Jeff v Carlos Martinez; Lineup & Notes

Today's Game - Jeff Locke (6-6, 4.31 ERA) starts the series against Carlos Martinez (11-4. 2.57). Jeff has posted a 3.16 ERA in his last 10 outings, but the 27-year-old New Hampshire native has yielded at least three runs in each of his last four turns and couldn't get through six full innings in his last three outings. Locke is 0-1/3.09 in two starts against the Redbirds this year; the loss was in July to Martinez by a 4-1 count. He's 2-3 with a 3.55 ERA in seven career starts against St. Louis.

Let's hope Jeff is Locke-Down tonight (photo USA Today)

Martinez pitched his way onto the All-Star team with his last performance against the Buccos. His command is sometimes a little off, and he's already set a career high for innings pitched, so the grind may be wearing at him as he's only lasted five frames in each of his last two starts. Martinez is 1-1/4.97 v the Pirates this year, being very good in his last match and very bad in his first contest. The game begins at 8:15 and will be on Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan.

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

Big series, big boy lineup.

• Fran Cervelli is catching the Cole Train tomorrow.
• Both teams come into the series hot, having won 4-of-5 games (four in a row & 5-of-6 for the Bucs). But St. Louis has some home cookin' in their favor, having won 17 of the last 20 meetings at Busch Stadium (including playoffs), running the table in the first home series.
• Five of the 10 games played between the two clubs ended in walk-offs. 
• Jeff Sullivan of Fangraphs finds a lot to like about Jung-Ho Kang.
• Josh & Jordy begin rehab at Indy tonight.
• The Morning Fan Show on 93.7 talked with Kyle Stark, Pirate player development boss, and he gave the current lowdown on Tyler Glasnow.
• Three lower-level Pirate farm hands were named players of the month. They are RHP Yeudy Garcia (WV Power - Sally League), OF Logan Hill (Morgantown Black Bears - NY/Penn League) and 1B Carlos Munoz (Bristol Pirates - Appy League). One more POTM you may recognize is 1B Matt "The Hit Man" Hague, playing for Toronto's AAA club, the Buffalo Bisons of the International League.

8/11: HBD Woody; All Star Josh; Pops On TSN; Benson's Big Bonus; Lots of Runs

• 1907 - LF Forrest “Woody” Jensen was born in Bremerton, Washington. He spent his whole MLB career in Pittsburgh, playing from 1931-39. He hit .285 and started from 1935-37. His major league record of 696 at bats in 1936 held until Matty Alou broke it in 1969 with 698 AB.
• 1935 - The East-West Negro League All-Star game drew 25,000 to Comiskey Park. The fans got to watch an 11 inning thriller, with the West winning 11-8. C Josh Gibson of the Pittsburgh Crawfords led the West attack with four hits.

Josh Gibson undated Helmar brewery series

• 1966 - The Pirates scored three times in the ninth to defeat the NY Mets at Forbes Field by a 7-5 tally. Down 5-4 going into their last at-bats, Matty Alou opened with a single and was bunted to second. Roberto Clemente singled him home to tie the game, and Willie Stargell launched a bomb to win it. ElRoy Face picked up the win as the last of four relievers who tossed six scoreless innings against The Mets.
• 1977 - Pittsburgh rolled over the NY Mets 9-1 at TRS as Odell Jones tossed a five hitter. Bill Robinson homered, doubled and drove in four runs. Rennie Stennett went 4-for-4 and Phil Garner 3-for-4. The Cobra, Dave Parker, added a pair of hits to record his second 22 game hitting streak of the season. He had lesser streaks just before and after this one; he banged out hits in 41-of-44 games between July 4th and August 23rd.
• 1979 - The Pirates overcame an 8-0 deficit in the fifth to rally past the Phillies 14-11 at Veterans Stadium. All but one of the Pirates 14 runs came home with two outs, as did 17 of their 23 hits. Ed Ott had four hits to lead Pittsburgh, including an eighth inning grand slam off Tug McGraw, to go with three knocks from Omar Moreno, Tim Foli, Willie Stargell, John Milner and Bill Madlock. Moreno and Dave Parker homered for the Bucs.
• 1979 - Willie Stargell was featured on the cover of The Sporting News for the story “Sonic Boomer.” He was a boomer in the ‘79 season, going long 32 times for his highest HR production since 1973 and adding five more homers (and two MVP’s) during the NLCS and World Series.

• 1986 - The Cubs used a record 10 pitchers in a 17 inning 10-8 loss to the Pirates, which used seven hurlers of their own. The game was a continuation of an April 20th game that was postponed due to darkness. Winner Barry Jones‚ who struck out the side to end the game‚ and Barry Bonds‚ who had the game winning RBI‚ were both still in the minors when the original game started.
• 1994 - Zane Smith tossed a 4-0, five hit shutout without a single strikeout against the Expos, which at the time sported the best record in baseball, at TRS. The MLBPA went on strike the next day.
• 1996 - Clemson’s Kris Benson, the first overall selection of the 1996 draft, became the highest paid draftee to date when he signed with the Pirates for $2M.
• 2004 - After blowing a two run lead in the ninth, the Pirates got a two run homer in the 11th inning from Craig Wilson to drop the San Francisco Giants at PNC Park by an 8-6 score. Jason Bay was the man of the hour, going 4-for-6 with a homer and four RBI, while Jose Castillo added a long ball to earn the W for John Grabow.

John Grabow 2009 O-Pee-Chee series

• 2005 - Nine batters came to the plate in the first inning and scored six runs to lead the Pirates to an 11-3 victory over the Rockies at Coors Field. Pittsburgh pounded out 17 hits in the game and six of the starting position players had at least two hits, with Jason Bay, Ryan Doumit and Jose Castillo collecting three apiece. Brad Eldred homered, Castillo had three RBI and Josh Fogg picked up the win against Colorado.
• 2009 - Andrew McCutchen put on a show with just one hit against the Colorado Rockies. He went 1-for-2 with a double, walked three times, scored three runs and stole three bases in a 7-3 win at Coors Field. The Bucs hit five doubles and a triple, using a balanced attack to earn the win for Ross Ohlendorf.
• 2014 - The Pirates jumped on Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers for five first inning runs, keyed by Starling Marte’s bases loaded triple, and rolled to an 11-6 win at PNC Park in front of 35,314 fans. The Pirates padded their lead with four homers during the game, two by Travis Snider, who went 3-for-5 with four RBI and three runs scored; Ike Davis and Russ Martin also went long. Josh Harrison added three hits, while Martin and Jordy Mercer had a pair of knocks each. Jeff Locke got the win even though he gave up four runs in five innings of work. The Tigers were coming off a 19-inning game, and had to use three pitchers just recalled from AAA Toledo in the contest.

Travel Day Notes; Cutch POTW; Vanimal Back; Assorted Stat Lines...

A hodge-podge of happenings whilst the Buccos are off to St. Louis...

• Cutch was named the NL Player of the Week for 8/3-9 after slashing 563/.652/1.063 with eight RBI and seven runs scored last week.

• If you're wondering what the new Bucs have done to date in a very tiny sample size:
  A-Ram (52 PA, .216/.231/.275);
  Travis Ishikawa (44 PA, .205/.295/.359);
  Michael Morse (8 PA, .250/.250/.250);
  Joakim Soria (4-2/3 IP, 0-0-1/0.00 ERA);
  Joe Blanton (1-0, 5 IP/1.80 ERA);
  JA Happ (0-1, 4-1/3 IP/8.31 ERA).

• Vance Worley has decided to forego free agency and report to Indy. The Bucs plan to use him solely as a starter for the Tribe. He'll be back by September at latest.

Vance Worley is back in the fold. (photo: Rob Foldy/Getty)

• How even are the Bucs and Cards? They've split 10 games this year, five going into extra innings, and St Louis holds the scoring edge 39-38. Home field has been the big difference maker. The Pirates are 5-2 at PNC Park; the Cards 3-0 at Busch.

• Jung-Ho Kang got plunked and then homered in the Bucs big seventh inning last night. The last Pirate with a HR & HBP in the same inning was Kevin Elster on 5/8/97. Jung Ho wreaked his revenge on two different pitchers; Kevin did his damage against Jamey Wright, in reverse - he homered, then wore the baseball during an eight run fifth inning. 

• The worm turns: Pirates have now won 8-of-10 vs the Dodgers in the last two seasons. From 2011-13, the Bucs won 5-of-21 vs LA, per @ESPNStatsInfo.

• Battles of the Bullpens: Since June 26th, the Pirates have won 11 consecutive games that were decided by the bullpens (games in which neither team's starting pitcher was involved in the decision). That's the longest winning streak of its kind for any major-league team since the 2009 Yankees won 13 straight games in reliever-decided matches. It's the longest such streak for the Pirates since they won a franchise record 12 straight games that were decided by relievers in 1977. (from @EliasSports)

8/10: HBD Elmer, John Galbreath; Maz Way; Cutch Show; Ott Walk Off

• 1892 - RHP Elmer Jacobs was born in Salem, Missouri. He pitched well for the Bucs from 1916-18 with a 3.03 ERA, but went just 12-30 before he was traded after one start in 1918 to the Phils for Erskine Mayer. Jacobs worked six more seasons in MLB, with minor league stops, and ended up with 50 lifetime wins.
• 1897 - Pirate owner John Galbreath was born in Derby, Ohio. A building contractor with an interest in horse racing (he also owner the Darby Dan Farm in Ohio), he was the Bucco owner for 40 years. In 1946, Galbreath, along with Bing Crosby, Tom Johnson, and Frank McKinney, bought the Pittsburgh Pirates. The team won three World Series during his ownership: 1960, 1971, and 1979. He passed the presidency on to his son, Dan Galbreath, in 1970. It was said that Galbreath hung on as owner until new one who would keep the franchise in Pittsburgh could be found.
• 1922 - Pittsburgh bombed the Phils 12-4, ripping 16 hits at Shibe Park. It was the fifth game in a row in which every Pirate position player in the lineup collected a hit. Carson Bigbee led the hit parade, going 5-for-6 and scoring three times with an RBI.

Carson Bigbee 1922 Neilson's Chocolates series

• 1952 - In a doubleheader at Forbes Field that was swept by the Cubs, Chicago manager Phil Cavarretta made a couple of friends in Pittsburgh. Les Beiderman of The Pittsburgh Press noted “Cavarretta, who was tossed out of the first game, authored the most magnificent gesture of the season. Catchers Ed Fitz Gerald and Joe Garagiola had already pinch hit when (catcher) Clyde McCullough broke the nail on his middle finger. McCollough had the finger hastily taped and was ready to return when Cavarretta told the Pirates to let Fitz Gerald catch.”
• 1958 - The Pirates squeaked out a pair of wins, 3-2 and 4-3, in a twinbill against the Reds to sweep the four game series at Forbes Field. The Bucs tallied twice in the seventh on Bill Mazeroski’s homer to tie the opener and then won it in the tenth when Dick Stuart’s sac fly plated Roman Mejias. Don Gross, the fifth Pirate pitcher, got the W. In the second game, Vern Law couldn’t hang on to a 3-1 lead in the eighth, leaving with a no decision as Roy Face finished for the win. Frank Thomas’ force out in the eighth brought home Ducky Schofield with the deciding run.
• 1977 - The Pirates edged the Cubs‚ 2-1‚ in 18 innings at TRS. Ed Ott drove in Phil Garner with the winning run on a sac fly; the other Buc run was scored by Dave Parker following a Bill Robinson knock. Larry Demery picked up the win. The two bullpens were brilliant, going 21-2/3 innings, giving up one run on seven hits. For Pittsburgh, Grant Jackson tossed five innings of scoreless relief and Goose Gossage put up four zeroes.

Ed Ott 1981 Donruss series

• 1992 - The Bucs took their 11th game in a row with a 4-2, 16 inning win over the NY Mets at Shea Stadium. Pittsburgh scored three times in the final frame on four singles and a walk; the other Bucco run came on an Andy Van Slyke homer. Steve Cooke got the win.
• 2001 - The Avenue of the Pirates was renamed Mazeroski Way. The cul-de-sac runs from General Robinson to the RF gate and was dedicated by Mayor Tom Murphy and owner Kevin McClatchy. Apparently the ceremony didn’t inspire the Pirates very much as the club dropped a 3-2 decision to the San Diego Padres in front of 36,588 fans.
• 2004 - The Bucs defeated the Giants‚ 8-7 at PNC Park, scoring three times in the eighth and then walking off with the win in the ninth. The Bucs tied it in the eighth when Tike Redman doubled home a pair and took the lead when Humberto Cota brought him home. San Francisco tied it in the ninth when Michael Tucker cracked a two out long ball off Jose Mesa. With two down and the bases empty, Jack Wilson singled and came around on Rob Mackowiak’s game winning drive to right. The Giants’ Barry Bonds set a MLB record when he reached 30 HRs for the 13th straight season, connecting off John Grabow in the sixth.

Rob Mackowiak 2006 Topps series

• 2007 - The Pirates erased a 6-2 deficit with a six-run eighth inning to defeat the Giants 8-7 at AT&T Park. The first four Bucs singled in the eighth, and they banged six hits total that frame, with Freddy Sanchez’s two-out, two run single being the difference. Matt Morris made the start against the team he was traded from 10 days prior. The Giants used eight pitchers in the game, including five in the eighth inning. John Grabow got the win and Matt Capps pitched the final frame to record his 10th save while Ryan Doumit fell a homer shy of the cycle.
• 2011 - Andrew McCutchen put on a show against the Giants with just one hit, as the Bucs won 9-2 at AT&T Park. Cutch homered, walked three times, was HBP, scored four runs, drove in two and stole a pair of bases. Jeff Karstens went six innings for the win, striking out nine.

Bounce Back Bucs Batter Dodgers 13-6, Sweep Series

Well, first inning and lefty woes caused Charlie some quick headaches. Jimmy Rollins doubled on the first pitch and scampered home an out later when Adrian Gonzalez singled. An Andre Ethier knock and grounder made it 2-0 before the Bucs could get to the bat rack. Starling drew a walk off Alex Wood, but that was the only response.

Charlie took care of the bottom of the order quietly, and the Pirates stranded Fran, who banged a two-out triple to The Notch. LA added another run in the third and Pittsburgh got away lucky with that. Four consecutive hits were countered by a throw-out at second by Cutch (TOOBLAN, LA) and a mystifying hold at third on the same play. Gregory reached on a third strike wild pitch; that gave Wood a chance to whiff three Buccos instead of two.

Morton survived a lead-off walk, stolen base and botched DP comebacker in the fourth. A-Ram doubled to start the Bucco half, and a Michael Morse single put Pirates on the corners with an out. Fran's fly to center brought home Aramis. The Kid singled; that turned the order over as Charlie looked at strike three.

Kendrick opened with a dribbler to first that he beat out when Morse couldn't make the play. Kendrick hurt his leg on the dash and Kike Hernandez came in for him. After a pop out, Morton lost Ethier and Yasmani Grandal lined a meatball to right to make it 4-1. He was paid a visit on the mound and came back with a K, but hung a curve down Broadway to Alberto Callaspo, who doubled in another tally. An intentional walk and tapper ended the frame.

No doubt who da man is... (photo Shelley Lipton/Pirates)

Starling walked with an out, and Cutch killed a 3-2 heater at the letters over the wall in center, an estimated 433' away; what a series for Andrew. He was no doubt helped by Marte, who drew five throws to first during the at-bat.Then A-Ram took a walk and JHK was plunked. The music ended abruptly when a shifted Morse hit into 5-3 DP, letting Wood off the ropes.

Arquimedes Caminero took over in the sixth, with S-Rod going to first in a double switch. Nine pitches, the frame was done thanks to a 4-6-3 twin killing. Juan Nicasio toed the rubber for LA. After Fran looked at a full count strike three on a borderline call, The Kid ripped a triple, missing a long fly by inches, hitting off the very top of the RCF wall. The umps called for a home run review to see if it cleared the yellow line, but no dice; just too close to overturn. S-Rod went down swinging at three fastballs. Gregory walked on four pitches and stole second, with Mattingly coming out to milk the interference gambit again. Starling got HBP in the arm to load them for Cutch. The mighty Cutch bounced out to third on the first pitch; the inning pretty much pivoted on Rodriguez, who was overpowered by Nicasio.

After a pair of K's, Arquie gave up a single, stolen sack and walk, but got the third out without any damage. Jim Johnson took the ball in the seventh. After K'ing A-Ram, he plunked JHK. Pedro grabbed a bat and singled to right; the runners ended up at second and third thanks to Yasiel Puig's throwing error (he did, in justice, make a nice play cutting the ball off to save a gapper). Fran singled in one run to cut the lead to 5-4, and three pitches later, The Kid's sac fly tied it up. S-Rod lined a single to keep the inning alive, and Gregory walked to juice the sacks. Starling didn't exactly crush the ball, but he did bleed out a single to third to give the Bucs the lead.

Cutch cashed in on this bases-full at-bat to the chant of "MVP" as he banged a curve into left to plate a pair; that's four in a row aboard with two down. Make it five as A-Ram singled in another run. We can't remember the last time, except in no-hope mop-up time, that a manager left a guy in for 10 batters, with eight reaching. Anyway, thx, Mr. Mattingly, for waiting so long to bring Joel Peralta in. JHK liked it; he homered the opposite way on the first pitch, tucking his fly just inside the foul pole. Pedro finally K'ed, but it's 12-5 Buccos; that thin pen doesn't look so problematic now. The Pirates got six in a row on with two outs; they brought home seven runs.

Jared Hughes came in for the eighth. It wasn't smooth; he gave up a single, got a DP, and then surrendered a homer to Hernandez before getting out of the inning. Fran got it back, going long to left, crushing a fat 3-1 pitch. The Bucs added a coupla more knocks, but no more runs as 13-6 is the count with three outs to go. Antonio Bastardo got the ninth inning honors - we half thought it might be JA Happ - and tossed a 1-2-3 ending.

Cutch was all that with four RBI; JHK and Fran each added three. Five different guys scored two times, and five had two or more hits. Wow. Some bruised ERA's, but the Buc bats, along with some pretty good bullpen work (they tossed 14 innings this set), took the series away from LA. Sunday Night Baseball has been good to Pittsburgh so far, with wins against the Cards & Dodgers, with one more date in a couple of weeks with the Giants. A well deserved day off for the club before a three-gamer at St. Louis and three more at Citi Field. And man, what a series to lead into a couple of visits to NL lion dens.

• Cutch was 7-for-12 in the series, with six RBI, five runs, three walks, two doubles and a homer. No wonder PNC Park was rockin' to "MVP" all weekend.
• The last time Pirates scored nine runs in an inning was in the sixth frame on August 12th, 2012 vs the Padres at PNC Park in an 11-5 win.
• The Buccos swept the Dodgers for the first time since Sept. 4-6th, 2000 and the first time in Pittsburgh since 1999. The Pirates now have a MLB-leading 12 series sweeps.
• The Bucs have won four straight home games when allowing 4+ runs for first time since at least 1970; it never happened at PNC Park or 3RS (s/o to @Tom_Singer).
• The Pirates are now 21 games over .500.
• The Bucs have lost a couple of those yellow line home run reviews (remember Marte's?) Maybe next year they can come up with a cleaner fence demarcation line.
• The Dodgers have been running pretty freely this series; they had four swipes tonight, breaking their season high of two. They're last in MLB SB's by a wide margin. 
• Joakim Soria and Mark Melancon were off tonight (and Joe Blanton, we'd expect), so it's a five man pen, including JA Happ, with Tony Watson at the back end to close. Interesting to see who the eighth inning guy will be (it was Jared Hughes).
• Tonight's attendance was 37,094, the Bucs 18th sellout.
• News on the injury front is encouraging - Jordy is now supposed to join Josh for rehab on Tuesday, and AJ is beginning to toss the ball. Gonna be quite the juggling act for Clint to get everyone time when Josh, Jordy & Jung-Ho are all in the saddle. 
• Catcher Wilkin Castillo took the hill for Indy in the eighth (they were out of relievers) and recorded the final five outs in a 5-4 Tribe win.

Charlie v Alex Wood; Lineup & Notes

Today's Game - Charlie Morton (7-4, 4.19) closes the series against southpaw Alex Wood (7-7, 3.65). We saw good Charlie emerge last time out with a 3-0 win over the Reds after a rough patch. He's gone 4-1 with a 2.52 ERA in six starts at PNC Park this season, so the home ballyard has been good to him. Not much to go on against LA; he hasn't faced them since 2010.

The 24 year old lefty features a funky delivery with a 3/4 release that's tough on hitters to pick up. The delivery may be odd, but he's a dependable ground ball guy who gets his share of whiffs and doesn't give up many free passes. Wood has been solid against the Bucs this year, losing 3-0 and coming back to win his second start 2-1. He's 1-2/2.57 lifetime against Pittsburgh in five outings. The game starts at 8:05 and will be the national ESPN feature. It's also on 93.7 The Fan.

Tonight the Pirates are playing in their second of three Sunday Night Baseball games on ESPN. Pittsburgh closed out the first half of the year with a 6-5, 10-inning walkoff win against the Cardinals on July 12.The Buccos are scheduled to be featured on Sunday Night Baseball again two weeks from tonight against the Giants at PNC Park.

Michael Morse gets the start and The Kid drops down in the order with a lefty on the hill, otherwise the same ol' from Clint.

• Starling ranks first among NL left fielders in hits with 97 and assists, with nine.
• Remember when the Bucs kept losing all those tight contests early in the year? The worm has turned - Pittsburgh has posted the best record in MLB this season in one-run games at 24-14.
• Mark Melancon is just the third pitcher in team history to post 35 or more saves in a season, joining Mike Williams (46 in 2002), Jose Mesa (43 in 2004) and Joel Hanrahan (40 in 2011 and 36 in 2012).
• Still waiting to see if Vanimal stays with the organization. He cleared waivers and was assigned to Indy, but hasn't decided whether or not to opt for free agency.
• SS Cole Tucker, the Bucs #1 pick in 2014, is on the minor league DL with an unspecified shoulder injury.

8/9: Candy No-Hitter; Rabbit In HoF; Pops Goes Upper Deck; 8 In-A-Row;

• 1905 - The Bucs lost an error-filled game to the Boston Americans by a 5-3 count at Exposition Park; the Pittsburg Press wrote “Both teams played stupid, dopey ball...” But ump Bill Klem was the main show. In the ninth inning he threw eight Pirates (and for good measure, the mascot, too) out of the game for mocking his calls, fining the whole lot $10 per man. BR Bullpen added that he had to spend the post-game hiding in a ladies’ room; gamblers who had bet on the heavily favored Pirates were looking for a piece of his hide after the contest for tossing the team.
• 1910 - Babe Adams scattered 11 hits to beat Boston 10-0 at the South End Grounds, helped by no walks, a pair of DP and some hot sticks. Owen “Chief” Wilson drove in four runs, Jack Flynn homered with three RBI, & Honus Wagner had three hits, a walk, and scored four times.

Chief Wilson (via Baseball Roundtable)

• 1919 - The Pirates traded OF Casey Stengel to the Philadelphia Phillies for utilityman Possum Whitted. Stengel’s contract demands got him a ticket out of Pittsburgh. Possum batted .286 in 277 games for the Bucs through 1921, playing 1B, 3B & OF. The Old Professor lasted until 1925, but only started two more seasons.
• 1924 - The Pirates swept a pair from the Phils at the Baker Bowl by 16-4 and 7-0 scores. Kiki Cuyler went 6-for-6 in the opener with a triple and two doubles, while Glenn Wright went 4-for-5 with four RBI and a pair of runs to back Wilbur Cooper. Ray Kremer won the nitecap, tossing a five hitter and getting all the support he needed from Max Carey, who homered, doubled, scored twice and drove home three runs.
• 1928 - The Pirates won their eighth game in a row and 10th-of-11 by a 5-4 score over St. Louis Cardinals at Forbes Field. Carmen Hill got the win and Burleigh Grimes came on to earn a save by retiring the last batter. George Grantham drove in two runs and Paul Waner scored a pair.
• 1930 - OF Roman Mejias was born in Abreus, Cuba. Mejias was a spare OF’er and pinch hitter for six seasons (1955, 1957-61) in Pittsburgh, hitting .245 over that span. He earned his way to Pittsburgh with a 55 game hitting streak for Class B Waco of the Big State League in 1954, where he ended the year with a .354 BA. Mejias couldn’t break into the Pirate OF of Bob Skinner, Bill Virdon and Roberto Clemente, but was selected by the Houston Colt .45s in the expansion draft and had his best season for them in 1962, batting .286 with 24 HR.

Roman Mejias 1960 Topps series

• 1935 - Rookie CF Bud Hafey lined an eighth inning homer over the scoreboard at Forbes Field to give Bill Swift a four hit, 1-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds' Al Hollingsworth.
• 1940 - Pittsburgh won its eighth game in a row by whipping the Chicago Cubs 6-2 at Forbes Field. Vince DiMaggio went 3-for-3 with a homer, two RBI and two runs to lead the attack, while Rip Sewell tossed a four hitter for the win.
• 1954 - SS Rabbit Maranville was inducted into the Hall of Fame after a 14 year wait The sweet fielder played for Pittsburgh from 1921-24, hitting .283.
• 1959 - The Pirates‚ down by a pair to the Cubs in the ninth‚ tied the game and then won 5-3 in the tenth at Wrigley Field. Roberto Clemente singled home Dick Groat in the ninth and touched home to tie the game on Smoky Burgess’ sac fly. Groat’s knock in the 10th scored Roman Mejias with the go-ahead run and Rocky Nelson’s bases loaded walk added an insurance tally. Elroy Face got the W to go 15-0. The win was the 11th extra inning victory in a row for the Pirates; their only loss in their past 16 overtime games was Harvey Haddix's 12 inning perfect game against the Braves in May.

Dick Groat 1962 (via Jay Publishing)

• 1963 - It was a long day at the yard. A DH between the Colt 45's and the Pirates was delayed an hour by rain‚ and then both games went into extra innings. Houston took the opener 7-6 in 15 innings; the Bucs claimed the nitecap by the same score in 11 innings. Only 300 hardy fans remained at Forbes Field when the curtain finally fell at 2:30 AM. Roberto Clemente picked up five RBI in the two contests; Don Schwall lost the first match while Al McBean won the second game.
• 1964 - Don Schwall and Al McBean combined on a four hitter to shut out the Chicago Cubs 2-0 at Forbes Field. They got all their runs in the fourth when Jim Pagliaroni launched a two run homer off Bob Buhl.
• 1970 - Willie Stargell became the first player to hit a homer into the RF upper deck at TRS‚ off the Mets Ron Taylor. Pops would reach the top tier four times, with Bob Robertson and Bobby Bonilla also joining him from the Pirates. The Bucs won 8-3, with Luke Walker getting the victory. Willie and Manny Sanguillen, with a pair of doubles, each had two hits.
• 1976 - The 500th game in Three Rivers Stadium history turned out to be one of its more memorable contests as John Candelaria threw the first no-hitter by a Pirates' pitcher in Pittsburgh, a 2-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Candy Man gave up a walk with a couple of errors committed behind him. It was a fitting showcase performance; the Pirate promotion for the game was “Candy Nite” with all the fans getting a candy bar for the ABC National Game of the Week.

The Candy Man (via Pittsburgh Pirates)

• 1981 - The NL squeaked out a 5-4 win over the AL in the All Star game at Cleveland Stadium. Dave Parker went 1-for-3 with a solo homer, Mike Easler 0-1 with a walk and a run, Bill Madlock batted 0-for-1 and Phil Garner came in as a defensive sub.
• 2002 - The Bucs, behind Aramis Ramirez’s homer and four RBI, defeated the Giants 4-3 at Pacific Bell Park. Kip Wells defeated Jason Schmidt for the win, but not before giving up Barry Bonds’ 600th home run.
• 2012 - Pitching for the AAA Indianapolis Indians, lefty Justin Wilson tossed his second no-hitter of the season, a rain shortened eight inning gem against the Charlotte Knights. He walked one, K’ed five and was efficient, using only 86 pitches.
• 2013 - It wasn’t a very good day for the Bucs, who gave up nine runs in the first two innings on the way to a 10-1 drubbing at the hands of the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. But it did plump up the resume of utilityman Josh Harrison, who came in the eighth with two out and two runners aboard to get the last out, coaxing a fly out from Corey Dickerson. Harrison related to Bill Brink of the Post Gazette that Clint Hurdle told him “All right, I never thought I would have to have this talk with you here on the mound. Go get them."

Frankie's Blast, Bullpen Keys To Buccos' 6-5 Win

Frankie had a first frame he'd like to forget. Jimmy Rollins singled against the shift, then Howie Kendrick hit a tailor-made one-hopper to the box. Liriano hesitated - maybe the ball stuck in his glove - and barely managed a force; that had to called by review (the Bucs challenged both calls). He then hit Adrian Gonzalez, or to be more exact, his puffed out shirt. Scott Van Slyke roped a slider that didn't into left to plate Kendrick. After getting Yasiel Puig to chase, he walked Kike Hernandez to load the bases. Frankie got a couple of calls against AJ Ellis and still ran the count full before getting him to bounce out, 31 pitches into the frame. Shoulda been a zero; lucky it was just one.

Gregory walked to open the Bucco half against Mat Latos. Starling dropped a soft lob into center; Polanco hesitated to make sure it fell, and was forced at second when he went in standing; a hard slide would have beaten the throw. Marte then stole second and was sent back; reason unclear. The ump indicated it was a foul tip on Cutch, but that's a live ball. It was speculated that since the backswing hit Ellis, it was considered unintentional interference and a dead ball; dunno about that. Anyway, Starling stole it again and came in on Cutch's fister. A-Ram rolled into a DP to end what has been a very odd inning of baseball.

Liriano shows no command of any breaking pitches; Latos opened with a single. Two outs later, Kendrick rolled one up the middle; The Kid stopped it, then ran past the ball when he whiffed on a glove flip, allowing Latos an extra base. That cost a run as Latos scored when Gonzalez grounded a single against the shift, which isn't working too well so far today.

Frankie didn't go long pitching, but he did at the plate (Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

More weirdness, this of the good variety. JHK and The Kid opened with singles and moved up on a tapper. Kang was tossed out at home on a one-hopper to first, and Frankie stepped up. He spun himself in a circle swinging and missing, then launched the next pitch, a high 94 MPH heater, that landed just inside the LF foul pole three rows deep, his first MLB bomb, and the Bucs were up 4-2. Polanco beat out a roller and stole second, but was left aboard.

The lead didn't last long; a leadoff walk was followed by a Hernandez bomb on a 3-1 fastball right down the middle. Frankie struggled through, leaving a runner and was even visited by the trainer but stayed in; let's hope he's just strong after his rained out start and not hurt, tho he's been rubbing his right side. Cutch opened the Bucco half with a double, stole third and came in on JHK's bouncer. The Bucs added one more when The Kid went yard, slamming one into the top rows in right center to make it 6-4. Latos was lucky, too - two of the three outs were nicely made plays by his fielders. Frankie was done; Joe Blanton took over.

He gave up a hit and whiffed two in the fourth; Latos tossed a clean frame. An A-Ram error and walk put Joe in a hole in the fifth, but a 5-4-3 DP (review overturned a safe call at first) and tapper got him out of it. Pedro Baez came on. Cutch singled with an out and A-Ram blasted one high off the fence in left. Cutch was held at third on the throw that went straight to second, nailing Ramirez ridiculously easily. The inning ended with Cutch stranded.

Blanton gave up a two out bad hop single in the sixth, but got a long fly to finish his third frame of shutout relief. Baez tossed a 1-2-3 inning, and Joakim Soria took the hill in the seventh. He gave up a one out bloop single that fell between three Pirates, but got a quick 4-6-3 to close it out. Luis Avilan took the ball, and whiffed a pair, beaned Marte, walked Cutch, and then whiffed A-Ram. Someone had to tell the fielders the inning was over.

Tony Watson answered the eighth inning bell. He gave up a soft lob to right center, then got a glove on a shot up the middle, slowing it down enough to be turned into a 1-4-3 DP. Rollins flew out to the track, and there were three outs to go after Joel Peralta tossed a routine frame. Mark the Shark came out looking to get them. he did, but it was a struggle.

Melancon hung an 0-2 curve at the belt that Kendrick slapped into right. Gonzalez roped a shot to left, but Marte had it measured. Van Slyke got a cutter that ran over the plate and creamed it into the gap; a diving Cutch came up short and the two-bagger made it a 6-5 game. Puig hit a ball to JHK at third; he looked back the runner, and his double clutch throw was a bit wide and high; S-Rod's toe came off the bag and Yasiel was safe. Or was he? Replay showed that Rodriguez's toe stayed glued to the sack until a millisecond after the catch, and NY overturned the safe call. Joc Pederson walked, but Mark ended it by getting Yasmani Grandal to fish for a curve, and that was it, finally. Big props, btw, to Joe Blanton; he did truly deserve the win for his work.

Well, the last two games may not be primers for coaches, but making enough plays and pounding enough hits goes a long way. Frankie's homer was, when all is said and done, the key blow; hopefully he didn't hurt himself cranking it out. Charlie Morton and Alex Wood close out what has been a very entertaining series tomorrow night.

• In the post-game interviews, both Clint and Frankie said there is no injury to Francisco (altho Liriano did say he felt "a twinge," so...). A bad day at the office+79 pitches over three frames are the reasons why Liriano was yanked per the Skipper.
• Cutch's third hit was #1,100 of his career. He's the 29th Pirate in to reach that mark and the first since Jack Wilson in 2007. Andrew also passed up Dick Groat for 17th place on the all-time Bucco doubles list with 227 two-baggers. BTW, he went 3-for-3 with a walk.
• From @AceballStats - Slash after 985 games: Roberto Clemente .299/.333/.433; Barry Bonds .272/.377/.497; Andrew McCutchen .299/.387/.499.
• Today's attendance of 38,981 was the 17th sellout of the season. The game lasted 3:42 as the first three innings took forever, but a Fan Jam crowd is a captive audience. Decent game, too.
• The official scorer explained Marte's recall - it was ruled unintentional contact with the catcher by Cutch. The umps did not have a bad day, despite all the challenges and overturns. Every call was bang bang; they really took super slo-mo to determine.
• Forgot to mention in yesterday's notes that Rob Scahill worked two clean innings in his GCL rehab debut.

Frankie v Mat Latos; Lineup & Notes

Today's Game - Francisco Liriano (7-6, 2.92) meets Mat Latos (4-7, 4.29). Frankie has gone 6-2/2.17 with 88 strikeouts in 78-2/3IP in his last 12 starts. In his last five home outings, he's put up a 1.89 ERA. He's been tough on LA, going 3-0 with a 1.37 ERA in his three lifetime appearances against the Dodgers with his last two wins coming in 2014.

Latos is making his second start as a Dodger after arriving from Miami. Don't let his numbers fool you. Since missing time with a gimpy knee, Latos has a 2.79 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP while holding opposing batters to a .196 BA in his past eight starts since returning in June. He's 5-1 with a 3.13 ERA over his career against the Pirates and unbeaten (3-0/2.87) in six starts at PNC Park.The game starts at 4:05 and will be on Fox 1, Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan.

Righty on the hill; regular Bucco lineup. Clint is liking Starling in the two hole; we like it too.

• The Pirates are a season-high 19 games over .500 going into today's game. 
• After a dismal start in extra inning games, the Bucs have won their last five and are 7-7 after bonus baseball this season.
• Trivial but cool factoid: Pittsburgh is 13-3 when playing in front of PNC sellout crowds this year.
• David Golebiewski of Just A Bit Outside has a quick hit with some nice graphics on JHK's performance as a Bucco.

8/8:Swipe 'Em All; 46 Hit Afternoon; Bucs Sold; Murry's Big Day; HBD Ohlie

• 1893 - Pittsburgh swept a DH from the Chicago Colts 17-10 and 9-8 at Exposition Park. George Van Haltren, Denny Lyons and Joe Sugden (2B & 3B) each had three hits in the opener to give Ad Gumbert the win. In the nitecap, the Colts scored three times in the ninth to go up by four; the Pirates answered with a five spot, keyed by Lyons, who tripled with the bases loaded to tie the game and then scored the winning run. Lyons had six hits on the day. Red Ehret, who went the distance, got the victory.
• 1902 - Honus Wagner became the first Pirate to steal second, third and home, against the Boston Beaneaters in an 8-6 loss at the South End Grounds. He did it four times during his career. Other Pirates to swipe a three pack were Max Carey (2), Kiki Cuyler and Bobby Byrne.
• 1905 - Second baseman Dave Brain, who hit three triples in a game for St. Louis against the Pirates earlier in the season, repeated the performance against Boston after being traded to Pittsburgh, becoming the only player to triple-triple twice in one season. Pittsburgh defeated the Beaneaters 5-4 in 10 innings at Exposition Park, with Mike Lynch getting the win in relief of Sam Leever. Brain, who went 4-for-5, had the game winning knock, a single to score Tommy Leach. Davy had quite the day; the Pittsburg Gazette wrote “Not only did Brain bat well, but he fielded in fine style, and some of the plays made by him were decidedly sensational.” 1905 was his only year with Pittsburgh; he hit .257 as a 3B/SS.

Dave Brain 1909 American Tobacco series

• 1922 - The Pirates lined, drilled, dribbled and blooped 46 hits during a doubleheader sweep against the Phillies at Shibe Park. Bucco SS Rabbit Maranville made a record 13 plate appearances during the day. The team had 27 knocks, a franchise record, in their 19-8 rout in the opener. Reb Russell went 5-for-5 with a homer, two doubles, five runs and seven RBI while Cotton Tierney had four hits, scored five runs and drove in five. Tierney went 4-for-5 in the nitecap with four RBI and Russell doubled three times as the Bucs banged out 19 hits in a 7-3 brooming. Tierney and Russell each recorded eight hits during the twin bill.
• 1946 - Bill Benswanger, representing the Dreyfuss family, sold the Bucs to a group headed by Frank McKinney and John Galbreath with Bing Crosby as one of the minority investors. The price was reported to be $2.5M.
• 1952 - Murry Dickson did it all for the Bucs. He pitched a ten inning, six hit 1-0 shutout against the Cubs at Forbes Field and drove in the game’s only run. Joe Garagiola led off the tenth with a single, and Brandy Davis, who had just been called up from Waco and didn’t arrive at the park until 7:30, was sent in to pinch run. A grounder moved him up a station, and with two down, Dickson hit a ball toward the SS hole. Roy Smalley made a diving stop to knock the ball down, but that didn’t slow down the speedster Davis who sprinted home from second on the infield knock.

Brandy Davis 1992 (photo via Out of the Park)

• 1960 - Dick Groat was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for the story “Fiery Leader of the Pirates.” The team captain and All-Star became the first Pirate to be named MVP since Paul Waner in their last pennant year of 1927 and led league with a .325 BA.
• 1963 - Injuries drove RHP Vern Law to the voluntarily retired list. But he returned to win 12 games in 1964 and in 1965, at age thirty-five, led the Pirates with 17 wins and a 2.15 ERA. He was honored with the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award as comeback player of the year. But the injuries finally won and he retired permanently after the 1967 season.
• 1964 - Bob Veale struck out 11 batters and tossed a complete game as the Pirates beat the Cubs 5-2 at Forbes Field. The Cubs scored twice in the first inning before Big Bob shut the door and let the offense do its thing. Bob Bailey put the Pirates ahead in the fifth inning with a three-run homer while Gene Freese provided the coup d’ grace in the sixth with a two-run blast.
• 1969 - Manny Sanguillen was a homer shy of the cycle and scored three times as he led the Pirates to a 7-1 win over the Padres at San Diego Stadium. Sangy on a roll, going 13 for his last 26. Willie Stargell added a double and two RBI. Bob Veale gave up 11 hits but struck out 10 Friars for the win.

Manny Sanguillen 1993 Ted Williams series

• 1982 - RHP Ross Ohlendorf was born in Austin, Texas. Ohlie pitched for the Pirates from 2008-11 with a line of 13-27/4.60. Ohlendorf was a bit more than a jock; he graduated from Princeton and spent a summer as an intern in Washington for the Department of Agriculture. He also tossed an “immaculate inning” - nine pitches to strike out the side - on September 5th, 2009 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
• 1990 - The Pirates sent IF Willie Greene, RHP Scott Ruskin and a PTBNL to the Montreal Expos for LHP Zane Smith. The other player was OF Moises Alou (officially sent to Montreal 8/16), a highly regarded prospect deemed expendable as he was blocked by OFs Barry Bonds, Andy Van Slyke and Bobby Bonilla. Alou played 17 years, made six All-Star teams and carried a .303 career BA. Smith spent six of his last seven seasons with the Pirates, winning 47 games behind a 3.35 ERA, and was a staff mainstay for the early 90s’ clubs, winning 16 games for the division champs of 1991.
• 1995 - Orlando Merced, Jeff King and Midre Cummings hit back-to-back-to-back homers in the second inning against the Giants at Candlestick Park, the first time a trio of Bucs had turned that feat in 25 years. King also become the first Bucco to homer twice in the same inning since 1894 when he went yard off Sergio Valdez and Terry Mulholland in the second frame, a feat he’d match again the next season. The Pirates won by a final tally of 9-5.

Jeff King 1995 Flair series

• 2008 - The Bucs took a 2-0, 12 inning win from the Phils at Citizens Bank Park. Steve Pearce’s double and Freddy Sanchez’s two out infield knock plated the Pittsburgh runs. Craig Hansen got the save for TJ Beam in dramatic fashion. LF Brandon Moss ran down Chase Utley’s opposite field gapper and his relay doubled Shane Victorino off first to end the game. Six Pirate pitchers allowed just a half dozen hits, but nine walks led to a dozen stranded Phils.
• 2011 - The Pirates snapped a 10 game losing streak by beating the Giants 5-0 at AT&T Park. Charlie Morton threw a six-hitter with ninth inning help from Jose Veras while Garrett Jones’ 4-for-5 day was the highlight of the Buc attack. The streak took the Bucs from five games above .500 to five below, puncturing both their playoff hopes and a shot at finishing with a winning record.