Karstens, Wood Lead Pirates To 5-1 Victory Over Astros

By Chad Carlson

Photo Credit: Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

After an exciting game on our nation’s birthday that saw the Pirates overcome three errors for a victory over the Houston Astros yesterday afternoon, the Buccos were back in action tonight for the second game of the series against their N.L. Central rivals.  The Pirates were finally able to surge past the two-game over .500 mark with the win yesterday, while the Astros’ season continued to fall apart with the loss. 

Tonight was more of the same, as the Pirates got another quality start from their pitcher, timely hitting from somewhat unlikely sources, and their bullpen shut the door on any chance of a comeback as the Buccos beat the Astros by a final score of 5-1 this evening at PNC Park.

Jeff Karstens was spectacular on the mound for Pittsburgh, as he’s been all year.  It’s hard to believe this guy was supposed to be a long-reliever out of the bullpen before the season began.  Tonight, he gave up just one earned run on seven hits through seven innings of work.  He notched his seventh victory of the season, while lowering his ERA to a miniscule 2.55.

Karstens’ only blemish, and the Astros’ only sign of offensive life, came in the fifth inning when Clint Barmes blasted a solo homerun to deep left field.  Barmes had two hits on the night to lead Houston.

During this remarkable run the Pirates have been on this season, there have been a number of unlikely heroes.  Tonight, it was Brandon Wood’s turn to lead the club, and that’s just what he did, going 2-3 with a homerun and three RBI’s. 

The Buccos jumped on the board first in the second inning.  After Lyle Overbay doubled, Wood crushed a homerun to deep right center, giving Pittsburgh the early 2-0 advantage.  Brandon would capitalize again in the fourth inning with an RBI single to shallow center field, scoring Neil Walker from third.

The Pirates put two more runs on the board in the sixth, which seemingly put the game out of reach for the Astros.  After Walker and Overbay reached on singles, Wood forced a walk to load the bases.  Michael McKenry smacked a sacrifice fly, scoring Walker.  Then, in one of the more surprising plays that Clint Hurdle has called this season, Karstens pulled the suicide squeeze, allowing Overbay to score from third base.  When all was said and done, the Pirates had a 5-1 lead at the end of the inning, which would ultimately be the final score.

The bullpen did a great job tonight as usual.  Jose Veras and Chris Resop took over for Karstens in the eighth and ninth innings respectively, setting the Astros down without so much as a whimper. 

The Pirates continue to impress. Granted, this is a team that the Buccos should beat relatively easily.  After all, the Astros have a similar record to what the Pirates had last year at this point in the season.  But the fact is, the Pirates are beating the teams they should…and the teams they shouldn’t.

They don’t have letdown series (minus the Cleveland series).  They go on the road and beat the Blue Jays, split with the Nationals, and now come home and take at least two from the Astros.  The Pirates are playing like a team that is in a divisional race…and they are in a divisional race, as a matter of fact.

Neil Walker and Lyle Overbay continue to heat up with two hit games again tonight.  Matt Diaz had three hits to lead the team, while Wood had a huge game, showing that pop in his bat that seems to show up at the most opportune times.  And the starting pitching led the way again tonight.  Jeff Karstens continues to be one of the biggest surprises in the National League this year.

With the victory tonight, the Pirates improved to four games over .500 this late in a season for the first time since 1992, which, of course, was the team’s most recent winning season.

The Pirates will now aim for the sweep of the Astros tomorrow evening at PNC Park.  Charlie Morton will make the start for Pittsburgh against Houston’s Bud Norris.

Record Vs. Astros: 7-1

Record Vs. N.L. Central: 18-10

Home Record: 21-20

Overall Record: 45-41

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Old Glory And Jolly Roger Raised In Pirates 5-3 Win Over Astros

by Zane Heiple

Photo by Getty Images

Sloppy Joes may be on some of your 4^th of July cookout menus, and early on it looked like sloppy defense was on the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Today’s game against the Houston Astros didn’t start off great, but great pitching and timely hits allowed the Buccos to go three games over .500 for the first time since 1999 with the 5-3 win.

Paul Maholm once again pitched very well and gave his team the chance to win.  He would go six innings allowing only one earned run on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts.  His counterpart, Brett Myers, gave up fourteen hits, four earned runs, and one strikeout in six innings of work.  For the 25^th time this season, Joel Hanrahan closed out the game and sent Pirates fans home happy.

The errors that occurred today for Pittsburgh all came in the third inning.  One was by Lyle Overbay on a throw to third base.  The other two came from Josh Harrison who had trouble fielding a groundball by Hunter Pence and then three batters later made a throwing error to first.  Harrison would be taken out of the game in the fourth inning because he was complaining of dizziness that occurred after he collided with the catcher in the second inning. 

Pittsburgh tied the game in the second inning when Michael McKenry singled to left field bringing Overbay home.  After Houston went up 3-1 in the third, the Buccos answered in the bottom part of the inning.  It started when Andrew McCutchen doubled home Chase d’Arnaud.  The tying run came around two batters later when Overbay singled home Cutch.

The Pirates took the lead for good in the fifth on a Neil Walker single to right field that brought d’Arnaud home.  Insurance was added in the sixth by the Buccos when Alex Presley tripled home Brandon Wood from second.

The bullpen bridge from Maholm to Hanrahan included scoreless innings of work from Daniel McCutchen and Jose Veras.  D-Cutch picked up his fifth hold of the year, while Veras picked up hold number 17 on the season.  Hanrahan also set a team record for most saves to start a year without blowing one, with 25.  Game two of this series will be tomorrow night at 7:05.

Happy Independence Day to all of our readers, from Fans From The Stands.

Record vs. Astros:  6-1
Record vs. N.L. Central:  17-10
Record at PNC Park:  20-20
Overall Record:  44-41

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!!!

Meet Your Bucs: Chris Leroux

by Zane Heiple

Photo by zimbio.com

With a slew of injuries, interleague play, and double headers, the Pittsburgh Pirates roster seems to change every day.  The most recent change came on Sunday when Chris Leroux was called up from AAA Indianapolis to take Brad Lincoln’s spot, after he pitched in game two of the twin bill against the Washington Nationals on Saturday.

Leroux is a former 2005 seventh round draft pick of the Florida Marlins.  He would join the Pirates after being claimed off waivers from the Marlins on September 13, 2010.  His Major League debut was in May of 2009 with the Marlins and actually was with the Pirates at the end of the 2010 season.  Prior to making his 2011 debut with the Buccos, Chris had played with the Altoona Curve and Indianapolis Indians appearing in a combined 29 games.  His stats in the minors include a 4-4 record with 46 strikeouts, 14 walks, and an ERA of 2.94.  He came out of the bullpen on Sunday to pitch one inning.

Chris Leroux’s time this season with the Pirates will depend on a variety of factors including future injuries, performance, and pitchers coming off the DL.  No matter how long he is with the big club, Leroux will play a part in keeping the Buccos in contention for the N.L. Central title.

Correia Earns Eleventh Win As Pirates Rout Nationals in Series Finale 10-2

By Chad Carlson

Photo Credit: Rob Carr/Getty Images

The Pirates lost two of the past three games against the Washington Nationals due to the fact that they were unable to score runs late in the game.  Today, they seemed to fix that problem as the offense exploded for 16 hits as they pounded the Nationals 10-2 to earn the series split.

After only tallying nine runs through the first three games at Nationals Park, the Buccos tagged starter Jason Marquis & Co. for ten runs on their way to a rout of the Nats.  Marquis lasted just 1.1 innings, giving up seven runs (six earned) on eight hits, inflating his ERA to 4.11 for the season.

The Pirates jumped on him right away in the opening inning, scoring three runs to take an early advantage that they would never surrender.  Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker, and Lyle Overbay smacked three consecutive RBI singles to give the Buccos a 3-0 lead.  All three players recorded three-hit afternoons, leading the offensive surge.

Garrett Jones got into the act in the second inning on a two run double, scoring Alex Presley and Chase d’Arnaud.  Jones scored on Cutch’s RBI double to deep right field. Walker added an RBI single, and later scored on Overbay’s RBI double.  When all was said and done in the Pirates’ half of the second, the Nationals found themselves in an 8-0 hole.

That was more an enough insurance for Pirates’ starter Kevin Correia, who earned his 11^th victory of the season in another solid performance.  He gave up two runs on six hits through six innings, while striking out six batters and walking only one.  His ERA sits at 3.74.  His only real blemish came in the second inning when the Nationals’ Wilson Ramos hit a two-run homerun.

Despite Correia’s strong start, most of the attention belonged to the offense.  While Cutch, Overbay, and Walker led the charge, nearly everyone on the roster contributed to the win this afternoon.  Five different Pirates tallied multi-hit games, including Presley and d’Arnaud.  Overbay had three RBI’s on the day, while Cutch and Walker added two a piece, along with Garrett Jones.  Michael McKenry recorded his first Major League RBI with a bases-loaded walk in the sixth inning. 

The bullpen came in and closed out the ballgame for the Pirates in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings.  Daniel Moskos and Chris LeRoux combined to throw three innings of shutout baseball.  As a team, the Pirates limited the Nationals to just nine hits, one fewer than the Pirates had runs today.

This was another strong response to a loss by the Pirates this afternoon.  This was a game that the Buccos needed to win, and the energy and determination of the team were evident from the start.  They earn a split in the series, earn another winning road trip, and return home to PNC Park with a 43-41 record.

The Pirates will return to Pittsburgh for the start of a six-game homestand, which will conclude the first half of the season.  The final homestand before the All-Star break will prove to be a big one for the Buccos, with an opportunity to add to improve their N.L. Central record as they will play host for a pair of three-game series against the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs.

Fans From The Stands would also like to congratulate Joel Hanrahan on being selected to represent the Pittsburgh Pirates at the All Star Game. 

Record Vs. Nationals: 4-4

Record Vs. N.L. East: 10-14

Record On The Road: 24-21

Overall Record: 43-41

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Rodriguez's RBI Single, Pirates' Mistakes Cap Nationals' Comeback In Game Two Of Doubleheader

By Chad Carlson

Photo Credit: Greg Fiume/Getty Images

After an exciting game in the afternoon, the Buccos and Nationals were back at it again this evening for the second game of the teams’ doubleheader.  Unfortunately for the Pirates, missed opportunities, lack of defensive fundamentals, and errors assisted the Nationals, as they tallied a come-from-behind win over the Buccos 4-3.

Brad Lincoln made his first Major League start of the season for Pittsburgh, going six innings while giving up two runs on four this, while walking three and striking out four batters.  His mound opponent, Washington’s John Lannan, lasted seven innings, giving up three runs on six hits. 

The Nationals took the lead in the second inning.  After a leadoff walk to Jayson Werth, Lincoln gave up a single to Rick Ankiel, putting runners on first and third with one out.  Wilson Ramos then grounded out to shortstop, scoring Werth from third.

The lead wouldn’t last long, though, as the Pirates responded with two runs of their own in the third frame.  After Eric Fryer recorded his first Major League hit with a single to left field, Chase d’Arnaud singled him home, tying the game 1-1.  Andrew McCutchen broke the tie with an RBI double to deep right field, and the Bucs led 2-1. 

That was short lived as well, however, as the Nats responded immediately with a run of their own.  Lincoln walked Roger Bernadina, who would eventually score on Ryan Zimmerman’s fielder’s choice, tying the game 2-2 at the end of the third.

The Pirates took the lead in the seventh inning.  Matt Diaz singled, then moved over to third base on Neil Walker’s single.  Josh Harrison grounded into a double play, but Diaz was able to score on the play, giving the Bucs a 3-2 lead.

Daniel McCutchen nearly gave the lead away in the bottom half of the inning, but after walking Bernadina and Danny Espinosa, he struck out Zimmerman to end the frame.

The wheels fell off the Pirates’ bullpen in the eighth inning.  Entering the inning with a 3-2 lead, the Buccos gave up two runs.  Tony Watson was on the mound for both runs, though all the blame shouldn’t be placed on him.  Brian Bixler attempted to steal third base, and Eric Fryer’s throw to the bag was wild, bouncing off Brandon Wood.  Bixler scored on the play, tying the game.  Ivan Rodriguez broke the tie with an RBI single to shallow right, scoring Ankiel.

Drew Storen came in and shut down the Pirates in the ninth inning to record his 20^th save of the season.  Watson suffered the loss for Pittsburgh, his first of the season.

This was a game the Pirates simply gave away.  While there is certainly plenty of blame to go around in this one, all cannot be placed on Watson.  The Pirates squandered a number of opportunities to stretch the lead in the latter innings.  Garrett Jones left two runners on in the seventh inning.  Neil Walker, while managing one hit tonight, still didn’t look comfortable at the plate.  His .246 batting average, and the fact that Clint Hurdle lowered him to sixth in the lineup, should tell us all something…Walker is struggling mightily.

Brad Lincoln did a pretty nice job for Pittsburgh tonight.  His fastball clocked up to 95 tonight, and he used it consistently throughout his six innings of work.  The three walks were certainly concerning, but he got out of a few jams effectively and kept the team in the game. 

Andrew McCutchen continued his hot streak tonight with three more hits, including a triple, double, and single, along with an RBI.  He was stranded on base all three times he reached.  His batting average now sis at .289 and is by far the team’s biggest threat, although it will be interesting to see if he’ll be in the lineup tomorrow afternoon.

The Buccos drop to one game over .500, and they continue to struggle against the Nationals in Washington.  Tomorrow is a huge game for Pittsburgh.  With a victory, it will secure them another winning road trip, will push them back to two games over .500, and will even things up with the Nationals this season.

Kevin Correia will make the start tomorrow afternoon for the Pirates, while the Nationals will send Jason Marquis to the mound. 

Record Vs. Nationals: 3-4

Record Vs. N.L. East: 9-14

Record On The Road: 23-21

Overall Record: 42-41

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Jones And McCutchen Hit Back-To-Back Homeruns To Lead Bucs Past Nationals

By Chad Carlson

Photo Credit: Greg Fiume/Getty Images

After a very frustrating and disappointing defeat at the hands of the Washington Nationals last night, the Pirates began a day-night doubleheader this afternoon for the first of two at 3:35pm.  James McDonald took the hill for the Buccos, facing off against the Nationals’ ancient right hander Livan Hernandez.

McDonald gave the Pirates a strong start, while Garrett Jones and Andrew McCutchen smashed back-to-back homeruns in the eighth to lead the Pirates to a 5-3 over the Nationals.

The Buccos jumped out in front of Livan Hernandez early this afternoon.  After a leadoff broken-bat single, Alex Presley stole second base to put himself into scoring position for Jones.  G.I. Jones took advantage of that by smacking a single down the line past first base to give the Pirates an early 1-0 lead.  After McCutchen hammered a double, leaving Jones at third base, Neil Walker slapped a sacrifice fly to right, giving the Bucs a 2-0 advantage.

The Nationals answered in the second inning with a run of their own.  Three consecutive singles by Michael Morse, Danny Espinosa and Ivan Rodriguez got them on the board with two on base and only one out.  McDonald cleaned things up quickly from there, however.  Espinosa was picked off at third, and then Ian Desmond struck out looking to end the threat and the inning. 

Both teams squandered a number of opportunities throughout the next few innings, including the Nationals’ fifth frame.  After loading the bases with only one out, the Nats left them loaded after Ryan Zimmerman and Laynce Nix were unable to push any runs across the plate.  The Buccos still held the 2-1 advantage entering the six inning.

The Nationals tied things up in the seventh inning on a solo homerun by Rick Ankiel to deep right center off McDonald.  Jose Veras relieved McDonald, and, after pitching his way into more trouble later in the inning, was able to get Jayson Werth to fly out into a double play to end the inning.

The game didn’t remain tied for long.  Garrett Jones belted a 2-2 pitch over the center field fence in the eighth, giving the Buccos a 3-2 lead.  Jones had three hits on the day, along with two RBI’s.  Not to be outdone, Andrew McCutchen hammered a homerun to deep left to give the Bucs a 4-2 lead.  Both homeruns came off of former Pirate Sean Burnett.  Cutch had two hits on the day, raising his season batting average to .283.

After Veras battled his way through a scoreless eighth inning, Joel Hanrahan brought down the hammer for his 24^th save in as many chances, sitting the Nats down to close out the game. Despite giving up an RBI single to Werth, Hanrahan was able to record the final out of the ballgame, securing the win for the Bucs.

This was a big response from the Pirates this afternoon in the first game of the doubleheader.  After a difficult loss last night in which the Pirates managed only one run, the offense responded today with five runs on ten hits, including two homeruns.  It was refreshing to see there is still some pop in the bats of Garrett Jones and Andrew McCutchen, while Alex Presley added three hits of his own.

Unfortunately, Chase d’Arnaud and Neil Walker were both held hitless this afternoon.  For Walker, it was his first start after sitting out the previous two games.  While he did record an RBI today, his averaged has dipped to .246 for the season.

Still, the victory pushed the Pirates back to two games over the .500 mark, and gives the club some momentum heading into the second game of the doubleheader.

Brad Lincoln was called up today and will make his first start of the season for the Buccos in game two.  The game is set to start at 7:05pm.

Record Vs. Nationals: 3-3

Record Vs. N.L. East: 9-13

Record On The Road: 23-20

Overall Record: 42-40

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Nationals Defeat Pirates With Pinch Hit Single

by Zane Heiple

Photo by Getty Images

While there has been little for us Pittsburgh Pirates fans to complain about with the 2011 Buccos, considering that it is July and the team is over .500, lack of offense is the one area that the team vastly needs to improve.  Injuries have been a major culprit for the lack of runs over the course of the season, along with the use of bench and AAA players.  Tonight’s lineup was straight out of spring training split squad game, as four position players began the year in the minor leagues and one is a platoon player.  This combination helped make Washington Nationals starter Tom Gorzelanny and the rest of the Nats pitching staff look like all-stars, and waste a decent outing by the Pittsburgh arms.

Charlie Morton was back on the mound tonight after a ten day rest to clear up some issues he was having over his last three starts.  While at times he looked shaky, with getting deep into counts, he was able to go 5.2 innings with only allowing one run on three hits.  The one mistake he made turned into a solo home run in the sixth inning by Washington outfielder Roger Bernadina.  Chris Resop came in during the eighth inning after Daniel McCutchen allowed one batter to single and another to reach on an error by Josh Harrison.  Resop got out of the jam by striking out three Nationals batter to give Pittsburgh a chance in the ninth.

The Bucco bats appeared to be stuck in customs after returning stateside from Toronto.  The only run they managed came in the third inning.  Michael McKenry went from first to third on a poorly fielded bunt attempt by Gorzelanny.  He then came around to score when Alex Presley grounded out to first.  Sadly this was the only run Pittsburgh managed on the night as their offense only managed six hits, left six men on base, and were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

Pittsburgh was somehow still in this game when Tim Wood entered in the ninth.  He would give up a single to Michael Morse, who advanced to second on a badly thrown wild pitch.  Clint Hurdle then elected to intentionally walk Danny Espinosa, which was followed by a fly out to right field by Wilson Ramos.  This led to former Bucco Matt Stairs driving a single off of the right field wall to give the Nationals a 2-1 win.

Tonight was a frustrating night again for fans because of the lack of offense.  The Nationals gave Pittsburgh opportunities to score runs tonight, but they did not cash in.  Neither of these teams is good enough to give the other team chances to score runs, but the Nats capitalized when Pittsburgh did.  The offense has to shoulder the blame tonight, as the pitching staff did all they could to lead this team to victory.  Tomorrow will be a tough day for both teams as the rosters will be taxed in a double header.  First game is scheduled to start at 3:35.

Record vs. Nationals:  2-3
Record vs. N.L. East:  8-13
Record on the Road:  22-20
Overall Record:  41-40

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!!!