6/3 Happenings: Nate Trade; Josh Bomb; HBD Nelson; Draft Day Picks Bonds, Womack, Gonzo, Grabow & 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 as a Brooklyn Dodger in 1906.

Josh launched an ICBM  1993 Ted Williams

• 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 in a game against the NY Black Yankees. If accurate, which is a point of considerable debate (no StatCast back then), it would be longest homerun ever hit. Mickey Mantle’s 565’ blast in 1953 off Washington’s Chuck Stobbs at Griffith Stadium is considered the biggest blast. It was measured literally by a tape measure, leading to “tape measure” homer being added to baseball’s lexicon, and like Gibson’s moonshot is argued as to actual length.
• 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 became a minor league manager and coach when he left the game, mainly with the Royals organization.
• 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. And if you’re wondering, BJ Surhoff, Will “The Thrill” Clark, Bobby Witt, Barry Larkin and Kurt Brown were taken ahead of him. Pirate coach Joey Cora was taken #23 overall in that same draft by the Padres.

Barry Bonds 1986 Fleer

• 1991 - JC catcher Jon Farrell was the Pirates first selection (#24) in the draft; he got as far as AA ball. The only noteworthy selections 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. P Matt Ruebel, a third rounder, pitched a couple of years for the Pirates ( 1996-97: 4-5-1, 5.54 in 70 games) and 19th rounder P Marc Pisciotta tossed in three MLB campaigns. Some late prep picks made the grade, although not with Pittsburgh. 39th-round pick RHP Dustin Hermanson worked 12 big-league campaigns, 56th-rounder RHP Paul Brower lasted nine seasons and 57th-round selection RHP Paul Wilson hurled for seven years, but none of the trio signed with the Pirates, going to other clubs in the 1994 draft.
• 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 goes around, comes 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 in the third round and Mike “Gonzo” Gonzalez in the 30th.

The Nate-to-Cutch Era Began 2009 Topps Toppstown

• 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 & now with the Astros) and Locke (he became a Marlin in 2017) filled rotation spots. McLouth was a flop for the Braves and during a brief return to Pittsburgh but revived his career with Baltimore. He then signed with Washington, but a shoulder injury cost him the year and he hasn’t played since the 2014 season.

6/3 Games: Waner's Power Surge, Bonus Baseball Wins, Mo Doubles Down, Homers Flyin', More...

• 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‚ five triples‚ three homers).

Tony Piet 1933 Goudey

• 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.
• 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.
• 1969 - The Pirates were dropped 7-3 by the Cincinnati Reds at Forbes Field, but it was a red-letter day for Roberto Clemente. The Great One drilled a game-tying three-run homer in the sixth (the Bucs quickly lost the lead the following inning) for Roberto’s 2,417th career hit, moving him into third place on the all-time Pirate hit list ahead of Max Carey and Pie Traynor. Clemente would later pass Paul “Big Poison” Waner (2,868) and then Honus Wagner (2,970) to claim the franchise top spot with 3,000 hits.

Bill Robinson 1979 Topps

• 1979 - The Bucs hit five home runs, two by 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.

Jeff King 1993 Stadium Club

• 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.
• 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.

Diaz Comes Up Big; Bucs Run Away From Mets 12-7

A leadoff walk, single and walk loaded the bases for the Bucs in the first against Matt Harvey. He had the Pirates right where he wanted them, almost. He did allow a run on Freeser's grounder, and 33 pitches is a moral victory, but a very golden opp down the drain. It was 1-2-3 for Gerrit Cole with a pair of whiffs. The Pirates went down in order with a pair of their own whiffs in the second, and bad Cole Train took the hill; a walk and a crush job by Lucas Duda on 2-0 pitch down Broadway gave the Mets the lead. A one-out walk and knock threatened to turn it into a yuge frame, but Harvey bunted into a DP. He didn't take it to the mound, retiring nine in-a-row after three frames. Gerrit had a calm inning too.

His woes continued, but he did get the W (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

The fourth opened with a Freeser walk, Bell knock and Cutch infield single to fill the bases with Buccos with no outs. Jordy popped out, but Elias Diaz picked him up with a bases-clearing two-bagger off the wall in left center. Cole gave up a two-out knock with no damage. J-Hay got plunked to start the fifth; he was erased an out later on a Freeser 3-6 DP; his bad luck Duda was holding Josh. The NY'ers opened with a knock; Harvey's bad day bunting continued as he rolled into a force out. Didn't hurt, tho, as Michael Conforto homered to knot the game. A two-out single came around when Gregory turned every which way but the right one, allowing Neil Walker's ball to fall for a triple. A wild pitch brought him home and another Duda homer added to the dumpster fire.

J-Bell answered with a leadoff long ball in the sixth and a Cutch walk brought on Paul Sewald. Jordy singled and the pair trotted home ahead of Diaz, who smacked his first MLB homer to retake the lead at 8-7. Fraze singled off Duda's glove an out later and J-Hay doubled him home. Gregory's knock and a Freeser plunking jammed the sacks. J-Bell walked on five pitches and Terry Collins finally called for help. Neil Ramirez was touched for a sac fly by Cutch (and he didn't miss it by much) before getting the 12th hitter of the inning, Jordy, on a bouncer. The Pirates rang up a seven-spot to jump ahead 11-7. Wade LeBlanc got the ball and gave up a hit but no runs. Pittsburgh had not a peep left in the seventh. Juan Nicasio, as usual, cruised through the frame. J-Hay went deep to start the eighth to add some pad. Daniel Hudson walked the first hitter he faced with a five run lead, then an out later walked another. Uncle Ray came out for a little chat, followed by Huddy tossing some strikes and closing out the inning.

J-Bell is starting to stir again (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

Josh Smoker worked the ninth, giving up a couple of raps but keeping the scoreboard clean. Felipe Rivero came in; maybe Clint wants to see how how he handles putting a game to bed. He looked OK to us, going 1-2-3.

Well, two takeaways. One is that it's nice to see the offense in gear, sparked by a kid that was at Indy on Wednesday and didn't know he was starting until a half-hour before first pitch. The other is that it would be nice to see Cole Train get back in sync; this is three games in a row that he's looked more like a palooka than an champ (see notes). But hey, it's a great way to start the set so raise the Roger and sail on!

Notes:

• J-Hay remains smokin' with three hits. J-Bell had two raps with a walk, and Jordy & Eli had a pair of knocks. Fraze, Cutch and Gregory had a knock and a walk, while Freeser walked and was bopped.

This man is on fire (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

• Elias Diaz is the first Pirates rookie to chase home six runs in a game since Cutch drove home six RBI on August 1st, 2009 vs. Washington. He joins Don "Sluggo" Slaught, Tony Pena, Smokey Bugess and Clyde McCullough as Bucco catchers to drive in six or more runs (post-1950).
• All eight Pirates position starters reached base safely (Freeser was the only one w/o a hit, but he walked & was HBP) and scored. You don't see this kind of offense in a Bucco game often - the Pirates scored three in the fourth, the Mets answered with five in the fifth, and Pittsburgh responded with seven in the sixth.
• Gerrit Cole has given up 15 homers this year; 11 was his previous season high. He's given up eight in his last three starts, with six to the Mets. He's been absolutely torched over that span: 14-2/3 innings, 16 runs (all earned), 28 hits, four walks and 11 Ks using 291 pitches.
• Cervy was a late scratch from the lineup; he's ill (in the bad way). His replacement did a pretty good job in his stead.
• Jameson Taillon went five innings for Indy tonight. He gave up a run (unearned) on three hits with six K's after 68 pitches. Lookin' like it's just a matter of regaining strength and length before he's back.

Friday: Bucs and Mets, Cole Train v Matt Harvey, Lineup, Notes

Tonight: The Pirates travel to CitiField for a 7:10 showdown with the Mets. Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan will air the game.

Lineup: Adam Frazier LF, Josh Harrison 2B, Gregory Polonco RF, David Freese 3B, Josh Bell 1B, Cutch CF, Fran Cervelli C, Jordy Mercer SS & Gerrit Cole. Fraze (3-for-27), J-Bell (3-for-34) and Freeser (6-for-51) could all stand to pick up the pace at the plate. El Coffee has been moved up in the lineup to the three hole, so we'll see where that leads.

Gerrit has been in an icy stretch (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Pitchers: Gerrit Cole (2-5, 3.65) starts the set against Matt Harvey (4-3, 4.95). Cole Train has given up 20 hits (five have gone yard) in his last two starts, lasting 9-2/3 IP with nine runs surrendered. In fact, his last outing was against the Mets, a game the Bucs pulled out 5-4, and he was roughed up for 10 knocks and three homers in five frames. So let's hope the Cole Train gets back on track tonight. Harvey hit a valley after a fast start, but seems to have found his rhythm again in the past couple of outings. He tossed a six inning, one run, six-hit, game against the Pirates in his last trip to the hill. That's as long as he's gone since mid-April, so the Bucs may want to work the counts a little deeper tonight. He's also been taken deep 12 times in 10 outings, so it would be a good time to flex some muscles. Harvey has some contrasting stats at CitiField - opponents bat just .185 against him in the Big Apple, but he has a 5.09 ERA there as walks and dingers have hurt him.

Notes:

• Gregory has a nine-game hitting streak coming into tonight. Andrew has a seven-game streak of his own, and in the six games that he's batted sixth, he's gone 8-for-21 (.381)  with two homers, two doubles & five walks (one intentional).
• The "taxi squad" smoke has cleared - Max Moroff and Phil Gosselin have been officially added to the roster, Gift Ngoepe sent back to Indy and  Alen Hansen, who is out of options, was DFA'ed.

The Goose is loose again (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

• Mike Lopresti of MiLB.com has a good read on Jameson Taillon's latest scare and how he's handled his travails, with pitching being his "safe zone." JT makes his second rehab start tonight, this one at Indy.
• The Bucs rep at the dais during the draft will be ol' closer Joel Hanrahan. Hanny will announce the Pirates picks after the first round (that's Rob Manfred's gig).
• There will be a new Mr. Met mascot running around Citifield tonight; the old one was canned after flipping off some heckling fans.
• Ex-Bucs in the news: Frankie Liriano came off the DL for Toronto while Ernesto Frieri opted out of his minor league deal with the Yankees to become a free agent. Pedro Alvarez reworked his opt-out deal with the Orioles.

6/2 Birthdays & Draft Picks: HBD Peach Pie, Stick & Darnell; Welcome Mark(s), Clint, Bobby & Paul

• 1866 - C John “Peach Pie”/“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.

Gene Michael 1966 East Hills SC Promo

• 1938 - IF Gene Michael was born in Kent, Ohio. Signed by the Bucs as an amateur, ”Stick” (he was 6’2” and on the underfed side) played his 1966 rookie campaign in Pittsburgh, hitting a measly .152 in 30 games. The Pirates sent him to the Dodgers as part of the Maury Wills deal after the season and the following year LA sold him to the Yankees, where he spent seven of his 10 MLB seasons, five as NY’s starting shortstop. After his playing days, he coached, managed and was an exec for the Bronx Bombers except for a two-year interlude (1986-87) when he was the Cubs skipper.
• 1962 - OF Darnell Coles was born in San Bernardino, California. He arrived in Pittsburgh in August, 1987, as part of the Jim Morrison deal with the Tigers and left in late July of the following season, traded to the Seattle Mariners for Glenn Wilson. Darnell played outfield and some corner infield for the Bucs and hit .230 during his stay, with a highlight three-homer day against the Cubs in 1987. He carved out a 14-year MLB career with eight different clubs. Coles played in Japan for a couple of seasons and since has been the hitting coach for the Tigers and Brewers.
• 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.

Jimmy Anderson 1997 Bowman

• 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.
• 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.

Paul Maholm 2004 Bowman Special Edition

• 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.

6/2 Games: Shutout Streak, Winning & Losing Strings, Double & Triple Plays, Tornado Game, Big Blasts & More

• 1890 - The Pittsburgh Alleghenys committed 14 errors in a 14-1 loss to Chicago Colts at home. The Pittsburg Press wrote of the match that “The people who witnessed the National League game at Recreation Park...left disgusted and many of them promising not to return...Indeed, there are several amateur clubs about the city that may be relied on to play better ball…” That Pittsburgh 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 1903 E107

• 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.
• 1948 - The Bucs pulled off the first triple play off the season when 1B Ed Stevens caught a shoe top liner, stepped on first for the second out and tossed to second to trap a third Boston runner at Forbes Field. Alas, it was in vain as the Braves won handily 5-1 behind Johnny Sain’s three-hitter. Ralph Kiner’s homer was the only rain on Sain’s parade.

Ed Stevens 1948-49 Leaf

• 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.
• 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.
• 1968 - Willie Stargell homered in both ends of a doubleheader, collecting six hits and driving in six runs in the two contests. He pushed his BA to .300 for the first time in his career and capped a four-game long ball streak. The one-man show wasn’t quite enough as the Pirates split the twinbill with the Atlanta Braves at Forbes Field, winning the opener 8-4 but losing the nightcap 10-5.

Willie Stargell 1968 Topps

• 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.”
• 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.

Garrett Jones 2013 Topps Tier 1

• 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.
• 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 and still 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.

Thursday - Season Synopsis & Notes; Gift & Hanson Down, Moroff & Goose Up, More...

A brief recap of the season: We wouldn't be up in arms over the Pirates spotty performance. Without Starling and Jung Ho, the team has a lot of table-setters but not many run creators. Also remember that the bench was strong on paper; the parade of AAA guys is because the two top spot players, Freeser and Fraze, are in everyday roles now.

The pitching has held up OK; they're mid-pack in the league rankings. The loss of Jamo hurts as does the ups and downs of Tyler Glasnow & Chad Kuhl, who are still in make-or-break mode. The bullpen has been mostly solid. They've been asked to eat a lot of innings because short starts (thank God for Ivan!), exposing their long guys more than is recommended. The back-enders work in a lot of high leverage spots as the offense hasn't given them much of a late-inning safety net.

As on Opening Day - the three keys to the season

The NL Central has been a mess this year; that and not the Pirates play (24-30, five games back) is why the Buccos are still hanging around. The next six weeks should tell the tale. They have a stretch in mid-June and again in early/mid-July that features the Cubs, Cards and Brewers. If they can muddle through this month, July should see the return of Jamo and Starling with the additions of Nick Kingham and Austin Meadows with maybe a dash of Edgar Santana and Steven Brault thrown in. The year has been a disappointment but not a surprise with the personnel churn, and it could easily turn into "wait til next year" again. But if the division remains a dumpster fire, the cavalry should arrive around the All-Star break and could make the dog days interesting.

Notes:

• Gift Ngoepe was sent down to Indy and Alen Hanson was DFA'ed (he's out of options and has to clear waivers before he can be assigned to Indy). Gift's strikeout rate of 42%, fueled by the inability to handle good heat, did him in. Alen never panned out as a multi-position guy with either the bat or glove, though he was never given much of an extended opportunity. Max Moroff, who's been a slugger for the Tribe (13 in 42 games, .269 BA) and Phil Gosselin (.310 at Indy) got the calls up to the big team, both for the second time. They went on the taxi squad - they don't have to be officially added until game time tomorrow, and perhaps the Bucs hope to swing a deal involving Hanson or have some other card up their sleeve.

Looks like Max is back (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

• Starling Marte isn't on extended vacation; he's in extended spring training at Pirate City. He was playing in scrimmages immediately after his suspension, but is now just taking part in baseball activities. He can begin a rehab stint (well named in his case) 15 days before his suspension ends in July.
• Anthony Saulding of MLB Daily Dish rates the #1 overall picks since 2000; Cole Train sits in the middle of the pack while Bryan Bullington actually has someone ranked lower,
• The draft is just around the corner; it will be held June 12-14th this year. The Bucs first-day picks (competitive and rounds 1-2) are at #12, #42, #50 and #72.
• Jeff Locke is officially a Marlin as he finished his rehab and was removed from the DL. He'll start tonight against Zack Greinke and the D-Backs.

7/1 From the 40s Forward: Woodie's Near Perfecto, Bobby Bombs, Young Guns, Rally Time & More

• 1940 - The Pirates scored once in the ninth to tie the game and added another in the 10th to nose past the Chicago Cubs 4-3 at Wrigley Field. Vince DiMaggio was the hitting star, going 3-for-5 with a homer, double, two RBI and two runs scored. Mace Brown, the third Buc hurler, got the win in relief after pitching scoreless ninth and 10th frames.

Woodie Fryman 1966 East Hills SC Promo

• 1966 - Rookie Woodie Fryman one-hit the Mets at Shea Stadium on the way to a 12-0 win. Fryman faced the minimum 27 batters and came this close to perfection. Ron Hunt, who led off the game with a single, was caught stealing by C Jim Pagliaroni and Fryman mowed down the next 26 NY hitters. Jose Pagan chipped in with three runs scored, four RBI and one of the Pirates’ four homers.
• 1972 - Roberto Clemente’s seventh-inning homer helped the Bucs rally to take a 2-1 lead over the Cubs at TRS. After the Cubbies answered with a pair of their own to regain their edge 3-2, Clemente homered again in the ninth with Milt May aboard for a walk-off 4-3 win. Both homers were off Fergie Jenkins, who lost to Dave Giusti in relief of Bob Moose.
• 1996 - During a 4-1 win over Chicago at TRS‚ RF Orlando Merced pulled off an unassisted DP‚ catching Mark Grace's liner and then beating Scott Bullett to 1B. He also started another DP, gloving a short pop and catching Doug Glanville off second with his throw to Jay Bell. Merced added a pair of hits, two RBI and a run scored to help Danny Darwin pick up the win.

• 2006 - The Pirates and sponsoring PNC Bank took trinkets to a new level with the “Young Guns - Doumit, Duke and Duffy” (Ryan Doumit, Zach Duke, and Chris Duffy) triple bobblehead giveaway. 37,111 fans flooded PNC Park (playing the Detroit Tigers on a Saturday night may have helped the draw, too) to get theirs as the Bucs won 9-2. Jose Bautista and Sean Casey each had three hits amd Matt Capps got the win in relief of Tom Gorzelanny. One bummer: manager Jim Tracy must have missed the memo as none of the “Young Guns” played.
• 2014 - Down 2-0 in the ninth and held to two hits over eight innings by Arizona’s Wade Miley, the Bucs made up for lost time in the ninth at PNC Park. Neil Walker opened with a single to center, then pinch hitter Gregory Polanco dumped a knock to left. With an out, Starling Marte chased a pair of sliders away, then reliever Addison Reed hung one over the plate and Marte bombed it for a two run double off the center field wall. He scooted to third when SS Nick Ahmed's throw to the plate got away. Andrew McCutchen was walked intentionally. Ike Davis hit for Gaby Sanchez and dropped a broken bat jam shot into right to plate Marte as the Bucs rallied to take an improbable 3-2 win. Ernesto Frieri picked up his first win as a Bucco after tossing a scoreless ninth, with his bacon being saved by Josh Harrison, who threw out a runner at home from right field.
• 2015 - The Pirates flexed their muscles against the Tigers at Comerica Field in a 9-3 win. The Buccos banged out 21 hits, their most since 2004, and drilled four homers. Two were by Neil Walker, and three were hit in one frame by Walker, Starling Marte and Pedro Alvarez. Every Pirate starter had a knock and seven had multi-hit nights against Detroit, led by The Kid and Marte with four each while Gregory Polanco added three more. AJ Burnett coasted to his seventh victory.

6/1 TRS-PNC Park Era: Kendall Drafted, Frankie's Lucky 7, Little Help Plz, Tales & Game Stories

• 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.

On to bigger & better things 1977 Topps

• 1978 - The Pirates released reserve infielder Jim Fregosi at the behest of California Angels’ owner Gene Autry. It was a good faith request - 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.
• 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.

Jason Kendall 1992 Upper Deck Minors

• 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.
• 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.

Octavio Dotel 2010 (photo Jared Wickersham/USAT)

• 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.
• 2015 - A left coast Bucco fan helped his boys during their 4-3 win over the Giants at AT&T Park. In the eighth, with two gone and the G-Men within a run, a foul ball drifted down the right field stands and was snagged by a fan decked out in a Pirates cap and tee. He leaned over, snagged the ball and also bumped into Gregory Polanco, who was tracking the fly. After an ump review, Pittsburgh was awarded the third out and the fan was awarded with an unceremonious ejection from the park. In the game, the Giants had jumped out to a 2-0 first inning lead; the Bucs answered with three in the fifth, capped by Neil Walker’s two-run, two-out double off former and future Pirate Ryan Vogelsong. Chris Stewart collected three hits and Andrew McCutchen had the other pair of RBI. Gerrit Cole took home the win and Mark the Shark Melancon earned the save.

6/1 Expo Park-Forbes Field Era: K Record, Clemente Sighting, Ump Show, HBD Bad Bill & Harry, Eephus, Under the Lights, Friend Gem

• 1869 - 2B “Bad Bill” Eagan was born in Camden, New Jersey. Per David Nemec of SABR, “He got the nickname “Bad Bill” the hard way: He earned it through regular, rowdy behavior.” Eagan was like many old-timey players: a heavy drinker, gambler, and general thorn in the side of umpires & management. He was also a ball magnet, even practicing getting hit by pitches in BP by crowding the plate, leading umps to often allow him to get plopped a couple of times before yielding to the inevitable and awarding him a base. Though he was briefly the Bucs starting second baseman and hitting .328 in 1898, he was sent down to the minors after a drinking bout. It was a familiar pattern; in his 13-year pro career he wore out his welcome often and only got three years and 107 games in the majors. Bad Bill, after a tumultuous private life, died of “consumption” in 1905.
• 1887 - RHP Harry Gardner was born in Quincy, Michigan. His MLB career consisted of 14 outings with the Pirates from 1911-12 with a 1-1, 4.46 line. Harry did have a long baseball stint, tho, pitching 16 minor league seasons and winning 206 games. He spent his last nine years working in the Pacific Coast League before retiring at age 37 after the 1924 season.

• 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 to end 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 payback figured 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. It made the front page of The Pittsburg Press which described the scene: “...an angry crowd followed umpire Cunningham and the Cincinnati players and despite the efforts of the Pittsburg players to protect the official and their visitors managed to land a few blows...The disgraceful scene occurred under the very eyes of President NE Young of the National League, who came here yesterday to investigate the reports about the poor umpiring of Nash (Cunningham’s partner in blue) and Cunningham, two recent additions...” Seeing is believing.
• 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.
• 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," referring to the Hebrew word "efes,” meaning "nothing.” The Bucs won the game thanks to Huck Geary and his 14th inning steal of home. And Rip, with the new trick pitch added to his arsenal, went on to have back-to-back 21-win campaigns.

Roberto (photo Teenie Harris/Carnegie Museum of Art)

• 1954 - Montreal Royals OF’er Roberto Clemente, who the Dodgers had sent to Canada, was nevertheless found out (Roberto was on several radar screens) 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.
• 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.