Bucs Open Against the Tribe, Willy v Kluber, Lineup & Notes - Harrison Back

Today: Opening pitch is at 7:10 at Progressive Field with the game on AT&T SportsNet and 93.7 The Fan. And hey - it's raining. It's supposed to clear up, though, with just the threat of a quick passing storm during the game.

Pitchers: RHP Trevor Williams (7-7, 4.36) kicks it off against RHP Corey Kluber (12-5, 2.76). Willy is coming off a 2-0 decision over Washington, but has gone 2-5/6.26 ERA in his last 10 starts, so we'll see if he's launching another hot streak like he enjoyed at the start of the season (5-2, 2.62 in first nine games) or is just teasing. He's never faced the Indians. Kluber is the Tribe's main man, but hasn't tossed since July 12th; he got an injection in his right knee the next day, so he may have a little rust to shake off. This will be his first outing against the Bucs.

Willy is on the hill (image AT&T SportsNet)

Lineup: Corey Dickerson LF, Starling Marte CF, Gregory Polanco RF, Elias Diaz C, Colin Moran DH, J-Bell 1B, David Freese 3B, J-Hay 2B, Jordy SS (Williams P). If you wondered what a lineup with a DH would look like, here it be. J-Hay's back in the saddle, too.

Notes:

• Yesterday, Starling Marte extended his hitting streak to 15 games, now the majors' longest current string.
• Pittsburgh’s OF'ers rank first among NL teams in OPS (.836) & slugging (.500), and second in BA (.282) & HRs (53).
• The Pirates lead the NL with 27 homers in July. The Bucs have gone long in seven consecutive games.
• The Indians are 54-44 and in first in the AL Central. They've won 4-of-6. Pittsburgh is riding a nine-game wave; the last time they won 10 in a row was in 2004.
• Tonight is the first visit to Cleveland for the Pirates since 2012, when the Bucs took 2-of-3 from the Tribe. The Bucs have won six straight and 10 of its 12 games against the junior circuit in 2018.
• During yesterday's Neal Huntington radio show, the GM said he'd like to add to the club "if there's something out there that makes sense."
• Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports, on the same subject of Bucco moves, told 93.7 The Fan that "I don't think you can buy for a rental, especially if you're just going for a wild card spot, so I think they may stay pat and then maybe see what's out there in August..."

7/23 Expo Park-Forbes Field Era: Clarke Cycle; Pie & Ralph Long Balls; Game Stories; HBD Ginger & Mack

• 1876 - OF Ginger Beaumont was born in Rochester, Wisconsin. He played eight seasons (1899-1906) for Pittsburgh, hitting .321 with 757 runs scored and 200 stolen bases. Beaumont led the league in batting with a .357 average in 1902, and in 1903 led in at bats (613), runs (137) and hits (209) while hitting .342, helping the team to earn a spot in the first World Series. 
• 1901 - Fred Clarke hit for the cycle for the second time in his career as the Pirates whipped the Cincinnati Reds 9-2 at Exposition Park behind Jack Chesbro, who struck out 11 batters. Lefty Davis, Honus Wagner and Kitty Bransfield added three hits apiece to stoke the 16 hit Bucco barrage. 

Fred Clarke Pittsburgh Heroes

• 1901 - IF Malcomb “Mack” Hillis was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mack had a 12-game MLB career; 11 of those outings were with the 1928 Pirates. He went 9-for-39 with two doubles, three triples, six runs scored and seven RBI, but with Sparky Adams and Pie Traynor ahead of him, it was his last Pittsburgh and MLB campaign. Hillis started pro ball in 1922 and finally hung them up in 1934, playing mostly in the Eastern and Pacific Coast Leagues. 
• 1912 - Claude Hendrix tossed a seven-hit shutout, fanning nine, and Hans Wagner singled home Chief Wilson, aboard on a lead-off double, in the bottom of the ninth to give the Bucs a hard-earned 1-0 win over the Boston Braves at Forbes Field. Honus used a little trickery; he showed bunt, but instead hacked away. Hendrix and Braves hurler Otto Hess were in command throughout; only one runner from each squad had reached third prior to the Wilson tally. 
• 1925 - The Pirates scored twice in the ninth to defeat the St. Louis Cards 3-2 at Forbes Field and regain first place. They held the top spot for all but three days during the rest of the season and capped it with a World Series title. Jess Haines of the Redbirds and the Buccos Emil Yde “waged a brilliant slab duel” per the Pittsburgh Press. The Pirates ninth was opened by a Kiki Cuyler triple. The Card infield played in and Pie Traynor punched a double over their heads into right. Glenn Wright lined a single to center and the Pirates had a first-place walk-off. 
• 1930 - The Pirates won the first game of a Baker Bowl twin bill against Philadelphia 2-1 as Heinie Meine slipped past Roy “Swede” Hanson, the match decided by a ninth-inning Pie Traynor homer. The second game, twice delayed by rain, went 13 innings and ended 16-15 Pittsburgh. With darkness threatening, Traynor was again the hero, blasting a three-run shot that provided just enough insurance to hold off the Phils, while going 5-for-7 in the nitecap. The second game set a couple of single game records: With eight total homers and nine doubles, the total bases mark of 83 was established. The other record was total number at bats; the two clubs combined for 117 AB. 

Pie Traynor 1929 Kashin Publications

• 1947 - Ralph Kiner hit his 24th and 25th long balls of the year off the Phils’ Al Jurisich‚ breaking the club record of 23 set by Johnny Rizzo in 1938 and tied by Kiner in his rookie year of 1946. Pittsburgh beat Philly 6-2 at Forbes Field as Hank Greenberg also went yard. Tiny Bonham gave up 11 hits but only two runs in the complete-game win. Kiner ended the year with 51 homers, tops in the NL and tied with Johnny Mize for the MLB title. 
• 1962 - Reds pitcher Jim O'Toole lost his no hit bid when Bob Skinner doubled with one out in the eighth inning, but still finished strong with a 3-0, one-hit win over the Bucs at Crosley Field. Bob Friend took the loss; the defeat was in the early stages of a 14-of-17 game losing streak for the Pirates. 
• 1969 - After three years of low scoring games, the All Star contest at RFK Stadium featured some offense, with the NL winning 9-3. Matty Alou went 2-for-4 with a walk and a run while Roberto Clemente whiffed against Sudden Sam McDowell in his only at bat. The game was originally scheduled for the prior evening but heavy rains forced its postponement to the following afternoon. It also cost the first-pitcher, President Richard Nixon, who was slated for the night game ceremony but spent Wednesday at the Apollo 11 splashdown. VP Agnew Spiro did the day game honors. The contest was the last All-Star Game to be played earlier than Eastern prime time.

7/23 TRS-PNC Park Era: TRS-ASG; Bobby Bo & A-Ram Deals; Guillen, Darwin Dealt; 9 In a Row; Game Stories

• 1974 - TRS hosted the 45th All-Star Game, drawing 50,706 fans. The NL romped 7-2 with Pirate lefty Ken Brett, the Bucs only All Star, getting the win. He tossed a pair of scoreless frames, giving up a hit and a walk. It was the third time the Pirates hosted the All-Star Game (the first two were at Forbes Field in 1944 and 1959). This would be the first of two times that the game would be played at Three Rivers Stadium, with the stadium the ASG venue again in 1994. 

• 1977 - With some clutch two-out at-bats and a bit of legerdemain from Chuck Tanner, the Bucs scored four times in the seventh to beat Cincinnati 5-4 at TRS. Down 4-1, the Bucs cut the lead to a run on doubles by Dave Parker and Rennie Stennett around a Bill Robinson knock. Two righty pinch-hitters, Fernando Gonzalez and Jerry Hairston, reached on a walk and infield knock to load the bases with two outs. Sparky Anderson saw Willie Stargell with a helmet and bat, so he kept lefty starter Frank Capilla in to instead face Jim Fregosi, who banged out a two-run single to put Pittsburgh up by a run. It was a little chicanery on Tanner’s part as unknown to Sparky, Pops had an elbow problem that was so severe that he couldn’t swing a bat; otherwise Pedro Borbon would have gotten the call. Grant Jackson squelched a bases-loaded threat left by Kent Tekulve in the eighth and tossed a 1-2-3 ninth against Pete Rose, Ken Griffey and Joe Morgan to save the win for Jim Rooker. 
• 1979 - The Bucs won their ninth game in a row by a 7-1 count over the Atlanta Braves at TRS. Tim Foli went 3-for-5 with four RBI to lead the attack while Bert Blyleven tossed a four hit complete game. The Bucs pulled off the 500th triple play in MLB history in the second inning of the nitecap when Braves’ pitcher Phil Niekro bounced into a 5-4-3, Bill Madlock-to-Phil Garner-to-Willie Stargell triple killing at TRS, but had the last laugh as he spun a two-hitter in an 8-0 Atlanta romp, ending the Bucco winning string. 
• 1982 - Pittsburgh dropped Atlanta 6-0 at TRS as Rick Rhoden did it all. He tossed a six-hit, complete game shutout with only two Braves reaching second, banged out two hits and chased home a pair of runs. Dale Berra had a big day too, making two great plays in the field and scoring three times, one on a swipe of home as part of a double steal with Omar Moreno. 

Rick Rhoden 1982 Donruss

• 1986 - The Bucs sent RHP Jose DeLeon to the Chicago White Sox for OF Bobby Bonilla. DeLeon had a long and workmanlike career while Bobby Bo earned four All-Star berths with the Pirates, hitting .284 with 114 HR and 500 RBI for the Pirates from 1986-91. The Pirates had originally signed Bonilla out of high school in 1981, but the White Sox claimed him in 1985’s Rule 5 draft. The move ended Lee Mazzilli’s three-year run with the Pirates; he was released to make roster space for Bonilla and signed with his original team, the Mets.
• 1991 - A couple of milestones: Buc bench coach Jeff Banister made his MLB debut and singled off Atlanta’s Dan Petry in his only big league at bat. Banister was a Pirate lifer after being drafted in 1986 until landing the skipper job in Texas. In the same game, rookie John "Rock" Wehner, now a Pirates broadcaster, went 5-for-5 to become the first 'Burgh rook since Richie Zisk in 1973 to collect five hits. The Bucs beat the Atlanta Braves 12-3 at TRS; Gary Redus and Spanky LaValliere combined to drive in seven runs while Redus and Bobby Bonilla homered to help Doug Drabek to cruise to victory. 
• 1996 - The Pirates traded RHP Danny Darwin to the Astros for minor league RHP Rich Loiselle. Loiselle spent his six-year MLB career (1996-2001) as a Pirate and claimed 29 saves in 1997 after being converted from a starter to the pen. He finished 9-18-49, going steadily downhill after fairly strong 1997-98 campaigns. The veteran Darwin won 16 more games before hangin’ the spikes up after the 1998 season, closing out 21 years in the show. 

Rich Loiselle 1998 Finest

• 1999 - The Pirates traded OF Jose Guillen and P Jeff Sparks to Tampa Bay for Cs Joe Oliver and Humberto Cota, scuffling for help behind the plate after Jason Kendall broke his ankle. Guillen‚ who had 28 homers and 154 RBI in his first two seasons‚ was having a down year after arriving at spring training a month late due to visa problems. He went on to have a half dozen 20+ HR campaigns, including a 31-bomb season in 2003. 
• 2015 - 3B Aramis Ramirez, who began his career as a Bucco, was traded back to the ‘Burg by the Milwaukee Brewers along with cash for minor league reliever Yhonathan Barrios. A-Ram, who retired at the end of the year, filled a gap on the left side of the infield caused by injuries to Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer.

Break 'Em Up - Bucs Broom Reds 9-2

Pretty good start against Matt Harvey; Corey D doubled and trotted home after Gregory's homer. Ivan got off to a clean start. More fun was had in the second. S-Rod banged a two-bagger poorly played by Adam Duvall, Mad Max singled him in and then scored after Corey D crushed one (447') into the seats. Starling followed with another big fly to the bullpen, and it was 6-0. Cincy got a two-out single in their turn. The Bucs calmed down in the third with three up, three down. The Redlegs managed another two-out knock. The balls kept flying in the fourth when S-Rod went deep. Two outs later, Dickerson's rap ended Harvey's day as Jackson Stephens claimed the bump. Starling and El Coffee singled to plate another Bucco before the gate shut. Ivan walked Joey Votto, but an around-the-horn DP and bounce out turned it into a quiet frame. J-Bell's knock was the only Bucco noise in the fifth, while the Redlegs again got a rap with two away, causing no harm except to turn the order over.

A couple of Rene Gayo's finds are paying off (image Root Sports)

Ivan opened the sixth with a gapper that rolled to the wall; he stopped at first to celebrate (or maybe get directions; it was his first hit in 64 at bats and equalled his 2017 hit total). He was singled to second and tallied on Eli's two-out double. The Reds went down without a peep. Pittsburgh got a leadoff knock from J-Bell as their seventh inning action. The Reds drew a walk with one away and followed with a two-out double; a single chased them both home. That ended Ivan's outing as Michael Feliz took the ball. His first pitch was lasered to center, but Starling was there to tuck it away. Austin Brice was the eighth inning choice and spun a clean inning. Cincy opened with a double that ticked off Starling's mitt, but Feliz worked around it. Kyle Crockett worked a calm ninth. Tyler Glasnow came to turn out the lights, and 12 pitches later, it was time to RTJR.

Super showing in Queen City; great pitching and hitting, and how about Dickerson-Marte-Polanco? That's some outfield right now. Now let's hope the other end of Ohio welcomes the Bucs just as warmly.

Notes:

• Corey D had four hits; Starling, Gregory, J-Bell and S-Rod each had two knocks. Dickerson, Polanco, Marte and Rodriguez homered. Every Buc starter had at least a hit except for Colin Moran, and he lined out twice.
• Starling extended his hitting streak to 15 games.
• Corey Dickerson is the first Bucco to homer in four straight games since J-Hay in 2014.
• The last nine-game winning streak for the Pirates was in 2013.

Bucs Close Out Against Reds, Nova v Harvey, Lineup & Notes

Today: The getaway game starts at 1:10. It will be beamed back by AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan as the Bucs look to break out the broom.

Pitchers: RHP Ivan Nova (5-6, 4.38) finishes the set against RHP Matt Harvey (5-3, 3.64). Ivan's losing steam again; in his last three outings, he's given up 24 hits in 15-1/3 innings after three sharp outings following his return from the DL. He's split with Cincy this year, getting beat up fairly well at GABP but working a strong game at home. That fits Ivan's MO this year - he has a 2.92 ERA in Steeltown, but it balloons to 5.74 on the road, and GABP is a bad venue for guys that give up long flies; he's 1-5 at Cincy. Harvey is on a roll, giving up just six runs in his last five starts while going 4-0/1.86. In his first game against the Pirates this year, he gave up a run in six innings on three hits. In his next outing v the Bucs, he was chased after five, giving up a three-spot.

Ivan looks to complete the sweep (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Lineup: Corey Dickerson LF, Starling Marte CF, Gregory Polanco RF, Elias Diaz C, Colin Moran 3B, J-Bell 1B, S-Rod 2B, Max Moroff SS & Nova P. Little surprised that Clint is riding Eli so hard; he caught the curfew-buster on Friday and a night game last night. No Josh Harrison yet and Jordy is off today.

Notes:

• The Pirates have won eight in a row for the first time since 2015. They haven't swept the Reds in Cincinnati since 2013, so a couple of streaks will bang heads today.
• Pretty good back end: Edgar Santana, Kyle Crick and Felipe Vázquez have posted a combined 27-1/3 scoreless innings of work this month. Santana has tossed 9-2/3 scoreless innings over 10 appearances, Crick has twirled 8-2/3 scoreless frames in eight outings and Vázquez has yet to allow a run in nine innings over 10 appearances this month.
• J-Bell is hitting .360 w/.458 OBP in July.
• The Bucs have homered in each of their last six games, hitting a total of 14 bombs in that span. Pittsburgh went deep in a season-high seven straight games this year in late April.

7/22 Through the 20s: O'Toole/Kelly Deal; Ginger 6-for-6; Deacon Does It All; Howie Gem; HBD Mooney, Elmer & Larry

• 1880 - C George “Mooney” Gibson was born in London, Canada. He played a dozen years for the Bucs (1905-16) as a defense-first catcher, batting .238 but tossing out 949 runners. He had a 46% throw-out rate back in the days when baseball was a go-go league - 1,101 runners actually did steal off him against the Pirates. He was durable, too, once catching 140 straight games. Mooney finished his career as a NY Giant and later returned to Pittsburgh as a manager, first in 1920-22, then from 1932-34, finishing second three times with a record of 401-330. Gibson was the first baseball player elected to the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. Per Wiki, his nickname may have been inspired by his round, moon-shaped face, though other sources claim he picked it up because he had played on a sandlot team known as the Mooneys. 

Mooney 1911 T201 Mecca Double Folder

• 1885 - LHP Elmer Knetzer was born in Carrick. He tossed for the Pittsburgh Rebels of the Federal League from 1914-15 with a 38-26/2.73 slash, with six years in the NL sandwiched on either end of that stint. Knetzer was the first active player to jump from the NL to the FL after Brooklyn lowballed him during contract time. He went by “Pretzel” and “The Baron” - Pretzel because of the way his curveball twisted, while Baron goes unexplained. He stayed a hometown boy, and when he died in 1975, he was buried in St Wendelin Cemetery in Carrick. 
• 1885 - OF Sheldon “Larry” LeJeune was born in Chicago. He played for brief parts of two seasons in the show, his last being in 1915 for the Pirates, hitting .161 and committing five errors in 61 chances. Still, he came to Pittsburgh with a pretty good resume - he had led the Central League in batting from 1912-1915 and in homers in 1910 and 1912. Larry did make the record books, tho - in 1910, he hurled a baseball 426’ 9”, a record that stood until minor-leaguer Don Grates broke it (434’) in 1952. 
• 1899 - The Pirates rolled over the Philadelphia Quakers by an 18-4 count at Exposition Park. OF Ginger Beaumont went 6-for-6 at leadoff and scored six times without hitting a ball out of the infield. Rookie second baseman Jimmy Williams drove in three runs with a pair of triples. 

Howie Camnitz 1909 American Tobacco

• 1908 - The Pirates scored twice in the first inning and those runs held up as they beat the Brooklyn Superbas 2-1 at Exposition Park. As described by the Pittsburgh Press “Howie Camnitz was on the rubber for the Pirates and pitched in faultless style, allowing only four hits and having his opponents at his mercy the whole way.” One of those hits was a bomb by Brooklyn 1B Tim Jordan, who “...laced the sphere over the right field fence...It was a terrific swat and the Superba star was cheered to the echo by the spectators.” He was the first batter to put one into the seats on the fly at the Expo since 1899. 
• 1910 - Deacon Phillippe hit a second-inning inside-the-park grand slam off Brooklyn’s Fred Miller as part of a 14-1 win at Washington Park as the Pirates swept the Superbas in a four game set. Mel Stottlemyre was the next MLB pitcher to hit an inside the park grannie - in 1965! Phillippe was the first Bucs hurler to empty jammed bases; there are only five in franchise history with grand slams. 
• 1911 - The Pirates paid St. Paul of the American Association $22‚500 for RHP Marty O'Toole‚ the most expensive purchase of a player to that date. Barney Dreyfuss spent another $5‚000 for his battery mate Bill Kelly. In 1912‚ O'Toole went 15-17 and lead the NL with 159 walks and was out of Pittsburgh by 1914, winning a total of 26 games while walking 300 batters in 599-1/3 IP. Kelly was a reserve catcher, hitting .290 for Pittsburgh and out of MLB after 1913.

7/22 From the 30s Through the 70s: Klein 21-Gamer; Teke Two-Fer; Game Stories; HBD Vogey, RC, Denny & Jack

• 1932 - LHP Jack McMahan was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He pitched for one season in the show, and his 11 game stint with the Pirates in 1956 didn’t go so well. In 13-1/3IP, the Rule 5 pick from the Yankees gave up nine runs on 18 hits with nine walks and he was traded with Curt Roberts to the Kansas City Athletics on June 23rd for Spook Jacobs. His stay with KC went a little better, but not so well that he got another call to the majors. He retired after the 1959 season, opened a liquor store for a spell and then became a golf equipment salesman. 

Jack McMahan 1956 (uncredited photo)

• 1933 - Fans were hard to come by during the 30’s, but 27,000 came out to Forbes Field to see the Bucs and Giants mix it up, the biggest turnout since 1930. The first game was a duel between Larry French and Carl Hubbell, whom exchanged six-hitters in the lidlifter, with the G-Man claiming a 1-0 win thanks to a Mel Ott sac fly in the first inning. It was a tight game, and the fans got into it by showering ump Charlie Moran with pop bottles after he called Bucco Tony Piet out at first, changed his mind and ruled him safe, and then, as the Giant infield charged first in protest, reverted back to his original call. There were no injuries - Moran even caught a couple of the bottles (although Beans Reardon, the third base arbitrator who had nothing to do with decision had a couple of bottles aimed at him, too) and after a cleanup, the game went on. The heated rooters and NY nine cooled off after an hour’s rain delay and Heinie Meine tossed the Pirates to a calm 6-2 win, with the pivotal blow a two-run triple by Arky Vaughan, who tallied a third score after the three-bagger on a wild pitch.
• 1934 - 1B RC Stevens was born in Moultrie, Georgia. The 6’5” slugger was signed out of Moultrie HS, but his one-trick stick wasn’t enough to earn him a starting spot in the show. As a back up, he hit decently, with a .260 BA and eight homers in 108 PA in 71 games from 1958-60, but he couldn’t outpace Ted Kluszewski, Dick Stuart and Rocky Nelson in the first base race. 
• 1939 - Boston committed seven errors in a 9-3 loss to the Bucs at Braves Field, allowing five unearned runs to cross the plate. One frustrated Bee’s fan jumped out of the stands and took a swing at Braves’ catcher Al Lopez after he dropped a popup. But it wasn’t entirely bad glovework. The Bucs also banged out 13 hits, led by Lee Handley’s 3-for-4 effort. Chuck Klein ran his hitting streak to 21 games with a 2-for-5 performance before the Bees stopped him the next day. 

Lee Handley 1940 Play Ball

• 1939 - Girls baseball never caught on in Pittsburgh, but softball was red hot here. The Duquesne Gardens hosted a pair of games touted as “Girls Indoor Baseball” (never mind that it was softball) on back-to-back days with the championship New York City Roverettes going against the Pittsburgh All-Stars. Pittsburgh won the opener 2-1 behind SS Ann Giaciach, who had four hits, but was thumped in the rematch 10-1. 
• 1963 - Utilityman Denny Gonzalez was born in Sabana Grande de Boya, Dominican Republic. He played parts of four seasons as a Buc (1984-88) but never spent a full campaign on the active roster, hitting .206. After his playing days, Gonzalez scouted for the Chicago White Sox and runs the Sox' Dominican Academy. He also has taken the Dominican National team reins in international play. 
• 1964 - Pittsburgh scored four runs in the first and never looked back as they whipped the St. Louis Cardinals 13-2 at Busch Stadium. Bill Mazeroski knocked in five runs with a double and homer while Willie Stargell hit for the cycle with four runs scored and three more driven in. Jerry Lynch also went yard and added three ribbies as Bob Veale cruised to victory. 
• 1977 - RHP Ryan Vogelsong was born in Charlotte, NC. He worked five years for the Pirates (2001, 2003-06), going 10-19 with a 6.00 ERA. He took a hiatus to Japan, but came back in 2011 to his original team, the SF Giants, and pitched strong ball for the G-Men, earning an All-Star spot in 2011. He rejoined Pittsburgh in 2016 as a long man/spot starter, missing a large chunk of the campaign after a brutal beaning in the eye area. Vogey went 3-7/4.81 for the Bucs in that campaign. He signed with the Twins in 2017 but was released in camp. A fan fave in the Bay, he retired as a Giant later in the year. 

Ryan Vogelsong 2016 (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

• 1979 - Kent Tekulve saved both ends of a doubleheader as the Pirates swept the Braves 5-4 and 3-2 at TRS. Teke scattered four hits over three scoreless innings in the first game of a twin bill, closing out Don Robinson’s win (which Robinson helped along with two RBI and a run scored), then tossed the final inning in relief of Jim Bibby (who was also a hitting hero with a two-run homer) in the second game for his 15th and 16th saves of the year.

7/22 From the 80s Forward: RIP Little Poison; Coles for Wilson; Littlefield's Folly; Adam LaRoche Deal; Grilli on SI; Game Stories

• 1982 - Lloyd “Little Poison” Waner passed away at age 76. The 18-year veteran (all but one in a Bucco uniform, at least in part) batted .316 and teamed with his brother, Paul - known as ''Big Poison'' - to lead the Pirates' attack in the late 1920's and throughout the 1930's. Lloyd, elected to the Hall of Fame in 1967, had 2,459 career hits. The speedy Waner was Pittsburgh’s long-time leadoff hitter with an eagle eye at the dish. In 8,344 plate appearances, he struck out just 173 times. After retiring as a player after the 1945 campaign, Waner worked as a Pirates scout from 1946-49 before getting a day job as an inspector for Oklahoma City. 

Little Poison (Helmar Cabinet)

• 1987 - The Pirates turned some efficient pitching from Rick Reuschel and some shoddy Giant play into a 4-0 win over San Francisco at Candlestick Park. Both teams traded five hits, and the Bucs were nursing a slim 1-0 lead into the ninth when a single, an error, three walks (two intentional) and a wild pitch netted them three runs. Big Daddy went the distance and used up just 91 pitches to dispatch the G-Men. 
• 1988 - In a swap of outfielders, Pittsburgh sent Darnell Coles to Seattle for Glenn Wilson. Wilson spent 1988-89 as a Buc, returning again for his 1993 swan song. He got into 147 games and was solid, hitting .274 with 11 HR. Coles spent 1987-88 as a Pirate, also smacking 11 homers but hitting just .230 in 108 games. 
• 1993 - The Bucs scored four times in the ninth to rally past the Braves 8-7 at TRS. Jay Bell drove in the first run in the final frame, and with two outs, Dave Clark’s single got the Bucs within a run. The next hitter, Kevin Young, dropped a soft liner into right center, plating Lloyd McClendon and Clark, who scored all the way from first, to give Blas Minor the victory. 
• 2003 - The Pirates traded 3B Aramis Ramirez, OF Kenny Lofton, and cash to the Cubs for SS Jose Hernandez, P Matt Bruback, and 2B Bobby Hill in Dave Littlefield's darkest day of salary dumping. It was speculated that P Kris Benson, not Ramirez, was who the Cubs were after, but he missed his prior start with “shoulder discomfort” so Chicago passed on him. 

Adam LaRoche 2009 Topps Heritage

• 2009 - The Pirates traded Adam LaRoche to the Boston Red Sox for two minor leaguers, SS Argenis Diaz and RHP Hunter Strickland. LaRoche remained in the show until 2016 when he retired, while Diaz played for Pittsburgh briefly in 2010 and Hunter is now with the Giants. 
• 2009 - The Pirates used a season-high five home runs to hold off the Brewers 8-7 at PNC Park. Brandon Moss went long in the ninth off Mitch Stettler for his first walk off homer; Ryan Doumit added a pair of blasts while Andrew McCutchen and Garrett Jones each had one. Delwyn Young and Jones had three hits apiece. Paul Maholm started and was chased in the fifth after giving up all seven runs; Joel Hanrahan, John Grabow and eventual winner Matt Capps shut the gate afterward. 
• 2013 - Jason Grilli was on the cover of Sports Illustrated, the poster boy for Ben Reiter’s story “The Strangest But Truest Story of the Summer: The Playoff Bound Pirates and Their Sharknado Bullpen.” It was purely coincidental that Grilled Cheese was injured pitching the same day, put on the DL, and out of action until September 3rd. It was also the first time in 21 years, since Barry Bond’s 1992 appearance, that a Pirate graced the cover of SI.

Pirates Cruise Past Reds 6-2 For Eighth Straight Win

Still raining in Cincy, but they got this one off on time even as the drops fell.

The Bucs opened by lining one off Anthony DeSclafani; he was OK and a fortuitous ricochet turned it into an out. Starling kept on keepin' on with a knock, but was gunned out at second after oversliding, confirmed by review, and a fly made it a 1-2-3 frame. Nick Kingham walked the first two Reds he saw on 3-2 pitches; the rain is prob not helping him. He fell behind Joey Votto 2-0, then got him to roll one to S-Rod to start a 4-6-3 DP on a good feed and turn. Another grounder ended the frame. After a pair of whiffs in the second, J-Bell bled an 0-2 pitch to short for an infield knock, but DeSclafani finished by striking out the side. Cincy went down in order. With two gone in the third, Corey D caught a curve and sent it into the batter's eye to draw first blood. The Redlegs wasted a two-out double. El Coffee opened the fourth with a two-bagger and Red Beard walked. After a meeting at the mound, J-Bell doubled home a run on the next pitch. S-Rod's grounder froze them, and Jordy was given a free pass before The King K'ed.

Nick did it all tonight (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Then the umps sent everyone off the field as the tarps came out; it resumed 45 minutes or so later. Nick stayed loose during the delay, giving up just a two-out single. DeSclafani returned for the fifth; Corey D knocked his first pitch out of the park, bringing on Kyle Crockett. Eli doubled with two outs and moved to third on a wild pitch but died there. The Reds went down quietly, getting a runner to first on Kingham's throwing error. Michael Lorenzen took the bump for the sixth and J-Bell singled. An out later, Jordy doubled him to third.This time Nick helped himself, bouncing a soft single into center with the infield in to plate the pair. Corey D hit into a force and stole second, but Starling left him there. The Redlegs had no response. Amir Garrett toed the slab in the seventh and put Pittsburgh away. With an out and a runner at first, Curt Casali got a belt-high heater on a 3-2 pitch and dropped it barely into the stands for your classic GABP dinger to make it 5-2 and bring in Edgar Santana. He gave up a knock, fanned Billy Hamilton ("strike five, you're out" noted Joe Block correctly) and cruised out.

Jared Hughes got the eighth inning work order. J-Bell opened with a knock and S-Rod dropped a bunt single. Jordy sacrificed them up. Freeser's bouncer to second got Josh thrown out at home, but a wild pitch brought S-Rod in before the frame ended. Kyle Crick took the ball. Two K's around a Votto liner took it to the ninth and Raisel Iglesias. He sailed through the frame. Felipe Vazquez came on, and after a whiff, he gave up a double and bopped a batter. Then he settled in and took it home. RTJR.

Corey D is getting his power stroke back (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

The team's hitting on all cylinders now; it'll be an interesting series when they get to first-place Cleveland on Monday.

Notes:

• J-Bell had four hits and is batting .267 now. He was at .243 on June 23rd.
• Starling's hitting streak is now a career-high 14 games after his first-inning rap.
• Corey Dickerson has homered in three straight games. He's done that once before in 2014. Today was his seventh career multi-homer game.
• Max Moroff said that his slide that landed Alex Blandino on the DL was caused when his spikes got caught in the muddy infield, twisting him into Blandino. He added that he apologized to the Reds' infielder after the play and was surprised to learn that he was hurt so badly (torn ACL) per Steven Nesbitt of the Post Gazette. 
• Cervy has been cleared to resume baseball activities and was taking infield at 1B this afternoon, although he swears he wants to keep on catching.
• Indy's Chris Bostick is back at AAA after rehabbing following appendicitis surgery.

Pirates at Reds, Kingham v DeSclafani & Notes

Today: First pitch is at 7:10. The game will be carried by AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan. The forecast is for scattered thunderstorms during the late afternoon/night, so might be another late one.

Pitchers: RHP Nick Kingham (4-4, 4.26) meets RHP Anthony DeSclafani (4-1, 4.43). Nick has been on a roller coaster ride, but by and large has performed in big league fashion with room to improve; his control and swing-and-miss are promising (two walks, nine K/per nine innings), but giving up long balls (10 in 50-2/3 IP) offsets those peripherals. So we'll see how he develops; Nick should have a longer run this time around with Chad Kuhl's injury. He hasn't faced the Reds. DeSclafani has had three rough outings in his last four trips to the mound, and like The King, his strikeout/walk rate is fine but homers bite him (seven in his last 22 IP). He beat Pittsburgh a month ago, giving up two runs on solo shots in 5-2/3 frames.

Riding with The King (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Lineup: Corey Dickerson LF, Starling Marte CF, Gregory Polanco RF, Elias Diaz C, Colin Moran 3B, Josh Bell 1B, S-Rod 2B, Jordy SS & Kingham P. J-Hay is still down with a sore hammy, so S-Rod will carry on.

Notes:

• The Pirates have won seven straight and 9-of-10 to get their season record back to .500 for the first time since June 18th. It’s the longest winning streak for Pittsburgh since winning seven in a row from June 29th through July 6th, 2016. Pittsburgh’s last eight game winning streak came from September 19-26th, 2015.
• Starling has tied his career best with a 13-game hitting streak going on.
• Corey Dickerson has homered in back-to-back games for the second time this season.
• Max Moroff's hard slide in the ninth inning last night caused some major damage. The recipient, 2B Alex Blandino, was placed on the 10-day DL with a torn ACL in his right knee.
• LHP Enny Romero, recently claimed by KC from the Pirates, was just DFA'ed by the Royals.