Stop if you've read this before: The Oakland Athletics beat the Pittsburgh Pirates by the score of 2-1. Okay, don't stop reading, but you get the point. For the second straight night, the Pirates found themselves in the midst of a pitcher's duel with the A's. Last night featured the battle of the All-Stars, Bartolo Colon and Jeff Locke. Tonight, after a one-hour, 40-minute rain delay, two rookies took the mound and followed last night's script rather closely. For the Pirates, Gerrit Cole took ... Read More
Bucs must address struggling bench
There are plenty of opinions of exactly what Pittsburgh Pirates' general manager Neal Huntington needs to do when the trade deadline approaches. Huntington certainly has his options to choose from as targeting a productive right fielder certainly makes sense, as would more production at shortstop and maybe an additional arm or two. However neither is as pressing as the need to upgrade the woeful Pirates bench. Pirates' manager Clint Hurdle has been known for frequently using all 25 ... Read More
Locke outdueled by Colon in 2-1 loss
On a Monday night in Pittsburgh, with Oakland in town, two first place teams took to the field with two All-Star pitchers taking their respective place on the mound. What is this, Moneyball the sequel? As hard as it was to imagine at the beginning of the year, the Pirates and A's were the marquee game on Monday and will be the rest of the series. The pitching matchup couldn't get better Monday as Bartolo Colon (yes, that Bartolo Colon) outdueled Jeff Locke en route to a 2-1 victory. If you ... Read More
A look ahead for the Pirates
After a first half of baseball that exceeded most fans expectations it is time to look forward to some key match ups. Right now the Pirates have 75 games left to play with 46 games left against teams currently in contention. The key match ups being its nine games left against the Reds and 14 games left against the Cardinals. The 46 games against contenders is slightly skewed with 13 of those against NL West teams playing in a division that is currently wide open. Below is a list of games ... Read More
The Second Half Begins
As the Pirates cross the half way point and finish up the last few games before the All Star break we can take a look back at what has been done, and a look forward to what is still left to be accomplished. The Pirates have flirted with legitimacy the last two seasons but never in the way they are doing now. They are beginning to get some national media attention, and nationally televised games. This last week they topped the ESPN power poll after a dominating week of baseball that saw them ... Read More
Pirates’ Bats Sputter, Fall to Cubs
Wrigley Field - On a day that saw four Pirates get selected to the All-Star Game, the Buccos offense was less than stellar. Two Alfonso Soriano home runs off Charlie Morton and a quality start from Cubs' starter Edwin Jackson vaulted Chicago over Pittsburgh 4-1. The Pirates offense could only muster one extra base hit, a Pedro Alvarez home run, and their only run of the contest. The Pirates seemed to have something going in the first inning after a Marte single, steal, and Jackson wild pitch ... Read More
Alvarez, Three Others Named To All-Star Game
Pedro Alvarez, Andrew McCutchen, Jason Grilli, and Jeff Locke have been selected to participate in the 2013 MLB All-Star Game. Alvarez, elected as a reserve, has continued to be the Pirates' best source of power with a team-leading 21 home runs and 56 RBIs. That is good enough for third and tied for sixth in the NL, respectively. McCutchen, also making an appearance as a reserve, continues to be one of the best multi-tool players in baseball. The centerfielder came into today hitting .298 with ... Read More
Realistic trade targets for the Pirates to inquire about at the deadline
I know, you all want Giancarlo Stanton. The guy is a 23-year-old monster slugger who could legitimately hit over 25 home runs for the Pirates between July 31 and September 29. He is only making $537,000 this season, but his arbitration kicks in after 2013 and he is due to end up making somewhere upwards of $15 million per season until he becomes a free agent in 2017. Stanton is the Cabbage Patch Kid under the tree in 1985; the shiny new toy that could turn the Pirates from a great story into ... Read More
Pittsburgh Pirates Minor League Report: Part Two
Yesterday, we examined how the Top Five of the Pirates' farm system was faring in 2013. Today, we'll finish the rest of the list with 6-10. 6. Josh Bell/OF A: 323 PA, .290/.353/.466, 84 H, 23 2B, 8 HR, 51 RBIs Bell underwent left knee surgery in April of last year, forcing Pirates’ fans to wait on watching his development. But overall, the wait has been worth it. His line is a bit bizarre. Bell drew just three walks in June after 21 in May. He’s in a home run slump, last going yard ... Read More
Pittsburgh Pirates Top Ten: Minor League Report
In the past few weeks, we’ve taken two looks at the Pirates’ farm system. With the season officially past the halfway mark, let’s again see how the Buccos’ prospects are faring. This time evaluating the Top Ten prospects coming into the 2013 season using Baseball America’s rankings as a guide. We'll begin with the top five today and round out the rest tomorrow. 1. Gerrit Cole/SP AAA: 12 GS, 68 IP, 5-3 2.91 ERA 1.06 WHIP. 47/28 K/BB MLB: 4 GS, 24.1 IP, 4-0 3.70 ERA 1.23 WHIP. 11/4 ... Read More