Pittsburgh Pirates (29-18) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (18-27)

May 24, 2013 – 8:10 pm
May 25, 2013 – 4:10 pm
May 26, 2013 – 2:10 pm

Miller Park – Milwaukee, WI

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Resources: Pirates Depth Chart | Bullpen Workload | Statistics

The Pirates went into Miller Park at the end of April with the chance to show what they were made of. Unfortunately, they lost two of three at the House of Horrors. They redeemed themselves last week at PNC, taking three of four from the Brew Crew, and get another shot at them this weekend. Fresh off a sweep of the Cubs, the Bucs have won 11 of their last 13 games and sit 11 games over the .500 mark. Milwaukee, on the other hand, is really struggling, having won just four of 20 games this month. It’s not 2010 anymore - time for the Pirates to go win some games against the Brewers.

Probable Starters:

Game 1 – A.J. Burnett (3-4, 2.57) vs. Marco Estrada (3-2, 5.44)

Game 2 – Jeff Locke (4-1, 2.73) vs. Mike Fiers (1-2, 5.93)

Game 3 – Wandy Rodriguez (5-2, 3.40) vs. Yovani Gallardo (3-4, 4.50)

Batting Leaders (Among Qualifiers):

Pitching Leaders (Among Qualifiers):

Opponent Blogs: Brew Crew Ball, Reviewing the Brew, The Brewers Bar

via @Pirates on Twitter

Player to Watch: Andrew McCutchen, who’s starting to put his foot on the gas pedal. Cutch has hits in five of his last six games, all of which were of the multi-hit variety. In that span, he’s hit .462 with a homer, five doubles, and a 1.251 OPS. McCutchen has hit .347 so far in May… Starting to catch fire, perhaps? He’s also a .300/.333/.600 hitter with 9 HR in 31 career games at Miller Park. Hopefully it’s a good weekend for Cutch and the Pirates.

Go Bucs

On Wednesday night, the Bucs took on the Cubs, with Francisco Liriano making his third start with his new team.  He threw seven innings of shutout ball, giving up just two hits while striking out nine.  He only got one run of offensive support, but it was enough to beat Chicago starter Jeff Samardzija, who went seven innings while giving up one run.  Garrett Jones knocked Cutch, who doubled, in with two down in the second inning, which turned out to be to lone run of the game.  The Shark Tank, sans Jason Grilli, stepped up once again, with Tony Watson pitching the eighth and Mark Melancon throwing the ninth, earning his first save with the Pirates.

Francisco Liriano in three outings so far: 18.0 IP, 2 runs, 14 hits, 25 K, 6 BB.

— Forbes to Federal (@ForbesToFederal) May 23, 2013

Pirates (28-18) – Cubs (18-27)

Win: Liriano (3-0)
Loss: Samardzija (2-6)
Save: Melancon (1)

BOX SCORE

The Bucs went for the sweep on Thursday afternoon, and not even a rain delay of over an hour could stop them.

In the first, two stolen bases helped them get a quick 2-0 lead against Edwin Jackson.  Travis Snider tripled in another run in the second, and Cutch followed with his second RBI-single in as many innings.

Jeanmar Gomez was in the midst of yet another solid start when the rain delay began.  He’d thrown 3.2 innings and given up a run, but the delay forced management to turn to Vin Mazzaro for the next 2.1 innings once play resumed.  Jose Contreras and Justin Wilson combined to pitch the next two innings, setting up Jason Grilli for the ninth.  Up 4-2, Grilli entered and struck out two of the three batters he faced, completing the sweep and getting the winning streak back up to four games.

Pirates (29-18) – Cubs (18-28)

Win: Mazzaro (3-0)
Loss: Jackson (1-7)
Save: Grilli (19)

BOX SCORE

Go Bucs

Note: Page may take time to load. If you are on a mobile device, you may need to click on GIF to watch full version.

Pedro Alvarez has made three spectacular plays down at third base in the last two nights…

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Exhibit C:

Keep it up, El Toro.

Go Bucs

Last weekend, the Pirates wore their own set of camouflage jerseys:

Pitcher Jeanmar Gomez models the Pirates’ camouflage jersey and hat on Friday, May 17th.

As you can see, the jersey was all-camo with the traditional names & numbers, and the hat was the classic black with a camo P.

On Monday, the Pirates and all teams across Major League Baseball will sport special uniforms to honor the military and celebrate Memorial Day. However, the jersey/hat combo will be the opposite of what we saw on Friday and Saturday.

The Memorial Day jerseys will have camouflage names & numbers, and the hats will feature a camo base with the traditional yellow P.

Here’s how the jersey looks:

And the hat:

Click HERE to purchase any of Major League Baseball’s Memorial Day attire. All proceeds are going to the “Welcome Back Veterans” charity.

Looking beyond the box score, the Pirates 5-4 win over the Cubs was actually pretty crazy. Inspired by “You Can’t Predict Baseball,” here’s a look at the unpredictable side of Tuesday night’s contest:

- Matt Garza – yes, the Cubs pitcher – hit a two-run double. (Video)

- Garza, fresh off the disabled list and on a strict pitch limit, carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning.

- Clint Barmes, who broke up Garza’s no-hitter, is 11-for-33 at the plate in his last 10 games.

- Pedro Alvarez drew a walk… with the bases loaded.

- Andrew McCutchen made two outs in the same inning.

- Travis Snider, who entered Tuesday with two home runs in his last 79 games, hit a pinch-hit grand slam. (GIF)

- Snider’s blast was the Pirates first pinch-hit grand slam since Jason Michaels‘ on June 2nd, 2008, the first at PNC Park since Craig Wilson‘s on July 17th, 2003, and the first go-ahead PH grand salami since Kevin Young‘s on August 31st, 1999.

- Darwin Barney started the game with a .192 batting average. He ended at .223, after going 4-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored.

- Mark Melancon threw 14 pitches – 13 strikes, 1 ball.

- Jason Grilli threw 35 pitches, his most in an outing since August 29th, 2011.

Sometimes, you just can’t predict baseball. Who knows what will happen next?

Go Bucs

The Pirates and Cubs kicked off a three-game series on Tuesday night, two days after the Bucs took two of three from the Astros.  With the help of a huge grand slam off the bat of Travis Snider, the Bucs were able to complete a comeback win and keep rolling.

The bottom of Chicago’s lineup was able to get to Wandy Rodriguez in the second, tagging him for three runs.  With two on and two out, Darwin Barney singled in a run, followed by pitcher Matt Garza, who lined a two-run double into RF that made it 3-0.  Wandy settled in and ended up going six innings, but his offense was giving him no support.  He exited the game after the sixth, down by three runs and in line for the loss, but the Bucs offense exploded in the bottom half of the inning.

Clint Barmes broke up Garza’s no-hitter with one out in the fifth, which got the bats warmed up for the sixth.  Hector Rondon replaced Garza, who was making his first start in ten months, at the beginning of the inning, and served up a leadoff double to Neil Walker.  After a groundout, a single and walk loaded the bases.  The Cubs opted for another pitcher, James Russell, who fell down 3-0 to the first batter he faced, Pedro Alvarez.  El Toro then took a strike and whiffed at the next pitch, making the count full.  After a foul ball, he took a ball in the dirt to walk and bring home the first run of the game for the Bucs.  After ANOTHER pitching change, Shawn Camp came in and got the second out of the inning.  Clint Hurdle then made the call to pinch-hit Travis Snider for Clint Barmes, and it paid major dividends.  Snider poked a 3-1 changeup out to left-center field, just clearing it over the wall by a foot or two.  The grand salami made it 5-3, and the offensive outburst continued.  Jordy Mercer followed by roping a double down the LF line, and two batters later, the bases were loaded again, this time for Cutch.  He lined out to left, but the damage was done and the Bucs now had the lead.

Justin Wilson got into some trouble in the seventh, but got out unscathed.  Mark Melancon needed just 14 pitches, 13 of which were strikes, to get through the eighth.  In the ninth, Jason Grilli‘s perfect save record was in danger after giving up a one-out triple.  He then got a popup for the second out, but lost the next batter to a walk.  Starlin Castro flicked a single out to RF, cutting the lead down to one run and putting runners on the corners.  After working the count full against Anthony Rizzo, Grilli fooled him with a slider that he whiffed on to end the game.

via @Pirates on Twitter

Pirates (27-18) – Cubs (18-26)

Win: Rodriguez (5-2)
Loss: Russell (1-1)
Save: Grilli (18)

BOX SCORE

Go Bucs

Here’s a GIF of Travis Snider’s pinch-hit grand slam:

Pittsburgh Pirates (26-18) vs. Chicago Cubs (18-25)

May 21, 2013 – 7:05 pm
May 22, 2013 – 7:05 pm
May 23, 2013 – 12:35 pm

PNC Park – Pittsburgh, PA

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Follow us on Twitter @ForbesToFederal.

Resources: Pirates Depth Chart | Bullpen Workload | Statistics

The Pirates wrap up their long homestand with a three-game set against the Cubs. They dropped two of three to Chicago in the opening series of the season. It’d be nice for the Bucs to win their fourth consecutive series, especially with some tougher opponents on deck. Before their next off-day, they have Milwaukee on the road, a home-and-home against Detroit, then three-game sets against Cincinnati (home) and Atlanta (road). Time for the Bucs to show what they’re capable of.

Probable Starters:

Game 1 – Wandy Rodriguez (4-2, 3.25) vs. Matt Garza (0-0, -.–)

Game 2 – Francisco Liriano (2-0, 1.64) vs. Jeff Samardzija (2-5, 3.49)

Game 3 – Jeanmar Gomez (2-0, 2.78) vs. Edwin Jackson (1-6, 5.76)

Batting Leaders (Among Qualifiers):

Pitching Leaders (Among Qualifiers):

Opponent Blogs: Bleed Cubbie Blue, Cubbies Crib, The Cub Reporter

Player to Watch: Francisco Liriano, who’s been sharp in two outings so far. He’s 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA, though he’s been most impressive in the strikeout department – Liriano has punched out 16 batters in 11 innings, equating to a 13.1 K/9 rate. It’ll be interesting to see if he can keep it up against the Cubs.

Go Bucs

Tyler Glasnow Profile

Born: August 23, 1993

Position: Pitcher

Bats: Left

Throws: Right

Height: 6’7″

Weight: 195 lbs.

Drafted in the 5th round of the 2011 MLB Draft.

In terms of Pirates pitching prospects, Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon are the top two names. But another pitcher to start watching is 19-year-old Tyler Glasnow.

Glasnow is currently apart of the Class A West Virginia Power. Players in the past have enjoyed breakout seasons at West Virginia, such as Gregory Polanco and Alen Hanson in 2012, and it appears that Glasnow is on that track. In eight outings this season, he’s 3-0 with a 2.12 ERA. He’s posted an excellent 13.2 K/9, as well as a .123 opponent batting average. Glasnow has struck out 34 batters in his last four games, surrendering just four runs in that span.

Here are his career numbers so far:

A scouting report from Baseball Prospect Nation:

Here’s a video of him pitching in 2012:

Pirates Prospects ranked Glasnow as the eighth best prospect in the Pirates system. MLB.com had him listed at #19 in their rankings.

You can follow him on Twitter at @TGlasnow.

West Virginia Power Pitching Stats | West Virginia Power Batting Stats

Photo: MiLB.com

It’s always difficult to please Pittsburgh sports fans. Whether it is poor use of the bullpen or foolishly calling for a bunt, Bucco fanatics often call out Clint Hurdle for his in-game management. One thing that he’s taken some criticism for is the way he formulates his club’s lineup.

The batting order usually isn’t critiqued when the team is ripping the cover off the ball and things are going well. But when a losing streak strikes or flaws are exposed, some fans like to see a more consistent lineup, rather than incorporating a revolving door of players.

Hurdle and the Pirates (26-18, tied for 2nd place in NL Central, 2.5 games back) continue to use a variety of batting orders. In 44 games, they’ve used a total of 32 different orders (excluding pitchers). When you do factor in pitchers, they’ve used 42 different combinations, which is pretty crazy.

Here’s how that ranks among the rest of the National League Central:

As you can see, the Pirates have more batting order combos than any other team in the division.

Here are the Bucs’ most common lineups:

Outside of Starling Marte hitting leadoff and Andrew McCutchen batting third, it’s tough to set a lineup with this squad. As long as he’s the starter, Clint Barmes bats eighth. Russell Martin, who’s hitting .276 with six home runs and an .881 OPS, is pretty flexible, as is Neil Walker. Hurdle & Co. wanted Pedro Alvarez to take possession of the cleanup spot, but he’s been used mostly in the six-hole. Other variables to consider are platoons between Garrett Jones & Gaby Sanchez and Travis Snider & Jose Tabata.

As long as the Pirates keep winning, it shouldn’t matter how their lineup looks.

Go Bucs

Photo: Creative Commons | Stats via Baseball-Reference