Bucs: Too Little, Too Late - Reds Hang On For 4-3 Win

Raisel Inglesias had an easy inning to open, with a tapper and walk sandwiched around a couple of whiffs. It was an easy one for Gerrit, too with a punch out and walk, oh and another great diving play by Marte to rob Bruce of a gapper and possible RBI. It was a 1-2-3 second for Inglesias. Marlon Byrd opened with a triple, taking a slider the opposite way to right center. Cutch got caught 'twixt a catch and a hop, and the ball skipped past him. A sac fly made it 1-0.

Gregory singled in the third, but was stranded. Billy Hamilton singled in the Reds half and stole two bases, but one of them wasn't home so it remained 1-0. But not for long; JHK drilled a slider into the second deck in left to tie the game in the fourth. Again, not for long. With an out, Marlon Byrd blooped a single, then Brayan Pena singled off Pedro's glove. Cole got ahead of Eugenio Suarez 1-2, then hung a fat curve over the dish that turned into an RBI double. He escaped, tho, allowing just the one run.

In the fifth, Pedro fouled off two balls down the middle and eventually grounded out by rolling over on ball four. Stew went down looking and Gerrit swinging. Phillips was jammed to open Cincy's half, but fought it off enough to roll a single to right. It took 10 pitches, but Cole punched out Votto. A passed ball moved Phillips to second. Todd Frazier whiffed chasing a full count slider, but it wasn't enough. Jay Bruce rocketed a 97 MPH heater for a double, scoring Phillips before Byrd went down.

Gregory had two more hits tonight (photo Brian Kerbey/Getty Images)

The Bucs went down in order in the sixth. Arquimedes Caminero took over; Cole was at 98 pitches and had a long inning in the fifth, altho he didn't look happy at the news on the bench. Arqie worked a quiet frame. In the seventh, A-Ram tapped out to the pitcher on ball four; he also fouled a couple of fastballs that were center cut. An out later, The Kid lined a knock to right, and Pedro walked. Ishy hit for Stew, and it paid off when he banged one off Inglesias' mitt into center to plate Walker. Burke Badenhop took over, and caught pinch hitter Fran looking; he never took the bat off his shoulders. Joe Blanton called his first call as a Bucco, and got through Hamilton, Phillips and Votto.

JJ Hoover got the call for the Redlegs in the eighth. Gregory greeted him with a dink single. Starling lined out trying to bunt and Cutch K'ed on a foul tip. A-Ram popped out, and that ended that minor threat. Blanton came out for a second frame. After whiffing Frazier, Jay Bruce yanked a changeup to right for a double. and Byrd got plunked high by the next pitch; Balnton will fit right in as a Pirate. Pena rolled over on a changeup, but it bounced into right to load the bases. A sac fly brought in an insurance run.

Aroldis Chapman took the hill. After JHK flew out deep to center on a catch Hamilton made look easier than it was, The Kid dropped a flare for a knock. Clint let Pedro hit against Aroldis looking for him to run into one (there is only one righty left on the bench, S-Rod, and he'll surely hit for Blanton); he didn't, as El Toro went down swinging at a nasty slider.

Rodriguez did get his at bat, and singled Walker to third. Fran dropped a soft shot into center; Neil scored and after the ball was tossed around, the Bucs had runners at second and third - and lefty Gregory Polanco up. But El Coffee had a great, disciplined at bat and drew a 3-2 walk. But Starling didn't have an answer; Chapman worked triple digit heat upstairs and Marte swung through three of them, all which were strikes under the letters.

The Pirates left some plays in the field tonight, a season-long issue for a team that's built on catching the ball, and missed quite a few pitches that were begging to be banged. Cole deserved a little more help as all three runs had a fielding lapse involved, although this whole Reds thing may be messing with his mind, too -  he left a couple of two strike pitches down the middle instead of burying guys. Have no doubt, this is one they should have taken.

• Gerrit Cole has 21 starts; 17 were rated as quality starts; four haven't - the four against the Reds. The Pirates still haven't won a game he's started against Cincinnati.
• El Coffee and The Kid had a pair of hits each tonight.
• Starling's hitting streak ended at 10 games. Bad night for it; he left five runners on base.
• Geez, that was quick. JA Happ is suited up tonight, so Bobby LaFromboise was optioned back to Indy after a 24 hour call up.
• Bad year for John Holdzkom. He's back on the DL with a shoulder sprain, the same thing that slowed him down for most of the summer.

Gerrit v Raisel Iglesias; Lineup & Notes

Today's Game - Gerrit Cole (14-4, 2.14) matches up against Raisel Iglesias. Gerrit has gone 9-2 with a 2.15 ERA in his last 12 starts, averaging seven innings per outing, and has been charged with two or fewer earned runs in 16 of his first 20 assignments. He's a bear away from PNC, too, going 6-2 with a 1.89 ERA in 10 starts this year on the road. But his nemesis is Cincy. Cole is 0-3 with a 5.53 ERA in five career starts against them, and is 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in three tries this year, averaging less than five IP per start, all against Mike Leake.

Gerrit hopes to add Cincy to his bucket list (photo Ronald Martinez/USA Today)

Iglesias, a 25 year old rookie right-hander, hasn't faced Pittsburgh and doesn't have a quality start in three outings since missing six weeks with a strained oblique. He's been tough on hitters the first time around the order, but then batters seem to solve him. He can get some swings and misses, tho; he's K'ed eight batters twice. A Cuban defector, he throws a fastball, slider, and curve. The game starts at 7:10 and will be on Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan.

Today's Lineup - Gregory Polanco RF, Starling Marte RF, Cutch CF, A-Ram 3B, Jung-Ho Kang 3B, Neil Walker 2B, Pedro Alvarez 1B, Chris Stewart C, Cole P.

Normal gang, except Stew's behind the dish with Gerrit on the hill.

• The only team Cole has faced more than once and hasn't beaten is Cincinnati. In fact, the team has lost all five career games the Cole Train has started against the Reds.
• Per Elias, JHK finished July with a .379 BA & 13 extra-base hits, the most productive month for a Pirate rookie since Paul "Big Poison" Waner hit .381 with 14 multi-basers in September, 1926.
• The homer last night was the first run, earned or unearned, that Jared Hughes has given up since June 9th against the Brewers. He's allowed just 2-of-20 inherited runners to score over that span.
• 1B Josh Bell has been sent to Indy from Altoona. He'll join Tyler Glasnow, who was recently promoted and making his first AAA start today. LHP Jeremy Bleich also was bumped up to the Tribe.

8/1: Starg On A Rampage; Cutch Sets HR Mark; Derrek Lee Debut; Lotta Zeroes; Rip's 11 In A Row; HBD Milt, Freddy, Pete; Rally Time

• 1893 - Pittsburgh crushed St. Louis‚ 25-2 in game one of a twin bill‚ then won the second game‚ 6-1 while banging out 17 hits at Robison Field. Frank Killen won both games against the Browns en route to a 36-win season and even had a homer. Jake Beckley had six hits during the day while Jack Glasscock and Denny Lyons added five more apiece.
• 1904 - Charlie Case gave up 11 hits but shut out the Cubs 4-0 at Exposition Park. The difference was in the fielding; Chicago made four errors, all leading to Pittsburgh scores, while the Pirates played flawlessly and occasionally brilliantly behind Case. Ginger Beaumont had three hits for the Bucs, while Tommy Leach and Honus Wagner each added a pair of knocks.
• 1906 - After pitching 10-2/3 innings of no-hit ball at Washington Park, Brooklyn’s Harry McIntyre was touched for a single by Pirates 2B Claude Ritchey. Only 31 Bucs faced McIntyre in the first 10 frames, but Pittsburgh beat the Superbas in the 13th when Bob Ganley singled, went to third on Honus Wagner’s double, and scored on Joe Nealon’s knock to take a 1-0 decision behind Lefty Leifield, who went the distance while tossing a nine hitter.

Joe Nealon 1906 (image via George Burke)

• 1918 - Pittsburgh and Boston played a record 20 scoreless innings before the Pirates won in the 21st by a 2-0 score at Braves Field. Art Nehf went all the way for Boston, while Erskine Mayer worked the first 15 frames for Pittsburgh, followed by Wilbur Cooper. Cooper scored on Max Carey’s two-out knock and Billy Southworth doubled Carey home with an insurance tally.
• 1931 - The Pirates stopped the Cincinnati Reds 1-0 at Forbes Field as Glenn Spencer’s three hitter was the team’s third straight shutout. Paul Waner drove in Pie Traynor in the seventh for the games only run.
• 1943 - Rip Sewell won his eleventh straight start (he did drop a decision as a reliever during that streak) 7-1 over Boston at Forbes Field, tossing a three-hitter. Every game during the skein was a complete game victory.
• 1950 - C Milt May was born in Gary, Indiana. May began (1970-73) and ended (1983-84) his career as a Pirate, batting .261 as a reserve catcher. He was a member of the 1971 World Series club and 1972 pennant winners, and hit .400 (2-for-5) as a pinch hitter in the postseason.

Milt May 1985 Topps series

• 1951 - Pete Mackanin was born in Chicago. He never suited up for the Bucs as a player, but spent several season with the club as skipper and coach. After managing the Hickory Crawdads and Lynchburg Hillcats in 2001 and 2002, he became the Bucco bench coach in 2003. After Lloyd McClendon was fired, Mackanin served as the Pirates' interim manager for the last month of 2005, leading the team to a 12–14 record. He spent the next season managing in the Pirates' minor league system at Bradenton before moving on to work for other clubs.
• 1951 - The Dodgers took a 7-2 lead after three innings against Murry Dickson at Forbes Field, but it wasn’t enough as Brooklyn lost to the Bucs 12-9. The Pirates scored four in the fourth and four more in the eighth‚ sparked by Ralph Kiner's 27th homer‚ and snapped da Bums’ winning streak at 10 games. George Strickland drove home three and homered. The win went to Bill Werle and the save to Ted Wilks.
• 1970 - Willie Stargell smoked three doubles and two home runs against the Braves at Fulton County Stadium. Captain Willie had six RBI and tied a MLB record with five extra base knocks as the Bucs won 20-10. The team set a club record with 14 extra-base hits. Bob Robertson added five more knocks, making Pops and Big Red the first Bucco duo to collect five hits in a game.
• 1972 - 3B/LF Freddy Garcia (not to be mistaken for the veteran AL pitcher) was born in La Romana, Dominican Republic. He played for the Bucs in 1995 and then from 1997-99 as bench depth, hitting .221 over that span.

Freddy Garcia 1995 Upper Deck Top Prospect series

• 2003 - Trailing the Rockies 11-6 with one out and nobody on in bottom of ninth, the Pirates rallied for the win at PNC Park. Four straight runners reached before Abraham Nunez bounced out. With two down, pinch hitter Jeff Reboulet walked, Tike Redman tripled home a pair to tie the game, and Jason Kendall lined a single to left for the win. Deaner Sanchez got the victory.
• 2009 - Andrew McCutchen tied a club record by homering three times in Pittsburgh’s 11-6 victory over the Washington Nats at PNC Park. Cutch became the 10th player in club history to go long three times in the same game, the first since Aramis Ramirez did it on April 8th, 2001, and the first Buc rookie to collect three bombs in a single game. He added six RBI. He hit a solo home run in the first inning to lead off the game against starter Craig Stammen, a two-run shot in the fourth inning off Tyler Clippard and then a three-run homer in the sixth off Logan Kensing, falling a grand slam short of a natural home run cycle.
• 2011 - Derrek Lee was the first Pirate August buy since SS Shawon Dunston in 1997, and made his Pittsburgh debut memorable with two home runs at PNC Park in a 5-3 loss to the Cubs. The excitement was short lived as he was injured soon afterward and missed nearly a month of play, but he came back to hit .337 for the Bucs. There would be no triumphant return in 2012; he retired rather than sign with Pittsburgh.

Derrek Lee 2011 Just Fair series

• 2014 - Behind 4-0 in the fifth, the Pirates went on a late rampage to bury the Arizona D-Backs 9-4 at Chase Field. Pittsburgh scored three runs in the eighth, keyed by Pedro Alvarez’s two run pinch hit double. The Bucs exploded for five more tallies in the ninth. Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer led off with doubles, Andrew McCutchen was intentionally walked and four of the next five Pirates connected for singles. Harrison, Mercer and Cutch batted 1-2-3 and had six hits, two walks and seven runs scored in the win. Tony Watson claimed the victory.

Kang, Marte Lead the Way To 5-4 Win

Gregory opened with an infield knock and immediately stole second, against a pitch out. Starling then took a pitch to the hand (called a foul, then overturned to a HBP). Two outs later, JHK drilled a ground rule double to plate one run. That big hop cost as Starling would have scored easily had it stayed in play, but it is 1-0 against Michael Lorenzen. With two outs, Joey Votto walked after being behind 0-2 and reached second on a wild pitch but Jeff Locke left him there by whiffing Todd Frazier.

The second went quietly enough for Pittsburgh with just a walk; not so for the Reds. Marlon Byrd singled of A-Ram's glove, and an out later, Ivan Dejesus Jr. sent a first-pitch change over the wall to make it 2-1. Lorenzen singled and hey, why not walk Billy Hamilton while we're at it? Locke left an 0-2 curve over the plate, and Brandon Phillips lined it to left to load the bases. Jason Bourgeois made it 3-1 on a 6-5 fielders choice, a heads up play by JHK & A-Ram. A double steal and another walk to Votto loaded the bases, but Locke got Frazier.

1-2-3 went the Bucs in the third, as did the Redlegs. JHK continued to rake, doubling to open the fourth. An out later, Pedro banged one through the right side, and it was 3-2 after Jeff tossed another clean frame. with two gone in the fifth, Lorenzen tried to sneak a heater away to Andrew; he drilled it into the RF seats. Bourgeois opened with a knock, but was erased by his happy feet when he was doubled up by Gregory after Votto's lineout to right. Another out took us into the sixth 3-3.

JHK keeps raking (photo Ezra Shaw/Getty)

Someone tugged on Kang's cape tonight; he opened the frame with his third straight two-bagger. Two outs later he was at third, and Fran was intentionally walked to get to Locke; Clint sent up Ishy. A short wild pitch got Fran to second, and Travis eventually walked. The Reds brought in Jumbo Diaz, a hard throwing righty, to face Gregory as Cincy has been challenging him with fastballs tonight, whiffing El Coffee twice. Kinda backfired; a wild pitch brought in a run and moved the Bucs to second and third. Polanco walked to load them once again. Starling singled in another run on a liner to left, but Ishy was cut down by a mile trying to score. Put the blame for that TOOTBLAN on Rick Sofield, who could chill with the arm waving, especially with Cutch on deck.

Jared Hughes came on, and Byrd greeted him with a huge homer to center to make it 5-4. Brayan Pena followed with a double; sheesh, the bullpen. But Hughes settled in and left him stranded. JJ Hoover stopped the Bucs in the seventh. Joakim Soria got his first call as a Bucco; after two easy outs, he walked Votto, Frazier singled and Byrd drew an eight pitch pass. Clint kept him in, after 27 pitches and with a lefty, Pena, up. Soria fell behind 3-0, but came back to get him two pitches later on a liner to the box, a textbook "lookee here" snag.

Burke Badenhop took the ball in the eighth and worked a rocking chair inning. S-Rod took over first and Tony Watson took over the hill, working a clean frame with two punch outs. Ryan Mattheus retired the Pirates in order in the ninth.

Mark the shark gave up a lead off single to Phillips on a hung 1-2 curve. he was bunted to second, and Votto drew a walk; can't get a call when he's up. After that, it was no longer Melancon's game; it was a Marte partay.

Frazier singled to left past a floundering A-Ram (maybe when Pedro comes out, so should Ramirez) and Jim Riggelman waved Phillips home; Marte cut him down like he was standing still (tho the play did have to undergo a plate-blocking review, the dumbest rule in baseball). Then Byrd got ahead 3-0; the Shark came back to make it a full count, then Marlon hit a sinking, hooking liner to left. Starling dove and tumbled, snatching the ball an inch or two above the grass to preserve the win. Pasture mates Cutch and El Coffee tipped their caps to him; Mark gave Starling a very unshark-like hug in the post game lineup.

The Bucs did enough to win and finally get off the schneid at GABP. Tomorrow, Gerrit Cole goes against Raisel Iglesias. The Bucs missed Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake, both due to pitch in this series, because of trades; hopefully Pittsburgh can take advantage. Give the Reds credit, too - the team lost a couple of long-time teammates and top gun starters, yet they're still playing hard in their yard.

• Starling has a 10 game hitting streak.
• Pittsburgh had seven hits; Jung-Ho had three of them.
• After a meeting pre-game between Clint and AJ, Burnett ended up on the 15-day DL because of right elbow inflammation; LHP Bobby LaFromboise was called up to replace him. For LaFromboise, it's his second stint with the big club this year; he was up once last season, too, and has pitched creditably well. He went 1-1 with a 2.72 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 43 IP for Indy this season. 
• The Bucs added another pair of players to the roster. 1B/OF Mike Morse joined the club from LA for Jose Tabata, and LHP JA Happ was sent to Pittsburgh by Seattle for Indy RHP Adrian Sampson.
• Not a big surprise: RHP Deolis Guerra was DFA'ed to clear roster a spot for Joakim Soria, who is in uniform tonight.

Deadline Deals: JA Happ, Mike Morse, Joakim Soria, Joe Blanton, A-Ram

The Pirates picked up LHP JA Happ from Seattle for Indy RHP Adrian Sampson. Happ, 32, went 4-6 with a 4.64 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 21 appearances (20 starts) this season for the Mariners. He has a career record of 55-59 with a 4.29 ERA and 790 strikeouts in 185 games (160 starts) between Philadelphia (2007-10), Houston (2010-12), Toronto (2012-14) and Seattle (2015). For the time being, it looks like he'll plug into AJ's spot while he's on the DL. Happ's a rental, going into free agency in 2016. In fact, the surprise deal actually resulted after the Pirates had determined Burnett was DL-bound.

Sampson, 23, projects as a back-end starter/ long relief guy who's close to big-league ready in those roles. A neat little twist: he's from Redmond, Washington, and is returning home.

1B/OF Mike Morse had three pretty good years for the Nats from 2010-12, was bad for Seattle & Baltimore in 2013 (.215/13/27), bounced back for the Giants in 2014 (.279/16/61) and is in the midst of another nosedive this year as a Marlin (.213/4/12).He's a right-handed bat to caddy for Pedro Alvarez, but an OF'er in name only, so we don't expect to see him as a viable option for Gregory against lefties.

Morse has virtually no career platoon split, so he's handy off the bench. With the Corey Hart experiment having gone south, Morse is the resurrection of Petey's new playmate. He cost the Bucs Jose Tabata, Pittsburgh's black sheep, as the FO finally found someone to take his contract. Morse is no bargain; he's making $7.5M this year and $8.5 in 2016, so the Pirates made sure they had some cash (an undisclosed amount right now) tossed into the pot.

The Bucs got a much needed back-end reliever to spell Tony Watson and Jared Hughes in Joakim Soria. Soria's a serious closer, so high leverage situations should be his cup of tea. He has 23 saves and a 2.85 ERA (3.29 SIERA), using a fastball/cutter combo with a slider, cahnge and curve in the toolbox. Soria is a rental, becoming a FA after the season.

SS JaCoby Jones, 23, who was his trade mate, is fast, athletic and has some pop for a SS. He also K'es a lot and walks a little; at age 23, he's like buying a lotto ticket, with a chance to hit big but a much greater likelihood to crap out.

RHP Joe Blanton, 34, was DFA'ed by KC and the FO picked him up for cash. In 15 games (four starts), Blanton has a 3.89 ERA and 40 strikeouts with seven walks in 41-2/3 innings. The Pirates DFA'ed VAnce Worley to make space; they saw similar pitchers, but in Blanton they got a guy who they can use as anything from a spot starter to a bridge arm, and that versatility is the reasoning behind that move. He's also a rental

3B Aramis Ramirez gives the Bucs a competent finger to stick in the dike until Josh and Jordy return, altho he and JHK on the left side aren't exactly an athletic duo They club gave up RHP Yhonathan Barrios, a converted infielder who touches three figures, but has no secondary pitch; the Brewers are taking a chance on being able to coach him up some.

The roster counter moves?  For Mike Morse, we'll find out Sunday, and for JA Happ, AJ Burnett went on the DL. Joakim Soria was swapped out for Deolis Guerra. To clear Joe Blanton's space, Vanimal was DFA'ed. Brent Morel got the same treatment when A-Ram arrived.

Jeff Locke v Michael Lorenzen; Lineup & Notes

Today's Game - Jeff Locke (5-6, 4.01) meets Michael Lorenzen (3-5, 4.58) tonight. Locke has been frustratingly up-and-down. His pattern is to have a bad fourth inning (second time around syndrome?), then settle in until the seventh where he's generally gassed. Still, he's posted a 2.53 ERA in his last eight starts, helped because he hasn't given up a long ball over that span. Jeff is 2-2 with a 3.26 ERA in nine career starts against the Redlegs. This season, tho, he's already lost a 7-1 decision to Lorenzen and had a no decision in a 7-6 win at PNC, giving up a 2015 total of eight runs in 11 innings against Cincy.

Jeff Locke takes his turn against the Reds (photo Charles LeClaire/USA To0day)

Lorenzen has been plagued by control issues - he walks five per game - and long balls, giving up 1.6/nine innings during his rookie campaign. Still, he handled the Bucs easily in his only outing against them, winning 7-1. Lorenzen went six, giving up three hits and three walks while whiffing four. Overall, he's been pretty solid, giving up three runs or less in 11 of his 14 starts.

The game starts at 7:10 and will be on Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan.

Today's Lineup - Gregory Polanco RF, Starling Marte LF, Cutch CF, A-Ram 3B, Jung-Ho Kang SS, Neil Walker 2B, Pedro 1B, Fran Cervelli C, Locke P.

The usual suspects.

• Joakim Soria arrived in the clubhouse about 4PM, so we suppose he'll be good to go tonite. No confirmation yet on who he's replacing.
• Starling Marte leads MLB with 25 infield hits and NL hitter in overall knocks with 92. He's also in the midst of a nine game hitting streak.
• Pedro's homer off David Holmberg yesterday was his first off a LHP since 4/17/14 vs Milwaukee's Wei-Chung Wang.
• Gorkys Hernandez cleared waivers and was returned to Indy.

7/31: Deadline Dealing - Jay Bay, Jon Lieber, J-Mac, Ollie Perez, Matt Morris, Don Robinson & More...

• 1987 - The Pirates traded RHP Don Robinson to the San Francisco Giants for C Mackey Sasser. The Giants turned Robinson into a starter the next season and he became a rotation pitcher for the next three years while Sasser was flipped to the Mets in 1988, where he had a long run as a back-up catcher.
• 1993 RHP Jon Lieber was traded by the Kansas City Royals along with reliever Dan Miceli to the Bucs for closer Stan Belinda.
• 2001 - The Pirates traded the well-traveled LHP Terry Mulholland to the Dodgers for pitchers Mike Fetters and Adrian Burnside. Mulholland, from Uniontown, pitched for 11 teams in a 20 year career, and had a pair of stints with the Cubs, Phils and Giants. The FO also swapped Mike Williams to the Astros for RHP Tony McKnight. It was actually more like a lend-lease, as Williams signed with the Bucs again as a free agent after the season.
• 2002 - The Bucs sent first round bust OF Chad Hermansen to the Cubs for OF Darren Lewis, who refused to report to the Pirates and retired instead.

Chad Hermansen 2001 Upped Deck series

• 2003 - Pitchers Brandon Lyon, Anastacio Martinez and Jeff Suppan were traded by the Bucs to the Red Sox for LHP Mike Gonzalez, 2B Freddy Sanchez and cash. Originally, Gonzalez had gone to Boston for Lyons and Martinez a few days earlier, but Lyons had an iffy physical causing a reworking of the deal. The mulligan panned out pretty well for the Bucs.
• 2004 - GM Dave Littlefield reportedly rejected an offer to deal pitcher Kris Benson to the Phillies for a power-hitting prospect named Ryan Howard, who would eventually become a NL MVP. The Bucs thought they had a Howard clone already in their system with Brad Eldred.
• 2005 - The Cubs sent young OF Jody Gerut to Pittsburgh for vet OF Matt Lawton. The Cubs shipped Lawton to the Yankees for a minor leaguer in August. Gerut, hampered by a bum knee, barely played and was released after 2006, appearing in just four games as a Pirate.
• 2006 - Busy at the deadline: The Pirates traded pitchers Roberto Hernandez and Oliver Perez to the Mets for Xavier Nady. Pittsburgh also sent P Kip Wells to the Rangers for P Jesse Chavez, traded OF/1B Craig Wilson to the Yankees for P Shawn Chacon and acquired RHP Brian Rogers from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for 1B Sean Casey.

Sean Casey - Pirate Promo

• 2007- The Bucs traded OF Rajai Davis and IF Stephen McFarland to the San Francisco Giants for RHP Matt Morris, who was being paid $7.5M in 2007 and under contract to make $9.5M in 2008 with a $1M buyout for 2009. He was released on April 27th of 2008 after going 3-8 with a 7.04 ERA in 16 Pirate starts. Many believed this deal was the straw that broke the back of GM Dave Littlefield’s era in Pittsburgh.
• 2008 - Jason Bay and Josh Wilson were traded to the Boston Red Sox in a three team deal that sent Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Andy LaRoche with Bryan Morris to the Pirates from LA, with Brandon Moss and Craig Hansen coming to the Bucs from Beantown. None of the prospects panned out for Pittsburgh, and Bay’s career was hamstrung by injury. Speculation was that Tampa Bay was very much interested in dealing and offered SS Reid Brignac & P Jeff Niemann for Bay, but the Bucco FO wanted Wade Davis instead of Niemann.
• 2010 - A lot of dealing: RHP James McDonald was traded to Pittsburgh with OF Andrew Lambo by the LA Dodgers for RHP Octavio Dotel and cash. The Bucs also flipped LHP Javier Lopez to the Giants for RHP Joe Martinez and OF Joe Bowker. In a house cleaning & change of scenery deal, SS Bobby Crosby, RHP D.J. Carrasco and RF Ryan Church were sent to the Arizona Diamondbacks for cash, C Chris Snyder and SS Pedro Ciriaco.

DJ Carrasco (photo Getty Images)

• 2011 - OF Ryan Ludwick was sent to the Pirates by San Diego for cash. He hit .232 with two homers during the stretch run and then signed with the Reds in the off season.
• 2012 - 1B Gaby Sanchez and RHP Kyle Kaminska went from the Marlins to the Pirates for OF Gorkys Hernandez and 2013’s sandwich compensation draft pick five minutes before the deadline expired. Before that trade, the Bucs dealt 3B Casey McGehee to the Yankees for RHP Chad Qualls.

7/31: Starg Enters the Hall; HBD Joe, Peanuts, Vic & Mike; Wakefield Debut; Bragan Goes Bonkers; Bucs Sweep Cards

As we did yesterday, the deadline deals will be on a separate post.

• 1870 - C/1B Joe Sugden was born in Philadelphia. Sugden spent the first five seasons (1893-97) of his 13 year big league career with Pittsburgh, hitting .277.
• 1892 - LHP Erv ”Peanuts” Kantlehner was born in San Jose. Working mostly as a starter for the Bucs from 1914-16, he went 13-29 with a 2.85 ERA.
• 1896 - After a disputed call‚ Pirate P Frank “Lefty” Killen punched umpire Daniel Lally in the face. When Lally responded in kind‚ hundreds of fans charged onto the field and eventually Killen was arrested for disorderly conduct, according to Charlton’s Baseball Chronology. Pittsburgh won in spite of the rhubarb 9-7 over the Cincinnati Reds at League Park.
• 1912 - The Pirates scored three runs in the 19th inning and then barely held off Boston to take a 7-6 decision at the South End Grounds. Honus Wagner was the man of the hour, stealing home and later driving in the final, game-winning run for Pittsburgh against the Braves.

Honus Wagner (photo via Dugout Legends)

• 1936 - OF Vic Davalillo was born in Churuguara, Venezuela. He played for the Bucs from 1971-73, hitting .290 while a platoon player in the outfield and first. Vic played on two Pirate playoff clubs, and when he was traded to Oakland in 1973, he was on his third.
• 1939 - The Pirates obtained 6' 9" LHP Johnny Gee from Syracuse of the International League for $75,000 and four players. Nicknamed “Gee Whiz,” he lasted parts of four seasons (1939, 1941, 1943-44) with the Bucs, winning five games. Also known as “Long John” (and as the “$75,000 Lemon”), he never fully recovered from a 1940 arm injury. Gee was the tallest person to play MLB until 6’10” Randy Johnson debuted for the Montreal Expos in September, 1988. Not too surprisingly, he also went on to play pro hoops for the NBA Syracuse Nationals.
• 1957 - Manager Bobby Bragan was ejected for arguing a call (actually, he held his nose) during a 4-2 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field. After being tossed, he went slightly bonkers. Bobby got an orange drink from the stands; the umps told him to take it into the clubhouse, and he threatened to toss the juice into their faces. He quickly relented and offered them all a sip, but they weren’t amused. After their report to the league, Bragan was fined $100 and threatened with suspension if he didn’t clean up his act. After the game, Bragan was quoted by the Pittsburgh Press’ Les Biederman as saying “My only regret is that the hot dog didn’t arrive in time.” Bragan was fired three days later and replaced by Danny Murtaugh on a temporary basis. “Temporary hire” Murtaugh managed until 1964 and was brought back as skipper three more times.

Bobby Bragan (photo via Sports Memorabilia)

• 1959 - RHP Mike Bielecki was born in Baltimore. His first four years (1984-’87) were spent in Pittsburgh, where he went 10-17 with a 4.57 ERA. He was the Pirates first round pick in the 1979 draft (secondary phase) and went on to have a workmanlike 14 year MLB career.
• 1961 - C Smoky Burgess, OF Roberto Clemente, P ElRoy Face and 1B Dick Stuart repped the Bucs in the second All-Star game of the year at Fenway Park, a 1-1 tie called after nine innings because of rain. Clemente went 0-for-2, Burgess and Stu 0-for-1, and the Baron of the Bullpen was uncalled upon by manager Danny Murtaugh.
• 1964 - It happens to the best of them. The San Francisco Giants took advantage of three errors by Bill Mazeroski and three more by his teammates to edge the Bucs 8-6 at Forbes Field. Maz's last error, a dropped catch on a potential around-the-horn DP ball in the ninth, would have ended the game with the Pirates on top 6-5 if he had held on to turn the pivot.
• 1976 - Al Oliver was featured as the cover story of The Sporting News in an article titled “Batting Demon.” It was his third AS year, and he finished the season with a.323 BA and .839 OPS. He played 18 years of MLB ball and finished up with a .303 lifetime batting average, .795 OPS and seven All-Star appearances.

• 1983 - Rookie Jose DeLeon held the Mets hitless for 8-1/3 innings before Hubie Brooks singled, but Mike Torrez countered with 11 shutout innings as New York won 1-0 in 12 frames. In his previous start‚ DeLeon had held the Padres hitless for 6-1/3 innings.
• 1985 - The Pirates scored twice in the bottom of the 10th to rally past the Phillies 4-3 at TRS. Cecilio Guante picked up the win in spite of himself, allowing a home run in the top of the 10th and tossing a wild pitch in the ninth that tied the game. Former Bucco Kent Tekulve suffered the loss after Steve Kemp lined a two-out walkoff single to left to bring home Larry McWilliams, pinch running for Jason Thompson. The batter before Kemp, Marvell Wynne, hit into a force that plated Lee Mazzilli and knotted the score.
• 1988 - Willie Stargell was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as the sole honoree that year. Stargell played his entire career (1962-1982) with the Pirates, batting .282 with 2,232 hits, 475 home runs and 1,540 RBI. His home run and RBI totals remain first on the club’s all-time list, in addition to his 937 walks and 953 extra-base hits.

• 1992 - Knuckleball specialist Tim Wakefield made his debut against the Cards at TRS, replacing Zane Smith who was hurt, and pitched his way to a 3-2 win. He was in hot water early giving up a couple of unearned runs in the fifth after working his way out of second and third frame jams. But he left the bases full of Redbirds in the fifth and cruised afterward. He got all his support from a pair of bombs, a two run shot by Barry Bonds and a solo homer off Jay Bell’s bat, and made the three scores stand up. The Bucs went into first after the win and never looked back.
• 2012 - AJ Burnett held the Cubs hitless through 7-2/3 innings before giving up his only knock, a single to right by Adrian Cardenas. The Bucs won 5-0 at Wrigley. Burnett pitched a complete game while Neil Walker had all five RBI.
• 2013 - The Pirates took their fourth straight game of the series over St. Louis with a 5-4 win at PNC Park. With Card ace Adam Wainwright on the hill, Pittsburgh rallied three times from early deficits to tie the game 4-4 in the fifth. The score stayed that way until the bottom of the eighth. Neil Walker opened with a single and tagged to second after Pedro Alvarez’s drive to left died in the corner for the second out. Russell Martin turned on a slider and lined it into short left center for the game winner. The Pirate bullpen tossed five scoreless innings in the victory, with Tony Watson getting the win and Mark Melancon earning the save.

GABP Curse Continues: Bucs Bombed 15-5

David Holmberg gave up a bunt single to Gregory to open the game, but a couple of flies and a liner later put the Bucs away. AJ, on the other hand, remained in his doldrum. With an out, back-to-back Redleg knocks were followed by Marlon Byrd smoking a ball into the seats, making it 3-0 after a frame. More ominously, AJ topped out at 90; with most of his pitches in the upper 80s, a troubling sign.

In the second, El Toro got a run back when he lost a ball over the right center wall. The Reds went down with just a single; the bad news is AL didn't even get to 90 that frame. Pittsburgh left another runner aboard in the third, and the Reds added another run when Joey Votto's double - he's on fire recently - was cashed in on a sac fly. AJ's velocity is returning; maybe he just had trouble getting loose.

Fran walked with two away in the fourth but Pedro went down looking; Joe West is having another of his days with the amorphous strike zone. Billy Hamilton bunted his way on with an out, running out of the baseline as he evaded Pedro's tag without a call. He stole second, natch, and scored when Brandon Phillips tapped a curve off the end of his bat slowly through the right side; the infield was playing partially in. Phillips went to second on a pitch to the backstop and then stole third; Ivan Dejesus Jr. walked, much to AJ's displeasure. Votto walked on a full count. A whiff looking (TY, Joe West) and sharp grounder got him out of it.

Cutch & the top of the lineup had a nice night, anyway.

The Kid opened the fifth with a base on balls. He was bunted to second, and Gregory walked. The rally quickly fizzled when Starling banged into a 6-4-3. With an out, AJ plunked eight hitter Tucker Barnhart with a curve and Holmberg singled him to third with a flare on a hit-and-run (yep, a pitcher-catcher hit-and-run). Not a very good night for Burnett, and it got worse when Pedro fired a DP try into left field.

So Deolis Guerre got the call with runners on second and third. Phillips lined a curve into the cheap seats, and it was 9-1. Guess we can figure who's going when Soria arrives tomorrow. A single, walk, wild pitch, double and two whiffs later, it was 11-1.

Stew's sac fly made it 11-2; Phillips homer off Deolis made it 14-2. Ryan Mattheus was touched for three runs when five straight Pirates reached with two gone in the seventh, the inning ending when West mistook ball four for strike three. Marte got plunked that frame; Jay Bruce ditto to open the Red half as Antonio Bastardo at least kept that scorecard even, tho he did score when AB walked three following batters. Arquimedes Caminero mopped it up.

The Bucs went quietly in the eighth; Jaff Decker climbed the hill to take one for the team. Spotting his 80 MPH heat, he gave up a couple of hits but kept the Reds off the board. The Bucs left a couple on in the ninth, and it was finally over.

The only thing worse than getting a butt-booting is to have to take it with Joe West behind the dish. Nothing to do but wash off and get 'em tomorrow, with Jeff Locke facing Michael Lorenzen.

• The Pirates first four batters, Gregory (2), Starling (2), Cutch (3) and A-Ram (2), collected nine hits tonight.
• Jaff Decker was the first position player to pitch for the Buccos since Travis Snider June 18th, 2014, also against the Reds.
• Tonight was the most runs given up by Pittsburgh in a game this season, not exactly the way Clint wanted to spend his birthday.
• This is the third straight start that AJ has allowed five+ runs and 10+ hits.
• Detroit closer Joakim Soria has joined the Bucs in exchange for Altoona SS JaCoby Jones. He'll join Tony as an eighth inning arm.
• The Pirates traded infielder Justin Sellers, recently sent outright to Indy, to the White Sox. in a cash deal
• The Athletics signed Brent Morel to a minor-league contract.

AJ v David Holmberg; Lineup & Notes; Joe Blanton Joins Club; Vanimal DFA'ed

Today's Game - AJ Burnett (8-4, 2.68) and lefty David Holmberg set the table for the Reds series. AJ's been regressing of late; hopefully, the karma will even out and he'll give the Bucs a solid run down the stretch. He's been pretty dependable against the Reds, going 8-6 with a 3.52 ERA in 19 career starts against Cincy, with a 1-0/2.45 ERA slash in three starts against them this year.

The lefty Holmberg has made eight big league appearances, including five starts with the Reds last season with none of his outings against Pittsburgh. The 23 year old is 2-2 with a 4.80 ERA lifetime. He's a pitch-to-contact, low K guy who was susceptible to surrendering the long ball this year in AAA. The game starts at 7:10 and will be aired by Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan.

Today's Lineup - Gregory Polanco RF, Starling Marte LF, Cutch CF, A-Ram 3B, Jung-Ho Kang SS, Fran Cervelli C, Pedro 1B, Neil Walker 2B, AJ P.

Gregory has answered the bell this month (photo Gene Puskar/AP)

Not often that you see Pedro batting 7th and The Kid 8th. And tho he had a couple of hits yesterday, we'd still rather see Ramirez swap lineup spots with Kang (not that anyone asked).

The Bucs are 0-3 at Great American Ball Park this season (they've lost five in a row there) and are 2-7 overall against the Reds this season. Can't be moaning about the Cards when you're only 17-24 in the Central Division.

• The Pirates bought RHP Joe Blanton from the Royals after he was DFA'ed. Blanton posted a 3.89 ERA in 15 games (4 starts) with KC this year. He's expected to be here tonight. The Bucs DFA'ed Vance Worley,as he never did settle into a bullpen role.
• In his last six games, Francisco Cervelli has produced five multi-hit games.
• With 2480 career strikeouts, A.J. Burnett enters tonight’s action ranked 33rd on the all-time list. Don Drysdale (2486) ranks 32nd.
• ESPN Stats: Most Defensive Runs Saved due to shifts this season - Orioles 22, Astros 21, Rays and Pirates 15.
• The Cleveland Indians traded 1B/OF Brandon Moss to the St. Louis Cardinals for LHP Rob Kaminsky, a 2013 first rounder who was ranked as their #5 prospect coming into the season by Baseball America.