One-Hit Wonder. Bucs SWEPT

	R	H	E	LOB
	0	1	0	4
	2	9	0	7

The one hit was by Neil Walker.  A very good start for Ohlie wasted because of lack of offense. And so the Bucs have now dropped 6 in a row at Enron Field Minute Maid Park.  Same old Bucs.

Deja Suck. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	3	11	0	11
	6	7	1	8

More frustration, as the Astros piled 4 Home Runs on the Bucs, which accounted for 5 of their 6 runs.  The Pirates left a shitload of guys on base, including a bases loaded situation where Ryan Church promptly struck out to end the threat.  Coupled with the fact that Bourn made some unreal catches which probably could have score a lot more if they had dropped, and the fact that the Pirates were unable to hit any long balls despite the obvious shortness of the walls from the plate in the hitter's park made for a really crappy game to watch, most of all because the Pirates kept it close for most of the game only to fall short at the end.  Pedro's hitting streak ended.  Garrett Jones and Ryan Doumit both had 3-hit games, but it didn't make any difference.  It's starting to look like the Pirates will never beat this team, but I know as soon as I say that they'll win a few and I'll start to think that they actually resemble a major league baseball team, only to be dragged back down to earth with some more stupendously awful play.  And so it goes.

Frustration. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	2	6	0	7
	6	12	1	7

Another frustrating, disappointing loss to a team we should be able to beat.  Not much else to say.  No Pirate had more than 1 hit.  Neil Walker hit the only extra-base hit, a double.  Ryan Doumit and Garrett Jones had the RBIs.  Brad Lincoln went 5 IP, 7 H, 5 R/5 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, and 2 HR.  Pretty miserable and a letdown from his excellent start in Chicago.

SERIES 28 - Astros

Houston Astros

Tuesday, July 6, 8:05 PM (FSN)
Wednesday, July 7, 8:05 PM (FSN)
Thursday, July 8, 2:05 PM (FSN)



Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX

Listen live on [WPGB]

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Last time we met this team, they swept us.  We need to return the favor here.  Our hitters are starting to wake up, and our starting pitchers are beginning to match the output that the bullpen has been giving us all year long.  Time to do what we should have last time and crush the Astros like a Juice Box.

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Expected Pitching Matchups

July 6: Brad Lincoln (1-2-2, 4.65 ERA) vs. Wandy Rodriguez (5-10-1, 5.30 ERA)

July 7: Daniel McCutchen (1-3-2, 8.87 ERA) vs. Brian Moehler (1-4-5, 5.20 ERA)
July 8: Ross Ohlendorf (1-6-5, 4.39 ERA) vs. Roy Oswalt (5-10-2, 3.32 ERA)

Proposed Lineups

Pirates

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

Astros

1. M. Bourn, CF
2. J. Keppinger, 2B
3. L. Berkman, 1B
4. C. Lee, LF
5. H. Pence, RF
6. C. Johnson, 3B
7. J. Castro, C
8. A. Sanchez, SS
9. [Pitcher]

Let's Go Bucs.

Now This Is Encouraging. Bucs WIN

	R	H	E	LOB
	5	9	1	3
	8	9	1	4

The Pirates score more than 6 runs against a team not named the Dodgers, Brewers, or Cubs?  A team that is the defending National League champion?  Coming back from down 5-2 to do it?  Yes, please.

Pedro smacked another dinger out, his second in as many days, and also has 2 multi-hit days in a row (2 for 4), bringing his hitting streak up to 7 days, and his average above .200.  Every spot in the order had a hit except Ronny Cedeno and Andrew McCutchen, who continues to struggle at the plate and his average has now dropped below .300.  Delwyn Young hit a key 2 RBI double that tied the game and set the stage for Jose Tabata's game-winning RBI single.

Starting pitcher Jeff Karstens didn't exactly have a great game, giving up 9 hits, 5 runs (including 1 homer), and only struck out 2, but the hitting was behind  him. In addition, the bullpen was nearly perfect, allowing only one base runner after Neil Walker messed up a routine ground ball.  But no harm was done, as the next batter grounded out and Rollins, the baserunner, was caught in a rundown between 1st and 2nd for the inning ending double play.

A very encouraging win, and with it, the Pirates take the series win instead of a tie, and they take the season series against the Phillies 4-2.

Now it's time to take it to the Astros, who last time killed the Pirates in a series sweep that was pretty much the death knell for the 2010 Pittsburgh Pirates season.  We want revenge.

Blowout. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	12	15	1	5
	4	10	1	6

Late post as I was away from a computer all weekend.  This was a game to forget for the most part though.  There were a couple of highlights, including Pedro Alvarez going 2 for 4 and hitting his first major league home run, and Ryan Church going 3 for 3 with a home run and a walk.  I didn't see Church's home run, however, as I turned this game off in the 3rd when it was 7-1.  Maholm, recovering from his last bad outing nicely last time, fell back into the hole, giving up 10 hits, 8 R/7 ER, 2 walks and a K in just 3 innings of work.  Justin Thomas came in for 3 innings of long relief, giving up 3 more runs.  The final run was given up by Brendan Donnelly, but it didn't matter much at that point.

Shutout. Bucs WIN

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

Ross Ohlendorf finally got his win.  Pedro Alvarez is on a 5-game hitting streak.  Andrew McCutchen went 2 for 3 and took a free ride.  Things are going good.  Even Andy LaRoche got in on the action with an RBI that turned out to be the game winning run.  But most of all, the starting pitching is keeping us in the games.  3 wins in a row, and all of them were by pitchers who hadn't recorded a win all year.   Will the Pirates finally get over the 3 game streak barrier that has kept them from gaining any ground all year tonight?  We shall see.  The matchup is favorable, but that doesn't always mean anything.

Unexpected. Bucs WIN

	R	H	E	LOB
	2	8	2	8
	3	5	2	5

The Pirates beat the Phillies on just 5 hits?  Daniel McCutchen, Mr. double-digit ERA, beat Cole Hamels, one of the best in the game?  Are we living in Bizarro World?  Well, maybe not the 5 hits part.  Completely unexpected performance by Daniel.  I really thought we had no chance to take this game.  He definitely got lucky on some pitches which the Phillies, instead of crushing them out of the park, chose to look at.  Sometimes you need some luck to win.  In the Pirates' case, that's most of the time.

Strikeouts are becoming a problem again.  In this one the Pirates struck out 9 times, a number that has to come down if the Pirates want to win games by more than 1 or 2 runs.

Nice to see Pedro starting to hit.  He's got a 4-game hitting streak going now, and it won't be long till he knocks one out, judging by his long double off the wall near the notch in center in this game.  Jose Tabata is also looking strong.  He was able to work the Phillies pitchers for 23 pitches, something we haven't seen in a while and which helped to wear them down a lot.  He was directly responsible for two of the Bucs' runs in this game.  Not bad for a young kid.  Good to know we have him around for a while.

A good, solid win.  Now to see if Ohlie can get his first win as well.

SERIES 27 - Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies

Thursday, July 1, 7:05 PM (FSN)
Friday, July 2, 7:05 PM (FSN)
Saturday, July 3, 7:05 PM (FSN)
Sunday, July 4, 1:35 PM (FSN)

 

PNC Park

Listen live on [WPGB]

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It's July, which means we're nearing the halfway point of the season and it will be less than a month till most people tune out completely to see what the Steelers are up to in Latrobe.  So it's a good time to do battle with our cross-state rivals in Filthadelphia.  Will definitely be a tough series, but if we can get decent starts from Maholm and Karstens, we just might be able to take a split out of this 4-game series.

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Expected Pitching Matchups

July 1: Daniel McCutchen (0-3-2, 11.00 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (6-6-3, 4.08 ERA)

July 2: Ross Ohlendorf (0-6-5, 4.90 ERA) vs. Jamie Moyer (9-6-0, 4.30 ERA)
July 3: Paul Maholm (5-6-5, 3.98 ERA) vs. Kyle Kendrick (4-3-9, 4.88 ERA)
July 4: Jeff Karstens (2-3-10, 4.46 ERA) vs. Joe Blanton (3-5-3, 6.19 ERA)

Proposed Lineups

Pirates

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

Phillies

1. S. Victorino, CF
2. G. Dobbs, 3B
3. J. Rollins, SS
4. R. Howard, 1B
5. J. Werth, RF
6. R. Ibanez, LF
7. B. Schneider, C
8. W. Valdez, 2B
9. [Pitcher]

Let's Go Bucs.

The Future. Bucs WIN

	R	H	E	LOB
	2	7	0	9
	0	5	1	5

Brad Lincoln won a game.  God it feels great to say that.  A shutout, no less.  7 innings. 4 hits allowed.  6 Ks.  A curveball that makes Lou Pinella cry in his Metamucil.  Good times.  Cutch returns to form, going 2 for 4.  The first 7 all had hits, minus LaRoche, who should be back warming benches once Walker comes back.  Great to get a road series win.  Hasn't happened since the middle of May, and yes, it was against the Cubs.  A much tougher task now rolls into the Burgh, as the Phillies are hungry to get back into decent standing in the NL East.

Soriano. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	1	7	0	5
	3	8	0	6

Garrett Jones went 2 for 4, continuing his recent hitting success, and Ryan Doumit went 2 for 3 with a home run that turned out to be the only run scored for the Bucs.  The rest of the offense was anemic as usual.  Jeff Karstens had a good game, allowing 7 hits, 3R/2ER, 1 BB, 2 K, but the 2 HRs from Soriano did him in, as well as the lack of offense by the Pirates.

A quick loss, but the Pirates don't have much time to dwell on it as they have to play the series deciding game in like 5 seconds in yet another of the Cubs' 5 bajillion afternoon games per year.

Rocco game. Bucs WIN

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

The Pirates finally caught a break.  No errors came back to haunt them, no dropped popups that turned into home runs, no baserunning blunders (well, at least none that cost any runs), no late inning fiascos that cost the Pirates a win.  Just a good solid effort, especially from the pitching staff, something that has been sorely lacking of late.  Paul Maholm went 8 innings, with 1 ER, 7 hits and no walks, and came away with his 5th win of the year.  Octavio Dotel was outstanding in relief, striking out 3 batters.  Even though he did hit the lead-off batter with a pitch, it didn't come back to hurt the Pirates' efforts.

On the batting side it was very evenly distributed.  7 players had 1 hit each.  Andrew McCutchen hit an RBI triple in the 3rd that bounced off the right center wall, and might have been an inside-the-park home run if he hadn't hesitated coming out of the box.  His speed around the bases is nothing short of incredible.  I never get tired of watching his helmet fly off while he's running.  Jose Tabata hit a nice RBI double in the 9th to score Ryan Doumit,  who almost didn't make it to the plate before the throw from right center came in.  No harm done, this time.

The only bad thing to note about this game is that the Pirates lost another 2nd baseman on the same type of pop fly that caused Ryan Church to collide with Neil Walker.  This time it was Bobby Crosby who collided with Lastings Milledge.  Delwyn Young came in to replace Crosby.  No word yet on whether Young will start at 2nd until Crosby or Walker recovers, or when that will happen.  I wish them both a swift recovery, and I hope the "RF collides with 2B" play never happens again.

Overall, it was a great effort by everyone on the team, something you don't always see around this time of year from the Pirates.  I hope this trend continues.

SERIES 26 - Cubs

Chicago Cubs

Monday, June 28, 8:05 PM (FSN)
 Tuesday, June 29, 8:05 PM (FSN)
 Wednesday, June 30, 2:20 PM (FSN)

 

Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL

Listen live on [WPGB]

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Text text Textity text.

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Expected Pitching Matchups

June 28: Paul Maholm (4-6-5, 4.24 ERA) vs. Randy Wells (3-6-6, 5.21 ERA)
June 29: Jeff Karstens (2-2-10, 4.60 ERA) vs. Ted Lilly (2-6-4, 3.28 ERA)
June 30: Brad Lincoln (0-2-2, 6.00 ERA) vs. Tom Gorzelanny (2-5-8, 3.41 ERA)

Proposed Lineups

Pirates

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

Cubs

1. R. Theriot, 2B
2. T. Colvin, RF
3. M. Byrd, CF
4. D. Lee, 1B
5. A. Ramirez, 3B
6. A. Soriano, LF
7. G. Soto, C
8. S. Castro, SS
9. [Pitcher]

Let's Go Bucs.

Damn you, Jaramillo. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	2	8	4	8
	3	3	1	5

As if failing to catch an easily playable foul ball for the 3rd out in the 8th--which led to the game-winning home run 2 pitches later--wasn't bad enough, in the top of the 9th, Jaramillo grounded into a double play which killed almost any chance of the Pirates coming back.  Then there was that whole "Tabata's single hits Pedro in the leg for the final out" thing.  WTF.  Ohlendorf's 6 inning, 2 hit, 2 run, 0 ER effort was completely wasted.  The Pirates nearly tripling Oakland's hitting efforts and Lastings Milledge finally getting his first home run of the season.  Wasted.  Just like this whole season.  Thank God interleague is finally over.  Only 32 losses to go...

Shut out. Bucs LOSE

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

Not even 70's throwback uniforms could prevent the Pirates from having one of their most pitiful offensive outings yet.  Tabata and Milledge had the only hits for the Bucs, although 3 were able to get on base because of walks.  Daniel McCutchen wasn't horrible at least, going 6 innings and allowing 4 ER, bringing his ERA down to a lovely 11.00.  Not much to say about this one, as nothing really happened.  The Pirates have lost 16 road games in a row, going back to a win in Cincinnati on May 25th.

Return of the terrible bullpen. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	4	9	1	5
	14	17	2	8

Once again the 6-9 spots did nothing in the hitting department.  This after hitting well the past few games all the way through the order.  Neil Walker went 3 for 4 and hit a home run, but had to leave the game after colliding with Ryan Church while chasing a foul ball.  No word on his status, although it's unlikely that he'll be able to play tonight.  Garrett Jones and Ryan Doumit both went 2 for 4, and Andrew McCutchen ended his hitless streak which had been going since the Cleveland series.  Brad Lincoln was sub-par, giving up 5 runs, 3 earned, but the real story was the absolutely terrible bullpen.  4 pitchers came in relief of Brad Lincoln, and not one of them left with less than 2 earned runs (DJ Carrasco gave up 3).  Not sure what happened to our formerly excellent pen, but it needs to turn around in a hurry to make these games even watchable in the late innings.

SERIES 25 - Athletics

Oakland Athletics

Friday, June 25, 10:05 PM (FSN)
 Saturday, June 26, 10:05 PM (FSN)
 Sunday, June 27, 4:05 PM (FSN)

 

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Anaheim, CA

Listen live on [WPGB]

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This is the last interleague series for the Pirates this season. It's probably a good thing, as they have won a grand total of 2 interleague games so far, tied with Houston for the worst interleague record in the majors.  However, Oakland, while not as bad as Cleveland, is not as tough a team to beat as the Tigers, White Sox, or Rangers are, and I'm expecting the Pirates to take at least 1 game in this series.  On the other hand, the 3 starting pitchers for the Pirates in this series have yet to win a game all season, so who knows. Late night games suck.

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Expected Pitching Matchups

May 28: Brad Lincoln (0-1-2, 6.50 ERA) vs. Ben Sheets (2-7-6, 4.95 ERA)
May 29: Daniel McCutchen (0-2-2, 13.50 ERA) vs. Trevor Cahill (6-2-3, 3.21 ERA)
May 30: Ross Ohlendorf (0-6-4, 5.43 ERA) vs. Gio Gonzalez (6-5-4, 3.89 ERA)

Proposed Lineups

Pirates

1. J. Tabata, LF
2. N. Walker, 2B
3. A. McCutchen, CF
4. G. Jones, 1B
5. D. Young, DH
6. P. Alvarez, 3B
7. R. Doumit, C
8. L. Milledge, RF
9. B. Crosby, SS

Athletics

1. C. Crisp, CF
2. D. Barton, 1B
3. C. Jackson, DH
4. K. Suzuki, C
5. K. Kouzmanoff, 3B
6. G. Gross, RF
7. A. Rosales, SS
8. M. Ellis, 2B
9. R. Davis, LF

Let's Go Bucs.

Blown. Bucs SWEPT

	R	H	E	LOB
	5	14	1	6
	6	12	1	8

The Pirates found yet another way to lose a baseball game, having leads of 4-0 and 5-1 blown.  Not even having one of the best hitting days in weeks could help them win this game.  Only Ryan Church was held off the bases, and while Cutch's hitless streak continues, he was able to score a run after taking a walk.  5 Pirates had 2 or more hits: Jose Tabata (3 for 5 with a run), Garrett Jones (3 for 4 with a run and an RBI, Ryan Doumit (2 for 4 with a run and an RBI), Lastings Milledge (2 for 4), and Bobby Crosby (2 for 4).  Jeff Karstens had yet another solid outing with 3 runs (2 earned) allowed, but the bullpen let him down.  Evan Meek, arguably the best reliever in the league and certainly the best on the Pirates, let 2 runs score to tie the game.  He didn't get the call on a strikeout, but he still had an opportunity to leave the inning intact.  In the 9th, new reliever Steven Jackson let the walkoff single that won the game for the Rangers, and the Bucs were swept. Sigh.

Yuck. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	3	6	1	7
	13	17	0	13

Never trust a pitching matchup to go the way it's expected to when it comes to the Pirates.  Paul Maholm only lasted 1+ innings and gave up 7 R, 7 H, and 4 BB in that span.  Dana Eveland was equally horrible in long relief.  The rest of the bullpen was solid.  GFJ's hit streak was snapped.  Bobby Crosby had 2 hits to run it up to 8 hits in 3 games. Terrible game.

Double Up. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	3	10	1	8
	6	7	1	5

Another very frustrating game to watch.  Ross Ohlendorf was perfect through 3 innings, and then fell apart, giving up 2 homers and 4 runs.  Despite getting hits from all but 2 Pirates (Tabata, who reached on a Fielder's Choice in the 9th, and McCutchen, who went 0 for 4), the Pirates were yet again unable to bring home more than 3 runners.  Garrett Jones went 2 for 4 with an RBI, extending his hitting streak to an NL-best 12 games.  Bobby Crosby is on a ridiculous hitting tear, garnering 3 hits for the second time in as many games and an RBI in each.  No reason to switch him out for Cedeno at short at this point, as his defense is comparable to Cedeno's.  Pedro got his second MLB hit, a soft single to RF.  The bullpen came back down to Earth again, with only 1 K, 2 ER, 1 HR, and 4 walks.  Hopefully the Pirates can get back on track tonight with an easier pitcher on the Rangers' side and Paul Maholm, the Bucs' most consistent starter, on the mound.

SERIES 24 - Rangers

Texas Rangers

Tuesday, June 22, 8:05 PM (FSN)
 Wednesday, June 23, 8:05 PM (FSN)
 Thursday, June 24, 8:05 PM (FSN)

 

Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Arlington, TX

Listen live on [WPGB]

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This will be a very tough road trip for the young Bucs, although the hardest match-up is the first one against the Rangers.  On paper, the Bucs' lineup for this trip is one of the strongest they've had in years.  If all goes well and the pitching is good, we should have strong hitters the whole way through the lineup.  Of course, it almost never works out that way.  Ryan Church is the DH, and he will probably be switched out for Delwyn Young if he does poorly.

The Rangers are coming off an 8-game winning streak and have won 11 of their last 12.  Obviously, they are one of the hottest teams in baseball right now, but all good things must come to an end eventually.  The Pirates bring a much more modest 2-game streak and hope they can add to that.  The attitude in the clubhouse is much improved from last week, so hopefully that works in their favor as well.

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Expected Pitching Matchups

June 22: Ross Ohlendorf (0-5-4, 5.22 ERA) vs. Tommy Hunter (2-0-1, 2.08 ERA)
June 23: Paul Maholm (4-5-5, 3.77 ERA) vs. Dustin Nippert (2-3-18, 5.01 ERA)
June 24: Jeff Karstens (2-2-9, 4.72 ERA) vs. Scott Feldman (5-6-3, 5.16 ERA)

Proposed Lineups

Pirates

1. J. Tabata, LF
2. N. Walker, 2B
3. A. McCutchen, CF
4. G. Jones, 1B
5. R. Church, DH
6. P. Alvarez, 3B
7. R. Doumit, C
8. L. Milledge, RF
9. B. Crosby, SS

Rangers

1. E. Andrus, SS
2. M. Young, 3B
3. I. Kinsler, 2B
4. V. Guerrero, DH
5. J. Hamilton, LF
6. N. Cruz, RF 
7. J. Smoak, 1B
8. M. Treanor, C
9. J. Borbon, CF

Let's Go Bucs. (100th post!)