4/6 From the 80s Forward: Camacho Deal; AVS Signs; Brrrr; Boo-Boos; Studio 21; Game Stories

• 1981 - The Oakland Athletics sent a PTBNL and cash to the Pirates for RHP Bob Owchinko; four days later RHP Ernie Camacho was sent to Pittsburgh. Ernie spent most of the year at AAA Portland and was traded to the White Sox in early 1981. Owchinko tossed for parts of five more years with a brief return to Pittsburgh in 1983, when he worked mainly AAA and faced two batters as a Bucco. Camacho went 0-1, 4.98, in seven games for the Bucs, simmered in the minors and then pitched eight more big league campaigns, spending five years with the Tribe. 

Ernie Camacho (photo via Mainline Autographs)

• 1982 - The Bucs’ home opener at TRS against Montreal was canceled after an April blizzard rolled across the mid east. The Atlantic Coast was buried in an unseasonable snowfall, canceling several games, and though Pittsburgh avoided the worst, the Nor’easter pelted the town with 39 MPH winds and swirling snow. The weather was so unforgiving that the Opener was cancelled on three straight days, pushing back the Buccos Home Opener date to April 16th. 
• 1988 - Bobby Bonilla went long from both sides of the dish in a 14 inning 6-5 loss to the Phils at Veteran’s Stadium. It was the second time he’d done it, and only he and Dale Sveum have pulled off that feat for Pittsburgh. Bonilla went 4-for-7 with five RBI; the rest of his teammates stranded 13 runners. 
• 1989 - In a three-day span, the Pirates lost closer Jim Gott (elbow) and first baseman Sid Bream (knee) for the season, while CF’er Andy Van Slyke pulled his rib cage, losing a month and limiting his swing all year. A week later, catcher Mike LaValliere went down and missed much of the season, and the hobbled Pirates finished the campaign with just 74 wins. 
• 1991 -The Pirates and OF Andy Van Slyke reached agreement on a three-year contract extension for 1992-94 worth $12.65M, the fourth-richest pact in MLB at the time. The average of $4,216,667 per year fell behind only Roger Clemens, Dwight Gooden and Jose Canseco’s deals. AVS was inked for a $750K signing bonus and salaries the first two years of $4M and $4.6M, leaving $3.3M at risk in 1994, a potential lockout/strike year (and there was an August strike, so the front-loading paid off for Andy). 

Andy Van Slyke 1991 Fleer Ultra

• 1992 - Doug Drabek outdueled Montreal’s Dennis Martinez to earn the Pirates to a 2-0 win over the Expos in the Bucs home opener. Drabek helped his own cause with a two-out, RBI single in the second that along with Spanky LaValliere’s sac fly provided the margin of victory. 
• 2000 - The Pirates beat the Astros 10-1 at TRS. Brian Giles went 5-for-5 with two homers, a triple, four RBI and three runs scored. Francisco Cordova didn’t give up a hit until after one was out in the eighth inning. 
• 2003 - Kris Benson, with late help from Scott Sauerbeck and Mike Williams, shut out the Phillies 2-0 at Veteran’s Stadium on six hits and ended Jim Thome’s streak of 60 consecutive games on base, the longest since Mark McGwire reached base 62 games in a row in 1995-96. In a well-pitched game (Philadelphia’s Brett Myers K’ed 11), Brian Giles and Pokey Reese drove in the Bucco runs. Giles’ came on a potential double play ball that the Phils couldn’t turn because of Jason Kendall's take-out slide and Reese’s on a broken-bat flare to right.
• 2009 - Down a pair in the ninth at Busch Stadium, the Pirates rallied with two outs against Jason Motte to beat the Cardinals 6-4. With two away and Freddy Sanchez aboard, Adam LaRoche singled and pinch-hitter Eric Hinske doubled home Steady Freddy. Brandon Moss got plunked to jam the sacks, and Jack Wilson banged a three-run double to unjam them. Matt Capps came in to get the save for John Grabow’s win in the season Opener. 

AJ Burnett 2013 Topps

• 2013 - AJ Burnett lost a pitching duel to Clayton Kershaw 1-0 at Dodger Stadium. Burnett gave up the only run in the third on an infield single, stolen base and two-out grounder through the SS hole. Four Buc pitchers combined for 11 K, but Kershaw and friends countered with a two-hitter. 
• 2015 - “MLB Central” debuted on MLB Network. Not only was it the network’s first original content morning show, but it was the first to be aired from the channel’s state-of-the-art, 8,000 square foot Studio 21, named in honor of Roberto Clemente and his number 21 which was retired on this date in 1973.

4/6 Through the 70s: Small Ball; Strike; #21 Retired; HBD Bert, Smokey & Sonny; RIP Doggie

• 1885 - Hall of Fame RHP Smokey Joe (Cyclone) Williams was born Seguin, Texas. The fireballer pitched for the Homestead Grays from 1925-32. In a night game against the KC Monarchs, Williams allowed only one hit and struck out 27 batters as the Homestead Grays defeated the Monarchs and Chet Brewer (who had 19 K) 1-0 in twelve innings in what may have been the greatest pitching duel of all time. A 1952 Pittsburgh Courier newspaper poll of black baseball officials and sports writers named Williams the greatest pitcher in the history of the Negro Leagues and he was 9-2-1 barnstorming against white major-league teams with four shutouts, so his stuff played no matter what the level of competition. His nicknames were both based on his blazing fastball; Smokey Joe became his moniker during his Grays’ years, replacing Cyclone Joe. 

Smokey Joe Williams (photo Matt Rucker/Getty)

• 1909 - One of Pittsburgh’s most popular and colorful figures, George “Doggie” Miller, passed away in New Jersey. The C (he also played 2B, SS, 3B & OF) was the first player to spend 10 seasons with Pittsburgh, starting in 1884 as a 19-year-old for the Alleghenys, and he and Pud Galvin formed Pittsburgh’s first big-time battery. He hit .254 over his Steel City decade and was thus described by Alfred Spink in 1910’s The National Game: “Miller, a stocky little fellow (he was 5’6”) full of life and comedy, was a type of the old-time ballplayer - frolicsome, boisterous, playing the game for all there was in it every day and spending all his money merrily at night...The Pittsburgh fans considered him a marvel in every way.” He was also the only MLB player ever to be dubbed “Doggie” - he bred dogs - or “Calliope” for his foghorn voice; in fact he was aka “Foghorn” too. 
• 1931 - 3B Emanuel “Sonny” Senerchia was born in Newark. He only played one MLB season, appearing for the Pirates in 1952 and hitting .220 in 100 AB, but may have been the most interesting man to ever play in Forbes Field per his Wikipedia bio. Senerchia was an accomplished violinist as a boy, appearing at Carnegie Hall at the age of 10 and as an adult, he was a concert violinist for several symphonies. He also performed with Pearl Bailey, Jack Benny, and others as a jazz musician, playing clarinet, sax, flute and piano in various bands. Outside of music, Senerchia became a teacher & baseball manager at Monmouth University and was also was a race car driver, private pilot, and local TV & radio sports celeb. Sonny sadly but not surprisingly left this vale with his boots on - he died after a motorcycle accident at the age of 72. 
• 1951 - Rik Aalbert “Bert” Blyleven was born in Zeist, Netherlands. The Hall-of-Fame righty with the legendary hook pitched three seasons for the Pirates (1978-80) before being traded to the Indians for beads and trinkets after locking horns with Chuck Tanner. The Dutchman went 34-28 for the Bucs with a 3.47 ERA, six shutouts and worked 697-2/3 frames for the team. Oddly, his beef was getting pulled too quickly, so he apparently didn’t think his 230+ innings/season was much of a load. He’s been a Twins TV analyst since 1996. 

Bert Blyleven 1979 Topps

• 1971 - It’s the little things that win ballgames. Before 39‚712 fans, the Pirates took a 4-2 win from the Phils at TRS’ first home opener. Dock Ellis won and laid down three sac bunts, one being a suicide squeeze to plate a score and another setting up an eventual run while the Phillies self-destructed with four errors that led to two unearned runs. Ellis went the distance, giving up eight hits and whiffing eight. 
• 1972 - It was supposed to be Opening Day and Bill Virdon’s managerial debut, but the player’s strike put the brakes to those happenings. Bucco GM Joe Brown reached out to player rep Dave Giusti and opened Three Rivers Stadium for the locally based players to work out if they so desired. 18 players did show up, as did the MLBPA’s Marvin Miller (Dock Ellis was the only Pirate in the area not to attend, and he worked out at the Pitt Field House). But the Pirates good-will gesture was short-lived. On the same day, NL President Chub Feeney ordered all the parks off limits to the players until a contract was reached. It took a week to settle the beef over pension money, costing the league 86 games that were never made up. 

• 1973 - After being elected to the Hall of Fame a few days earlier on March 20th, 51‚695 fans were on hand at Three Rivers Stadium as Roberto Clemente’s number 21 was retired. The Pirates then beat St. Louis‚ 7-5‚ staging an eighth inning rally that saw the Bucs score five times after two were down, keyed by a Richie Hebner double and Gene Clines three-bagger. The Gravedigger had a big day, adding a homer (he missed the bunt sign, shades of Bob Robertson!) and three RBI. Other later honors for the Great One: PNC Park’s right field fence is now known as the Clemente Wall, and reaches 21’ high to commemorate his number while his statue sits outside the CF gates of the yard. The players wore the round #21 patch on their uniforms for the season to commemorate Clemente after sporting black ribbons during spring training. At the All-Star Game in Pittsburgh on July 11th, 2006, players on both squads wore yellow wristbands with the initials "RWC" in honor of Roberto Walker Clemente. He also has a street, bridge, and park named after him, a museum, a Susan Wagner statue and a bushel basket of awards.

Bucs Back on Winning Track, Top the Reds 5-2

Good start for Steven Brault; a 1-2-3 first, retiring both Billy Hamilton & Joey Votto (no more Brandon Phillips, thank goodness). It took Homer Bailey nine pitches to sit down the Bucs. Of course, Scooter Gennett is still around and singled, then a two-out infield bleeder kept the second inning alive. A wild pitch moved them up; another one put the Reds up 1-0. Freeser singled and was left aboard. Cincy was quiet in the third. Jordy led off with a double and Brault couldn't bunt him over, so J-Hay's single left runners at the corners. A sac fly by Gregory let Steven off the hook and knotted the score. Both sides have barreled up on a couple of balls, but chilly April nights don't provide much carry, fortunately a bit for Brault & a lot for Bailey.

Steven Brault did the honors tonight (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

The Reds worked a walk in the fourth. Cervy doubled for the Bucs with two gone, earning Jordy an intentional pass. Steven couldn't help himself, grounding out sharply to third. A walk and single with two gone in the fifth left Brault in a jam, but he whiffed Votto for the second time to shut it down. J-Hay walked and trotted home after Gregory planted one in the batter's eye shrubbery 421' away. An out later, J-Bell singled and Corey D yanked a three-bagger down the RF line. Freeser wasted his at bat, but was bailed out when a two-out Reds boot plated Dickerson. Kevin Quackenbush came in to douse the fire with the tally now 5-1. After a long sit and 80 pitches, Steven was also done after five innings, charged with one run, three hits, four walks, four whiffs and two wild pitches; good result but way wild. Edgar Santana tossed a clean sixth with help from a diving snag by J-Bell. With an out in the Bucco half, J-Hay singled and in trotted Amir Garrett to get the last two outs.

Michael Feliz took the ball in the seventh. He walked a guy with an out, then gave up a sinking liner to center that Starling fielded on the short-hop and turned into an 8-4 force. A K of Hamilton closed the frame. Dickerson doubled off Garrett with an out. He went to third after a drive to the wall by Freeser, who was robbed nicely by RF'er Ervin, and died there. George Kontos toed the slab in the eighth. He got two routine outs and then allowed Adam Duvall to homer after falling behind 2-0. Austin Brice climbed the hill and put up a zero. Felipe Rivero came in for the save, but old buddy Phil Gosselin singled off the first pitch. No diff; two grounders and a whiff later, the Bucs were back on the bar stool with a 5-2 win...and just maybe are shaking off the Cincy voodoo from last year.

Felipe notched save #3 (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

The Bucs hit the ball hard tonight, though it took a couple of trips around the order for them to fall. Steven did a nice job in his spot start, and the Pirate gloves were airtight tonight, with Jordy, J-Bell and Starling all making sweet plays. But Clint's gonna need a couple of middle guys he has confidence in or run the risk of burning out Feliz, Kontos and Rivero.

Notes:

• Gregory had three RBI tonight, while J-Hay and Corey D each had a pair of knocks; Josh added a walk. And Steven Brault is 2-0 already; he only had one MLB win coming into the 2018 campaign.
• The Pirates are 5-1, their best start since 2003. (Spoiler alert: they only won 75 games that season.)
• As @adamberry noted, this was the warmest game of the year for the Pirates with the first-pitch temperature at 43 degrees. The paid (not actual) attendance was 9,227, the lowest announced crowd since 2011. It bodes poorly that the advance sales are so dismal, especially if summer decides to roll around late this year and the Pens extend their season by a month or two.
• Took a while, but LHP Kevin Siegrist refused his minor league assignment and is now a free agent. Curious decision as the Pirates bullpen is pretty much a sieve now.

Reds Come to Town; Brault v Bailey & Notes

Today: The Pirates and the Reds continue at PNC Park with a 7:05 first pitch. The game will be shown on MLB Network and aired by 93.7 The Fan. It's Military Night, honoring the work of the Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania. The weather won't be gentle again; it's supposed to be low forties and breezy.

Lineup: J-Hay 2B, Gregory Polanco RF, Starling Marte CF, J-Bell 1B, Corey Dickerson LF, David Freese 3B, Fran Cervelli C, Jordy SS & Steven Brault P. Jordy's back in the saddle and Freeser gets his second start at the hot corner.

Jordy's back in business - 2017 Topps

Pitchers: LHP Steven Brault (1-0/0.00) v RHP Homer Bailey (0-1/1.50). Brault has worked once, on Opening Day, in a three-inning shutout relief effort. Bailey was the hard-luck, 2-0, loser to Max Scherzer in his first outing. He's also a regular thorn in the Pirates side, having faced them 21 times in his career with a 10-6/3.39 slash, the most wins and lowest ERA he sports against any NL opponent. Steven faced the Reds once, back in 2016, and gave up two runs in five frames.

Notes:

• The Reds owned the Pirates last season, going 13-6 (.684) against them despite finishing in the NL Central cellar at 68-94. Cincy is 1-3 this year and are one of the teams the Bucs have to beat if they want to be contenders rather than pretenders.
• The Pirates let an infield pop-up fall between three players last night, caused by something you rarely hear cited - they lost the ball in the swirling snow. Maybe they should bring back Charley Finley's old orange baseballs when flakes fall... 
• Pittsburgh has claimed RHP Jesus Liranzo, 23, off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers and optioned him to Altoona. The reliever will join the 40-man. He has 202 strikeouts in 170 minor league innings along with 103 walks. Liranzo has a good arm, sitting in the mid-nineties. At this point, he's more intriguing than anything else, with a 4.50 ERA in the minors. He'll have an option remaining in 2019.
• Phil Coyne, who has ushered for 81 years at Forbes Field, TRS and PNC, has called it quits three weeks shy of 100-years-old after suffering a fall in his apartment, reports Colin Deppen of The Incline.

4/5: Robinson, Dravecky Deals; Gregory Inked; Game Stories; Spring Fun; HBD Rennie, Jung-Ho, Lastings & Wid

• 1877 - SS William “Wid” Conroy was born in Philadelphia. Conroy only played one year in Pittsburgh in 1902, hitting .244, but he started ahead of Honus Wagner at short. Actually, the Flying Dutchman began his career in the pasture; he was converted to part-time shortstop in 1901 by skipper Fred Clarke when Bones Ely had a forgettable year at the dish. Wid was the usual starter at short in 1902 with Wagner seeing some action too, but Conroy’s batting performance was the final straw for Clarke and he installed Wagner at the position full-time in 1903. Conroy then jumped leagues to join the NY Highlanders, playing ball through 1911 for them and the Washington Senators. The nickname “Wid,” short for “Widow,” dates to his youth. Sam Bernstein of SABR suggests that the name came about because Conroy watched over the younger members of his sandlot group like a widowed mother watched over her brood. 

Rennie Stennett 1974 Lithograph Sports

• 1951 - 2B Rennie Stennett was born in Colon, Panama. Stennett played nine seasons (1971-79) with the Bucs as a sweet-fielding second sacker, hitting .278 BA to back up the leather. He was involved in a lot of good stuff, appearing in the 1979 Series, starting for the first all-black lineup in MLB in 1971, and collecting a record seven knocks in a nine-inning game against the Cubs in 1975. Sadly, he broke his leg in 1977 and never had a strong season afterward, even though the Giants signed him to a five-year deal worth $3M for 1980. They released him after two years while still in the hole for $2M. 
• 1954 - It was only a spring training game, but it had some notable local flavor to it. Mt Washington native and South Hills HS grad Bob Purkey tossed a six-hitter and Frank Thomas, who grew up in the shadow of Forbes Field in Oakland and was born at Magee Women’s Hospital, sent one over the wall as the hometown kids (Purkey was 24, Thomas 25) led the way to a 1-0 win over the KC Athletics in Mobile, Alabama. In other baseball business, the club cut Dale Long, Gene Freese and ElRoy Face from camp; they would all be back for keeps in 1955. 
• 1975 - The Pirates got OF Bill Robinson from the Phils for RHP Wayne Simpson. Simpson appeared in 34 MLB games in 1975 & ‘77 while McKeesport’s Robinson spent eight years in Pittsburgh as a platoon OF’er, hitting .276 with 109 HR. His highlight season came in 1977 when he hit .304 with career highs of 26 home runs and 104 RBI. 

Bill Robinson 1976 Topps

• 1981 - Pittsburgh traded Youngstown native and Class AA Buffalo pitcher Dave Dravecky to the San Diego Padres for utilityman Bobby Mitchell. Mitchell never made it out of the minors while Dravecky eventually carved out an eight-year MLB career with a 64-57 slate, 3.13 ERA, and an All-Star appearance in a stint cut short by a cancerous tumor in his arm. 
• 1985 - OF Lastings Milledge was born in Bradenton, Florida. A first-round pick of the Mets, he played for NY and then Washington. He was traded to the Pirates by the Nats in 2009 with RHP Joel Hanrahan in return for OF Nyjer Morgan and LHP Sean Burnett. From 2009-10 he hit a respectable .282 for Pittsburgh but was playing behind Jose Tabata in LF and Garrett Jones in RF with Andrew McCutchen in the pipeline. He left for free agency, but all he got was a cup of coffee with the White Sox, spending the past five seasons in Japan and Mexico. 
• 1987 - IF Jung-Ho Kang was born in Gwangju, South Korea. After a winning posting bid of $5,002,015 for Kang from his Korean team, the Nexen Heroes, the Bucs signed the infielder to a four-year, $11M contract with an option year. He became the first KBO position player to make the jump to the MLB. Jung-Ho made the transition in style, hitting .287 with 15 HR while playing SS & 3B before he broke his leg in mid-September. He started 2016 late while recovering and then landed on the DL again with a shoulder injury, batting .255 with 21 dingers. His career was short-circuited by the debris left by a DUI conviction during the off season. 

Jung Ho Kang 2017 Topps Heritage

• 2004 - Kip Wells scattered five hits and struck out seven over six scoreless innings as the Pirates beat the Phillies, 2-1, on Opening Day at PNC Park. Jose Mesa earned his 250th career save while Craig Wilson hit the first home run of the year for the Pirates. 
• 2010 - Garrett Jones homered (one a splash-down in the Allegheny and the other an oppo field blast) in his first two at-bats against the Los Angeles Dodgers during an 11-5 win, becoming the sixth Pirate to hit two home runs on Opening Day. The game was at PNC Park and played in front of 39,024 fans. The Ryan’s had a big outing too, as Doumit and Church added three RBIs each. Zach Duke got the win with five relievers coming on to get the final 12 outs. 
• 2012 - Opening Day drew the largest crowd to date in PNC Park history, 39,585, as the Bucs Erik Bedard lost a classic pitching duel to the Phil’s Roy Halladay 1-0. The Bucs threatened in the first, but a Cutch 6-4-3 DP short-circuited the frame. Neil Walker took it to the track twice, but both balls died at the fence as Halladay tossed a two-hitter. 

Gregory Polanco 2016 (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

• 2016 - The Pirates officially announced they had signed RF Gregory Polanco to a contract extension that would carry him through arbitration and a year of free agency (2017-2021) worth $35M guaranteed with two team options, bringing the total contract value up to $58M. The particulars: $3M signing bonus, $1M - '17, $3.5M - '18, $5.5M - '19, $8M - '20, $11M - '21. $12.5M option/$3M buyout - '22, $13.5M option/$1M buyout - '22. The 24-year-old Polanco’s first full MLB campaign was 2015 when he hit .256 with nine home runs, 52 RBIs, 35 doubles, six triples and 27 stolen bases in 153 games. He also ranked second among all NL outfielders with 13 assists, trailing only teammate Starling Marte’s 16 throw-outs. His second year was not so hot, as he struggled through recurring hammy issues.

Bucs Take Their First Lump, 7-3

The weather outside was frightful, but for Ivan Nova, the first inning was delightful - 1, 2, 3, on eight pitches. But Jake Odorizzi got the chills - J-Hay doubled and then J-Bell launched one halfway up the wall of the batter's eye, some 432' away. Both sides stranded a runner in the second before Brian Dozier halved the lead, curling a 1-2 change inside the foul pole with two outs in the third. The Bucs left another runner aboard in their half, then the Twins used a lead-off double that barely missed leaving the yard (an ump review decided it did stay in the park) into a small-ball run with a grounder and sac fly in the fourth. Corey Dickerson led off with a single and swipe (he short-slid and was out, but the Twins didn't challenge, so...), then tagged to third on Cervy's fly to right. He jogged home on Moran's single that flew through a drawn-in infield to get back the edge.

Ivan got through the bottom of the order in the fifth quietly and is at 67 pitches. Odorizzi went 3-0 on J-Hay before getting a bouncer, then walked Polanco and Marte to earn a hook, replaced by Taylor Rogers. He buried five fastballs down and away and J-Bell swung through three of them; none were strikes. Dickerson followed with a single to left; Gregory was thrown out at home easily on an iffy wave by Joey Cora, even with two gone. Nova opened the sixth with a walk and wild pitch. A mini-pop that should have been caught fell, and though the Bucs got the out, it moved the runner up and a ground single with the Pirates infield shifted tied it. Lo-Mo doubled in another run as Gregory had trouble corralling the ball in the corner and J-Hay's relay was weak. Dovydas Neverauskas, who should at least be used to the weather, came in. Maybe not; he gave up another double; an out later, yet another two-bagger made it 6-3 and brought Josh Smoker to the bump to close the gate. Trevor Hildenberger took off his bullpen jacket and put up a zero.

Tyler continues to develop (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Tyler Glasnow got the seventh inning call. He gave up a walk to Adam Rosario, then picked him off per most eyeballs; however, the ump and review said no. The runner scored when he was off on a 3-2 pitch that was spanked into left center for a single; Rosario came all the way around on a not-very-inspired throw by Dickerson. The Bucs went down in order. Glasnow rallied in the eighth, striking out the side around a grounder up the middle. Addison Reed climbed the hill, faced three Pirates and climbed back down. Glasnow closed strong in the ninthwith two more whiffs bracketed around a walk. Fernando Rodney put up a zero to close, stranding Corsairs at second and third.

Can't win 'em all, and Tyler looks like he's beginning to harness his stuff, so there's that. And by leaving him in for 55 pitches, Clint may be looking a keeping him stretched for a start. As for Ivan, he pitched better than his line today; the boys gotta throw and catch the ball behind him. Still, there's a voice saying that the bad D and miserable middle of the bullpen work is gonna bite the boys down the road; we'll see if the FO is looking for arms - and building a pen is something they're usually good at - or gonna blame the weather.

Notes:

• J-Bell's first-inning homer was hit out with 113.7 MPH velocity. Per Statcast, there have only been three harder-hit home runs by the Pirates, all drilled by Pedro Alvarez in 2015.
• J-Hay and Corey Dickerson accounted for half the Bucco hits with two knocks apiece.
• The paid attendance was 20,690; the actual attendance was a few thousand.
• Injury updates from Pirate City: AJ Schugel, recovering from a sore shoulder, has thrown two bullpen sessions with live BP next on the agenda. Rule 5 pick Nick Burdi, bouncing back from TJ surgery, threw off the slope of the mound for the first time in his rehab.
• *sigh* modern times - the PPD bomb squad was called to check a suspicious package (suspicious to the police dogs that sniffed it out, anyway) on Federal Street outside the ballyard. After the carton was eyeballed and poked by a robot, the police stated "It was determined there was no threat to public safety and the issue is now resolved."

Twins @ Pirates; Nova v Odorizzi & Notes

Today: Round two against Minnesota begins at 6:05. The contest will be carried by AT&T SportsNet and 93.7 The Fan. It's Buck Night at the ballyard and forecast to be a chilly, windy evening with a sprinkling of flurries. If the 20 MPH winds (gusting to 40) are blowing out, the Allegheny could be splashdown city tonight.

Lineup: Josh Harrison 2B, Gregory Polanco RF, Starling Marte CF, Josh Bell 1B, Corey Dickerson LF, Cervelli C, Colin Moran 3B, S-Rod SS & Ivan Nova P. Jordy is available off the bench, but his jammed pinky finger is still bruised and a little stiff so he's having problems gripping a bat.

Pitchers: RHP Ivan Nova (0-0/3.60) vs. Jake Odorizzi (0-0/0.00). Ivan dodged some raindrops in the Opener against the Tigers; we'll see if he's a little sharper against the Twinkies. Nova was fastball-heavy in his opening stint; we'll see if he shows the curve more against the Twins lefty-loaded lineup. Jake tossed six innings of two-hit shutout ball against the O's in an eventual 3-2 loss to the Birds. He likes to change levels with a high heater, curve & splitter. Nova is 2-0/1.93 against the Twins, but hasn't tossed against them since 2011; let's hope he keeps the old feelin'. This will be Jake's first outing against Pittsburgh.

Notes:

• Going into tonight's action, the Pirates are the last remaining undefeated team in MLB. 
• OF Bryce Brentz decided to stick with the Mets. He's not on their 40-man roster and will open the season at AAA Las Vegas. 
• If you like a baseball history and want to see what the old-timey bird dogs thought of players, the Library of Congress has published a passel of Branch Rickey scouting reports from the 50s & 60's with a bunch of Buccos. Bring a lunch; there are a ton of them.
• Penn State and West Virginia will play ball on Tuesday, April 10th, at PNC Park. It's the second year the clubs have squared off on the North Shore; maybe next time around the Bucs will add Pitt-Duquesne and make it a twinbill.
• The Braves DFA'ed C Chris Stewart.
• Guess who got the Tigers off the schneid yesterday? Frankie Liriano allowed a run and four hits in 6-2/3 innings. He struck out three and walked two while throwing 94 pitches in a 6-1 win over the Royals. Charlie Morton got the Home Opener victory for Houston; he went six IP, no runs, three hits, two walks and six whiffs in a 6-1 win over Baltimore on Monday.
•  30-year-old Vance Worley has triggered his opt-out clause with the Reds as Vanimal searches for a big-league deal. 

4/4 TRS/PNC Park Era: Hit Man, Thompson, Manny Trades; Capps Signed; Cum Into HoF; LaRussa Cut; HBD John; Game Action

• 1975 - The Pirates released minor league infielder Tony LaRussa after he hit .260 at Class AAA Charleston in 1974. He retired in 1977 and came back to annoy the Bucs as the manager of the St. Louis machine that ran roughshod over the NL Central during his tenure as skipper.

Hit Man 1982 Fleer

• 1977 - OF Mike Easler was traded by the California Angels to the Pirates for P Randy Sealy. The Hit Man spent six seasons with the Bucs, hitting .302 and earning an All-Star spot in 1981. The Pirates actually sold him to the Red Sox after the 1978 campaign but traded a couple of minor leaguers to get him back before the 1979 season began. Persistent suitor Boston eventually got him back for the ‘84 season, sending John Tudor to Pittsburgh for Easler; apparently both clubs really liked the guy. 
• 1978 - The Pirates sent OF Miguel Dilone, P Elias Sosa and IF Mike Edwards to the A’s for C Manny Sanguillen, who was traded to Oakland 17 months earlier for Chuck Tanner and cash. He spent three more seasons in Black & Gold, mainly as a bench player behind Ed Ott and Steve Nicosia as his heyday was in the rear view mirror. Dilone carved out a 12-year career, returning to the Bucs briefly in 1983. Sosa was also in the middle of a 12-year MLB run while Edwards played regularly for a couple of years for the A’s but was finished after the 1980 campaign. 
• 1986 - 1B Jason Thompson was traded to Montreal for a pair of PTBNL minor leaguers, Ron Giddens and Ben Abner. It ended up a very minor deal as Thompson fared poorly for the Expos in his last MLB campaign and neither prospect the Pirates got made it to the show. 

John Bormann (image via AT&T SportsNet)

• 1993 - C John Bormann was born in Danville, Virginia. A 24th round pick in the 2015 draft from the University of Texas at San Antonio, the Class A Bradenton Marauder catcher got a call to the show in 2017 for a game while regular catcher Fran Cervelli was laid up briefly with a sore foot. He got one at bat and whiffed. Still, he was excited to get a chance to live the dream. As Clint Hurdle said "Imagine, when he woke up today, he was going to go on a bus to Port Charlotte..(and instead) ends up playing in a major league game.” 
• 2000 - The Bucs drew a record announced crowd of 54,399 as Jason Schmidt lost 5-2 to the Astros for TRS’s final home opener. Sadly, the butts in the seats didn’t match the attendance figure by a longshot even with Christina Aguilera on hand to sing the Anthem. There were maybe an estimated 15,000 live fans on hand because of drizzly, 40-degree weather in Pittsburgh. 
• 2007 - The Bucs swept the Astros in Houston for the first time since 1991, winning 5-4 at Minute Maid Park behind Tom Gorzelanny. Jose Bautista banged out three hits including a double and drove in three RBI to prime the attack. 
• 2008 - Closer Matt Capps agreed to a $3.05M, two-year contract that ran through 2009 and covered his first year of arbitration. Capps wasn’t tendered when the deal ran out - he had 27 saves in 2009, but with a 5.80 ERA - and moved on to Washington. 

Matt Capps 2007 Upper Deck First Edition

•  2016 - Cumberland “Cum” Posey, the first black athlete at Penn State & Duquesne and a former player, manager, and owner of the Homestead Grays baseball team, was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He had been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006, and thus became the only member of both the professional basketball and baseball halls of fame. Posey, who was born in Homestead in 1890, played two hoop seasons at Penn State, then with the Loendi Big Five, an all-black basketball team that won multiple Colored Basketball World Championships, and later at Duquesne under the name "Charles Cumbert," leading the Dukes in scoring for three seasons from 1916-18. After Duquesne, he focused on baseball and helped build the Grays into a powerhouse club. (bio via Pittsburgh Post Gazette)

4/4 Expo Park/Forbes Field Era: Manny, Kiner Shift; Playful Pirates; Tax Refund; HBD Jim, Les & Bill

• 1883 - OF Bill Hinchman was born in Philadelphia. He played for the Bucs from 1915-18 and again in 1920. Bill started the first two seasons, hitting over .300, but faded at the end, finishing his five-year Bucco stint with a .284 BA. Hinchman was a Pirates coach in 1923 and scouted for the club from 1921 to 1958, with a pretty keen eye - he signed Lloyd Waner, Arky Vaughan, Rip Sewell, Cookie Lavagetto, and Billy Cox. 

Bill Hinchman 1991 Conlon/TSN Leaders

• 1903 - LHP Les Bartholomew was born in Madison, Wisconsin. Les got into nine big league games, six as a 25-year-old rookie with the Pirates in 1928. He earned no decisions and ran up a 7.15 ERA. He tossed three more games for the White Sox in 1932 and hung up the spikes. He spent just five seasons in organized ball before returning to a day job in the sheet metal trades. 
• 1938 - A half dozen Pirate players “were feeling playful” per Post Gazette writer Edward Balinger and got into a wrestling match while aboard a train. The result was that Russ Bauers, a big righty slated to work Opening Day, wrenched his knee. He didn’t start a game again until April 25th and didn’t pick up his first win until June 1st. That was the year the Bucs lost six of their last seven games to finish two games out of first; the loss of their ace to horseplay may have been the difference between the flag and staying home. 
• 1942 - IF Jim Fregosi was born. Jim spent the last season and change of his 18-year career with the Bucs in 1977-78, batting .263 as a bench guy. Pittsburgh released him at the Angels request; they wanted him to become their manager, and Fregosi segued from player to skipper. He managed four MLB teams over 15 years (Angels, Phillies, White Sox & Blue Jays) with some downtime as a Triple-A helmsman, retiring from baseball in 2000. 

Shifty Frank 1954 Bowman

• 1954 - While the popularity of infield shifts has taken off in recent seasons, it’s not a modern stratagem. The Post-Gazette noted that the KC Athletics pulled a “Kiner shift” on young Pirate slugger Frank Thomas with three infielders on the 3B side of second base during an exhibition. The shift was made famous in the forties when it was employed against Ted Williams and dates back to at least the twenties. 
• 1954 - Instead of sitting on an unexpected small windfall, the Bucs got into the tax refund spirit, announcing a ticket reimbursement of 19 cents/per box seat, 16 cents/per reserved seat and a thin dime per general admission for pre-season ticket holders after a federal levy had been cut in half. And it wasn’t credited toward the purchase of future ducats; the Pirates paid their customers back in cold cash. 
• 1963 - OF Manny Mota was traded by the Houston Colt .45's to the Pirates for Howie Goss and $50,000. Mota spent six years as a Pirate, hitting .297 as a fourth OF’er/pinch hitter. He went on to a 13 year career with LA (he spent 20 seasons in MLB) as a pinch hitter deluxe, and when he was finished hitting, his 34 consecutive seasons as a Dodgers coach was the longest in team history and the second-longest streak in MLB history behind Nick Altrock. Howie played one season for Houston, hit .209, and never got back to the bigs. The unsuspecting Goss had to get in touch with his family who had left Florida just prior to the deal and were driving to Pittsburgh. The Florida Highway Patrol found them and directed the Goss clan westward to Texas.

Tuesday: Rainy Day Of Rest & Notes

Shhh...don't wake up the Pirates; they deserve some shuteye on this drizzly day. After a 14-inning Opener, a twinbill that barely gave them time for a nap before the Home Opener, a pitcher already on the DL and playing in Steeler weather, the boys of summer have had a hectic few days.

The off day is right on time as the Bucs can reset the bullpen now. The middle guys are largely untested, and it would help the situation if the starters could carry the load a little longer. It does appear that early on, with that extra arm in the pen, Clint has them on an 85-90 pitch count, so into the fire they go.

Off to the races... (photo WFMJ Radio)

Four games is a small sample season for the season, but it looks like the Bucs may have a little more bop spread around the lineup. They have five long balls in four games from five different players, and are still waiting for J-Bell, Corey Dickerson and S-Rod to lose their first baseball. However, the fielding and base running blunders continue; those blips seem hardwired into the Bucco DNA during Clint's era. And Clint will be Clint; he still drives us batty with his bullpen usage & static roles, bunt love and running Josh Bell into suicide missions on 3-2 pitches.  Still, the guys play for him and communicate fairly well, so fostering that clubhouse vibe is worth at least as much as tactical chops.

So far, so good even with the warts; can't get better than undefeated. If the pitching develops, this team could be fun.

Notes:

• Jordy is day-to-day; his jammed finger isn't broken but is still swollen.
• The word from the Buc medicos is that Joe Musgrove has a shoulder sprain and he'll be shut down for a five-to-seven day period before getting reevaluated. Sounds like Steven Brault could be in line for a second start, although if the schedule holds up, after Thursday there won't be a need for a fifth starter until April 15th. 
• Jamo's nine K's yesterday tied his personal best, set on July 4th last year in his shutout win over the Phils. 
• The Bucs are gunning for their best season start since 1983, when they went 5-0.
• MLB.com picks 2017 HS draft pick, 19-year-old RHP Cody Bolton, as the Pirates biggest minor league breakout prospect.
• A new nest: The Dodgers signed Daniel Hudson to a minor-league deal.