A” games. Buccos’ starter Jeff Karstens pitched 6 innings of shutout baseball, while Evan Meek and Joel Hanrahan also pitched 3 innings combined of zero hit ball. Unfortunately, Javier Lopez couldn’t do the same, giving up 1 run on 2 hits in the bottom of the 10th as the Cardinals defeated the Pirates in the first game of the series, 1-0.

Cardinals’ starter Chris Carpenter was superb, giving up only 5 hits and 3 walks through 8 innings, while lowering his ERA to 2.93. Lastings Milledge was the only Pirate to tally a multi-hit evening, with the club only managing 5 hits total. While it was a difficult loss for the Buccos to endure, one couldn’t help but have some hope that the Pirates were ready for a hard-fought series against their Central Division foes.

Saturday, July 31: The second game of the series started out bad for the Pirates and ended up embarrassing, as the Cardinals pounded Daniel McCutchen and our Buccos for 15 hits at Busch Stadium, taking game 2 by a final score of 11-1.

Colby Rasmus went 2-4 with 1 HR and 3 RBI, while Albert Pujols also went deep for St. Louis. After tallying a run here, two runs there, throughout the majority of the game, the Cardinals broke it way open in the 8th for five runs.

The Pirates did manage 8 hits for the evening, including Jose Tabata’s trio of knocks and Andrew McCutchen’s pair. Jeff Clement provided the only running scoring play of the game for the Buccos, absolutely hammering a pitch in the 8th inning.

Sunday, August 1: For the 3rd straight game, the Pirates’ offense was absent, and for the second straight day, the Cardinals offense was unstoppable, as St. Louis finished the Buccos off with a 9-1 beating and sweeping Pittsburgh at Busch Stadium.

Zach Duke was the victim on Sunday, giving up 6 runs on 7 hits through 5 innings, inflating his ERA to 5.36, while losing his 10th game of the season. His mound opponent, Adam Wainwright, gave up only 1 hit through 7 innings, lowering his ERA to 2.19.

Jose Tabata and Lastings Milledge each had 2 hits in the losing effort, but the Pirates never had a chance to keep up with the overwhelming power of Mr. Albert Pujols and the Cardinals.

So after a great start to the road trip, the Pirates finished up their trek away from the PNC Park in extremely and utterly familiar territory: losing. The Buccos finished the road trip at 2-4, and return to PNC Park for two more tough series against the Cincinnati Reds and once again, the Colorado Rockies.

Fans From The Stands: Saturday, July 31 Pregame Show

Fans From The Stands: Saturday July 31 Postgame Show

Current Record: 36-68

And…As Always…Let’s Go Bucs!