When you look at the success the 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates have had, you might think about the veteran presence that is in the clubhouse. I mean, that is why Manager Clint Hurdle had Brandon Inge stick around all of the time, isn't it? Ingle excluded, the veterans haven't just had their presence felt in the clubhouse, but also on the field of play. Guys like A.J. Burnett, Francisco Liriano, Jason Grilli, Andrew McCutchen and even guys like Pedro Alvarez and Mark Melancon have all contributed ... Read More
Harrison Walk-Off Lifts Pirates to 4 – 3 Victory
(Photo Credit: Gene J. Puskar / AP) PNC Park -- Josh Harrison sent a 1 - 1 fastball from left hander, Mike Dunn into the right-center field seats for a Pirates walk-off 4 - 3 victory on Tuesday night. It completed a comeback from an early 3-run hole created by the Marlins against starter, Jeff Locke. They got on the board once in the second when they lead off the inning by loading the bases. Locke would then get Jeff Mathis to pop out to first, but Marlins starter, Henderson Alvarez would ... Read More
Pirates Gameday: Liriano Named N.L. POTW, Hurdle Talks Closers
(Photo Credit: Matt Freed/Post-Gazette) PNC Park -- The Pirates (67 - 44) look to enact revenge on the Marlins (43 - 67) after dropping 2-of-3 in Miami a week and a half ago. Jeff Locke (9 - 3, 2.36 ERA) will face Henderson Alvarez (2 - 1, 2.61 ERA). Leading Off Francisco Liriano was named NL Player of the Week after going 2 - 0 in two starts last week, ranking among the league leaders with 14 innings pitched (2nd) and 14 strikeouts (T-4th). His 0.64 ERA (1 ER / 14 IN) was the lowest among ... Read More
Bucco Gameday: Huntington Talks Deadline, McKenry Shut Down For Season
PNC Park – The Pirates (64 – 42), fresh off of a sweep of yesterday’s double header, look to make it four in-a-row over the Cardinals (62 – 43) and extend their NL Central lead to 2 ½ games. Jeff Locke (9 – 3, 2.15 ERA) will take on Adam Wainwright (13 – 6, 2.51 ERA). 4pm today marked the non-waiver trade deadline for the MLB and the Pirates have appeared to remain in-tact as they did not make any moves before the deadline. Neil Huntington talked about not making a move: “We looked ... Read More
Locke-d and loaded
Each year, there seems to be that one player that breaks out from behind that shadows and takes the city, and league, by storm. Last year for the Pirates, that guy was James McDonald. Now, we of course know the story with McDonald. He came over in the Octavio Dotel trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Last year was the year that J-Mac became a household name, at least for the first half of the season. McDonald was considered an All-Star snub and in the running for the Cy Young Award before the ... Read More
Pirates fall victim to Murphy’s Law in loss to Nationals
The Pirates have been one of the better teams in baseball so far this season. There's really no denying that. Unfortunately, every good team will have its bad days. The Pirates fell victim to Murphy's Law as they walked eight and hit three batters as a team, en route to a loss to the Nationals by the score of 5-4. "We've played very good ball to this point. Every once and awhile you have a game where you're not in sync," Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle said. "All of those walks and hit batters ... Read More
Reds can’t capitalize as Pirates take game two of three-game set
It wasn't that the Pirates outplayed the Reds on Saturday night. Actually, it was anything but. If you watched the game, the Pirates were outplayed in every facet. Fortunately for the Pirates and the fans, the Pirates were able to win the only category that mattered in a 2-1 victory. Looking at the match up, it wasn't in the Pirates favor as they entered PNC Park. Johnny Cueto, one of the top pitchers in baseball, was going for the Reds. Jeff Locke, a mystery at this point, was taking the ... Read More
Examining the Pirates Starting Pitching options for 2013
Right before the holidays, the Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to sign left-handed pitcher Francisco Liriano, pending a physical. Over the holidays though Liriano hurt his right elbow, and has put the signing in major jeopardy. The Pirates aren’t too thrilled with the fact that he got hurt even though it is his non-throwing elbow. Going into the 2013 season the Pirates have only three starters penciled into their rotation. Those pitchers being A.J. Burnett, Wandy Rodriguez, and James McDonald. ... Read More
Pirates lose fourth in a row, fall 5-1 to Astros
The Pirates are a tough team to figure out. Within a two week span, they got swept by the Padres before taking two-of-three against the Cardinals. Just when it looks like they figured it out, they get swept by the Brewers in Milwaukee with their three best pitchers starting for them. Thank goodness for the Buccos, the Dodgers, Cardinals and other teams in the wild card race are struggling as well. Entering today's game against the Houston Astros, the Pirates remained just 1.5 out of the race. ... Read More