Recap

A lot has been going on in my life recently and this blog has been forgotten because of it. So to catch up on what I have missed, this post will quickly recap what's been happening in Buccoland for the last 7 games.

Chicago series, Game 3

	R	H	E	LOB
	3	6	0	12
	5	11	1	9

McDonald: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 0 HR.
Walker 3 for 5, Cedeno 2 for 4.
Doubles: Cedeno, Cutch, Walker.
Home Run: Walker, 3rd inning.

Washington series, Game 1

	R	H	E	LOB
	5	8	0	7
	8	11	1	5

Duke: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R/ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 1 HR. Chris Resop strikes out the side in the 8th. 11 Ks total by the Bucco pitching corps.

Tabata 2 for 4, Jones 2 for 4, Doumit 3 for 4, Cedeno 2 for 4.
Doubles: Cedeno, Jones x2, Pedro.
Home Run: Doumit, 4th inning.

Washington series, Game 2

	R	H	E	LOB
	9	15	3	8
	2	9	1	10

Maholm: 4.1 IP, 9 H, 7 R/ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HR.
Milledge 3 for 4.
Doubles: Walker, Cedeno.
Home Run: Cutch, 5th inning.

Washington series, Game 3

	R	H	E	LOB
	8	11	1	8
	1	11	3	11

Morton: 3.2 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HR, 1 E.
Cutch 2 for 5, Tabata 2 for 4, Walker 3 for 5.
Doubles: Walker, Cedeno.
Home Run: Pedro, 4th inning.

Atlanta series, Game 1

	R	H	E	LOB
	1	8	1	11
	3	4	1	3

Burres: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R/ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 0 HR. S: Hanrahan, 4.
Double: Pedro.
Home Run: Walker, 1 on, 6th inning.

Atlanta series, Game 2

	R	H	E	LOB
	0	5	0	6
	5	8	0	3

McDonald: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 0 HR. Hanrahan strikes out the side in the 9th.
Jones 2 for 4.
Doubles: Cutch, Jones, Pedro, Walker.
Triple: Cedeno.
Home Run: Young, 1 on, 7th inning.

Atlanta series, Game 3

	R	H	E	LOB
	9	14	0	13
	3	12	1	9

Essentially a spring training game for the Pirates. The box score looks like a train wreck.

Duke: 1.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R/ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 0 HR.
Cutch 2 for 3, Pedro 3 for 4. Alex Presley makes his big league debut, going 1 for 2. Pedro Ciriaco also appears as a PH, going 1 for 1.
Doubles: The Pedros, Alvarez and Ciriaco.

The Race For Last™

The current standings:

Team	W	L
Pittsburgh	47	92
Baltimore	53	87
Seattle	55	85
Arizona	57	83
Cleveland	57	83

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.

Ryan Dumpster. Bucs WIN

	R	H	E	LOB
	14	15	0	6
	7	10	1	3

Now this is more like it. The Pirates seemed determined to equal the Cubs' 14 run output last time, and that's exactly what they did. Jeff Karstens picked up his first W since June 19, and GI Jones smashed his 20th homer of the year. One of my favorite lines from the TV side was when Bob said that the Pirates "dropped an area code" on the Cubs in the first 3 innings (4 1 2).

Jeff Karstens went 6.0 IP, allowing just 4 hits, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 HR, and tied his career high of 6 Ks. Sean Gallagher came in for 7th and pitched very well, taking the Cubs down in order. Then the 8th happened. First of all, I'm not sure why JR decided to let Gallagher pitch another inning, but I really don't understand why he let him keep pitching so long in the 8th. He had allowed 4 runs to come in and was responsible for another by the time Russell finally waddled out of the dugout. Relievers should be pulled after allowing 2 runs, in my opinion. 1 can happen occasionally, and the reliever can usually get back on track. But 2 or more and he needs to get pulled.

In the meantime, while Jeff K. was dominating the batters, the Buccos were running up the score. Andrew McCutchen and Jose Tabata both went 3 for 5 with a walk and 2 RBIs, Neil Walker went 4 for 5 with 4 RBIs, and Garrett Jones had 3 RBIs. It was great to see a couple of bloops and blasts in the 4th and 6th innings, reminded me of the glory days. Doubles were hit by Pedro, Walker, Cedeno, and Cutch; Tabata had a triple, and GFJ and Walker both had 2-run homers, both to center.

Bucs look for the series win in a radio-only day game later today.

The Race For Last™

Arizona: Won 7-4.
Baltimore: Won 5-2.
Cleveland: Lost 4-3.
Seattle: Won 3-1.

The current standings:

Team	W	L
Pittsburgh	44	88
Baltimore	49	83
Seattle	52	80
Cleveland	53	79
Arizona	54	79

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.

Blowout. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	2	6	0	9
	14	18	2	7

This one was just painful to watch. How the Pirates managed to record 0 official errors is still a mystery to me. Maybe the official scorer felt sorry for them or something, because watching Ryan Doumit throw the ball past Neil Walker into center field, whatever the hell Milledge was doing, and other incidents of ineptitude with 0 errors recorded makes no sense to me.

Paul Maholm got shellacked as once again Russell didn't realize when to pull a pitcher until it was far, far too late. He lasted just 3.1 innings, allowing 9 H, 8 R/ER, 1 BB, 0 HR, and had 3 Ks. Brian Burres came in for 3 innings of extended relief, allowing 5 more runs in the process, 2 of which came from a home run hit by the PITCHER Zambrano.

As for the offense, not much to speak of. Garrett Jones went 2 for 4.  Pedro and Walker had doubles. The End.

The Race For Last™

Arizona: Won 7-2.
Baltimore: Was off.
Cleveland: Lost 10-6 in 11.
Seattle: Lost 5-3.

The current standings:

Team	W	L
Pittsburgh	43	88
Baltimore	48	83
Seattle	51	80
Arizona	53	79
Cleveland	53	78

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.

SERIES 43 - Cubs

Chicago Cubs

Monday, August 30, 8:05 PM (FSN)
Tuesday, August 31, 8:05 PM (FSN)
Wednesday, September 1, 2:20 PM




Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL

Listen live on [WPGB]

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The Pirates have just 13 wins on the road this year, but they are 4-2 in Wrigley Field. Last radio-only game of the season is on Wednesday.

---

Expected Pitching Matchups

August 30: Paul Maholm (7-12, 4.82 ERA) vs. Carlos Zambrano (5-6, 4.64 ERA)
August 31: Jeff Karstens (2-10, 4.98 ERA) vs. Ryan Dempster (12-8, 3.42 ERA)
September 1: James McDonald (2-4, 5.65) vs. Tom Gorzelanny (7-8, 3.98 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, C
7. L. Milledge, RF
8. R. Cedeno, SS
9. [Pitcher]

Cubs

1. J. Baker, 2B
2. S. Castro, SS
3. M. Byrd, CF
4. A. Ramirez, 3B
5. X. Nady, 1B
6. A. Soriano, LF
7. T. Colvin, RF
8. K. Hill, C
9. [Pitcher]

Let's Go Bucs.

Double Down. Bucs SWEPT

	R	H	E	LOB
	7	11	2	9
	8	15	0	12

Charlie Morton. No matter how much this guy sucks, the Pirates always want to give him and his Legendary Great Stuff another chance. I guess at this point it doesn't really matter though.

He got rocked for 3.1 IP, allowing 9 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 1 BB, 2 Ks, and 1 HR. That was all the Brewers needed to cement yet another disappointing road series for the Buccos. The Pirates have just 13 wins on the road this year.

Delwyn Young, playing RF this game, went 2 for 5 in the 2 spot, as Andrew McCutchen had the day off as a starter. Doumit went 2 for 2 with 2 walks, getting on base in every AB. Lastings Milledge went 2 for 3 in LF. Tabata had his first hitless outing in his last 7 games. It was homer or bust in this one, as all runs for the Pirates came by way of the long ball. Solo shots were hit by Doumit and Delwyn Young, while Neil Walker had a 2-run blast.

The Race For Last™

Arizona: Lost 9-7.
Baltimore: Won 1-0.
Cleveland: Lost 6-2.
Seattle: Won 2-1.

The current standings:

Team	W	L
Pittsburgh	43	87
Baltimore	48	83
Seattle	51	79
Arizona	52	79
Cleveland	53	77

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.

Extra Anguish. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	7	11	2	9
	8	15	0	12

Sorry for the lack of updates, but I was busy moving all weekend. Hate to see the Pirates blow a big lead and lose in extra frames. And especially after a big offensive output.

Zach Duke went 5.1 innings, allowing 9 H, 4 R/ER, 1 BB, 1 K, and 2 HR. Joel Hanrahan struck out the side in the 8th.

Lots of offense in this game, but as usual it was ultimately meaningless. Jose Tabata and Neil Walker both went 3 for 6, Pedro went 2 for 4 with a walk, and Doumit went 2 for 5. Doubles were hit by Pedro and Tabata, while solo HRs were hit by Tabata and Walker, and Chris Snyder had a 3-run blast in the 3rd. Cutch walked home a run in the 2nd.

The Race For Last™

Arizona: Won 11-3.
Baltimore: Won 5-0.
Cleveland: Won 4-3.
Seattle: Lost 1-0.

The current standings:

Team	W	L
Pittsburgh	43	86
Baltimore	47	83
Seattle	49	79
Arizona	52	78
Cleveland	53	76

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.

Blown. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	2	7	1	6
	7	10	0	5

The Bucs had the Brewers down by 2 going into the 6th, when J-Mac gave up a run. Not too bad, as he got out of the inning with the lead. But the next inning a meltdown occurred. He gave up 5 more runs in the 7th before Russell finally decided it would be a good idea to pull him. Chris Resop allowed another to make it a 6-run inning for the Beers.  After that it was all over.

J-Mac went 6.1 IP, allowing 7 H, 6 R/ER, 2 BB, 0 HR, and had 7 Ks. Chan Ho Park struck out 2 in the 8th.

Jose Tabata continues to hit the ball well, going 2 for 3 tonight. His average is now .313, putting him at least in the conversation for Rookie of the Year. Neil Walker and Lastings Milledge had doubles, and Chris Snyder hit his 12th homer in the 5th inning.

The Race For Last™

Arizona: Won 6-0.
Baltimore: Won 3-1.
Cleveland: Won 15-4.
Seattle: Lost 6-3.

The current standings:

Team	W	L
Pittsburgh	43	85
Baltimore	46	83
Seattle	49	78
Arizona	51	78
Cleveland	52	76

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.

SERIES 42 - Brewers

Milwaukee Brewers

Friday, August 27, 8:10 PM (FSN)
Saturday, August 28, 7:10 PM (FSN)
Sunday, August 29, 2:10 PM (FSN)




Miller Park, Milwaukee, WI

Listen live on [WPGB]

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After an extended homestand, the Pirates now take to the road again to face Lloyd Braun, Prince Fatass, and the rest of the Beers. Should be an interesting series.

---

Expected Pitching Matchups

August 27: James McDonald (2-3, 5.04 ERA) vs. Chris Narveson (9-7, 5.69 ERA)
August 28: Zach Duke (6-12) vs. Chris Capuano (2-2, 3.72 ERA)
August 29: ???? vs. Dave Bush (6-11, 4.76 ERA)

Lineups

Pirates

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

Brewers

1. Rickie Weeks, 2B
2. Corey Hart, RF
3. Ryan Braun, LF
4. Prince Fielder, 1B
5. Casey McGehee, 3B
6. Chris Dickerson, CF
7. Alcides Escobar, SS
8. Jonathan Lucroy, C
9. [Pitcher]

Let's Go Bucs.

Flipping the Redbirds. Bucs WIN

	R	H	E	LOB
	2	8	0	8
	5	8	0	6

Some great pitching by Daniel McCutchen and the bullpen staff combined with some quality offense led to a Pirates series win against the Cardinals.

D-Cutch went 6.0 IP, allowing just 3 hits, 0 ER, 2 BB, and had 5 Ks. Joel Hanrahan closed the door in a non-save situation, although he did give up a run.

Ryan Doumit and Ronny Cedeno both went 2 for 4. Neil Walker hit a game-winning 3-RBI triple, and Garrett Jones tacked on some insurance with his 19th home run of the year.

The Race For Last™

Arizona: Lost 9-3, and won 11-5.
Baltimore: Won 4-2, and lost 8-0.
Cleveland: Lost 6-1, and won 3-2.
Seattle: Lost 5-3, and were off.

The current standings:

Team	W	L
Pittsburgh	43	84
Baltimore	45	83
Arizona	50	78
Seattle	49	77
Cleveland	51	76

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.

Comeback. Bucs WIN

	R	H	E	LOB
	3	11	0	11
	4	7	0	6

St. Louis jumped out to an early lead in the 1st, a lead that stood until the 6th, when the Pirates started their comeback. Jose Tabata hit a triple to right center that scored Cutch, and one play later Neil Walker scored Tabata. In the next inning, Walker was at it again, scoring Cedeno and Tabata. Evan Meek got into some trouble in the 9th, but was able to escape with the save and only one more ER allowed.

Maholm went 6.2 IP with 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 Ks, and 1 HR allowed. Joel Hanrahan allowed no hits in 1.1 innings of relief.

Jose Tabata and Neil Walker each went 2 for 3 with a walk, increasing their averages to .310 and .297, respectively. Doubles were hit by Andrew McCutchen and Ronny Cedeno, while Tabata had a triple.

The Race For Last™

Arizona: Lost 5-0.
Baltimore: Lost 7-5.
Cleveland: Lost 5-0.
Seattle: Was postponed.

The current standings:

Team	W	L
Pittsburgh	42	84
Baltimore	44	82
Arizona	49	77
Seattle	49	76
Cleveland	50	75

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.

Blowout. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	10	14	0	12
	2	8	0	8

More bad luck for Ohlie, as he threw just 8 pitches before leaving the game with a shoulder injury. You know it's a bad day for the Pirates pitching staff when only Chan Ho Park escapes without an earned run.

Offense was slightly better, but failed to get men across the plate. Garrett Jones's 2-run homer that went over the stands down to the riverwalk was the only scoring play for the Bucs. Jose Tabata had a nice day, going 3 for 4 and improving his average to .306. He also had a stolen base, his 13th of the season. Ryan Doumit and Delwyn Young had doubles, and Neil Walker hit a triple.

The Race For Last™

Arizona: Was off.
Baltimore: Was off.
Cleveland: Was off.
Seattle: Lost 6-3.

The current standings:

Team	W	L
Pittsburgh	41	84
Baltimore	44	81
Arizona	49	76
Seattle	49	76
Cleveland	50	74

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.

SERIES 41 - Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals

Monday, August 23, 7:05 PM (FSN)
Tuesday, August 24, 7:05 PM (FSN)
Wednesday, August 25, 7:05 PM (FSN)




PNC Park

Listen live on [WPGB]

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Cardinals are the last team to visit PNC Park on this extended home stand. Not expecting too much.

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Expected Pitching Matchups

August 23: Ross Ohlendorf (1-10) vs. Kyle Lohse (1-5)
August 24: Paul Maholm (7-12) vs. Adam Wainwright (17-7)
August 25: Jeff Karstens (2-10) vs. Jake Westbrook (7-8)

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, C
7. L. Milledge, RF
8. R. Cedeno, SS
9. [Pitcher]

Cardinals

1. S. Schumaker, 2B
2. J. Jay, CF
3. A. Pujols, 1B
4. M. Holliday, LF
5. F. Lopez, SS
6. Y. Molina, C
7. P. Feliz, 3B
8. A. Craig, RF
9. [Pitcher]

Let's Go Bucs.

Rocco game. Bucs WIN

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

The Buccos avoid a sweep by the New York Baseball Mets with the first nice outing by Zach Duke in almost a month. Ryan Doumit made a horrible throw early in the game after a bunt that set up the only run for the Mets, but luckily it didn't come back to bite the Pirates in the ass. Why Doumit isn't permanently warming the bench by now I have no idea. He's good for maybe one hit a game, exactly what you need in a pinch-hitter.

Zach Duke pitched 7.0 strong innings, giving up just 5 hits, 1 R/ER, 2 walks, and 0 HRs, while striking out 5 Mets. Evan Meek and Joel Hanrahan came in to relieve him and 1-hit the Mets.

Not much offense as usual, but it was enough. Pedro went 2 for 3, and Jose Tabata and Lastings Milledge both hit solo home runs, Milledge's went in the Pirates' bullpen. Hopefully this damn platoon with Doumit is over.

The Race For Last™

Arizona: Lost 1-0.
Baltimore: Lost 6-4.
Cleveland: Lost 8-1.
Kansas City: Won 3-2 in 10.
Seattle: Lost 10-0.

The current standings:

Team	W	L
Pittsburgh	41	83
Baltimore	44	81
Arizona	49	76
Seattle	49	75
Cleveland	50	74
Kansas City	53	71

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.

Rain Job. Bucs LOSE

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

Game was shortened by rain, and it's probably a good thing as it was quickly turning into yet another blowout. Lastings Milledge continues to sit for no reason while Doumit continues to suck it up in Right Field.

James McDonald had his first bad start of the season, going 5.0 IP with 6 H, 5 R/ER, 5 BB, 4 Ks, and 1 HR. Daniel McCutchen gave up a hit in his only batter faced before the game was called.

Andrew McCutchen went 2 for 3 with a double, and Jose Tabata went 1 for 1 with a double and two sacs. Neil Walker had the only RBI of the game, a single in the 3rd which scored Cutch.

The Race For Last™

Arizona: Won 3-1.
Baltimore: Won 8-6.
Cleveland: Lost 5-2.
Kansas City: Won 6-5 in 11, and Lost 7-6 in 10.
Seattle: Lost 9-5.

The current standings:

Team	W	L
Pittsburgh	40	83
Baltimore	44	80
Arizona	49	75
Seattle	49	74
Cleveland	50	73
Kansas City	52	71

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.

Barely Legal. Bucs CLINCH

	R	H	E	LOB
	7	15	1	7
	2	6	1	6

It's been a looong 18 years. Kids are graduating high school next year that have never seen the Pirates have a winning season. Duke Nukem Forever will probably be finished before the Pirates win again.The Pirates just signed draft picks that were a year old the last time the team did anything relevant. And on and on and on. 18 seasons, let's move on.

Jeff Karstens got absolutely shellacked in the game, going just 3.1 IP with 11 H, 7 R/ER, 0 BB, 1 K, and 1 HR. The bullpen was much better than him, giving up just 4 hits and 1 walk the rest of the game. Chan Ho Park finally got throught an inning without giving up a run.

Andrew McCutchen went 2 for 3 with a walk and an RBI. Ryan "Doesn't Belong In Right Field" Doumit hit his 10th home run of the season in the 2nd inning, a solo shot. Neil Walker and Ronny Cedeno had doubles.

The Race For Last™

Arizona: Won 4-3 in 10.
Baltimore: Lost 2-0.
Cleveland: Lost 6-0.
Kansas City: Was postponed.
Seattle: Won 6-0.

The current standings:

Team	W	L
Pittsburgh	40	82
Baltimore	43	80
Arizona	48	75
Seattle	49	73
Cleveland	50	72
Kansas City	51	70

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.

SERIES 40 - Mets

New York Mets

Friday, August 20, 7:05 PM (FSN)
Saturday, August 21, 7:05 PM (FSN)
Sunday, August 22, 1:35 PM (FSN)




PNC Park

Listen live on [WPGB]

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The New York Baseball Mets (New Yorkers have so many teams they have to remind themselves which sport each team plays when they refer to them) roll into The Burgh just as the 4th quarter of the season begins and the Pirates are one game away from making unwanted history yet again. But the Mets aren't exactly on a hot streak, having scored 14 runs in their last 7 games. Teams tend to turn trends like that around when facing the Pirates, so it remains to be seen whether it will continue in PNC Park.

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Expected Pitching Matchups

August 18: Jeff Karstens (2-9, 4.57 ERA) vs. Ziggy Mike Pelfrey (11-7, 3.95 ERA)
August 16: James McDonald (2-2, 4.26 ERA) vs. Jonathon Niese (7-5, 3.38 ERA)

August 17: Zach Duke (5-12, 5.33 ERA) vs. Johan Santana (10-7, 2.97 ERA)

Lineups

Pirates

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

Mets

1. J. Reyes, SS
2. A. Pagan, LF
3. C. Beltran, CF
4. C. Carter, RF
5. D. Wright, 3B
6. I. Davis, 1B
7. J. Thole, C
8. R. Tejada, 2B
9. [Pitcher]

He's done well so far, but can he close on a high note?

Let's Go Bucs.

Almost. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	4	8	0	7
	2	6	0	3

Once again the Pirates leave their pitcher hanging with a decent outing that might have gotten a win, if only they had more offense. Once again Doumit was in Right Field. God only knows why. No score through 5 innings, but a 3-run blast in the 6th did the Buccos in. That's loss #81, the next one is the clincher.

Paul Maholm went 5.2 IP, with 8 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 Ks, and 1 HR. The bullpen didn't allow a single hit, although Wil Ledezma did allow a walk. Dan McCutchen only had to throw 9 pitches in his inning of work.

Offense was weak, but Argenis Diaz had a nice game, going 2 for 3 with an RBI and a double. Chris Snyder also had a double, while Cutch hit his 12th home run of the season, a solo shot in the 9th.

The Race For Last™

Arizona: Lost 9-5.
Baltimore: Won 4-0.
Cleveland: Won 7-3.
Kansas City: Lost 7-3.
Seattle: Was off.

The current standings:

Team	W	L
Pittsburgh	40	81
Baltimore	43	79
Arizona	47	75
Seattle	48	73
Cleveland	50	71
Kansas City	51	70

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.

Bad Luck Continues for Ohlendorf. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	3	5	1	4
	2	7	0	4

Ross Ohlendorf just cannot get any support. In this game he pitched 8 solid innings, allowing just 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, and 1 HR with 5 Ks, but the Pirates couldn't get the offense going, partly due to Russell playing the Lineup Shuffle yet again. Evan Meek came in for the 9th and allowed 1 hit with 2 strikeouts.

Tabata had one of the best offensive outputs for him a quite a while, going 3 for 4 with a double. Pedro had a rough night, going 0 for 4 with 3 Ks. Ryan Doumit and Andrew McCutchen both had solo home runs, in the 2nd and 8th innings, respectively.

The Race For Last™

Arizona: Lost 11-7.
Baltimore: Lost 6-5.
Cleveland: Lost 9-7.
Kansas City: Won 9-7.
Seattle: Won 6-5.

The current standings:

Team	W	L
Pittsburgh	40	80
Baltimore	42	79
Arizona	47	74
Seattle	48	73
Cleveland	49	71
Kansas City	51	69

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.

Shut out. Bucs LOSE

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

After putting together a nice game offensively last time, the Bucs fell back to earth with this one. Zach Duke and Marlins pitcher Ricky Nolasco had a pitcher's duel going through 4 innings. That's when Neal Huntington showed up as a guest in the TV-side booth, and everything went to hell. The Marlins scored 4 runs in the 5th, and the Pirates just never got going. Side note: Ryan Doumit in RF is NOT working. Just have him as a pinch-hitter and be done with it.

Zach Duke pitched 5.2 innings, giving up 9 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, and 0 HR while having 4 Ks. Chan Ho Park continues to be a big pile of fail in relief, giving up yet another run, bringing his ERA to 10.80.

Two players went 2 for 4: Jose Tabata and Pedro Alvarez. Pedro had the only XBH, a double.

The Race For Last™

Arizona: Lost 6-2.
Baltimore: Lost 4-0.
Cleveland: Lost 2-1.
Kansas City: Won 2-1.
Seattle: Won 4-0.

The current standings:

Team	W	L
Pittsburgh	40	79
Baltimore	42	78
Arizona	47	73
Seattle	47	73
Cleveland	49	70
Kansas City	50	69

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.

Draft signings recap

Here's a rundown of who the Pirates have and have not signed from this year's draft crop.

Round	Overall	Player	Position	Signed?	$ bonus
1	2	Jameson Taillon	RHSP	Yes	$6,500,000
2	52	Stetson Allie	RHSP	Yes	$2,250,000
3	84	Mel Rojas, Jr.	OF	Yes	$423,900
4	117	Nick Kingham	RHSP	Yes	$480,000
5	147	Tyler Waldron	RHRP	Yes	$173,500
6	177	Jason Hursh	RHSP	No	N/A
7	207	Austin Kubitza	RHSP	No	N/A
8	237	Dace Kime	RHSP	No	N/A
9	267	Brandon Cumpton	RHRP	Yes	$124,500
10	297	Zachary Weiss	RHSP	No	N/A
11	327	Daniel Grovatt	LF	Yes	--
12	357	Vincent Payne	RHSP	Yes	--
13	387	Chris Kirsch	LHSP	No	N/A
14	417	Bryce Weidman	RHSP	Yes	--
15	447	Drew Maggi	SS	Yes	$468,000
16	477	Matthew Curry	1B	Yes	--
17	507	Ryan Hafner	RHSP	Yes	$450,000
18	537	Chase Wentz	OF	No	N/A
19	567	Kent Emanuel	LHSP	No	N/A
20	597	Justin Bencsko	OF	Yes	--
21	627	Dale Carey	CF	No	N/A
22	657	Adalberto Santos	OF	Yes	--
23	687	Jared Lakind	1B	Yes	$400,000
24	717	Justin Howard	1B	Yes	--
25	747	Casey Sadler	RHSP	Yes	--
26	777	Brandon Pierce	RHSP	No	N/A
27	807	Kevin Kleis	RHSP	Yes	--
28	837	Zack Powers	SS	No	N/A
29	867	Garrett Levsen	RHSP	No	N/A
30	897	Matthew Skirving	C	Yes	--
31	927	Jason Townsend	RHSP	Yes	--
32	957	Chase Lyles	3B	Yes	--
33	987	Justin Ennis	LHRP	Yes	--
34	1017	Kelson Brown	SS	Yes	--
35	1047	Drew Muren	OF	No	N/A
36	1077	Cliff Archibald	RHRP	Yes	--
37	1107	William Allen	C	No	N/A
38	1137	Alex Cox	RHSP	No	N/A
39	1167	Kevin Decker	RHSP	Yes	--
40	1197	Harrison Cooney	RHSP	No	N/A
41	1227	Bryton Trepagnier	RHSP	Yes	--
42	1257	Stephen Lumpkins	LHSP	No	N/A
43	1287	Garrett Hicks	RHRP	No	N/A
44	1317	Cory McGinnis	RHSP	No	N/A
45	1347	Connor Sadzeck	RHSP	No	N/A
46	1377	Ryan Wiggins	C	No	N/A
47	1407	Nathan Sorenson	OF	No	N/A
48	1437	Dillon Haviland	LHSP	No	N/A
49	1467	Logan Pevny	RHRP	Yes	--
50	1497	Dusty Isaacs	RHSP	No	N/A

Total # of Players signed: 27/50 (54%)
Total Bonus $: $11,269,900

Thanks to Pirates Prospects for the information on draft signings.

J-Mac. Bucs WIN

	R	H	E	LOB
	1	5	0	6
	7	9	0	3

An early lead was bolstered by another strong outing by J-Mac to allow the Bucs to take the first game in this 4-game series. McDonald already has more wins as a Bucco than Ross Ohlendorf despite only having 3 starts with them. In this game he went 7.0 IP, allowing only 3 hits, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 HR, and had 6 Ks. Chris Resop and Joel Hanrahan got the job done in relief.

Offense came back in a big way, but that's probably due to Chris Volstad's terrible pitching. 3 Players had multi-hit games, all 2 for 4: Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez, and Chris Snyder. Doubles were hit by Neil Walker and Garrett Jones, and Cutch had a solo shot in the 7th, his 10th HR of the season.

The Race For Last™

Arizona: Was off.
Baltimore: Won 5-4 in 11.
Cleveland: Was off.
Kansas City: Was off.
Seattle: Lost 5-4 in 11.

The current standings:

Team	W	L
Pittsburgh	40	78
Baltimore	42	77
Seattle	46	73
Arizona	47	72
Cleveland	49	69
Kansas City	49	69

Eyes on the prize, Bucco fans.