4/30 James McDonald Pitch F/X

7.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 10 K

Pitch Type	Veloc	H-Break	V-Break	Count	Strike%
4-Seam	92.9	-3.84	9.25	18	61.11%
Change	84.7	-9.51	6.33	8	37.50%
Slider	82.3	-0.24	-1.44	28	75.00%
Curve	78.0	3.15	-7.10	31	64.52%
2-Seam	91.8	-7.25	6.60	29	58.62%

You can view all the season's pitch f/x posts by clicking here

4/30 Recap | Pirates 9 Braves 3

The streak is over. Tonight, for the first time this year the Pirates scored more than five runs. They beat the Braves 9-3 on the back of a huge offensive day.

Pedro Alvarez and Yamaico Navarro led the way, both hitting two run homers. Neil Walker had three hits and drove one in, Navarro added another RBI on a groundout and singled giving him a two for four night. Every other starting position player registered a hit.

James McDonald was on the mound and was dealing. After giving up a two-run homer to Freddie Freeman in the first, he threw 7.2 innings and struck out a Pirates season high 10. He gave up seven hits and allowed three runs. He was efficient in walking just two batters. McDonald has looked phenomenal this year. Chris Resop pitched the final 1.1 innings and gave up a hit and struck out a batter.

The Pirates come out of Atlanta with a split, which you can’t complain about. Now they travel to St. Louis to play a three game set with the division leading Cardinals. After that they come home for a nine game home stand.

The Four Jags that Cost the Pirates Bryce Harper

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Pirates (9-12) vs. Braves (14-8), Game 22

Pittsburgh Pirates (9-12) vs. Atlanta Braves (14-8)

April 30, 2012

James McDonald (0-1, 2.78) vs. Mike Minor (2-1, 3.42)

Lineups:

Pirates 1. Jose Tabata, RF 2. Josh Harrison, SS 3. Andrew McCutchen, CF 4. Casey McGehee, 1B 5. Neil Walker, 2B 6. Yamaico Navarro, LF 7. Pedro Alvarez, 3B 8. Rod Barajas, C 9. James McDonald, SP

Braves 1. Michael Bourn, CF 2. Martin Prado, LF 3. Freddie Freeman, 1B 4. Brian McCann, C 5. Dan Uggla, 2B 6. Chipper Jones, 3B 7. Eric Hinske, RF 8. Tyler Pastornicky, SS 9. Mike Minor, SP

Game Notes:

Sunday 4/29 Minor League Roundup

AAA Indianapolis | Indianapolis 2 Durham 0

The Indians were able to throw a combined no-hitter today in Durham, and were only separated from a perfect game by two walks from Justin Wilson. Wilson also struck out nine batters in his 7.1 innings of work. The other two pitchers that combined for the no-hitter were Jose Diaz and Doug Slaten. Slaten's ERA now sits at 0.69 in 13 innings of work this season. The offense didn't do much, but for the second day in a row was enough to get the win. Starling Marte hit his second home run of the year, a solo shot. Jake Fox, Nick Evans, and Gorkys Hernandez all had two hit nights for the Indians.

AA Altoona | Game 1 - Akron 4 Altoona 3
The Curve were unable to pull out the game one win today in Akron through 13 innings, six innings more than the standard seven inning game played in minor league double headers. Kris Johnson started the game for the Curve, going three innings and allowing one unearned run on two hits, three walks, and a strikeout. Shairon Martis followed with three shutout innings of his own. Kyle Cofield though was credited with the blown save in the bottom of the seventh. Kris Harvey got tagged with the loss after allowing the game winning run in the bottom of the 13th inning. Offensively, Altoona was only able to push across three runs and collect six hits despite all the extra innings. Adalberto Santos was the only player to get more than one hit, going two for six. Tony Sanchez was one for six with a double and four strikeouts. Quincy Latimore got the only credited RBI while going one for four.

AA Altoona | Game 2 - Akron 3 Altoona 2
After going 0-6 in game one, Robbie Grossman followed up by going 0-3 in game two. Grossman has now dropped his average below .200 on the year to .198. Charles Cutler had a two hit game with a double and an RBI. Kelson Brown also had two hits, including a double. On the mound, Mike Colla worked through 5.2 innings to start the game. He allowed two runs on three hits and three walks while recording seven strikeouts. The game was looking like it was heading towards extra innings yet again, but Duke Welker gave up the run in the bottom of the seventh as Akron won in walk offf fashion for the second time of the day.

A West Virginia | Greensboro 9 West Virginia 4
Ryan Hafner got the start for the Power today, getting knocked up for  four runs on six hits in 3.2 innings of work. He walked four and was unable to fan any batters. Rinku Singh threw 2.1 innings, allowing one unearned run on four hits. Vince Payne allowed the other four runs, all unearned, in his outing. On the offensive side of the ball, Alen Hason just continues to hit well, going three for five with a double. His average now sits at .400. Gregory Polanco hit his fifth home run of the season, a two run shot.

A Bradenton | Bradenton 4 Jupiter 1
Mel Rojas and Carlos Paulino both had two hit nights for Bradenton. Stefan Welch had a two RBI night, going one for four. Jameson Taillon got the nod for the Marauders today and had another great outing. He went six shutout innings only allowing three hits on one walk and four strikeouts. Taillon's ERA now sits at 1.46. Casey Sadler followed him with two innings of relief, allowing the only run of the game on five hits. Quenton Miller got the save.

National League Central Win Progression Chart 1

Here's a little something new I threw together this evening. It'll be weekly fixture in the Pirates Daily Notebook.

If you click the thing it'll get bigger. Basically I'm just mapping out the win progression of every team and throwing them in a graph. Hope you find it worthwhile, somehow.

4/29 Kevin Correia Pitch F/X

4.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 0 K

Pitch Type	Veloc	H-Break	V-Break	Count	Strike%
4-Seam	88.8	-2.52	6.91	26	73.08%
Change	86.0	-6.18	4.01	16	43.75%
Slider	86.7	3.13	3.65	28	35.71%
Curve	75.9	7.45	-6.81	10	30.00%
Cutter	89.6	0.49	9.22	4	50.00%
2-Seam	89.2	-5.68	5.80	14	85.71%

You can view all the season's pitch f/x posts by clicking -here

4/29 Recap | Braves 4 Pirates 3

The Pirates lost 4-3 today. Kevin Correia didn't have all that great of an outing for the Pirates as he threw right around 100 pitches. He pitched 4.1 innings allowing three runs on four hits, as one of the walks forced in a run in the fifth inning. Brad Lincoln pitched two innings and allowed a solo homerun to Martin Prado. Tony Watson and Evan Meek each put together scoreless outings.

Jose Tabata, who had three hits, had a two run single in the second which gave the Pirates a 2-0 lead. They failed to get a baserunner from the fifth to eighth inning but Pedro Alvarez did pick up two more hits putting his average at .200. Andrew McCutchen had an all around tough day. He dropped a routine ball in centerfield which led to a run and also went 0-4 at the plate with two strikeouts. Garrett Jones, Michael McKenry, and Neil Walker picked up the other hits for the Pirates which gave them a total of eight on the day. Alex Presley went 0-4 which snapped his 12-game hitting streak. The only other run for the Pirates came on a wild pitch in the ninth inning which scored Tabata.

The Pirates will hopefully be able to split the series tomorrow as first pitch is expected to be at 7:10 PM.

4/28 Erik Bedard Pitch F/X

5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 9 K, 2 BB

Pitch Type	Veloc	H-Break	V-Break	Count	Strike%
4-Seam	89.1	4.49	11.28	24	54.17%
Change	78.2	3.88	7.92	17	58.82%
Curve	75.6	-6.94	-6.93	20	65.00%
Cutter	87.6	-2.49	5.62	3	66.67%
2-Seam	88.1	8.40	9.25	32	75.00%

Pirates (9-11) vs. Braves (13-8), Game 21

Pittsburgh Pirates (9-11) vs. Atlanta Braves (13-8)

April 28, 2012

Erik Bedard (0-4, 2.63) vs. Randall Delgado (2-1, 5.74)

Lineups:

Pirates 1. Alex Presley, LF 2. Jose Tabata, RF 3. Andrew McCutchen, CF 4. Garrett Jones, 1B 5. Neil Walker, 2B 6. Pedro Alvarez, 3B 7. Clint Barmes, SS 8. Michael McKenry, C 9. Kevin Correia, SP

Braves 1. Michael Bourn, CF 2. Martin Prado, LF 3. Freddie Freeman, 1B 4. Brian McCann, C 5. Dan Uggla, 2B 6. Chipper Jones, 3B 7. Jason Heyward, RF 8. Tyler Pastornicky, SS 9. Tim Hudson, SP

Game Notes:

Saturday 4/28 Minor League Roundup

AAA Indianapolis | Indianapolis 2 Durham 0
The Indians were able to scrape across two runs on only three hits today to secure their fourth straight victory. Two of those three hits would go for extra bases, including an RBI triple for Brandon Boggs. Jose Morales and Jordy Mercer both also collected hits. Starling Marte was zero for four on the day with two strikeouts. Rudy Owens had a solid start on the mound, throwing seven shutout innings on six hits and a walk. Owens was able to fan six batters. Jared Hughes and Doug Slaten then both pitched scoreless innings of relief to secure Owens the win.

AA Altoona | Postponed
A doubleheader will be played on Sunday.

A West Virginia | Greensboro 11 West Virginia 9
After having his hitting streak end, Alen Hanson bounced right back up and got to work on another today. Hanson went two for four with a triple and an RBI on a great offensive night for the Power. Carlos Mesa also had two hits, including a two run homer in the fourth frame. Matt Benedict got the start, getting through 5.2 innings while only allowing three runs on eight hits. He walked three and struck out one. Then  Justin Ellis and Emmanuel De Leon followed up by both allowing tow runs. The real culprit was Jordan Cooper, who blew the save in the ninth by surrendering four runs to the Grasshoppers. 

A Bradenton | Jupiter 7 Bradenton 3
Bradenton dropped to 9-13 today as Colton Cain got knocked around in his worst start of the year. He allowed seven runs to come across in just four innings of work. Josh Poytress came in and settled things down with three shutout innings of ball. Unfortunately though the offense was unable to make up for the bad start. Stefan Welch went two for four with two doubles. Gift Ngoepe also had a two hit night.

4/28 Recap | Pirates 4 Braves 2

The Pirates picked up a nice win today beating the Atlanta Braves, 4-2. Erik Bedard finally got the run support he needed and it resulted in him picking up his first win as a Pirate. The Pirates went through four bullpen pitchers tonight and Chris Resop was the only one to allow a run, which came in the sixth inning. Juan Cruz, Jason Grilli, and Joel Hanrahan all had scoreless outings, with the Hammer picking up his fourth save of the season. Erik Bedard only pitched five innings and was able to work himself out a huge jam in the fifth inning. The Pirates pitching staff finished the day with 14 strikeouts altogether.

Some early offense was brought to the plate today by the Pirates. Garrett Jones had a sacrifice fly in the first inning and Alex Presley and Jose Tabata each drove in runs in the second. Presley scored Rod Barajas (first run of the season) with a double and Tabata drove in Presley picking up his first RBI of the season. The other run for the Pirates came on a RBI double by Pedro Alvarez, which scored Neil Walker. The Bucs hit the ball hard tonight which resulted in five of their eight hits going for extra bases. Pedro Alvarez, Neil Walker, and Alex Presley all contributed multi-hit games.

The game ended on a fantastic catch at the wall by Jose Tabata which capped off Hanrahan's 1-2-3 inning. The Pirates play game three of this four game series tomorrow at 1:35 as the "Road Warrior" Kevin Correia faces off against Tim Hudson.

Pirates (8-11) vs. Braves (13-7), Game 20

Pittsburgh Pirates (8-11) vs. Atlanta Braves (13-7)

April 28, 2012

Erik Bedard (0-4, 2.63) vs. Randall Delgado (2-1, 5.74)

Lineups:

Pirates 1. Alex Presley, LF 2. Jose Tabata, RF 3. Andrew McCutchen, CF 4. Garrett Jones, 1B 5. Neil Walker, 2B 6. Pedro Alvarez, 3B 7. Clint Barmes, SS 8. Rod Barajas, C 9. Erik Bedard, SP

Braves 1. Michael Bourn, CF 2. Martin Prado, LF 3. Freddie Freeman, 1B 4. Dan Uggla, 2B 5. Jason Heyward, RF 6. David Ross, C 7. Juan Francisco, 3B 8. Tyler Pastornicky, SS 9. Randall Delgado, SP

Game Notes:

Episode 11 - Pirates Roundtable Podcast

Episode 11. Brian from Raise The Jolly Roger and Jim from Northside Notch joined me as we were without Cory from Three Rivers Blog.

• More offensive struggles
• Rod Barajas and Pedro Alvarez
• A.J. Burnett, James McDonald, and how good the rest of the rotation has been
• The bullpen and how they will perform throughout the season
• When will Andrew McCutchen hit homer number one?

and more! Check it out! Search Pirates Roundtable Podcast on iTunes to subscribe and download.

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Pittsburgh Pirates - No Streaking

The Pirates have had a lot of trouble tying wins together during their 19 year streak of consecutive losing seasons. Even last year when they had their record as good as 53-47 in late July, they found it extremely difficult to string wins together and help their record in that way.

I looked at the last three years individually and found every win streak of three games or more. Here's the details:

2011 May 7 - May 9 beat Astros 6-1 beat Astros 5-4 beat Astros 4-1 May 18 - May 21 beat Reds 5-0 beat Reds 5-3 beat Tigers 10-1 beat Tigers 6-2 June 13 - June 16 beat Mets 3-1 beat Astros 1-0 beat Astros 7-3 beat Astros 5-4 June 21 - June 25 beat Orioles 9-3 beat Orioles 5-4 beat Red Sox 3-1 beat Red Sox 5-4 July 3 - July 5 beat Nationals 10-2 beat Astros 5-3 beat Astros 5-1

2010 April 16 - April 18 beat Reds 4-3 beat Reds 5-4 beat Reds 5-3 April 27 - April 29 beat Brewers 7-3 beat Brewers 6-5 beat Dodgers 2-0 May 4 - May 6 beat Cubs 3-2 beat Cubs 4-2 beat Cubs 11-1 June 30 - July 2 beat Cubs 2-0 beat Phillies 3-2 beat Phillies 2-0 Sept 17 - Sept 22 beat Diamondbacks 4-3 beat Diamondbacks 9-6 beat Diamondbacks 4-3 beat Cardinals 5-2 beat Cardinals 11-6

2009 April 20 - April 22 beat Marlins 8-0 beat Marlins 3-2 beat Marlins 7-4 May 16 - May 20 beat Rockies 7-4 beat Rockies 11-4 beat Nationals 12-7 beat Nationals 8-5 beat Nationals 2-1 June 1 - June 4 beat Mets 8-5 beat Mets 3-1 beat Mets 11-6 June 24 - June 27 beat Indians 10-6 beat Indians 3-2 beat Indians 5-3 beat Royals 5-3 beat Royals 6-2 August 17 - August 22 beat Brewers 9-5 beat Brewers 5-2 beat Brewers 3-1 beat Reds 5-2 beat Reds 12-2 Sept 30 - October 2 beat Cubs 4-0 beat Cubs 8-2 beat Reds 3-1

You can see that most of those are 3-4 game streaks, the Pirates have only won five games in a row three times since 2009. They had a six game winning streak in 2008 as they swept the Giants and took the first three games of a four game set against the Braves. The last time they had a streak longer than six was way back in 2004 when they won ten games in a row, beating the Reds twice, Cardinals three times, Brewers four times, and Marlins once before losing.

The Pirates aren't a horrible baseball team anymore. They can compete with the rest of the league and have the ability to win any game they play, they just aren't to the level where they can rattle off a bunch of wins in a row. Right now it seems like they have a pitching staff that should enable them to string some together this win, but you aren't going to go on a lot of streaks regardless of how well you pitch if you only score two runs a game.

If the Pirates want to make a run at .500 this year and break this horrible streak, they're going to have to go on some winning streaks. So far this year they have only won two games in a row twice and haven't been able to win three in a row yet. All that is despite having one of the best starting rotations in the league thus far; disappointing.

Saturday 4/28 | News, Notes, and Links

• The Pirates saw their streak of not allowing more than five runs come to an end last night as they lost to the Braves 6-1. [Recap]
• If you were super upset about Barajas swinging at the first pitch and grounding into that inning ending double play with the bases loaded, read this - it might calm you down a bit.
• I wrote a post on Rum Bunter the other day about the lineup doesn't really matter, check that out.
• If you haven't been checking out the Pirates Daily Notebook, you should start. I'm working real hard on it every day and I think it's a useful resource for Pirates fans everywhere. Click here to check it out.
• Scott Mulvihill has been doing a nice job helping me out with the Minor League Roundups every day. I posted yesterday's here, be sure to check on the site everyday to stay up to date on the farm system.
• Speaking of the farm system, one of the Pirates top prospects, Josh Bell, underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus yesterday and will be out for a bit of time. He is fully expected to return this season, but it will definitely slow down his development a bit. It's certainly not the worst injury he could have suffered, but you always hate to see prospects have injury troubles early in their careers.
• The Buccos will try to bounce back tonight as they play game two in Atlanta. Erik Bedard takes on Randall Delgado, a favorable matchup for the visiting team.

Friday 4/27 Minor League Roundup

AAA Indianapolis | Indianapolis 13 Durham 2
The Indians brought the bats to Durham and pounded out 18 hits and 13 runs. Matt Hague and Nick Evans led the charge with four hits a piece. They joined Jake Fox with three RBI on the night, and Evans and Fox had home runs. Starling Marte had two doubles and scored three runs while driving in one. Jordy Mercer, Anderson Hernandez, and Brandon Boggs all had two hits a piece. It was a wild night on offense for the Indians who hadn't previously been doing a very good job of scoring runs. The pitching was good as well as Jo-Jo Reyes went six innings and gave up just five hits and two runs. Bryan Morris got the rare blow-out save by pitching the final three innings of the game and allowing no runs on just one hit.

AA Altoona | Akron 2 Altoona 1
The opposite of the AAA game, Altoona lost a low scoring game to the Aeros of Akron. Robbie Grossman and Adalberto Santos had two hits a piece and Santos drove in Grossman for the Curve's lone run. Ramon Cabrera and Brock Holt added the Indians final two hits of the night. Matt McSwain made the start and gave up just one run in five innings while walking five and striking out two. He did a nice job at keeping numbers off the board despite his wildness. Kris Harvey gave up what would end up being the game winning run in his two innings of work and Victor Black pitched a scoreless, hitless 8th inning while striking out two.

A West Virginia | Savannah 6 West Virginia 2
The day that we all learned that Josh Bell would miss some time after surgery to repair a torn meniscus, the Power went out and only scratched out two runs against the Savannah Sand Gnats. Gregory Polanco took Bell's spot as the number three hitter and had a pair of hits, both singles. He also scored both runs. Chris Lashmet drove him in both times. Nick Kingham made the start and went five innings giving up three runs while striking out four.

A Bradenton | Bradenton 9 Charlotte 2
Bradenton copied Indianapolis tonight and brought some offense to the ballpark with them. The Marauders scored nine times on six hits. Gift Ngoepe and Evan Chambers had two hits a piece and scored four runs combined. Ngoepe had a rare big power day, hitting his first two home runs of the year. You aren't going to see that from him very often. Drew Maggi tripled and scored a run. Tyler Waldron took advantage of the offense and pitched six innings giving up just two runs on five hits while striking out three and walking none. Eliecer Navarro and Quinton Miller pitched three shutout innings of relief and the Marauders cruised to a victory.

4/27 A.J. Burnett Pitch F/X

6 IP, 2 ER, 2 R, 6 H, 3 BB, 8 K

Pitch Type	Veloc	H-Break	V-Break	Count	Strike%
4-Seam	93.2	-4.81	8.04	45	64.44%
Sinker	93.6	-9.47	3.87	9	66.67%
Change	88.9	-6.46	1.50	13	69.23%
K-Curve	82.5	4.64	-6.70	21	42.68%

You can view all the season's pitch f/x posts by clicking here

4/27 Recap | Braves 6 Pirates 1

The streak of not allowing more than five runs in a game came to an end on Friday night as the Atlanta Braves touched up Tony Watson and Evan Meek for four runs in the seventh and beat the Pirates 6-1.

A.J. Burnett made his second start as a Pirate and did a nice job going six innings and giving up just two runs. He struggled with control allowing three walks and throwing 94 pitches. Watson gave up a hit and two walks while recording one out to record the seventh and Meek let all three runners score plus one of his own.

On offense the Pirates did nothing once again. They got a run on a Garrett Jones single that scored Andrew McCutchen who had singled and stolen second. After that the Pirates loaded the bases with one out for Rod Barajas who swung at a first pitch and grounded into a double play. Braves starter Tommy Hanson had walked two batters prior to Barajas which made a lot of people question his decision to swing at the first pitch. However, it was a very good pitch to hit, Barajas just didn’t put a great swing on it.

Alex Presley had two hits while extending his hitting streak to eleven games. Pedro Alvarez was 0/2 with two walks while striking a ball very well in his first at-bat but right at second baseman Dan Uggla. Six hits for the Pirates wasn’t nearly enough to get the job done and the team fell to three games below .500 with six games left on this road trip.

The Lineup Doesn't Matter

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Pirates (8-10) vs. Braves (12-7), Game 19

Pittsburgh Pirates (8-10) vs. Atlanta Braves (12-7)

April 27, 2012

A.J. Burnett (1-0, 0.00) vs. Tommy Hanson (2-2, 3.38)

Lineups:

Pirates 1. Alex Presley, LF 2. Clint Barmes, SS 3. Andrew McCutchen, CF 4. Garrett Jones, RF 5. Neil Walker, 2B 6. Pedro Alvarez, 3B 7. Casey McGehee, 1B 8. Rod Barajas, C 9. A.J. Burnett, SP

Braves 1. Michael Bourn, CF 2. Martin Prado, LF 3. Freddie Freeman, 1B 4. Brian McCann, C 5. Dan Uggla, 2B 6. Chipper Jones, 3B 7. Jason Heyward, RF 8. Tyler Pastornicky, SS 9. Tommy Hanson, P

Game Notes:

The Charts and Tables of Pedro Alvarez Episode 1

blah blah blah Pedro Alvarez blah blah blah super important blah blah blah Pirates blah blah success blah. Here's a spray chart:

and here's all the pitches he's seen this year and some details about them:

You can see and you probably already knew that four of his seven hits are home runs, and not cheap home runs at that. Other than those home runs he has a well struck double to left and a couple hard hit singles that stayed on the ground. He is striking out an alarming 39.1% clip, but that has been coming down recently as he is starting to make contact more frequently as he settles in. He has a dismal .130 BABIP and has drawn just one walk in 46 plate appearances.

I'm not really sure to what to take from the pitch results above, but you can see that he has had an interesting year dealing with the change up. He swings 70% of the time at them which is probably more of a bad thing than anything, and he has a poor 27.0% whiff percentage on them. Surprisingly he has seen only 20 curveballs this year and has done a good job with them, only whiffing on two of them.

Pitchers don't throw Alvarez much junk. Every pitch listed has been thrown or a strike at least half the time, and most of them are well above that. Pitchers are attacking Alvarez how they know how and he hasn't been able to do too much to this point. The Colorado series gave us a lot of hope that he's getting there, but only time will tell if that was meaningful at all.

I'd expect Alvarez to be in the lineup the first three games against the Braves as they are throwing out three righties to face the Pirates before a lefty (Mike Minor) goes on Monday. There's a good chance Alvarez plays Monday too but it's not a sure thing. Keep an eye on him.

Thursday 4/26 Minor League Roundup

AAA Indianapolis | Did Not Play

AA Altoona | Altoona 6 Harrisburg 4
The Curve offense was able to plate six runs off of ten hits today. Robbie Grossman, Brock Holt, and Anthony Norman all collected two hits. Holt and Norman both also had two RBIs. Brandon Crumpton made a great start on the mound, going 7.2  innings and only allowing two earned runs on five hits, two walks, and three strikeouts. Duke Welker was the only other pitcher to go for the Curve, allowing two runs in his 1.1 innings of relief.

A West Virginia | West Virginia 9 Savannah 4
Zack Dodson  got the nod on the mound for the Power and went five innings. He allowed four runs, three earned, on eight hits. Orlando Castro followed up with four shutout, one-hit innings of work. The Power had a nice night offensively, Alen Hanson continued his hitting streak with a one for five night and an RBI. Willy Garcia had a good night, getting two hits and three RBIs, including a solo homer. Gregory Polanco, Dan Gomanche, and Junior Sosa all also had two hit nights.

A Bradenton | Charlotte 1 Bradenton 0
Daniel Cabrera had a nice start for the Marauders today as he cruised through six innings allowing the only run in the whole game on seven hits and striking out five. Unfortunately though, the offense was unable to muster up anything, only getting three hits the whole game, two from Carlos Paulino and one from Stefan Welch.

Looking at the Pirates Rotation Through 18 Games

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4/25 Opposing Pitcher Efficiency Update

Things are Looking Up for the Pirates

We are now 18 games into the 2012 season and the Pirates have managed to win eight of those games. It's hard to really judge this team thus far because there has been so much mixed good and bad.

The pitching has been great and the offense has been horrible, there's no need to go into that. For what the Pirates have done at the plate, I don't think anybody should be complaining about an 8-10 record right now.

Today's double header was a really encouraging show for the Pirates, despite splitting the games and wasting the best start of James McDonald's career. Here's why.

Pedro Alvarez. Who else would I talk about first? Alvarez mashed the ball today for two home runs and a double in eight at-bats. Both of his home runs were no doubters to left field off right handed pitchers. His double was just as if not more encouraging, as it came off a left handed pitcher and went to opposite field. Alvarez has been hitting the ball hard lately and working counts much better. This is exactly the kind of improvement we were hoping to see.

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That is huge. He is the kind of guy that you have to pay attention to when he steps into the box. He is that exciting of a hitter. The first home run was on a swing that wouldn't go out for most batters in the league. It was a change up that he was a bit ahead of, but he showed his true power in driving the ball out to right center field on a line.

I know this isn't logical, but right now this just seems like a team that is figuring things out. Clint Barmes hit the ball extremely well this series, and Garrett Jones looked fantastic as well. Alex Presley is on a 10 game hitting streak and Andrew McCutchen is still Andrew McCutchen. Rod Barajas still looks lost and there is a ton of inconsistency, but this team couldn't stay as bad as they had been all year long and it seems like now is when they're going to start turning it around. It also helps that they aren't facing Cy Young pitching anymore.

The pitching has been great all year and today really enforced that. James McDonald took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, which is incredibly impressive. The guy is really, really tough to hit when he's throwing strikes and in a good rhythm. Clint Hurdle talks about rhythm and pace all the time and that's something they are focusing closely on with McDonald. He seemed to have that all figured out today as he cruised through seven innings giving up just one hit. I've been saying it since we have got him, this guy could be an all-star type pitcher if once he figures everything out. Charlie Morton has also been mixing up his pitches better, and he saw some serious results with it today as he went seven innings of his own giving up just one run. Fortunately for Chuck, the Pirates got him some offense and he got the win that he deserved. Those two are huge names for the Pirates, and it's incredibly encouraging to see them pitching so well. The best part of this is that these aren't even the team's top two pitchers. With Erik Bedard and A.J. Burnett on top of the rotation there is less pressure on these two and they are forming quite a rotation.

We have played the toughest schedule in the league to this point, and there is some greener grass ahead. The next few series won't be easy with Atlanta, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Washington on the slate. After that they get three at home with Houston before going to Miami. Taking eight out of the first 18 brutally tough games is a good thing. They just need to hover around .500 and then make their move when the schedule gets a bit easier.

I'm not predicting playoffs or anything like that, but the Pirates play on this home stand has been very encouraging and I can definitely see them staying relevant for a good amount of time.

Wednesday 4/25 Minor League Roundup

AAA Indianapolis | Indianapolis 5 Louisville 1
Jake Fox doubled twice and drove in three runs leading the Indians to their second consecutive win over the Louisville Bats. Jose Morales, Matt Hague, Nick Evans, Brandon Boggs, and Starling Marte all added hits (Marte was 1/1 with a run and an RBI in one pinch hitting appearance). Kris Johnson started for the Indians and went two innings giving up just one hit and holding Louisville off the board. Tim Wood and Daniel McCutchen combined for six scoreless innings. Daniel Moskos gave up the only run of the day and saw his ERA inflate to 2.84.

AA Altoona | Harrisburg 8 Altoona 0
Altoona saw their struggles continue with a another big loss to Harrisburg. Nathan Baker had another bad outing going 5.1 innings and giving up seven runs (six earned). The Curve got just five hits on the day. Elevys Gonzalez and Matt Curry had doubles in the shutout.

A West Virginia | West Virginia 2 Savannah 1
The setory was once again Alen Hanson for West Virginia. The leadoff hitter had two singles and an RBI. Jose Osuna, Chris Lashmet, and Junior Sosa added singles of their own. Despite the lack of offense, the Power managed to win this game thanks to a great pitching performance. Zachary Fuesser gave up just one run in six innings and Trent Stevenson and Jordan Cooper finished the game out with zeroes.

A Bradenton | Charlotte 8 Bradenton 0
Gerrit Cole pitched five innings and gave up five runs on three hits. Only two of those runs were earned as the Marauders committed three errors on the day. Cole struck out five and walked two. His season ERA sits at 4.76. Bradenton rounded up just four hits and they were all singles. A poor display altogether from the Marauders.

4/25 Charlie Morton Pitch F/X

7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Pitch Type	Veloc	H-Break	V-Break	Count	Strike%
4-Seam	88.6	-2.85	5.81	10	50.00%
Change	84.0	-4.71	2.36	6	33.33%
Curve	78.0	7.78	-4.02	28	60.71%
Cutter	86.0	0.00	4.29	17	64.71%
2-Seam	89.5	-8.42	2.16	40	62.50%

You can view all the season's pitch f/x posts by clicking here

4/25 James McDonald Pitch F/X

7 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K

Pitch Type	Veloc	H-Break	V-Break	Count	Strike%
4-Seam	91.3	-2.36	11.29	50	54.00%
Change	84.00	-6.22	8.67	3	33.33%
Slider	78.1	3.20	0.85	11	45.45%
Curve	76..2	6.71	-7.72	22	50.00%
2-Seam	91.0	-6.80	8.82	15	60.00%

You can view all the season's pitch f/x posts by clicking here

4/25 Recap | Pirates 5 Rockies 1

The Pirates won the rubber match and second game of the double header by a final score of 5 to 1. Charlie Morton started for the Pirates and pitched seven innings, giving up only one run on a solo homerun by Ramon Hernandez. Brad Lincoln pitched two perfect innings for the Pirates and struck out two. Morton was able to pick up a victory thanks to the Pirates being able to put together a five run inning.

One of the more productive offensive innings of the season came in the sixth inning tonight. The Pirates scored two runs to start the innings on misplayed balls by left fielder Carlos Gonzalez. Cargo had trouble tracking down a Nate McLouth flyball which led to an RBI and also an Andrew McCutchen flyball the next at bat which brought McLouth across. The sun got the best of Gonzalez today and that led to a huge inning for the Pirates. Garrett Jones followed up with a two run homerun to right field on a ball that was absolutely crushed and Pedro Alvarez hit a solo shot the next at bat to go back to back for the first time since Lyle Overbay and Brandon Wood did so a year ago. It was Pedro's fourth homerun of the season and he has already tied his total for last year as far as that goes and Jones homerun was also the first homerun that drove in more than one run. Yamaico Navarro and Charlie Morton were the only Pirate starters without a hit and Garrett Jones, Pedro Alvarez, and Clint Barmes all finished with multi hit games.

I stumbled upon a couple solid facts from the Post-Gazettes Michael Sanserino which both involved the recent play of Pedro Alvarez and Clint Barmes. Barmes came into this homestand batting .089 and six games later stands at a record of .179. Certainly not a good average but definitely something the Pirates want to see after Barmes looked lost at the plate through the first dozen games. I also read that Alvarez has hit .300 in his past 20 at bats with three homeruns and five RBIs. It is good to see these two come along and pick up some big hits for the Pirates like they did this homestand and hopefully they can continue to play this way.

The Pirates stand two games behind .500 and are set to open up a four game series in Atlanta this Friday.

4/25 Recap | Rockies 2 Pirates 1

Game one of the double header between the Rockies and Pirates finished with Colorado picking up a 2-1 victory. The story of this game was James McDonald's ability to take a no hitter into the seventh inning. Due to the Pirates being able to push only one run across, JMac picked up a no decision while only allowing one hit over seven innings. He allowed one run and struck out eight to go along with that. Chris Resop suffered a loss as he let up the leading run in the eighth inning. The run came in while Tony Watson was pitching on a sacrifice fly by Tyler Colvin. Jared Hughes, who was called up to be the 26th man today, pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Rockies only had three hits the whole game and managed to beat the Pirates, who had nine hits. Pedro Alvarez hit a solo homerun (third) in the seventh inning to tie it up, but the lead was later given back to the Rockies. Every player in the starting lineup (including James McDonald) picked up a hit which is the first time the Pirates lineup has done so this season. Rafael Betancourt set down the Pirates in order in the ninth to pick up his sixth save of the season and it was tough to see the Bucs triple their opponent in hits but still lose the game.

Tuesday 4/24 Minor League Roundup

AAA Indianapolis | Indianapolis 5 Louisville 3
Starling Marte raised his batting average once again with a two hit night. One of those hits was his third triple of the year; he also scored two runs. Matt Hague went 1/4 and drove in a pair and Nick Evans hit a two run homer, his first of the year. Jeff Locke made the start and pitched 6 innings giving up just one run on three hits. Tim Alderson was finally slowed down and gave up four hits and two runs in one inning of work.

AA Altoona | Harrisburg 5 Altoona 1
Matt Curry kept his hot start rolling with a three hit night. He drove in a run and raised his batting average to .321 on the year. Mike Colla gave up five runs in five innings on eight hits.

A West Virginia | Savannah 14 West Virginia 5
The Power played the Sand Giants and lost in a big way, giving up 14 runs. The bulk of those runs were given up by Ryan Hafner, who was making his season debut, and Vince Payne. Those two gave up 12 runs in six innings. Alen Hanson had two hits, Josh Bell had a single in two at bats. Hanson is basically the only guy on this Power team doing much of anything, and it would certainly be nice to see Bell start hitting better.

A Bradenton | Jupiter 7 Bradenton 1
Jameson Taillon made another start and pitched five scoreless innings striking out six and walking one. He allowed just two hits and has a 1.93 ERA on the season. That's very encouraging. However, the Marauders couldn't get any offense going and scored just one run on five hits. Dan Grovatt was responsible for that run with a solo homer in the 5th.

Rockies (8-8) vs. Pirates (7-9), Games 17 & 18

Colorado Rockies (8-8) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (7-9)

April 24, 2012

Juan Nicasio (1-0, 6.19) vs. James McDonald (0-1, 3.45)
Jhoulys Chacin (0-1, 4.80) vs. Charlie Morton (0-1, 3.60)

Game 1 Lineup:

Pirates 1. Alex Presley, LF 2. Jose Tabata, RF 3. Andrew McCutchen, CF 4. Neil Walker, 2B 5. Casey McGehee, 1B 6. Pedro Alvarez, 3B 7. Clint Barmes, SS, C 8. Michael McKenry, C 9. James McDonald, SP

Rockies 1. Marco Scutaro, 2B 2. Tyler Colvin, CF 3. Carlos Gonzalez, LF 4. Troy Tulowitzki, SS 5. Jason Giambi, 1B 6. Michael Cuddyer, RF 7. Wilin Rosario, C 8. Chris Nelson, 3B 9. Juan Nicasio, SP

Game Notes:

4/24 Kevin Correia Pitch F/X

6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Pitch Type	Veloc	H-Break	V-Break	Count	Strike%
4-Seam	89.0	-2.56	9.92	31	58.06%
Change	86.4	-5.53	6.58	9	44.44%
Slider	86.5	2.71	6.99	19	73.68%
Curve	75.75	8.52	-5.02	14	42.86%
Cutter	89.17	0.33	9.88	3	100.00%
2-Seam	89.0	-5.90	8.89	16	68.75%

You can view all the season's pitch f/x posts by clicking here

4/24 Recap | Pirates 5 Rockies 4

The Pirates had a great victory today beating the Colorado Rockies 5-4. Kevin Correia started for the Pirates and faced off against the 49 year old Jamie Moyer.

Correia started the game and pitched six strong innings only allowing two runs. Juan Cruz threw a 1-2-3 inning, Jason Grilli pitched two/thirds of an inning allowing one earned run. Tony Watson blew the game for the Pirates in the eighth inning allowing a two run homerun (second of the game) to Carlos Gonzalez, which at the time gave the Rockies a 4-3 lead in the eighth. The Bucs picked up Watson though and helped him get credit for the win as Joel Hanrahan nailed down a save with a 1-2-3 inning in the ninth.

The offense looked pretty solid for the Bucs tonight. They scored five runs on eleven hits and the hero of the night was easily Clint Barmes. Barmes went 3-3 with two doubles and a solo homerun. The homerun came in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game up after Watson blew it earlier in the inning. Casey McGehee had the go ahead single in the eighth as well. Andrew McCutchen had a big two run double in the seventh inning which gave the Pirates a 3-2 lead at the time and Alex Presley and Jose Tabata each picked up two hits.

It was a great all around team win for the Pirates tonight and nice to see Clint Barmes be the hero. Hopefully he can continue to hit like he did tonight and not struggle at the plate like he the whole season so far. The Pirates play a double header tomorrow and look to win both and get their record back to .500.

Rockies (8-7) vs. Pirates (6-9), Game 16

Colorado Rockies (8-7) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (6-8)

April 24, 2012

Jamie Moyer (1-2, 2.55) vs. Kevin Correia (1-0, 1.50)

Lineups:

Pirates 1. Alex Presley, LF 2. Jose Tabata, RF 3. Andrew McCutchen, CF 4. Casey McGehee, 1B 5. Neil Walker, 2B 6. Yamaico Navarro, 3B 7. Rod Barajas, C 8. Clint Barmes, SS 9. Kevin Correia, SP

Rockies 1. Marco Scutaro, 2B 2. Dexter Fowler, CF 3. Carlos Gonzalez, LF 4. Troy Tulowitzki, SS 5. Todd Helton, 1B 6. Michael Cuddyer, RF 7. Ramon Hernandez, C 8. Chris Nelson, 3B 9. Jamie Moyer, SP

Game Notes:

The Streak’s Gotta End, but Won’t Unless We Take a Stand

by Patrick Reddick

The Philadelphia Phillies took the field on Sunday, September 25, 1932 with the opportunity to accomplish something that had not happened for a decade and a half.

Finish a season over .500.

It was the first of two games against the New York Giants; the Phillies had to win at least half of the double header to accomplish their goal.

Carl Hubbell took the mound at The Polo Grounds for the Giants, starting his 32nd contest of the summer. He was still two years away from striking out Ruth, Gehrig, Foxx, Simmons, and Cronin—five Hall of Famers—in a row during the All-Star game, but his stuff was plenty good today. An hour and 37 minutes later it was over, and the Phillies were on the short end.

They had one more remaining, Game 154. They were 77-76. Lose and they would be .500. Win and they would break the streak they had started in 1918.

Perhaps it was destined, 1932 was not going so well. The height of the Great Depression, the Dow Jones had dropped to its lowest point ever earlier that summer. Across town, the Philadelphia Athletics won 34 more games than they lost and still finished 13 games behind the Yankees in the AL race. The Phillies probably should have felt fortunate this was their first time in 4th place since 1917 and glad another year was in the books.

But they took the field once again. And they never trailed in that final contest. Flint Rhem threw a complete game and Philadelphia’s colorfully named lineup of Kiddo Davis, Pinky Whitney, Spud Davis, and Hal Lee managed to score three in the third, add another in the seventh, and two more in the eighth. The game was called after eight innings sans reasoning in the box score.

And so Philadelphia finished 78-76, for a win percentage of .506. It was the first time they had finished with a record over .500 for 14 years… and the last time for 17 more.

They dropped right back down to seventh place and a 60-92 record in 1933, not hitting rock bottom until 1940 and ‘41 when they failed to win 30% of their games in back-to-back years, finishing with a combined record of 85-220.

It was their second streak of 17 losers in a row that the Pirates now look at in their rearview mirror. As any sensible fan will tell you, it is far too early to tell how this summer will turn out for the Bucs, or if this is the year we will finally break it.

We have heard time and time again that it has to end eventually. That is true. But it doesn’t have to be soon. The Phillies were a few bounces away from finishing .500 in 1932. They headed into the nightcap of that double header losers of their past four games; there is no doubt that some figured it would be five by the time the sun set. Had they given in to those doubts, the Pirates would still be a long way from the record of 32 straight years without more wins that losses.

But those Phillies took a stand, and they won that game. Maybe it didn’t mean much in the long run, but then again, they’re probably proud to have at least prevented a streak of 32 consecutive losing years from happening.

And that’s why, no matter how bad it may get, the Pirates can’t get down on themselves. Because even if we have lost ten in a row, we can still win the next one. And that one could be the difference between on winning season or a losing streak of 20.

Fun fact: After the Phillies had sub-.500 records in 31 of 32 seasons, it took them just two to make it to the World Series.

Time is Running Out to Get Your McEffect T-Shirt

I have just seven McEffect t-shirts left in stock. The only sizes I have are mediums (2 remain) and larges (4 remain). Unless I have overwhelming demand I am not making anymore, so this is most likely going to be your last chance to own one of these limited edition t-shirts. You can check it out and order below.

Buy a McTShirt:


$15

Size

Medium Large

Shirts from commonwealth press.

Monday 4/23 Minor League Roundup

AAA Indianapolis | Louisvile 4 Indianapolis 2
The Indians had very little going for them offensively today with only two runs on six hits. Jordy Mercer had three of those hits in just as many at bats. Starling Marte also had a hit and scored a run as his average now sits at .269. Justin Wilson collected his third loss of the season by allowing three  earned runs on five hits through five innings. Wilson struck out five and also walked five. Danny Moskos and Jared Hughes both pitched scoreless innings of relief. The other earned run of the game was given up by Daniel McCutchen on three hits and a walk.

AA Altoona | Did Not Play

A West Virginia | Did Not Play

A Bradenton | Bradenton 8 Jupiter 2
Colton Cain worked through five innings today allowing the only two runs of the game on two hits. Cain walked one and struck out four. At the plate, the Marauders had a pretty good night with Drew Maggi and Stefan Welch both collecting two hits a piece. Stefan Welch hit two home runs on the night, resulting in three RBIs. Alex Dickerson also hit a two run homer.

Looking at Every Run the Pirates Have Scored This Year

The Pirates have scored just 30 runs through 15 games. That is far and away the lowest amount in the league. I want take to take a look at each individual run scored and see where I can go from there. So here we go, all thirty runs broken down.

Date	Inning	Description
4/7	6th	Navarro walks, Tabata singles, Presley fielder's choice, Navarro scores on wild pitch
4/7	10th	Barajas doubles, McKenry pinch runs for Barajas, McKenry to third on Barmes sacrifice bunt, McKenry scores on Presley infield single
4/8	5th	Alvarez homers to right
4/8	7th	Alvarez reaches on dropped 3rd strike, Alvarez scores on McGehee double
4/8	7th	McGehee doubles, McGehee scores on Presley single
4/8	8th	McCutchen singles, McCutchen steals second base, McCutchen scores on Hague single
4/8	9th	McGehee doubles, Harrison pinch runs, Harrison to third on sacrifice bunt, Harrison scores on McCutchen single
4/10	7th	Presley reaches on infield single, Presley to second on McCutchen single, Presley to third on fly out, Presley scores on Hague groundout
4/11	3rd	Barmes homers to left
4/12	5th	McKenry homers to center
4/12	6th	McCutchen singles, McCutchen to second on McGehee single, McCutchen scores on Navarro sacrifice fly
4/14	1st	McCutchen singles, McCutchen to second on McGehee single, McCutchen to third on Barajas walk, McCutchen scores on Walker single
4/14	1st	McGehee singles, McGehee to second on Barajas walk, McGehee scores on Walker single
4/14	5th	Presley singles, Presley to second on throwing error, Presley scores on throwing error
4/15	2nd	Jones homers to right
4/15	2nd	Walker singles, Walker to second on Barmes single, Walker scores on Presley infield single
4/15	8th	McCutchen singles, McCutchen to second on McGehee single, McCutchen scores on Walker bunt single
4/15	8th	McGehee singles, McGehee to second on Walke bunt single, McGehee to third on throwing error, McGehee scores on Harrison sacrifice bunt
4/16	1st	McCutchen singles, McCutchen steals second, McCutchen to third on McGehee infield single, McCutchen scores on Walker single
4/17	1st	McCutchen singles, McCutchen to second on Walker single, McCutchen scores on Jones single
4/17	3rd	McCutchen singles, McCutchen to second on balk, McCutchen scores on Walker single
4/17	3rd	Walker singles, Walker scores on Jones double
4/17	6th	Jones homers to right
4/17	9th	Presley infield single, Presley to third on McGehee single, Presley scores on McCutchen single
4/18	7th	Alvarez homers to left
4/18	8th	Barmes single, Barmes to second on McCutchen single, Barmes scores on Walker single
4/20	1st	Presley inside the park homer
4/21	4th	McCutchen singles, McCutchen to third on Walker single, McCutchen scores on Alvarez infield single
4/21	6th	McCutchen doubles, McCutchen to third on fielder's choice, McCutchen scores on Alvarez single
4/22	8th	McKenry doubles to right, McKenry scores on McGehee single

There are a few interesting things here. First of all, eight of the Pirates 30 runs have come on balls that failed to leave the infield. Only nine of the runs have come off of extra base hits, and seven of those are home runs. Andrew McCutchen has been involved in the creation of 13 of the 30 runs and has scored 9 of them. Rod Barajas has neither scored nor driven in a run. Jose Tabata was mentioned just once above.

The Pirates offense has been bad. They have just 22 extra base hits in 15 games and are scoring just 2 runs a game because of it. They can't tie hits together and they struggle just to get the ball out of the infield at times. It has been a miserable offensive start to the season. The good news is that they are just 6-9 and have played some very good teams. The schedule gets easier starting now and the offense can't possibly hit near .200 for too long. That is bound to come up at least a bit and we should see some bigger numbers on the scoreboard soon (knock on wood).