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.

Trade Deadline recap

Here's who the Pirates have traded today:

Arizona Diamondbacks: C Chris Snyder and SS Pedro Ciriaco(prospect) for RP DJ Carrasco, 2B/SS Bobby Crosby, and OF Ryan Church.

San Francisco Giants: SP Joe Martinez and 1B/OF John Bowker for RP Javier Lopez.

Los Angeles Dodgers: RP James McDonald and OF Andrew Lambo for RP Octavio Dotel.

Chris Snyder is a decent catcher whose career BA is .233, with a high of .277 in 2006 and a low of .200 in 2009.  This year he's hitting .231.  He had a career high of 16 HRs in 2008, and he has 10 this year, well on track to match or exceed that output. My guess is that he will take over the starting catching job with Kratz as the backup.  They can then decide how Doumit fits in, if at all, when he comes back.  Pedro Ciriaco seems like a decent SS prospect, something the Bucs have been lacking lately.  He's similar to Argenis Diaz, and he will presumably join AAA Indianapolis. Hate to see Carrasco go, but I'm not at all sad to see Church gone and frankly I'm surprised anyone would want him, even if he was fluff in this trade, with the real meat being Carrasco. Bobby Crosby was okay, and was a decent backup for Cedeno at times.

Joe Martinez has only pitched in a handful of games for the Giants and his ERA hasn't exactly been stellar. He was a 12th rounder in the 2005 draft. John Bowker is a weak outfielder whose career stats are not that great. Both of them will head to Indy. Lopez was okay, but not exactly great, so if either one of these guys pan out I'll call it a win.

James McDonald is a decent relief pitcher who pitched well last year, but hasn't had many games this year. He can start and relieve, so presumably he'll replace Carrasco or Lopez in the bullpen for now. Lambo is a pretty talented prospect whose career got derailed somewhat for violating the drug policy.  He was the #3 prospect in the Dodgers organization at the beginning of the year, so this trade looks like a big win for the Bucs at this point.  He'll head to Altoona, I'm guessing. Dotel was great as a closer for the Bucs this year, but he was only supposed to be here until Meek was ready to take over the closer role, and Meek definitely seems ready after his All-Star berth this year.

Surprisingly neither Paul Maholm nor Zach Duke garnered any interest, so they will the stay with the team.  All 3 of these trades seem like wins at this point, but trades have looked good before only to fail miserably, so we'll just have to wait and see how these turn out.

10 innings of silence. Bucs LOSE

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

I'm pretty pleased to see that the Pirates' pitchers were able to keep the Cardinals' bats quiet for 9 innings. I'm pretty disappointed to see them equal that quietness with their own bats. But once it went into extra innings, I knew they had no chance.

Jeff Karstens's best outing of the year was completely wasted because the Pirates couldn't get anything going offensively.  He pitched 6.0 innings, allowing no runs, just 7 hits (all singles), no walks, and 2 Ks. He was pulled after 6 not because he was getting tired, but because there was a concerning play where stepped on 1st to record the out and seemed to tweak his ankle a bit. He threw only 69 pitches.

Joel Hanrahan had an excellent  inning of work in the 9th, striking out the side. Lopez was not as lucky in the 10th.

Erik Kratz had an excellent outing defensively, as he caught 3 Cardinals trying to steal. Each throw was perfectly placed, something we haven't seen from a Bucco catcher in quite a while.

The best offensive player was Lastings Milledge, who went 2 for 4. Jose Tabata got a hit to extend his streak to 10 games, and 13 of his last 14. There were no extra-base hits.

SERIES 34 - Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals

Friday, July 30, 8:15 PM (FSN)
Saturday, July 31, 7:15 PM (FSN)
Sunday, August 1, 2:15 PM (FSN)



Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO

Listen live on [WPGB]

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After getting a nice road win in Denver, the Pirates draw the toughest team in the NL Central and will have to face two of their toughest starting pitchers.  The other pitcher for the Cardinals, Suppan, is not that great, but he may end up facing Daniel McCutchen.  Add in the great Cardinals batting and this series looks pretty terrible on paper for the Buccos.  But that's why they play the game.

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Expected Pitching Matchups

July 30: Jeff Karstens (2-6, 4.72 ERA) vs. Chris Carpenter (11-3, 3.09 ERA)

July 31: ???? (Daniel McCutchen?) (?-?, ?.?? ERA) vs. Jeff Suppan (0-6, 6.18 ERA)
August 1: Zach Duke (5-9, 5.09 ERA) vs. Adam Wainwright (14-6, 2.23 ERA)

Proposed 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. R. Cedeno, SS
8. E. Kratz, C
9. [Pitcher]

Cardinals

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

Let's Go Bucs.

Meatloaf. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	3	6	1	4
	9	15	0	8

Had a pretty good idea that the Pirates weren't going to win this game long before it started.  Ubaldo Jiminez isn't the NL's best pitcher for no reason, after all. This probably wasn't him at his best, but even average he is more than a match for the Pirates, especially with Andrew McCutchen out of the lineup.

Paul Maholm was pretty bad. It's pretty much impossible to tell which Paul you are going to get on a given day. In his last 7 starts, he has given up run totals of 7, 1, 8, 2, 0, 4, and 8, with 1.0, 8.0, 3.0, 7.0, 9.0, 6.0, and 5.1 innings pitched respectively.  In this game he gave up 11 H, 8 R/ER, 1 HR, 3 BB, and 3 K.  He did get a hit himself though, one of just 6 for the Buccos.

The Bucs' offense suffered without McCutchen, who had been hitting fairly well recently. Jose Tabata, playing center for Cutch, had the only multi-hit game, going 2 for 4.  Garrett Jones had the only double.  The best offensive player for the Pirates was definitely Neil Walker, who hit a 2-run homer in the 8th (his 5th of the season and second of this series), scoring Tabata.  It just wasn't nearly enough to overcome the 9 run deficit that Paul Maholm and Steven Jackson put us in.

So the Bucs drop the 3rd game of the series.  But 2 out of 3 ain't bad, especially on the road.  On to Poo Holes and St. Louis.

GFJ. Bucs WIN

	R	H	E	LOB
	6	11	1	6
	2	10	0	9

Back to back road wins? Hasn't happened since May 14th and 15th.  The Buccos are now 6-6 after the All-Star break, which isn't too shabby.  This game was a doozy.

It started off in the bottom of the 1st when Ross Ohlendorf took a line drive right at the side of his head.  He got up on his own power though, and was able to walk off the field.  He was taken to a hospital as a precaution, but the CT scan came back negative. With some luck he won't even miss a start.

Later in the game, Andrew McCutchen nearly re-injured his right shoulder crashing into the thin padding of the Coors Field center field wall to make a catch.  He would stay in the game, but exactly how much damage the catch caused has yet to be seen.  It amazing to watch how much ground he can cover out there in center field, robbing batters of what would be hits for lesser outfielders.  Pedro also had a nice defensive gem, making a shoe-string catch for an out, but throwing to first just in case.

Meanwhile, Sean Gallagher comes in for 3 innings of long relief, giving up no hits, 3 BB and 4 Ks, picking up the win.  Newly called up reliever Wil Ledezma made his major league debut, going 1.1 IP with no hits and a K.  Javier Lopez came in and had a rough outting, giving up 3 hits, one of which was a huge solo home run that bounced off the third tier of the right field seats.  That was it for the Rockies' scoring, though, as Joel Hanrahan and Octavio Dotel came in to slam the door.

It was a non-save situation for Dotel, because while the Pirates' hurlers were pitching masterfully, they were getting help from the bats. A big third inning was all the Pirates needed to put this game away.  Sean Gallagher walked, Andrew McCutchen singled, and Tabata hit a weird high-bouncing infield single to load the bases.  Then Neil Walker hit a single right up the middle to score Gallagher and Cutch. Then Garrett Jones hits a single to score Tabata as Neil moves to third. Finally, Pedro singles to right to score Walker, and that was it for Aaron Cook, who lasted just 2.1 innings.

Garrett Jones hit two home runs in this game, the second coming when he was a triple short of the cycle. He went 4 for 4 with 3 RBIs and scored 2 runs.  Andrew McCutchen went 3 for 4 with a walk and a run scored. Neil Walker also had 2 RBIs and Pedro had one too. Doubles were hit by Garrett Jones and Andrew McCutchen, and Jones also had two homers.