After a promising series against St. Louis, the Pirates went into Milwaukee confident, and came out without a victory. With A.J. Burnett, Jeff Karstens, and James McDonald being the three pitchers in Milwaukee this weekend, a sweep is the worst possible thing that could have happened to the Bucs. They fell one game into the wild card standings, and are now 1.5 behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. The wild card is looking like it's coming down to four teams. The Atlanta Braves and St. Louis ... Read More
A father & big leaguer: Jordy Mercer is having the best year of his life
Jordy Mercer grew up in Oklahoma with the dream of being a big league baseball player. From his time playing little league in Taloga, Oklahoma, to playing at Oklahoma State University, Mercer held on tight to his dream of making the show. Being a third round pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2008 draft was the start of his journey, but he was still a long way off from showing up in Pittsburgh. While playing in the Pirates system, Mercer got married and while making the big leagues was ... Read More
Pirates led by Pedro and a Wandy-ful performance on ESPN
It's been seven years since the Pirates have been a nationally televised game on ESPN. That was prior to to the All-Star game in Pittsburgh. No one on this current team was here. Last season, John Kruk was pushing for the mothership to make an appearance in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, the Pirates were out of the race by the time ESPN considered it. So with their success last year, ESPN had to consider a trip to Pittsburgh at the beginning of the year right? Actually, no. In their N.L. Central ... Read More
How much does this win over the Cardinals mean to the Pirates
Since two Sundays ago and the 19-inning win, the Pirates have let just about everyone down. They had gone 1-6 before tonight's victory and were swept by the San Diego Padres just last week. Everyone has been talking about how the teams chances of making the playoffs are now over, but a game like tonight's could change that all around. Sure, it will only go into the standings as one win, but it could mean a lot more to the Pirates than that. James McDonald pitching effectively is something we ... Read More
An MVP on the field and a big kid off it – McCutchen does it all
On any given evening at PNC Park, you will hear multiple cheers and multiple jeers ring throughout the north shore stadium. Whether it's cheering on your favorite pierogies, or it's booing Ryan Braun, the fans get into the game. There is however, one that sticks out more than the others. "M-V-P, M-V-P, M-V-P." Not since the times of Barry Bonds in the early 1990s was a Pittsburgh Pirate worthy of this praise. Not only does Andrew McCutchen boost a line of .345/.411/.568 with 24 home runs ... Read More
Pirates release Erik Bedard
It seems if one of the 'Killer B's" acquired in the offseason is no more. According to sources close to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Michael Sanserino of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates have released left-hander Erik Bedard. Bedard would wind up pitching his last game in a Pirates uniform on Sunday afternoon after he didn't give up a hit through three innings. In the fourth however, Bedard gave up back-to-back singles and then a three-run home run to Carlos ... Read More
Berardi’s baseball update
Updated Playoff Races - 9/27 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 held a seven-game advantage over Baltimore and Tampa Bay at the start of the month. The lead is now four. 1. NY 74 – 53 -- (3 vs. Tor 56 - 70, Off ... Read More
Pirates top 20 prospects
1. RHP Gerrit Cole (AA): Cole may not be dominating the minors like some hoped, but he’s been pitching well since joining the Pirates system and his stuff has been as advertised. He still looks like a frontline starter and 200 inning+ workhorse. 2. RHP Jameson Taillon (AA): Taillon joined Cole in AA Altoona last week, and had an impressive debut, pitching five shutout innings while striking out six. Taillon, like Cole has had good but not great minor league numbers. Cole and Taillon are 1a ... Read More
A New York state of mind: Pedro Alvarez embraces his roots
“Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis. When I was dead broke, man I couldn’t picture this. 50-inch screen, money green leather sofa. Got two rides, a limousine with a chauffeur.” – Notorious B.I.G. When Brooklyn, New York native Notorious B.I.G. hit the scene with his breakout hit “Juicy” in 1994, Biggie Smalls, aka Christopher Wallace talked about his rough upbringing and coming from nothing to something. While Pedro Alvarez would probably substitute PlayStation 3 and X-Box for Super Nintendo and ... Read More
Has the extra wild card helped the MLB in general?
This year, the MLB has installed a second wild card spot (per league) to make each league more competitive down the stretch. It was implemented, also, to keep the general fans interested later into the season rather than tailing off then coming back when the playoffs started. It also has made more teams competitive. Rather then packing it in at the trade deadline, more teams were willing to be buyers because they still had a chance for once and it has shown in the standings. So far, I think the ... Read More