(Photo Credit: UPI/Archie Carpenter) PNC Park – The Pirates (65 – 42) look for a rare 5-game sweep of the second place Cardinals (62 – 44) tonight as Charlie Morton (3 – 2, 3.59 ERA) faces Joe Kelly (1 – 3, 3.44 ERA). Leading Off Tony Sanchez will get the start at catcher tonight as Clint Hurdle is giving Russell Martin a day off to rest his sore knee. Sanchez says things have finally sunk in for him being a Pirate. “It sunk in the second day I was here when me and Vic (Black) we’re walking ... Read More
Pirates Pull Within 1/2 Game Behind Cardinals With 9-2 Win
PNC Park – The Pirates started off their 5-game in four day stretch against the first place Cardinals with a dominating 9 - 2 victory Monday night bringing them to within a ½ game of the Cards for the NL Central Lead. Francisco Liriano helped his Cy Young chances by throwing 7 innings of two-hit, one run ball while striking out eight. He experienced a bit of trouble in the fourth when he allowed back-to-back singles with one out. He would then strike out Allen Craig and Yadier Molina to end the ... Read More
Pedro Homers, Mercer Walks Off Mets 3 – 2
PNC Park – Jordy Mercer halted his mini-slump in grand fashion as he singled up the middle in the eleventh inning to walk-off the Mets 3 – 2 on Friday night. It was the first hit with runners in scoring position in three attempts in extra frames as the Pirates had the bases loaded in the ninth and first and second in the tenth. “You always want to be that guy -- you always want to get the game winning hit and you want to score the game winning run,” said Mercer. “You go through your ... Read More
Bucco Gameday: Hurdle Talks Derby, Walker
PNC Park -- The Pirates (54 – 36), fresh off of a 5 – 0 victory against Oakland on Wednesday, are back at PNC to finish the first half off against the Mets (40 – 48) in the first of three starting tonight. Charlie Morton (1 – 2, 3.38 ERA) will face Jeremy Hefner (4 – 6, 3.39 ERA). Leading Off -- Pedro Alvarez will now be participating in Mondays All-Star Home Run Derby (8pm, ESPN) due to Carlos Gonzalez pulling out due to a finger injury. He is unsure on who will be throwing to him ... Read More
Pirate of the Week: Pedro Alvarez
The one Pirate that every Pirates' fan loves to hate, Pedro Alvarez has been on fire as of late. He may not hit for a high average, but not many power hitters do. For his strong play over the past week, Alvarez is awarded with our Yinzer of the Week award. The Pirates played eleven games in a row, and over the past seven days, Alvarez has had at least one hit in every game except for one. He had two games with multiple hits and three games with multiple RBIs. Last Sunday the Pirates overcame ... Read More
Going on the defensive
We hear it all of the time. It doesn't just occur with baseball players, but athletes in every sport. When they first arrive to their respective league, the fans and media want to judge them right away. While it's no secret that Pedro Alvarez and Garrett Jones can both hit the long ball with the best of them - Jones' mammoth shot into the river on Sunday can attest to that - we don't necessarily think of them as being the best fielders in the world. When talking with Tim Williams from Pirates ... Read More
Pirates fall to Crew on missed opportunities
The Pirates had their chances to put runs on the board tonight, but were unable to as they fell on a walk off to the Milwaukee Brewers. A.J. Burnett was the starter for the Pirates and pitched pretty well. He did not allow a hit through five innings and after walking Carlos Gomez in the fourth, he stole second and third and eventually scored on a wild pitch. Burnett was pulled after 6.2 innings of work and struck out nine, with five of those coming in a row. He allowed his second run on an ... 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
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