Pirates Announce Clint Hurdle As New Manager

As most of Pittsburgh and the Major League Baseball community are aware by now, the Pittsburgh Pirates have hired a new manager. As of November 15, 2010, Clint Hurdle, who managed the Colorado Rockies to the 2007 pennant, was signed on to be the Buccos’ skipper, inking a 3-year deal which was formally announced on Monday at a news conference alongside owner Bob Nutting, president Frank Coonelly, and general manager Neal Huntington.

Naturally, the fan reaction to this signing hasn’t exactly been overwhelmingly positive. Can you blame them? After all, Pittsburgh fans have seen their fair share of championships in Pittsburgh on the ice and on the football field with the celebrated successes of the Penguins and Steelers. Unfortunately, that success hasn’t been existent on the baseball field in 18 seasons. While some have remained hopeful year after year, others have lost all confidence in the team’s commitment to return to the glory days. So what can Clint Hurdle do in Pittsburgh in his 3 year stint that predecessors Gene Lamont, Lloyd McClendon, Jim Tracy, and John Russell weren't able to do?

First of all, Hurdle takes over a team who finished with 105 losses last season, the Pirates’ worst in 58 years. The team has finished under .500 for 18 consecutive seasons, and high turnover roster moves and low payrolls are as alarming as the horrible on-field results. Why should we feel optimistic that Hurdle can turn things around?

Well first of all, not only were the Pirates interviewing him for the position, but he was interviewing the team as well. While the Buccos were inquiring about his managerial style, Hurdle was questioning the team about their plans to turn around the franchise, and how they expect to turn this once proud franchise into a competing organization once again. This immediately sets him apart from his preceding managers, who appeared to be surprised and overjoyed to simply have the position, not to actually impact the team positively.

Along with the uplifting first impression of the Hurdle, the Pirates are also looking forward to seeing the continued progression of Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez, Neil Walker, and Jose Tabata. But the reality of the situation is that even despite the promise to aforementioned athletes, the Pirates were last in pitching, second from the bottom in hitting and tied for the major league lead in errors last season. In fact, the Pirates need to win 24 more games next season to finish at the .500 mark.

For the Pirates to turn things around over the next 3 years, it will, without a doubt, take a joint effort on the part of Huntington, Coonelly, Nutting, AND Hurdle. It is not fair for fans/critics/players/management/ownership to assume that all responsibility for winning (and losing) lies in the hands of the newly-hired Hurdle. It is up to the management/ownership to make the necessary additions to the roster, particularly the pitching staff. THEN it is in Hurdle’s back to put the right players on the field, teach them the necessary techniques to succeed, and inspire them to compete at a high level day after day.

In response to questions about the Pirates’ issues, Hurdle replied, “It’s like how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. We’re going to fix one thing at a time.”

While not exactly the most politically correct analogy, one has to appreciate the confidence, optimism, and past success, most prominently with the Rockies, leading them on a late season run into the World Series in 2007. For now, here’s to a new era for the Pirates, led by a man who the president, owner, and general manager believe in with confidence. Congratulations to Clint Hurdle, the newest manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

And…As Always…Let’s Go Bucs!

Pirates Fire Manager John Russell

Less than 24 hours after they ended one of their worst seasons (record-wise) in recent memory, the Pirates fired manager John Russell. Good ol’ JR coached our Buccos for 3 seasons, but unfortunately, it resulted in 299 losses, including a horrific 105 this season alone. In fact, only the 1952 Pirates, who went 42-112, lost more games in baseball’s modern era than Russell’s final team, which was the NL’s worst in batting, pitching and defense. While Russell was fired, general manager Neal Huntington was retained by the Pirates.

The Pirates also announced that the search to find Russell’s replacement will begin immediately. While it’s difficult to blame Russell for the state of the franchise and the fact that he was introduced as the team’s manager three years ago when the team was in shambles. He took the job and immediately faced incredible odds. That being said, his inability to motivate his team away from PNC Park, along with the horrific starting pitching, proved to be his fate. He became an unpopular element of baseball in Pittsburgh as his tenure continued due to his stoic demeanor, reluctance to argue most calls and peculiar strategy.

The Pirates now will begin the search for a captain to run the ship of highly-talented young players, most notably Jose Tabata, Pedro Alvarez, Neil Walker, and Andrew McCutchen. Keep it tuned in right here to Fans From The Stands for all of the latest Pirates’ news.

And…As Always…Let’s Go Bucs!

Pittsburgh Pirates Vs. Florida Marlins: September 30-October 3, 2010

The Pirates entered the final series of the 2010 season with hopes of carrying over momentum from this year into the offseason. Their opponent this weekend was the Florida Marlins, another disappointing N.L. foe that, with a sweep of our Buccos, would finish the season at an even .500 mark.

Thursday, September 30: Mike Stanton had 3 hits and 5 RBI as the Marlins won a crazy game that featured 20 runs and 26 hits, out-hammering the Pirates 11-9 in game one of the series.

Pedro Alvarez went 4-5 with 1 HR and 5 RBI of his own, while Jose Tabata, Neil Walker, and Brandon Moss also added a pair of hits a piece. Unfortunately, the Marlins hit the ball just as well, if not better, than the Pirates. Starter Zach Duke ended his terrible season on Thursday, lasting only 4 innings while giving up 9 runs on 8 hits, inflating his already horrible ERA to 5.72 while losing his 15th game of the season.

Friday, October 1: Chan Ho Park set the all time record for wins by an Asian born pitcher on Friday, as the Pirates shut down the Marlin’s offense, beating the fish 5-1 in game two of the series.

Park pitched 3 scoreless innings in relief to earn the record-breaking win for the Pirates, striking out six of the nine batters he faced. Daniel McCutchen started for the Bucs, giving up only one run on five hits through his four innings. After Park’s great run, Evan Meek and Joel Hanrahan each pitched an inning of scoreless ball.

Pedro Alvarez had another nice night at the plate, going 2-4 with another homerun, raising his season average to .259. Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker, and Ronny Cedeno had multi-hit evenings, while Chris Snyder hit a monster homerun to deep left field in the 5th inning, driving home Cedeno. With the win, the Pirates evened the series temporarily, and with two game remaining in the series, still had a chance to finish strong.

Saturday, October 2: As productive as the Pirates’ offense had been in the first two games of the season, it was basically non-existent on Saturday night, being shut out by the Marlins, 2-0.

Ronny Cedeno and John Bowker each had 2 hits to lead the offensive “attack,” but the Pirates never really threatened offensively.

The lack of offensive was certainly unfortunate, especially for starter Charlie Morton, who suffered the loss, despite only giving up 2 runs on 4 hits through his 6 innings of work. Nevertheless, Morton’s final season numbers include a dismal 2-12 record with a 7.57 ERA. The Marlins didn’t exactly hit the face off the ball either, totaling only five hits themselves. The difference was the 4th inning though, which included Mike Stanton’s RBI single, which would prove to be enough to defeat the Pirates.

Sunday, October 3: The Pirates dropped their 2nd straight game on Sunday, and ended their horrible season with a 5-2 loss to Dan Uggla and the Marlins.

Uggla went 3-3 with 1 HR and 3 RBI to finish his season his terrific fashion. The Pirates, on the other hand, lacked the offensive firepower for the second consecutive game, only tallying 4 hits, one of which was a solo homerun by Ronny Cedeno in the 2nd inning. Neither Neil Walker or Jose Tabata were able to finish the season above the .300 mark, and both were held hitless in their final game of the 2010 season.

Starter Brian Burres lost his 5th game of the season, lasting 5.2 innings while giving up 3 runs on 5 hits, but with the offense sputtering across the season’s finish line, there was no chance for Burres to avoid the loss.

So the Pirates concluded their record-extending 18th consecutive losing season at 57-105, worst in Major League Baseball. On top of that, the Bucs finished 17-64 away from home, matching the New York Mets of 1963 for the worst road record in a 162 game season. Obviously, the improvements of Neil Walker, Jose Tabata, and Pedro Alvarez, along with the continued improvements of Andrew McCutchen and Garrett Jones are inspiring and exciting; the real question that needs to be answered sooner rather than later is the future of the pitching staff. There are a number of issues that need to be dealt with in the Steel City, and throughout the next few weeks and months, we at Fans From The Stands will keep you up to date with all news and stories. Thanks so much for staying with us all season long, and be sure to continuously check back here throughout the offseason for all the latest Bucco news.

Final Record: 57-105

And…As Always…Let’s Go Bucs!

Pittsburgh Pirates Vs. St. Louis Cardinals: September 27-29, 2010

Following an incredibly successful final homestand, the Pirates took the show on the road to St. Louis for a 3-game date with the Cardinals. Coming into this series, the Buccos were on the verge of clinching the league’s worst record, while the Cardinals were only a game away from being officially eliminated from playoff contention. With less than a week left in the season, the Cardinals had much more to play for than our Buccos.

Monday, September 27: The Cardinals pushed off elimination for at least one day, outlasting the Pirates at Busch Stadium by a score of 6-4. Matt Holliday went 2-3 with 1 HR and 3 RBI, proving to be the difference in the game. Fresh off the announcement of being named the N.L. Player of the Week, Pedro Alvarez went 3-3 with a homerun a 2 RBI of his own.

Charlie Morton pitched a decent ballgame, giving up 4 runs through 6 innings. While it was far from stellar, the Buccos’ starter still gave his team a chance to win. Despite the loss, the Pirates did have plenty of opportunities to tally more runs. Four different players accumulated multi-hit games, including Alvarez, Andrew McCutchen, Jose Tabata, and Ronny Cedeno. This still wasn’t enough firepower to get the victory against the Cardinals.

Tuesday, September 28: Garrett Jones continued his recent hot streak, going 3-5 with 1 HR and 3 RBI, while Brian Burres pitched 5.2 innings of solid baseball, as the Pirates beat the Cardinals 7-2, officially eliminating their N.L. Central rivals from playoff contention.

Jones’ hero effort on Tuesday further hiked his average up to .251 for the season, as he was the only Pirate to have a multi-hit evening. While Neil Walker also added an RBI, the real knockout came off the bat of John Bowker in the 8th inning. The pinch hitter doubled to shallow center, scoring Ryan Doumit, Ronny Cedeno, and Alex Pressley, breaking the game wide open. With the victory, the Pirate evened the series at a game a piece, setting the stage for a rubber match on Wednesday afternoon.

Wednesday, September 29: The Pirates continued their trend of poor offensive production in day games, as they were shut down 4-1 in the final game of the series at Busch Stadium.

Neil Walker had the lone RBI for the Bucs, hitting a sacrifice fly in the 9th inning to bring in Andrew McCutchen. Cutch had two of the team’s five hits, but there was never a serious threat to take the lead from the Red Birds.

James McDonald pitched a solid game for the Buccos, going 6 innings while only giving up 1 run on 5 hits, but the offense just couldn’t break through Cardinals’ pitching. Despite officially eliminating their division foes, the Pirates dropped yet another road series. With only one series remaining in the 2010 season, the Bucs travel to Florida for a 4 game set against the Marlins.

While it is impossible to erase the horrible road record for the season, it would be nice for the Pirates to end the year on a somewhat positive note by at least splitting the 4-game set, something that has proven to be nearly impossible for Pittsburgh this season.

Current Record: 56-102

And…As Always…Let’s Go Bucs!

Houston Astros Vs. Pittsburgh Pirates: September 24-26, 2010

After what has been a long and difficult season, the Pirates entered the weekend hosting the Houston Astros for the last home series at PNC Park of the 2010 season. Astonishingly enough, despite their horrific overall record, the Buccos had the chance, with a sweep of Houston, to finish the 2010 campaign with a winning season at PNC Park.

Friday, September 24: In an overly high-scoring contest that featured a total of 17 runs and 24 hits, the Astros outlasted the Pirates to win the first game of their 3 game set, 10-7. This was the Pirates’ 100th loss of the season.

Hunter Pence was the hitting star of the day for the Astros, going 3-5 with 3 RBI. In a losing effort, Garrett Jones hit a pair of hits and 4 RBI. Pedro Alvarez also chipped in with two RBI of his own, while Andy LaRoche crushed a pinch hit solo homerun. Unfortunately, the pitching wasn’t up to par on this night, as they needed to empty the bullpen, using 6 pitchers, none of which were effective.

Saturday, September 25: Pedro Alvarez hit a knockout 3-run homerun in the 3rd inning, and the Pirates got a spectacular performance from Zach Duke, on their way to evening the series at a game a piece, setting up the rubber match on Sunday afternoon.

Duke pitched 6 innings, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits, but unlike his previous countless number of starts, gave his team a chance to win. In addition to Pedro’s round-tripper, Jose Tabata and Ryan Doumit also earned RBI singles for the Pirates, who defeated the Astros on Saturday night, 6-4.

Sunday, September 26: The Pirates’ hot-hitting continued on Sunday, as Pedro Alvarez went 3-5 with 2 RBI, leading the Buccos to a 9-3 win at PNC Park, closing out their final home stand of the season on a bright note.

Andrew McCutchen and Neil Walker slated 2 hits each, raising their season batting averages to .284 and .301 respectively. Starter Paul Maholm pitched a gem, giving up only 1 run on 6 hits through 7 innings. Everyone seemed to get in on the act for Pittsburgh, as seven different Buccos tallied a hit.

So the Pirates finished their final home stand of 2010 with a record of 7-2, concluding their season mark at 40-41. Despite losing their 100th game of the season, there is no better way to describe this home stand than as a success. They now turn their attention to their last 2 series of the season, a road trip which finds them at the St. Louis Cardinals and the Florida Marlins. Congratulations on a fantastic final home stand at PNC Park.

Current Record: 55-100

And…As Always…Let’s Go Bucs!

St. Louis Cardinals Vs. Pittsburgh Pirates: September 21-23, 2010

Fresh off a sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks to open up their final home stand of the 2010 season, the Pirates welcomed the St. Louis Cardinals into town for a 3 game set at PNC Park. While the Cardinals are in a much better position than our battlin’ Buccos, they are still on the outside of the playoffs looking in, and came to Pittsburgh in desperate need of a tremendously hot finish to the season.

Tuesday, September 21: Paul Maholm pitched the finest game of his 2010 campaign, going 7 innings while only giving up 2 runs on 7 hits, lowering his ERA to 5.25, and helping the Pirates defeat the Cardinals in the first game of the series, 5-2 at PNC Park.

Joel Hanrahan and Evan Meek pitched an inning of shutout baseball a piece, shutting down the St. Louis offense in the latter innings. The Buccos jumped on the board early in the first inning with three runs driven in by Pedro Alvarez, Ryan Doumit, and John Bowker respectively. Jose Tabata later tripled in the 4th inning, stretching the lead with his 2-RBI knock. The Pirates earned this victory on Tuesday, tallying their largest winning streak of the season at 4 straight games.

Wednesday, September 22: The offense exploded for the Pirates on Wednesday, obliterating Cardinals’ pitching on their way to an 11-6 victory, extending their winning streak to 5 games.

Pedro Alvarez went 2-5 with 1 HR and 4 RBI, while Garrett Jones and John Bowker each added 3 hits. In all, seven Pirates’ hitters tallied RBI’s, and Andrew McCutchen also added a multi-hit evening. Charlie Morton put on a nice performance for the Buccos, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits through 6 innings. The Pirates now set their sights on a series sweep of the Cardinals and a record 6 straight victories overall.

Thursday, September 23: The Cardinals’ offense finally came alive on the matinee at PNC Park on Thursday, and St. Louis snapped the Pirates’ five game winning streak, while ending a 3-game skid of their own, by a score of 9-2.

Albert Pujols played like the future hall-of-famer that he is, going 3-4 with 2 HR and 3 RBI. In all, the Red Birds tallied 15 hits off Pirates’ pitching. Brian Burres lasted only 2.1 innings, giving up 4 runs on 6 hits. Chan Ho Park, Sean Gallagher, and Will Ledezma didn’t fair much better, giving up 2 runs in 1 inning a piece.

The Pirates’ offense was certainly rare on Thursday. Pedro Alvarez doubled to deep right in the 4th to drive in Neil Walker, and Andrew McCutchen sac-flied Ryan Doumit home in the 7th, and these proved to be the only productive forms of offense.

So after a wonderful start to this series, the Pirates were completely out-matched on Thursday, which puts them within 1 loss of 100 for the season. This will be the first 100-loss season for the Pirates since 2001. The Bucs’ final home series of the season welcomes the Houston Astros to town for a 3-game set, followed by 2 road series which will close out the season against the St. Louis Cardinals and the Florida Marlins. As unbelievable as this may seem, the Pirates have an outside shot of finishing the season with a winning record at home. With a series sweep of the Astros, Pittsburgh could finish with a winning record at PNC Park, which is astounding considering their overall record.

Current Record: 53-99

And…As Always…Let’s Go Bucs!

Arizona Diamondbacks Vs. Pittsburgh Pirates: September 17-19, 2010

As horrible as the recent road trip was, the first series of the home stand at PNC Park was just as impressive. The Buccos completed a 3-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks, a team that happens to have the second-worst record in the National League.

Friday, September 17: After a closely played ballgame throughout, Ronny Cedeno singled in Andrew McCutchen in the bottom of the 9th, clinching a 4-3 victory in walk-off fashion in the first game of the series.

Neil Walker continued his impressive season with a 2 hit performance, including hammering a solo-homerun in the 1st inning. Ryan Doumit also homered for the Buccos, tying the game in the 7th inning, setting the table for Cedeno’s game-winner 2 innings later.

Pirates’ starter Brian Burres pitched a solid game, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits through 7 innings, once again, giving the offense a chance to win. This time, though, unlike the previous series against the Mets, the offense came through.

Saturday, September 18: The Pirates won a wild one at PNC Park on Saturday, securing a series victory and giving them a chance to sweep the Diamondbacks. The Buccos outlasted Arizona and survived a late-game comeback, winning the contest 9-6.

John Bowker was the star of the day for the Pirates, who went 3-4 with 1 HR and 2 RBI. Andrew McCutchen also homered, while Chris Snyder tallied 3 hits, and Jose Tabata had a pair of hits as well. Overall, the Pirates played a strong offensive game, and they were rewarded with a victory.

Sunday, September 19: The Pirates needed a late game rally to beat the Diamondbacks on Sunday…but that’s exactly what they did, earning a 3-game sweep at PNC Park. Neil Walker’s 2 run homerun in the 8th gave the Pirates a 4-3 lead, and Evan Meek came in and shut down The D-Backs, earning his 3rd save of the season. Andrew McCutchen had another 2-hit performance on Sunday, hammering a homerun on the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the 1st inning.

The beginning of the Pirates’ final home stand couldn’t have gone any better. While the Diamondbacks are one of the very worst teams in baseball, it is still a huge step in the right direction for the young Pirates’ players to be able to win a close ball games in the late innings. Andrew McCutchen is on fire lately, and John Bowker was a pleasant surprise in this series. Also, one can’t say enough about Neil Walker, his incredible season continues….way to go REAL DEAL NEIL! After a day off on Monday, they now turn their sights on the St. Louis Cardinals, who are currently on life support for their N.L. playoff lives. Nothing would be better than to play spoiler against a playoff contender.

Current Record: 51-98

And…As Always…Let’s Go Bucs!