6/3 Happenings: Josh Bomb; McLouth & Chappie Deals; Bonds, Womack, Gonzo, Grabow Drafted; HBD Nelson

• 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 Gibson Helmar Art Stamps

• 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. 
• 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. 

Tony Womack 1997 Select

• 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. 

Nate McLouth 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 and is now a FA) 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.

Cards Walk Off Another Win 3-2

Luke Weaver and Chad Kuhl exchanged clean first frames. Corey D singled with an out in the second and advanced on a wild pitch, but got no further. The Cards struck first when Marcell Ozuna launched a fat 2-0 two-seamer into the Busch batter's eye. Kolten Wong got nicked with a pitch with two gone and went to second on a wayward hurl before the inning closed. Jordy started the third with a rap and was bunted up, and there he stayed. The Redbirds stranded a two-out rap. Pittsburgh went quietly in the fourth; the Cards got another single. Weaver hung a 1-0 change to Colin Moran, who tied the game with a solo shot in the fifth. Jordy added a single but no more fun was to be had. Aaaargh, Chad walked the pitcher and with two away lost another Redbird. Of course it bit him when he gave up a two-strike single to Tommy Pham to make it 2-1; the runners moved up a station on the throw home but Kuhl got the third out after some work.

Chad hasn't had much help lately (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Austin Gomber answered the sixth inning call and walked AM on five tosses. Three more pitches sat down Starling, who fished like he was Captain Ahab, then J-Bell rolled into a 6-4-3 DP. A rookie pitcher walks the first guy he faces and then the Pirates decide to swing at everything, smh. Chad worked a nice, quiet frame. His line was two runs on six hits with two walks and five K after 92 twirls. The Bucs made nary a peep in the seventh. Tyler Glasnow came in and walked the first Card, the eight hitter Carson Kelly, but escaped unmarred. It was 1-2-3 in the eighth for Pittsburgh. They hit three balls on the nose but pretty much right at Ozuna in left field; bad ball luck rears its ugly head again. Kyle Crick came out for some work; he walked a guy but had an otherwise calm frame. Bud Norris came in for the save; he didn't get it as Austin Meadows walked out of his phone booth, flapped his cape and launched a game-tying bomb just inside the RF pole. Starling saw one strike in seven pitches but managed to fan again; ditto for J-Bell who flailed out three out of the zone. Corey D showed a good eye until he got a 3-2 pitch that was ball four; he swung and missed for a very poorly disciplined follow up to AM's solo shot. Ric Rod came in for Bucs and three pitches later, it was over when Kolten Wong took a slider out of the yard. Been that kinda series...

Colin hit his fifth HR (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

The bullpen continues to be a disaster; we wonder how long it'll take before Tyler Glasnow and Steven Brault become the back enders. But the hurlers didn't lose the game; too many wasted at-bats against pitching that wasn't top-of-the-line, especially in the middle of the order, did - two runs on five hits aren't gonna win too many games. It's not as if plate patience disappears, but that it comes and goes as the attack still is producing as often as not; a little more consistency would help, especially against the nibblers.

Notes:

• Jordy had two of the five Bucco knocks.
• The Pirates have scored one run for Chad Kuhl in his last two outings.
• Well, who else? Austin Meadows was named the NL Rookie of the Month for May after hitting .409 w/four homers.
• The Cards have already won five games this year on walk-off homers. It was Kolten Wong's fourth career walk-off home run with three of them coming against Pirates.
• This was Bud Norris' first blown save; getting the win prob helped take the sting away.
• Geez, that didn't take long - Ollie Perez was released from his Yankee contract yesterday and signed with the Indians today.

Bucs & Birds Afternoon Delight, Kuhl v Weaver & Notes - Bruce Kison Passes Away

Today: First pitch is at 2:15 and the game will be aired by AT&T SportsNet and 93.7 The Fan. Weather's a little rough in the Gateway City, but they should be able to dodge the raindrops to get the game in.

Lineup: J-Hay 2B, Austin Meadows RF, Starling Marte CF, J-Bell 1B, Corey DFickerson LF,Colin Moran 3B, Elias Diaz C, Jordy SS & Chad Kuhl P. Harrison is back after a brief bout of the flu and Cervy is off, a combo of a day-after-night game and chance to recharge after his fight with the bug earlier in the week. It's Austin Meadow's turn to ride the OF carousel today with Gregory on the pine.

Back in the lineup (image source: Pittsburgh Pirates)

Pitchers: RHP Chad Kuhl (4-3, 3.94) and RHP Luke Weaver (3-5, 4.63) battle it out this afternoon. Chad's been on a roll lately - his last outing, tho a loss, was a six-inning stint in which he gave up a run on fours hits with five K against the Cubs. He's given up two runs in his last two starts and has a 2.76 ERA in his last five outings (the Pirates are 4-1in those games). Chad's line is 1-1/3.27 in four 2017 starts against the Redbirds; it's his first 2018 Card match. Weaver has run hot and cold this year; he's in a chilly spell right now as he's given up seven runs in his last two starts (11 IP). He lasted into the sixth in his outing against the Bucs in April, yielding four runs in a 5-0 loss, running against Nick Kingham and his brilliant debut game.

Notes:

• Sad news today: per Greg Brown, Bruce Kison passed away this morning, succumbing to cancer at age 68. Buster pitched for the Bucs from 1971-79 and was 4-1 during the post season over that span, with a memorable 6-1/3 IP bulldog relief outing in Game Four win of the 1971 World Series, the first night game in WS annals. Injuries dogged his career, but Kison never backed down from a challenge and spent 15 years in the show.

Bruce Kison 1972 Topps

• Corey Dickerson is batting .324 over his last 36 contests and .394 in his last eight starts.
• The Pirates recorded their MLB-leading eighth shutout last night.
• Ke'Bryan Hayes is starting to figure it out at Altoona, reports Andrew Battifarano of MiLB.com.
• Bradenton pitchers Matt Eckelman (3-0-5/2.16) and Eduardo Vera(3-2/2.95), along with infielder Alfredo Reyes (.295 BA/.405 OBP), have been named to the Florida State League’s mid-season All-Star team.

6/2 Birthdays & Draft Picks: Maholm, Gorzo, Dewey, St.Mary's Joe & Busts; HBD Darnell, Chance, Gene, Jeff, Peach Pie & Tom

• 1869 - C/IF Tom Leahy was born in New Haven, Connecticut. Tom spent four part-time years in the show, starting with a dozen games for the Pirates in 1897, when he hit .269 splitting time between catching and third base. He caught at Holy Cross, but David Nemac, compiler of the book “Major League Ballplayers Profiles 1871-1900,” suggested that because of his just average arm, he may have had more longevity if he came up as a second baseman. His last MLB game was in 1905 after he had gone through five teams, and he then caught on at Yale, serving as their athletic trainer for 32 years. 

Peach Pie (photo source Conlon Collection/Detroit Public Library)

• 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, but could plug in anywhere, spending considerable time in the OF and 1B during his 21-year career. 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. 
• 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. 
• 1961 - OF Jeff Schulz was born in Evansville, Indiana. The Pirates picked him up for the 1992 campaign after he had been released by his original club, the KC Royals. He spent most of the year at AA Buffalo with a brief midsummer call up by the Bucs; he went 0-for-3 with two whiffs as a pinch hitter. His last hurrah was in 1995 when he won the right field job at KC as a replacement player, but the strike ended before the season started and so did his MLB career. The then-33-year-old returned to his day job as a real estate agent. Trivia: In 1990, Schulz ended Cal Ripken Jr.'s 95-game errorless streak at shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles when Cal bobbled his grounder. 

Darnell Coles 1988 Topps

• 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. 
• 1972 - IF Chance Sanford was born in Houston, Texas. Chance got into 14 games in 1998 and went 4-for-28 (.143) as a 26-year-old rookie. He was a 27th round pick of the Buccos in the 1992 draft and was released after the year; he got into five games with the Dodgers the following season and closed out his career playing indie ball. 
• 1987 - HS outfielder Mark Merchant was the Bucs top pick and second overall in the draft, right after Ken Griffey Jr. The Pirates signed him for $165,000, he but never played an inning in the majors after a ten year minor league career. He was a highly touted player (he and Griffey were everyone’s 1-2 selections) but separated his shoulder during his second minor-league season and broke his ankle in the next, losing both his gun and his speed. 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 the top pick between leagues during the era and so the Pirates lost their chance to land the Donora-born Griffey to Seattle. 

Mark Merchant 1988 Pro Cards

• 1994 - High school QB & SS Mark Farris was the Pirates first selection (#11; $820K signing bonus); he hurt his knee and 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. Farris was quite the big miss; another SS, Nomar Garciaparra, went to the Red Sox in the next pick. 
• 1998 - The Pirates picked LHP Clint Johnston of Vanderbilt first (#15; $1M signing bonus); he ended his career playing indie ball, never advancing past AA. Johnston was an OF’er/closer who 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. But he ended up with elbow surgery and then ulnar nerve issues. Clint eventually went to Toronto and was converted back to the outfield, but never climbed the ladder. In fact, none of the Bucs’ first 14 picks ever 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 2005 Bowman Draft Picks

• 2003 - Lefties Paul Maholm (#8; $2.2M signing bonus) and Tom Gorzelanny (#45; $750K 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 Expo Park-Forbes Field Era: Shutout Streak Starts; Starg Double Dingers; Boot City; Triple Play; Rally Time & Game Stories

• 1890 - The Pittsburgh Alleghenys committed 14 errors in a 14-1 loss to Chicago Colts at home. The Pittsburgh 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 28-113, 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. 

Deacon Phillippe 1903 E-107

• 1903 - The Pirates tossed their first of a MLB record six consecutive shutouts as Deacon Phillippe blanked the New York Giants, 7-0. Per the Pittsburgh Press “Phillippe had speed, curves and control and he made eight of the Husky McGrawites fan the elusive atmosphere...” Hans Wagner had three hits; four other Buccos added a pair. 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. 
• 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. 

Ed Stevens 1949 Bowman

• 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. 
• 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. Roberto Clemente also had three knocks while five other Buccos banged out a pair of raps to back Max Surkont. 
• 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. 
• 1966 - Vern Law tossed a complete game, three-hit shutout over the Mets at Shea Stadium in a 5-0 victory. It was The Deacon’s 150th Pirates win (he would finish his career with 162, sixth-most in franchise history) and he became the last Buc hurler to reach that landmark. The Deac helped himself; he had two hits, including a solo homer, and scored twice. Donn Clendenon also went long. 

Vern Law 1967 Topps

• 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. Matty Alou collected two hits in each game as Ronnie Kline won the opener and Bob Moose dropped the nightcap.

6/2 TRS-PNC Park Era: Rick's 2-Hitter; 10 Zeroes; Pinch Hit Granny; Blown Leads; Big Wind & Romps

• 1987 - Rick Reuschel fired a two-hitter against the Atlanta Braves at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, ending a six game Pirate losing streak. Andy Van Slyke’s homer accounted for two Bucco runs, and he made a great catch in the ninth to help save the 4-0 victory. Rafe Belliard scored twice. 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. The tornado touched down on nearby Mt. Washington and the Pittsburgh Post Gazette’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. 

Jason Michaels 2009 Topps Black Border

• 2011 - The Bucs blew a 7-0 lead to the Mets and lost 9-8 at Citi Field as Paul Maholm couldn’t hold the lead and left with the game tied. Jose Veras then self destructed in the eighth, giving up a hit, four walks and a wild pitch. The Buc wasted a homer and four RBI from Neil Walker and a four hit day with a triple, two stolen bases and three runs scored from Xavier Nady. 
• 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. 

Big day for Jordy (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

• 2017 - You wouldn’t expect this kind of game from a Gerrit Cole - Matt Harvey match, but the Bucs and Mets exchanged big innings with the Pirates coming out on top at CitiField 12-7. The Pirates put up a three spot in the fourth to take the lead on Elias Diaz’s bases-loaded, three-run double. The New York nine answered in the fifth with five runs off Cole to take a 7-4 advantage. The Corsairs then responded with a seven-spot in the sixth off Harvey and reliever Paul Sewald, keyed by Diaz’s three-run homer, his first as a major leaguer, to jump ahead 11-7. Then the storm abated; the only other run to score was on Josh Harrison’s solo shot in the eighth. Josh Bell also went long in the victory, and even with the sketchy start, Cole got the win, making up a bit for some early-season hard-luck losses. Diaz ended up with six RBI, the first six-pack by a Pirates rookie since Andrew McCutchen in 2009.

Bucs Bounce Back Behind Jamo To Even Series With 4-0 Win

Starling singled with two outs and J-Bell walked before Mile Mikolas finished up the first act. A one-out walk and DP made for an easy start for Jameson Taillon; the twin killing came after a review decided that Harrison Bader had interfered with Fraze as he made the turn. The Bucs went down in order in the second, with Gregory's liner run down at the fence. The Redbirds went quietly too on three wormburners. With an out in the third, Fraze shot one off Mikolas' foot and got a friendly ricochet; he ended up with a two-bagger. Cervy got brushed with a 1-2 change, followed by a muffed grounder to fill the bags. Josh made it hurt with a sac fly to put Pittsburgh on the board. Jamo breezed through the bottom of the order. Mikolas spun a quiet fourth; ditto for Jameson. The pair have served up 17 ground outs already.

Late entry Fraze had a pair of hits & scored twice (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Fraze tripled with an out in the fifth. Cervy got a mistake heater down the middle on an 0-2 pitch and he rattled another three-bagger (both were pretty poorly played by the Card OF'ers). Starling couldn't cash in, as Carpenter cut off his bid for a hit to turn a 5-3, nor could J-Bell, who flew out. Marcell Ozuna legged out the Cards' first rap, a right side infield bleeder quickly followed by another knock. Two whiffs and a soft roller put out the fire. Corey D and Red Beard kicked off the sixth with back-to-back singles. No luck; a pop up and Jordy at' em ball liner to Carpenter turned into a DP closed the page; knock on wood that all these squandered runners don't come back to bite. It was 1-2-3 for Jamo. Sam Tuivailala took over in the seventh and cruised through. St. Louis got another infield knock with an out but it caused no probs.

J-Bell walked with an out in the eighth and came home (he ran through a stop sign after a bobble in the outfield) when Corey D slapped an outside heater to left for a double; he took third on the throw home. Mike Mayers climbed the hill and gave up a sac fly to Red Beard. Gregory doubled before last call. Jamo toed the slab at 90 pitches, with Steven Brault loosening. No worries; he left a couple over the dish but still twirled a clean frame to close with three hits, a walk, six whiffs and 15 groundouts after 104 tosses. He got Brett Cecil came in for the ninth and Freeser, after a hand from old timey Card fans, flared a single to start it off but no pad was added. Edgar Santana got the horsehide. He showed some nerves by spraying the ball around, but got two outs, one nicely done by Jordy, before giving up a double and then closing it out. RTJR!

Corey D had his 17th multi-hit game (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Jamo's slider has really come into play the last two games. It's not a wipe-out pitch, but a nice change of speed and level to add to his mix that keeps his foes guessing. Believe it or not, today was his first win since April 8th! And give the club props, too - a loss like last night's could turn into a pity-party nosedive in a hurry, but they "showered off." Two down, two more to go in Gateway City.

Notes:

• Fraze and Corey D had two hits; Gregory just one but he stroked the ball well three times. He's still looking for some BABIP progression; he has just a .246 BA for balls in play with his career average 40 points higher.
• Kyle Crick & Felipe Vasquez were both down for maintenance tonight.
• This was Miles Mikolas' first loss of the year.
• FWIW, Mike McKenry thinks Vasquez has mechanic, not physical, issues caused by a rushed delivery. Clint said there are no plans to move Felipe out of the closer's role; they're going to roll up their sleeves and pore over video to ID his problems. Seems like they could have started that a little sooner, given his recent woes.
• The Pirates added to their MLB lead with their 23rd sac fly; they hit a pair tonight.

He's back in action (photo Dan Kubis/Pirates)

• Jung-Ho Kang went 0-for-3 with two walks, two K and a run scored in his Class A Bradenton debut.
• Mark the Shark is back in action; the Giants just activated him from the 60-day DL.
• The Yankees released Ollie Perez from his minor league contract.

Bucco & Cards, Jamo v Mikolas & Notes

Today: The game begins at 8:15 and will be carried by AT&T SportsNet and 93.7 The Fan.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Fran Cervelli C, Starling Marte CF, J-Bell 1B, Corey Dickerson LF, Colin Moran 3B, Gregory Polanco RF, Jordy SS & Jameson Taillon P. Gregory is still in; after last night, Clint is hoping he's gonna catch fire again. Fraze was a late addition; J-Hay was originally penciled in, with no explanation for the switcheroo. (EDIT - Josh has flu symptoms; guess Cervy left a couple of germs floating around.)

Fraze got a late call to lead the order (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Pitchers: RHP Jameson Taillon (2-4, 4.53) meets RHP Miles Mikolas (6-0, 2.58). Jamo appears to be rounding into shape; three of his last four starts, not including the short outing when he left early because of a cut finger, have been strong (his line from his last outing is meh, but that's because he was victimized by a bullpen blowup). The Pirates could use a return to form. His last outing, and first against St Louis this year, was against Mikolas, and Jamo was in line for the win before Edgar Santana and Michael Feliz turned a 4-1 lead into a 6-4 defeat. The Card righty had a tough day against the Bucs, allowing four runs on six hits in six frames and facing his first defeat until the bullpen implosion. In April, he got a no decision, going seven innings and giving up two runs in a Redbird loss.

Notes:

• Amore has hit four three-run homers this season, tied for the most in the Majors along with Oakland’s Khris Davis and Gleyber Torres of the New York Yankees. He enters today leading MLB with 25 two-out RBI this season.
• Corey Dickerson has a team-leading 16th multi-hit games.
• Tyler Glasnow is averaging 11.7 K/nine innings.
• The Pirates have gone 0-4 in their last four series since sweeping the White Sox in a two-game set on May 15-16.
• RH closer Montana DuRapau has served his 50-game suspension after testing positive for a drug of abuse and is back with the Altoona Curve.

6/1 Expo Park-Forbes Field Era: Roberto Found; Veale Fans 16; Game Stories; HBD Hal, Lou, Al, Harry & Bad Bill

• 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 hit .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. 

Pittsburg Press 6-2-1897

• 1897 - The Pirates were cruising along with a 7-0 lead in the sixth at the Polo Grounds when the NY Giants put up four runs and were still going when an ump show broke up the game. A Giant runner was tagged on the way to second on a grounder. Umpire McDermott, with whom the Pirates had a run-in with the previous game and had a history of controversy, didn’t make a call. The runner, Lucky Holmes, held second, the ump eventually ruled him safe and according to the Pittsburgh Press “...he (Lucky) laughed uproariously and danced a jig.” The resulting discussion over the call led to the ejection of four players. One of the Pirates bench subs was injured, and that left Pittsburgh one shy of a full nine. McDermott then forfeited the game to the Giants. The Pirates protested to no avail, and the Press headline the following day read “An Immense Steal - Umpire McDermott Robbed The Pirates Of Yesterday’s Game. His Work Was The Worst Exhibition Ever Seen On Any Ballfield.” 
• 1899 - 1B Al Niehaus was born in Cincinnati. He started 15 games for the 1925 Pirates, batting .219, before he was traded to the hometown Reds. Niehaus hit .299 there but replaced by a vet and sold to St. Paul after the season. He was in the minors from 1921-29 and had several .300+ campaigns, but his glovework - he made 11 errors between the Pirates and Reds in 1925 - held him back. The DH arrived a few decades too late to help him along. 
• 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 Pittsburgh 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.” 

More ump problems (Pittsburg Press 6-2-1901)

• 1911 - LHP Lou Tost was born in Cumberland, Washington. Lou had tossed for the Braves in 1942 (he also tossed in three games in ‘43 before becoming a sailor) and got a final appearance for the Bucs in 1947, giving up a run on three hits in his last MLB outing. He was another wartime guy who lost 1943-45 to the service; the Bucs purchased him from the Braves Sacramento club in the PCL after the 1946 season. In all, he played pro ball from 1934-48 except for his service years.
• 1936 - C Hal Smith (not the World Series Smith but his Redbird namesake) was born in Barling, Arkansas. Smith was a Cardinals catcher from 1956-61 before he was forced to retire and enter the coaching ranks with a heart condition. Smith appeared in four games in July 1965 for the Pirates as a player-coach after Jim Pagliaroni, Del Crandall and Ozzie Virgil were injured, catching 12 frames and going 0-for-3 before returning as a member of Harry Walker's staff. He left to join the Milwaukee Brewers after the ‘67 campaign and finished his career as a scout for the Cardinals. 
• 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. 
• 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. 
• 1961 - The Bucs entertained 19,128 Forbes Field faithful by thumping the Milwaukee Braves 8-2. Smoky Burgess with two homers and Dick Groat with another got the crowd on their feet; both had three RBI on the day. Roberto Clemente got them out of the seats with his fielding. He ran down a Joe Adcock shot and taught rookie Joe Torre a lesson in baserunning as described by the Pittsburgh Press beatman Les Biederman: “Torre singled to right...rounded first and Dick Stuart cut off Clemente's throw home and politely tagged out Torre.” Harvey Haddix got the win; he tossed shutout ball after the first inning. 

Bob Veale 1965 Topps

• 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 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. The five-hitter was the Bucs 12th consecutive win; it came right on the heels of an eight-game losing streak. The Bucs lost the next day but still took eight of the next 10 games. The early hole they dug eventually did them in - although they won 90 games, they finished third behind the Dodgers.

6/1 TRS-PNC Park Era: 7 In-A-Row for Frankie; Wagner 1-Hitter; Kendall, Manahan Picked #1; Sweep; Rallies & More

• 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. 

Dock Ellis 1971 Dell Stamp

• 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. 

Paul Wagner 1996 Fleer

• 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. 

Frankie 2013 Topps Chrome

• 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 over a low railing and bumped into Gregory Polanco, who was tracking the fly. After an ump review, Pittsburgh was awarded the third out and the fan was awarded 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.