Monday, February 28, 2011

Split Squad Split: BUCS WIN/LOSE

Orioles 6, Pirates 4
Pedro went 2 for 3 and Lyle Overbay and Miles "Bull" Durham both had homers, but some some bad pitching by Maholm and especially Justin Wilson (0.2 IP, 1 hit, 3 ER, 3 walks) kept this one out of reach.Durham's homer came in the bottom of the 9th to cut the deficit to 2, but the rally was cut short as Ryan Doumit struck out to end the game. Maholm got the Loss for the Bucs.

Pirates 6, Rays 5
Meanwhile, in Port Charlotte, the rubber match between the Rays and the Bucs was a close one. Despite being outhit by the Rays 10-6, 2 runs off the Rays' 3 errors paved the way to a Bucco victory. No one had more than 1 hit or run scored, but Garrett Atkins drove in 3 after his second homer of the Spring. Fernando Nieve looked shaky, allowing 3 runs, but the rest of the pitching staff was solid, allowing no more than 1 run apiece. Rudy Owens got the Win, as well as a Blown Save. Sean Gallagher got the Save in the 9th.

Weekend Grapefruit League recaps

Here's what's been happening for the Pirates in Grapefruit League action so far.

I'm right in the middle of midterms, so I apologize for lack of updates.

Friday, February 25, 2011 - Manatees 1, Pirates 21
Determined not to lose to the small Bradenton-based community college as they did two years ago, the Pirates dominated the Sea Cows. Steve Pearce was the player of the game, going 2 for 2, scoring 3 runs and 4 RBIs. Brian Friday and Garrett Atkins had home runs. Tyler Yates was the only Bucco pitcher to allow a run and the only pitcher for the Pirates to allow more than 1 hit. Aaron Thompson got the Win.

Saturday, February 26, 2011 - Pirates 5, Rays 9
After the previous day's drubbing of the Manatees, the Pirates came back down to earth, scoring 5 runs but giving up nearly twice that. Scoring was spread even among the Bucs, with no one have more than 1 hit, 1 run, or 1 RBI. Charlie Morton was solid in 2 IP, with 1 hit, 1 walk, and no runs allowed. Justin Thomas allowed 4 runs in 0.2 IP and basically iced the game away for the Pirates.

Sunday, February 27, 2011 - Rays 3, Pirates 10
Back at home in McKechnie Field, the Pirates turned it around against the Rays to even their Grapfruit League record to 1-1. Kevin Correia was shaky at the start, allowing 2 runs, 2 hits and 2 walks in just 1.1 innings, but the rest of the Bucco pitching corps got the job done, allowing only 1 more run all game (Chris Leroux). On the other side, it was the Andrew McCutchen show. The speedy center fielder went 3 for 3, scored 3 runs, 2 RBIs, a double, a home run, and stole a base. Garrett Jones also had a nice day going 3 for 3, and Jason Jaramillo also homered.

Up next, the Pirates complete the 3-game series with the Rays on the road in Port Charlotte and a split squad in McKechnie to take on Baltimore.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Morning Links, 2/22/11

Monday, February 21, 2011

Morning Links (Weekend Edition), 2/21/11

Friday, February 18, 2011

Morning Links, 2/18/11


Thursday, February 17, 2011

Morning Links, 2/17/11

I'm going to try to make this a regular feature.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Joel Hanrahan Named Closer


Reports are coming in that Joel Hanrahan has been named as the Pirates closer for 2011. It was down to him and Evan Meek, and CH13 decided to go with Hanrahan. Personally, I feel that Meek's numbers last year were a bit fluky, but he still would have made a good closer. Either one would have worked well for the Pirates though, so I don't have a problem with this decision. Apparently, some TBD Slipknot song will be his entrance music.

Monday, February 14, 2011

RIP Chuck Tanner

One of the greatest men to ever manage the Pittsburgh Pirates was lost on Friday. Chuck Tanner, the man behind the Fam-a-lee, passed away after battling a long illness in New Castle, PA.

 He amassed a record of 1352-1381 over his 18-year career as a manager. He will most be remembered in Pirateland, however, for his tenure as the Pirates' skipper from 1977-1985, leading them to their most recent World Series victory in 1979, as well as being a senior advisor to Huntington from 2007 until his death.

 He will be deeply missed.