7/30: Deadline Dealing - Jack Wilson, Jason Schmidt, Kris Benson, Gorzo, Derrek Lee, Bad Brad, Joe Blanton

 Not as busy as tomorrow's list, but with enough action to merit its own page:

• 2000 - The Bucs got SS Jack Wilson from the Cards in exchange for LHP Jason Christiansen. Wilson was the starter at short when healthy from 2001 until he was traded in 2009, and won a Gold Glove and All-Star berth in 2004. 

Jack Wilson 2002 Fleer Tradition series

• 2001 - The Bucs sent RHP Jason Schmidt and OF John Vander Wal to the Giants for OF Armando Rios and RHP Ryan Vogelsong. Schmidt went 7-1 the rest of the year for SF and then signed a big four-year contract. Vogelsong underwent Tommy John surgery two months later.
•  2004 - The Pirates traded RHP Kris Benson and IF Jeff Keppinger to the Mets for 3B Jose Bautista (who they had lost in the 2003 Rule 5 draft), IF Ty Wiggington and RHP Matt Peterson. Bautista became the tenth major leaguer to play for four teams in a season, having been on the rosters of Baltimore, Tampa Bay and Kansas City. In fact, he was actually on five teams, as he was acquired by the Mets from the Royals but sent to Pittsburgh the same day.

Joey Bats 2002 Topps rookie card

• 2009 - The Pirates shipped lefties Tom Gorzelanny and John Grabow to the Cubs in exchange for IF Josh Harrison and RHPs Kevin Hart & Jose Ascanio.
• 2011 - The Pirates traded minor league 1B Aaron Baker to the Orioles for 1B Derrek Lee, the first time that Pittsburgh was a buyer at the trade deadline since dealing for SS Shawon Dunston in 1997 to bolster the “Freak Show” lineup.
•  2012 - In a trade of 2006 first rounders, Pittsburgh sent RHP Brad Lincoln to Toronto for OF Travis Snider. Lincoln is back in the organization while Snider was traded to Baltimore in 2015 for a pair of prospects. 
• 2015 - The Pirates acquired veteran RHP Joe Blanton, 34, from the Royals for cash after he had been DFA’ed. Blanton posted a 3.89 ERA in 15 games (4 starts) with KC in 2015.

7/30:HBD Clint, Casey, Merritt, Rizzo & Finney; Bucs Move Into First; Westlake Cycle; Groat's Big ASG;

Little different format for the next couple of days; since there were so many deadline trades on the 30th & 31st, we're going to post them separately a little later.

• 1870 - C/1B Bill Merritt was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. The reserve played for the Pirates from 1894-97, with a brief stop in Cincinnati (Pittsburgh was one of Bill’s six MLB stops). He hit .280 with Pittsburgh. 

Bill Merritt 1898 Cameo Pepsin Gum pin

•  1886 - Enjoying an off day between games against the Metropolitans in New York, Allegheny pitcher Gentleman Jim Galvin decided to take in the NY Giants-St. Louis match at the Polo Grounds, and ended up with the best seat in the house. Still steaming over some verbal blasts unleashed during the prior day’s game, ump John Gaffney demanded a pre-game apology from the Giants. With none forthcoming, he stormed of the grounds, and Pud was pulled from the stands to ump. The Giants edged the Maroons 2-1 and Jeems escaped in one piece.
• 1890 - OF Casey Stengel was born in Kansas City, Missouri. The old Perfesser spent 1918-19 as a Pirate, with a .280 BA, and performed his famous Brooklyn “bird in the hat” stunt as a Bucco.
• 1891 - The Pirates got off to a 31–47 following a disastrous 23–113 season, demoted captain/manager Ned Hanlon (who had left the team in 1890 for the Pittsburgh Burghers of the upstart Players' League before returning to the Alleghenys after that league folded) and hired Bill McGunnigle as skipper. McGunnigle managed the club to a modest 24–33 record over the remainder of the year. He was replaced by Tom Burns, who didn’t make it through the 1892 season before losing his job to Al Buckenberger.
• 1905 - C Hal Finney was born in Lafayette, Alabama. He was a reserve that played for the Bucs from 1931-34 & again in 1936. He spent his MLB career in Pittsburgh, finishing with a .203 BA. 

Hal Finney 1931 (photo: TSN/Mears Collection)

• 1909 - The Bucs ended NY Giant’s Christy Mathewson’s 13 game winning streak by a 3-1 score at Forbes Field. Tommy Leach doubled in Fred Clarke and Alan Storke, and was chased home by Dots Miller in the first. That’s all the support Vic Willis would need, scattering nine hits for the complete game win.
• 1912 - OF Johnny Rizzo was born in Houston. He burst on the scene in 1938, hitting .301 with 23 HR and 111 RBI as a rookie; his HR mark for a first year Pirate stood until Jason Bay bettered it in 2006. He cooled off after that sizzling start, and early in 1940 was traded for Vince DiMaggio after hitting .283 with 29 HR and 168 RBI as a Bucco.
• 1922 - Max Carey went deep twice as the Pirates beat the Giants 7-0 at the Polo Grounds. Carey hit a two-run shot in the seventh inning and then connected for another two-run blast as part of Pittsburgh’s 13-hit attack. Johnny Morrison went the distance for the Pirates, allowing seven hits in the shutout.
• 1948 - Pittsburgh unleashed a four homer barrage against Brooklyn to take a 10-5 win at Ebbets Field. Wally Westlake hit for the cycle, while Max West, Monty Basgall and Clyde Kluttz homered to chase Dodger workhorse Ralph Branca. Bob Chesnes went the distance to claim the win.

Monty Basgall 1952 Topps series

• 1956 - Sports Illustrated wrote that “Bing Crosby, one of the 11-man syndicate that made the winning $5,500,000 bid for the Detroit Tigers, is also 16% owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates. When baseball Commissioner Ford Frick ruled that Crosby could own an interest in only one club at a time, the Groaner said he would keep the Pirates.”
• 1957 - Clint Hurdle was born in Big Rapids, Michigan. After a 10 year stint as a player and then managing the Colorado Rockies from 2002–2009 with a World Series appearance, Hurdle took over the Pirate reins in 2011, replacing John Russell. He broke the Pirate 20-year losing season streak in 2013 when he guided the club to 94 wins and the playoffs.
• 1962 - In the second All-Star game of the year, this one played at Wrigley Field, the AL bashed the NL 9-4. Dick Groat went 2-for-3 and was HBP while driving home two runs. Roberto Clemente went 0-for-2 and Bill Mazeroski 0-for-1.
• 1975 - The Pirates had to delay the start of the game at TRS by 18 minutes to let the Ladies’ Day promotion crowd of 43,260 get to their seats. It was worth the wait as the Bucs pounced on the Phils’ Steve Carlton on the way to an 8-1 win. Jerry Reuss went the distance, as Manny Sanguillen had a big day, going 5-for-5 with a homer. Al Oliver (HR, 2B), Willie Stargell (2B) and Dave Parker (2B) each had two-hit days. There were 21 hits banged out between the clubs, but the game still took just 2:25 to play.

Jerry Reuss 1974 Topps series

• 2002 - Pittsburgh snapped a six game losing streak with a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies at PNC Park. The Bucs broke open a duel between Kris Benson and the Rox’s Denny Neagle in the eighth, scoring three times with two outs. The rally was keyed by Adam Hyzdu’s two-run double. Mike Williams earned the save of Benson’s win.
• 2006 - Pittsburgh concluded a five game winning streak by taking a 2-1, 10 inning victory from the SF Giants at PNC Park. Jose Castillo’s leadoff homer in the ninth forced the game into extras, and Jose Hernandez’s single in the 10th scored Jack Wilson with the tie breaker. Both starters, Zach Duke and Matt Morris, put up zeroes but were gone before the seventh was done, and it took 11 more pitchers to finish up. 
• 2013 - The Pirates swept a doubleheader from the Cards by 2-1 and 6-0 scores at PNC Park to vault over them into first place in the NL Central. The opener went 11 innings, with the winning run scoring after Alex Presley’s apparent DP ball deflected off pitcher Kevin Siegrist’s glove and into left to plate Russ Martin. Vin Mazzaro got the win. The key blow in the nitecap was Andrew McCutchen’s two-run homer that bounced off Matt Holliday’s glove and into the second row of seats in left. Rookie Brandon Cumpton went seven frames for the win, tossing three hit ball. C Tony Sanchez took his MLB bow behind the dish and became one of seven Pirates to call a shutout in his first game; the last was Jason Kendall in 1996.
• 2014 - The San Francisco Giants broke a six game losing streak largely thanks to a DP via a walk. The Pirates, who had won three in a row, led 5-4 in the sixth when Chris Stewart drew a one-out walk with runners on second and third. Giant hurler Jean Machi got the ball back from the catcher and noticed Travis Snider had wandered off second base, apparently thinking it was a bases-loaded walk (he later admitted that was the case). Machi picked him off, and Gaby Sanchez, who was at third, was caught in the backwash and picked off, too. The Bucs went on to lose 7-5 at AT&T Park, wasting long balls by Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer.

Bucs Steamroll Hapless Twins 10-4

Windy day, high sun, 25 hits and five errors  all conspired to make the getaway game an interesting one, as what was featured as a pitching duel ended up anything but.

Ervin Santana had no problems with the Buccos in the first, and Frankie gave up just a single for a quiet beginning. Jung-Ho is liking the Twin Cities; in the second, he pounded a 1-2 fastball into the seats for back-to-back homers following last night's game winner. Minnesota got it right back when Eddie Rosario tripled off Cutch's mitt and came in on a grounder.

JHK finding that power stroke (photo Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press)

In the third, a walk and an error put Bucs at second and third with an out, but Starling flew out to short left, Cutch was walked intentionally, and A-Ram bounced out. With one gone in the Minny half, Brian Dozier smacked a hanger off the top of the wall in left-center; Aaron Hicks singled him home and went to second when Starling bobbled the ball. He plated an out later on Miguel Sano's knock. Further damage was averted when Sano was caught in a rundown trying to test Gregory's arm and tagged to end the frame.

Both sides stranded a runner in the fourth; the big news that frame was Gregory leaving the contest with an achy knee.

The Bucs tied it up in the fifth. With two gone, Starling dropped a lob into right and Cutch followed with a 408' liner that cleared the fence. A-Ram followed with double, his first hit as a Pirate since 2003, but was left at second. A double was followed by a one-out single off A-Ram's glove (it froze the runner at second when JHK's back-up kept it in the infield), but Frankie got a pair off grounders to put up another zero.

Pittsburgh broke it open in the sixth. The Kid opened with a single and was forced on Pete's grounder. He was chased to third on Fran's double, scoring soon afterward on a wild pitch (well, prob should have been a passed ball, but same result). Ishy and Jaff Decker walked, then Starling lifted a sac fly to mike it 5-3 Pittsburgh. 

Cutch lined a ball to right that bad hopped past Eddie Rosario and went to the wall, allowing Travis and Jaff to score as Andrew steamed around the sacks. The relay went through the 3B'man's wickets; Cutch headed home while Eduardo Nunez chased after the ball. Both were looking different directions and the inevitable collision was NFL-worthy. Neither was hurt, despite their human tumbling dice impressions, and Cutch was awarded home on an interference call. it was a textbook little league homer. Blaine Boyer took over for Santana and got the final out.

Frankie couldn't hang on, though, and was pulled with two outs and Twins on the corners for Antonio Bastardo. He punched out Shane Robinson to quell the threat.

Three of the first four Bucs reached against Boyer, but a DP in between kept Pittsburgh from lighting up the board again. In the bottom of the seventh, AB was his worst enemy. He picked up another whiff, but also walked a pair and threw ball away on a comebacker. That mess brought on Jared Hughes with the bases jammed and an out. No prob; a K and a grounder to first later safely closed the frame.

Ryan O'Rourke pitched a clean eight, and so did Arquimedes Caminero, tossing the first 1-2-3 inning by a Pirate hurler so far in the brief series.

JR Graham worked the ninth, giving up knocks to A-Ram and JHK plus a two-run double to Pedro to make it 10-3. Deolis Guerra K'ed the first two twinkies, then gave up a single, wild pitch and double, which oddly enough ended the frame; Sano was gunned at third by Jaff to close out the contest.

Well, wasn't pretty, and if Neal Huntington doesn't see a need for an arm or three for the pen, well, we do. But winning ugly sure beats losing ugly. The Bucs have taken 5-of-6 and move on down the line to Cincy, where AJ takes on David Holmberg tomorrow night.

• JHK had three hits, while The Kid, Cutch,A-Ram and Fran had a pair of knocks.
• Gregory Polanco's early exit ended a six game hitting streak and 18 game on-base string. His knee has been sore for a while, and there was no official word on whether he'll be available tomorrow.
• It was the Pirates 11th sweep of the season. That's the most Bucco broomings since they took a dozen sets back in 1992. 
• The club is done with interleague play, finishing the year finish 13-7 against the AL.
• A-Ram went into the game 0-for-14 as a 2015 Bucco before getting his first hit. .
• The Pirates sold LHP Jayson Aquino to Indians; he had been DFA'ed to make room for Pedro Florimon.

Frankie v Ervin Santana; Lineup (Starling's Back) & Notes

Today's Game - Francisco Liriano (6-6, 2.91) and Ervin Santana (2-0, 2.60) hook up on get-away day. Frankie's been a stalwart, going 5-2 with a 2.10 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 73 IP in his last 11 starts. That 12th start, though, was a rough one against the Twinkies, as he gave up a seven spot in two frames in May. Overall, he's 1-1 with a 2.77 ERA in three career starts with the other two outings coming as a member of the White Sox in 2012.

Frankie faces his old team (photo: USA Today)

Ervin signed a big deal with the Twins and then promptly got smacked with an 80-game suspension for a PED violation. But he's been light's out since returning four starts ago, having pitched scoreless ball the last two times out. He's faced the Bucs once, winning 7-3 as a Bravo last year.

The game starts at 1:10 and will be on Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan.

Today's Lineup - Gregroy Polanco RF, Starling Marte LF, Cutch CF, Aramis Ramirez 3B, Jung-Ho Kang SS, Neil Walker 2B, Pedro DH, Fran Cervelli C, Travis Ishikawa 1B (Liriano P)

Starling's back from his tummy ache, so that's good news. Pedro remains at DH and Ishy at 1B. Apparently A-Ram can't slump his way out of cleanup; guess Clint figures he's due. Fran gets another day-following-night stint; hope that doesn't wear him down as the dog days heat up.

• Former Twin Francisco Liriano is still the all-time leader in strikeouts at Target Field with 258.
• Yes, you can go home again: Third Base Coach Rick Sofield was selected by Minnesota in the first round of the 1975 June Draft, then made his big league debut and played three seasons (1979-1981) with the Twins.
• Today is the last interleague game of the season for the Pirates. The Bucs are 12-7 v the AL going into today.
• RHP Tyler Glasnow is a step closer; he was promoted to Indy today.We don't expect to see him in September - that's not the Pirates way - but gives him the opportunity to be pitching in Pittsburgh sometime in 2016.

7/29: Freddy, Jack & Ian Traded; HBD George Cutshaw & Mike Williams; Hans Grand Slam; 2014 Run

• 1886 - 2B George Cutshaw was born in Wilmington, Illinois. He came to the Bucs in exchange for Burleigh Grimes, and manned second base for four seasons (1918-21). Cutty hit .275 as a Pirate. His best year was his last, when he hit .340. But he was injured in August, and the 35 year old was sold to Detroit, where he spent the last two years of his career.

George Cutshaw 1921 National Caramel E220 series

• 1915 - Honus Wagner hit a grand slam in the eighth inning off Brooklyn Dodger Ed Pfeffer (It was “a dandy drive” per the Pittsburg Press) during Pittsburgh’s 8-2 victory at Forbes Field. The inside-the-park round tripper made the 41-year old infielder the second oldest player ever to hit a homer with the bases full, a record set by 42-year old Cap Anson in 1894. (The mark that stood until 1985 when 44-year old Tony Perez of the Reds claimed it.) Erving Kantlehner scattered nine hits while going the distance for the win, helped by an unassisted DP when RF Bill Hinchman snared a short line drive and raced to first base to double off Pfeffer.
• 1940 - The Bucs scored six times in their final at-bat, with the lead run thrown out at the plate as Frank Gustine tried to score from first on Vince DiMaggio’s single. It was a big play; the Dodgers pushed across a two-out run in the bottom half as the Pirates went down 7-6 at Ebbets Field. The game was marked by a ninth inning brawl started when Brooklyn C Babe Phelps spiked P Mace Brown at a play at first. Manager Frankie Frisch was fined $100 and ejected, and three of his players were hit with $25 fines.
• 1947 - Frank Gustine went 4-for-5 against the Boston Braves to lead Pittsburgh to a 6-5 win at Forbes Field. It ran his hitting streak to 21 games before it was snapped the next day. Tiny Bonham went the distance for the win.

Frank Gustine (image from The Sporting News collection)

• 1968 - RHP Mike Williams was born in Radford, Virginia. In six seasons (1998-2003), he went 15-23 and saved 140 games for Pittsburgh with a 3.78 ERA. His mark of 46 saves in 2002 is still a team standard, but fame is fleeting - he was out of baseball after 2003.
• 1971 - Gene Clines was the hero of the Bucs 8-5 win over Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium. His three run homer was the big blow in a six-run sixth inning, and the CF went 4-for-4 with four RBI and a pair of runs. Bob Robertson and Willie Stargell also went yard in the win that was cemented by 5-2/3 scoreless frames tossed by the bullpen.
• 2000 - Brian Giles went 5-for-5 with a pair of doubles while Warren Morris and Emil Brown homered as the Bucs ran up a 10-2 count against the San Diego Padres at TRS. Francisco Cordova got the win as three Buc pitchers scattered six hits in front of a Saturday night crowd of 30,118.

Emil Brown 1999 Upper Deck series

• 2009 - 2B Freddy Sanchez was traded to the San Francisco Giants for RHP Tim Alderson. The Bucs also traded RHP Ian Snell and SS Jack Wilson to the Mariners for RHP Aaron Pribanic, RHP Brett Lorin, 1B Nathan Adcock, SS Ronny Cedeno and 1B Jeff Clement. Snell was out of baseball by 2010 while Freddy & Jack were snake-bitten by injury. For the Bucs, the only contributor was Cedeno, and he wore out his welcome after 2011.
• 2014 - The Pirates beat the San Francisco Giants 3-1 at AT&T Park behind Francisco Liriano’s 11 whiffs and homers by Travis Snider and Josh Harrison. After an April-May slump that saw them fall nine games behind in the NL Central race and eight games below .500, the Bucs pulled within a game of first and even in the loss column plus they moved into the second wild card spot

El Coffee, Jung-Ho & The Shark Carry Bucs To 8-7 Win

Mike Pelfrey got the first three Bucs; Charlie nailed down the first pair of Twinkies before Joe Mauer worked him for a nine pitch walk. He went to second on a balk. Then Miguel Sano tapped a ball to third and A-Ram's barehand toss got past Ishy, who should have but couldn't pick the short hop. Trevor Plouffe singled Sano to third before Charlie got the third out.

The Pirates went quietly in the second. Aaron Hicks led off with a walk. Two grounders moved him to third, and a third ended the frame. Fran opened the third with a single to right; none of the Pirates behind him took the hint, although Gregory was robbed of extra bases and a RBI by a sweet leaping grab at the CF fence by Hicks. Torii Hunter singled to start the Twins off, and Mauer reached on JHK's throwing error, trying to start the DP at second. Charlie didn't fold; he came back with a three pitch whiff and an around the horn DP to shut the door.

The Kid drew a walk to begin the fourth (the last four leadoff hitters have gotten on). Two fly outs later, JHK singled but Pedro couldn't cash them in. Eddie Rosario banged a lead off triple for the Twins (actually a double, but the ball caromed past Cutch to give him three bags). A grounder plated him to make it 2-0 after four.

Continuing the first batter mojo, Fran singled to start the fifth. Ishy singled him up a station. Jaff laid down a bunt; it was thrown away, giving the Bucs a run and leaving Corsairs at second and third. Gregory hit his third straight bullet, but it was speared on the dive by SS Eduardo Escobar. The Kid rolled one to short; Ishy was off on contact and called safe on a bang-bang play at home. The Twins challenged; Ishy hesitated before breaking to make it a close shave, but the safe ruling was upheld. Cutch flied out to center, with Jaff taking third after the catch, but he died 90' short of the lead. Charlie tossed his version of a clean frame - whiff, walk, and 4-6-3 DP.

El Coffee celebrates after his big belt (image: Root Sports)

The Bucs got to Pelfrey in the sixth. Jung-Ho was plunked and Pedro walked. Fran should have had his third hit, but Hunter decoyed the runners into thinking he had the soft liner measured, played it cleanly on the hop and forced Pete at second. Ishy dumped a flare into left to score JHK, and Pelfrey gave the ball to Ryan O'Rourke. The lefty took Jaff and Gregory to school, whiffing both without tossing his slider anywhere near the strike zone.

Charlie walked Sano, then whiffed the next pair of Twinkies with hooks. Up 0-2 on Hicks, he went to the well once to often and his curve was drilled into right for a double (it was belt high; he needed to bury it). It became a triple when Gregory ho-hummed the throw in; this team takes a lot of plays on in the field. Charlie left and Jared Hughes came on close the door.

O'Rourke retired Walker, then Casey Fien, a RHP, toed the rubber and did the same to Cutch and A-Ram. Jared should have had a 1-2-3 frame, but after JHK made a nice stop in the hole, he fired a one-hopper that Ishy again couldn't come up with. It led to an uh-oh moment when Mauer poked one long into the corner, but Jaff had it measured a step or so shy of the foul pole.

Fien got an out before Pedro and Fran hit back-to-back singles, one a rocket and the other a well placed roller. That brought on lefty Brian Duensing and S-Rod to hit for Ishikawa. Rodriguez K'ed swinging without seeing a strike, but Jaff showed some discipline and drew a 3-2 walk. That brought up Gregory. He fell behind 1-2, laid off a chaser, spoiled a couple and then banged a bases-clearing double high off the RF wall. The Kid rolled one through the right side, and suddenly it was 7-3 Pittsburgh. Trevor May climbed the hill to get the last out.

The Twins didn't mail it in. After an out, three straight singles followed by a pair of doubles off money-in-the-bank Tony Watson made it seven up. The first two hits were soft; the last three laser beams. Mark the Shark got a rare eighth inning call, and used three pitches to close it down.

The Shark (photo Charle LeClaire/USA Today) 

Glen Perkins took over in the ninth. A-Ram was retired on an at 'em ball to third, then Jung-Ho caught all off a spinner and drilled it off the second-level facade in left center to regain the lead. Pedro lined a single to right, and Fran almost pulled off the coup d' grace when his blast into the upper decks just slid outside the LF pole. Perkins came back to get him and S-Rod. Mark gave up a one out walk, but the next pitch was turned into a 4-6-3. This time, tho, no save for the Shark; he has to settle for a W.

Not sure how the bullpen will line up tomorrow - Melacon only used 10 pitches, Watson 14 and Hughes 18, so you'd think they'd be good to go. Frankie Liriano and Ervin Santana is a marquee matchup for tomorrow's get-away game.

• Gregory Polanco has reached base safely in 18 straight games and has a six-game hit streak. El Coffee only had one very clutch hit, but drilled three balls right on the nose for loud outs tonight.
• Starling Marte was a late scratch; the team said he had gastritis and he may be iffy for tomorrow's day game.
• Jordy took some grounders today; so far he and Josh seem to mending up on schedule.
• Rob Scahill has some work planned at Pirate City and is slated to begin his rehab stint on August 6th with Bradenton.
• Brent Morel, DFA'ed for A-Ram, cleared waivers and elected free agency.

Charlie v Mike Pelfrey; Lineup & Notes

Today's Game - Charlie Morton (6-4, 4.59) vs. Mike Pelfrey (5-7, 3.94). Here's hoping Charlie can get back on the bicycle. He hasn't won a game this month with an ERA of 7.76 over his last six starts. Charlie's given up four homers, 11 walks and hit four batters in his last four outings, so his command has been part of the problem. So has the seventh frame; he's surrendered just eight runs total in the first six innings of his past five outings, but 10 runs in the seventh inning alone. This will be the first time he's faced the Twins.

Pelfrey has hit on hard times, too, as he's winless in his last seven starts. Still, he's a tough hombre at home. The right-hander has posted a 2.22 ERA in eight starts at Target Field, and held the Pirates to a run over six innings May 20th in a no-decision at PNC Park. He's 3-2 with a 4.33 ERA against Pittsburgh lifetime.

Like the Bucs, Minnesota has had a feast or famine attack, scoring two runs or less in five of their last eight matches. The Pirates have gone 10-14 all time against the Twins, which includes an 0-2 record this season. Trivia point: Pittsburgh played its first ever interleague road game on June 16th, 1997 in Minnesota and won an 8-6 decision.

Tonight's game starts at 8:10 and is on Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan.

Add caption

Pedro DH'ing with Ishy at first base, AL cities are so much fun. Clint loves A-Ram in the clean up hole; we'd prefer him lower in the lineup by a couple of spots. Maybe Clint doesn't want Aramis' .241 BA too close to Pedro's .232 average.

• This is the Pirates first visit to target Field since 2009.
• Monday's Cubbies-Bucs game at PNC Park will be televised on ESPN.
• Steve Lombardozzi cleared waivers and has returned to Indy.
• Tyler Glasnow fanned a dozen hitters in six innings, but Altoona lost to Akron, 2-0.
• Bradenton SS JaCoby Jones has been promoted to Altoona. He hit .253 with 10 HR (tied 3rd in FSL) and 58 RBI (3rd in FSL) in 93 games.
• It was a good week for the organization. Bradenton OF'er Harold Ramirez was named the FSL Batter of the Week, Morgantown's Jonathan Brubaker was named the NYPL Pitcher of the Week and Bristol 1B Carlos Munoz was named the Appalachian League Batter-of-the-Week.

7/28: Giles Stuns 'Stros; Vanimal's 1st Shutout; Max Butcher Deal; SI & ESPN Appearances

• 1932 - Pittsburgh swept a twin bill from the NY Giants‚ winning 10-7 and 9-1. Earl Grace had three hits and three RBI during the lidlifter to pace the Pirate attack. In the nitecap, Tony Piet smacked a grand slam and three-run homer to go along with two more hits for a seven RBI, three run day to plow the road for Heinie Meine.
• 1939 - The Pirates traded veteran 1B Gus Suhr to the Phillies for RHP Max Butcher. Suhr was nearing the end of his career (he was released after playing just 10 games in 1940, his last MLB season), but Butcher became a mainstay for the Bucs, pitching for seven seasons, making 154 starts and winning 67 games in Pittsburgh.
• 1940 - The Pirates won their eighth of nine games and fifth in a row after sweeping Boston at Braves Field by 5-2 and 7-3 scores. Maurice Van Robays was the hero of the opening match, homering and driving in three runs to give Dick Lanahan all the support he needed. The Bucs used a balanced attack to support Max Butcher’s four-hitter in the nitecap.

Max Butcher 1939 (photo: tnfotos Baseball Page)

• 1958 - Frank Thomas was featured as the cover story of Sports Illustrated in an article titled “Nobody Knows Him But Everybody Wants Him.” In case you’re among the gang that doesn’t know him, the Pittsburgh native hit 163 HR in eight years as a Bucco and 286 bombs in his 16 seasons in the majors.
• 1968 - Al McBean had one of those can-do-no-wrong Sundays. He gave up 13 hits to the Cards at Forbes Field, but still went the distance for a 7-1 win. The big blow? McBean’s grand slam in the fifth off Larry Jaster, coming with two down after Milt May was walked to get to Alvin. Donn Clendenon added a two run blast to the cause.
• 1971 - Luke Walker spun a four hit, complete game whitewash at Los Angeles in a 4-0 win at Dodger Stadium. Bob Robertson homered and had a sac fly to bring home two runs. The Bucs nickled and dimed the Dodgers; every position player had a hit, four different guys scored and three had RBI as the club put up their runs one at a time in four different frames.

Luke Walker 1971 Topps series

• 1987 - Barry Bonds hit 176 homers while wearing the Bucco colors, but only one was an inside-the-park job. In an otherwise blah 5-2 loss to the Phillies at TRS, rookie Bonds drilled a two out liner to right off Shane Rawley that kicked around, allowing him and Junior Ortiz to score the only Pirate tallies of the day. "Glenn Wilson tried to cut the ball off and missed it," Rawley recalled for the AP. "It rolled around the corner and ricocheted all the way around. By the time he got the ball, there was no way to get Barry." The hit was payback for Bonds, who Rawley had plunked twice. It was the first of three Bonds’ homers that didn’t clear the fence among his 762 long flies. The other two were in 1997 with the Giants.
• 1996 - Orlando Merced hit two home runs and tallied four RBI while Al Martin & Mark Johnson had four hits each as the Bucs beat the Phillies 12-8 at TRS. Reliever John Ericks took home the win of the nationally televised ESPN Sunday Night Baseball match. It would be the last SNB appearance for the Bucs until 2014.
• 2000 - Aramis Ramirez drove in six runs with a pair of homers, Emil Brown went long to plate four more runners while John Vander Wal also went yard in a 16-5 romp over the San Diego Padres at TRS. A-Ram, Jason Kendall, Kevin Young and Vander Wal scored three times each.
• 2000 - The Bucs sent OF Wil Cordero to the Indians for IF Enrique Wilson and OF prospect Alex Ramirez. Cordero played respectably through 2003, while Wilson was traded again in 2001 and Ramirez began a long career as a slugger in Japan after the 2000 season.

Alex Ramirez 2001 Topps series

• 2001 - Pittsburgh became only the second team in NL history (the Cubs were the first in 1952) to win a game by scoring seven runs with two outs and nobody on base in the ninth inning. Brian Giles capped the scoring with a walk-off grand slam off Astros ace Billy Wagner to win the game 9-8 after Pat Meares had hit a two-run shot earlier in the frame. The game was the opener of the first home day-night doubleheader in franchise history before a crowd of 32,977 at PNC Park. There was no drama in the nightcap as Houston rolled 12-3.
• 2003 - Jeff Suppan won his sixth consecutive start with a 3-0 decision over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, scattering seven hits. He was backed by Reggie Sanders’ homer and three hits from Randall Simon. Suppan was flipped to the Red Sox three days later as part of a deal for Freddy Sanchez and Mike Gonzalez.
• 2004 - In one of their more frustrating losses, the Bucs collected 11 hits but were shut out by the Braves 1-0 at PNC Park. Ollie Perez threw a five hitter with 10 K, but Chipper Jones’ fourth inning homer was enough run support for the Bravos. John Smoltz came out of the bullpen to save the game for Russ Ortiz.
• 2005 - The Bucs traded for IF JJ Furmaniak from the San Diego Padres in exchange for C David Ross. Furmaniak batted 52 times as a MLB'er while Ross is still in the show.

JJ Furmaniak 2006 Bowman Rookie Blue series

• 2012 - The Pirates won for the ninth time in 11 games, taking a 4-3 decision from the Astros at Minute Maid Park. Alex Presley and Neil Walker had solo shots, and Rod Barajas singled in Andrew McCutchen with the game winner with two out in the eighth. They remained two games back in the NL Central race.
• 2013 - The final page in a deal that didn’t happen was turned when the Astros passed on the Bucs final offer of Luis Heredia & a competitive balance pick for Bud Norris. The give and take was released as part of Astro e-mails leaked by St. Louis Cardinal staffers. The Pirates offered one of Heredia, Tyler Glasnow or Alen Hanson for Norris; Houston GM Jeff Luhnow wanted Glasnow and either Heredia or Nick Kingham as a package, offers that Neal Huntington wisely rejected. (Thanks to Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review)
• 2014 - The Pirates laid some small ball on Madison Bumgarner in the first inning, and it led to a big frame. The Bucs used three hits, two walks, an error and a pair of sac flies to jump ahead of the SF Giants 4-0, and then added on a final run when Josh Harrison homered. The rest of the night at AT&T Park belonged to Vance Worley, who tossed his first MLB shutout and just his second career complete game. He allowed four hits, facing two batters over the minimum, only one of whom advanced past first thanks to three DPs and a caught stealing, to toss the Bucs first complete game shutout since AJ Burnett turned the trick in 2012.

Deadline Approaches With Holes To Fill...

The opening deadline deal the Bucs swung for A-Ram was out of necessity, and well played, we think. The FO brought in a legit 5-6 hitter to poke a finger in the dike while Josh & Jordy are out, without adding to an already crowded left side of the infield. When they return, A-Ram adds a solid RH bat to the bench in September. The next set of moves is to shore up the soft spots; this is the week, as the deadline expires on Friday afternoon..

The biggest question the Pirates had to answer during the deadline selloff was whether they were going to stick with Pedro at first. Last week, Jeff Passan of Yahoo!Sports said he was being offered to everyone; this week, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweeted his spot in Pittsburgh is etched in stone; we assume market response had something to do with that swing. And with Josh Bell's estimated arrival in 2017 meshing with Pedro's estimated departure, looks like it'll be the same ol' next season, too.

Pedro remaining at first simplifies the Pirates deadline dealing (photo Gene Puskar/AP)

If that is the case, the Pirates may or may not look to upgrade the spot by adding a RH hitter. But the market isn't offering much, even in that limited role, and Sean Rodriguez isn't going anywhere. Mike Napoli? Maybe, but he's not really much of an improvement. And where exactly does that leave the now redundant Travis Ishikawa?

The most obvious need is some bullpen help. After Mark Melancon, Tony Watson and Jared Hughes - he's been every bit as dependable in his role as The Shark and Tony have been in theirs - the FO has to find an arm or two. Antonio Bastardo, Deolis Guerre and Archimedes Caminero may all have cool names, but unfortunately, that's where the coolness ends as all three have been wildly inconsistent. A Tyler Clippard, Tommy Hunter, Brad Boxberger type would bolster the pen considerably (EDIT - scratch Clippard. He went to the Mets for minor league RHP Casey Meisner.) Internal reinforcements include the return of Rob Scahill and rehab of John Holdzkom, but neither are on the near horizon.

A righty stick, preferably in the OF (ideally, 1B/OF) might be a piece worth considering, even with Ramirez aboard, to ease Gregory Polanco's transition. The Bucs are reported by Rob Beirtempfel  to have interest in Boston OF'er Shane Victorino. The Flyin' Hawaiian can still hit against lefties (.304 this season) which makes him a possible platoon guy with Gregory. He also carries what remains of a $13M contract with him, so his price shouldn't be much. Victorino is a FA at the end of the year and would be a pure rental, which would be a perfect fit. (EDIT - he was; but for the Angels, who picked him up today for Josh Rutledge.)

Don't let the smoke of players like Justin Upton get into your eyes; Pittsburgh is sold on Gregory and aren't gonna hedge their bets quite yet. The Pirate OF is actually quite solid on the farm, and the organization finally has a few youngsters at Indy, though none are making any noise yet.

More starters, please? Charlie has hit the wall after the sixth inning recently (a fact known to all but Clint, apparently), and AJ is regressing, as expected. But unless a well timed visit to the DL pops up, the Pirates really don't have anyplace to move the current rotation; there are no young guns to send down. That doesn't mean that twenty-something like Tyson Ross or Andrew Cashner wouldn't interest the Pirates FO, but it would involve a lot of moving parts.

The possibility also exists that Pedro Florimon may wear out his welcome sooner rather than later, which would open the door for a Clint Barmes reunion. We don't think anything like a Ben Zobrist offer is in the works; the FO seems OK with most of the core and is looking to apply some putty around the edges.

7/27: Back To the Future; Big Buc Sweep in '79; Dandy Delwyn; The Fort

• 1908 - Honus Wagner and Chief Wilson led the Bucs to a 4-3 win over the NY Giants and Christy Mathewson at the Polo Grounds. The Flying Dutchman had a pair of doubles good for two runs and an RBI while Wilson had two knocks including a triple, scored once and drove in a pair. Nick Maddox got the win while Irv Young came on the get the last out in the ninth.
• 1927 - Vic Aldridge tossed a five hitter and the Bucs scored twice in the eighth to beat Dazzy Vance and the Brooklyn Robins‚ 2-1 at Forbes Field to take over undisputed possession of first place. Kiki Cuyler’s single scored Paul Waner, who had three hits on the day, and George Grantham for the win.

Vic Aldridge (photo TSN-Mears Collection)

• 1932 - Bill Harris notched a pair of wins in a twinbill against the Giants at the Polo Grounds‚ tossing three innings in the opening 9-8 win followed by two perfect frames in a 4-2 nitecap victory. In the first game, Lloyd Waner had four knocks while Arky Vaughan and Tony Piet homered. The Pirates scored three in the ninth to take the second match with C Earl Grace knocking home two of his three RBI and Harris singling in another. The Pirates increased their NL lead over the Cubs to five games, but would finish the season four games behind Chicago in the pennant race.
• 1941 - Homestead Gray 1B Buck Leonard launched a three run homer at Comiskey Park to lead the East to an 8-3 win over the West in the Negro League All-Star Game. The contest drew a record crowd of 50,256.
• 1961 - Giants’ Manager Alvin Dark said before the game that "Juan Marichal will go all the way" and kept his bullpen in the dugout to emphasis the point. And he was right. Marichal threw a complete game, five hit shutout at Forbes Field, winning 2-0 over Vinegar Bend Mizell.
• 1968 - Matty Alou was featured as the cover story of The Sporting News in an article titled “Pistol Packing Pirate.”

• 1979 - The Bucs swept Montreal in a DH at Olympic Stadium in front of a crowd of 59,260, the biggest baseball turnout in Canada. They took the opener 5-4, three times losing leads to the pesky Expos before Phil Garner’s eighth inning single scored Dave Parker with the game winner. Garner had a big game, with three hits and a homer. Kent Tekulve allowed an inherited runner to score in the seventh to tie the game, but got the win, with Enrique Romo picking up the save. Bob Robertson went long and had four RBI while Phil Garner went 3-for-4 again with four runs scored in the Bucs 9-1 win in the nitecap. Bert Blyleven went the distance, scattering five hits and striking out nine as the Bucs cut the Expos lead to ½ game.
• 1982 - Larry McWilliams tossed a three hitter and struck out 11 in complete game shutout win over Philadelphia, 4-0, at TRS. Jason Thompson drove home a pair and Bill Madlock homered to provide the cushion against the Phils.
• 1991 - Jay Bell had the first two-homer game of his career, going 4-for-5 with four RBI and four runs scored in Pittsburgh’s 11-5 win at Houston’s Astrodome. Bell hit a one-out homer in the first off the Jimmy Jones, then a three-run shot in the sixth inning off Jim Corsi to extend the Bucs’ lead to 11-0. Barry Bonds added three RBI and scored twice as Randy Tomlin picked up the win.
• 1998 - 2B Tony Womack set a record of 888 consecutive at bats without grounding into a double play in an 8-7, 13 inning loss to the Rox at Coors Field. The previous record had been held by Brooklyn's Pete Reiser, set in the mid-forties. Tony eventually went 219 straight games and 915 at-bats without hitting into a double-play. Jose Guillen had four hits and a homer and Kevin Young also went long with three RBI in the defeat.

Tony Womack 1998 Fleer Tradition series

• 1999 - In one of baseball’s weirder promotions, the Pirates defeated the Mets‚ 5-1‚ in the first of MLB's "Turn Ahead the Clock Nights," sponsored by Century 21 Real Estate. Each team wore futuristic uniforms (the Bucs had red jerseys with yellow sleeves and a giant Bucco head logo)‚ with the hometown squad becoming the "Mercury" Mets for the night. The pre game rap was “Greetings, earthlings. Welcome to Shea Station 4C. Blastoff time is 7:40.” The theme was carried on throughout the evening‚ with the scoreboard flashing computerized graphics of the players of the future as each came to the plate. Rickey Henderson‚ for example‚ was given three eyes and pointy ears‚ and played "left quadrant." Al Martin hit the first of his two HRs in the first "sector‚" and rookie Kris Benson went the distance for the win.
• 2009 - In an otherwise unremarkable 4-2 loss to Tim Lincecum at AT&T Park, Delwyn Young added a little spice to the show. Randy Winn’s bloop into right went off right fielder Garrett Jones’ mitt, then off his knee, and he kicked it into the air with his foot for good measure. Young, playing second, dove after the cowhide hacky-sack and made a lunging barehanded grab. Alas, the ump blew the call and gave Winn a hit, which was pretty much how the Pirates’ luck ran back then. Nevertheless, Tribune Review writer Joe Starkey called the catch the “Best play of the decade.”
• 2013 - Mike McKenry showed why MLB catchers are a different breed of cat. He caught the final three frames of a 7-4 win against Miami at Marlins Park after tearing the lateral meniscus in his left knee during a slide, an injury that required season-ending surgery three days later. It was hard to tell, as the reserve catcher, who soldiered through the game because starting catcher Russell Martin had tweaked his knee the previous night, went 4-for-5. The Fort was the battery mate of Charlie Morton, who took home the win with a save by Mark Melancon.