Cardinals Rout Pirates 9-1, Clinch Series Victory At PNC Park

By Chad Carlson

Photo Credit: AP

For the second straight game, the Pirates entered play against the St. Louis Cardinals with the top of the N.L. Central on the line, and, for the second straight night, they were outslugged and outplayed by their opponent.  The Cardinals lit up the scoreboard, and Kevin Correia, on their way to a 9-1 rout of the Buccos tonight at PNC Park.

Correia lasted just 4.2 innings, giving up seven runs on eight hits, while walking three and giving up two homeruns, losing for the eighth time this season.  His ERA has ballooned to 4.38 for the year.

Jaime Garcia, on the other hand, pitched a strong game for St. Louis, surrendering just once run on eight hits through 7.1 innings, lowering his ERA to 3.01 on his way to his 10^th victory of the season.

The Cardinals took the lead early again tonight, tallying two runs in the second inning off RBI singles by Yadier Molina and Daniel Descalso.  After the Buccos cut the lead in half in the bottom half of the inning, St. Louis blew the game wide open in the fifth frame.

Albert Pujols smacked an RBI single to right center, scoring Skip Schumaker from third base.  Two batters later, Lance Berkman hammered a three-run homerun to deep center field, his 27^th on the year.  Molina added a solo homerun to make the score 7-1 after five innings.  The Cardinals added two more in the ninth to end the scoring. 

The Pirates’ offense continued to struggle tonight.  Chase d’Arnaud and Matt Diaz each had two hits, while Brandon Wood recorded the only RBI for the Bucs.  Still, the offense couldn’t muster together multiple hits at a time, and ended up leaving five men on base.  Neil Walker and Andrew McCutchen were a combined 1-7 on the night, while Garrett Jones, Lyle Overbay, and Alex Presley all had the night off.  Where were we expecting the offense to come from?

This was arguably the worst performance by the Pirates this season.  Kevin Correia didn’t pitch well at all and the offense couldn’t score runs.  Walker and McCutchen, the two leaders of the club, didn’t do anything at the plate, and when the Pirates were able to put runners on base, they weren’t able to bring them home.

The game tonight was reminiscent of a game from last year or previous years.  So far this season, the Pirates have played to the level of their competition, meaning they play worse against the bad teams and good against the good teams.  Unfortunately, this weekend, they have looked like a far inferior team when compared to the Cardinals.  If they are going to stand any chance of competing in this division alongside the Cards as well as the Milwaukee Brewers, the Pirates are going to need to find a way to score runs. 

Pittsburgh will try to avoid the sweep tomorrow afternoon at PNC Park.  Charlie Morton will make the start for the Pirates against the Cardinals’ Kyle Lohse.  First pitch is scheduled for 1:35pm.

Record Vs. Cardinals: 2-3

Record Vs. N.L. Central: 24-16

Record At Home: 25-25

Overall Record: 51-47

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Cardinals Use Long Ball To Power Past Pirates

by Zane Heiple

Photo by AP

While the Pittsburgh Pirates have improved in many areas this year, the one area that still has much room for improvement is the ability to hit the home run.  The lack of home runs is why the Buccos need to add a bat before the trade deadline if they hope to contend in the N.L. Central.  The St. Louis Cardinals showed what can happen when you have power in the lineup as they would hit three long balls to give them a 6-4 edge over the Pirates.

The first two HR for the Cards came in the first inning off of starter Paul Maholm.  After Garrett Jones narrowly missed a ball at the Clemente wall, Albert Pujols would hit a two run shot to centerfield.  With two outs, Lance Berkman would double and then be brought home on a David Freese homer to right field.

Pittsburgh answered with two runs in the second.  Jones would double and then score when Ronny Cedeno singled.  Maholm would help his own cause by singling home Cedeno.  While the run scored, the first of two costly base running errors would occur as Michael McKenry would be tagged out trying to return to second base. 

St. Louis starter Chris Carpenter was excellent at the plate tonight as he would go 2-4 and drive in a run during the third inning after the batter in front of him, Nick Punto was intentionally walked.   Carpenter would go eight innings allowing four runs on ten hits, while striking out four and walking one.

The Buccos cut into the lead again in the sixth inning when Jones would bring in two runs, but would be thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double.  This proved costly as the two batters after him singled, meaning that the game could have been tied at five, instead of the Cards leading 5-4.

The final home run came in the eighth inning when Yadier Molina went deep off of Pirates reliever Chris Resop. 

This was the second game in a row that the Pirates hurt themselves with costly mistakes.  Tonight it was poor pitch location against a team that has power in their lineup and poor choices on the base paths that possibly cost the team runs.  The loss tonight makes tomorrow night’s game even more important to win so that Pittsburgh has a chance of winning this series on Sunday.  Tomorrow night’s game is scheduled for 7:05.  The Buccos will send Kevin Correia to the bump, while the Cards will counter with Jaime Garcia.

Record vs. Cardinals:  2-2
Record vs. N.L. Central:  24-15
Record at Home:  25-24
Overall Record:  51-46

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!!!

Meet Your Bucs: Jason Grilli

By Zane Heiple

Photo by blog.syracuse.com

On Thursday the Pittsburgh Pirates signed veteran relief pitcher Jason Grilli.  In order for this move to be made they sent Pedro Ciriaco and Josh Harrison back to AAA Indianapolis.  The reason for two players to be sent down is so that either Ronny Cedeno or Steve Pearce can have a spot available when the Pirates start a three game set against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.

The acquisition of Grilli should be looked at in one way and one way only, experience.  He is not a guy that’s going to be brought in during tight, late inning situations.  He will probably be used mainly as a matchup pitcher brought in to face right handed hitters.

He has not pitched in the Majors since 2009 and has spent all of the 2011 season pitching for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, which are the AAA team of the Philadelphia Philles.  While with the IronPigs, he would post a 1.93 ERA in 32.1 innings.  He missed all of the 2010 season with a knee injury.

Jason was drafted by the New York Yankees, but chose to play college baseball at Seton Hall.  He was then drafted in the 1997 draft in the fourth round by the San Francisco Giants.  Grilli would make his debut in the Majors during the 2000 season with the Florida Marlins.  After spending the 2002-03 seasons in the Minor Leagues, he would play the 2004 season with the Chicago White Sox.  The next three years Jason would play with the Detroit Tigers.  For parts of the next two years he would play under Clint Hurdle in Colorado before signing with the Texas Rangers after being designated for assignment.  Through 2009 Jason has an 18-18 record with a 4.74 ERA and has 262 strikeouts to his record in the big leagues.

Hopefully this was just a small ripple before the Pirates front office makes a splash with the trade deadline soon approaching.  Grilli does have a lot in common with some of the current Bucco bullpen seeing he has been on the DL at one point in his career.  This move, at least to me, is one the Hurdle wanted to make since he did coach Grilli for parts of two seasons with the Rockies.

Stay tuned to www.fansfromthestands.com for more moves to the Pittsburgh Pirates 25-man roster.

Cueto, Bullpen Shut Down Pirates As Reds Avoid Sweep At PNC Park

By Chad Carlson

Photo Credit: Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

The Pirates entered this afternoon’s game against the Cincinnati Reds with the opportunity to stay atop of the N.L. Central standings by completing a three-game sweep of their divisional foes.  After scoring just three runs in the first two games of this series, the Buccos needed two things to come away successful today:  to score more runs and they would need another top-notch performance from their pitching staff.

Unfortunately, a pair of costly errors and a lack of offense contributed to the Pirates’ 3-1 loss to the Reds today at PNC Park.

On paper, this matchup looked to have the potential of being an old-fashioned pitchers’ duel with the Reds’ Johnny Cueto facing off against the Bucs’ Jeff Karstens.  Both starters held the opposing offenses in check for the majority of the afternoon.  Karstens gave up three runs, just one of them earned, on seven hits while walking one and striking out one, lowering his ERA to 2.28 but falling to 8-5 on the season.  Cueto bested his on-mound opponent slightly, giving up just one run on four hits through six innings, earning his sixth win of the season.

The Reds got on the board first this afternoon by scoring a run in each of the first pair of innings against Karstens. 

Chris Heisey led off the game by reaching first base and advancing to second on Chase d’Arnaud’s throwing error.  Joey Votto’s sacrifice fly eventually allowed Heisey to score to give the Reds the early advantage.

Similarly in the second inning, Jay Bruce led off the inning by reaching first base.  This time, the Reds’ first batter reached on a walk from Karstens.  After stealing second base and advancing to third on Jonny Gomes’ single,Bruce tagged and scored on Miguel Cairo’s sacrifice fly.  The Reds occupied a 2-0 lead after two innings.

The Pirates cut the lead in half in the fourth inning.  After Neil Walker led off the frame reaching base after being hit by a pitch, Andrew McCutchen crushed an off-speed pitch to the wall for an RBI double, scoring Walker.  Unfortunately, though, Lyle Overbay, Garrett Jones, and Brandon Wood were set down in order, and Cutch was stranded.

Cincinnati responded the very next inning with another unearned run.  After setting the first two men down in the order, Karstens forced Cueto to ground to d’Arnaud, who bobbled the place and elected not to try to throw out the Reds’ pitcher.  Heisey and Edgar Renteria hit back-to-back singles to score Cueto, giving the Reds a 3-1 advantage.

That would be the last of the scoring on the day, as both bullpens shut down the opposing offenses throughout the latter innings.  The Pirates, in particular, had a number of chances to score more runs, leaving five men on base in the fifth-seventh innings.  In all, the Pirates left eight men on base.

The Pirates failed to complete the three-game sweep of the Reds today, but still come away from the first a tough four-series stretch taking two of three from an N.L. Central opponent.  The pitching staff continues to be the dominant story, giving up just three total runs this series against the National League’s highest scoring offense.

Unfortunately, as impressive as the pitching has been for Pittsburgh, the offense has been just as frustrating.  The Buccos only managed a total of four runs this entire series.  That type of offensive output won’t win many games at the Major League level….in fact, it’s pretty incredible that given the fact they only score four runs in a three-game series, they were able to win two out of three games.

So the Pirates are off to a good start in this difficult stretch of games to close out the month of July.  Hopefully, they’ll be able to carry over some this momentum to this weekend’s series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Record Vs. Reds: 7-2

Record Vs. N.L. Central: 24-14

Record At Home: 25-23

Overall Record: 51-45

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Pirates Pitching Carries Team To Victory Over Reds

by Zane Heiple

Photo by Getty Images

For the second straight night the Pittsburgh Pirates road the back of their pitching to earn a victory.  Tonight the combination of James McDonald, Joe Beimel, Chris Resop, and Joel Hanrahan led the Buccos to a 1-0 defeat of the Cincinnati Reds.

McDonald had his best outing in quite some time going 6.1 innings allowing zero runs on four hits with seven strikeouts and three walks.  The bullpen stepped up in a pressure situation duringthe seventh inning.  After McDonald left the game with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh, Beimel would strike out Jay Bruce.  Beimel was then replaced by Resop, who would get Drew Stubbs to ground out to first to end the threat and inning.  Resop came back out to pitch a 1-2-3 eighth inning.  This allowed Hanrahan to come out in the ninth and earn his 28^th save of the year.
Reds pitchers had a pretty good night as well as Mike Leake, Nick Masset, and Logan Ondrusek allowed only one run over eight innings while striking out five and walking three batters. 

For as great as the pitching was the offense was just as bad.  Andrew McCutchen went hitless again tonight, but did drive in the only run during the first inning.  No batter in the lineup had more than one hit and five of the nine batters had zero hits.  These past two games show why the “so called” experts have a very good point when they mention how much the Pirates need to make a move for a power bat before the trade deadline if they plan on staying in contention for the National League Central Division title.

The final game of this series will take place tomorrow afternoon at 12:35pm.  Jeff Karstens will start for the Pirates, while the Reds will counter with Johnny Cueto.

Record vs. Reds:  7-1
Record vs. N.L. Central:  24-13
Record at Home:  25-22
Overall Record:  51-44

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!!!

Morton, Bullpen Shutout Reds In Pirates' 2-0 Victory

By Chad Carlson

Photo Credit: Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

The Pirates took the field tonight against the Cincinnati Reds (after a 50 minute rain delay) only a half-game back of the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the N.L. Central.  This evening’s matchup is the first of a two-week span that has been predicted to be the make-or-break point of the season for Pittsburgh.  A strong start in this series against the underachieving Reds would be huge for our Buccos to get the home-stand off on the right track.

An incredible pitching performance by the entire staff and a pair of manufactured runs proved to be the difference tonight at PNC Park, as the Pirates won a low-scoring contest against the Reds, 2-0.

Charlie Morton took the hill for the Pirates, looking to improve on his 7-5 record and lower his 3.80 ERA.  After a phenomenal start to the season, his performance has curtailed tailed off as summer has progressed.  Tonight, while less than stellar, Charlie managed the game and pitched his way out of some serious jams, giving up just three hits through his five innings of work while improving to 8-5 for the year.  Tony Watson pitched 2.2 innings of shutout, no-hit ball himself, and Daniel McCutchen came in and finished up the eighth inning.

Joel Hanrahan showed no effects following his first blown save of the season yesterday.  The Buccos’ closer set the Reds down in order to record his 27^th save of the season.

The Reds threatened early in the first inning tonight against Morton and the Buccos.  Drew Stubbs was hit by a pitch, and Zack Cozart smacked a single to put runners on first and third with no outs.  After Joey Votto’s ground out pushed runners to second and third, Brandon Phillips struck out.  Jay Bruce was then intentionally walked to load the bases for Miguel Cairo.  Just before the 1-2 pitch of the at-bat, the game was halted for a one hour 23 minute rain delay. 

After the break, Morton came back out and forced Cairo to slap a weak ground ball to second base, which was stabbed by Chase d’Arnaud and flipped to Neil Walker for the force out.  While it was only the top of the first inning, this half-frame proved to set the tone for the game that featured the Reds leaving too many men on base and the Pirates cashing in their chances on the offensive end.

The Pirates took the lead in the fourth inning.  d’Arnaud and Walker led off with back to back hits, putting runners on second and third with no outs.  Unlike the Reds earlier in the game, the Buccos capitalized on their opportunity.  Andrew McCutchen grounded out, allowing d’Arnaud to score, and Matt Diaz smacked a sacrifice fly to right field, which scored Walker.  The Pirates owned a 2-0 lead, which would ultimately be the final.

Wow, this was a phenomenal performance by the Pirates’ pitching staff.  Morton, Watson, McCutchen, and Hanrahan combined to pitch nine innings of shutout baseball, allowing just three hits and three walks to one of the highest scoring offenses in the league.  For the Reds, it was a game of missed opportunities, as they left a total of nine runners on base.

This was a perfect way to start the home-stand for Pittsburgh.  On a night when the offense struggled mightily, managing just six hits, Morton and the bullpen shut down the high-powered Reds’ offense.  In what is being called the most important stretch of the season thus far, the Pirates couldn’t have started off on a better note.

Neil Walker extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a two-hit performance tonight, while McCutchen and Diaz, on a night where runs were at a premium, each added an RBI.  Alex Presley continued his impressive run with two more hits tonight, raising his average to an impressive .352 for the season. 

In addition to the excitement at PNC Park, scoreboard watching was at an all-time high this evening as the Arizona Diamondbacks shut out the Milwaukee Brewers, 3-0.  With the win and the Brewers’ loss, the Pirates are now sitting atop the N.L. Central standings alone, a half-game up on the Brew-Crew and the St. Louis Cardinals.  The Bucs are now six games over .500 and have put themselves in fantastic position to take this series against the Reds.

Tomorrow evening’s game is set for a 7:05pm first pitch.  James McDonald will take the hill for the Pirates, looking for his sixth win of the season against Cincinnati’s Mike Leake.

Record Vs. Reds: 6-1

Record Vs. N.L. Central: 23-13

Record At Home: 24-22

Overall Record: 50-44

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Toughest Stretch Of Season For Bucs Begins Tonight At PNC Park

By Chad Carlson

The Pirates enter tonight’s game against the Cincinnati Reds five games over the .500 mark and a half game back in the N.L. Central standings.  Back in April, those of us who follow the Buccos closely could only dream about the first three months of the season going the way they have thus far.  Still, the Pirates are at the point of the season where they must prove to the critics, the other teams in MLB, the fans, and most importantly, themselves that they belong in this N.L. Central race.  The true test begins tonight.

The Pirates have arguably their toughest stretch of the 2011 season ahead of them in the next couple weeks.  Their home-stand, which kicks off tonight, includes a three game set against the Reds, one of the more underachieving teams in Major League Baseball to this point in the year.  Unable to find any type of consistency between their pitching and offense on a regular basis, the Reds find themselves one game under .500 and 3.5 games back in the division.  Still, with the likes of Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, and Jay Bruce in the lineup, this team is more than capable of putting some big numbers up on the scoreboard.

Do we even need to talk about how important the series this weekend against the St. Louis Cardinals is to the Pirates?  The two clubs are tied in the standings right now, just a half game back of the Brewers (ugh).  The Red Birds will travel to New York for a three-game series with the Mets.  Depending on how that series goes, and considering the fact that the Mets are about as inconsistent as fair-weather Pirates’ fans, the upcoming weekend series could be a battle for first place in the division.  It’s still strange to think that way about our Buccos…especially in July.

You think the home-stand is tough?  Next week’s road trip is even worse.  Following a brutal four-game set in Atlanta against the wild-card leading Braves, Pittsburgh will travel to Philadelphia for a three-game series against their cross-state rivals.  Considering the fact that the Pirates took two of three from the Phillies earlier in the season at PNC Park, they will certainly be out for revenge.

And there it is, the next 13 games for the Pirates will be the toughest stretch of the 2011 season, at least to this point.  Ronny Cedeno and Steve Pearce are expected to possibly be ready for the Cardinals’ series this weekend, which will hopefully provide more offense that the Pirates certainly need.  The Buccos are going to face some outstanding pitching over the next couple weeks, which means they are going to need to match those performances on the mound.  Kevin Correia and Charlie Morton need to pitch better than they have the past few starts, and Jeff Karstens needs to continue his outstanding season.  Neil Walker needs to continue to hit well, and Andrew McCutchen needs to return to where he was before the All-Star break.  Lyle Overbay needs to become the doubles-machine he was a few years ago, and Alex Presley needs to continue to play out of his mind on both sides of the ball.

Does this all sound like it’s a lot to ask of this team, a club who wasn’t expected to even be in contention by the end of May?  Well maybe it is…but if they want to be considered in the race for the division along with teams like the Cardinals and Brewers, they need to prove themselves to the rest Major League Baseball over the next two weeks.

Tonight is the first step in a series of 13 in which the Pirates can solidify themselves as a legitimate National League contender.  If they conclude the next two weeks of baseball within reach of the division lead, they’ll be setting up a VERY interesting last two months of the season, one they’ll be playing with the entire city of Pittsburgh in their corner.

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!