Friday: Frankie v Jered Weaver, Lineup (No Fran, Jordy), Preview, Notes (Justin, Arquie to Indy)

Sorry we're so late posting; Clint and the docs had a lot of poking and probing to do before they could figure out who was good to go today after last night's bashfest.

Tonight: The series starter begins at 7:05 and will be on Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan. The weather is forecast to be fine; cloudy but dry with temps in the 70s. It's also free shirt day, with the added bonus of a Dunkin' Donut gift card winner to celebrate Homer Simpson's favorite holiday, "Donut Day."

Pitching: Francisco Liriano (4-4, 4.63) begins the set against Jered Weaver (4-4, 5.40). Frankie's becoming a broken record. Batters have adjusted to his chase style with plate discipline; he has to counter with some strikes. We suspect he's well aware of that, but his fastball command just hasn't been there this year. Weaver's fastball would have trouble cutting American Legion muster, but he's developed into a junkman with a variety of off speed pitches, and that's always provided problems for the Pirates. He is susceptible to the long ball. Both guys are struggling at this point, although Francisco has been stellar at home this year (3-1/1.42), so that may be the difference.

Frankie looking to continue his hot home cooking (photo via ESPN)

Lineup: John Jaso 1B, Cutch CF, Gregory Polanco RF, Starling Marte LF, Jung Ho Kang 3B, Josh Harrison 2B, S-Rod SS, Stew C, Frankie P. Jordy & Fran are out; Freeser may have been slated to sit for JHK in any case, with Cutch and El Coffee in. No news on an additional move; that would indicate that Fran's bruise isn't as bad as advertised.

Preview: Catching Mike Trout in action here for the first time is a big thing, but another storyline to watch is the return of Albert Pujas. He's not having much of a season average-wise (.230, w/11 HR), but he'll play first against the Bucs and rakes here. Sir Albert is a .376 career hitter at PNC Park, with 29 homers. Hopefully our Allegheny yard won't serve as his personal fountain of youth.

The Bucco pitching has turned around recently, but unfortunately so has its support - in the past week, the bats have slashed .204/.270/.311. It'd be nice to hit on all cylinders, tho that may be easier said than done with so many Pirates nursing bruises. Team depth will make or break this series. The Angels are last in their division, but still only five games behind the Pirates by record (24 wins to 29).

The original lineup card...pretty veteran crew (image via MLB.com)

• Fran's foot injury isn't a fracture, just a severe bruise. Cutch's thumb is swollen, and he says that's a result of fouls jarring his bat (and hand) while being jammed. He's wearing a guard to try to keep it from flaring up, and it looks like something that he'll have to play through with gritted teeth and ice.  The team doesn't anticipate any (Freeser and Jordy were also banged last night) will have to go on the DL, but the Buc bench will be light until they're back at 100%.
• The Pirates haven't played the Angels since 2013, and haven't hosted them since 2011.
• LHP Justin Masterson was assigned to Indy. He had been at Pirate City, stretching out and working on form. Arquimedes Caminero joined him to begin his rehab assignment (quad tightness).
• This week's Baseball America Prospect Hot Sheet has OF Austin Meadows on top this week, with West Virginia 1B Carlos Munoz making his first appearance. 
• John Sickels has a piece on Pitt's 6'6" RHP TJ Zeuch, who could be a first round pick on Thursday.

6/3: Pirate Drafts - Barry Bonds, Tony Womack, Gonzo, John Grabow...

• 1985 - Barry Bonds was drafted by the Pirates in the first round (6th pick overall) of the 1985 draft and signed two days later for a $125,000 bonus. He was the prize in the Cracker Jack box; the only others to reach the MLB from that year were OF Tommy Gregg and pitchers Brett Gideon & Bill Sampen.

Barry Bonds 1987 Topps

• 1991 - JC catcher Jon Farrell was the Pirates first selection (#24) in the draft; he got as far as AA ball. The only noteworthy selection of the day was seventh round pick 2B Tony Womack, who spent 13 years in MLB, five as a Buc, for whom he hit .278 while stealing 122 bases.
• 1993 - Pittsburgh pretty much missed the mark in this draft. They selected HS OF’er Charles Peterson first (#22/$420K bonus), who never made it to the show, followed by second round OF Jermaine Allensworth (#34/$194K bonus); he played 2-1/2 years for the Bucs, hitting .272 as a reserve. RHP Kane Davis was the only other big league contributor beyond a cup of coffee; his top season was 2001 for Colorado, when he made 57 appearances and went 2-4 with a 4.35 ERA.
• 1997 - The Pirates drafted HS OF/1B JJ Davis as their top pick (#8) and signed him to a $1.675M bonus (Davis was a three sport star and had a football scholarship in hand from USC). He played 67 MLB games, with 106 at-bats and a .179 BA. In a bit of go around - come around, Paul Meyers of the Post Gazette wrote that RHP Jason Grilli was on the Pirates “hot list” of potential picks, but he went off the board before they could get him as the #4 overall selection of the Giants. They found bullpen arms later on, selecting LHPs John Grabow third and Mike “Gonzo” Gonzalez in the 30th round. 

Mike Gonzalez 2002 Bowman Best

6/3: Nate the Great Deal, Smiley, Kison 1-Hitters, Rooftop Bombs, Big Poison's 14-Gamer, More

• 1906 - In a deal that didn’t pan out very well, the Pirates sent rookie LHP Ed “Loose’ Karger to the St Louis Cardinals for veteran RH hurler Chappie McFarland. Karger pitched well for some bad St. Louis teams and lasted in the show through 1911, going 48-67 with a 2.79 ERA while working for four teams. (Some say Loose’s nickname represented his carefree character; others say it described his delivery) Chappie was waived in August by the Pirates and pitched once more in the majors, for Brooklyn in 1906.
• 1927 - Paul “Big Poison” Waner, along with Glenn Wright and George Grantham, homered off the Phils’ Claude Willoughby in a 11-1 romp at Forbes Field. Waner’s long ball ignited the start of his NL record 14 game streak with an extra base hit (12 doubles‚ 5 triples‚ 3 HR).

Paul Waner 1927 (Spaulding Die Cut)

• 1932 - Behind 5-2, the Pirates scored three in the bottom of the eighth and then got an inside-the-park homer from Tony Piet in the eleventh to defeat the Cubs 6-5 at Forbes Field. Piet had four knocks and four RBI to prime the attack, with Pie Traynor adding three hits. The Bucs had three triples during the game, two of which got away from Chicago player-manager Rogers Hornsby, who then benched himself. Steve Swetonic went the distance for the win despite giving up 14 hits. It was the first “Knothole Gang” game ever held at Forbes Field, as the team stuffed the right field stands with local youngsters.
• 1937 - Homestead Gray C Josh Gibson hit perhaps his most storied homer, reported by the Sporting News to have traveled 580’, catching the back rim at Yankee Stadium. If accurate, which is a point of debate, it would be longest home run ever hit; Mickey Mantle’s 565’ blast in 1953 is considered the longest, two feet short of clearing the center field bleachers, against the NY Black Yankees.
• 1962 - During the nitecap of a double header, Bob Skinner hit a RF roof shot at Forbes Field, the second of his career, off Houston’s Ken Johnson during a 10-3 loss. The Bucs also lost the opener 10-6, giving the Colt .45s their first DH sweep in franchise history.
• 1964 - IF Nelson Liriano was born in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. The veteran infielder saw a lot of part time action for the Bucs in 1995-96, getting in 219 games and hitting .277 after being claimed off waivers from Colorado. His greatest career footnote may be from the 1989 season when as a Toronto Blue Jay, he broke up two no-hitters in the ninth inning within a six-day span, spoiling bids by first Nolan Ryan and then Kirk McCaskill.

Nelson Liriano 1996 Fleer Ultra (back)

• 1979 - The Bucs hit five home runs, two from Bill Robinson with four RBI, as the Bucs whipped the Padres 7-0 at TRS. But the big story was Bruce Kison, an emergency starter who got the nod shortly before the game when Don Robinson couldn’t go. In fact, the start time was delayed 10 minutes so he could warm up. He got loose pretty quickly; he carried a no hitter into the eighth, when with two outs, Barry Evans, a .197 hitter, bounced a ball inside the third base line. Phil Garner, who was playing off the bag, took a couple of steps over, went for the backhand grab and had it tick off his mitt into left for a soft two bagger. It was ruled a hit. Kison didn’t agree; he walked off the mound after the inning and shook his fist at the scorer, Dan Donovan, who was in the press box. The controversial (to Kison, anyway) grounder was the only hit he surrendered.
• 1987 - Bucco second baseman Jim Morrison had a career-high three doubles, drove in two runs and tied his personal best of four hits (4-for-4) in Pittsburgh’s 4-1 win over the Braves in front of just 5,368 fans at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Bob Kipper started and got the win.
• 1988 - The Pirates put up runs in the eighth and ninth frames to edge the Montreal Expos 2-1 at TRS. John Smiley tossed a one-hit complete game with eight K, but the knock was a two-out triple that RJ Reynolds couldn’t come up with followed by a balk. The Bucs tied it in the eighth on a Jose Lind solo shot. Mike Lavalliere doubled with an out in the ninth; John Cangelosi ran for him and scored after Mike Diaz’s pinch hit knock, making a hard-luck loser out of John Dopson.

John Smiley 1992 Score Impact

• 1992 - The Bucs took an early 6-2 lead thanks to a four-run third inning and held on to drop the LA Dodgers at TRS by a 6-5 score. Jeff King brought home three runs and Jerry Gleaton claimed his only Pirate victory, saved by Stan Belinda. With the win, the Pirates reclaimed first place in the NL East from the Cardinals and then held the top spot for the rest of the year, spending just eight days without the lead or a share of it.
• 2009 - The Bucs traded OF Nate McLouth to Atlanta for OF Gorkys Hernandez, LHP Jeff Locke and RHP Charlie Morton, clearing an everyday spot for Andrew McCutchen, who was called up from the minors that day. Hernandez was later flipped (he’s been involved in several moves) for Gaby Sanchez while Morton (who was sent to the Phillies in 2016) and Locke filled rotation spots. McLouth was a flop for the Braves and during a brief return to Pittsburgh but revived his career with Baltimore. He's now a free agent.
• 2011 - It took Pittsburgh 12 innings, but they squeezed out a 2-1 win over the Phillies at PNC Park. Jose Tabata drove in the first run on a sac fly and the second during a two-out lightning strike. With the bases empty in the 12th and two away, Xavier Paul singled, stole second, and came in on JT’s grounder through the right side. Danny Moskos got the win, his first MLB victory. He was one of five Pirate pitchers that scattered six hits to Philadelphia hitters.

Bloodied Bucs Bow 4-3 In 12 Innings, Limp Home After 2-5 Road Trip

Wei-Yin Chen sliced and diced his way through the Bucs in the first. Juan Nicasio had an easy time with the first two Fish before Christian Yelich softly rolled a single into left thx to the shift and Giancarlo Stanton walked on a 3-2 pitch that could have (and prob should have) gone Juan's way. He got a grounder to escape, but at the cost of 24 pitches.

Juan again struggled through a poor start before settling in (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Fran became the first Bucco runner painfully in the second when he was nailed on the instep of the back foot on an 0-2 pitch. He moved up on a tapper, then Jordy walked. So did Matt Joyce, who was worked around with Nicasio due up. It almost backfired when Juan sent a low liner to center, but Icharo made a tumbling catch to save Chen's bacon and two runs. With an out, Adeiny Hechaverria rattled a triple and came home on a risky but perfectly executed suicide squeeze. The Pirates went quietly in the third. Icharo led off with a lob to left, and Yelich singled an out later. Stanton doubled in a run, and injury to insult, Fran had to give it up and retreated to the locker room. An intention walk loaded 'em, and a sac fly made it 3-0.

The Icharo show continued in the fourth when he robbed JHK of extra bases with a leaping grab at the wall. As Matt Gajtka of DK On Sports noted "...a Taiwanese pitcher throwing to a Korean batter, with a Japanese center fielder pulling it in." The next pair of Pirates K'ed; the Fish got -what else - an Icharo double. The fifth was a clean frame for both hurlers. No Pittsburgh noise in the sixth but more ouchies: Andrew left with "thumb discomfort." The Marlins took a leadoff walk and left him aboard.

In the seventh, JHK opened with a double (yay, a hit!) and Stew walked; exit Chen, hello Dustin McGowan. he got two routine outs, but Matt Joyce came through, ripping a two run, two out full count double. Gregory was walked intentionally to face Josh, who struck out swinging at ball four. Jared Hughes came in, and put up a zero despite a misplay by Freeser and a walk. The Bucs were cooking in the eighth with a leadoff double by S-Rod and a HBP, but a K and 5-4-3 DP doused the flame. Freeser was the plunked hitter and left in a double switch, with the Pirates later announcing he had an injured hand. The Shark took the ball and spun a 10 pitch, 1-2-3 frame.

JJ kept the Bucs alive with a two out, two strike RBI knock (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

Kyle Barraclough started the ninth and after an out, he drilled Jordy in the elbow after barely missing him with the prior pitch. He got to second an out later via a wild pitch. It hurt the Fish badly when JJ took a 3-2 pitch up the middle to tie the match. Josh swung at ball four once again to run the count full, but held his itching trigger finger back long enough to draw a walk. S-Rod couldn't cash in, swinging through a heater. Jordy had to leave and Figgy came in; that does it for the bench. Neftali Feliz came in and worked a clean ninth; on to extras with Frankie and Cole Train as the pine riders.

Nick Wittgren worked the 10th cleanly. AJ Schugel took over and matched him. The Bucs went down quietly in the 11th; ditto the Fish. Wittgren tossed an eight pitch 12th; the Pirates were no hit until the seventh, and are being no hit over the last three frames. Icharo walked with an out; he was forced, but Yelich caught a high heater and drilled it to center for a two bagger to plate the winner. Bit of bad luck on the hit; it took a big hop and hit the very top of the fence; another inch or two would have made it a ground rule double and the Pirates would have lived to see at least another batter. It was also the Marlins' first hit since the fourth inning.

Well, that was a pretty terrible road trip, ending at 2-5. Once again, the Buc bats didn't have any pop; they were held to four hits. The Fish are a competitive club, but had some ball luck in the past three outings, getting some key calls and bounces that make all the difference in a close fought series where hits are scarce. But more worrisome for now is the injury count; four guys went down today, and it's likely we won't know their condition until the Bucs get home and they're sent to Pittsburgh medicos for evaluation.

• Matt Joyce was the only Pirate to reach base twice, with a clutch double and a walk.
• The last time the Pirates won when trailing after eight innings was July 12th, 2014, at Cincinnati (Cutch homered in the ninth to tie and again in the 11th to win 6-5), a streak of 73 games. 
• The Bucs lost three hit batters - Fran (foot), Freeser (hand) and Jordy (elbow) - along with Cutch (thumb), who may have injured himself while batting. We'll have to wait on reports re: the extent (they were all announced as having "discomfort")  Cervelli's looked pretty bad. The Pirates are thin in catching with Elias Diaz hurt; Indy is using Ed Easley and Jake Stallings now.
• Ryan Vogelsong underwent surgery today to repair multiple facial fractures. Apparently the swelling prevented the docs from operating sooner. It was an outpatient procedure, as he's back home now, and the Buc docs will evaluate him next week to establish a rehab schedule.
• BTW, Derek Dietrich, who was plunked last night and became the de facto winning run, ended up with a bruised wrist and not a break, good news for the Marlins.

Thursday: Juan Nicasio v Wei-Yin Chen, Lineup, Notes

Tonight: The set closes out at 7:10 and will be on Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan. The Bucs need a win tonight to gain a series split.

Pitchers: Juan Nicasio (4-4, 4.79) tosses the finale against Wei-Yin Chen (3-2, 4.37). Juan hasn't met the minimal quality start standard in his last four outings, and Clint told him after the last game to pitch with conviction from the get-go rather than feel out opposing lineups. Maybe that will light a little fire. Miami's Taiwanese southpaw was one of the Marlin's big off season signings, and been steady; he's kept opponents at three runs or less in seven of his ten starts. Most of his peripherals are in line with his Baltimore years and his FIP is half a run lower than his ERA, so Chen is still pitching pretty well beneath the surface stats.

Juan is trying to find his way as a starter (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Lineup: Josh Harrison 2B, Cutch CF, Freeser 1B, JHK 3B, Fran Cervelli C, Starling Marte LF, Jordy SS, Matt Joyce RF, Nicasio P. Gregory is still out with a sore foot; but Joyce has done pretty well against lefties (4-for-12 w/three walks) so far this season.

The Pirate bats have been quiet on the road; opening outbursts in the series openers against Texas and Miami were good for 19 runs, and then just seven tallies were rung up in the other four games. If the Bucs can't rally behind Juan - and this is a tough match up v Chen - they'll head home just 2-5 on this swing south.

• Gregory's foot X-Ray came back negative and the swelling has gone done considerably. He's available from the bench tonight.

6/2: Pirates Drafts - Paul Maholm, Dewey, Gorzo, St Mary's Joe...

• 1987 - HS outfielder Mark Merchant was the Bucs top pick and second overall in the draft. The Pirates signed him for $165,000, he but never played an inning in the majors after a ten year minor league career. Pittsburgh’s seventh round pick, Kittanning SS Mickey Morandini, spent 11 years in MLB, mostly with Philadelphia where he was an All-Star in 1995, and OF Wes Chamberlain and SS Brian Williams also spent a few years in the majors. The Pirates actually had a worse record than the Mariners did in 1986, but the AL and NL alternated years with the top pick during this era, and so the Pirates lost their chance to land Donora-born Ken Griffey Jr. to Seattle.
• 1994 - High school QB & SS Mark Farris was the Pirates first selection (#11; $820K signing bonus); he left the Bucs after hitting .273 in AA to attend Texas A&M as a football player in 1999. It was a sparse draft for the Pirates; only LHP Jimmy Anderson and last round pick UT Brandon Larsen played in the majors.

Jimmy Anderson 2002 Topps

• 1998 - The Pirates picked LHP Clint Johnston of Vanderbilt first (#15; $1M signing bonus); he ended his career pitching indie ball, never advancing past AA. Johnston was an OF’er/closer the Bucs wanted to convert to full time pitching, noting that he threw 90-94 and that “big strong left handers were hard to find” per scouting director Leland Maddux. In fact, none of the Bucs’ first 14 picks never played a MLB game. Later pitching picks Joe Beimel, Jeff Bennett, Dave Williams and Jon Switzer were the highlights of that draft day.
• 1999 - The Bucs selected RHP Bobby Bradley as their first pick (#8; $2.3M signing bonus) in the draft; he topped out with a cup of coffee in AAA after undergoing three surgeries. They had more success in the second round, choosing C Ryan Doumit. They also chose LHP Brian Tallet in the middle rounds; he didn’t pitch for the Bucs but did end up with nine seasons in the show. Multi-sport all-star JR House was signed in the fifth round. Pittsburgh even went over slot then; they signed 39th round pick Patrick O'Brien, a big high school RHP, for $500‚000, but he never made it past AA.
• 2003 - Lefties Paul Maholm (#8; $2.2M signing bonus) and Tom Gorzelanny (#45; $750,000 signing bonus) were the first two Pirate picks of the 2003 draft. Later selections Matt Downs, Jeremy Horst and Josh Sharpless also saw time as major league pitchers.

Paul Maholm 2005 Topps

6/2: HBD Peach Pie, Shutout Streaks, Tornado Watch, Boot City, Long Day & More...

• 1866 - C Jack “Peach Pie” or “Rowdy Jack” O’Connor was born in St. Louis. He served as a rotating backstop for the Bucs from 1900-02, hitting .239 as a Bucco. He skipped to the AL’s NY Highlanders after the ‘02 season. He may be best known as the St. Louis Brown manager in 1910 who tried to steer the batting title to Nap Lajoie through a couple of different underhanded ploys, and was blackballed from MLB for his efforts. According to Charles Faber’s “Baseball Prodigies,” Jack became Peach Pie because as a teen, he played for a local semi-pro club called the Peach Pies. The “Rowdy” nickname was thanks to his aggressive, spikes-up style of play.
• 1890 - The Pittsburgh Alleghenys committed 14 errors in a 14-1 loss to Chicago Colts at home. That club finished 28-108, 66-1/2 games behind the NL champion Brooklyn Bridegrooms and 23 games behind the Cleveland Spiders, the team closest to them in the standings.
• 1903 - The Pirates tossed their first of a MLB record six consecutive shutouts as Deacon Phillippe blanked the New York Giants, 7-0. The NL champ Bucs threw 51 straight scoreless innings during the six-game streak, a record that still stands today. The win launched a 15 game winning streak.

Deacon Phillippe 1983 TCMA All Time Pirates

• 1943 - Pittsburgh scored three times in the ninth to send the Boston Braves to a 3-2 loss at Forbes Field. A walk, an Elbie Fletcher homer and Al Lopez triple set the stage for Frank Coleman’s flare single to become the game-winner. Wally Hebert pitched seven strong innings, giving up a pair in the second when a pair of bunts were misplayed and a bases loaded free pass resulted in two Brave runs. Xavier Rescigno picked up the win in relief.
• 1945 - The Pirates hung on to defeat the Phils 6-5 at Forbes Field; the main storyline was that the Bucs turned five DPs while Philly committed five errors. Pittsburgh scored four times in the first - only one run was earned - but quickly fell behind; they took the lead for good in the fourth, scoring twice with two outs thanks to a pair of Philadelphia boots. The bullpens put up zeroes after that, with Max Butcher notching the win and Anton Karl taking the loss.
• 1955 - The Pirates defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 12-3 at Forbes Field. Dale Long went 3-for-5 and had five RBI with a home run, a two-run shot during a five-run third inning. Frank Thomas also went deep while the Pirates banged out a season high 17 hits. 

Frank Thomas 1955 Bowman

• 1962 - Roberto Clemente just missed becoming the first right handed batter to hit a ball on Forbes Field’s right field roof, bouncing a shot off the facing a foot shy of the top. The blast was off Houston’s Turk Farrell during a 9-2 Bucco laugher over the Colt .45s. Roberto had three RBI, Dick Stuart homered, driving home a pair and Don Hoak scored twice after hitting two triples to support the Deacon, Vern Law. For Pittsburgh, it was their 10th win in 11 games, but after the contest, they entered a tailspin that saw them lose 7-of-8.
• 1987 - Rick Reuschel fired a two-hitter against the Atlanta Braves, ending a six game Pirate losing streak. Andy Van Slyke’s homer accounted for the Bucco runs, and he made a great catch in the ninth to help save the victory. It was Reuschel’s ninth straight win over Atlanta.
• 1998 - The Pirates beat the Mets 5-2 at TRS behind Chris Peter’s pitching and a bases loaded triple by Kevin Young for their fourth straight victory, but the big story was that they earned the win in the midst of a tornado. The game was delayed nearly an hour by the gale, but Peters came back after the break in the third frame to work five innings. The Post Gazette noted that a couple of Pirates gathered up hailstones from the dugout before play resumed. Locals should recall the night; the tornado touched down on Mt. Washington and the PPG’s banner headline screamed “Torn Asunder.”

Chris Peters 1998 Pacific Online

• 2008 - The Bucs beat the Cardinals 5-4 at Busch Stadium. Jason Michaels provided the muscle by blasting a seventh inning, two out pinch hit grand slam on the first pitch he saw from Adam Wainwright. Matt Capps saved the win for Franquelis Osoria.
• 2011 - The Bucs blew a 7-0 lead to the Mets and lost 9-8 at Citi Field as Paul Maholm left with the game tied and Jose Veras self destructed in the eighth, giving up a hit, four walks and a wild pitch.
• 2013 - The Reds raced to a 4-0 first inning lead against Jeanmar Gomez, and the righty was yanked after the frame with forearm tightness. But the Pirate bullpen put up 10 scoreless frames, allowing just five hits, while Pedro Alvarez and Garrett Jones homered - Jones became the first Pirate to reach the Allegheny on the fly with his 463’ blast - to send the game into extra innings at PNC Park. The Pirates took it in the eleventh on Travis Snider’s soft two-out liner that scored Russ Martin from second for a walk off 5-4 win.

Garrett Jones 2013 Topps Tier One

• 2014 - The Pirates romped at Petco Park, winning 10-3 as the San Diego Padres ran through seven pitchers and 249 pitches during the longest nine-inning game in SD history at 4:04. Of the 53 men Pittsburgh sent to the plate, 26 reached base. They went 9-for-20 with RISP yet stranded 16 men, loading the bases seven different times. San Diego left 11 runners of their own on the pond, and went 1-for-10 with RISP. Jordy Mercer went 4-for-5 with a homer, four RBI and two runs scored, while Josh Harrison and Neil Walker added three hits each. Charlie Morton got the win, but the Pirates had to use three relievers of their own to close out the contest. There were six HBP, without a warning being issued, and twelve walks combined during the game. It was only the second time during an NL game of the modern (post-1914) era that each team hit three batters in the same game. The other time it happened was Aug. 15th, 2007, when the New York Mets played, natch, the Bucs.

Buc Bats Remain Cold; Miami Scores Late To Take 3-2 Victory

Jordy worked a lead off walk against Adam Conley for naught; Cutch bounced into a 4-3 DP. Freeser drew another free pass, then Conley served Marte six straight balls and he still K'ed. Jon Niese allowed a one out knock that led to nada. Conley struck out the side in the second; he left some fastballs over the plate that the Bucs missed, and his slider is working. Giancola Stanton led off with a walk, laying off a couple that just missed, followed by a two strike single and a bobble of a DP grounder by Josh to jam the sacks. The Bucs got a force at home and the pitcher fanned; ditto for the next Fish and Jon escaped.

The Pirates went down 1-2-3 in the third, with Jordy's liner finding a mitt. Christian Yelich doubled with an out on a ball that barely beat Starling to the wall; Niese squelched that threat with a pair of whiffs. It was a clean fourth for Conley; that's 10 straight Corsairs sat down. The Fish opened with a knock, but a fly and a 6-3 liner DP shut Miami down.

Jon Niese's streak of six+ innings was snapped at four (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Fran battled for a walk to start the fifth, but a fly and two more whiffs took care of that. JT Realmuto banged a one out double and Martin Prado's knock put Marlins on the corners. Yelich put the ball on the ground and JJ went home; Realmuto's slide just beat the tag. A walk loaded them up. Jon got a call to catch Stanton looking, but a two out wild pitch negated that to make it 2-0. An intentional walk juiced the bases again to get to lefty Derek Dietrich and his pop ended it. Cutch's two out liner to center crossed a hit off the Pirates bucket list in the sixth. Freeser followed with a double, with Andrew held at third, and that hurt when Marte grounded out to short. Wilfredo Boscan came in - Niese was at 95 pitches - and tossed a quiet frame.

Kyle Barraclough took the hill in the seventh. He walked Fran and Josh followed with a knock. S-Rod whiffed and JJ did the opposite, walking on four pitches. Matt Joyce grabbed a bat, and the Fish called on lefty Mike Dunn in response. The count went full before Joyce pulled a heater into right to tie the game. That brought David Phelps into the game and it took him two pitches to get a 6-4-3 DP off Jordy's bat. Neftali Feliz took the ball and fanned a pair in a clean frame.

Fran had the eye of the eagle, drawing three leadoff walks (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

Phelps struck out the side in the eighth. Tony Watson got the first Fish duet, then plunked Dietrich on an 0-2 pitch. The ball caught him square on the wrist; he was in pain and removed from the game. It hurt the Pirates, too, and Adeiny Hechaverria fouled off four straight pitches before finding one he liked, doubling home pinch runner Miguel Rojas. AJ Ramos came in to close the gate. Fran drew his third lead off walk to open the ninth, but eight pitches later, Ramos notched three routine outs to seal the deal.

Tony went five weeks without giving up a run, so he was due to be dinged. Still, it's frustrating to have two outs and two strikes two times and not be able to finish. As for the Bucco batters, Conley and then Ramos ate them up with sliders; the guys couldn't lay off them. What was surprising was how many fastballs that were in the zone that they couldn't handle; the Pirates hunt that pitch, but just couldn't square any up tonight. Not a very good trip so far at 2-4, with a struggling Juan Nicasio due up next.

• The Pirates drew six walks (four led off innings, with three drawn by Fran); unfortunately, they only had four hits to go with that, along with 14 strikeouts. S-Rod whiffed all four times he batted for a golden sombrero, and Starling went down on strikes three times.
• Tony Watson has allowed his first run since April 27th on his first hit allowed since May 6th.
• Josh has an eight game hitting streak.
• An old familiar face took in tonight's game as Rennie Stennett was in the house.
• The press gang got a pre-game injury rundown from Pirates trainer Todd Tomczyk - Gregory's foot was examined today after he fouled a ball off it last night; no word on his condition yet. Arquimedes Caminero is throwing off the slope of the mound and is near to a rehab assignment. Ryan Vogelsong and MiLB IF Kevin Newman are getting their fractures checked out by Pittsbugh docs. C Elias Diaz is in Pirate City, where he's throwing and swinging in the sun to strengthen his cleaned-out elbow.

Wednesday: Jon Niese v Adam Conley, Lineup (El Coffee Out), Notes

Tonight: The game starts at 7:10 and will be on Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan. It must be getting a little warm in Miami - the roof will be closed for the game.

Pitchers: Jon Niese (5-2, 4.42) meets Adam Conley (3-3, 4.15). Jon has turned it around. In his last four games, he's gone at least six innings, gotten into the seventh twice and dropped his ERA by over a run per game. Niese has also gotten back to his wormburner game, with 70% of his outs coming via grounder of whiff in his past three outings. And he likes Miami: Jon is 3-0/2.81 in his five starts at Marlins Park. Conley has made it to the sixth inning just once in his past five starts. The lefty gives up some hits, but hasn't given up a homer in that span. His control is off and on. In four of his May starts, he walked a total of five batters, but in his May 22nd outing, he issued seven free passes in 5-1/3 IP. We'd expect the patient Bucs to lay back against him, at least the first time around the order.

Jon's been a tear lately (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Lineup: Jordy SS, Cutch CF, Freeser 3B, Starling Marte LF, Fran Cervelli C, Josh 2B, S-Rod RF, John Jaso 1B, Niese P. Gregory was in the original lineup, but was scratched because of a sore foot that absorbed a foul ball during last night's game. We are sorta surprised that JHK wasn't used as a replacement rather than lefty stick JJ, but apparently the Bucco management is still monitoring his playing time carefully. Kang will be the only RH hitter left on the bench, other than Stew.

• Joe Block's fun fact of the day: Tony Watson will take a 41-1/3 inning May scoreless streak into 2017. He hasn't allowed any runs a in May since May 25th, 2013.
• Well, he was due: Giancarlo Stanton will return to the Fish lineup tonight.
• The All Star vote has been updated and the Buccos are taking a thumping as the Cubs rule so far.
• Indy's Tyler Glasnow was working on a no-hitter through five frames (four walks, three whiffs) when a rain delay hit.
• ICYMI: Carlos Beltran explains the ties between Puerto Rican baseball and Roberto Clemente that exist to this day in The Players Tribune. 
• The Indians called up ex-Bucco lefty Tom Gorzelanny from AAA.
• Indians OF and former Bucco playoff rental Marlon Byrd was suspended 162 games without pay after testing positive for a PED. It was his second failed test.

6/1: The Eephus, Veale K's 16, Kendall Drafted, 7-in-A-Row For Frankie, More...

• 1901 - The Bucs lost to the Reds 4-3 following a disputed call by rookie umpire Bert Cunningham, a pitcher whom the Pirates got in an offseason trade and then cut, ending his playing career. Cunningham ruled Kitty Bransfield out at first on a questionable bang-bang call, costing the Pirates the tying run and ending the game. 2,000 fans stormed the field at Exposition Park after the decision, suspecting a bit of bias in the ump’s call, and Cunningham had to be led to the locker room by Fred Clarke and Honus Wagner to escape mob justice.
• 1939 - Pittsburgh beat Philadelphia in the Phillies’ first night game at Shibe Park, 5-2, as Rip Sewell took the W. The Bucs only had seven hits, but eight walks and a beaned batter gave them plenty of runners. Bill Brubaker homered while Paul Waner & Arky Vaughan scored the other four runs from the top of the order.

Rip Sewell (photo Walter Stein/AP)

• 1943 - For the first time that we can find, Rip Sewell tossed the ol’ eephus in a MLB game during a 5-4 win against the Boston Braves at Forbes Field. He first unveiled it during the 1942 exhibition season against Detroit’s Dick Wakefield. The pitch went by the names blooper, LaLob, dew drop, moon ball and many other less flattering titles. It’s name legendary came from Pirate OF Maurice Van Robays, who said an "'Eephus ain't nothing, and that's a nothing pitch." It’s thought that his reference was from the Hebrew word "efes,” meaning "nothing.” The Bucs won the game thanks to Huck Geary and his 14th inning steal of home.
• 1954 - Montreal Royals OF’er Roberto Clemente, who the Dodgers had sent to Canada, was nevertheless found out by Pirate scout Clyde Sukeforth. Sukeforth, ironically, wasn’t even a scout but a Pittsburgh pitching coach on special assignment in Richmond, where the Royals were playing, to check out pitcher Joe Black. Sukeforth strongly recommended that the Bucs take Clemente in the upcoming minor league draft, based more on his pre-game eyeball scouting of Roberto throwing and running than his actual performance, and the rest is history.
• 1960 - Bob Friend gave up a leadoff single to Eddie Kasko, but the Reds would find him hard to hit the rest of the way as the Bucs beat Cincinnati 5-0 at Forbes Field. Friend tossed a three hitter, walking only one, and none of the Redlegs reached second base. Four Pirates had two hits, with Roberto Clemente driving home a pair of runs and Don Hoak plating twice.

Bob Veale fanned 16 in '65 - 1965 Bazooka

• 1965 - Bob Veale set the Pirate nine inning strikeout mark when he K'ed 16 Phillies at Forbes Field in a 4-0 victory, even though he sat through two rain delays that added two hours to the game. The five-hitter was the Bucs 12th consecutive win. The big lefty also struck out 16 Reds in 12 innings on September 30th, 1964. Back before the gun, the 6’6” lefty was estimated to throw a heater in the 97-98 MPH range.
• 1971 - Dock Ellis tossed a three hitter as the Bucs bombed the Cardinals 9-0 at TRS. It was a team effort - every Buc had a hit, all but Ellis scored, and six had RBI. Richie Hebner and Dave cash had three hits while Manny Sanguillen and Vic Davalillo added a pair. It was the third straight shutout authored by the Bucs as Steve Blass and Bob Moose zipped the Cubs leading into the series.
• 1978 - The Pirates released back-up infielder Jim Fregosi at the request of California Angels’ owner Gene Autry. Fregosi, 36, replaced Dave Garcia as Angels manager the next day.
• 1979 - The Pirates scored four times in the ninth inning to rally past the San Diego Padres 9-8 at TRS. Dave Parker cranked a one out, three run homer off John D'Acquisto to tie it, and Lee Lacy drew a bases loaded free pass with two away off Rollie Fingers for the win after Ed Ott had been intentionally walked before him. Phil Garner went 4-for-5 and scored twice.

Dave Parker 2002 Upper Deck Legendary series

• 1988 - The Pirates drafted prep SS Austin Manahan first in the draft (his bonus wasn’t released; Manahan said in an interview that it was “six figures”); he never made it past AA, and in fact Pittsburgh’s first five picks never made the show. They did hit on a couple of later selections, selecting Tim Wakefield, Randy Tomlin, John Wehner and Blas Minor.
• 1992 - Prep C Jason Kendall was selected in the first round (#23) of the draft and signed for a $336K bonus in one of Pittsburgh’s more enlightened picks. He spent nine of his 15 MLB seasons with the Pirates, hitting .306 and earning spots on three All-Star teams. After him came a group of reserves - OF’ers Adrian Brown and Trey Beamon, pitcher Marc Wilkins, and infielders Lou Collier and Kevin Polcovich.
• 1996 - Paul Wagner tossed a one-hitter with ten K for seven innings at TRS, but lost to Colorado 2-0. He couldn’t find the plate in the third; two walks followed by a wild pitch cost him as Dante Bichette hit a ball through the shortstop hole to score the pair. The Bucs had nine hits, but stranded 10 in the whitewash.
• 2005 - Florida lost its ninth straight game at PNC Park‚ 9-1. Rob Mackowiak hit his second career grand slam and Jack Wilson went 4-for-4 to pace the attack behind Josh Fogg and Salomon Torres’ pitching. The last Marlin win in Pittsburgh was September 8th‚ 2002; they snapped the streak the next day by a 6-3 count.

Rob Mackowiak 2005 Topps

• 2006 - The Pirates swept the Milwaukee Brewers in a four game set by scoring twice in the ninth to take a 4-3 decision at PNC Park. With two away, Jose Castillo doubled home Jeromy Burnitz, followed by the game winning knock by Ryan Doumit, both off Derrick Turnbow. The Pirates outscored the Brew Crew 34-8 in the series.
• 2010 - Pittsburgh fell behind Chicago 2-0 on a two run, third inning blast by ex-Pirate Xavier Nady. A homer by Garrett Jones in the next frame halved the lead and in the eighth inning, a blast to left center by Neil Walker off Ted Lilly with Cutch on ahead of him was enough to give Joel Hanrahan a 3-2 win over the Cubs at PNC Park. Octavio Dotel earned the save for his set-up man (and future closer) Hanny thanks to The Pittsburgh Kid’s first MLB homer.
• 2013 - Francisco Liriano tied the franchise record by striking out seven consecutive Reds, but Mike Leake won the duel at PNC Park by a 2-0 count. Liriano went six innings, giving up a run on four hits and a walk, punching out 11. Not a ball left the infield in the inning he surrendered the run, and only a disputed two-out call at first allowed Cincy to score at all.