Already A Broken Record - Bullpen Blows Lead, Bucs Strand Boatload in 5-4, 10-Inning Loss

It was 1-2-3 for Jamo in the first. The Bucs were up to their old tricks against Miles Mikolas. Fraze led off with a double, and after an out, an error and walk jammed the sacks. JHK spanked one to third and the around-the-horn twin killing killed the frame, even with a bobble by Carpenter - Kang isn't exactly Jesse Owens. After the Cards stranded a second-inning single, an infield rap by JB Shuck and an oppo field triple by Erik Gonzalez got the Bucs on the board. He came home when Fraze bounced a two-out, two-strike curve past Goldy into right. The Redbirds bled out a single in the third; the Pirates did their two-out, two-strike thing again when Jung Ho belted a slider into the seats. Melky doubled followed by a walk to JB, but no more damage was wreaked. The fourth was low drama; Fraze doubled but was stranded (the Bucs are 1-for-9 w/RISP so far). The fifth was six-up, six-down. Easy sixth for JT; he's at just 70 pitches and has sat down 11 in a row. Dominic Leone took the hill and tucked the Bucs away quietly.

The Cards lit the board in the seventh when Paul DeJong caught a center-center sinker that didn't sink and popped it over the fence; the next trio were put away in garden variety fashion. Mike Mayers took the ball. Cervy walked with two gone to become the first Bucco runner since the fourth, but J-Bell whiffed to douse the euphoria. Jamo called it a night, giving up a run on three hits with five K'son 85 tosses; Keone Kela took over in the eighth. He walked Kolten Wong on four pitches, and another ball was followed by a tying homer by Harrison Bader into the bullpen. Carpenter doubled after an out, but Kela left him there at the cost of 28 pitches. Mayers got the first batter, then Andrew Miller toed the rubber and worked a calm finish. Kyle Crick came in for the ninth and pitched a clean frame. John Gant walked his first man, Gonzalez, who stole second, surviving a Redbird challenge (a bad jump & slide overcame a worse tag). He stayed there *sigh*.

Jamo looked good, but the supporting cast... (photo Joe Guzy/Pirates)

Nick Burdi got the 10th, and Wong led it off with a triple off a two-strike hung slider. A walk and single put the Birds up and brought Frankie Liriano in the game. A walk and wild pitch gifted St. Louis another run. Alex Reyes was sent in for the save. Cervy singled, and after an out, Reyes walked the next two Buccos to bring up JB Shuck. In trotted Dakota Hudson. JB looked at five pitches and became the third straight free pass to pull the Bucs within a run and leave 'em loaded for Gonzalez. He popped out to first and Pablo's bouncer ended it; it was right after he offered at ball three with a 2-0 count.

So that's two games where the Bucs bullpen blew a big lead and wild-pitched the winning run home. It's only four games, but the Pirates were under the magnifying glass from a dubious fan base, and they're not doing much to help their own cause.

Notes:

• Fraze had three hits; JB had a knock and two walks. The Pirates were 1-for-14 w/RISP and stranded 11; the Cards had 10 runners and plated five of them.
• Tough night for Dexter Fowler in right - he dropped a can of corn and then failed to cut off Gonzalez's triple. Miles Mikolas was battered, too, as he had two or three comebackers bang off his body. To his credit, he hung in and made the plays.
• The official attendance was 23,954. Buc night worked; the cheap seats drew most of the warm fannies.
• Man, everyone is getting extensions - the Cubs signed utility man David Bote to five-year/$15M deal. The upcoming CBA must be messin' with a lot of guys minds, both players and suits...

Jamo v Miles Mikolas, Lineup & Notes

Game: The Bucs and Cards get it on at 7:05 at PNC Park. The game will be on AT&T SportsNet and 93.7 The Fan. It's the first Buc Night of the season, and weather-appropriate, too, starting off in the low 50's and dropping to the mid-40's.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Starling Marte CF, Fran Cervelli C, Josh Bell 1B, Jung Ho Kang 3B, Melky Cabrera RF, JB Shuck LF, Erik Gonzalez SS, Jameson Taillon P. Corey D has a sore shoulder and is listed as day-to-day.

JB Shuck and Melky man the corners (photo Elsa/Getty)

Pitchers: RHP Jameson Taillon goes against RHP Miles Mikolas; both are looking to bounce back from so-so opening outings. Both had streaks snapped; JT's 22-game stretch of three-or-fewer earned runs and Miles' 19-game streak without a loss both ended. Jamo was money against St. Louis last year, going 2-0/2.11 in three starts. MM was 1-2 in five starts against the Pirates, but spun a 2.90 ERA, so it looks like an early duel in the making.

Notes:

• C Elias Diaz will begin a rehab stint with Bradenton Thursday after missing much of camp with a virus. OF Gregory is also progressing; he's playing seven inning stints and back-to-back outings in his Pirate City games as he stretches out, prepping for his own rehab tour. Dovy Neverauskus tossed a sim game, while none of the other guys on the IL are in full baseball-activity mode yet.
• Indy has set its roster. So has Altoona and Bradenton.
• The Indians have signed New Brighton's Terry Francona to a two-year contract extension,
• And more extensions - Randal Grichuk inked a five year deal with the Jays and ditto for German Marquez of the Rockies.

4/3 Through the 1970’s: Cole-for-Pendleton; HBD Guy, Larry, Dick, Alex, Miguel & Bobby

• 1856 - Manager and 1B Guy Hecker was born in Youngsville, in Warren County. He was the Alleghenys player-manager in 1890, and it wasn’t a great year for Guy’s resume - he hit .226 as the first baseman and the team finished 23-113, decimated by Player League roster raids. Guy compiled quite a resume, though. During his career he played for Louisville Eclipse prior to the Alleghenys and is considered by some baseball historians to be the best combination pitcher and hitter to play in the 19th century. Hecker remains as one of the only two pitchers in MLB history to hit three home runs in one game, along with Jim Tobin, and the only pitcher to win a batting title (in 1886). In addition, he is the only pitcher in baseball history to get six hits in a nine-inning game. He could toss it, too - Hecker was the second pitcher ever in the American Association to pitch a no-hitter and led that league in Ks in 1884. 
• 1919 - Manager Larry Shepherd was born in Lakeland Ohio. He managed in the Pirate system from 1953 to 1966, spanning the Sally to the International Leagues, and won three pennants along the road. He returned to the Bucs after a year off in 1968 to replace Harry the Hat Walker at the helm, and in almost two seasons put together a 164-155 record. Shepherd was replaced by Alex Grammas with a week to go in the '69 season despite an 84-73 slate. 

Larry Shepard 1968 Topps

• 1921 - RHP Dick Conger was born in Los Angeles. The Rule 5 selection from Detroit got a pair of Bucco appearances in 1941 and two more in 1942, split between starts and relief appearances. In his 12+ IP, he had no record but posted a sharp 1.46 ERA. Small samples have their flaws, tho, and in 1943 he went 2-7/6.09 with Philadelphia. It was his last MLB go-around as he entered the service the following year and upon his return tossed in the minors until 1950. 
• 1926 - Coach Alex Grammas was born in Birmingham, Alabama. Grammas, who played as a major league infielder for a decade, served as a coach for the Pirates from 1965-69 and was the Bucs’ interim manager for five games in 1969 after Larry Shepard was fired. When Danny Murtaugh took over for 1970, Grammas caught on with Sparky Anderson at Cincinnati, and would eventually end up with a gig as the Milwaukee Brewers’ head man. He was later a long-time Tiger coach and retired from baseball in 1991. 
• 1957 - The Pirates swapped infielders, sending Dick Cole to the Milwaukee Braves for Jim Pendleton. Pendleton was a backup that got into 49 games in 1957-58, then was shipped to Cincy as part of the Smoky Burgess/Dick Hoak/Harvey Haddix deal. Cole played in 15 games for the Bravos; 1957 was his last MLB season. 

Miguel Garcia 1989 Donruss

• 1967 - LHP Miguel Garcia was born in Caracas, Venezuela. The Pirates got him from the Angels as part of the Johnny Ray deal. Miguel had brief big league visits from 1987-89 with the Bucs, going 0-2/7.71 in 13 outings. ‘89 was his last stop in the show. After some time spent as a scout for the Marlins and Red Sox, he’s now Director of Latin American Operations for the Tigers. 
• 1978 - 2B Bobby Hill was born in San Jose. Part of the return from the A-Ram salary dump, he played in Pittsburgh from 2003-05. He hit .262 over that span and lost the second base job to Jose Castillo in 2005 after being the starter the year before, in what proved to be his last MLB season. Hill has been the head coach of Mission College Baseball since 2015.

4/3 From 1980: Walk, Patterson Sign; Hatcher Dealt; Openers; Sweep & Comeback; HBD Dewey

• 1981 - C Ryan Doumit was born in Moses Lake, Washington. Dewey was drafted by the Pirates in 1999 in the second round out of high school and caught ‘n’ stuff for the Pirates from 2005-11, with Bucco career numbers of .271, 67 HR and 266 RBI. Unfortunately, in those seven years he never stayed healthy and he only got into 100+ games twice for Pittsburgh. He retired after the 2014 season, taking his final spin with Atlanta. He will always be one of the great debates of Pirate evaluation. Despite a solid stick, defense and injuries kept him from becoming an everyday catcher, and the question is begged as to how his career may have turned out if he been converted to a different spot early in his career. 

Ryan Doumit 2004 Skybox

• 1984 - After being released by the Braves, the Pirates signed RHP Bob Walk. Walk ended up spending 10 seasons as a Bucco back-ender, going 82-61 with a 3.83 ERA and putting up a 2-1 record during the Bucs three NLCS series from 1990-92. 
• 1986 - RJ Reynolds became the second Bucco to lead off the Home Opener with a home run (Billy Cox was the first in 1947) and added a double, but it wasn’t enough as Doc Gooden and the Mets dropped the Pirates 4-2 at TRS. Rick Reuschel took the loss. 
• 1986 - The Pirates sent OF Marvell Wynne to the San Diego Padres for RHP Bob Patterson. It was a win-win deal. Patterson eventually was effective as a reliever for the Bucs (he came to the club as a starter) over six seasons, and Wynne played fairly regularly for SD for the next four seasons. He was replaced in Pittsburgh by Barry Bonds and a year later, Andy Van Slyke. 
• 1990 - The Bucs traded with the Reds, sending OF’er Billy Hatcher, whom they had picked up at the 1989 deadline for Glenn Wilson, to Cincinnati for a pair of minor leaguers. Hatcher helped the Reds sink the Bucs in the 1990 NLCS, hitting .333, and played six more MLB seasons as mainly a platoon outfielder. Wilson was solid for Pittsburgh, too, playing as a bench guy and part-time starter while batting .274 in his time (1989-90, 1993) as a Pirate. For Hatcher, the trade wasn’t the big thing of the day. He was in the delivery room with his pregnant wife when he learned the news, and didn’t even ask what team he was traded to. Hatcher found out later, after his daughter Chelsea was born, when Cincy GM Bob Quinn called to welcome him aboard. 
• 2003 - The Pirates completed a season opening three-game sweep of Cincinnati at The Great American Ballpark with a 7-5 win. Former Red Reggie Sanders went deep twice for Pittsburgh, going 4-for-5 and adding five RBI. Sanders went 7-for-10 in the series as the Pirates jumped out to their first 3-0 start to a season since 1993. 

Reggie Sanders 2003 Topps 205

• 2011 - The Pirates plated a pair of runs in the ninth to down the Cubs at Wrigley Field 5-4. A walk to Garrett Jones, a single by Neil Walker and a Lyle Overbay bunt against Carlos Marmol left runners at second and third in the ninth for Pedro Alvarez, who rolled a ball softly to the left side hole. He beat it out for a hit as both Bucs scored, giving El Toro three RBI on the day. Jeff Karstens got the win in relief of Ross Ohlendorf, with Joel Hanrahan picking up the save. 
• 2016 - In the kickoff of the major league season shown on ESPN, the Pirates defeated the Cardinals 4-1 in front of a sellout crowd of 39,500 fans at PNC Park. Frankie Liriano struck out 10 batters in six scoreless frames and also drove in the game’s first run with a single off losing hurler Adam Wainwright. Josh Harrison managed to hit into a rare RBI double play when with runners on first and third and no outs, his fly plated a run although the runner at first was cut down trying to get to second (basepath gaffes like that were common during the season, costing 3B/baserunning coach Rick Sofield his job in October). Though the year started off on a high note for the Cisco Kid, he would be traded to Toronto at the deadline after posting a 6-11/5.46 slash during the campaign, returning for a bullpen role in 2019.

Another Day Off...Quick Team Take & Notes

The Pirates need to get a little killer instinct going if the early slog is any indication - they're batting .206 as a team (75 OPS+) with six extra-base knocks (four doubles, two homers, and a .304 slugging percentage) and more walks (22) than knocks (21). Looks like the Eckstein/Cruz data-driven learning curve hasn't sunk in yet, tho traditionally hitters heat up with the weather, so we'll see how that ends up over the course of the season. They are getting runners on and the lineup has proved fairly balanced throughout the order, but a few more gappers and bombs are sorely needed to take proper advantage.

The pitching is as projected; good starting, good back end (except for Ric Rod so far) and the long men are a dice roll. The infield glovework, well...nobody looks like they're blocking Cole Tucker or Ke'Bryan Hayes yet. The biggest disappointment early on is Erik Gonzalez. It could be he's just got to relax (we suspect that's one reason he was given the early nod) or it could be that the Indians had him pegged right and the Bucs were too rosy.

The Bucs need a little Assassin's Creed 'tude.

Three games doesn't a season make, but the Pirates look like the team they were predicted to be, for better or worse.

Notes:

• Clint sat JHK and Melky down yesterday because they were a combined 2-for-20 against Adam Wainwight. Of the two replacements, Redbeard was 1-for-2 with a homer against the veteran righty while Pablo had never faced Waino in their careers, so it was more a gut call than data-driven decision by the skipper. Moran panned out pretty well; Pablo, not so much.
• The Bucs used all eight of their relievers in the game, and Jake Stallings was the only Pirate not to get on the scorecard. The Redbirds emptied their bench and used six bullpen guys. 
• Once-upon-a-time Pirates prospect IF Alen Hanson was part of the Kevin Pillar trade, going from the Giants to the Jays.
• The Rangers have brought up 27-year-old righty Adrian Sampson, who was sent to Seattle in 2015 for JA Happ.
• Clayton Kershaw snapped his string of Dodger Opening Day starts at eight, but will toss the OD game for AAA Oklahoma City on Thursday while on the rehab trail with a balky shoulder. 
• Hey, another extension: Ronald Acuña and the Atlanta Braves are finalizing an eight-year/$100M contract extension, league sources tell ESPN. The deal includes two club options and further degrades the current free agency model. That should be quite an issue in the upcoming CBA.

4/2: Squeakers; Bucs Sign Sudden Sam, Zachary; Strike Ends; Law Hurt; Belle v Bucs; Not For Sale; Cot's Homecoming; Hans; WENS; HBD Jon

• 1922 - Jim “Cotton” Tierney had his homecoming celebration spoiled by the minor league Kansas City Blues of the American Association by a 4-3 score. KC rallied for three eighth-inning runs and held off a ninth inning Bucco rally in the pre-season exhibition played at the KC Speedway. Cotton didn’t help himself much, going 0-for-3 at the leadoff spot. The KC battery had past ties to the barnstorming Bucs - Beltzhoover’s Otto Knabe did the Blue’s hurling (he also pitched in 1905 as a rookie for the Corsairs, then spent his last MLB season, 1916, as a Pirate) and Bill Skiff, who Pittsburgh had released, did the catching - and helped do in their barnstorming mateys. 35,000 plus turned out to honor local-boy-done-good Tierney, whose hometown was a stone’s throw across the river in Kansas City, Kansas. 

Whatta ya mean, number 2? 2017 Topps Allen & Ginter

• 1942 - The Sporting News released a poll of 100 former major leaguers and managers voting for the best player of all time. Ty Cobb won easily, with Buc SS Honus Wagner second. The Flying Dutchman handily outpolled both Babe Ruth and Rogers Hornsby. 
• 1954 - TV station WENS, the City’s first ABC affiliate, announced that it would broadcast 20-30 Pirates games during the season beginning with the April 17th Opener at Philadelphia. Bob Prince and Rosey Rowswell were the broadcast team; Joe Tucker would take over the WWSW radio mic when the usual radio duo switched over for TV games. 
• 1958 - Just in case you thought selling the Bucco franchise was a eighties/nineties thing, think again. Sportswriter Al Abrams in his Post Gazette “Sidelight on Sports” column asked club president John Galbreath about the rumors that New York interests wanted to buy the franchise to replace the Dodgers and Giants. Galbreath said “I didn’t get one offer, I got 20 offers. Some of them were tremendous (thought to be in the $8-10M range)...(But) I would like to put an end to this stuff once and for all...We didn’t sell the club or move out in our worst years when we could have without any trouble. I don’t see why we should now.” 
• 1963 - The Pirates made the decision to leave pitcher Vern Law at Daytona Beach to start the season for work on strengthening the lingering rotor cuff injury he first suffered in 1960. What was hoped to be a two-week stay turned into a month, and Law made just 18 outings (12 starts) good for 76 IP and a 4-5/4.93 slash before he was shut down for good in early August. The long rest period paid off as he put together three solid seasons on the hill from ‘64-66, averaging a 14-10/3.20 line with 196 IP over that span and earning the NL Comeback Player of the Year award in 1965. 

Jon Lieber 1995 Finest

• 1970 - RHP Jon Lieber was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The Pirates picked him up at the 1993 deadline as part of a trade for Stan Belinda with KC, and he pitched his first five (1994-98) seasons with the Bucs, going 38-47/4.36. Pittsburgh sent him to the Cubs for Brant Brown after the 1998 campaign. He spent another nine workmanlike years in the show, winning 131 games in 14 seasons, including 20 in 2001 for the Cubs. 
• 1973 - The Pirates picked up RHP Chris Zachary from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for a reluctant C Charlie Sands. Sands refused to report to AAA Toledo, and the Tigers gave him permission to make another deal if he could. He couldn’t, and Motown traded him to California two weeks later. As for Zachary, he spent most of his time at Charleston, going 0-1-1/3.00 in his six Bucco outings. He was in the Philly system in 1974 before hangin’ ‘em up at age 30. 
• 1975 - The Pirates signed pitcher Sudden Sam McDowell, a 32-year-old free agent who started out at Central Catholic. It would be the last hurrah of a 15-year career that saw him win 141 games and K 2,453 batters, mostly with the Indians. Sudden Sam was The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year in 1970 when he worked 305 frames and punched out 304 batters. But his bouts with the bottle caught up with him; he pitched well for the Pirates but was released in June. McDowell later went through rehab and turned his life around. The character Sam Malone, the bartender on the TV show “Cheers,“ was said to be loosely based on Sudden Sam after the producers decided on Ted Danson rather than footballer-turned-actor Fred Dryer as the innkeeper; the character was originally to be an old gridder, but Ted didn't look the part. 

Sam McDowell (image 1981 Pittsburgh Press)

• 1995 - The players’ strike ended days after a court ruling undercut the owner’s position. Per Wikipedia, the 1994–95 strike was the eighth work stoppage in baseball history as well as the fourth in-season work stoppage in 22 years. The strike began on August 12th, 1994, and resulted in the remainder of that season being canceled, including the postseason and, for the first time since 1904, the World Series. After spending 232 days walking the picket lines, the walk-out was the longest such stoppage in MLB history. 948 games were lost and the MLB became the first major professional sports league to lose an entire postseason due to labor struggles. Because of the strike, neither the 1994 or 1995 seasons reached 162 games; the strike was called after most teams had played 113 games in 1994 and 144 games in 1995. 
• 1997 - Per BR Bullpen, for the first time in major league history, the salary of one player was more than that of a team. The Chicago White Sox paid Albert Belle $10M for the season, which was $928,333 more than the entire Pirate “Freak Show” payroll. 
• 2014 - The Pirates and Cubs hooked up for the longest baseball game ever played in Pittsburgh, a 16-inning marathon that lasted five hours and 55 minutes before the Bucs could scrape out a 4-3 decision. Chicago tied it in the ninth and took the lead in the 12th, but the Bucs knotted the score again on a two-out single by Starling Marte. Tony Sanchez ended the longest day with a knock to drive home Jose Tabata. Stolmy Pimentel got his first MLB win while Carlos Villanueva dropped his second consecutive game as he was the losing pitcher on Opening Day.

Colin Moran - make your first impression count (photo 2018 Pittsburgh Pirates)

• 2018 - The Home Opener went the Buccos way thanks to an early grand slam by Colin Moran. It was his first at-bat in front of the home crowd, his second career homer, and his first curtain-call in Pittsburgh. The blast was only the third Home Opener granny by a Buc; Roberto Clemente (1962) & Ralph Kiner (1949) had the others. It gave the Buccos a 5-0 first inning lead over Minnesota, and the Pirates survived a four-run pitching meltdown in the sixth to hang on for a 5-4 win, their fourth without a loss. Jameson Taillon struck out nine Twinkies for the victory, with George Kontos earning his second career save. The game was played in front of 30,186, the smallest Opening Day crowd in PNC Park history, as a morning snowfall, low-40s temperatures and general malaise caused by the off season trades of fan favorites Gerrit Cole and Andrew McCutchen took their toll.

Moran's Big Day Not Enough; Bullpen Implosion, Walks & Miscues Give Cards a 6-5, 11-Inning Win

Chris Archer put up a zero against the Cards in the first, fanning a pair. His mateys did better, putting up a three spot to start the home season. Adam Wainwright walked three guys; all three scored, one on a J-Bell bouncer and two more on Colin Moran's two-out two bagger. There was no more damage until the third when a Starling single, Corey D double and J-Bell sac fly made it 4-0. Ho fourth inning noise; Cervy kept his batterymate clean by gunning down would-be larcenist Dexter Fowler (his throw beat the Card easily; a sloppy tag by Fraze caused a safe call on the field that was overturned by Clint's challenge). The Bucs TOOTBLAN'ed their way out of a chance when Erik Gonzalez singled, but was doubled up when he took too aggressive a turn around third on Archie's bunt. There have been seven walks (one intentional) between Archie (3) and Waino (4) so far; plate ump Jerry Layne isn't giving the hurlers much benefit around the edges.

It all went downhill when Archie left (photo Pirates/MLB)

The fifth was calm; a leadoff knock went for naught when Archie fanned the next three Redbirds (he's up to 8 K, but has hurled 99 pitches) and John Brebbia, who took over for Wainwright, tossed a 1-2-3 frame. Kyle Crick was waved in for the sixth, and he got two more whiffs in a clean frame; Brebbia gave up a walk that lead to nothing. Ric Rod came on in the seventh and bopped Fowler, then gave up a Kolten Wong blast on an 0-2 heater. An infield hit and a botched DP bouncer by Colin Moran brought the water to a boil and Frankie Liriano to the hill. He walked the bases loaded for Goldy, missing badly after getting ahead 1-2, bringing Keone Kela to the hill. He walked Goldschmidt after getting ahead 0-2, but maintained after that with a short fly and two whiffs. And give Cervy some love; he stopped at least four balls ticketed for the backstop. Jerry Layne took his leave after the frame; he took a foul off the mask a couple of batters prior. Domenic Leone came in; a dropped fly put JB Shuck at second. Two outs later, JB was on third and Andrew Miller was called in to face Corey D. He walked him and bopped J-Bell in the ankle. Mike Mayers came on and fell behind Cervy 3-0, but came back and got him 6-3 to end the frame.

Nick Burdi took the hill in the eighth. A soft grounder went off his glove - it was hit to his right, opposite the way he falls off the mound - and that deflection hurt. After two whiffs and a wild pitch, Tyler O'Neill hit a soft liner to left that kicked up chalk to tie the game, bringing Felipe Vazquez into the game. He completed the trifecta, fanning Matt Carpenter. Colin loves Home Opening Day; Mayers came a little up and in with a heater, and Redbeard dropped the ball among the Clemente stand fans. After a couple of pop outs, Mayers bopped JB and Fraze singled, but Starling looked at strike three; now it's up to Felipe to bring home the bacon. An error by Gonzalez started the frame; a wild pitch and one-out double to the gap tied it. Vazquez got the next two but he'll appreciate tomorrow off; he threw 25 pitches yesterday and 31 today. Jordan Hicks hit triple digits and got a K, walk and 6-4-3 DP to take it into extras.

Colin had a hot stick - 2019 Topps Legacy

Steven Brault got the 10th and copied Hicks (except for the velo) with a K, walk, and around-the-horn DP. Hicks tossed a 1-2-3 frame, making a nice play on Gonzalez's comebacker to end the inning. Steven got two quick outs (one whiff getting Matt Carpenter bounced from the game), followed by a seeing-eye single, bopped batter and walk. Nick Kingham came on and immediately crossed up Cervy; his pitch went off Amore's glove, off the ump and in came the lead (and eventual winning) run, followed by a bases-filling walk. Then Nick picked Yadi off second; Matt Weiters tried to score on the play (dunno if that's the ol' Clint delayed steal ploy or more likely, a TOOTBLAN) and was cut down easily. John Gant came in, looking for his first career save. He got it - Fraze walked with an out, then Starling banged into a custom tailored 6-4-3 DP.

No need to elaborate - walk eight guys, hit three more, throw two wild pitches, play the infield like it's a a minefield, hit into three DP's and go 1-for-10 with RISP give this defeat a thousand fathers. The game did have it's drama, but it certainly wasn't because of the play of either club (the Cards also gave up eight walks, beaned a pair and stranded a dozen runners).

Notes:

• Colin Moran had a homer, double, two walks, three RBI; Josh Bell also drove in a pair. The Pirates only had six hits on the day and just two after the fourth inning.
• There were over 400 pitches thrown today - 238 by the Bucs, 191 by the Cards.
• The gate was 37,336; a sellout by sale as there were some open seats in the park, likely due to the football weather. There weren't many left for the bitter end - the game took 4:50 to play. 
• The Cards snapped the Pirates five-game Home Opener winning streak.
• The extension trend continues as BoSox SS Xavier Bogaerts was signed until 2025 with a $120M deal; it does have an opt-out for Bo and an option for Boston.

Home Opener: Archie v Waino, Lineup & Notes

Game: The Home Opener at PNC Park against the Cards begins at 1:05 and will be on AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan. It'll be chilly - 38 at first pitch, with a six-MPH breeze.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Starling Marte CF, Corey Dickerson LF, Josh Bell 1B, Fran Cervelli C, Colin Moran 3B, Pablo Reyes RF, Erik Gonzalez SS, Chris Archer P. Couple of new faces in the starting order with Redbeard and Pablo, although they both saw action in Cincinnati off the pine.

Pitchers: RHP Chris Archer faces old warhorse RHP Adam Wainwright. Archie only saw them once last year and was undone by fielding and walks, tho his only other start against the Redbirds in 2017, he was strong. Waino, on the other hand, has faced the Bucs 37 times in his career. He's 13-7 against Pittsburgh, but with a 4.36 ERA. Wainwright only took on the Pirates once in 2018 and was chased after giving up a couple of homers.

Archie makes his first outing (image AT&T SportsNet)

Notes:

• Pre-game stuff: Steve Blass and Dick Groat will be honored before the game while Corey D will be presented with his Golden Glove by AVS. There will be a moment of silence for old Buccos who passed away in the past year, including Jose Castillo, Dick Cole, Bob Friend, Joe Gibbon, John Hetki, Alberto Lois and Digger O’Dell. The first responders to the Tree of Life tragedy will be recognized, the Pittsburgh Police Color Guard will present the colors, and the four police officers injured during that day will throw out the first pitch as a group. There will be also be the giant flag unfurling in the outfield thing, too, during the Star Spangled Banner. The National Anthem will be performed by a six-year-old opera singer from Latrobe, Victory Brinker (she sang the Anthem before a Utah Jazz game in January just to prep for today). All that and a free magnetic schedule to stick on the fridge, too! Gates open at 11.
• The Cards dropped 3-of-4 at Milwaukee; the Pirates split two games at Cincinnati to open the campaign. It's a two-game set, with the second match on Wednesday. The Reds come to town for four games on Thursday; it's supposed to be warm and wet for their visit.
• Trevor Williams had one career MLB-RBI (in 2016!) before chasing home two runners yesterday. All three runs that he's plated have come against the Reds.
• Neal Huntington continues to push back against baseball stereotyping.
• The Pirates won last year's Home Opener 5-4 v the Twins, with Jamo getting the win and George Kontos a save. Colin Moran spanked a first-inning granny for a pretty impressive intro to the Pittsburgh faithful. 
• Christian Yelich of the Brewers is off to a hot start in defense of his MVP - he's hitting .500 with homers in four straight games.

4/1 Through the 1960’s: Watty Joins, Joe Goes; Random Stuff; HBD Fred, Hugo, Jake, Willie & Masumi

• 1858 - OF Fred Mann was born in Sutton, Vermont. The center fielder played two of his six MLB years with the Alleghenys from 1885-86. He hit .251 over that span, spent one more season in the show, then left baseball after toiling for three more years in the bushes. He was the first major league ballplayer to hail from the Green Mountain state. 

Hugo Bezdek 1917 (photo Charles Conlon)

• 1884 - Manager Hugo Bezdek was born in Prague, Bohemia, then part of Austria-Hungary empire and now part of the Czech Republic. While he coached at Oregon, he was also a Pirates scout covering the West Coast. When 1917 Pirates manager Nixey Callahan was let go, Hans Wagner became the interim manager (a job he did not particularly care for) before Barney Dreyfuss settled on Bezdek as skipper. The team went 30-59 the remainder of the year, but improved to 65-60 in 1918 and finished 71-68 the next campaign. Bezdek relied on his players advice to overcome his lack of baseball experience, with two of them - Casey Stengel and Billy Southworth - becoming Hall of Fame field generals. Bedzek left the team after 1919 for his true love, football. He coached at Penn State where his football teams went 65-30-11 with two undefeated seasons and a Rose Bowl appearance. In addition, he was manager of the Nittany Lion nine, going 129-76-1 from 1920-1930. He spent a couple of seasons as the Cleveland Browns coach and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954. 
• 1904 - In what was considered the first major deal between the AL & NL after their 1903 truce, the Pirates bought Wyatt “Watty” Lee from Washington for $3,000. The P/1B had three solid seasons for the Senators, but was a flop for the Bucs, appearing in just eight games, five as a pitcher and three as a pinch hitter. Watty went 4-for-12 at the plate, but his pitching record lefty much to be desired with a slash of 1-2/8.74. It was the end of Lee's major league days though he soldiered on with a long minor league career. 
• 1911 - Just to prove that umps’ eyesight has always been under suspicion, according to Charlton’s Baseball Chronology “NL president Tom Lynch reveals he had asked all umpires to produce certificates as to their eyesight; tests showed all have perfect vision.” Our only question is who tested the doctors? 

Jake Thies 1955 Topps

• 1926 - RHP Jake Thies was born in St. Louis. As a 28-year-old, he spent 1954 and one lackluster start in 1955 with the Pirates, slashing 3-10/3.90 overall. He was dealt to Kansas City where he spent two years at AAA, returning to the Buc system for three games to close his pro days before retiring to a long career as a salesman. 
• 1928 - The April Fool’s victim this year was the Pirates, who sold SS Joe Cronin to KC of the American Association, which then flipped him to Washington in July. In Pittsburgh, he was blocked at SS by Glenn Wright and manager Donie Bush preferred vet George Grantham at second base, so the Pirates deemed him to be excess baggage. They deemed wrong; after a 20-year career, seven All-Star games and .301 BA, he earned a plaque in the Hall of Fame. 
• 1948 - 1B Willie Montanez was born in Catano, Puerto Rico. Willie spent part of 1981 and 1982 with the Pirates at the tail end of his 14-year career after he was swapped from the Expos for John Milner. He seldom made the lineup but hit .271 off the bench before the Bucs released him. He closed out his MLB stint in ‘82 with the Phils. Trivia Tidbit: Cardinal Curt Flood was traded to the Phillies in 1969 as part of the big Dick Allen deal but refused to go, retired, and then unsuccessfully sued MLB for free agency, eventually setting all sorts of player movement wheels in motion. Part of the blowback was that Montanez ended up as one of the guys (Jim Browning was the other) the Redbirds sent to Philly as his replacement. 

Willie Montanez 1982 Fleer

• 1957 - The Pirates and KC Athletics played an 18-inning, 0-0 exhibition game before darkness put an end to the match. The two teams collected a combined 18 hits, 16 of which were singles, and only used three pitchers each; there were almost as many players as fans; the crowd at Fort Myers was 432 warm fannies. The contest was just shy of lasting four hours before the managers called it a day. Ron Kline and Bob Purkey did most of the tossing for the Bucs, with long-shot Purkey winning a spot on the staff after his 10-inning whitewash performance. 
• 1963 - The Titusville Herald’s headline screamed “Pittsburgh Pirates To Move Club To Titusville.” The April Fools gag drew a chuckle but no interest from ownership and the Bucs remained firmly rooted in Forbes Field. Titusville’s population per the 1960 census was 8,356 souls; Forbes Field had an average attendance of 9,675 in 1963; maybe there was a match to be made. 
• 1968 - RHP Masumi Kuwata was born in Yao, Japan. He ended his 21-year stay with the Yomiuri Giants (173 wins, 3.55 ERA) after the 2006 campaign because at age 38, he wanted to take a shot at MLB. He drew some interest from the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers, but chose the Pirates because he thought they offered the fastest track to the majors. He hurt his ankle in camp, went to Indy and got a call up in June. He lasted two months and 19 outings, tossing to a 9.43 ERA, and was outrighted. He refused the Indy assignment and returned to Japan, but then signed a minor league deal with the Bucs for 2008; apparently neither side believed that experience was a very good teacher. Kuwata didn’t make the 25-man out of camp and retired. The Pirates offered Kuwata a coaching job (he was a pro at preparation and a willing mentor to younger guys), but he declined and went back to Nippon for good. He did make the Bucco annals, though, as the first Japanese player for Pittsburgh.

4/1 From 1970: AVS Trade; Walker Slam; Moves; Strike; Parrot Debut; RIP Frankie & Jerry; HBD Axeman

• 1972 - The first players' strike in baseball history began, wiping six-to-eight games off the schedule, which were canceled upon settlement. This resulted in teams playing a different number of games during the 1972 season and led to the Detroit Tigers edging the Boston Red Sox by only one-half game (86-70 to 85-70) to win the AL East Division championship. The strike settlement required the team owners to add salary arbitration to the CBA and increased pension fund payments, per Wikipedia. 

The original Green Bird  in B&W 1979 (photo Post-Gazette)

• 1979 - The Pirate Parrot was “hatched” at Three Rivers Stadium as a response to the Phillie Phanatic, introduced the year before. The concept of a parrot came from Robert Lewis Stevenson’s pirate tale “Treasure Island.” At first, the Parrot was a lean, mean bird dressed in pirate gear, but in the mid-eighties was transformed into the more child-friendly, goofy butterball in a team jersey and backward cap that we have today. The Green Machine is a mainstay of charity, community and childrens’ events and even hosts a Twitter account. The big bird has had its controversial moments, too, being involved in a drug scandal and showing up at a political event but has managed to escape the temporary bad press with its feathers unruffled. 
• 1980 - RHP Odell Jones was re-traded to the Pirates by the Seattle Mariners for a PTBNL and cash in a redo deal. Jones had pitched in Pittsburgh from 1975 & 77-78, then went to Seattle as part of the Enrique Romo swap. Pittsburgh later sent Larry Andersen (October 29, 1980) to Pacific Northwest to complete the trade. Anderson, who was lights out in AAA Portland after coming over from Cleveland, pitched through 1994 in the show. Jones yo-yo’ed between the minors and majors, appearing in 137 MLB games and 168 MiLB games through 1989; he pitched in Mexico after that except for a brief 1992 stop in the Angel’s organization. 
• 1981 - 1B Jason Thompson was traded by the California Angels to the Bucs for LHP Mickey Mahler and C Ed Ott. Thompson took control of a muddled first base situation in Pittsburgh, which was transitioning from Pops Stargell (Doe Boyland and Eddie Vargas, the organizational heir apparents, never panned out), and held the starting job through 1985 until Sid Bream replaced him. The 29-year-old Ott was taken by surprise by the swap - he and the Pirates had been close to finalizing (at least in Ott’s mind) a six-year/$275K per season deal. Steve Nicosia and rookie Tony Pena shared the load after Otter’s departure. The deal was originally to be a three-teamer. The Yankees were to send the Pirates 1B Jim Spencer, two minor league pitchers and $850,000 for Thompson, with $450,000 earmarked to pay Spencer's salary, but Commissioner Bowie Kuhn nixed that part of the swap because of the money involved; at the time, $400K was the max amount allowed to switch hands. That decision worked out bigly to the Pirates advantage - the 33-year-old Spencer hit .182 over 1981-82 and then retired.

Jason Thompson 1981 Topps

• 1983 - RHP John “The Axman” Axford was born in Simcoe, Ontario. Axford has 10 MLB campaigns on his resume, with two months spent as a Pirate in 2014. He was claimed off waivers from the Indians in August, where he had a workmanlike campaign, to strengthen the Bucco mid-inning pen during its playoff run. He slashed 0-1/4.14 and after the season signed with the Rockies; he’s now with Toronto. 
• 1985 - The Pittsburgh Press speculated that the Pirates were in the market for a shortstop with a void in the lineup following Dale Berra’s trade to NY. The hot stove league stoked trade rumors for Johnny Lemaster as Tim Foli was on his last legs and Rafael Belliard was considered a good glove backup. The Giants, though, wanted an arm and leg for him, so the Bucs wisely passed. He ended up with the Indians, and Pittsburgh did grab him on May 30th in exchange for a career minor leaguer (Johnny had three hits in 23 games between the Bay and Tribe, which dropped his price considerably). A change of scenery didn’t help as he hit .155 here and the Pirates ended up with Sammy Khalifa taking the job. There were six SS’s that year - Khalifa, Lemaster, Foley, Belliard, Bill Almon and Jerry Dybzinski. Pittsburgh didn’t fill that hole until 1990 when they added Jay Bell to the lineup. 
• 1987 - St. Louis sent OF Andy Van Slyke‚ C Mike LaValliere‚ and RHP Mike Dunne to Pittsburgh in exchange for All-Star C Tony Pena. Van Slyke thought it was an April’s Fool joke when first told of the trade, and Pena cried at the press conference when the deal was announced. AVS ended up a key player in the Pirates early nineties resurgence and Spanky formed a solid catching combo with Don Slaught during the same era. Pena remained solid behind the dish but only hit above .263 once in his remaining 12 big league campaigns. 
• 1991 - Frankie Gustine died at the age of 71. The versatile infielder was a three-time All-Star who played a decade for the Pirates (1939-48) after signing as a 16-year-old, compiling a .268 BA. After his MLB career, Gustine coached at local Point Park College from 1968-74 (he’s in the school’s Hall of Fame). He became a successful local business owner, too, operating a popular Oakland restaurant on Forbes Avenue located just a Texas League bloop away from the ballyard; he also held part ownership of the Sheraton Inn at Station Square. 

Frank Gustine 1949 Bowman

• 2006 - The Pirates Top Ten prospects going into the year were IF Neil Walker, 1B Brad Eldred, CF Andrew McCutchen, 3B Jose Bautista, LHP Tom Gorzelanny, IF Yurendell DeCaster, C Ronny Paulino, RHP Josh Sharpless, CF Rajai Davis and OF Adam Bouve, a collection of youngsters who covered a full gamut of baseball achievement. Another riser with a bullet, RHP Matt Capps, who was expected to start the year by returning to AA Altoona, instead went north with the big team. 
• 2011 - Neil Walker hit his first career grand slam on Opening Day at Wrigley Field off Ryan Dempster. He became the second player in team history to hit a grand salami on Opening Day, joining Roberto Clemente, who drilled one to start the 1962 season. It was the key blow in a 6-3 win over the Cubs behind the pitching of Kevin Correia and four relievers. 
• 2012 - One of the games great pinch-hitters, Jerry Lynch, died at the age of 82. He started and ended his career as a Pirate, spending seven seasons with the Bucs. He came off the bench to collect 116 pinch hits during his career, 18 of which were homers. Lynch lived in Allison Park when he passed away and was part owner of Champion Lakes GC, along with Dick Groat.