James McDonald. I bet that’s a name you haven’t heard in a while, other than Monday’s atrocious rehab start in AA Altoona. And if the Pirates want to be serious contenders this season, they need to cut ties. McDonald has been just about everything for the Pirates since arriving in 2010 for Octavio Dotel. He has been the ace, the worst pitcher in the rotation, a solid number three starter and a reliever. McDonald made his debut in 2010 for the Pirates. He started 11 games and went 4-5 with ... Read More
Can Pirates’ Jason Grilli continue record setting pace?
When the Pittsburgh Pirates made the decision to trade former closer Joel Hanrahan to the Boston Red Sox and hand the job to set-up man Jason Grilli, it was often questioned how the veteran would handle to transition from the eighth inning to the pressures of pitching in the ninth inning. With close to two months of the 2013 season now in the books, Grilli hasn't just made the transition to closer, he’s made it look easy. Grilli not only currently leads all of baseball with 21 saves at the ... Read More
Pirates Pick Up Extra Inning Victory Over Tigers On Walker Home Run
After a 6-5 loss yesterday, the Pirates wrapped up their two-game road series against the Tigers with a hard fought extra inning victory against the Tigers. The story of the game was pitching, and Rick Porcello and Jeanmar Gomez each looked brilliant on the mound tonight. Porcello, who came into the game with an ERA over six, pitched one of the best games of his career. The 24-year old pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing only three hits, while striking out eleven batters. His strikeout ... Read More
Pittsburgh Pirates GM Neal Huntington Trades: Win, Lose, Or Draw?
Neal Huntington is the General Manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and has always been criticized for his management of the team. Huntington gets the blame anytime the team is not succeeding, and as is the case recently, gets lauded with praise when the team plays well. Huntington arrived to the Pirates in late 2007, and has done his best to rebuild an organization. Unlike his free agent pickups, I’ve been a fan of Huntington’s trades over the past five to six seasons. Smitty has stated that ... Read More
Pirates drop opener to Tigers
DETROIT -- Justin Verlander struck out 13 batters and sent the Pirates to a 6-5 loss against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on a rainy Monday afternoon. Jhonny Peralta had four hits and drove in three runs. Neil Walker doubled and tripled, scoring a run and driving in another for the Pirates. Verlander (6-4) allowed three runs on seven hits in seven innings. After the Pirates scored one off Verlander in the first, he shut them out until the seventh. The Pirates fought back ... Read More
Pirates take series from Brewers; have best start since 1990
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
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
Pirates Can’t Solve the House of Horrors; Lose 2-1 to Brewers
If the Milwaukee Brewers could pick one opponent to play for an entire season, it likely would be the Pittsburgh Pirates considering the latter’s lack of success at Miller Park. The latest example came in this game, a 2-1 loss to the Brewers. Following a rocky second inning, A.J. Burnett settled in retiring 10 straight Brewers hitters. Burnett would last seven innings allowing two runs and striking out six batters while using 99 pitches. The hiccups came in the second inning when Burnett ... Read More
Why haven’t the Pirates won for the past 20 seasons? Look at the draft.
I’ve always stuck up for the Pirates. When numerous friends always reminded me of how bad they were over the years, I’d say that they were going in the right direction. I was certainly wrong a lot of those years, but I sincerely believe that the Pirates are actually going in the right direction at this point in time. My optimism is more about the way that the Pirates are approaching the draft and international signing than the fact that they were playing meaningful baseball after the All-Star ... 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