Down at the Ballpark

And So it begins.....2006

2006-04-02T10:02:00.000-05:00

The Pirates are set to open their 2006 season on the road as they will visit the Milwakee Brewers for a three game set beginning on Monday April 3rd.

Oliver Perez will start for the Pirates, earning his 2nd straight opening day start, and face off against Doug Davis who was 11-11 last season with a 3.84 ERA.

The Pirates will attempt to be above .500 this season for the 1st time since 1992 and new Manager Jim Tracey feels that that goal is well within reach.

Tenative Batting Order
1. Chris Duffy, CF:
2. Jack Wilson, SS:
3. Sean Casey, 1B:
4. Jason Bay, LF:
5. Jeromy Burnitz, RF:
6. Joe Randa, 3B:
7. Jose Castillo, 2B:
8. Ryan Doumit, C:

Starter Rotation
1. Oliver Perez, LHP:
2. Victor Santos, RHP:
3. Zach Duke, LHP:
4. Ian Snell, LHP:
5. Paul Maholm, LHP:

USA Today's Pirates Outlook

2006-03-21T11:56:00.000-05:00

By Mel Antonen, USA TODAY
BRADENTON, Fla. — In two seasons, outfielder Jason Bay has been the National League rookie of the year, hit better than .300 and made an All-Star team.
He figures it's time to have a winning season.

"It's a fun time to be a Pittsburgh Pirate," Bay says. "It's a different feel from the last few years. This year we are banking on guys with a big-league track record instead of kids trying to do extraordinary things."

Optimism is flowing because the Pirates, whose last winning record was in 1992 when they won the NL East in the two-division format, have a promising young rotation and a strong bullpen.

Story Continues at
USAToday.com

Wilson Signs Extention

2006-02-28T22:09:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday the 28th the Pirates announced they had come to terms with SS Jack Wilson to a 3 year $20 million extention to his contract with an option year in 2010. Wilson signed the extention so to be able to stay in Pittsburgh as it was rumored that if he had become a free agent at the end of this season he would not be back in the Black and Gold come 2007.

Pirates, Reds to play in HOF game

2006-01-20T12:32:00.000-05:00

The Baseball Hall of Fame announced Tuesday that the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds have been selected to participate in the 2006 Hall of Fame Game on May 15 at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, N.Y.

The Hall of Fame Game has been scheduled annually since 1940, and it is the only big league exhibition game that will be played during the 2006 regular season.

The Pirates, who will be the home team for the contest, are 1-3-1 all-time in Hall of Fame Game appearances. The Bucs last participated in this venue in 1980, when they defeated the Chicago White Sox, 11-8. Pittsburgh also made appearances in the 1949, 1959, 1968 and 1973 contests.

Read the rest of this article at: Pirates.com

SI's John Donovan Ranks the Bucs Moves

2006-01-20T12:19:00.000-05:00

PITTSBURGH PIRATES
Moving in/moving out: GM Dave Littlefield signed a slugger he needed -- Cubs free agent Jeromy Burnitz -- capping a very good run for the Pirates. The Bucs also found a useful hitter and great clubhouse guy in first baseman Sean Casey (who came in a trade with the Reds for lefty starter Dave Williams). Ditto for third baseman Joe Randa (a free agent from San Diego). They also bought reliever Roberto Hernandez (2.58 ERA in 67 appearances for the Mets in '05) and filled out the bullpen. Their closer (Mike Gonzalez) is untested, and their rotation is pretty young. But the Pirates are looking up.

Lowdown: Littlefield would like a little more power from his corner infield spots, but Randa and Casey are respectable at getting on base, at least. The Pirates will rely on the revamped lineup and their young, talented rotation (Oliver Perez, Zach Duke, Kip Wells, Paul Maholm) to get them to .500 or better, somewhere they haven't been since 1992.

GRADE: Safe and steady is starting to pay off -- B.

Bucs Resign C. Wilson

2006-01-15T10:37:00.000-05:00

With rumors of his trade floating around due to the the recent fee-agent signings, the Pirates managed to ovoid arbitration and resign Craig Wilson to a one year $3.3 million deal.

Wilson had a career best 29 home runs and 80 RBI in 2004 but saw his number decline last year due to a pair of hand injuries that kept him out of 2/3 of the season limiting him to only 197 at bats in 59 games, in which he batted .264 with 5 home runs.

Craig is the all time leader in pich hit homeruns for the Pirates with 11, and this could come in handy for the Pirates as with the signing of both jeromy Burnitz and Sean Casey Wilson should see alot of pinch hitting duty in 2006.

Curve Owners Make Purchase, Upgrades

2006-01-13T10:07:00.000-05:00

Capitol Broadcasting Company has agreed to sell the minor-league Myrtle Beach Pelicans to a group headed by a Pittsburgh lawyer.

Charles Greenberg, a part owner of two minor league teams in Pennsylvania, leads the group buying the Single-A Pelicans, an affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Greenberg is also part owner of the Double-A Altoona Curve and the Single-A State College Spikes.

The sale price was not disclosed.

The Pelicans relocated to Myrtle Beach from Durham after the 1997 season. The Triple-A franchise that replaced them retained the Durham Bulls name. That team is also owned by Capitol Broadcasting, the owner of CBS affiliate WRAL and Fox affiliate WRAZ.

Curve announce improvements to ballpark

The Altoona Curve announced Wednesday that more than $1 million in privately-financed improvements will be made to Blair County Ballpark in Altoona as well as revealing some aspects of the Spikes stadium in State College.

Highlighting the upgrades, the team announced the addition of a brand-new, 1,000 square foot high-definition video board. The new board, which measures 50 feet wide and 20 feet high, will be part of a larger 81x 38 structure. By comparison, the existing structure is 66x38.

The Spikes' Medlar Field at Lubrano Park this coming June. The brand-new structure will measure 66 feet wide and 42.5 feet high and will feature a large video screen approximately 30x17. Similar to Blair County Ballpark's new scoreboard, Medlar Field's board will also include an LED linescore display and multi-color LED message center.

In addition, Curve Baseball LP also announced plans for other improvements and additions to Blair County Ballpark which will take place over the next few seasons. Among the proposed improvements fans can expect to see at or around BCB in the near future, include a brand-new playing surface, an outdoor marquee to be used for displaying upcoming ballpark events and other team information and a newly-constructed ticket office and team merchandise store.

Blog Activity

2006-01-08T11:41:00.000-05:00

Just as a little note to readers, the postings of the blog will start to pick up here in the next few weeks or so as activity in the baseball world also picks up, look forward to reports from Pirate Fest and photographs as well as reports when camp opens.

O's Miffed at Burnitz

2006-01-08T11:36:00.000-05:00

Well seems that the Baltimore Orioles are less then enthused with Jeromy Burnitz's signing with the Pirates, feeling that they had an oral agrement with him to sign with them. Language in the contract about the impending physical for the Orioles was stated as one of the reasons that deal fell thru according to the following that was on espn.com.

PITTSBURGH -- Jeromy Burnitz finalized his $6.7 million, one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates after taking a physical Wednesday, but only after the unhappy Baltimore Orioles said the outfielder's agent backed out of a two-year deal.Burnitz never took the physical called for in that agreement. Burnitz's agent, Howard Simon, said that language regarding the physical resulted in the breakdown of Baltimore's deal.
Burnitz's Pirates contract calls for a $6 million salary this year and a $6 million mutual option for 2007 with a $700,000 buyout if the team declines its option. Baltimore thought Burnitz had agreed to a $12 million, two-year contract with the Orioles last week.

"My feeling is we had an agreement," Orioles vice president of baseball operations Jim Duquette said Wednesday. "Obviously, the agent didn't feel we did. My personal feeling is it sets a bad precedent when that's allowed to happen."
"There was harsh, intimidating language that appears to be very subjective and open-ended. ... The club almost has the right to do whatever it wants, at its option," Simon said. "That's how complicated the language is. The other clubs simply have one line that states it is subject to the player passing a physical. That's what Pittsburgh's document has."

Because of the contract language, Burnitz and Simon apparently felt the Orioles could have delayed completing the deal for as long as they wanted after the physical -- even while shopping for other players, such as Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez.

Duquette thinks Burnitz simply had a change of heart. An Orioles official he didn't identify spoke with Burnitz last weekend.

"We got hold of the player, and the player said he had a change of heart and for family reasons wanted to play in the National League because of the trips to San Diego and Los Angeles, which are close to home," Duquette said. "I'll believe that over the other one."

Duquette said that in 15 years of negotiating contracts he has never had a player not finalize a deal because of the language concerning the physical.

"I'll believe what the player said and give him the benefit of the doubt," Duquette said.

Simon is unhappy that the Orioles are trying to paint Burnitz as the villain and said the ballclub broke an agreement that neither side would disclose the signing until the contract was finalized.

Information and quotes from ESPN.COM

Pirates Sign Gerut

2005-12-31T12:08:00.000-05:00

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Outfielder Jody Gerut signed an $875,000, one-year contract Tuesday with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

He made $356,200 last season for the Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs and Pirates. He was dealt by Chicago to Pittsburgh for outfielder Matt Lawton on July 31, but a knee injury limited Gerut to 18 at-bats with the Pirates.

Gerut, expected to compete for the right field job, could make an additional $75,000 in bonuses based on plate appearances.

He batted .253 with one homer and 14 RBIs in 170 at-bats overall. He hit .279 with 22 homers and 75 RBIs in 127 games with Cleveland as a rookie in 2003.

Source: Pirates.com

Coaching Position Filled

2005-11-28T23:44:00.000-05:00

The Pirates filled their 2nd to last coaching vacancy this past Friday by naming naming Jeff Manto hitting coach.

Manto joined the Pirates as a roving hitting instructor on Oct. 17, 2002, after managing Philadelphia's Class A Lakewood team in 2002 and serving as a coach with Lakewood in 2001. He played nine seasons in the Major Leagues from 1990-2000 with the Indians, Phillies, Orioles, Red Sox, Mariners, Tigers, Yankees and Rockies. In 289 Major League games, Manto batted .230 with 31 home runs and 97 RBIs.

Manto's only previous big league coaching experience came when he was added to the Pirates staff last September at the conclusion of the Minor League season.

The only remaining position in the coaching staff to fill is that of 3rd Base Coach.

In Honor of Thanksgiving........

2005-11-28T23:39:00.000-05:00

Seems Tike Redman's days with the Pirates has come to an end
(get what is meant by the title of this entry.......wait...wait...ok got it?)

PITTSBURGH -- Outfielder Tike Redman's 10-year association with the Pittsburgh Pirates came to an end on Monday when he was dealt to the New York Mets for cash.

The Pirates also released outfielder Michael Restovich on Monday, both players had been removed from Pittsburgh's 40-man roster on Nov. 18.

Redman was Pittsburgh's fifth-round choice in the 1996 First-Year Player Draft and the lone remaining member of the 2000 squad that closed Three Rivers Stadium. He became the Pirates' regular center fielder after batting .330 during the final two months of the 2003 season and led the National League in hits during that stretch.

However, by the middle of last season, Redman had fallen out of favor with team management due to his inconsistent defensive play. He lost his starting job to rookie Chris Duffy and was limited mostly to pinch-hitting duties down the stretch. Redman finished the year with a .251 batting average, two home runs and 26 RBIs in 135 games.

Restovich saw only limited playing time with the Pirates in 2005, after being acquired from the Colorado Rockies on May 11. In 52 games with Pittsburgh, Restovich went 18-for-84 (.214) with two home runs and five RBIs.

That Boy Ain't Quite Right

2005-11-21T18:48:00.000-05:00

So to deprive us fans of making any more King of the Hill reference and or jokes at the ballpark the Pirates traded infielder Bobby Hill to the San Diego Padres on Monday for a player to be named later, which will no doubt be someone you have never heard about...but later.

Hill was left off of the Pirates' 40-man roster Friday and they had 10 days to trade or release Hill after designating him for assignment.

Hill hit .269 in 93 at-bats with Pittsburgh last season before being optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on July 22. After batting .241 with five RBIs in 35 games with Indianapolis, Hill was not included among the Bucs' September callups.

In 2004, Hill was the Pirates' Opening Day starter at second base. He went on to hit .266 in 123 games while being used primarily off the bench as a pinch-hitter. His 16 pinch-hits that season fell three shy of tying a club record.

40 Man Roster Finalized

2005-11-20T16:50:00.000-05:00

On Friday the announced a dozen personnel moves to finalize their 40-Man roster.

Added to the Roster:
RHP Josh Sharpless
IF Yurendell De Caster
IF Craig Stansberry
IF Javier Guzman

Reinstated from 60 Day-DL:
P Sean Burnett
P John Van Benschoten
2B Jose Castillo
CF Chris Duffy

Designated for Assignment:
CF Tike Redman
IF Bobby Hill
OF Michael Restovich
P Jeff Miller

Cuban Told No

2005-11-08T09:55:00.000-05:00

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is interested in buying his hometown Pittsburgh Pirates, but the ownership told him the team isn't for sale despite its ongoing streak of 13 consecutive losing seasons.

In an e-mail response to The Associated Press, Cuban said Monday he looked into buying the team recently but, "they told me they have no interest in selling."

Cuban's interest in the team he grew up rooting for is well known, but this is the first time he has acknowledged wanting to buy the Pirates. Previously, he said he would look into acquiring a stake only if the Pirates were put up for sale or if acquiring a lesser share of the team would help keep it in Pittsburgh.

"The Pirates are not for sale," club vice president Patty Paytas said, responding to Cuban's comment.

The Pirates were bought 10 years ago by a group assembled by newspaper heir Kevin McClatchy, the managing general partner. The largest investor is Wheeling, W.Va., newspaper publisher G. Ogden Nutting and his two sons, who were initially brought into the group by McClatchy in 1996 and have since acquired at least a 25 percent stake of the 119-year-old franchise.

While McClatchy's group probably prevented the franchise from moving elsewhere and was successful in persuading lawmakers to build PNC Park, the team has had 10 consecutive losing seasons since the purchase and only once has finished within five games of .500.

The Pirates had the third-lowest payroll in the majors last season and have declined to actively pursue upper-tier free agents, attempting instead to build with lower-priced prospects.

That probably wouldn't be the case under Cuban, a billionaire who has spent millions building the Mavericks into one of the NBA's top franchises, though they have yet to win an NBA title since he acquired them in 2000.

Cuban also attempted to buy into a Pittsburgh sports team before purchasing the Mavericks, talking with Mario Lemieux's ownership group as it was buying the NHL's then-bankrupt Pittsburgh Penguins in 1999. But the group wanted Lemieux to be the face and voice of the organization, and was unwilling to allow Cuban to play an active role in the team's day-to-day operations.

Pirates Sign Williams

2005-10-27T13:59:00.000-05:00

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Left-hander Dave Williams, the only Pirates starter to win 10 games last season, chose not to go to salary arbitration and signed a $1.4 million, one-year contract Monday with Pittsburgh.

Williams didn't secure his job as the Pirates' fifth starter until the final week of spring training, then led the staff in victories by going 10-11 with a 4.41 ERA in 25 starts. He missed his final four starts with a strain in his left rib cage.

The 26-year-old Williams pitched his first career shutout Aug. 14 at Houston and was 7-4 on the road, but was 3-7 with 16 home runs allowed at PNC Park.

Williams gets a raise of $1,070,000 from the $330,000 he made last season. The deal includes incentives of $40,000 for 160 innings or 50 games pitched, $60,000 for 180 innings or 60 games pitched and $125,000 for 200 innings.

Postseason Scores

2005-10-05T14:08:00.000-05:00

Although the Pirates have long ago been eliminated from the playoff picture some of you may want to keep track of how those who did make the playoffs are doing. Well ok more like "see if the Yankees or Cardinals are getting their kiesters handed to them" but anyway Andrew Clem has a good page that he will keep track of the various series in.

Clem's Post-Season Page

Figure its better to just direct you there instead of basically retyping the results every day, I will add this sub-page of his to the links section here as well.

Littlefield calls Tracy a 'strong candidate'

2005-10-05T07:43:00.000-05:00

AP PITTSBURGH -- Former Dodgers manager Jim Tracy appears to be the front-runner for the Pittsburgh Pirates' job that opened last month when Lloyd McClendon was fired during his fifth consecutive losing season.
Tracy and Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield have ties dating to their days together in the Montreal Expos' organization, when Tracy managed at Double-A Harrisburg -- his 1993 team had a 94-44 record -- and Triple-A Ottawa, and Littlefield was a scouting supervisor and the director of player development.

Tracy went 427-383 in five seasons with the Dodgers. Last month, Pirates managing general partner Kevin McClatchy said he wanted a manager who, unlike McClendon, had previous big league managing experience.

The Dodgers won 93 games and the NL West title in 2004, but Tracy was unhappy after general manager Paul DePodesta largely dismantled that club by trading catcher Paul Lo Duca during the season and shedding Adrian Beltre, Alex Cora, Shawn Green and Steve Finley after the season.

Continued...

NJ Team to move to State College

2005-10-04T13:29:00.000-05:00

Altoona Curve management on Monday reached a sales agreement with the New Jersey Cardinals of the New York-Penn League. The single-A minor-league franchise, pending approval from various organizations, will become the to-be-named State College Professional Baseball Club.

The sale will not be official until it is approved by the New York-Penn League, Minor League Baseball and Major League Baseball. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The Curve's 19-man ownership group had been searching for a franchise for the last few years, continuing that search as ground was broken for the new stadium in May.

Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, a 6,000-seat, $24-million facility adjacent to Beaver Stadium, is expected to be completed in June 2006, in time for the start of the New York-Penn League season. The Penn State baseball team will begin play there in 2007.

Williamsport Falls in Series Opener

2005-09-11T09:21:00.000-05:00

A- Short Season
Willamsport at Staten Island (Down in Series 1-0)

9/10 Staten Island 1 Williamsport 0
9/12 Williamsport at Staten Island 7:10
9/13 Williamsport at Staten Island 7:10 * if nessesary

Indy and Altoona Force Game 5

2005-09-11T09:17:00.000-05:00

AAA Indianapolis Indians (Series Tied 2-2)

WED 9/07 Buffalo 5 Indianapolis 1
THU 9/08 Buffalo 6 Indianapolis 5
FRI 9/09 Indianapolis 5 Buffalo 2
SAT 9/10 Indianapolis 1 Buffalo 1
SUN 9/11 Indianapolis at Buffalo 6:05 p.m.

AA Altoona Curve (Series Tied 2-2)

9/07 Akron 11 Altoona 7
9/08 Akron 6 Altoona 4
9/09 Altoona 3 Akron 0
9/10 Altoona,6 Akron 3
9/11 Altoona at Akron, 2:05

Williamsport Opens Series Tonight

2005-09-10T08:54:00.000-05:00

Williamsport will face off against the Staten Island Yankees in a best of 3 series in the NY-Penn League playoffs,

9/10 Staten Island at Williamsport 7:05
9/12 Williamsport at Staten Island 7:10
9/13 Williamsport at Staten Island 7:10 * if nessesary

Minor Leage Playoff Results for Friday

2005-09-10T08:43:00.000-05:00

For games already played the bold name is the home team.

AAA Indianapolis Indians (Down in Series 2-1)

WED 9/07 Buffalo 5 Indianapolis 1
THU 9/08 Buffalo 6 Indianapolis 5
FRI 9/09 Indianapolis 5 Buffalo 2
SAT 9/10 Indianapolis at Buffalo 7:05 p.m.
SUN 9/11 Indianapolis at Buffalo 6:05 p.m. * if necessary

AA Altoona Curve (Down in Series 2-1)

9/07 Akron 11 Altoona 7
9/08 Akron 6 Altoona 4
9/09 Altoona 3 Akron 0
9/10 Akron at Altoona, 7:05
9/11 Altoona at Akron, 2:05 * if necessary

Bombs Away! Bucs Win!

2005-09-10T08:34:00.000-05:00

From the AP Wire

CINCINNATI Pittsburgh's Oliver Perez made his first start in more than 10 weeks, but it was Jason Bay and the Pirates who made Cincinnati's Luke Hudson look rusty.

Bay continued his recent road success by hitting a pair of two-run homers, leading the Pirates over the Cincinnati Reds 8-4 on Friday night.

Bay went 2-for-4 to improve to .400 (28-for-70) with 20 RBI and 20 runs in his last 20 road games.

Nate McLouth and Jack Wilson each had two hits and scored two runs to help send the Reds to their third loss in four games, all on their current homestand.

Perez made his first start since breaking his left big toe on June 26 at St. Louis. The left-hander lasted 4 1/3 innings, two outs short of the minimum needed to qualify for a win, and gave up five hits and three runs with two walks and five strikeouts. He threw 89 pitches, 54 of them strikes.

Ryan Vogelsong (1-1) relieved Perez with runners on first and third and got Adam Dunn to hit into an inning-ending double play to get credit for the win.

Bay homered in the second and eighth innings for the Pirates, who won consecutive games for the first time since mid-August.

The Pirates capitalized on Hudson's control problems in the first, scoring two runs on just one hit, McLouth's leadoff single. Hudson, who threw 29 pitches in the inning, hit Jack Wilson and walked Bay before walking Craig Wilson with the bases loaded and giving up Rob Mackowiak's sacrifice fly.

Pittsburgh added three runs with two outs in the second inning on McLouth's single to right, Jack Wilson's double down the left-field line and Bay's 27th homer.

The Pirates made it 6-1 in the third on Mackowiak's leadoff walk, Freddy Sanchez's one-out double and Perez's sacrifice fly, his first RBI of the season.

Hudson (6-8) was replaced after hitting McLouth, his third hit batter in 2 2/3 innings. He allowed six runs on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts.

Hudson has allowed a combined 11 runs in 5 2/3 innings while losing his last two starts after going 4-1 with a 3.64 ERA in August.

Dunn hit his 11th homer of the season against left-handers and 37th overall with two outs in the first inning. Dunn also scored from second on Wily Mo Pena's two-out single in the fifth.

Reds rookie Chris Denorfia led off the bottom of the fifth with his first career hit, a home run to make it 6-3. Rich Aurilia led off the sixth with a bunt single up the third-base line, moved to third on Sean Casey's single to center and scored on Pena's sacrifice fly.

Bay added another two-run homer off Kent Mercker in the eighth for an 8-4 lead.

Minor Leage Playoff Results for Thursday

2005-09-09T09:08:00.000-05:00

For games already played the bold name is the home team.

AAA Indianapolis Indians (Down in Series 2-0)

WED 9/07 Buffalo 5 Indianapolis 1
THU 9/08 Buffalo 6 Indianapolis 5
FRI 9/09 Indianapolis at Buffalo 7:05 p.m.
SAT 9/10 Indianapolis at Buffalo 7:05 p.m. * if necessary
SUN 9/11 Indianapolis at Buffalo 6:05 p.m. * if necessary

AA Altoona Curve (Down in Series 2-0)

9/07 Akron 11 Altoona 7
9/08 Akron 6 Altoona 4
9/09 Akron at Altoona, 7:05
9/10 Akron at Altoona, 7:05 * if necessary
9/11 Altoona at Akron, 2:05 * if necessary

A Lynchburg Hillcats (Eliminated 2-0)

9/07 Frederick 3 Lynchburg 2
9/08 Frederick 7 Lynchburg 6

Pirates Snap Home Streak

2005-09-09T08:54:00.000-05:00

Pittsburgh Pirates interim manager Pete Mackanin joked that he hoped his first win would come in a laugher.

Mackanin didn't get his wish Thursday afternoon at PNC Park, but he was in no mood to complain after the Bucs rallied for an 8-7 win in 12 innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks, to avoid becoming the first club in franchise history to drop 11 consecutive home games.

The marathon game of nearly four hours featured numerous late-inning lead changes before catcher Humberto Cota gave the Pirates their first home win since Aug. 23 with an RBI single in the bottom of the 12th off Arizona reliever Buddy Groom (0-1). Four innings earlier, Cota had given the Pirates a 5-4 lead heading to the ninth.

Cota, who has seen his playing time dwindle with the emergence of rookie catcher Ryan Doumit, downplayed his clutch performance.

Cota's eighth-inning efforts nearly went for naught when Bucs closer Jose Mesa served up a three-run home run to Diamondbacks first baseman Tony Clark in the top of the ninth inning. For the usually reliable Mesa, it was his third consecutive blown save.

The Pirates are on the road this weekend for 3 games against the Cincinatti Reds then off to take on the St. Louis Cardinals for a 3 game series as well.

Minor League Playoff Results for Weds

2005-09-08T07:49:00.000-05:00

For games already played the bold name is the home team.

AAA Indianapolis Indians (Down in Series 1-0)

WED 9/07 Buffalo 5 Indianapolis 1
THU 9/08 Buffalo at Indianapolis 8:00 p.m.
FRI 9/09 Indianapolis at Buffalo 7:05 p.m.
SAT 9/10 Indianapolis at Buffalo 7:05 p.m. * if necessary
SUN 9/11 Indianapolis at Buffalo 6:05 p.m. * if necessary

AA Altoona Curve (Down in Series 1-0)

9/07 Akron 11 Altoona 7
9/08 Altoona at Akron, 7:05
9/09 Akron at Altoona, 7:05
9/10 Akron at Altoona, 7:05 * if necessary
9/11 Altoona at Akron, 2:05 * if necessary

A Lynchburg Hillcats (Down in Serries 1-0)

9/07 Frederick 3 Lynchburg 2
9/08 Frederick at Lynchburg 7:05 pm
9/09 Frederick at Lynchburg 6:35 pm (if necessary)

NY-Penn Playoffs, Williamsport In!

2005-09-07T22:57:00.000-05:00

The Williamsport Crosscutters have qualified for the playoffs for the fourth time in the last five years after a 4-3 win over Staten Island Wednesday night at Bowman Field.

Williamsport will meet the Staten Island Yankees in a best-of-three semifinal series.

Game 1 Saturday Sept 10th 7:05 at Williamsport
Game 2 at Staten Island
Game 3 at Staten Island (if necessary)

International League Playoff Schedule

2005-09-07T19:47:00.000-05:00

To make it 3 teams in the Pirates System so far to qualify for the playoffs the Indianapolis Indians will face off against Buffalo in a best of five serries in an attempt to advance to play for the Goveneor's Cup in 2005.

First Round
WED 9/07 Buffalo at Indianapolis 8:00 p.m.
THU 9/08 Buffalo at Indianapolis 8:00 p.m.
FRI 9/09 Indianapolis at Buffalo 7:05 p.m.
SAT 9/10 Indianapolis at Buffalo 7:05 p.m. * if necessary
SUN 9/11 Indianapolis at Buffalo 6:05 p.m. * if necessary

Southern League Playoff Schedule

2005-09-07T19:40:00.000-05:00

The Pirates Advanced Level A team has made the playoffs in the Southern League and will face off in a best of three series against Frederick starting tonight the schedule is as follows.

NORTHERN DIVISION

Wed., Sept. 7--Lynchburg at Frederick 6:30 pm
Thu., Sept. 8—Frederick at Lynchburg 7:05 pm
Fri., Sept. 9—Frederick at Lynchburg 6:35 pm (if necessary)

Eastern Leage Playoff Schedule

2005-09-07T19:36:00.000-05:00

The Pirates AA Team the Altoona Curve will face off against the Akron Aeros in a best of five series in the Eastern League Playoffs for the Southern Division Championship

Game One
Wednesday, September 7
Altoona at Akron, 7:05

Game Two
Thursday, September 8
Altoona at Akron, 7:05

Game Three
Friday, September 9
Akron at Altoona, 7:05

Game Four (if necessary)
Saturday, September 10
Akron at Altoona, 7:05

Game Five (if necessary)
Sunday, September 11
Altoona at Akron, 2:05

Vote for Man of the Year

2005-09-07T19:28:00.000-05:00

Jack Wilson has been named the Pirates canidate for MLB's Man of the Year, their reason is as follows.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Jack Wilson
This past July, Jack hosted the inaugural Bowling with the Bucs charity tournament, which raised over $10,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He also served as the 2005 Honorary Chairman of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Hop-A-Thon, an event that raised over $200,000 for blood cancer research, and is active in the Junior Pirates Rookie Ball Program and the Pennsylvania Anti-Tobacco Campaign.

To vote go to: MLB Man of the Year (You will have to regester with mlb.com just to warn you)

McClendon Let Go.

2005-09-07T07:27:00.000-05:00

PITTSBURGH -- After watching a once-promising season slowly devolve into a likely last-place finish, Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield decided that a change was in order.

As a result, Lloyd McClendon, the Bucs manager since Oct. 23, 2000, was relieved of his duties on Tuesday, thus ending months of speculation that McClendon's position within the organization was tenuous, at best. Bench coach Pete Mackanin was named as the interim manager for the remainder of the season.

Littlefield pointed to the Pirates' 25-51 record since reaching the .500 mark on June 11 as the primary factor in his decision to fire McClendon.

"Ultimately, what it came down to is we just weren't playing well," said Littlefield. "We certainly have not been winning as regularly as we thought we could. As the games unfold, I thought that our execution wasn't improving.

Source Pirates.com

Sorry for the Lag in Posts

2005-09-06T07:33:00.000-05:00

I just want to apologize for the gap in posts that occured, it was mostly due to family issues and also issues do to the hurricane down in the Gulf Coast.

Duke NL Rookie of the Month

2005-09-05T19:26:00.000-05:00

In a season that hasn't been as successful as the Pirates hoped it would be, rookie Zach Duke has given Pittsburgh a reason to be positive for the future.

During the month of August, Duke has especially impressed. The Pirates left-hander went 3-0 over five starts and was voted the National League Rookie of the Month for his effort.

Duke led all rookie starters with a 2.83 ERA and finished the month with 28 2/3 innings pitched, allowing nine runs on 27 hits, and striking out 17.

We Can Rest at Ease

2005-08-24T11:35:00.000-05:00

With Duke off to the first 6-0 start by a rookie starting pitcher in Pirates history, the last thing the left-hander wanted was to get hurt. But X-rays proved negative, and he is expected to miss only one start at the most.

Buccos Factoids

2005-08-19T11:05:00.000-05:00

Zach Duke of the Pirates tied an all-time major-league record on Thursday night when he improved his career record to 6-0 with a victory over the Mets. All six of Duke's victories have followed Pirates' defeats. The only other pitcher in MLB history to win his first six decisions, all following a team loss, was Larry McWilliams for the 1978 Braves.

Jose Castillo of the Pirates was thrown out trying to reach third base after a double to end the second inning on Thursday night, and he did the same thing to end the fourth inning. The last player to be thrown out twice on doubles in the same game was Lou Piniella with the Royals in 1971. At least Sweet Lou didn't make the third out either time (though he did make the first out once).

Bucs Win, Duke 6-0

2005-08-19T11:01:00.000-05:00

NEW YORK (AP) -- Twice Thursday night, Pittsburgh Pirates rookie left-hander Zach Duke faced showdown situations against New York Mets slugger Cliff Floyd with runners on base. Each time, Duke reared back and threw third-strike curveballs that measured all of 75 mph.

Those confrontations highlighted Duke's seven innings of two-hit ball as he won his sixth straight decision, beating the Mets 5-0.

The Mets didn't have many other chances against Duke, who retired the first 11 batters, did not give up a hit until Chris Woodward's double in the fifth and allowed four baserunners. He threw 103 pitches, 69 for strikes.

It was a continuation of an impressive success story for the 22-year-old, who was promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis on July 1 and has been Pittsburgh's best pitcher for two months. He made it look easy.

His six straight wins is the longest streak by a Pirates rookie since Don Robinson won seven straight decisions in 1978.

Duke (6-0) struck out five and walked one.

New York's first baserunner came with two outs in the fourth, when right fielder Nate McLouth dropped Carlos Beltran's routine fly ball. The mistake hardly disturbed Duke, who struck out Floyd, ending the inning.

By then, the Pirates had a 4-0 lead on two RBI doubles by Jose Castillo and a two-run homer by Brad Eldred against Victor Zambrano (6-10).

Beltran singled in the seventh for the Mets' other hit off Duke. Duke then struck out Floyd with another 75 mph curve. David Wright walked but Woodward hit into an inning-ending double play.

That finished Duke's night, which included his first major-league hit, a seventh-inning single.

After he was called up, Duke won three games and posted an 0.87 ERA in his first month in the majors and was named NL rookie pitcher of the month for July. Thursday night's win was his third in August and followed his first poor start, when he lasted just four innings and allowed four runs and eight hits at Houston.

Ryan Doumit singled with two outs in the second and scored on Castillo's double.

In the fourth, Zambrano hit Jason Bay with a pitch and Eldred followed with his fourth homer of the season, sending an 0-2 pitch an estimated 400 feet into the left field picnic area.

Doumit then doubled, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Castillo's second double. He was thrown out at third trying to stretch both doubles into triples.

In the eighth, Pittsburgh bunched singles by Bay, Rob Mackowiak and Doumit for another run.

AP Wire Report

Injury News Brightens

2005-08-18T19:15:00.000-05:00

The Pirates' injury news brightened significantly yesterday.

Starter Oliver Perez, coming back from a broken left big toe, took the mound at Shea Stadium and fared well enough in a three-inning simulated game that he could begin a Class AAA assignment early next week.

Those developments, plus the return this week of reliever Mike Gonzalez, make for an uplifting confluence for the Pirates, who have gone long stretches without three of their top performers from 2004.

Post-Gazette.com

Bay NL Player of Week

2005-08-17T21:18:00.000-05:00

An 11-hit, two-homer performance last week was good enough for Pittsburgh slugger Jason Bay to be named the Bank of America National League Player of the Week for the Aug. 8-14 period.

The Pirates outfielder received the award after batting .440 (11-for-25) with eight runs scored and eight more driven in, propelling the Pirates to back-to-back road series wins for the first time since they beat the Giants and Diamondbacks in mid-May.

For the rest of this story:
Pirates.com Website

Wilson Homers, Bucs Win 1-0

2005-08-14T09:11:00.000-05:00

The Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Wilson's ninth-inning home run to right field off Houston Astros All-Star closer Brad Lidge (3-3) accounted for the only run of the game in the Bucs' 1-0 win before a packed house of 43,286.

Wilson, who also made an outstanding defensive play in the second inning to save a run, downplayed his clutch hit as nothing more than cheap long ball at a homer-friendly ballpark.

"I don't think I'd ever squared up a ball against [Lidge]," said Wilson, who took Lidge deep after falling behind in the count, 0-2. "The last was [pitch] just kind of a reaction, and then it was a Minute Maid home run."

And where did Wilson think his game-winning shot would have landed in spacious PNC Park?

"In the outfielder's glove camped 20 feet in front of the fence," said Wilson.

From: Pirates.com

McLouth Recalled

2005-08-12T10:07:00.000-05:00

The Pirates recalled rookie outfielder Nate McLouth and placed Jody Gerut on the 15-day disabled list due to irritation of the patella tendon in his right knee. Gerut, acquired July 31 for Matt Lawton, played in four games with the Pirates.

McLouth arrived at Coors Field on Thursday for his second stint in the Majors. But he came without his glove, bat or any other equipment.

He had gotten the call early Thursday morning that he was recalled by the Pirates from Triple-A Indianapolis and flew from Louisville. However, all his stuff had already been shipped to Durham, N.C., where the Indians were playing next.

Rotation in Flux

2005-08-10T19:16:00.000-05:00

As the Pirates embark on a 12-game road trip, their longest since June 1999, several questions surround the starting rotation, such as, who is pitching tomorrow?

It appears, as scheduled, Mark Redman will go Wednesday in Game 2 of the three-game series in Colorado. Redman has been bothered by a sore back and neck stiffness in his past two starts. He has lost eight of his past nine decisions and is 0-6 on the road in his last seven starts.

If Redman is not able to pitch, McClendon said he would likely move Josh Fogg up a day, as Fogg is scheduled to start in Thursday's series finale. Fogg said he had not heard anything about being moved up and expected Redman to take the mound.

As is the case with several starters on the staff, Fogg has struggled recently, giving up at least six runs in three of his last five starts.

Regardless of how Wednesday and Thursday shake out, rookie phenom Zach Duke will start Friday in Houston.

Kip Wells could return to the rotation Saturday after missing his scheduled outing Sunday with a cracked fingernail on the middle finger of his throwing hand. Wells threw Tuesday and said he felt fine.

McClendon said Wells pitched Tuesday to test his fingernail and if everything turns out OK, Wells will go Saturday after Duke. Saturday is the earliest Wells would start.

The problems the starters have had recently affect the Pirates beyond this season, as the team is figuring out what its future rotation might look like.

Source: pirates.com

Pirates Attendance Up.

2005-08-10T10:26:00.000-05:00

Pittsburgh Pirates home attendance after 56 home dates this season is 1,350,652. That figure is 141,895 more than the 2004 home attendance after the same number of dates (1,208,757). This season, the Pirates are currently averaging 24,119 fans per game. In 2004, the Pirates averaged 21,107 per game.

This past weekend, the Pirates drew 101,757 fans for the three games against the Dodgers, the largest three-date series since August of 2001 and the seventh-largest three-date series in the five-year history of PNC Park. So far in 2005, the Pirates have drawn 14 crowds over 30,000 and have had eight sellouts. That is the most sellouts since PNC Park opened in 2001, when there were a total of 19 capacity crowds. With 24 home dates remaining on the 2005 schedule, the Pirates have already surpassed last year's 2004 total home attendance of 1,583,031. The Pirates have sold over 1,700,000 tickets so far this year and are on pace to finish near the 1,800,000 mark.

Source: Pittsburgh Pirates Release

Weekly vs 2004 for August 8th

2005-08-08T10:34:00.000-05:00

The Pirates as of Monday the 8th are 112 games into the season:

47 - 65 = Current W-L at this point
53 - 59 = W -L at this point in 2004

Date that it took to reach 47 wins in 2004: July 26th

Pirates have slid back again and are 6 games off last year's pace, but they do get to play Colorado again this week.

What are They Smoking?

2005-08-08T10:03:00.000-05:00

Seems like the leading cause of heart problems for Pirates fans might be back next year. Pirates Management MUST be hanging out at Manny's and breathing in those grill fumes a little too much. And yes I am a few days late in catching up on this and putting it up here. Thought I would hold onto it until Monday, it’s usually a bad day anyway even without news like this.

Friday, August 05, 2005
By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Signs are pointing to Jose Mesa staying on as the Pirates' closer next year.

Mesa wants it to happen, and the team apparently does, too.

"No question about it, I would love to be here again," Mesa said yesterday in his first interview in nearly a month. "But that's up to them. If I'm here, I will be very happy again."

Mesa, 39, is in the final guaranteed year of a contract with a salary of $2 million. He has a 2006 team option worth $4 million. If the team declines the option, Mesa is owed a $500,000 buyout.

The Pirates have not fully determined their plan for Mesa, but management is leaning toward bringing him back for another year. The team is not likely to exercise the $4 million option, though, and could seek to negotiate a lower salary.

Wells to Miss Start

2005-08-07T11:47:00.000-05:00

Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Kip Wells was forced to skip his scheduled start Sunday because of a cracked fingernail on the middle finger of his throwing hand. Wells was replaced by rookie right-hander Ian Snell.

Wells was bothered by the nail problem during each of his previous two starts. The broken nail digs into the skin on the top of the finger, causing pain and bleeding. It also limits Wells' ability to properly grip his slider.

Source: MLB.com

Duke Wins Now 5-0

2005-08-07T11:22:00.000-05:00

Saturday night the Pirates (47-64 6th NLC) won 9-4 over the Dodgers (49-61 3rd NLW) giving rookie pitcher Zach Duke his 5th win in a row to start his career. Duke while not as dominant as he had been in his 1st 4 wins was effective enough in limiting the Dodgers to four runs on 10 hits and two walks in 7 1/3 innings to earn his fifth consecutive win.

Jose Castillo's RBI single in the first inning off Dodgers starter Odalis Perez tied the game at 1. In the second, Freddy Sanchez hit a two-out single that would roll under the glove of Los Angeles shortstop Cesar Izturis, allowing Wilson to score from second base. Two batters later, a Jason Bay fly got by the Dodger left fielder Jason Repko for two runs putting the Bucs ahead, 4-1. Repko also misread a Sanchez fly ball that 4th giving him a triple and, a batter later, scored Pittsburgh's fifth run on a single by Chris Duffy.

Jack Wilson hit a solo home run in the 6th, and doubles in the 7th by Castillo and Brad Eldred staked Duke to an 8-3 lead.

Dodgers third baseman Olmedo Saenz accounted for three of the four Dodgers runs against Duke, hitting run scoring singles in the 1st and 5th and a solo-shot in the 8th.

Sky, Not the Game was a Blast.

2005-08-06T14:15:00.000-05:00

In a reoccuring theme the Pirates (46-64 6th NLC) again lost 12-6 to the Dodgers, or just to anoy those from Los Angeles "LAD", in front of a huge home crowd as over 37,000 packed PNC Park for Sky-Blast.

The Dodgers (49-60 3rd NLW) went up 4-1 in the 3rd inning with aOlmendo Saenz 3-run HR, Jeff Kent had homered in the 2nd already. LA would get one more homer off of Fogg in the 6th from Ricky Ledee.

One bright spot to the game was Brad Eldred hit his first Major League home run in the second inning, a solo shot off Derek Lowe.

Bad Timing as Usual

2005-08-05T09:46:00.000-05:00

It has been awhile since I just ranted about something so here we go:

Every year when we get to this point in the calendar people like to make a point of how the coverage or at least the front-pageness of the Pirates goes away with the opening of Steeler's camp. Many point to this shows that Pittsburgh is a bad baseball town that just puts up with baseball because we need something to do between the Super Bowl and the 1st week in August when St. Vincent's opens.

I tend to take another view on this, that is the Pirates tend to pick late July to early August as the time where the wheels really fall off, where they go from being kinda competitive but tending to lose more then win, to not all that competitive and winning here and there despite of themselves. So when you are a team that say loses 8 of 10 or 11, interest is bound to go down, specially this year with not just the Steelers going to camp but the whole return of the NHL and the Pens drafting Sidney.

All in all Pittsburgh is not a bad baseball town, and I think the crowds this year is a testament to that, the Pirates have drawn well and that’s not just due to the All Star Game. The ASG does not drive people to do walk-up buys this year, as we have seen large lines for many games that even the Pirate's did not expect big crowds for. And the crowds seem this year to be more "who is pitching or starting or are we playing" based then "cool bobble heads!" Now if the team could just put out a product that was remotely competitive all year long, not just for a spurt here or there over a 15-20 game streak. I am not talking about win the division, but at least middle of the pack would be nice.

Duke, Pitcher of the Month

2005-08-05T08:56:00.000-05:00

Pirates left-hander Zach Duke has been voted the senior circuit's Rookie of the Month, beating out players such as Jeff Francoeur (.413, 6 HR, 16 RBI) of the Braves; Ryan Howard (.289, 5 HR, 19 RBI) of the Phillies; Marcos Carvajal (0-0, 1.38 ERA, 12 K) of the Rockies; Willy Taveras (.321, 13 R, 9 SB) of the Astros; and Brad Halsey (3-0, 2.20 ERA, 14 K) of the Diamondbacks.

Duke led all Major League starters with a 0.87 ERA during July, allowing 27 hits and four runs (three earned) in 31 innings pitched. He struck out 27 batters and walked only nine. Duke shut out opposing offenses over a stretch of 22 innings. It was the longest such streak by an NL rookie since Roy Oswalt tossed 24 straight scoreless frames in 2001.

Source: pirates.com

All Star Logo Unveiled

2005-08-04T22:17:00.000-05:00

Prior to the Wednesday game against the San Diego Padres the Pirates unveiled the logo for the 2006 All Star Game that will be played at PNC Park next summer. The logo depicts a stylized view of downtown Pittsburgh from inside PNC Park.

Several former Pirates were on hand for the unveiling, who also signed autographs for fans. Fans in attending the game received static-cling versions of the logo from their seat ushers.

Day Brighter then Pirate's Performance

2005-08-04T21:58:00.000-05:00

The Pirates(46-63 6th NLC) lost on a sunny and warm Thursday afternoon to the Pardres(53-55 1st NLW) 12-7 infront of 21,739 fans at PNC Park, starter Mark Redman was tagged for seven runs (six earned) on seven hits and a walk in 2 1/3 innings in what was his shortest outing of the season.

After breezing through the first inning, Redman gave up four runs in the second, three of which came on a Khalil Greene home run. An RBI single by Mark Loretta and a two-run double by Xavier Nady gave the Padres a 7-1 lead in the third inning.

The pitching woes overshadowed a second straight big game by the long-suffering Pittsburgh offense. Chris Duffy and Tike Redman sparked the top of the Pirates lineup with three hits apiece. Humberto Cota had a pair of doubles, and Rob Mackowiak chipped in two hits, including a three-run home run in the ninth inning, that unfortunately was too little too late for the Pirates to overcome the large, early lead put up by San Diego.

The Pirates hope to reverse their luck this weekend as Los Angeles is in town for a 3 game set that is sure to have large crowds with Sky-Blast Friday and Saturday nights.

Lawton to Cubs

2005-07-31T15:14:00.000-05:00

The Pirates traded Matt Lawton to Chicago on Sunday for Jody Gerut and cash. Gerut, the 2003 Sporting News AL Rookie of the Year, hit .275 with a .357 OBP for the Indians this season before being traded to the Cubs, where he went 1-for-12 in just 10 games. As a rookie, the 27-year-old hit 22 homers and drove in 75 runs. A torn ACL cut his sophomore season short.

Minor League Trade

2005-07-29T07:28:00.000-05:00

The Pirates have acquired minor league infielder J.J. Furmaniak from the San Diego Padres in exchange for catcher David Ross.

Furmaniak, hit .266 (103-for-387) with 16 doubles, four triples, 14 home runs and 47 RBI in 99 games with Portland (AAA) this year. He made 55 appearances at third base, 38 at shortstop and three at second base with the Beavers and represented the club at the Triple-A All-Star Game.

One Time you Don't want Loyalty

2005-07-27T09:12:00.000-05:00

Well, seems more and more that Mesa may stay with the team till the end this year.

Jul 26 - The Pirates won't hesitate to deal closer Jose Mesa -- if the right deal presents itself. According to The New York Post, the Bucs are ideally looking for position players in return. Mesa is earning $2 million this year and has a club option for next year worth $4 million with a $500,000 buyout.

Mesa would rather continue being part of a rebuilding plan in Pittsburgh than go to a contender, phillyBurbs.com reports. "I want to stay in Pittsburgh," said Mesa. "Nobody wanted me after Philadelphia ... only Pittsburgh. Teams told me I can't pitch anymore, so now I don't want to play for those other teams."

Mesa, 39, also has dreams of playing with his son, Juan Mesa, a 20-year-old outfielder selected by Pittsburgh in the 23rd round of the June draft. He signed quickly and currently plays Rookie League ball for the Gulf Coast League Pirates.

Redman to Stay in Florida?

2005-07-27T09:08:00.000-05:00

Jul 26 - The Marlins continue to express interest in Pirates left-hander Mark Redman, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. A key part of the 2003 Marlins, Redman could replace A.J. Burnett in the rotation -- if Burnett is traded. "I had a good relationship with the ownership and with Jack McKeon," Redman told the newspaper. "I wouldn't be opposed to going back."

The Pirates have asked repeatedly for Marlins Double-A outfielder Jeremy Hermida, but they have been rebuffed at every turn. A Redman deal could include a couple of young Marlins arms instead, with Yorman Bazardo, Chris Resop and Scott Olsen among the possibilities.

2005 Statistics: Jeremy Hermidia OF Carolina Mudhens
AVG-304 H-92 2B-24 3B-1 HR-15

Talk About an Understatement.

2005-07-27T08:56:00.000-05:00

After the Pirates 6-3 win against Florida yesterday winning Pitcher Josh Fog was quoted saying "We play well against these guys".

And that has to be the understatement of the week seeing as they are 4-1 against them this year let alone 13-4 against Florida since the start of 2003, with wins in eight of the past nine meetings.

Which has to make you think, how do you think the Pirate's could rig it to get realigned into a division with Florida AND Colorado? One can dream.

Weekly vs 2004 for July 25th

2005-07-25T11:26:00.000-05:00

The Pirates as of Monday the 25th are 99 games into the season:

43 - 56 = Current W-L at this point
48 - 41 = W -L at this point in 2004

Date that it took to reach 43 wins in 2004: July 20th

Pirates have slid back another 2 games off last year's pace to 5 games back.

Williamsport Still on a Run

2005-07-25T11:14:00.000-05:00

The Pirate's short-season A league team the Williamsport Crosscutters defeated the Oneonta Tigers 7-6 for their 12th straight win Sunday night. The previous team record had been 10 wins, which was broken with a win on Saturday night.

Gonzo Throws, Van Benschoten Scoped'

2005-07-25T11:03:00.000-05:00

Mike Gonzalez is scheduled to throw off the mound Wednesday and Friday. He will throw another bullpen session when the Pirates return from their road trip Aug. 2, then go out on a rehab assignment to probabally the Indians.

John Van Benschoten had arthroscopic surgery performed last Wednesday to remove scar tissue from his left shoulder. Counting this operation he has now had three in the past nine months. Van Benschoten is out for the season after having his right shoulder scoped in January, he is expected to return to the team for spring training in 2006.

Need Some Easy Reading?

2005-07-22T08:37:00.000-05:00

So you have some time to kill and want something thats funny, without meaning to be funny? Take a look at Barry Bond's journal entry on his website. Rumor has it not only is it the way that his "fans" can find out what he is up to and how his rehab is going, but also the only good way that the Giants have to find out that information as well.

My only question is to does he really write the journal entry or does his assistant do it, I can't visualize Barry sitting down at a computer and typing out his thougts, I do like that he has a "Shout Out" section though, gotta keep it real you know even when busy rehabing the knee.

In case you did not see the link in the body of the text above here it is
Barry's Journal

Pirates Beatup on Rockies 8-1

2005-07-22T07:52:00.000-05:00

Zach Duke allowed eight hits and walked four on his way to winning his third consecutive start and the Pirates(41-55) ended a five-game losing streak with an 8-1 victory over the Rockies(33-61).

Jason Bay went 3-for-4 with a homer that followed Matt Lawton's one-out single in the second to give the Pirates to a 7-0 lead. Bay had singled and scored in a five-run first off starter Jeff Francis. Humberto Cota also drove in three runs with two singles for the Pirates.

Rockies starter Francis (8-7) allowed seven runs off of eight hits and lasted just five innings. After winning three consecutive starts, Francis is 0-2 in his last three starts and has allowed 18 earned runs in that span.

In a Big Country....

2005-07-22T07:38:00.000-05:00

The Pirates recalled first baseman Brad Eldred from Triple-A Indianapolis following their 8-1 win over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday night.

Eldred, nicknamed "Big Country" because of his 6-foot-5, 268-pound frame, was named the organization's Minor League Player of the Year in 2004 after hitting a combined .301 with 38 home runs and 137 RBIs at Class A Lynchburg and Double-A Altoona. The right-handed hitting slugger returned to Altoona for the start of the season before being promoted to Indianapolis after going deep 13 times in 21 games with the Curve. After a slow start with the Indians, he hit .277 with 15 home runs and 48 RBIs in 53 games. Eldred has been on a torrid pace as of late, clubbing 10 home runs and 23 RBIs in his last 11 games.

Source: pirateball.com

Bucs Short Season A Team Streaking

2005-07-22T07:35:00.000-05:00

The Williamsport Crosscutters extended their winning streak to nine games Thursday night with a 2-0 over the Tri-City ValleyCats.

Pitcher Joe Bauserman (2-1)allowed only one runner past first base while walking three and strikeing out three in seven innings of work. Derek Moeves pitched a scoreless eighth and Matt Swanson overcame two ninth-inning errors to earn the save.

Cameron Blair provided all of Williamsport's offence with a two-run homer in the sixth inning.

The Crosscutters visit Oneonta Friday night at 7 p.m. where they will try to make it 10 in a row.

Written from Data from minorleaguebaseball.com

Trade Rumors Continued

2005-07-20T10:24:00.000-05:00

Kip going to the......

Cardinals?
Diamondbacks?
Tigers?
Devil Rays?
Blue Jays?
Phillies?

ESPN notes that a Phillies' scout was at Wrigley Sunday to watch Wells. And that league wide starting pitchers are at a premium, so scouts from Toronto, Tampa Bay, Detroit, Arizona and St. Louis also showed up. But his less then stellar start did not do a lot for his tradability with the Pirates' 8-2 loss.

Wells is making $3.175 million this season, and will head into his final year of arbitration eligibility at the end of the season, I can see the Pirate's logic in possibly shopping him around some, but he needs to have a good start to make what the Pirates get for him better then say a barrel of BP balls or something.

Trade Rumors for Wednesday.

2005-07-20T10:21:00.000-05:00

Jul 20 - According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Mark Redman's start Tuesday night might have been his last for the Pirates. The team is engaged in intense discussions to trade Redman to Florida and could do so this week, pending the outcome of the Marlins' efforts with the Orioles to pull off a much larger deal.

The first step is a seven-player trade between Florida and Baltimore. The Marlins would send starter A.J. Burnett, third baseman Mike Lowell and center fielder Eric Reed to the Orioles for outfielder Larry Bigbie and pitchers Jorge Julio, Steve Kline and Hayden Penn. After that, the Pirates would send Redman to Florida for Bigbie. And if Bigbie is not available, negotiations could turn in a different direction.

The Bucs' original hope was to keep Redman, but he has made clear he will decline a $4.95 million team option for 2006 and test free agency unless he has a contract extension covering three years. The Pirates and Redman's agent, Casey Close, had no more than preliminary talks, and the team was unwilling to consider any deal beyond next season.

ESPN Rates Outfielders up for Trade

2005-07-20T10:18:00.000-05:00

Sorry can't link to this, its an ESPN Insider Story. And to say that he is just "shaky" in the baserunning area is being a little too kind if you ask me.

Matt Lawton, Pirates

Pluses: Lawton has a .383 on-base percentage out of the leadoff spot. He has reached base 59 times by walk or hit-by-pitch this season and struck out only 51 times. He has also shown some pop in the No. 1 spot, with 10 homers and 26 doubles.

Minuses: Lawton is a shaky baserunner (10 stolen bases in 19 attempts) and a below-average defensive player who appears to be regressing at age 33. He also makes $7.75 million, and not a lot of teams are anxious to assume that load.

Not a Good Sunday

2005-07-18T11:12:00.000-05:00

Sunday was not a good day for the Pirates organization in general. To find a team that actually won within the Pirates system you have to go all the way down to their Short Season A team the Williamsport Cross Cutters, who beat the Vermont Expos 6-3 at home. What were the results of the rest of the teams in action on Sunday?

Cubs 8, Pirates 2, and were never in the game

Richmond 8, Indianapolis 0

Harrisburg 3, Altoona 3, 4th run scored in the bottom of the 9th

Potomac 7, Lynchburg 4

Greenville 9, Hickory 8, gave up 2 in the bottom of the 9th

Weekly vs 2004 for July 18th

2005-07-18T11:05:00.000-05:00

The Pirates as of Monday the 18th are 91 games into the season:

40 - 51 = Current W-L at this point
43 - 48 = W -L at this point in 2004

Date that it took to reach 40 wins in 2004: July 16th (Same date that the 40th win happened this year)

So the Pirates slid back another 2 games off last year's pace to 3 games back, hopefully things will improve with this homestand against the Astros and Rockies.

Duffy Recalled

2005-07-17T16:28:00.000-05:00

From the Pirates Website.

CHICAGO -- Players generally want to make an impact right away when called up to the Majors, but no one could really blame Chris Duffy if he felt a little relieved to not be starting on Sunday.

It has been a bit of a whirlwind 24 hours for Duffy, after he was told about the Pirates' decision to call him up following Triple-A Indianapolis' 10-inning, 3-2 victory in Richmond on Saturday night.

After Indianapolis' night game stretched into a three-hour and 20-minute affair, Duffy had to get up at 4:30 a.m. CT on Sunday to catch a flight that got him into Chicago around 8:30 a.m. CT, just in time to head straight to the ballpark.

Duffy will take over the empty roster spot that came after the Pirates had to place Craig Wilson on the 15-day disabled list with a fractured fifth metacarpal in his left hand. Wilson suffered the injury when he was hit by a Greg Maddux pitch in the first inning of Saturday's game.

For the whole article Pirateball.com

Bucs Drop 3 of 4 against Cubs

2005-07-17T16:22:00.000-05:00

Kip Wells was the third Pirates starter to give up at least five runs during the series, and picked up his 10th loss of the year in the Pirates' 8-2 loss to Chicago on Sunday afternoon.

Wells (6-10) lasted only 2 2/3 innings, giving up six runs on nine hits, walking one and striking out two. The only starter to hold the Cubs down during the series was rookie Zach Duke, who tossed eight scoreless innings Saturday.

Another Reason to Boo the Yankees

2005-07-13T09:16:00.000-05:00

From ESPN.com Full Story Here

Gary Sheffield wants nothing to do with the World Baseball Classic.

Several major league players spoke of the honor they would feel to represent their countries in baseball's first World Cup-style tournament when the groups for the event were unveiled Monday.

Sheffield was not among them.

The Yankees right fielder told reporters at the All-Star festivities in Detroit on Monday there was no chance he would participate in the event scheduled for March.

"My season is when I get paid," Sheffield told the New York Daily News. "I'm not doing that. ... I'm not sacrificing my body or taking a chance on an injury for something that's made up."

"A lot of guys feel that way. They won't say it like I will, though," he added.

Unlike Sheffield, Miguel Tejada (Dominican Republic) and Dontrelle Willis (United States) were among several players to come out in support of the tournament at press conferences Monday.

section316's comment on this:
People wonder why "other countries" do better then the USA when it comes to things like international baseball and also, now, Olympic basketball Sheffield's comments there basically sum it up.

Where athletes from other nations see it as an honor to represent their countries on the international stage, many American athletes look for ways to get out of it, or just don't want to do it. So what we send is not our "best" but our "best who want to be here" which, as has been shown this past Summer Games and in basketball, is clearly not enough.

If this attitude by our pro athletes gives us lackluster performances in basketball one has to wonder what it will do for baseball, a sport that the USA has clearly NOT dominated lately internationally, and that there are many nations that have a good selection of MLB players that are more then willing to play for them.

100th Post

2005-07-12T11:58:00.000-05:00

With the Weekly vs. 2004 post that just went up this Bog has now achieved 100 posts to it. Kind of impressive for something I started kind of on a lark after a few weeks of ball games. Hopefully I will be able to keep it up and we will see 200 even faster!

Weekly vs 2004 for July 11th

2005-07-12T11:56:00.000-05:00

I apologize for this being a day late, blogger was having issues with me updating yesterday afternoon.

The Pirates as of Tuesday the 12th are 87 games into the season:

39 - 48 = Current W-L at this point
40 - 47 = W -L at this point in 2004

Date that it took to reach 39 wins in 2004: July 9th (Same date that the 39th win happened this year)

SI.com Pirates Midseason Grade

2005-07-11T12:46:00.000-05:00

The Good: The offense is inept, but without All-Star Jason Bay (.299, 16 homers, aq .930 OPS) and leadoff man Matt Lawton (a .379 on-base percentage) it would be downright dead. (Daryle Ward and Rob Mackowiak are OK, but come on.) Mark Redman is pitching fairly well (106 hits in 117 1/3 innings), and both Josh Fogg (4-4, 4.30 ERA) and Kip Wells (6-9, 4.46) are decent pitchers. Jose Mesa, somehow, has 21 saves.

The Bad: The Pirates were 30-30 in mid June, but since then all sorts of things have gone wrong. Ace Oliver Perez (6-5, 6.16) has fallen apart -- and that was before he kicked the laundry cart and limped onto the DL. There are rumors that Redman is on the trade block, outfielder Craig Wilson is out with a bad finger, shortstop Jack Wilson is hitting 80 points lower than he did last season ... it's not good.

What's Next: The Pirates are staying the course with manager Lloyd McClendon. They'll look for trades with an eye to building with their youth, but ... does this sound familiar?
Grade: We've been here before -- F

For the rest of the grades go to John Donovan at SI.com

Mets Win 6-1 to Escape Sweep

2005-07-10T19:51:00.000-05:00

Sunday afternoon behind the starting pitching of Pedro Martinez (10-3) the Mets(44-44) avoided being swept by the Pirates(39-48) by winning easily 6-1 on a Sunny Sunday afternoon.

The Mets went up 2-0 in the 1st inning via a Carlos Beltran two-run homer, proving to be the only runs the Mets needed as the Pirates managed but one run in the 5th via a Rob Mackowiak single to center that scored Bobby Hill. The win was Martinez's 1st in 8 years against the Pirates to bring his career record against the Pirates to 9-3 with a 2.78 ERA in 17 career appearances against them, most while with the Expos.

The Pirates now are off for the All-Star Break where Jason Bay will represent them and also bat in the Home Run Derby as Canada's representative. The Pirates will start the second half of the season against Chicago for a three game road series.

C. Wilson Returns, Ross Sent Down.

2005-07-10T10:24:00.000-05:00

PITTSBURGH -- Craig Wilson was back in the starting lineup for the Pirates sooner than expected. Pittsburgh recalled Wilson from his rehab assignment at Triple-A Indianapolis and inserted him into the cleanup spot at first base for Saturday night's game with the New York Mets.

To make room on the 25-man active roster, the Pirates optioned catcher David Ross to Indianapolis.

Curve to Host 2006 Eastern League All Star Game

2005-07-09T14:26:00.000-05:00

ALTOONA– The Altoona Curve, the Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, are pleased to announce that the club has been selected as the host for the 2006 Eastern League All-Star Game. The announcement was made by Eastern League President Joe McEacharn as part of an on-field ceremony prior to Friday night’s game at Blair County Ballpark.

The annual all-star classic will be held at Blair County Ballpark on Wednesday, July 12, 2006 and will be surrounded by several ballpark and community events. In a unique twist, the 2006 Major League All-Star Game will be hosted by the Curve’s parent club, the Pittsburgh Pirates, at PNC Park in Pittsburgh the day before the Eastern League All-Star Game will be played at Blair County Ballpark.

From www.altoonacurve.com

Stay Till the End!

2005-07-09T14:20:00.000-05:00

Well if last night's game proved anything its that in sports you ALWAYS stay until the end. Yes I know that 9 times out of 10 the team that’s down 5-1 in going into the bottom of the 9th is going to lose but there is that 1 time that they will come back. I was actually impressed with the number of fans that did stay until the end of the game Friday night, a good deal of that was due probably to the game moving along quickly.

So hopefully the Pirates can make it 3 wins in a row tonight with another W against the Mets.

Weekly vs 2004 for July 4th

2005-07-05T12:07:00.000-05:00

With July 4th game played the Pirates are halfway through the season at 81 games.

The past week has not been good to the Pirates in the standings and also in reguards to how they are performing compaired to last season.

The Pirates as of Tuesday the 5th are 81 games into the season:

35 - 46 = Current W-L at this point
37 - 44 = W -L at this point in 2004

Date that it took to reach 35 wins in 2004: July 3rd.

Dodgers Interested in Lawton?

2005-07-05T12:01:00.000-05:00

Dodgers GM Paul DePodesta is not giving up on the season and continues to pursue a trade for that can have a significant impact on the Dodgers' fate this season – even if it means parting with some of their highly regarded prospects. With both Milton Bradley and J.D. Drew out for extended periods with injuries, the team is looking to add an outfielder. Some possibilities include Colorado's Preston Wilson, Florida's Juan Encarnacion, Seattle's Randy Winn and Pittsburgh's Matt Lawton.

While trade talks have become more serious, DePodesta still sees most teams as reluctant to deal until after the All-Star break. "We'd love to (add an impact player)," he told the newspaper. "I'm not sure if that guy is available."

Source ESPN.com

Duke to be Called up, Start

2005-06-30T08:31:00.000-05:00

WASHINGTON -- Zach Duke, the Pirates' top pitching prospect, will make his major-league debut Saturday in Milwaukee.

That is the day Oliver Perez would have made his next start, but he broke his left big toe kicking a laundry cart Sunday in St. Louis and will miss three to six weeks.

Management has said that the pitcher who takes Perez's spot Saturday would be the one who stays in the rotation at least until Perez's return.

Duke, 22, is a left-hander with exceptional poise and control who nearly made the Pirates' roster out of spring training. He was assigned to Class AAA Indianapolis, where he led the International League in victories with a 12-3 record and 108 innings.

The Pirates also considered using recent recall Ian Snell, a right-hander who also spent much of this season starring in Indianapolis, but he will remain in the bullpen.

Thanks to another Buccos fan for sending this to me!

Pirates Tumble in Standings

2005-06-30T08:18:00.000-05:00

With the two losses against Washington this week the Pirates have slipped to next to last in the National League Central Division. The Pirates had been in either 3rd or 4th place for much of the past 2 months. The Cincinnati Reds remain firmly in last place in the division.

Snell's Big Chance?

2005-06-28T10:12:00.000-05:00

With the recent developments in the Pirate's pitching staff one has to wonder if the planets have aligned themselves just right for recently called up pitcher Ian Snell. Snell known for his impressive slider at AAA Indianapolis was called up to the majors earlier this week originally thought to mosly be in the bullpen but recent developments have possibly changed that.

With the self-inflicted injury to Oliver Perez and the call up of a position player instead of another pitcher one has to think that the Pirates intend to give Snell some starts. And by calling up a position player to replace Perez's spot on the roster the Pirates are showing confidence in Snell and their other starting pitchers to beable to carry one less pitcher in the bullpen.

The last 6 games of this road trip should prove alot about the state of the team's pitching.

Original section316 content

Altoona Back in 1st, Gets Complete Game

2005-06-28T10:02:00.000-05:00

To counter the bad pitching news about Perez here is some good pitching news from the Pirate's world.

June 26, 2005 - Tom Gorzelanny tossed his first career nine-inning complete game with a three-hit shutout to lead the Altoona Curve back into first place with a 7-0 win over the New Britain Rock Cats Sunday night in front of a packed house at Blair County Ballpark. Altoona (41-34) ended a three-game losing streak with the win and jumped over Erie back into first place in the E.L. South.

From www.altoonacurve.com

Perez on 15 day DL

2005-06-28T09:58:00.000-05:00

This was emailed to me by a fellow Pirates news reader just now so its hot off the press! Interesting that they call up a position player to relpace him.

Pirates place LHP Perez on 15-day disabled list
June 28, 2005
WASHINGTON (Ticker) - Oliver Perez's temper has landed him on the disabled list.

On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Pirates placed their ace lefthander on the 15-day DL with a broken left big toe, which was suffered when he kicked a laundry cart in the clubhouse following his start against St. Louis on Sunday.

The 23-year-old Perez allowed four runs, seven hits and a season high-tying five walks in six innings against the Cardinals in a game the Pirates eventually won in 10 innings.

It has been a frustrating season for Perez, who has posted a 6.16 ERA in 15 starts after ranking sixth in the National League with a 2.98 ERA in 30 starts last year. Despite allowing at least four earned runs eight times, Perez has a record of 6-5.

Perez, whose 239 strikeouts last season were fourth in the NL and the third-highest total in team history, has 81 strikeouts in 83 1/3 innings this year.

Acquired along with 2004 NL Rookie of the Year Jason Bay in the deal that sent outfielder Brian Giles to San Diego in 2003, Perez is 26-30 with a 4.25 ERA in 85 career outings, including 84 starts.

To replace Perez on their active roster, the Pirates recalled outfielder Nate McLouth from Class AAA Indianapolis of the International League. McLouth was hitting .306 with five homers, 32 RBI and 23 stolen bases with Indianapolis this season.

Name The Team Round Two

2005-06-28T09:33:00.000-05:00

Receiving nearly 5,000 submissions in the initial phase of the club’s “Name the Team Contest”, the State College Professional Baseball Club, which will be owned and operated by the Altoona Curve, has announced the top seven nicknames. The seven names that have advanced to the next phase of fan voting are:

Black Bears... Common animal found in the forests of Central PA
Copperheads... Snake indigenous to Central PA
Miners... Named for Pennsylvania’s rich mining history
Mountain Bats... Name combining local landscape with baseball tie-in
RidgeRiders... Alliterative name referring to area mountain ridges
Sliders... Name has baseball tie-in; also a common species of turtle
Stags... Adult male whitetail deer found throughout Central PA

To Vote go to StateCollegeBaseball.com

Weekly vs 2004 for June 27th

2005-06-27T08:27:00.000-05:00

The Pirates slipped slightly from last week in comparison to how they performed last year, sliding from 5 games better then last year to 3 games better then last year.

The Pirates as of Monday the 27th are 74 games into the season:

34 - 40 = Current W-L at this point
31 - 43 = W -L at this point in 2004

Date that it took to reach 34 wins in 2004: July 2nd.

Slow Trade Period?

2005-06-27T08:17:00.000-05:00

According to ESPN's Peter Gammons don’t look for a lot of trade activity this year due to fewer teams being in financial problems and more teams still being in the mix of things for division and wildcard races. Below are some quotes from Dave Littlefield that were in the article:

"In years past," says Littlefield, "we had to move contracts and get our payroll down. We got it down $20 million. Now we're right where we have to be. We don't have to move payroll, our attendance is up 20 percent and we now want to start winning. There is no one we have to move. We have an option on Jose Mesa for next season, and I think it's good for Mike Gonzalez to break into the closer role with Jose [on our team]."

Littlefield brought up right-handed pitcher Ian Snell this weekend, has lefty Zach Duke sitting at Triple-A Indianapolis with a 12-3 record in 16 starts and will get right-hander John Van Benschoten and lefty Sean Burnett back for the 2006 season. "We need some more power and production," Littlefield says. "But we're getting better. This winter we can start to do some things. For now, I'm not interested in Double-A prospects. If someone wants to make a trade, it has to be for someone who can help the Pirates now."

For the whole article go to Peter Gammons Page

Duke records 12th victory

2005-06-26T10:39:00.000-05:00

Zach Duke became the International League's first 12-game winner, pitching 7 2/3 innings on Saturday night as Indianapolis defeated Toledo, 8-3.

Duke yielded three runs on seven hits with a walk and seven strikeouts. The 22-year-old left-hander joined Midland's Dallas Braden as the only 12-game winners in the Minor Leagues. Six of Braden's victories came in the Class A California League.

Over his last five starts, Duke is 4-0 with a 2.65 ERA.

Source: Minorleaguebaseball.com

Snell Promoted from AAA

2005-06-26T10:25:00.000-05:00

Following the Bucs' 8-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday night, the team announced that right-handed pitcher Ian Snell would be recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis before Sunday's series finale.

Snell was 9-2 with a 4.06 ERA in 15 starts with the Indians, highlighted by a no-hitter against Norfolk on May 15. Earlier this week, the 23-year-old was named to the International League All-Star and the United States Futures Game squads.

A starter throughout his Minor League career, Snell made two relief appearances and one start with the Pirates last September. He'll begin his second tour with the Bucs pitching out of the bullpen.

For more on Ian's call up go to Pirates.com

An Interesting Look and Take on Interleague

2005-06-24T11:43:00.000-05:00

From USA Today.
PITTSBURGH
When the Pittsburgh Pirates put out their schedule in March, Matt Aland couldn't believe his eyes: The Tampa Bay Devil Rays were coming to PNC Park for a weekend series in June.

"We ordered tickets right away, and I had this date circled on my calendar," says Aland, who became a Devil Rays fan because of their colors and logo.

"I'm for the underdogs. I like the Pirates and the Devil Rays. My friends didn't want to come because the Yankees aren't here. If the Yankees were here, I probably wouldn't be here."

Aland might be in the minority. But then, everyone seems to have an opinion on how baseball's interleague play, in its ninth season, should be scheduled.

Continued...

Bucs Hold on as Card's Rally Falls Short

2005-06-24T11:24:00.000-05:00

The Pirates(33-38) broke an 12 game losing streak to the Cardinals(45-27) winning last night 11-7 in a game that untill the 9th inning was not as close as the final score would indicate.

The Pirates had jumped to an 11-2 lead by the 6th inning, that was trimmed to 11-4 going into the bottom of the 9th. In the 9th Cardinals scored 3 more runs and were threatening for more untill Rick White earned his 2nd save of the season in relief of Torres who had come on for starter Dave Williams in the 7th.

Game Notes:

Umpire Rick Reed was replaced behind the plate by second-base umpire Ted Barrett in the bottom of the fifth inning as Reed was forced to go to a local hospital for precautionary reasons after being struck in the head by a foul ball in the top of the fifth.

StL starter Morris (8-1) suffered his first loss of the season after being tagged for six runs (three earned) on six hits and a walk in three-plus innings.

leading, 3-1, in the third inning, the Bucs tacked on another pair of runs when Cardinals left fielder Reggie Sanders dropped what should have been the final out of the frame on a fly ball by Jack Wilson.

Four Indians Named to IL All Star Team

2005-06-23T17:32:00.000-05:00

From indyindians.com

[June 22, 2005]
Indianapolis pitchers Zach Duke, Ian Snell and Mark Corey and outfielder Nate McLouth have all been named to the 2005 International League All-Star Team, the league office announced Wednesday afternoon. The top players from the IL will square off with the best from the Pacific Coast League in the 18th Annual Triple-A All-Star game on Wednesday, July 13, at Raley Field in Sacramento, Calif. The contest will be televised live on ESPN2. The Indians (44-28) have completed their most successful first half of the season since 1988 when the Tribe owned a 47-25 record at the midpoint of the 144-game regular-season slate.

Gonzo on DL, Johnston Called up

2005-06-23T17:27:00.000-05:00

The Pirates placed Mike Gonzalez on the 15-day disabled list on Thursday due to a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. Left-hander Mike Johnston was recalled from AAA Indianapolisto take Gonzalez's spot on the big league roster.

Bucs Can't Hold on, Lose 5-4

2005-06-23T13:18:00.000-05:00

Missed chances at the plate, namley leaving the bases loaded at one point, and another two home runs by former Pirate Jose Guillen added up to a 5-4 Pittsburgh(32-38) loss to the Nationals(42-30) on what was otherwise a perfect day for baseball yesterday.

After exploding for 11 runs on Tuesday, Pittsburgh on its way to another big offensive game. Jason Bay tied the game at 2 in the first inning with his 13th home run of the season. Two batters later, Rob Mackowiak bounced a 460-foot blast into the River. Matt Lawton then sent one deep in the second inning, it looked as though the Pirates would breeze to their sixth consecutive home series win. But the lead would not hold as the Nationals came back to and then went ahead in the 8th where they would stay.

The Pirates missed their chance to win their 6th home series in a row and now head out on the road for a 4 game series against division leading St. Louis, to whom the Pirates have lost to the past 12 times they have played.

Perfect weather but not a perfect outcome.

Pirates Rip Nats 11-4

2005-06-22T09:38:00.000-05:00

The Pirates(32-37) rebounded from Monday's game to rout the Washington Nationals(41-30), 11-4. The previously inept Pittsburgh offense erupted for 14 hits and reached double digits in runs for the third time this season after being held to 17 runs in the previous seven games. Nine different Pirates players either drove home or scored a run. Lawton had 5 RBI’s during the night which offset getting picked off at 1st early in the game and Perez pitched through the 1st 5 innings to earn the win.

The Pirates will try to make it 2 of 3 this afternoon as Josh Fogg(4-3) will take on John Patterson(3-2) at 12:35.

Carolina League Pitcher of the Week

2005-06-21T11:42:00.000-05:00

From Minorleaguebaseball.com

Derrick Van Dusen, Lynchburg
Carolina League Pitcher of the Week
2 G, 2 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 2-0, 0.64 ERA, 14.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 14 SO, 0 SV

The Carolina League has been good to Derrick Van Dusen. The Lynchburg lefty won his third and fourth consecutive decisions for the Hillcats last week, allowing just one run on six hits in the two games combined. After going a perfect 6-0 with a 1.64 ERA with Kinston in 2004, Van Dusen is now 4-2 with a 3.83 ERA. His first outing of the week was good -- one run and five hits allowed over six innings -- but his second start was great. The Mariners' 2000 fifth-round pick allowed just one hit in eight innings while striking out nine in a 4-1 win over Salem.

Non Baseball Directly: Cope Retires

2005-06-21T11:31:00.000-05:00

This is not Pirates or baseball related directly, but Myron did deal with the Pirates when he was doing daily news for Channel 4 and when he had his nightly talk show on what was then WTAE-AM radio.

PITTSBURGH — After having spent 35 years as a color analyst in the Steelers radio booth, Myron Cope, 76, is retiring.

Yesterday, at a meeting Cope had requested with management of Steelers flagship stations WDVE-FM and 970-AM Pittsburgh, along with Steelers management, Cope informed both parties of his decision to call it a career.

"For 35 years Myron has carved out a special place in the hearts and minds of Pittsburghers and Steelers fans everywhere," said Gene Romano, senior vice president of programming, Clear Channel. "He is truly a broadcast legend."