Bucs split the series with the Mets Still 1 game under 500

This series was a bit odd to say the least the two games the Pirates won were relatively low scoring pitchers duels. The two they lost the Mets bats spanked the pitching and ended up in routs. So what can we learn from these last few games? Well firstly McCutchens bat is ridiculous right now. He should be a starter in the all star game (which he probably wont be). Next this teams pitching is so close to being able to carry this team to the playoffs. The teams starting pitching has been stellar these past few weeks. With a player or two coming back from injury or coming via a trade this team could definitely be the surprise team in the playoffs this season. Lastly Clint Hurdle has done a stellar job turning around the mentality of this team. With all the injuries and adversity this team is going through right now they would have folded it up last season. With all that said obviously they can still be better but this team is not the same cellar dweller they have been for years. People are starting to believe in this team and they are starting to believe in themselves. Pirates take on the last place Astros tonight at 8 here is hoping we can get to 500 tonight and maybe pick up a game towards first place.

can the buccos get Back to the big 500 tonight?

Gee is due for a bad game and the bats are due to wake up for "Electric stuff" Morton. In case you need a quick energy boost here is Kiss Fm's Morning Freak show Pirate rap to get you pumped for the game tonight. Mikey and Big Bob hold it down

bullpen fails to get it done cant get the sweep

Jeff Karstens was pitching a fairly great game no runs given up just a few hits scattered over 7 innings and then once again the bullpen let the game slip away Resop left one out over the plate for Chris Young and he blasted on for a two run shot. That was all it required tonight as the Buccos couldn't get anything going like they have the last 2 nights. The pirates did get a smattering of hit but just couldn't put a few together to plate any runners. On the plus side again we took 2 of three from what was a division leader and their is reason for real optimism in the Burgh. If a few of the bats stay hot like Cutch, Tabata, Walker and Xavier Paul this teams run production is bound to go up. Esspecially when Alverz and Doumit can come back and get get warm quickly. This team is one or two players from actually contending for the division. I know that sounds crazy looking at the standing right now but the pitching is that good. The hitting is bound to catch fire at some point. Lets see if we cant rough up the Mets tomorrow at home and give Gee his first loss of the year and get back to .500

Pens sign Craig Adams to 2 year extension. Sign Guerin to coaching contract

Yesterday the news came down that "Old Man" Billy Guerin had signed on to be the Player Development coach the Penguins organization, A role he informally had last year as he was with the baby pens. Guerin had a fairly illustrious career winning 2 Stanley Cups as well as amassing just short of a thousand total points spread out between 8 teams. He will be a great addition to the coaching staff and help develop younger players to get them ready for the next level.

Then today the news came down that the Pens had signed another Vet this time to a player contract. Craig Adams who has played an integral role on the pens for the last few seasons. Last season Adams lead the team in Short handed ice time with just over 3 minutes a game. He signed a 2 year deal worth $675,000 per year. This is the type of move that makes Ray Shero freaking brilliant. He is a cheap contributor that will play out this contract and hopefully get this team another cup.

McClutch!!!! Cutch walks off with the win

So im not afraid to tell you i have started and erased this game recap at least 3 times. This game will look like a pretty boring game in the box score but man was it a fun one to watch. Paul Malholm was dealing legit stuff. He only allowed 1 hit in 6 innings 3 walks and 4 strikeouts. Then the Bullpen got a little squirly. Resop came in and pitched a great inning the Veras came in for the 8th. He was 4 batters and was only able to get 1 out needless to say the 1 run lead was gone. Lefty Tony Watson made his MLB debut and finished off the 8th with two strike outs to stop the bleeding. Hanrahan came in for the 9th and gave his typical sick nasty closer stuff. Unfortunately though The offense couldn't push anyone across to win this one in regulation. Top of the 10th rolls around and Daniel Moskos Gave up a lead off walk. Dbacks played small ball and got the run to take the lead into the bottom half of the inning. The man of the hour McCutchen HIt a double to put himself in scoring position for Neil walkers single to bring him home and tie things right back up. Daniel McCutchen the guy that in my opiniong should have came in instead of veras in the 8th came out and pitched a solid 11th and 12th innings, NOt that he was stellarly getting guys out but allowed no runs after facing 9 hitters in 2 innings. Cutch stepped to the plate to lead off the bottom of the 12th. Th guy is on a rediculous tear and tonight was no different. He worked the count full against Zach Kroenke. He swong on a bit of an inside pitch and it was hit so high it had to have hit the jet stream that carried it out. A huge blast capped off Cutch's night tonight he went 3 for 5 with 2 rbis and 2 runs scored. just ridiculous. Not to be lost in all of this is the fact the team is back to .500 and this team really has a great shot at finishing over that mark right now. look at the lineup they are sending up there with quite a few injuries. When pedro comes back and doumit is ready to play every few days this team could be very good not to mention they may actually be buyers at the deadline. scary thought i know. but for now lets just revel in the walk off shot from tonight and enjoy this win.

Late game heroics prove to be just what the doctor ordered

The bucs bats once again were awake last night it just a big eighth to guarantee the win McCutchens hitting streak continued he has gone 12 of 24 in the last 6 games. Chris Snyder and Lyle Overbay both had multiple Rbi With Overbays Coming In the 8th on a base clearing double. Kevin Corriea was coasting through Until hitting a few bumps in the 5th inning where the dbacks scored 3 to take the lead that would only last a few more innings. Chris Resop ended up with the win and Joel Hanrahan closing it out in the 9th to get his 15th save of the year. Don't look now but our old buddy Zach Duke is on the mound today against us which means we should show him a proper welcome and blast his punk but for 10 in the first.

With the first pick in the 2011 mlb draft the Pittsburgh pirates select Gerrit Cole

They took the guy that they liked and think can help this team the most. Cole projects as a front of the rotation power pitcher that could become a number one if everything works out. He has a good era in college ball for the UCLA Bruins as well as solid career winning percentage. He was drafted by the Yankees a few years ago coming out of high school but decided to go to school instead of taking the cash offered. His win loss record isn't amazing this year but from just about every reasonable baseball mind out there he has a great chance of being a dominant pitcher in a few years. I think that Rendon falling to 6th shows that there is more to his injuries than meets the eye and I'm happy that the pirates too a guy who could be very very special.

In the second round the pirates may have gotten the steal of the draft assuming they can convince him to sign instead of going to Texas. Josh Bell is a switch hitting for power outfielder that projects to be a very very special hitter. He is coming out of high school so it will take a bit more time than Cole will to reach the majors if both continue on their projected paths but if he signs in my opinion they got a top 15 player at pick 61 which is pretty phenomenal.

The Pirates third round pick is another interesting hitter in Indiana Alex Dickerson. He is a decent sized lefty that projects better as a 1st baseman than a left fielder. He is not particularly fast or have an amazing glove but at first base speed isn't a huge issue and as long as he can learn to scoop ball s in the dirt he will be fine. His bat speed is impressive on tape and should equate to good power even with him having a bit of a down year after switching to the wood bats this year.

4th round pick of Colten Brewer out of High school out of Texas he is a young right handed pitcher that will almost def sign for at or around slot as he has a JUCO commitment.

In the 5th round the bucs grabbed another high school right handed pitcher in Tyler Glasnow. From his stats in high school he seems to have pretty decent stuff but will obviously take time to ready for the next level. He has committed to Portland University but i dont know that it will hinder his signing with the club.

6th round The bucs went for Dan Gamache 3rd baseman out Auburn. He hit .365 with 15 doubles and eight home runs, driving in 37 runs in 2010. He also had 7 stolen bases as well so he would seem to have a bit of speed. Another good pick for the farm system that is a bit slim on corners.

7th round pick is another Right Handed pitcher this time it was Jake Burnette out of Buford, Georgia. He is committed to Georgia tech. He may be a tough sign since his brother also went to GT and its in state.

8th round Jason Creasy out of North Carolina. this draft seems like its turning into last years draft with another Right handed pitcher. He is committed to NC state.

9th round Clay Holmes Right handed pitcher from Slocomb high school in Alabama

10th round Taylor Lewis left handed hitting outfielder From University of Maine Orono

11th round Jo-El Bennett-Lowe Right handed Outfielder From HOuston Academy (high school) in alabama

12th round Condon Myles Left haded hitting Outfielder From South Grand Prarie HIgh in texas

13 round Brandon Platts Right handed pitcher Mason city High Iowa

14th round Jordon Dunatov right handed hitting outfeilder from horizon High SChool in Arizona

15th round Kody Watts Right handed pitcher from Skyview High school

16th bucs finally go a bit different and go with Eric Skoglund A left handed pitcher from Sarasota HIgh School in Florida





Post will be updated as picks come in today.

The Bucs come back down to earth lose 7-3 to the phils

Its easy to point out the flaws in yesterday afternoons game the hits just never seemed to come with Brandon Wood being the Only Bucco with multiple hits, the pitching was good at times but the Phillies bats finally awoke from their slumber and ended their four game losing streak. Lets look at the bright side of things here though we took 2 of 3 from the NL Easts first place team. Neil Walker crushed another home run and is really starting to prove that he maybe one of the elite second basemen in the game right now. Don't forget as well that the draft starts in a little over 4 hours as well so even though there is no game to watch tonight at least we will have some excitement as the bucs decide who number 1 over all will be. Everyone seems to be saying it will be Gerrit Cole right handed pitcher from UCLA and i dont think that there is anybody that would say that they have an issue with that. The addition of cole would add to the stable of pitchers set to make their mark on the majors in the next few years in this organization.

Bucs take Phile to the "Wood" shed

Charlie Morton was his typical(for this season) Electric self, the bats were alive, it all seem to come together for the record setting crowd at PNC park. Morton Had another fantastic outing today going 7 innings allowing just 6 hits striking out 5 and seeming to get just about everyone else out with ground balls. They say he has taken this past off season to get his mechanics as close to Roy Halladay as possible. Well looking at his record and Era form last season to this season I'd say he has done a superb job of doing just that. For the 15th time in the last 16 games the pirates starting pitching has given up 2 or less earned run.

Tonight's game clearly had a bit of a different feel than last night and that was evident in the fact that in the first inning the Bucs scored on a McCutchen single then seeing Cutch scoring on a double by Overbay to give them a 2-1 lead. They never looked back. Overbay missed a cycle tonight by just a homer, he went three for 4 with a rbi and a run scored. McCutchen also had a great night at the plate also going 3 for 4 and 2 rbi. McCutchen has clearly been the best player on this team so far this year and should be an all star with some of his amazing catches in center and his prowess at the plate. The other big hit of the night was a blast by Brandon Wood Insert innuendo jokes here. It was great to see everything come together for this team tonight and hopefully that Mets game the other day was a wake up call for these guys and i don't want to jinx us but tomorrow we could sweep our way to 500.

Sid has been cleared and other off season stuff

So a few days ago Sid was cleared for off season activities which basically was what he was cleared for in the playoffs.  Off ice workouts which is good at least right now as everyone that isn't playing for Boston or Vancouver is also doing off ice workouts.  In a month or two once the team starts conditioning camps with the vets will be the true test.

So now that the captains issues have been put to as much rest as can be at this point we will move on to free agents.  GM Ray Shero has come out and said that Mike Comrie as well as Alex Kovalev will not be brought back in to the fold next season.  That leaves a few interesting role players that may or may not be skating in black and vegas gold next season.  Firstly we will talk about the restricted free agents.

Dusitn Jeffery should be resigned the kid showed he deserves to be in the nhl though he was injured and may not be ready for the seasons start depending on how his knee heals. id say 1 or 2 years would be a good amount of time for him. 

Tyler Kennedy will be a much tougher sell. i think their will be many teams that see him as a top 6 forward of the future, and they may be right.  He was a solid player for this team all season long with all the injuries and suspensions he seemed to be a fairly steadying force.  If the price is right for him id love to see him back on the team i just don't see it.  on the plus side we will get compensation for him if he is signed by someone else.

Aaron Asham is an interesting case he was a addition made in free agency that seem to only slightly pay off if at all.  He is a solid grinder 4th line type of guy but was hampered by injuries all season.  Unfortunately for him i think he is expendable though for the right price may be back.  He simply isnt a priority which may end up upsetting him and causeing him to look for greener pastures.

Mike Rupp has become a fan favorite and will likely be resigned for about what he made last year. i do not see Rupper going anywhere.  Then again I am not a GM and i have been surprised before.  If he ends up wanting a substantial raise he may be gone too.

Craig Adams is another 4th line guy that has become a fan favorite for his style of hard nosed tough play.  Its been said in the press that he is expecting a raise and probably deserves one. hopefully he wont price his way out of the burgh.

Max Talbot will always be remembered for his two goals in game 7 to win the cup in 09 but after two lack luster  seasons full of injuries and less than stellar numbers he unfortunately may be on his way out unless he is willing to stay in Pittsburgh on the cheap.

Pascal Dupuis is a solid two way player and is great on the penalty kill but his goals are simply not what a top 6winger should be without a pay cut he will certainly be gone.

Chris Conner played well in his time with the big club this season though his size may not allow him to be an everyday nhler with a 2 way contract it would be great to have him back.

Eric Goddard is simply a tough guy. I loved it when he jumped off the bench to stop those islander punks form trying to to beat up Brent Johnson but with the emergence of Deryk Engelland as the resident heavy weight he is simply not needed.

So in my personal opinion the pens need to look into forwards in the Free agent market to possibley land one or two top end or top end potential wingers and fill the rest of the spots from the farm system.

Karstens Pitches a gem Bucs win in extras

Jeff Karstens pitched a ridiculous game tonight against one of the best teams in the majors. He went 7 innings with a single earned run and just 4 hits. Now Cole Hammels had a pretty stellar night as well going 8 innings giving up just 1 run on 1 hit.  The bucs were able to draw 3 walks off of Hammels.  The Pirates bullpen put together a fanastic night just as the starter had with Evan Meek, Joel Hanrahan. Daniel McCutchen, and Daniel Moskos combined for 5 scoreless innings  with Meek being the only one to give up a hit.  With two outs in the bottom of the 12th inning Xavier Paul came up to bat to hit a single off of Phillies reliever Danys Báez. Then proceed to steal second base with Jose Tabata up to bat. He Hit a bloop single into short right field and Paul steamed around third to slide into the phils catcher to score the winning run in what was the antithesis of the disaster that was yesterdays game.  It  was a great win against a great team.  Maybe we can pull off tomorrows game with Charlie Morton on the mound.

Yesterday's debacle

It has taken me over 24 hours to even want to write about yesterdays game as it has annoyed me that much.  after a great first three innings the wheels slowly but surely fell off.  There were a few bright spots Xavier Paul had a fantastic day at the plate as well as a few stolen bases .  Neil Walker hit a huge blast which is tough to do in a pitchers park like Citi Field.  The bull pen fell apart yesterday with wild pitches.  Unfortunately Paul Maholm had an awful 6th inning and really didn't pitch as well as he has been this season.

So leaving the debacle of a 7 run lead slipping through our fingers we get to move on to the next game.  I'm sure we will fair better against our next opponents. Oh wait we have to play who? The Phillies?  Great looks like I'm gonna have a terrible weekend. Good luck to the buccos i think they may need it.

Huge first inning

So normally i don't know that i will be posting during the games too often but with that said today i am getting to watch the game on mlb network.  The top half of the first inning is exactly what the bucs needed to start this game off today. solid hitting smart base running and some good luck. now lets see how long this luck will last for the buccos today. looks like the wind is whipping a bit out there so its anyone's guess how this one will finish. 3-0 start is a great way to begin though.

Pirates meet last years road win total

So with last nights victory the bucs have gotten their 17th road victory of the year. A feet that took them a full season to accomplish last year.  The question that many should be asking this morning is what is different between this team and last years version of the battling buccos? Some might say that the pitching is the biggest difference with Kevin Corriea leading the way with his major league leading 8th victory of the season. You also could mention the resurrection of  Charlie "Electric Stuff" Morton's career this season which sees his ERA at a miniscule 2.51, in the top 5 of the majors. The bullpen has been a fairly bright spot as well with the emergence of some very formidable relievers like Daniel McCutchen (ERA of 1.54 in 23.1 innings pitched), Jose Veras (ERA of 2.42 in 22.1 innings pitched) and of course Joel Hanrahan (1.46 in 24.3 innings pitched and 14 of 14 in save opportunities). Obviously pitching has played a role but so has timely hitting.  Neil Walker for instance is leading the team in doubles with 12 not to mention his 6 home runs and an on base percentage of .335 and leading the team in run scored with 32 and runs batted in with 33. The lead of spot has also been very effective this season between Andrew McCutchen (9 home runs, slugging percentage of .453, and 10 stolen bases) and Jose Tabata (on base percentage of .353, 14 stolen bases, and 28 runs scored) have both been playing to their potential all season long.  When a few of the other big bats in this lineup like Pedro Alvarez, currently nursing a quadriceps injury that has had him out since the 20th of May, and Lyle Overbay, brought in to Pittsburgh mainly for fielding purposes but has hit for lack luster numbers, get going this team could actually surprise some folks with their ability to hang in games and maybe even do something that hasn't been done in Pittsburgh baseball since 1991.  Speaking of the '91 season this is the earliest the bucs have had 17 victories on the road since that fateful season. Clint Hurdle very well could be a big part of the reason for this turnaround as well.  He has put his stamp on this team this season. Though many cringe when you see a player like walker in the 7th inning yesterday lay down a bunt to move McCutchen to second when we are down by 2 runs you cant argue with the results.  While it has some fans, this one included, pulling their hair out when you are asking your best hitters to sacrifice bunt its that kind of small ball that is going to get this team over the 500 hump.  When you look at some of the smaller market teams and how they have been able to be successful its by playing that exact style of small ball.   So while most any fan has something that they might point to as to the turn around in this teams fortunes its probably a mixture of all of these things.  What ever the cause bucco nation is hoping it continues and we get to raise the jolly roger a bunch more times this season.