MILWAUKEE -- Ryan Braun came to the plate three times Sunday afternoon with multiple Milwaukee Brewers on base and two outs. Twice, in the third and the seventh innings, the Pirates sent Braun and the Brewers back to the dugout. The Pirates defeated the Brewers, 5-4, at Miller Park to win the three-game series and their 13th of the past 16 games. The Pirates taxed Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo and knocked him from the game after four innings. Gallardo struck out seven and walked two, ... Read More
Storylines reign supreme in Bruins-Pens series
As many expected, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins will meet in the Eastern Conference Finals. To me, it's the series I was looking forward to as a hockey fan, but as a Penguins fan, I couldn't have been pulling harder for the Rangers. I think that the Bruins defensive scheme and the way they take advantage of turnovers (are you listening Geno and Tanger?), could haunt the Penguins. On paper, the Penguins are better and I hope my prediction of Bruins in seven games is off. While this ... Read More
Locke, homers carry Pirates to victory
MILWAUKEE -- The Locke Ness Monster was at it again. As with his mythical lake-dwelling namesake, people don't know whether Jeff Locke is for real or just a fascinating apparition. What they do know is that the left-hander's legend continued to grow on Saturday, when he threw six innings of three-hit shutout ball against the dreaded Brewers in the Pirates' 5-2 win. The Pirates had a splashing-good time in Miller Park. When the Locke Ness Monster was back in dry dock, the Shark Tank took ... Read More
Penguins Dominate Senators; Advance to Eastern Conference Finals
Daniel Alfredsson was right. There's really no other way to put it. When the Ottawa Senators captain was asked if his team could win three in a row to take the series from the Pens, he said no. It wasn't the politically correct thing to say in the situation, but he was just telling the truth. Alfredsson's words came to fruition on Friday night as the Penguins finished its series with the Senators with a 6-2 victory. Once again, Tomas Vokoun was solid in net as he brought his playoff record to ... Read More
Pirates sweep Cubs to go to 11 over .500
Remember last offseason when Pirates fans started the hashtag, #EJaxtoBucs on Twitter? Pirates fans made it their mission to get Edwin Jackson in black and yellow. Jackson instead opted to sign with the Washington Nationals and signed a huge deal with the Chicago Cubs in the offseason. If Pirates fans could, they would probably take away the day that hashtag was born as Jackson has been horrible. Jackson entered play with a 1-6 record and a 5.76 ERA. While the Pirates have a history of making ... Read More
Smelling blood in the Shark Tank
Much criticism has been given to the job that General Manager Neal Huntington has done with the Pirates since he took the position. A lot of it has been warranted, but one thing that you can't criticize Huntington for is the job that he has done with building the bullpen. The Pirates 'pen, or the aptly nicknamed Shark Tank, has been dominate once again this season. Much of the success can be directed towards Huntington and the moves he has made over the past few seasons. Let's take a look, ... Read More
Liriano outduels Samardzija in 1-0 win
There's always that one pitcher that seems to dominate the Pittsburgh Pirates, but struggles against the rest of the league. Seriously, think about it. It happens every year. The past couple of seasons, it's been Jeff Samardzija of the Chicago Cubs. Samardzija doesn't just have a name that sucks to spell throughout an article, but he's been a pitcher that has been a thorn in the side of the Pirates his whole career. In his career, Samardzija was 4-0 with a 0.92 ERA entering play. Nothing against ... Read More
The Pittsburgh Kid is Just Another Second Baseman
About 20 minutes before each game at PNC Park, the scoreboard rolls the player introductions. During the Saturday Night Live themed entrances, it's no surprise that Andrew McCutchen receives the biggest pop from the fans. It's only fitting that the first player since Barry Bonds, who was showered with "MVP, MVP" chants last year, would be the fan favorite. There is, however, one player that comes close in rivaling McCutchen for the title of most popular Pirate. No, it isn't A.J. Burnett, ... Read More
It’s Vokoun’s Net to Lose
After Marc-Andre Fleury was pulled as the starting goaltender of the Pittsburgh Penguins against the New York Islandes, I was riding high on the Tomas Vokoun bandwagon. Ray Shero didn’t bring Vokoun in for two years at the price he did to be another Brent Johnson. Vokoun was brought to Pittsburgh in case Fleury faltered again in the playoffs. When Vokoun assisted in leading the Penguins to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, I was okay with sticking with him until he lost a ... Read More
Pirates led by Walker en route to victory
PITTSBURGH -- It's early: Clint Hurdle's favorite caveat. Even the season's quarter-pole is still a few innings away. However, make no mistake, the tables have turned. For years, the word around the National League was: Stay close to the Pirates, and, in the end, they will give it up. Too green, too thin, too insecure to know better. That line, and the attitude and approach that go with it, now belongs to the Pirates. They wait for an opening for the upper cut, then they stick it to ... Read More