Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Sep 26, 2008 5:12:37 AM
The Pirates' final chance this season to cause a bit of havoc in an exciting final few days of the season was met by a frenzied 40,102 fans at Miller Park on Thursday and a Brewers team looking unflappable and unstoppable.
A chance to snap an 0-14 skid at Miller Park and to derail the Brewers' hopes for a postseason berth ended with one overthrown slider by Jesse Chavez in the 10th that was greeted by Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun. Braun deposited the pitch into the left-field seats and set off a spirited celebration with the walk-off grand slam.
"I thought it was the right pitch," Chavez said after the team's 5-1 loss. "I just didn't execute. It slid across the plate, right into his sweet spot."
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Sep 25, 2008 6:14:21 AM
The Brewers continue to be on a mission that not even staff ace Paul Maholm could interrupt on Wednesday night.
Maholm's attempt at being the lone pitcher in the rotation to reach the 10-win plateau was thwarted by a playoff-hungry Milwaukee club that moved into a tie atop the Wild Card standings with a 4-2 win over the Pirates in front of 31,164 fans at Miller Park.
On the other side, the loss handed the Pirates all sorts of unfavorable distinctions. It marked the 14th consecutive defeat for the club at Miller Park, a stretch of games dating back to May 3, 2007. The loss also sunk Pittsburgh to 1-13 against the Brewers this season.
But maybe the most jarring distinction is this: for a team that came into the season lauding its starting pitching potential, the 2008 Pirates will be the first Pittsburgh club not to flaunt at least one 10-game winner in a non-strike shortened season since 1890.
It was 118 years ago, playing for the Pittsburg Alleghenys, that pitcher Billy Gumbert led the staff with four wins. The Alleghenys went 23-113 that season.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Sep 24, 2008 5:55:33 AM
A game with four lead changes and plenty of late-inning drama was effectively summed up by reliever T.J. Beam in a mere four words.
"Bad pitch," Beam said. "Good hit."
And with that combination, the Brewers held onto their postseason hopes while the Pirates held onto the unfavorable distinction of being winless in Miller Park in their past 13 games there. A deflating 7-5 loss, which was capped with a walk-off homer from Prince Fielder, pushed the Pirates' season total to 92, 12 of which have come at the hands of the Brewers.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Sep 22, 2008 5:14:31 AM
Jack Wilson bent down and grabbed a handful of dirt from PNC Park's infield in the fifth inning of the Pirates' 6-2 loss to the Astros on Sunday afternoon.
The eight-year veteran, who has played his entire Major League career in a Pittsburgh uniform, stuffed his grubby memento into his back pocket before heading in the dugout to a thunderous applause from the home crowd.
It's been well documented that Sunday's home finale might be Wilson's last game as a Pirate at PNC Park. The shortstop will make $7.25 million next year and is being looked at as a valuable trading piece for Pirates management in the offseason
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Sep 19, 2008 6:24:38 AM
Apparently the 23-run, 33-hit offensive party the Pirates and Dodgers put on Wednesday night was not enough baseball for both teams.
Pittsburgh and Los Angeles combined for a 12-inning affair Thursday afternoon that lasted three hours, 54 minutes. When it was all said and done, the Dodgers left PNC Park with a 4-3 victory that denied the Pirates a split in the four-game series.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Sep 17, 2008 6:08:10 AM
A homestand that started with such promise has suddenly taken a turn south.
The Pirates, who swept the Cardinals out over the weekend, lost a second consecutive decision to visiting Los Angeles on Tuesday night, 6-2, at PNC Park.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Sep 16, 2008 5:36:53 AM
After executing so well on all sides of the diamond in a three-game sweep over the weekend, the Pirates fell flat in numerous respects in Monday night's series opener against the Dodgers.
An unenthusiastic crowd of 13,147 at PNC Park did all it could to muster up some support for an uninspired performance from the home team, which snapped its winning streak with an 8-2 loss to the Dodgers. But even the fans seemed ready for the exits by the time the drawn-out, two hour, 53-minute game came to an end.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Sep 12, 2008 7:08:15 AM
As if running into the hottest team in baseball wasn't formidable enough, the Pirates also had the pleasure of matching up with the most dominant pitcher in the league this month.
Yes, it was that type of road trip.
While Zach Duke's fifth-inning hiccup and the Pirates' two defensive miscues allowed the Astros to strike first, it was Astros starter Roy Oswalt who stole the show as the Pirates saw their current losing streak stretch to six with a 6-0 loss at Minute Maid Park on Thursday night.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Sep 10, 2008 4:48:53 AM
For a game that was all but decided a few innings into Tuesday night's affair, this one had all sorts of wrinkles in it by the time the Pirates' 9-3 loss to the Astros at Minute Maid Park was officially in the books
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Sep 8, 2008 7:00:38 AM
When the bottom of the fourth inning rolled around at AT&T Park on Sunday afternoon, Jeff Karstens was working on a tidy no-hitter, Nate McLouth was enjoying his entry into the 20-20 club and the Pittsburgh Pirates still had a chance at avoiding a most ignominious feat.
Cue the deluge.
After an absurd 10-run rally that turned from comic to nearly tragic when McLouth suffered a laceration above his left eyebrow that required six stitches to close, the Giants completed an 11-6 victory that guaranteed Pittsburgh (60-82) a 16th consecutive losing season.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Sep 7, 2008 5:54:09 AM
Before the Pirates took the field against the Giants on Saturday, manager John Russell talked up the advantages of working with a bullpen fortified by September callups.
"With 11 guys down there," Russell said, "you should be able to use what you want when you want."
What Russell wanted Saturday was three scoreless innings to preserve a three-run lead on behalf of starter Paul Maholm. What he got was a seventh-inning implosion that led directly to a 7-6 loss.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Sep 6, 2008 5:35:57 AM
When the San Francisco Giants loaded the bases with nobody out in the third inning Friday night, Pirates manager John Russell took the prudent step of sending Marino Salas to get loose in the bullpen.
This time, though, Zach Duke didn't need any rescuing.
Duke lured Giants catcher Bengie Molina into beating a sinker into the dirt for a 5-2-3 double play to escape the jam unscathed, then proceeded to wheedle groundout after groundout from San Francisco's increasingly frustrated hitters.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Sep 5, 2008 5:28:10 AM
Thanks dupont941.
The Brewers are helping us out now by not taking advantage of our losing streak. Hope they continue on!!
|
dupont941
Champion Author
Hartford
Posts:11,173
Points:2,496,555
Joined:May 2004
|
Message Posted: Sep 4, 2008 6:57:56 AM
Good for you paw. I hope the Cubbies do it this year.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Sep 3, 2008 7:01:06 AM
To: dupont941
Not really a Pirates Fan, Die Hard Cubbie Fan for over 50 years.
I just follow the National League baseball. Especially the NL Central.
[Edited by: paw4X at 9/3/2008 7:01:57 AM EST]
|
dupont941
Champion Author
Hartford
Posts:11,173
Points:2,496,555
Joined:May 2004
|
Message Posted: Sep 2, 2008 6:19:53 PM
Paw4x, you're amazing. I don't now how you stay so enthused. They are a sad case. Can't wait 'til next year.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Sep 2, 2008 5:31:35 AM
When the Pirates open a three-game set in Cincinnati on Tuesday, they'll do so with a number of additional faces in the clubhouse. Just don't expect Andrew McCutchen to be one of them.
Monday marks the first day of September, meaning it's that time of the year when a team can expand its Major League roster to include as many players on the 40-man roster as it wants.
For teams in contention, it's a chance to pad the roster with extra pitching and to solidify the bench. As for teams no longer playing for October -- such as the Pirates -- it's a chance to begin evaluating the future.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Aug 29, 2008 5:10:57 AM
One side says the other is reneging on a deal because the agent no longer likes the terms. The other claims the rules were unilaterally and illegally changed at the last minute.
Who's telling the truth in the Pedro Alvarez saga might be in the eye of the beholder. How it will all end will likely not be known until after a hearing on Sept. 10. The primary issue at that hearing will be whether MLB violated the Collective Bargaining Agreement by extending the deadline for negotiations without first consulting with the Players Association.
|
MissyLuvsPA
All-Star Author
Pennsylvania
Posts:563
Points:82,405
Joined:Jul 2008
|
Message Posted: Aug 28, 2008 7:51:35 PM
I did not like the trade of Bay 2 Boston.
& now he is on my other team.
:|
Now Pirates will really stink w/out Bay.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Aug 27, 2008 6:21:40 AM
If you were looking for a display of baseball fundamentals, hopefully you weren't among the 17,929 fans at PNC Park on Tuesday night.
Quite frankly, the Pirates' 14-9 loss -- also the club's sixth straight -- to the Cubs was ugly. For those who stayed to see the end of this three-hour, 59-minute affair, they saw so much go so wrong for both sides in just nine innings of play.
Routine defensive plays were muffed. More pitches reached the backstop than were grounded to both teams' third basemen combined. There were sloppy baserunning decisions, an errant stolen-base slide and a questionable sacrifice bunt attempt.
And then there was the pitching, which started out bad and ended up much worse.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Aug 26, 2008 5:27:28 AM
In two days, the Pirates can pack up their scouting reports on the Cubs and put them on the shelf until 2009. Until then, though, the Chicago club has made it plainly evident that it has every intention of finishing off the season series with the same supremacy that has been the theme since these two teams met back in the second week of the season.
Taking advantage of the Pirates' subpar pitching performances, the Cubs quickly made a laugher out of a three-game series opener that marks the sixth and final season set between the two National League Central opponents.
The Pirates dropped the contest, 12-3, in front of 14,454 at PNC Park. They have now lost five straight and are 4-12 against the division-leading Cubs this season. In five of those 12 losses, the Cubs have scored in double figures.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Aug 22, 2008 7:44:20 AM
The Pirates traded displaced third baseman Jose Bautista to the Blue Jays on Thursday for a player to be named, mutually ending a relationship that had grown sour in recent weeks.
After starting off the season as the team's starting third baseman for the second straight year, Bautista slowly lost favor with management when his production wasn't up to par. He lost playing time to Doug Mientkiewicz for a while, earned the starting role back, and then lost it all together on Aug. 1, when Andy LaRoche made his Pittsburgh debut.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Aug 19, 2008 6:02:30 AM
When the Pirates need a stopper, they call Paul Maholm.
When they need offense, they call the Mets' bullpen.
Pittsburgh scored five unanswered runs against New York relievers on Monday to salvage the last game of the four-game set, 5-2, at PNC Park and ended a four-game losing streak.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Aug 18, 2008 5:08:28 AM
Jason Michaels threw his bat in disgust. Brandon Moss cue-balled a soft liner to third. And Adam LaRoche was caught looking on a perfectly placed fastball on the outside corner.
The cause to all three problems? Mets starter Johan Santana.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner threw a complete-game shutout to give the Mets their third straight victory over the Pirates at PNC Park, this time by a score of 4-0 on Sunday.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Aug 16, 2008 6:39:14 AM
If the Pirates had a time machine, they would have certainly used it in Friday night's 2-1 loss to the Mets.
Jason Davis could have gone back and changed his wild pitch in the first inning.
Nate McLouth might've stayed at second instead of getting caught in a rundown in the sixth.
And Adam LaRoche would've stayed at third instead of being thrown out in a bang-bang play at home in the seventh.
But of course, the Pirates lacked that luxury, and all three moments wound up playing a critical role in front of a sellout crowd of 36,418 at PNC Park.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Aug 15, 2008 5:54:49 AM
It was supposed to be the LaRoches' turn to take the spotlight on Thursday. With both brothers beaming at the prospect of playing on the field together, there was the sense that little could spoil the excitement of the evening.
The LaRoches would, in fact, remain one of the primary storylines by the end of the night. But this ending wouldn't be all rosy.
Adam LaRoche, in his first game back from a stint on the disabled list, left five runners stranded in an 0-for-3 performance that served as a microcosm for a team that lacked the clutch hit all evening. All added up, that equated to a 3-1 loss to the Reds in front of a near-sellout, SkyBlast crowd of 35,439 at PNC Park.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Aug 13, 2008 5:15:02 AM
After spending the last 11 days spanning three time zones, the Pirates returned to the comforts of PNC Park on Tuesday with with high spirits.
The task of facing three first-place teams (and one second-place club) had ended with a respectable fours wins and six losses. And from there, the Bucs were coming into a three-game set against a Reds team lodged in the bottom of the National League Central.
But Jeff Karstens would have to come back down to earth eventually and it would be on Tuesday, as he suffered his first loss. The Pirates dropped the series opener, 5-1, to the Reds in front of 23,686 fans.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Aug 11, 2008 6:49:53 AM
The what-ifs don't add up. Not on the scoreboard. Not in the National League Central standings. Like what if Jason Davis and Ryan Doumit communicated properly in the third inning on a sacrifice bunt in Sunday's game against the Phillies? What if Tyler Yates didn't get the ball up to Chase Utley in the seventh inning? What if the Bucs didn't commit three errors and didn't give up three unearned runs?
Those questions were certainly being jostled around in the head of Bucs manager John Russell, after seeing his team lose a one-run lead in the seventh in falling to the Phillies, 6-3, before 45,262 at Citizens Bank Park in a game delayed one hour and 47 minutes by torrential rain.
|
dupont941
Champion Author
Hartford
Posts:11,173
Points:2,496,555
Joined:May 2004
|
Message Posted: Aug 11, 2008 6:47:21 AM
Seeing the highlights on ESPN reminded me of my Little League team. It is a struggle being a Pirate fan.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Aug 10, 2008 6:08:44 AM
Ian Snell is all smiles and grins, and anxious movements each time he starts. He knows the symptoms to his curable malady that he's working to control. It's easy to detect, and any Pirates fan can spot it immediately.
Call it first inning-itis. It's that tendency to get the ball out over the plate and it strikes in the first inning, when opposing teams knock the ball all over the place.
It happened again Saturday night, when Snell was tagged for two runs in the first before settling down to record a quality start. But the Pirates couldn't overcome Snell's early concerns, or Jimmy Rollins' penchant for tapping triples as the Bucs fell, 4-2, before 45,060 at Citizens Bank Park.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Aug 9, 2008 5:28:55 AM
A wide smile spread over Craig Hansen's face as he pointed to the big-screen television set in Citizens Bank Park's visiting club house, which showed highlights of the Pirates' 2-0 win over the Phillies on Friday night that had ended moments before.
|
Nomofriggincube
Champion Author
Miami
Posts:7,102
Points:1,401,015
Joined:Oct 2005
|
Message Posted: Aug 8, 2008 8:49:48 PM
Lets go Pirates, beat those cheese steaks!
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Aug 8, 2008 6:37:20 AM
On Wednesday, Jeff Karstens gave Pirates fans a glimpse of what, if all goes as planned, general manager Neal Huntington's vision is all about.
It's about acquiring young talent. It's about making "sound baseball trades," as Huntington put it. It's about having the right talent evaluators in place. And for one day, on one Chase Field mound, Karstens made all of those things look so perfect.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Aug 7, 2008 5:15:27 AM
Jeff Karstens, in less than two weeks with the Pirates, nearly completed a task that no Pittsburgh pitcher in the franchise's storied 122 years had accomplished before.
Karstens -- yes, previously known simply as being one of four players the Pirates acquired from the Yankees in the Xavier Nady/Damaso Marte trade -- came within four outs of pitching baseball's first perfect game since 2004. It also would have been the first in Pirates history.
D-backs outfielder Chris Young broke up the perfect game and the no-hitter with two outs in the eighth. But that would be one of only two eventual blemishes of the afternoon for Karstens, as he carried the Pirates to a 2-0 win over Arizona at Chase Field with his two-hit shutout.
|
Nomofriggincube
Champion Author
Miami
Posts:7,102
Points:1,401,015
Joined:Oct 2005
|
Message Posted: Aug 6, 2008 10:39:57 PM
Nice young talent
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Aug 6, 2008 4:55:32 AM
One night after lamenting their starting pitching woes, the Pirates watched Zach Duke respond with one of the staff's stronger starting performances in recent memory.
Only problem was, well, a guy named Brandon Webb.
Armed with the task of trying to match an amazingly efficient and dominant Webb on Tuesday night, Duke made one costly mistake. And when that mistake landed in the D-backs' left-field bullpen, the eventual Pirates' 3-1 loss to Arizona at Chase Field was ultimately sealed.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Aug 5, 2008 5:51:44 AM
With the Pirates putting up as good a fight as could be expected against D-backs starter Dan Haren, the burden on Monday quickly fell on the pitching to match it.
Haren's numbers clearly identified where the trouble would likely brew. In his last 11 starts, he had allowed as many as three runs just twice.
An uphill climb for sure.
But in what ultimately went into the books as a 13-7 loss to the D-backs at Chase Field, the fault in Pittsburgh's third straight loss could lie anywhere but with the offense.
|
Nomofriggincube
Champion Author
Miami
Posts:7,102
Points:1,401,015
Joined:Oct 2005
|
Message Posted: Aug 2, 2008 11:45:44 AM
Nice win with a new team
[Edited by: Nomofriggincube at 8/2/2008 11:46:00 AM EST]
|
Nomofriggincube
Champion Author
Miami
Posts:7,102
Points:1,401,015
Joined:Oct 2005
|
Message Posted: Aug 1, 2008 4:05:03 PM
Andy LaRoche is not as good as his brother.
|
stevieyz19
Champion Author
Michigan
Posts:14,472
Points:2,741,410
Joined:Sep 2005
|
Message Posted: Aug 1, 2008 8:06:30 AM
I agree that the Pirates are the winners in this trade. 3 Major league ready players plus a minor leaguer for Bay.
|
14smoke
Champion Author
Birmingham
Posts:13,188
Points:1,921,140
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Aug 1, 2008 6:57:51 AM
This turns out to be a great deal for the Pirates as they get 4 players for 1, in effect. Bay goes to Boston, the Red Sox send Manny to LA and the Pirates get 2 players from LA and 2 from Boston. Almost can't lose, as at least two of those players will work out quite nicely for them I'm sure.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Aug 1, 2008 5:38:05 AM
In a deal that general manager Neal Huntington later said took up until "3:59 and seconds," the Pirates have officially dived headfirst into rebuilding the Major League club by infusing the organization with young talent.
Sending waves throughout the baseball world on Thursday, the Pirates parted with popular left fielder Jason Bay as a part of a three-team deal just before the 4 p.m. ET Trade Deadline. The Pirates landed four promising young players in return.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Jul 31, 2008 4:52:05 AM
PITTSBURGH -- Three runs? Four runs? No problem.
But six runs down?
Now, that's where a team can run into some trouble.
The Pirates, who overcame three- and four-run deficits when taking the first two games of the series, dug themselves a six-run hole early Wednesday night en route to falling, 7-4, to the Rockies in front of 16,587 at PNC Park.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Jul 30, 2008 5:32:56 AM
Make no mistake: The Pirates, despite all their recent setbacks, continue to find ways to piece everything together. And for the past two nights, they've looked pretty good in the process.
An offense that was supposed to be crippled by the loss of Xavier Nady and injuries to Freddy Sanchez and Adam LaRoche found production elsewhere. A bullpen without its closer (Matt Capps) and backup closer (the recently traded Damaso Marte) has shifted roles effortlessly. Even the fill-in starter pitched capably.
All combined, the Pirates' offense tallied six unanswered runs to answer the Rockies' early four, as Pittsburgh clinched a series win with a 6-4 victory over Colorado at PNC Park on Tuesday night.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Jul 27, 2008 4:37:34 AM
The San Diego Padres jumped on Pittsburgh's John Van Benschoten for an early lead and held on for a 9-6 victory over the Pirates in front of 27,794 fans on Saturday night at PNC Park.
Beleaguered Pirates starter Van Benschoten surrendered seven runs, six hits and four walks in 1 2/3 innings of work and was tagged with the loss, falling to 1-3. It marked the shortest stint by Van Benschoten as a starter this season.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Jul 26, 2008 6:25:07 AM
The Pirates fell to the Padres, 6-5, in front of 25,727 fans at PNC Park on Friday night. The results, and even the game, though, felt completely secondary.
Everything started as normal. A 7:05 p.m. ET first pitch. The typical Friday home red uniforms. Zach Duke beginning the game with a painless 1-2-3 first inning.
It all changed very quickly, however, as Xavier Nady stepped into the on-deck circle with teammate Jason Bay up at the plate with one on and two out in the first.
Nady was summoned back into the dugout and immediately informed that he was a part of a trade that, pending medical evaluations, will send he and reliever Damaso Marte to the Yankees for four prospects. Nady would be pulled from the game and replaced by Jason Michaels in right field. Marte would soon be announced as unavailable.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Jul 25, 2008 5:42:45 AM
The Pirates were hopeful of seeing improvements and adjustments out of Yoslan Herrera on Thursday.
In fact, had they not, Herrera may well have been shuffled out of the rotation, back to Double-A, with a return to Pittsburgh this season doubtful even despite the organization's limited number of internal rotation options.
However, few could have seen Herrera's response -- one that propelled the Pirates to a 9-1 win -- against the Padres at PNC Park coming.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Jul 24, 2008 5:41:44 AM
The headline should read something like: Offense bails out pitching. Again.
Sound familiar?
Unfortunately, it should.
Despite the countless times the pitching staff tried to hand this one away, the ugly trend worked again on Wednesday, resulting in an 8-7 win and series sweep over the Astros at Minute Maid Park. But really, the victory should have come much smoother than it did.
|
dupont941
Champion Author
Hartford
Posts:11,173
Points:2,496,555
Joined:May 2004
|
Message Posted: Jul 21, 2008 7:24:01 AM
They are painful to follow.
|
Paw5X
Champion Author
Gary
Posts:9,878
Points:2,263,305
Joined:May 2005
|
Message Posted: Jul 21, 2008 6:21:38 AM
For the third time in four days at Coors Field, the Pirates jumped out to the early lead on Sunday. Colorado All-Star pitcher Aaron Cook gave up three runs, a walk and a wild pitch in the first inning, beginning with an infield single from Luis Rivas and highlighted by RBI singles from Bucs All-Star Nate McLouth and the surging Adam LaRoche.
Pirates starter Zach Duke retired the first 10 batters he faced before finally yielding a pair of runs on three hits in the fourth inning. Once Duke opened the door, the Rockies stormed through it, adding seven runs in the fifth and sixth en route to handing the Bucs an 11-3 loss and a four-game series sweep
|