Game #134 at Milwaukee
Miller Park | 8:05 | Armas vs. Yovani Gallardo | Box
When I wrote in the pre-game thoughts that Yovani Gallardo will see better days, I didn’t mean I wanted him to start today. Gallardo cracked a dinger and allowed two runs on five hits in seven innings. He whiffed seven.
The Bucs collected just six [...]
Pirate CEO Talk Makes for Good Blog Entertainment
I think we’re all painfully aware of just how critical the Pirates’ hiring of a new chief executive is to the long-term well-being of the franchise. The results of the next decade of seasons could very well be directly tied to this one front office move. Pick the wrong guy to steer the [...]
Read moreGame #133 vs. Cincinnati
PNC Park | 7:05 | Morris vs. Matt Belisle | Box
Matt Morris wasn’t sharp. But, he kept the Pirates in the game. Matt Belisle didn’t pitch as well as he normally has in 2007 against the Pirates. But he left with the lead. Neither chucker was involved in the decision as the game was [...]
Game #132 vs. Cincinnati
PNC Park | 7:05 | Snell vs. Aaron Harang | Box
Aaron Harang pitched to just two batters over the minimum in shutting the Bucs out. Ian Snell, who according to the AP recap, was involved in a pre-game confrontation with Shawn Chacon, didn’t pitch well. Again.
Ken Griffey, Jr. and Brandon Phillips tatered and Javy [...]
Can Jim Tracy Effectively Manage a Bullpen?
It was a great night to be Matt Capps, that’s for sure. Two innings, two saves, two game-ending strikeouts against elite left-handed bats. Even though he admitted after the fact that his legs “got kind of wobbly a couple times” in the nightcap, Capps never wavered. As Lanny says, there was no [...]
Read moreGames #130 and 131 vs. Cincinnati
PNC Park | 5:05 | Gorzelanny vs. Elizardo Ramirez | Box
PNC Park | TBD | Maholm vs. Bronson Arroyo | Box
Break up the Bucs and Freddy Sanchez. Five RBI, including a grand slam in the opener and the game winning run in the 8th in the night cap. Not a bad day for the Bucs [...]
Pirate Fans for Change to Protest Again Tonight
On June 30, Pittsburgh, PNC Park and Pirate management received national attention as the “Fans for Change” organized a walk-out protest on a Saturday evening. As I wrote here, that event saw a mixed bag of results. ESPN and the Associated Press picked up the story and ran with it—but of the 26,959 [...]
Read moreIn Defense of Tony Armas and His 6.93 ERA
Of the 346 National League pitchers whose stats are listed on MLB.com, 143 possess ERAs at or above 5.00. That is, 42 percent of NL pitchers would allow, on average, five or more earned runs in a nine inning game.
During Sunday’s radio broadcast, the Pirate announcers were talking about how many pitchers with ERAs [...]
Game #129 at Houston
Minute Maid Park | 2:05 | Armas vs. Wandy Rodriguez | Box
The Bucs were sitting pretty. Up four and needing 12 outs to complete a three game sweep and they came up short. Cesar Izturis, Adam LaRoche (2) and Freddy Sanchez supplied the runs. But Tony Armas allowed a pair of tallies in the sixth.
Our [...]
Daniel Moskos: Shelved, But "Not a Health Issue"
As I wrote on Friday, there’s an unsubstantiated rumor going around that the Pirates’ first-round pick from the 2007 draft, Daniel Moskos, may be hurt and about to undergo Tommy John surgery—a procedure that would land him on the disabled list for about a year.
Moskos hasn’t pitched since Monday when he failed to record an [...]
