Bucs v Altoona & Saturday Stuff

Altoona hosts the Pirates in an exhibition contest set for 2PM at Peoples Natural Gas Field. Taking the hill for the Buccos in the matchup will be RHP James McDonald. He'll be working against some familiar faces.

Climbing the hill for Altoona will be Jason Grilli, who will be followed by Jared Hughes, Tony Watson and Justin Wilson, all three who pitched for the Curve on their road to Pittsburgh. In all, the MLB roster features ten Curve alums.The match is sold out, and The Fan 93.7 will air the game. It will in be televised in the Altoona area by Fox 8.

The Bucs will work out tomorrow at PNC Park in preparation for the Cub Opener on Monday. The practice will be open to the public from 1-3PM if you have a late Easter dinner and it doesn't get rained out; enter through the left field (Legacy Square) gate.

• Tyler Blackwell of Rumbunter keeps the LHP Chris Capuano trade fires roaring, reporting that Pirate scouts watched him work during his last outing in a minor league game.
• Matt Eddy of Baseball America tweeted that RHP Jose Contreras and the Bucs worked a release-and-resign deal to keep in him the organization.
• The Pirates 40-man roster is finalized. It's almost certain that Francisco Liriano, Jeff Karstens, and Charlie Morton will join Chase d'Arnaud on the DL, so remove them from the active roster and the 25-man is set, too. (Ignore C Miguel Perez; he's a typo).
• The Pirates reacquired C Brian Jerolman for cash from the Indians in a depth move. He was the guy they claimed, waived and lost in a week's span last off season.
• Altoona's roster has been set, keyed by pitchers Jamison Taillon and Stolmy Pimentel. Tim Williams of Pirates Prospects has the lineups and rotations for the other full-season clubs.
• Bill Brink of the Post Gazette has his list of the Bucs Top Ten Prospects.
• March 30, 1952 - Deacon Phillippe passed away. The RHP tossed 12 seasons (1900-11) for the Bucs with a 168-92 record and 2.50 ERA, winning 20 games six times and never suffering through a losing season. He won three World Series games against Boston in 1903, beating Cy Young in the opener and tossing five complete games, winning three.  Toward the end of his career, he worked six shutout innings in the 1909 Series against Detroit. In 1969, Pirates fans voted him as Pittsburgh's top all-time right handed pitcher.