Correia Pitches Well In Pirates' Loss To Rays

The Pirates lost today against the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3, falling to 3-6 in Grapefruit League play, and despite managing only four hits, there were a few strong positives to take away from this afternoon’s action.

Kevin Correia made the start for the Bucs today, and pitched three solid innings, giving up just two hits throughout.  Similar to last season, Correia looks strong early, and hopefully he can covert this over to the regular season.  Starting pitching will be a MAJOR factor in the potential success of the Pirates, Correia will be a major part of that rotation.

Justin Wilson and Doug Slaten had rough afternoons, each giving up two runs.  Slaten, in particular, struggled mightily, surrendering the pair of runs on three hits without recording a single out.  On a brighter note, though, Bryan Morris, Daniel Moskos, and Jared Hughes pitched well, tossing a scoreless inning a piece.  Slaten and Wilson, along with Tony Watson, have dug themselves an early hole in the battle for those few available spots in the bullpen.  There’s still plenty of games remaining for these guys to turn things around in Spring Training, but early on, I’d have to imagine they’re among those beginning the season in the minor leagues.

The Pirates’ players struggled at the plate today, managing only four total hits as a team.  Neil Walker made his return to the lineup this afternoon, going 0-3, while Garrett Jones and Jose Tabata also had hitless games. 

Pedro Alvarez blasted a homerun in the fifth inning.  It was his second homerun hit this spring, and his swing looks pretty good thus far.  It’s easy to compliment a guy’s swing on the day he hits a homerun, but he has looked more comfortable and confident at the plate so far this spring.  Let’s hope he continues to build off this limited early success as we approach Opening Day.

Andrew McCutchen, Alex Presley, and Jake Fox had the other hits for the Pirates this afternoon.

The Bucs will host the Philadelphia Phillies tomorrow afternoon at 1:05pm. 

Grapefruit Record:  3-6

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

McGhee Excels As Pirates Fall To Twins

by Zane Heiple

Photo by Grant Jefferies/Bradenton Herald

The Pittsburgh Pirates may have had a few holes to fill this off-season, but none were bigger than those at the corner infield positions.  Pedro Alvarez may still be the front runner and future of the third base position, but has yet to show that he intends to be the superstar one would expect from a number one draft pick.  Across the infield first base has been a huge question mark for many years with the Pirates and they still do not appear to have the long term answer to who will fill that position.  That is why Pittsburgh went out and traded for Casey McGehee.  McGehee is capable of playing both positions, is young, and if he can play more like he did his first two seasons in the Majors, will definitely give the Pirates the pop in the lineup we all are looking for.

Today McGehee started at third base and defensively looked like someone who has played the position for years.  The second inning alone made him look like a gold glove caliber player.  The first out came on a ground ball that appeared to head down the line, but with english on the ball, it began to spin towards the hole into short.  Casey was able to stop pick up the ball and gun the runner out at first.  He would then record the final out of the inning by diving to prevent a ball from going to the outfield and throw the runner out.  Offensively he showed signs of regaining that early career form going 3-3 with an RBI.

Erik Bedard had a great day on the bump for the Buccos as he would go three innings allowing one hit with three strikeouts.  If Bedard can build on starts like today he should be considered as an option to start on opening day.  Nate McClouth also looked like his old self today going 2-2 with a walk at the plate.  Chase d’Arnaud would collect a hit and an RBI today.  Joel “The Hammer” Hanrahan looked lights out again striking out two in an inning of work.

Unfortunately there were some signs that this was a spring training game.  McClouth would be caught stealing twice today, Rod Barajas was thrown out going from second to home on a ball that was hit to the outfield wall, and with the bases loaded and no outs Pittsburgh managed only one run.  Jo Jo Reyes had a rough outting allowing four runs on five hits while striking out two and walking one in three innings of work.  These mistakes were big factors in the Pirates losing to the Minnesota Twins 4-2.

Neil Walker is said to be back in action tomorrow as the Pirates will head to Port Charlotte to take on the Tampa Bay Rays tomorrow at 1:05.  It was also reported that A.J. Burnett has been cleared to begin working out, as he looks to get back on track to recovering from an orbital fracture.

Grapefruit League Record:  3-5

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

McCutchen With Three More Hits, Pirates Beat Red Sox

Photo Credit:  MLB Daily Dish

The Pirates brought their bats tonight, touching up the Boston Red Sox pitching throughout the game on their way to a 7-4 victory under the lights at JetBlue Park in Ft. Myers, Fla.

Andrew McCutchen continued his impressive spring at the plate, going 3-3 with 2RBI to lead the Bucs.  Cutch had two doubles and a single, and he looks incredibly comfortable at the plate, taking what the opposing pitchers are giving him.  He is hitting .455 this spring, and the offseason work, including the altered batting stance, appears to have really paid off.  Before Spring Training began, I predicted McCutchen would have a huge season, and he’s off to a great start.

As for the rest of the offense, it was a productive night against Red Sox pitching.  Jose Tabata and Clint Barmes both had strong nights at the plate.  Tabata had a pair of hits and two RBI’s, while Barmes continued his hot streak at the plate with two knocks of his own.  It’s no secret that McCutchen and Tabata, as well as Neil Walker garner a lot of attention, but the wild cards of this team are the guys like Rod Barajas, Casey McGehee, and yes, Clint Barmes.  Barajas and Barmes have started out strong this week, which is a great sign.

Shairon Martis took the bump for the Bucs tonight and pitched well, giving up only two hits in his two innings of work, while Chris Resop pitched a scoreless third inning.  There is a litter of relievers competing for those available bullpen spots, and Resop showed tonight why he will occupy one of those spots on Opening Day. 

Unfortunately, the same could not be said about Tony Watson tonight, which has been the case in each of his performances.  Tonight, he gave up two runs on three hits in a pair of innings.  He has yet to have a quality outing, and if this continues, he’ll find himself in Altoona or Indianapolis.  The Pirates’ pitchers did give up a lot of hits tonight, twelve in fact, but they squandered a number of opportunities and the Pirates pitched their way out of trouble on a number of occasions.

The Pirates played well tonight overall, earning their 3^rd win in Grapefruit League play.  Aside of Pedro Alvarez’s 0-3 performance, the Bucs’ projected everyday starters continue to hit the ball with much consistency as they close out the first week of Spring Training play.  With a 3-4 record, the Pirates will face the Minnesota Twins tomorrow afternoon at McKechnie Field.  First pitch is scheduled for 1:05pm.

Grapefruit League Record:  3-4

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Bucs Fall To Phillies In Extra Innings

by Zane Heiple

Photo by blackandgoldworld.blogspot.com

In one month the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphi Phillies will meet on opening day, today they met for the first time in spring training.  Pirate’s fans will hope that opening day goes a little better, as the Phillies won 5-4.

James McDonald started for the Buccos today and would allow one run on two hits with one strikeout in three innings of work.  Philadelphia starter Cole Hamels would go 3 2/3 innings striking out four batters and allowing four hits.

After the Phillies took a 4-0 into the sixth inning, Pittsburgh would battle back with three runs of their own.  Casey McGehee, who made his first appearance at third base, drove in Josh Harrison with an RBI single.  Matt Hague singled into a ground out to bring home McGehee.  Gorkys Hernandez then closed the gap to one with a sacrifice fly. 

Starling Marte continued his hot streak with a solo home run to tie the game in the eighth inning.  This game between cross state rivals would head to extra innings where in the bottom of the tenth Philadelphia right fielder Lou Montanez hit a walk-off home run to win the game.

Rod Barajas was the only Bucco to record multiple hits today as he would go 2-3.  Daniel Moskos would pitch two no hit innings, while Mike Crotta would give up a run in one inning of work.

Up next the Pirates will take on the Boston Red Sox tomorrow in Ft. Myers at 7:05pm.

Grapefruit League Record:  2-4

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Alvarez Goes Deep As Pirates Lose To Blue Jays Again

Photo Credit:  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

For the third time in five games, the Pirates played the Toronto Blue Jays, and for the third time, they lost. Today, it was by an 8-6 score at McKechnie Field. Tony Sanchez struck out looking on three consecutive pitches to end the game with two runners on base.


The Pirates may have lost this game today to the Blue Jays, which, by the way, is the third time already in this young Grapefruit League season, but I saw what I wanted AND needed to see from the offense. The Bucs hit three homeruns this afternoon, including a 2nd inning blast by Pedro Alvarez. Yes, Pedro Alvarez. He also had a single in the sixth inning before being pulled.

Garrett Jones also had a solo shot, while Starling Marte blasted a two-run bomb in the seventh inning and added a single in the ninth. Marte has been extremely impressive thus far in Spring Training, hitting at a .727 clip, and he’s making a strong case to be up with the Big Club very soon. But without a doubt, the key to the entire Pirates’ offense is Alvarez, who, as we’ve been hearing for years, has the pedigree and talent to be a monster power hitter. It was great to see him have a good day at the plate today.

Clint Barmes and Alex Presley, two other players who will be vital to the Bucs’ offense in terms of putting runners on for the likes of Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker, and Alvarez (hopefully), had a hit each this afternoon.

Jeff Karstens started the game for the Pirates, and looked very strong in his first action of Spring Training. Karstens pitched three innings of scoreless baseball, while giving up just two hits and striking out one batter. He had command of his pitches and threw with confidence, just as he did last year. It was nice to see this from Karstens, who, due to the injury to A.J. Burnett, will absolutely be a part of the starting pitching rotation on Opening Day.

Unfortunately, as solid as Karstens looked today, Brad Lincoln looked every bit as unraveled. He gave up four runs on six hits and walked two batters in only one inning of work. Ouch. We’ve seen this in the past from Lincoln: a solid start followed by a rough outing, then another solid start. Consistency has plagued him, especially at the Major League level, and unless he corrects this, he’ll be on the outside looking at the Pirates’ starting pitching rotation.

Jose Diaz and Jason Grilli looked solid in their lone innings of work, setting the Blue Jays down in order in the fifth and ninth innings respectively, while Jeff Locke limped through two innings of his own, surrendering three runs on five hits. It is going to be a battle amongst relievers this spring for a spot in the Major League bullpen, and performances like this will make a difference to Clint Hurdle & Co. Evan Meek’s rough week continued today, giving up a run and two hits, including a homerun, in the eighth inning. Clearly, Meek’s spot in the bullpen is safe, but it’s still a disappointing start for him thus far.

With every Spring Training game, while it’s exciting and moderately significant to win games, it’s more important to see improvement in players in particular situations. The Pirates’ bullpen was disappointing today (for the most part), but Jeff Karstens was highly impressive, as was Pedro Alvarez on the offensive side. I like what I’ve seen from the offense overall so far. But can’t we beat the Blue Jays at least ONCE this Spring Training?!

The Pirates will face the Philadelphia Phillies tomorrow afternoon at 1:05pm.

Grapefruit Record: 2-3

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Cutch Leads Buccos Past Yankees

by Zane Heiple

Photo by Matt Slocum/AP

After it was announced officially earlier in the day that Andrew McCutchen would be with the Pittsburgh Pirates for at least the next six seasons, Cutch showed why Bucco fans have a lot to finally be thankful for.  McCutchen would go 2-3 on the day with a double and two RBI.  His first hit of the day would come off of New York Yankees ace C.C. Sabathia.

The Pittsburgh offense saw contributions from Clint Barmes, who went 2-3, and Sterling Marte, who had two hits in as many plate appearences.  The big offensive day came from DH Yamaico Navarro, who played for the Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals last season.  Navarro went 3-4 with 2 RBI.  Not sure where he could fit on the opening day roster, but he may be a name to keep an eye on.  The downside of the offense came from Rod Barajas and Casey McGehee who both went 0-3.  Nothing to worry about as both players still have a lot of time to be ready for April 5^th.

Kevin Correia made his first start of the spring today pitching two innings allowing no hits, but walking two batters in two innings of work.  Correia would say afterwards, “Everything feels as good as it did at this point last season”.  Chris Resop picked up the win allowing one run on two hits, while striking out two in an inning of work.  Daniel McCutchen didn’t have quite that good of a day as he would give up two runs on two hits while pitching the final inning.

Tomorrow will be the first time this spring that the Pirates face a right-handed starter as they will face the Toronto Blue Jays Kyle Drabek, who happens to the son of former Bucco Doug Drabek.  Jeff Karstens will make his second start for Pittsburgh, as first pitch is scheduled for 1:05 at McKechnie Field.

Grapefruit League Record:  2-2

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Presley, Hague, & Marte Help Pirates Win First Game This Spring

Photo Credit:  Pittsburgh Post Gazette

The Pirates played their first Spring Training game under the lights tonight, and they brought their top game to the plate, beating the Baltimore Orioles, 10-3, at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, FL.  As a team, Pittsburgh had a total of 18 hits, including five players that tallied multiple hits. 

Alex Presley went 3-3 with two runs scored in the leadoff spot, while Matt Hague went 3-4 with a HR and three RBI’s.  Not to be outdone, Starling Marte had three hits himself, while scoring twice.  It was great to see Presley perform well tonight in the leadoff spot, a place where Clint Hurdle would love to have the comfort of placing him for Opening Day next month.  With roster spots up for grabs, and even though it may be rather unlikely they’ll nab an Opening Day roster spot, Hague and Marte are looking strong and confident at the plate thus far.

Pedro Alvarez went 0-3 with two strikeouts and two runners left on base tonight.  He has yet to tally a hit in the pair of Spring Training games he’s played in thus far.  Michael McKenry also had a rough night offensively, going 0-3 while leaving five runners on base.  With the way Rod Barajas has hit the ball thus far in the Spring, and considering the fact he had the edge prior to reporting to Pirate City, it already seems evident that McKenry is primed for a backup spot on the roster.

The Pirates’ pitching team of eight hurlers together gave up a total of three runs on six hits tonight.  Starter Jo-Jo Reyes surrendered a run on three hits in 1.2 innings, while striking out a pair of batters.  Justin Wilson was arguably the most impressive pitcher for Pittsburgh, throwing two scoreless innings, walking a batter but striking out three and not giving up a hit.  Bryan Morris, Michael Crotta, and Tim Wood each pitched a scoreless inning, while Duke Welker had the downside of the night for the staff, giving up two unearned runs.

While a number of the players performing tonight are more than likely going to start the 2012 season in the minors, it was certainly satisfying to see them perform at a high level.  As we all know from what occurred last year, those who play well in Altoona or Indianapolis can earn their way to the Majors and make a difference with the big club.  It’s a long season and injuries and fatigue are a part of the game. 

I know this is only the third Spring Training game, but Pedro Alvarez has already struck out four times in the two games he’s played in this week.  Coming off a dismal season and all the work he’s done in the offseason, it’d be nice to see him hit the ground running.  I’ve predicted a MEGA season from Pedro this year, and I stand by that, and I’m looking forward to seeing him find his comfort zone at the plate in Spring Training and be ready to go by April 5 in Pittsburgh.

The Pirates earned their first victory in Grapefruit League play tonight.  They’ll face the New York Yankees at McKechnie Field tomorrow afternoon.  First pitch is scheduled for 1:05pm.

Grapefruit League Record:  1-2

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!