Bucs Blow 7-0 Lead, But Grind It Out In 12 Innings 9-8

Jon Gray and Jon Niese both put up a zero, stranding first inning doubles. Fran and Josh singled to put runners on the corners; a Jordy force out brought home a run. The play was challenged after a fairly innocuous slide by Josh at second, tho he did come off the bag, but the play was upheld after a long review. The Rox had a lead off knock erased on a DP, and it stayed 1-0 after two frames.

JJ and Cutch opened the third with knocks. David Freese had a nice at bat, running the count full on eight pitches and rolling the ninth into left to plate a run. Fran walked with one away to load 'em up. El Coffee's sac fly brought in a tally; Josh's bloop single another. Niese spun a 1-2-3 frame.

Jon started the fourth with a knock and came in on Freeser's two-out double. That brought on Eddie Butler; Gray tossed 96 not so effective pitches and left down 5-0. Starling beat out a ball to third (he was originally rung up, but the call was rightfully overturned on review) and Fran doubled in two more before it was done. Just as suddenly, Colorado sprang to life. Two homers, double, triple, walk, and a single brought the tying run to the plate with an out. Niese finished up, stranding runners at second and third with a 7-4 lead.

Pittsburgh went quietly in the fifth, and so did the Rox. Butler had another easy inning, helped by a great play by an unlikely source as Mark Reynolds speared Cutch's rocket. The Rockies opened with three straight ground ball singles, and that was it as Ryan Vogelsong was waved in. Niese went five, giving up runs on 10 hits with two walks and five whiffs on 85 pitches. Mercer helped the cause when he snagged a deflected grounder and got a force at third, and then V-Song shut the door with the count 7-5 Buccos.

V-Song cleaned up a mess (photo Tiffany Tompkins/Bradenton Herald)

Justin Miller took the ball in the seventh, and Gregory stopped the bleeding a bit when he crushed a two out solo shot to dead center. Neftali Feliz came in, we thought he'd be on ice today with his pitch count and results of late. It showed: a double (Polanco's bad; he misplayed it) and  Mark Reynold's homer cut the lead to one. Tony Watson answered the phone and closed the frame with the score 8-7 good guys. Chad Qualls had a calm eighth. Tony didn't fare so well; he left a sinker dead center to Geraldo Parra and he planted it in the seats, a new ballgame as we head into the ninth.

Jake McGee climbed the hill, and had the luck of the Irish. Cutch hit a 400' foul before walking and Freese's liner to center was outrun by Parra. Starling singled, but Fran up 3-1, swung at ball four, then bounced into a DP. The Bucs sent out Kyle Lobstein. After a pair of whiffs, he gave up a pair of singles before getting the third out.

Boone Logan took the ball in the 10th, and Matt Joyce smacked a one-out double lefty-on-lefty; he had come in on a double swap to replace Starling. Jordy walked, but the Bucs couldn't take advantage. The Lobster got his three outs without any drama. Carlos Estevez tossed a clean 11th; Lobstein faced three batters thanks to a DP. Praise the Lord; in the 12th, Gregory's walk turned into a run on Jordy's two out double. The Shark came on. With an out, DJ LeMahieu walked after an 11 pitch battle, then stole second. The next hitter walked on a full count, and a grounder moved them up a station. But Melancon had the three pitch K up his sleeve and played it to end a long night with a Bucco win.

The Lobster turned the tide tonight (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

The Lobster deserves props all around; he was the only Pirate pitcher (beside V-Song) that actually deserved to earn the win. And give MM credit too; that closer mentality kicked in at the right time. Pittsburgh keeps on churning out runs; now if the pen would start churning out some goose eggs.

• Another amazing break from the gates: by the fourth inning, every Pirate had scored or driven in a run, including the pitcher. 
• Gregory Polanco continues to mature at the plate - he homered, hit a sac fly, scored twice and chased home a pair.  
• Josh now has a seven game hitting streak.
• Four in a row is the Pirates longest win streak of the year.
• Tony Watson has surrendered three homer in 10-1/3 innings, which equals the total he gave up in 75-1/3 IP last season.
• Jared Hughes gave up three runs on five hits in two innings; looks like his quick recall may have hit a speed bump.

Wednesday: Jon Niese v Jon Gray, Lineup, Notes

Tonight: The first pitch is at 8:40, and the game will be on Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan.

Pitchers: Jon Niese (3-0, 4.24) toes the rubber v Jon Gray (0-0, 9.00). Niese has only failed to get into the sixth once this year, but except for a strong outing against the Brewers has been kinda meh, although in justice a couple of those games featured some ugly fielding behind him. He's 3-3 with a 5.34 ERA in nine starts against Colorado. One thing to watch - he's been leaking long balls, not a good thing at Coors. Gray is a bit of a mystery, making just his second start after beginning the season on the disabled list with an abdominal strain. His heater hits 96, but hasn't blown away many Pirates; he was 0-1/8.00 in two outings against them in 2015.

Jon Niese goes tonight (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

Lineup: John Jaso 1B, Cutch CF, David Freese 3B, Starling Marte LF, Fran Cervelli C, Gregory Polanco RF, Josh Harrison 2B, Jordy SS, Niese P. The gang's back together now that there's a righty on the hill.

• Gregory Polanco and Starling Marte are tied for the MLB lead in doubles with nine. The team has banged out 50 two-baggers, tops in the NL.
• LOL stat from @espn: "Andrew McCutchen had as many home runs (3) in 5 at-bats last night as the Braves have had in 674 at-bats this year."
• Bad news for a good guy: Charlie Morton will require surgery and miss the rest of the season because of a torn left hamstring, per the Phillies.
• Astros backup catcher and former Bucco Erik Kratz pitched an inning yesterday. He threw more pitches 85 MPH+ in that frame (and a knuckler!) than Jered Weaver has this season by a 9-7 margin.  (Thx to @darenw).

Cutch Is Back; Bucs Roll Over Rox 9-4

A little rain in Denver caused tarps-down and chased all the pre-game stuff inside, but the drops were supposed to quit falling by game time and play nice the rest of the night. They did.

The Bucs brought their own sunshine in the first. Jorge De La Rosa was touched up for back-to-back homers on back-to-back pitches by Cutch and David Freese. With two outs and the bases empty, a walk, HBP and Josh's single off the SS's glove made it 3-0. Cutch happened again in the second to make it 4-0. But Colorado chipped back, scoring single runs in the second, fourth and fifth frames on a collection of singles, a homer, walks, a wild pitch and a passed ball to cut the gap to 4-3. It would have been tied had not the combination of Starling's arm and a great snag and swipe by Fran cut down Geraldo Parro at home, a bang-bang play that survived review.

Cutch happens (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

Enough, said the Pirates. Gregory doubled, and an out later Jordy walked ahead of Cutch, who lost his third baseball of the night by banging a three run shot off Christian Bergman heat. Starling got into the act, banging another ball yard off Gonzalez Germen, and the nail biter was suddenly 8-3. The Rox, helped by a misthrow, answered with a run of their own.

The Cole Train was done after six, giving up four runs (two earned) on eight hits with two walks, a wild pitch and three whiffs after 103 pitches. Pittsburgh went quietly in the seventh, and Arquimedes Caminero made it a little more interesting than need be, walking the first pair of Rox. The next batter lined out to Cutch, and a timely 6-4-3 kept the Rockies at bay.

The last two innings played out calmly for the Bucs. Neftali Feliz and Rob Scahill each gave up a walk (the Pirates added six more free passes to their league leading number) but no runs, and Gregory singled home a salt-in-the-wound score in the ninth, chasing Fran home to make the final 9-4.

Gregory is hitting .333 (photo Brian Kerbey/Getty Images)

The Cole Train was good enough, reverting to a fastball heavy game plan against Colorado.He said with the lead, he just wanted to stay aggressive, and Clint noted that breaking balls don't spin very well in the thin Denver air. As for Cutch, well, a day off sure did wonders for his stick. He told the press gang afterward that he had "found something" while recently working in the cages; hope he doesn't lose whatever it was he found.

• Cutch has hit three home runs in a game twice during his career (the other time was in 2009 v the Nats). McCutchen joined Ralph Kiner (four), Willie Stargell (four) and Roberto Clemente (two) as Pirates to have multiple three-homer games. He  also became  the third player to have 10 multi-home run games while spending his entire career with the Pirates. Willie Stargell (36) and Roberto Clemente (13) are the others.
• Andrew wasn't alone; the Bucs went long five times, and Jordy just missed one, doubled off the newly extended fence in right and becoming the first non-Rockie to lose a homer to the new configuration.
• Cutch's three hits led the way; Jordy Fran and Gregory added a pair of knocks each as the Bucs totaled 12 hits.
• The Pirates have hit at least one double in every game this year.
• In the Central, the Cubs are first with 15 wins, the Bucs second with 12 (3-1/2 games back) and the Cards third with 11 victories (four games off the pace.) The big three...

4/27: Wally 6-for-6; Tim's 172 Tosses; Jose #300; Matty Mo Release; Rallies, Duels & More

• 1893 - The Pirates opened the season against the Cleveland Spiders and were spanked by Cy Young, losing 7-2 in front of 7,600 fans at Exposition Park. The team had a strong season despite that sluggish start, finishing second in the National League with a 81-48 mark. Louie Bierbauer had two hits, as did Jake Beckley and Denny Lyons. Frank Killen took the loss after surrendering four first inning runs.
• 1902 - Pittsburgh whipped Chicago 2-0 at Exposition Park‚ as Deacon Phillippe bested rookie Jim St. Vrain. St. Vrain only gave up a single to Ginger Beaumont, but it came after the Pirates had loaded the bases on an error sandwiched between a pair of plunked batters in the eighth inning. Phillippe fanned seven and all the other outs were recorded by the infield, with 1B Kitty Bransfield recording 16 putouts. St. Vrain wasn’t quite as sure of himself in the box as he was on the mound. He grounded a ball to Honus Wagner in the seventh and lost his bearings; the confused 19-year old ran toward third base as the astonished Hans threw him out rather easily, per Gene Alston’s Journal column.
• 1912 - The Pirates walloped Cincinnati 23-4 at Forbes Field‚ and without a home run (although they had five doubles and three triples among their 27 hits). Bobby Byrnes and Dots Miller had five knocks apiece. Reds reliever Hansey Horsey surrendered 14 hits and 12 runs in four innings in what would be his only MLB appearance. Vice President James “Sunny Jim” Sherman, a big baseball fan, attended the game along with PA Congressman Jim Burke, Lieutenant Governor JM Reynolds and an assortment of politicos and generals.

Bobby Byrne 1910 Tip Top

• 1930 - The Pirates won their seventh game in a row 9-5 over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. OF Adam Comorosky went 4-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI. Gus Suhr drove home three more and Ira Flagstead homered.
• 1954 - Toby Atwell and Jerry Lynch hit back-to-back homers in back-to-back at-bats in the sixth and eighth innings, the first Pirates to accomplish the feat in the 20th century (Neil Walker & Gaby Sanchez matched the feat in 2014). It wasn’t enough as Pittsburgh lost to the Reds 8-7 at Crosley Field.
• 1970 - Steve Blass lost a pitching duel to Joe Decker and the Chicago Cubs 1-0 at Forbes Field. Blass surrendered just four hits over eight innings. One was a two-out triple by Glenn Beckert; he tried to stretch it into an inside the park HR and was dead at home, but Manny Sanguillen whiffed on the relay throw to allow the unearned, and only, run of the game to score. Meanwhile, Roberto Clemente was thrown out at the plate twice during the game, once trying to score on a Willie Stargell double and again in the ninth, when he tripled but was caught in a rundown a batter later, trapped following a comebacker. The Cubbies ran their winning streak to 11 games with the victory, a streak the Pirates would end the next day.

Steve Blass 1970 O-Pee-Chee

• 1971 - Willie Stargell set a MLB record with his 11th HR in the month of April, a shot over the TRS center field wall against LA’s Pete Mikkelsen, in a 7-5 loss. The record stood for 36 years until it was broken by Albert Pujols, who hit 14 opening-month bombs in 2006.
• 1990 - Wally Backman became the first NL’er to get six hits in one game in 15 years when the 3B’man went 6-for-6 against the Padres at Jack Murphy Stadium in a 9-4 Pirate win. The Bucs banged out 19 hits, with Barry Bonds collecting four, including two homers and a double. Neal Heaton claimed the win.
• 1991 - The Bucs had their way with the Mets at Shea Stadium, winning 10-1. Randy Tomlin and Bob Patterson combined on a four hitter while a trio of Pirates had three hits - Bobby Bonilla, who had four RBI and a run scored, Spanky LaValliere, with two runs driven in and one scored, and Curtis Wilkerson, who plated three times. Pittsburgh took over sole possession of first place, and never lost it as they won the division by 14 games.
• 1993 - Tim Wakefield threw 172 pitches in defeating Atlanta‚ 6-2‚ in 11 innings at Fulton County Stadium, and he didn’t even go the distance. He was relieved by Paul Wagner in the 11th after issuing a lead-off walk. It was the most pitches tossed by one pitcher in a single game during the nineties and the most ever by a Pirate. Fernando Valenzuela was the last to throw that many pitches in a game back in 1987. The Pirates took command of the game when Mike Stanton threw away a bunt attempt by Wakefield in the 11th, setting up a pair of two-out knocks and four unearned runs. 

Tim Wakefield 1993 Leaf

• 1985 - Pittsburgh traded minor league C Steve Herz to the Phillies for utility PH Mike Diaz. Diaz fit in nicely as a bench player for a couple of seasons, putting up a line of .250/28/89 in 606 PA while Herz never made it out of AAA.
• 2005 - Jose Mesa sat Houston down 1-2-3 in the ninth to save Kip Wells’ 2-0 victory. It was his 300th career save, making Mesa the 19th pitcher in MLB history to reach that mark. Jason Bay and Jack Wilson drove home the runs at PNC Park.
• 2008 - RHP Matt Morris was released by the Pirates after going 1-2/3 innings against the Phillies in his previous start the day before, giving up six runs on six hits. The 33-year-old compiled an 0-4 record with a 9.67 ERA in his five outings with Pittsburgh in 2008. He retired soon after, but the Bucs ate $11,037,283 in salary, including a $1M buyout for 2009. Pittsburgh replaced him by calling up RHP John Van Benschoten.
• 2010 - A five-run ninth inning sparked by Ryan Doumit's grand slam and Ronny Cedeno's solo shot off Trevor Hoffman ended the Pirates 22-game losing streak in Milwaukee as the Bucs took a 7-3 victory at Miller Park. The Brew Crew's hometown hex over the Bucs was the longest held by one team over another since the Browns/Orioles lost 27 consecutive contests to the Indians in Cleveland from 1952-54.

Tuesday: Cole Train v Jorge De La Rosa, Lineup, Notes

Tonight: The game's first pitch is at 8:40 and will be on Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan.

Pitchers: Gerrit Cole (1-2, 2.70) vs. Jorge De La Rosa (1-2, 9.87). Cole Train has been getting sharper after an abbreviated camp and looks to be on top of his game; pitch count is his only concern. De La Rosa is  coming off a loss last Tuesday at Cincinnati in which he allowed four runs on six hits over two innings. The Reds stole five bases with him on the mound - and he's a lefty. That could come into play. 

Gerrit toes the rubber tonite (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

Oddly, given the usual Mile High stats, he's marginally better at home, going 1-1/8.44  in two starts at Coors Field this season. And he 's got stuff, still averaging 12 K/nine innings, but five walks per game (sound familiar?) and a sky-high .420 BABIP have hurt him, as have four homers in 17 IP, which is double his career average. He's due to regress toward the norm; hopefully that will come later rather than sooner. He's 4-1 at Coors lifetime against Pittsburgh with a 2.77 ERA, so there's that, too. Trap game?

Lineup: Jordy SS, Cutch CF, David Freese 3B, Starling Marte LF, Fran C, Jason Rogers 1B, Josh 2B, Gregory Polanco RF, Cole P. Jordy remains the lefty lineup lead off guy, and Rogers has shown a decent eye and stick since his call up. Still, it must have been a real poser for Clint to choose between Jason and S-Rod.

• AJ Schugel is a Denver native and had some 30 friends and family at the game to see him notch his first MLB save. In fact, Schugel's dad, Jeff, was once a Rockies scout.
• Jung Ho Kang's hitting is beginning to pick up; he's had hits in consecutive games, including a long ball today. Tyler Glasnow went six innings for the Indians, giving up two hits and a walk while whiffing 11; he leads the International League with 30 K in 21 IP. Indy scored seven runs in the ninth, battering old Bucco prospect Kyle McPherson, to turn a squeaker into a 9-0 romp.
• C Kevan Smith, from Pitt via Seneca Valley HS, was set to make his MLB debut today for the White Sox; instead, he had back spasms and was put on the DL.

4/26: HBD S-Rod, Francisco & Fire Trucks, Big Innings, Expo Park Blues, More...

• 1900 - The Bucs drew 11,000 to the newly expanded Exposition Park, the biggest Pittsburgh baseball turnout to date, with a couple of thousand more fans trying to get in. The Pirates were fortified by the recent influx of Louisville players like Honus Wagner, but dropped a 12-11 slugfest to Cincinnati as the Reds lit up Rube Waddell and Jack Chesbro. The Bucs made a game of it by rallying for seven ninth inning runs.
• 1905 - The Cubs beat Pittsburgh at Exposition Park, 2-1 as Chicago’s Jack McCarthy became the only major league OF’er to throw out three runners trying to score in one game. All three assists were on tag-up tries and resulted in double plays.
• 1917 - Coach Virgil “Fire” Trucks was born in Birmingham, Alabama. After a long pro career, he became the bullpen coach/batting practice pitcher for Pittsburgh in 1960 and stayed with the Pirates until 1963. Trucks later operated baseball camps for the Bucs. Jack House, sportswriter for the Birmingham News, gave him the apt moniker “Fire,” not because he chased red engines but because of his blazing heater; Trucks tossed two no-hitters for Detroit in 1952. 

Virgil "Fire" Trucks 1963 (photo Associated Press)

• 1940 - After putting up four runs in the eighth the day before and falling just short, the Bucs crossed home seven times in the eighth this day to roll over the St. Louis Cardinals 10-4 at Forbes Field. Debs Garms and Joe Bowman both had homers and three RBI to spark the rally and earn Mace Brown his second relief win in four days.
• 1958 - With Pittsburgh and Cincinnati knotted, 4-4, at Crosley Field heading into the eighth, Bill Mazeroski took over. First, he drilled an eighth frame solo shot to put the Pirates on top, then his three-run bomb in the top of the ninth sealed the deal, 8-4. It was the first of eight multi-homer games in his career, with his next coming less than a month later on May 10th. 1958 was also the year Maz earned his first of seven All-Star spots. Billy’s heroics gave Don Gross the win after he spun four innings of one-hit relief, with Roberto Clemente, Bob Skinner and Ted Kluszewski adding three hits apiece to aid the cause.
• 1972 - RHP Francisco Cordova was born in Cerro Azul, Mexico. He spent his five year MLB career (1996-2000) as a Pirate, first as a reliever, notching 12 saves in his rookie year, then a starter. His slash was 42-47-12/3.96. He was part of one of the great Pirate moments on July 12, 1997, at a sold out Three Rivers Stadium when he pitched nine innings of a combined 10-inning no-hitter with Ricardo Rincón closing it out. The Pirates won the game on a three-run, pinch hit home run in the bottom of the 10th by Mark Smith.
• 1978 - Ed Ott hit an 11th-inning home run at Shea Stadium to give the Bucs and Bert Blyleven, who pitched a complete game six hitter, a 1-0 win. It took 35 years for another Pirate, Neil Walker, to homer for the only run in a Bucco extra inning victory. 

Ed Ott 1979 Hostess

• 1980 - The Pirates scored five times in the first inning and cruised to a 9-2 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Pittsburgh pounded out 17 hits, led by three apiece from Mike Easler and Dave Parker. John Candelaria went the distance after allowing two runs on eight hits as the Pirates split a brief two game series with Chicago.
• 1985 - Utilityman Sean Rodriguez was born in Miami. In his career, S-Rod has played every position but pitcher and catcher. The Bucs traded for him during the 2014 off season, and he played around the field for Pittsburgh, although he saw a lot of time at the unlikely position of 1B. He was signed up again for 2016 after hitting .246 and playing six different spots in 2015.
• 1995 - 34,841 fans at TRS disrupted a delayed Opening Day by throwing whatever was handy (mainly giveaway day Bucco pennants) on the field to show their displeasure with the freshly resolved player’s strike and some shoddy play by the Bucs. The game was delayed for 17 minutes until the announcer told the unruly crowd that the contest was about to be forfeited. Might as well have been; Montreal won the game 6-2, chasing Jon Leiber in the fifth.

Ralph Kiner's Statue (photo Kenny Muz/Flickr)

• 2008 - Alhambra, California, dedicated a bronze statue to honor of its native son Ralph Kiner for his "accomplishments and contributions to the game of professional baseball and sports broadcasting.” The former Pirates slugger, a member of the Hall of Fame, grew up in Alhambra and graduated from its high school in 1940.

Jeff Locke Down, Joyce Homer Keys To 6-1 Win

Lets see...Pirate pen in shambles, playing at Coors Field, Jeff Locke on the hill...hmmm. Maybe not the way we'd plan it, but hey, it worked out swell as the Bucs took a 6-1 victory behind some late two-out hitting and strong outings by Locke and AJ Schugel.

Jeff came up big tonight (photo Kim Klement USA Today)

Jeff and Chad Bettis were locked in a pitcher's duel (and not many of them at Coors). At the end of six, it was 1-0 Pittsburgh. The Pirates made little noise against Bettis, using a hit batter, single and bouncer to score their run in the fifth. Jeff had one jam to work out of in the fifth.

Locke left after the sixth, giving up five hits, two walks and whiffing eight (five looking). Lance Barrett's low strike zone and some subtle framing by Fran did the trick, although three were ejected (two Rox, one Buc) debating that zone. Still, it was gutsy outing by Locke. The game was halted for 30 minutes by a downpour with two outs in the second; he had to finish that out and stay loose for four more frames.

Bettis went a little longer, and almost got away with it. In the seventh, the Pirates put it to bed. Gregory led off with a single, tagged to second on a fly, went to third on a grounder and scored on a wild pitch. Jason Rogers drew a  3-2 walk. Chris Oberg took the hill, and he lost JJ, also on a full count. Matt Joyce wasn't that patient, taking a 1-1 fastball the opposite way into the seats, and suddenly a cliffhanger was a 5-0 game.

Of course, no lead is safe with the Bucco bullpen of late. Rob Scahill faced five batters; three reached and one scored. AJ Schugel got the call to face the dangerous Nolan Arenado, and got him to pop out to Jordy. Pittsburgh used some two out lightning in the eighth. With Christhian Adames on the hill, Gregory doubled off the wall and Josh banged one up the middle to plate another.

 And so did Matt Joyce (photo Leon Halip/Getty Images)

AJ stranded a two out triple (it hit off the new high fence; it would have been a HR in 2015) in the Colorado half. The Bucs went down quietly in the ninth, and the Rox managed a single as Schugel closed the gate and like Arquie yesterday, earned his first MLB save. Jeff got his first win of the campaign, and the predicted nightmare at Coors instead became sweet dreams.

The stars aligned for the Bucs. Locke, who is notorious for working off the plate, benefited from Barrett's generous zone, and the Rox went 1-for-12 with RISP, stranding 11. Kinda nice to see the bad guys wear those numbers.

• Matt Joyce and Gregory each had a pair of hits; they scored three and drove in three together. 
• Starling Marte swiped a sack; he's 6-for-6 so far this season.
• The Pirates have won six straight at Coors Field.
• If you're wondering about AJ being awarded a save, he came in after the sixth inning with the tying run on deck and finished the game (the usual save rule).

Monday: Jeff Locke v Chad Bettis, Lineup, Notes

Tonight: The Coors Field opener against the Rockies starts at 8:40 and will be on Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan.

Pitchers: Jeff Locke (0-2, 7.24) begins the series against Chad Bettis (2-0, 3.33). Jeff is a guy that just when you're ready to write him off comes up with a string of nice outings. The bullpen is pretty much running on fumes, so this would be a grand time for Locke to step it up, throw some strikes and string together some innings. Bettis broke into the rotation last year and was pretty solid, finally getting command of his off speed stuff after tinkering with his mechanics a bit. He's starting today in place of  Jorge De La Rosa, who is recovering from an illness. He flipped spots with Bettis and is slated to go tomorrow.

Jeff is looking to put up six innings today (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

Lineup: John Jaso 1B, Matt Joyce LF, David Freese 3B, Starling Marte CF, Fran Cervelli C, Gregory Polanco RF, Josh Harrison 2B, Jordy SS, Locke P. Cutch gets a day off

Colorado (9-9) has lost four of five after blowing a three-run, ninth inning lead in a 12-10 defeat to the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday. They ran through six pitchers, including Chris Rusin, who was tentatively slated to work today, but aren't nearly as tattered as the Bucs since they only went nine frames. The Pirates didn't call anyone up, so they're going with what they've got.

• The Pirates are 10-3 when scoring more than three runs.
• One take from yesterday's marathon - Cutch's wheels are A-OK. Statcast had him going from first to home in 10.7 seconds, at one point hitting 20 MPH! 
• Arqimedes Caminero earned his first MLB save last night in his 102nd career outing.
• Two other stats dug up by @joe_block: Jon Niese was the first Pirate pitcher with an RBI hit since Ken Brett in 1974. A more amazing tidbit - for all the bullpen woes, the Pirate pen retired 13 Snakes with the winning run aboard.
• Indy's Josh Bell was named the International League's player of the week after slashing .400/.438/.767 with two homers. 
• The Indians also announced that IF Pedro Florimon has been officially assigned to them. To make roster space, OF Antoan Richardson has been released.

4/25: HBD Fred & Bob, Hat Trick, Willie & Wally Homers, Kip Krushes & More...

• 1896 - Fred Haney was born in Albuquerque. He managed the Bucs as a favor to Branch Rickey from from 1953-1955. His record reflects the fact that he was brought in during the early stages of a youth movement, losing 104, 101 and 94 games for a 163-299 (.353) slate.
• 1899 - In a sign of things to come, Pittsburgh lost to Louisville 2-1 at Eclipse Park as future Bucco SS Honus Wagner went 4-for-4 with 2 HRs‚ the second being a ninth-inning game winner. The Colonels were managed by future Pirate skipper (and player) Fred Clarke. The following season, most of Louisville’s top players followed owner Barney Dreyfuss to Pittsburgh.

Fred Clarke 1911 American Tobacco

• 1943 - RHP Bob Johnson was born in Aurora, Illinois. He pitched for the Bucs from 1971-73, beginning as a starter and ending in the bullpen. He went 17-16-7/3.34 as a Pirate and appeared in a pair of NLCS and in the 1971 World Series.
• 1948 - Wally Westlake homered, doubled and drove in six runs while Ed Stevens added five more RBI to lead the Bucs to a 13-10 win over the Reds in the second game of a twinbill at Crosley Field. Pittsburgh lost the opener 7-6 in the ninth.
• 1970 - Willie Stargell homered over the RF roof at Forbes Field off Hoyt Wilhelm‚ the second time he'd done it in a week‚ as the Pirates edged the Braves‚ 8-7. Eighteen balls carried over the Oakland yard’s roof, with seven launched by Stargell. No one else hit more than a pair. Roberto Clemente had three hits (two were doubles) and four RBI as he stole the offensive thunder from Cap’n Willie.

Willie Stargell 1971 Topps

• 1992 - In the Pirates 1-0 win over the host Cubs‚ the Bucs were helped by a wayward hat. With Kirk Gibson on first‚ Jay Bell hit a potential DP grounder that struck Gibson's helmet‚ which had flown off as he headed to second, and the Cubs had to settle for a force. Andy Van Slyke noted‚ “the play goes 7-1/2 to 4 to 5 to 6" on your scorecard. Bell then scored when Van Slyke followed with a double for the game’s only run. Randy Tomlin was the winner over Greg Maddux.
• 2003 - Kip Wells became the second player and first pitcher to homer into the batter’s eye at PNC Park with a third inning, 457’ blast off the Dodgers Odalis Perez. LA had the last laugh when they rallied for five ninth inning runs off Wells and Mike Williams to take a 5-2 victory.
• 2011 - Pedro Alvarez homered in both games of Pittsburgh’s doubleheader split against Colorado at PNC Park, becoming the second Pittsburgh player in the last 22 seasons to hit home runs for the Pirates in two games played on the same day. El Toro joined Rob Mackowiak, who also went long twice in a DH on 5/28/04 against the Cubs on the memorable day his wife gave birth to their first child.

Pedro Alvarez Topps Debut 2010

• 2012 - The Pirates and the Rockies became the first teams in MLB history to add an extra player to the roster for their twin bill at PNC Park. The new CBA permitted teams to carry 26 on the active roster for doubleheaders to save the paper shuffling that calling up an extra pitcher entailed. The Bucs brought up Jared Hughes, who had started the season with Pittsburgh but was sent down when AJ Burnett came of the DL.
• 2013 - The Bucs beat the Phillies for the third straight time at Citizen’s Bank Park by a 6-4 score. It was the first time in the eighteen outings that Cole Hamels, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee threw back-to-back-to-back games that the Phils lost all three matches. The Pirates lost the first outing of the four game set, beaten 3-2 by Jonathan Pettibone, who was making his first MLB start.

Bucs Survive Bullpen Implosion, Battle To 12-10 Win In 13 Innings

The Bucs did there usual thing against Robbie Ray; they drew a bunch of pitches, loaded the bases, and stranded three. The D-Backs went about things more traditionally; Paul Goldschmidt banged a two-out homer off Frankie (one that El Coffee almost stole from the pen) to put the Snakes up 1-0. Gregory and Stew had terrible at bats in the second, both whiffing. The next two Bucs reached on an error and single; Cutch fanned and it's five LOB. Arizona got a bloop and a walk, but they died on base too.

Pittsburgh put runners on the corners with no outs in the third and they were both cashed in on Jason Roger's triple. S-Rod knocked him home to make it 3-1. With two gone, Liriano gave up a walk, single, and another homer, a liner that barely cleared the wall and kissed the foul pole, to Welington Castillo who's been feasting on Pirate pitching. Just as quickly, the Bucs were back in the hole 4-3.

The Pirates again opened with guys on the corners, and that got Ray the hook; Tyler Wagner grabbed the ball. A walk juiced 'em and Starling's single knotted the score. JJ pinch hit for Rogers; he bounced to first and an airmailed throw home let the lead run plate. An out later, Gregory bled one through the left side, and two more runs scored. Stew's knock brought in another tally to make the score 8-4. Frankie liked it; he used a dozen tosses to strike out the side.

Frankie finished strong, but is still a concern (photo Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune)

The Bucs tried to add on in the fifth when Marte doubled with Freese aboard, but he was cut down at home, withstanding a challenge by Clint (looked like a plate-block, but guess not). It was another clean inning for Liriano. Gregory doubled with an out in the sixth, but Stew and Frankie couldn't get him home. Castillo walked to open the D-Back half (Frankie was squeezed on a couple of pitches), but no damage ensued. That was it for Liriano - six innings, four runs on five hits and three walks with six whiffs after 97 pitches.

Randall Delgado took the hill in the seventh and had an easy frame. Ryan Vogelsong trotted out and put up a zero, stranding a two out double. The Bucs went down quietly in the eighth. V-Song was touched for a leadoff homer followed by a walk, bringing on Tony Watson. He got two guys, but the third tripled.

It's a ballgame at 8-6. Andrew Chafin took the hill in the ninth, giving up a walk and single, but a DP kept his slate clean.  Melancon started dancin'. With one away, he gave up a dink knock followed by another Goldschmidt homer. Like the first, it was an opposite field liner and so on to the 10th. Sidewinder Brad Zeigler 1-2-3'ed the Bucs. Pittsburgh sent out Kyle Lobstein, and a walk followed by a wild pitch put him in a quick jam. A bunt moved the runner up, but S-Rod, now at first, made a nice backhand play with the infield drawn in to gun the runner down at home, and the Lobster got an inning-ending whiff.

Daniel Hudson answered the bell for the 11th. He walked Gregory with two gone and left him at first. Lobstein gave up a one out, opposite field double and wisely walked Goldschmidt intentionally, and worked out of more hot water, getting a K and Castillo bounceout.

Tyler Clippard stepped in for the 12th. Pinch hitter Fran greeted him with a single and was bunted to second. A pickoff throw to second skipped away a short distance, a break for Colorado as Cervelli was caught trying for third, out by four or five steps. Cutch walked, and Freese jumped on the next pitch, doubling Andrew home. Starling singled him home and then was thrown out at second (close play but right call, tho it was reviewed), so it's a two run, two TOOTBLAN inning.

Neftali gave up two runs in his frame and still got the win (photo Joe Guzzy/Pirates)

Neftali Feliz came in looking for his first Bucco save. So of course he walked Jake Lamb, the first batter, on eight pitches, Feliz's first free pass of the year. It took him 10 pitches to fan Nick Ahmed on a borderline call, getting an irate Ahmed tossed. With no bench players left, Zack Grienke pinch hit and banged a sharp infield single that Freese couldn't handle. Peralta got a fastball down Broadway and doubled home Lamb; Shelby Miller, running for Grienke, stopped at third. Jean Segura bounced a seeing-eye single into left on an 0-2 pitch to tie it. Neftali picked up a whiff on his 32nd pitch, and then walked Goldschmidt to load 'em with two gone. That was followed by another K and so on we go.

Evan Marshall was the new hurler. Josh greeted him with a double and S-Rod followed with another. A roller moved him to third, and Stew was intentionally walked. The Buc bench is bare, too, and Jon Niese grabbed a stick. He fouled off five pitches, ran the count full, and then singled home Rodriguez. A DP ended the fun, and Arquimedes Caminero toed the rubber. He gave up a leadoff single, followed by a lineout to center. Another pitcher, Patrick Corbin, had to pinch hit and he went down on strikes, with Shelby Miller, pitcher-turned-LF, on deck. He fanned too, and it was over finally.

Jon Niese did it was his bat, not his arm, tonight (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

Not much to say about a 5-1/2 hour game that featured 510 pitches, 22 runs, 35 hits, bullpen meltdowns, pitchers pinch hitting and playing the field, errors, TOOTBLANS, 43 players used, et al except we're glad it's over and that Pittsburgh won. Expect a callup from Indy; AJ Schugel and Rob Scahill are the only guys that didn't appear today, and Jeff Locke is slated for the hill. But with Cory Luebke and Jared Hughes both working at Indy tonight (and not very well), it'll be an interesting choice.

• Starling Marte had four hits; David Freese and Gregory Polanco, three each. Marte and S-Rod both scored twice and had two RBI. 
• Every Pirate starting position player had a hit and scored/driven in a run by the end of the fourth inning. Eight different Pirates scored; 10 had RBI.
• John Jaso's hitting steak ended at 12 with an 0-for-3 day after he came on as a pinch hitter in the fourth frame.
• For the fourth time in his career, Cutch got to wear the golden sombrero for striking out four times, all swinging.
• Not a good day for rehabbing Bucco relievers - both Jared Hughes and Cory Luebke were touched up for AAA homers; Luebke gave up back-to-back blasts.