A few days ago Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips took to his Twitter account (@DatDudeBP) after a 14 inning victory to accuse one of the Pittsburgh Pirates of shouting something racial at him. He used the hashtags #RealTalk and #Racism to emphasize his point. There’s only one problem with that, none of the Pirates said any such thing to him. So much for “Real Talk.” Naturally the Pirates player in question, pitcher Jared Hughes, quickly and rightfully defended himself but ... Read More
Pittsburgh Pirates release 2013 schedule
Pittsburgh, PA - The Pittsburgh Pirates today announced their 2013 regular season schedule, which will feature the Bucs opening the season at PNC Park versus National League Central Division rival Chicago Cubs on Monday, April 1. In addition there will be a total of 39 N.L. Central Divisional home games, including the first nine home games of the season, against the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds throughout the reg- ular season as the five teams ... Read More
Pirates lose to Reds in 14 innings
Missed opportunities in extra innings really came back to haunt the Pirates tonight, as they dropped a 14-inning affair in Cincinnati by a score of 4-3. Wandy Rodriguez had a very solid start for the Pirates tonight. He was charged with three runs allowed, despite only one of them coming when he was in the game. He pitched 6.2 innings, struck out five, and was pulled after 89 pitches. He left the game with two runners on and Jared Hughes allowed a two run double to Dioner Navarro which tied ... Read More
Will this season be successful if the Pirates miss the playoffs?
At this point last month, you were considered negative for saying the Pirates were going to collapse and miss the playoffs. The city was in. The true fans and bandwagon fans alike had this team's back. The players believed and the clubhouse was more alive than ever. The public relations staff had to send out an email about ways to purchase playoff tickets. The last time that happened, email was hardly around. The fans waited 19 years for this. They've waited 19 years of constant reminders that ... Read More
Barardi’s baseball update: The Rays look to leapfrog this week
Updated Playoff Races - 10/3 Every week, I will update you on the playoff races going on in the majors along with who those teams will face in the upcoming week. (Take note, All GB are based on loss column ONLY. I don’t believe in the ½ game stat because those are games that can be controlled by a team. AL East The Yankees went 3-4 against the Orioles and Rays allowing them to gain ground. The Rays could jump both teams as they play three against each this week. 1. NY 79 – 61 -- (Off ... Read More
Injury bug effecting playoff race (AL Update)
These are injuries that have been sustained within the last month. (Courtesy of MLB.com) With only three weeks left in the regular season there are many key injuries to contending teams. Today we will look at the AL contenders. (Look for the NL update next week). AL East The Yankees seem to have the upper hand as they are getting two of their big guns back. The Orioles took a hit with Markakis breaking his thumb while the Rays hope David Price’s injury is minimal. Balt – Jim Thome ... Read More
Jason Grilli: The turn around of a career
The bullpen for the Pirates this season has been a huge key to the teams’ success, and Jason Grilli has perhaps been the most effective pitcher out of it. The veteran reliever has played in the major leagues with Florida, the Chicago White Sox, Detroit, Colorado, Texas, and Pittsburgh throughout his career. While pitching for the Pirates this year, Grilli has seen fantastic success as the eighth inning set up man. “I was never an eighth inning guy and I never had this opportunity up until this ... Read More
Attendance for contenders down across the league
Attendance numbers for Tuesday, Sept. 5 (Contenders Only) SF: 41,038 - 1st Place in the NL West LA [NL]: 40,619 - 1 Game behind 2nd Wild Card StL: 34,108 - 2nd Wild Card spot Det: 27,729 - 1 game back in AL Central Cin: 17,806 - 1st in the NL Central TB: 17,652 - two Games behind 2nd Wild Card Was: 17,648 - 1st Place in NL East Atl: 16,686 - 1st Wild Card spot Chi: 15,698 - 1st Place in AL Central Pit: 12,785 - two Games behind 2nd Wild Card Oak: 11,688 - 2nd ... Read More
Brock Holt the everyday shortstop?
I'm pulling for Brock Holt. I really am. I was excited to watch him collect four hits last night as the Pirates defeated the Astros in a crucial game. Heck, I like Holt a lot just for the hashtags that people use around his name. (Lightning Holt, Party like a Brock-star, Brock you like a Hurricane are some of my favorites). But as expected when a player does well in his first handful of games, especially when they can play middle infield, the question comes if this guy can play shortstop or ... 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