R.I.P. JOE L. BROWN

Let's Go Bucs.

SERIES 39 - Marlins

Florida Marlins

Monday, August 16, 7:05 PM (FSN)
Tuesday, August 17, 7:05 PM (FSN)
Wednesday, August 18, 7:05 PM (FSN)
Thursday, August 19, 7:05 PM (FSN)



PNC Park

Listen live on [WPGB]

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The Marlins roll into Pittsburgh just as the Pirates are on yet another extended losing streak. The Marlins aren't exactly the greatest team in baseball right now, so it's possible the Pirates might pull out at least a tie in this series.

Still waiting to hear whether the Pirates will sign one or both of their top 2 picks in Jameson Taillon and Stetson Allie. They really like to wait till the last minute.

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Expected Pitching Matchups

August 16: James McDonald (1-2, 5.40 ERA) vs. Chris Volstad (6-8, 4.74 ERA)

August 17: Zach Duke (5-11, 5.20 ERA) vs. Ricky Nolasco (13-8, 4.39 ERA)
August 18: Ross Ohlendorf (1-9, 3.95 ERA) vs. Josh Johnson (10-5, 2.27 ERA)
August 19: Paul Maholm (7-11, 4.86 ERA) vs. Sean West (0-2, 7.71 ERA)

Lineups

Pirates

1. A. McCutchen, CF
2. J. Tabata, LF
3. N. Walker, 2B
4. G. Jones, 1B
5. P. Alvarez, 3B
6. R. Doumit, RF
7. C. Snyder, C
8. A. Diaz, SS
9. [Pitcher]

Marlins

1. H. Ramirez, SS
2. L. Morrison, LF
3. G. Sanchez, 1B
4. D. Uggla, 2B
5. M. Stanton, RF
6. C. Ross, CF
7. W. Helms, 3B
8. B. Hayes, C
9. [Pitcher]

Let's Go Bucs.

Canyon, Part V. Bucs SWEPT

	R	H	E	LOB
	2	4	1	6
	8	11	0	6

The Pirates just cannot win in Houston this year. They are 0-9 there and 2-10 overall against the Astros this year. They have one more series against them in late September, but I'm not optimistic about their chances.

They had 4 hits in this contest, which in 95% of baseball games is not good enough to get a win. Russell has started messing with the lineup order, but if anything, they're playing worse than they were before.

Jeff Karstens went 5.2 IP, allowing 7 H, 5 R/ER, 0 BB, 5 Ks, and 0 HRs. He was pitching very well until he got rocked for 4 runs in the 6th. Daniel McCutchen and Chan Ho Park allowed 3 more to round out the suck.

There were no players with multi-hit games, and no extra-base hits. Tabata, Walker, Milledge, and Snyder had the only hits for the Bucs.

The Race For Last™

Arizona: Lost 5-3.
Baltimore: Lost 3-2.
Cleveland: Won 9-1.
Kansas City: Won 1-0.
Seattle: Lost 9-1.

The current standings:

Team	W	L
Pittsburgh	39	78
Baltimore	41	77
Seattle	46	72
Arizona	47	72
Cleveland	49	69
Kansas City	49	69

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.

Blown. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	2	6	0	7
	3	9	1	8

Another game that started off positively, but went nowhere fast. Garrett Jones had an early 2-run homer, but the Astros came back in the 7th. No more run support came for Paul Maholm, who went 6.2 IP with 9 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 Ks, and 1 HR. On a lot of teams this would be a great outing, but for the Pirates he would have needed to allow 1 run or less, and even then he probably would have gotten a no decision. Chris Resop was pretty good in his 1.1 innings of relief though.

Jeff Clement got the start at 1B for some reason and went 2 for 4, the only multi-hit player. Other than Garrett Jones's home run in the 1st, Cutch also had a triple, his 5th of the season. Pedro had an especially tough day at the plate, going 0 for 4, all of them strikeouts. Paul Maholm got a hit, raising his average to .106.

The Race For Last™

Baltimore: Lost 7-3.
Arizona: Won 9-2.
Seattle: Won 9-3.
Cleveland: Lost 9-3.
Kansas City: Lost 8-3.

The current standings:

Team	W	L
Pittsburgh	39	77
Baltimore	41	76
Seattle	46	71
Arizona	47	71
Cleveland	48	69
Kansas City	48	69

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.

Ross Ohlendorf's Bad Luck. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	1	9	0	7
	4	9	0	8

Well, this game was going well until Evan Meek gave up 4 runs in the bottom of the 8th, including a 3-run homer. He had appeared to injure his foot on a pitch, and frankly I'm amazed that Russell didn't take him out after he gave up a hit and walked the next batter. That set up Carlos Lee's 3-run homer that put the Buccos away for good.

Ross Ohlendorf, the biggest hard luck story on the team, went 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, and 7 Ks, easily one of his best outings of the year, but again it was wasted due to no offense.

Several players had multi-hit games: Andrew McCutchen went 2 for 4, Neil Walker went 2 for 4 with the game's only RBI, and Pedro Alvarez went 3 for 3 with a walk. Pedro had the only extra-base hit, a double.

The Race For Last™

Baltimore: Won 5-0.
Arizona: Lost 4-2.
Seattle: Won 3-2.
Cleveland: Lost 3-2.
Kansas City: Won 4-3.

The current standings:

Team	W	L
Pittsburgh	39	76
Baltimore	41	75
Seattle	45	71
Arizona	46	71
Cleveland	48	68
Kansas City	48	68

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.

SERIES 38 - Astros

Houston Astros

Friday, August 13, 8:05 PM (FSN)
Saturday, August 14, 7:05 PM (FSN)
Sunday, August 15, 2:05 PM (FSN)



Enron Field Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX

Listen live on [WPGB]

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The Pirates haven't had much luck on the road, and especially against the Astros. I have a feeling that the losing train is gonna keep rolling, even without Roy Oswalt in their rotation.

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Expected Pitching Matchups

August 13: Ross Ohlendorf (1-9, 4.23 ERA) vs. Brett Myers (8-7, 3.21 ERA)
August 14: Paul Maholm (7-10, 4.90 ERA) vs. Nelson Figueroa (3-1, 3.38 ERA)

August 15: Jeff Karstens (2-8, 4.39 ERA) vs. Bud Norris (4-7, 5.63 ERA)

Lineups

Pirates

1. A. McCutchen, CF
2. J. Tabata, LF
3. N. Walker, 2B
4. G. Jones, 1B
5. P. Alvarez, 3B
6. L. Milledge, RF
7. C. Snyder, C
8. A. Diaz, SS
9. [Pitcher]

Astros

1. M. Bourn, CF
2. A. Sanchez, SS
3. H. Pence, RF
4. C. Lee, LF
5. G. Blum, 2B
6. C. Johnson, 3B
7. B. Wallace, 1B
8. H. Quintero, C
9. [Pitcher]

Let's Go Bucs.

Shut out. Bucs SWEPT

	R	H	E	LOB
	0	4	1	8
	3	6	0	6

Getting shut out is an apt way to end this series, as the Pirates have shifted firmly into Anemic Offense Mode again. Can't say I like losing like this, but at this point if you're going to lose, you might as well lose big.

Zach Duke went 6.0 IP with 6 H, 3 R / 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, and 1 HR. It was an effort that might have gotten a win had he had any support. Chris Resop and Joel Hanrahan both had 2 Ks each.

Ryan Doumit went 2 for 3 with a double, but only Neil Walker and Argenis Diaz had the other hits for the team.

The Bucs were swept in this series, but it moves them into the bottom spot for the first time this season, overtaking Baltimore.

The Race For Last™

Baltimore: Lost 4-1.
Arizona: Lost 8-4.
Seattle: was off.
Cleveland: Won 4-1.
Kansas City: Lost 4-3.

The current standings:

Team	W	L
Pittsburgh	39	75
Baltimore	40	75
Seattle	44	71
Arizona	46	70
Kansas City	47	68
Cleveland	48	67

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.

Dead Last. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	5	6	1	2
	8	13	1	10

While the Pirates still lost this game, at least it was a little more respectable than last game. There was that big output by the offense in the 7th that carried over to the 8th. They might have gotten a win if the bullpen didn't resemble a nuclear test site.

J-Mac was not exactly great, but not terrible either in his second start as a Bucco, but broke down in the 5th. Cautiously optimistic that he can be at least a decent pitcher for a few years. He went 4.2 IP with 7 H, 4 R/ER, 1 BB, 6 K, and 0 HR. Daniel McCutchen struck out the side in relief.

The offense was silent for most of the game, with only 1 hit through 6 innings. But eventually they evened things out a bit in the 7th with Correia walking Pedro to bring a run home, then Doumit hitting a double that scored 2 runs. Snyder sacrificed to 2nd to score the 4th run of the inning. One inning later, Neil Walker hit a single to score Tabata.

Only Neil Walker had more than 1 hit (2 for 4), and the only extra-base hit was Doumit's double.

The Race For Last™

Baltimore won, so the Pirates inherit the last rung on the ladder.

Baltimore: Won 3-1.
Arizona: Won 8-2.
Seattle: Lost 5-1.
Cleveland: Lost 3-1.
Kansas City: Lost 2-1 in 10.

The current standings:

Team	W	L
Pittsburgh	39	74
Baltimore	40	74
Seattle	44	71
Arizona	46	69
Kansas City	47	67
Cleveland	47	67

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.

Almost there. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	1	7	0	8
	4	6	0	2

Well, that went pretty much as expected. The Padres have allowed the fewest runs in the league, and the Pirates have scored the second fewest. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what's going to happen.

Jeff Karstens went 6.0 IP, with 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, and 1 HR. Relievers Wil Ledezma and Chris Resop allowed a run each.

The offense was pretty weak, but managed to outhit the Padres, barely. Jose Tabata had the only multi-hit game for the Bucs, going 2 for 4. Ronny Cedeno and Andy LaRoche had doubles, while Pedro had the only RBI.

The Race For Last™

The Bucs are now just a half game behind Baltimore for the 1st Pick.

Baltimore: Won 14-8.
Arizona: Won 2-1.
Seattle: Won 2-0.
Cleveland: Lost 14-8.
Kansas City: Lost 3-1.

The current standings:

Team	W	L
Baltimore	39	74
Pittsburgh	39	73
Seattle	44	70
Arizona	45	69
Kansas City	47	66
Cleveland	47	66

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.

SERIES 37 - Padres

San Diego Padres

Tuesday, August 10, 10:05 PM (FSN)
Wednesday, August 11, 10:05 PM (FSN)
Thursday, August 12, 6:35 PM (FSN)



Petco Park, San Diego, CA

Listen live on [WPGB]

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The Padres pounded us the last time they came to PNC Park, so there's really no reason to believe the Pirates will perform any better in San Diego. If Baltimore keeps winning like they have been, we could be sitting pretty in that bottom spot by the end of this series.

Garrett Jones has the night off in the first match, and Andy LaRoche will get the start at 1B. This means that Pedro will get his first major league crack at the cleanup spot. Should be interesting.

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Expected Pitching Matchups

August 10: Jeff Karstens (2-7, 4.47 ERA) vs. Wade LeBlanc (5-10, 3.61 ERA)
August 11: James McDonald (1-1, 4.61 ERA) vs. Kevin Correia (8-7, 4.81 ERA)

August 12: Zach Duke (5-10, 5.32 ERA) vs. Jon Garland (10-8, 3.55 ERA)

Lineups

Pirates

1. A. McCutchen, CF
2. J. Tabata, LF
3. N. Walker, 2B
4. P. Alvarez, 3B
5. L. Milledge, RF
6. A. LaRoche, 1B
7. C. Snyder, C
8. R. Cedeno, SS
9. [Pitcher]

Padres

1. J. Hairston Jr., 2B
2. M. Tejada, SS
3. A. Gonzalez, 1B
4. R. Ludwick, RF
5. C. Headley, 3B
6. Y. Torrealba, C
7. W. Venable, LF
8. C. Denorfia, CF
9. [Pitcher]

Let's Go Bucs.

Rocky Mountain Low. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	8	14	2	11
	4	11	2	8

So the Bucs only manage a tie for the series, but with the road series win in Colorado, it means they take the season series against the Rockies.

Paul Maholm got rocked, going only 2.2 IP, allowing 7 H, 8 R / 6 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, and 1 HR.

Jose Tabata, went 2 for 5, Neil Walker went 2 for 4 with a walk, and Ronny Cedeno went 2 for 4. Doubles were hit by Doumit, Cedeno, and Tabata.

The Race For Last™

Baltimore: Won 4-3.
Arizona: Lost 10-1.
Seattle: Won 3-2.
Cleveland: Lost 5-4.
Kansas City: Lost 3-2.

The current standings:

Team	W	L
Baltimore	37	74
Pittsburgh	39	72
Seattle	42	70
Arizona	43	69
Cleveland	47	65
Kansas City	47	64

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.

Pedro! Bucs WIN

	R	H	E	LOB
	7	9	0	6
	8	14	2	13

The Pirates would go up, but the Rockies would come back, so this one went to extra frames.  In the top of the 10th, the Rockies went up 7-5, and it seemed like this one would be over. But then Pedro happened.



Walkoff homers kick ass.

Ross Ohlendorf went 6.0 IP, giving up 4 H, 2 R / 1 ER, 1 BB, and 6 Ks. But once again he was robbed of a win because of the terrible outing of Joel Hanrahan, who gave up 3 in the 9th. Sean Gallagher got the W, he is now 2-0.

Andrew McCutchen went 2 for 6, Jose Tabata went 2 for 5 with a walk, and Pedro Alvarez went 3 for 6 with 3 RBIs. Doubles were hit by Milledge, Tabata, and McCutchen, and homers were hit by Chris Snyder (with 2 on), Garrett Jones (solo), and Pedro (with 2 on).

The Race For Last™

Baltimore: Lost 4-2.
Arizona: Won 6-5.
Seattle: Lost 2-1.
Cleveland: Lost 7-2.
Kansas City: Won 2-1.

The current standings:

Team	W	L
Baltimore	36	74
Pittsburgh	39	71
Seattle	41	70
Arizona	43	68
Cleveland	47	64
Kansas City	47	63

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.

Double up. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	6	15	1	10
	3	6	1	4

Sorry for the lack of posts all weekend, but I was out of town and didn't have access to a computer. Just a few quick posts to get back on track.

Zach Duke went 6.0 IP with 10 H, 3 R/ER, 0 BB, 5 Ks, 1 HR and a balk. The score was tied when new reliever Chan Ho Park gave up the winning run in the 7th.  Hanrahan had a bad outing later, giving up 2.

Jose Tabata was the only Pirate who had a multi-hit game, going 2 for 4.  Pedro Alvarez hit a 3-run homer that tied the score in the 6th, but it was the only runs scored for the Bucs in the game.

The Race For Last™

Baltimore: Won 2-1 in 10 innings.
Arizona: Won 2-1.
Seattle: Won 7-1.
Cleveland: Won 7-6.
Kansas City: Lost 7-1.

The current standings:

Team	W	L
Baltimore	36	73
Pittsburgh	38	71
Seattle	41	69
Arizona	42	68
Kansas City	46	63
Cleveland	47	63

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.

Rocky Mountain High. Bucs WIN

	R	H	E	LOB
	1	7	0	7
	5	11	0	6

A great way to kick off the series. The Bucs now need just one more win against the Rockies to take the season series. And what a welcome to Pittsburgh for James McDonald. But really, the only difference between this game and the last one was that the bullpen remained in control for the most part. Just like last game, over half of the Pirates' runs came by way of the long ball, which was pretty amazing given that Francis had given up just 4 homers all season. He gave up 2 in this game.

James McDonald looked completely in control, equaling Ross Ohlendorf's Pirate season-high 8 Ks in 6.0 IP. He only allowed 4 hits and 1 BB, which was excellent.  The bullpen was a little shaky, but got the job done. Wil Ledezma allowed 2 hits in 1.0 IP, but came out of the inning unscathed and with 2 Ks. Sean Gallagher was pulled after two walks, and Justin Thomas allowed a hit to give the Rocks their only run. Newly acquired reliever Chris Resop came in in the 9th to finish the job with no hits and 1 K.

On the offensive side, 3 players went 2 for 4: Neil Walker, Garrett Jones, and Chris Snyder. Doubles were hit by Andrew McCutchen and Neil Walker, while homers were hit by Garrett Jones and Ronny Cedeno (with Milledge on base).

The Race For Last™

Baltimore: Won 5-4.
Arizona: Won 8-4.
Seattle: Lost 6-0.
Cleveland: Lost 6-2.
Kansas City: was off.

The current standings:

Team	W	L	GB
Baltimore	35	73	--
Pittsburgh	38	70	3
Arizona	41	68	4.5
Seattle	40	68	5
Cleveland	46	63	10
Kansas City	46	62	10.5

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.

SERIES 36 - Rockies

Colorado Rockies

Thursday, August 5, 7:05 PM (FSN)
Friday, August 6, 7:05 PM (FSN)
Saturday, August 7, 7:05 PM (FSN)
Sunday, August 8, 1:35 PM (FSN)



PNC Park

Listen live on [WPGB]

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The Rockies are one of the rare teams that the Pirates have fared well against this season, winning a series on the road with them so far this year. They now roll into Pittsburgh to take on the Buccos in a 4-game series at PNC Park. The only question is which Pirates team will show up to play them. Ubaldo Jiminez is the odd pitcher out for the Rockies, so that improves the Bucs' chances of taking at least a tie in this series. We'll get our first look at James McDonald tonight as he makes his debut in a Pirate uniform.

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Expected Pitching Matchups

August 5: James McDonald (0-1, 8.22 ERA) vs. Jeff Francis (4-3, 4.44 ERA)

August 6: Zach Duke (5-10, 5.36 ERA) vs. Jason Hammel (7-6, 4.37 ERA)
August 7: Ross Ohlendorf (1-9, 4.41 ERA) vs. Jorge De La Rosa (4-3, 5.01 ERA)
August 8: Paul Maholm (7-9, 4.59 ERA) vs. Aaron Cook (4-8, 5.34 ERA)

Lineups

Pirates

1. A. McCutchen, CF
2. J. Tabata, LF
3. N. Walker, 2B
4. G. Jones, 1B
5. P. Alvarez, 3B
6. L. Milledge, RF
7. C. Snyder, C
8. R. Cedeno, SS
9. [Pitcher]

Rockies

1. S. Smith, LF
2. C. Barmes, 2B
3. C. Gonzalez, CF
4. T. Tulowitzki, SS
5. J. Giambi, 1B
6. M. Olivo, C
7. B. Hawpe, RF
8. I. Stewart, 3B
9. [Pitcher]

Let's Go Bucs.

Bullpen Breakdown. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	9	16	0	7
	4	7	0	4

Jeff Karstens really kept the Pirates in this game for 5 innings, but the Pirates' bullpen post-deadline, sans Hanrahan and Meek, is young, inexperienced, and all-around terrible.

The score was 3-1 through 6 innings, when a combination of Sean Gallagher, Wil Ledezma, and Steven Jackson allowed 5 hits, 6 runs, and 1 homer, sinking the Buccos' slim hopes of pulling this one out. Ledezma allowed 3 runs in 0.1 IP, bringing his ERA back up to 18.00. In 5.0 IP, Jeff Karstens allowed 9 H, 3 ER, 2 BB and no HRs while striking out 2.

On the offensive side, the Bucs might have been able to squeak out a win if the bullpen had held. But as it is, they only scored 4 runs, not nearly enough for this game. All 4 runs came by way of the long ball which if nothing else made it nice to watch for the 20,420, minus some out-of-towners, on hand to witness it. Andrew McCutchen got things started in the very first at bat, lifting one deep toward the Left Field Loonies. That would be the only time the Pirates had the lead, as the Reds tied it up the very next inning. In the 7th inning, Jeff Clement smacked one to right with Cedeno on 2nd base. That being the only time in the game the Pirates had runners in scoring position, they went 1 for 1 with RISP on the day. Clement got back over the batting average hump with that hit, and his average is now a breathtaking .205. Pedro had the only multi-hit game, going 2 for 3 with a walk, and hit a fairly meaningless but still sweet 412 footer to right center in the 9th.

The Race For Last™

The Pirates lost, so they inch one step closer to that #1 pick. The other teams on the watch list:

Baltimore: Won 9-7.
Arizona: Lost 7-2.
Seattle: Lost 11-6.
Cleveland: Won 9-1.
Kansas City: Lost 4-3.

The current standings:

Team	W	L	GB
Baltimore	34	73	--
Pittsburgh	37	70	3
Arizona	40	68	4.5
Seattle	40	67	6
Cleveland	46	62	10.5
Kansas City	46	62	10.5

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.

Super Hang On. Bucs WIN

	R	H	E	LOB
	6	11	1	10
	7	11	0	5

This win nearly wasn't, as the Pirates allowed the Reds to score 5 runs after going up 7-1.  But Joel Hanrahan hung on in the 9th to record his first save as a Bucco.

The Pirate bats awoke in a big way after going into hibernation mode for the past 4 games.  Neil Walker went 3 for 4 with 4 RBIs and a double, which bounced of the Clemente wall to score the 3 Bucs on the bags. Jose Tabata went 2 for 4 with an RBI, and Lastings Milledge went 2 for 4 with a double. Chris Snyder got the ball rolling when he ripped a nice single to center which scored Pedro and Milledge.

A scary moment early on when Cutch got hit in the neck by a pitch by Mike Leake.  He was taken out of the game and rush to the hospital for x-rays, which came back negative. He's officially listed as Day-to-Day.  Maholm responded by beaning Leake in the leg when he came to bat, resulting in warnings for both benches.

The Race For Last remains largely unchanged, as all 4 of the bottom teams recorded a win. The current standings:

1. Baltimore
2. Pittsburgh (4 GB)
3. Seattle & Arizona (7 GB)
5. Cleveland (12 GB)

Inside the park. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	4	7	0	7
	0	3	0	4

Just 3 hits. An inside the park home run for the Reds.  Pretty awful.  Jose Tabata's hitting streak was snapped at 12 games.  Only Neil Walker, Lastings Milledge, and Delwyn Young managed to get hits, none of which were for extra bases. For some unknown reason Andy LaRoche continues to start in place of Pedro.  And suck. Sigh.

Ross Ohlendorf went 5.0 IP with 5 H, 3 ER, 4 BB and 4 Ks.  Another decent outing for him killed by lack of support.

That's 5 in a row, but the Pirates are inching ever closer to that 1st overall pick, now just 4 games behind Baltimore.

SERIES 35 - Reds

Cincinnati Reds

Friday, August 2, 7:05 PM (FSN)
Saturday, August 3, 7:05 PM (FSN)
Sunday, August 4, 12:35 PM (FSN)



PNC Park

Listen live on [WPGB]

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To follow up the sweep in St. Louis, the Bucs head home to take on the other member of the NL Central aristocracy, the Cincinnati Reds. This one's not going to be any easier than the last series, but at least it's at home.

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Expected Pitching Matchups

August 2: Ross Ohlendorf (1-8, 4.35 ERA) vs. Travis Wood (1-1, 2.87 ERA)

August 3: Paul Maholm (6-9, 4.52 ERA) vs. Mike Leake (7-2, 3.57 ERA)
August 4: Jeff Karstens (2-6, 4.42 ERA) vs. Johnny Cueto (10-2, 3.32 ERA)

Lineups

Pirates

1. A. McCutchen, CF
2. J. Tabata, LF
3. N. Walker, 2B
4. G. Jones, 1B
5. C. Snyder, C
6. L. Milledge, RF
7. A. LaRoche, 3B
8. R. Cedeno, SS
9. [Pitcher]

Reds

1. B. Phillips, 2B
2. O. Cabrera, SS
3. M. Cairo, 1B
4. S. Rolen, 3B
5. J. Gomes, LF
6. J. Bruce, RF
7. C. Heisey, CF
8. R. Hanigan, C
9. [Pitcher]

Let's Go Bucs.

Another blowout. Bucs SWEPT

	R	H	E	LOB
	1	10	0	9
	9	14	1	6

Steelers training camp has begun, and most people in Pittsburgh have forgotten about the Pirates for another year.  That's probably a good thing, as they scored just 2 runs in the 28 innings of this series.

Things started off well enough, with Lastings Milledge getting a triple, and Ronny Cedeno bringing him home, but that's as far as it got. Zach Duke imploded in the 5th, allowing 5 runs and putting the game out of reach. Steven Jackson wasn't much better in the 8th, allowing 3 more runs. The Pirates' pitchers only struck out 2 batters all day. Duke gave up 7 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 1 K, and 1 HR in 5.0 IP.

Jose Tabata went 2 for 4, extending his hitting streak to 12 games and improving his average to .299. Lastings Milledge also went 2 for 4 with a triple. Argenis Diaz got a hit as a pinch-hitter in his first at-bat since 20-0.

The Bucs now hope to have better success next series when they head back home to take on the Cincinnati Communists in a 3-game series.

Blowout. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	1	8	2	7
	11	15	1	11

I don't know which is more painful to watch: the Pirates losing 1-0 in extra innings, or being spanked 11-1. Especially when it appears that our bullpen is falling apart at the seams.

Dan McCutchen pitched a pretty poor game, but managed to escape with 5.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R / 3 ER, 1 K, and 1 HR. He allowed 6 walks though, which is pretty terrible. Still not sure how exactly he is better than Brad Lincoln. Sean Gallagher and Wil Ledezma were awful in relief, Ledezma alone giving up 5 runs in just 0.1 IP, raising his ERA to a ludicrous 27.00.

The Pirates' bats were silent again for the most part, but Andrew McCutchen and Jose Tabata had pretty nice days. McCutchen went 2 for 4 with a double, and Jose Tabata went 3 for 4, raising his hitting streak to 11 games. Jeff Clement hit a home run as a pinch-hitter to score the Buccos' only run.

The Bucs will try to avoid the sweep in a Sunday afternoon game.