Sunday’s game featured just one run, of course, and that came off the bat of Pedro Alvarez. He bombed a low, opposite field line drive homer that barely made it over the short wall in left – but it counted just as much as his gigantic blast on Friday night. It was a good thing that ball found its way into the corner of the stands that juts inward, because the Bucs had just three other hits on the day. Their offensive output against a very poor pitching team for the entire weekend was very disappointing. (Granted, they were without Andrew McCutchen for this game. He sat out with a sore knee but said he’ll be good to go for the next game on Tuesday.)

On the other hand, Jeff Locke led a stellar effort on the mound for the Bucs.  Locke matched his best start of the year by going seven scoreless innings while allowing just three hits and two walks. It’s the Astros, but that’s still a wonderful outing. Jeff continues to be surprisingly awesome, which has been huge for the Bucs.

Mark Melancon bounced back from his Saturday hiccup with a perfect eighth, and Jason Grilli followed with a perfect ninth. Ho hum. The Bucs didn’t play great ball this weekend, but they pitched well and managed to win two out of three. Good enough, but they’ll need to get the bats going soon.

Pirates 1, Astros 0 / Box / 2013 Record: 26-18 / Next: Tuesday, vs. Cubs, 7:05

Source: FanGraphs

1;35 PM–PNC Park, Pittsburgh

MLB.com Gameday

TV: ROOT

It’s dumb to call this a big game, but the Pirates are somewhat in need of a better effort today. They were lucky to escape with a victory on Friday, couldn’t get going at the plate yesterday, and are now at risk of dropping a home series to the awful Astros.

Tonight’s starters…

Lucas Harrell (3-4, 5.11) vs. Jeff Locke (3-1, 3.15)

Harrell’s numbers aren’t as bad as the other two Houston starters this weekend (not high praise, at all) but he’s been dreadful in his last three starts (8.79 ERA). He faced the Bucs twice last year and allowed 7 runs over 10.2 innings.

Locke has continued to be solid. More hits fell in against him in his last start but he improved on getting more strikeouts and fewer walks, which is key for him. He hasn’t allowed more than three runs in a start in over a month.

Houston starter (and former Bucco) Erik Bedard kept the Bucs at bay for six innings. They notched two runs against him with seven hits, but couldn’t build a sustained rally against their teammate from last year. Bedard only struck out three but didn’t walk anybody. Andrew McCutchen doubled twice against him, directly leading to both Pirate runs

AJ Burnett was better than Bedard and continues to be fantastic for the Bucs. He put together another seven inning start and struck out seven, allowing just one run. The only negative is the fact that he walked four, but it didn’t hurt him too much. Excellent outing for AJ –  it’s huge that he’s working deeper in to games while maintaing strong strikeout numbers.

For the first time all season, Mark Melancon blew a lead in the eighth. Three base hits did him in – and one was a foot or so away from an inning ending double play. He was due, I guess. It was just the second run Mark allowed all season. Jason Grilli was properly used in a tie game and worked through a very easy ninth.

The frustrating part of the game was the Bucs’ inability to score in the late innings. Gaby Sanchez went down looking with the bases loaded in the seventh, and after that they didn’t even threaten against the Astros’ pen. There were no hilariously terrible defensive miscues to bail them out this time, and they didn’t even really come close to walking off for the second night in a row.

Bryan Morris tossed a solid tenth but had all kinds of problems when he came back out for the eleventh. A shot off the CF wall to start the inning was a red flag, and Houston eventually pushed two runs across (the first of which came on a close play at the plate – the correct safe call was made and Clint Hurdle was ejected). Former Bucco reliever Jose Veras earned the save, completing a frustrating night for Bucs fans.

Can’t win ‘em all, but any loss to the Astros is disappointing. The Pirate bats need to get things going again soon.

Astros 4, Pirates 2 / Box / 2013 Record: 25-18 / Next: Sunday, vs. Astros, 1:35

Source: FanGraphs

7:05 PM–PNC Park, Pittsburgh

MLB.com Gameday

TV: ROOT

The Bucs look to win their fifth straight and clinch this weekend’s series against the Astros tonight. This is a chance for the Bucs to put together an extended winning streak – something we haven’t seen for a long time.

Tonight’s starters…

Erik Bedard (0-2, 6.67) vs. A.J. Burnett (3-4, 2.73)

Our old friend Bedard is with the ‘Stros after a frustrating year in black and gold in 2012. His struggles have continued so far this year. Bedard has been in and out of the bullpen and rotation and hasn’t pitched more than five innings in an outing yet this year. Get ready for some looooong half-innings (hopefully).  

Burnett continues to be excellent, although he’s lost two straight. He still leads the NL in strikeouts (although Yu Darvish is pulling away with the major league lead) and will increase that lead tonight. AJ’s been getting through seven innings lately – a big plus for the bullpen. If he can do that tonight, the Bucs should be in good shape with the back of the pen well rested.

The bottom of the ninth inning was an absolute mess. Only one person truly did something right in the inning – Andrew McCutchen singled to right to put men on the corners with one out. Marte had reached on a gift bloop single and Snider took his place on a force out, then moved to third on Cutch’s hit. With a chance to win the game, Brandon Inge tapped a ball harmlessly to the pitcher…who bobbled the ball and didn’t record an  out. Bases loaded. Neil Walker had a dreadful at bat and struck out looking. Two outs. Russell Martin worked a full count. A big PNC Park crowd was on its feet. And then….

Strangest walk-off I have ever seen. The Pirates didn’t even know if / how to celebrate. The faces of the Astros players were cringe-worthy. If I had been a fan of any other team all my life, I’d feel bad (it’s hard not to), but we’ve seen the Pirates lose games in all kinds of ways over the years. Never like that. This is the only comparison I can recall, but it doesn’t involve the clumsiness of a collision. Just absurd. The Astros really are that bad. 

The game was messy before the ninth, too. The Bucs had given Houston a run by throwing the ball away twice on a stolen base attempt (keyed by Clint Barmes dropping a throw from Martin that looked like a sure out), Jeanmar Gomez wasn’t too good – just 4.2 innings and four runs (three earned). The Astros contributed to the start of the Bucs’ comeback with a three base error on a ball McCutchen hit to right, and Garrett Jones cashed it in with a double.

The Bucco comeback wasn’t totally fueled by the Astros, though. Pedro Alvarez delivered the tying shot, and boy was it a shot. Watch it right now if you haven’t seen it yet.

He missed the river (on the fly) by about five feet. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen someone be so “all over” a pitch from the center field view, and the result was just as impressive. It also came at a crucial time, with one out in the eighth inning.

Oh yeah – McCutchen also homered in the first inning. The bullpen also deserved kudos – Vin Mazzaro, Tony Watson, and Justin Wilson all combined for zeroes to enable the Bucs to come back and win. It was probably the most bizarre win you’ll see all year…but it’s a win, and the Bucs’ fourth victory in a row.

Pirates 5, Astros 4 / Box / 2013 Record: 25-17 / Next: Saturday, vs Astros, 7:05

Source: FanGraphs

7:05 PM–PNC Park, Pittsburgh

MLB.com Gameday

TV: ROOT

The Astros are in town, and now that they are part of the American League this is the only time the Bucs will see them all year. Houston is just as awful as last season, and the Bucs need to take advantage of what is now a rare opportunity to beat up on one of the worst clubs in baseball (Miami is giving them a run for their money). This homestand presents a big chance for the Pirates to really rack up some wins a hurry, and so far they’ve taken advantage. Expecting a series sweep is rarely realistic, but if there’s ever a time to do so it’s probably now.

Tonight’s starters…

Jordan Lyles (1-1, 8.36) vs. Jeanmar Gomez (2-0, 2.28)

The Pirates saw quite a bit of Lyles last year and they’ve hit him hard. He is 0-4 against the Pirates and hasn’t seen much success against other teams this year, obviously. The young righty is coming off an outing in which he allowed eight runs against Texas.

Gomez, to everyone’s shock, has been excellent so far as a Pirate and especially in his spot-starter role. He’s benefited from facing some bad offenses (Mariners, Mets) and that’s the case again tonight (and his next start should be against the Cubs, too). He’s been lifted after five strong innings in both of his last two outings despite being incredibly efficient and effective.

Astros vs. Gomez

Pirates vs. Lyles

LINEUPS

Here’s the #Pirates lineup for tonight’s 7:05pm game at PNC. twitter.com/Pirates/status…

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 17, 2013

#Astros lineup: CF Grossman, 2B Elmore, C Castro, RF Carter, LF Martinez, 1B Pena, 3B Dominguez, SS Gonzalez, P Lyles (no DH)

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) May 17, 2013

That’s Robbie Grossman in center – the main piece the Bucs sent to Houston in the Wandy Rodriguez trade. He may have been rushed to the majors due to the dire situation in Houston and has struggled so far (.568 OPS).

Francisco Liriano made his second start (first at home) as a Pirate, and it was just as strong as his debut. After a shaky first in which the Brewers brought home one run, he settled down and kept them at bay through the sixth inning (almost). He struck out seven and his stuff once again looked extremely sharp – good velocity and all kinds of movement on all his pitches. The control was not a big issue (three walks) and while it would’ve been nice to see him complete six innings, a Clint Barmes error was the primary reason he couldn’t finish the job. Justin Wilson worked out of the jam for him and it was not a big issue.

The Pirate offense couldn’t break through against Hiram Burgos early on despite tallying hits in each of the three innings, but the red-hot Clint Barmes doubled in a run in the fourth. Yes, Barmes really is red-hot. The Bucs kept things rolling in the fifth when Starling Marte reached on a bunt and Travis Snider bombed a looooooooong homer for his first of the year. It rolled in to the Allegheny and was estimated at 458 ft. Snider also had two more hits on the night, boosting his average to .292.

After grabbing the lead in the fifth, the Bucs just piled on in the sixth. Barmes reached on an error, Marte doubled, and the middle of the lineup delivered four consecutive RBI singles to turn the game into a blowout. Blow outs are always nice, but this one was even nicer because the back of the bullpen needed a rest (and because it was against Milwaukee). Wilson, Bryan Morris, and Jose Contreras finished the job with no problems.

One thing that shouldn’t be overlooked is the Pirates defense in the first inning. Liriano wasn’t off to a great start and had walked the leadoff man, but Russell Martin threw him out trying to steal (even though the pitch was in the dirt). Later, Ryan Braun pounded a ball to center and Andrew McCutchen made one of the best catches of his career:

Here’s your #Clutch Pic of the Night. Seriously….RT this–> twitter.com/Pirates/status…

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 17, 2013

Once the Bucs were out of that inning, Liriano was able to get going and they eventually took control of the game. It might have been different if not for those two plays.

Notes:

• Snider and Pedro Alvarez each stole a base.
• Technically Snider’s homer was his first, but you may remember he was robbed of one earlier this season. Still, he hasn’t shown  much power since joining the Bucs – but tonight we saw he clearly has plenty of it.
• The Bucs are seven over .500. They didn’t get to that point until June 30th of last season.
• The Bucs are in 3rd place, but they’d be in 1st in either of the other two NL divisions. St. Louis and Cincinnati are playing very well (and the Pirates have winning records against both so far).
• The Brewers are now in last place.

Pirates 7, Brewers 1 / Box / 2013 Record: 24-17 / Next: Friday, vs Astros, 7:05

Source: FanGraphs

7:05 PM–PNC Park, Pittsburgh

MLB.com Gameday

TV: ROOT

The Bucs look to take this week’s series with the Brewers just as they have in their previous three four game sets – by winning the last three games of the series.

Pregame news: 

Jason Grilli is unavailable tonight because he has pitched two games in a row. Mark Melancon has too, but he’s a “maybe” for tonight. I’d expect the Bucs to use him if they have a small lead in the 9th, but not otherwise.

Also an update on Charlie Morton: he pitched a rehab game with Altoona today and is scheduled to make three more rehab starts, so he’s on track to be up in early June.

Tonight’s starters…

Hiram Burgos (1-1, 6.86) vs. Francisco Liriano (1-0, 1.69)

Burgos, a rookie, has poor numbers but that’s mostly skewed by his most recent start – a disastrous outing against the Reds. He pitched well against the Pirates earlier this month before the Bucs came back off the Brewers bullpen. Pedro Alvarez homered against him in that game, as did Michael McKenry.

Liriano will be making his first start as a Pirate at PNC Park. He was very impressive in his debut against the Mets and will try and make it two good outings in a row tonight.

Bucs vs. Burgos

Brewers vs. Liriano

LINEUP

#Pirates lineup 5/16 vs. #Brewers: Marte 7 Snider 9 McCutchen 8 Jones 3 Walker 4 Martin 2 Alvarez 5 Barmes 6 Liriano 1

— Bill Brink (@BrinkPG) May 16, 2013

Wandy Rodriguez was excellent – far better than he was the last time he faced these Brewers. He pitched much like he did in his first few starts of the year – lots of strikes and quick outs with a couple hits mixed in but minimal solid contact. He breezed through six shutout innings and only faced one major threat. That came in the fourth when Jonathan Lucroy led off with a triple, but he worked out of it with two pop ups and a groundout. Rickie Weeks took Wandy deep as he appeared to run out of gas somewhat in the seventh, but overall the lefty had a fantastic night. He struck out five and walked just one.

The struggling Yovani Gallardo was also effective, but the Pirates FINALLY came up big with a runners in scoring position against him. Despite the win on Tuesday, they went 0-for-15 with RISP in that game, and added an 0-for-3 to that figure on Wednesday before Neil Walker finally snapped it in the sixth. A Starling Marte leadoff double and two one-out walks had loaded the bases for the Bucs, and Neil lined one right up the middle to score two runs. It was a nice piece of hitting and was extremely significant considering that streak and the fact that the game was tied 0-0 at the time.

Neil’s big hit and Wandy’s strong outing enabled the Bucs to hand a 2-1 lead to the usual Mark Melancon & Jason Grilli combo, and as usual both were brilliant. Best 1-2 combo in baseball? You can’t argue with the numbers they’ve put up so far. A Milwaukee error in the bottom of the eighth gave the Bucs an insurance run they didn’t need.

Notes:

• Andrew McCutchen stole two bases.
• The Brewers stole zero bases. Russell Martin‘s defensive impact is easy to see – and not just by preventing SB’s. He also made a great play to throw out a runner at first when a strikeout pitch bounced a good ways away from him, and he might have helped get a couple big strike calls with his famous “pitch framing” ability.
• Brandon Inge and Gaby Sanchez both made bad baserunning outs at third, potentially costing the Bucs a few more runs. Good thing they didn’t need them tonight.

Pirates 3, Brewers 1 / Box / 2013 Record: 23-17 / Next: Thursday, vs. Brewers, 7:05

Source: FanGraphs

7:05 PM–PNC Park, Pittsburgh

MLB.com Gameday

TV: ROOT

The Bucs look to take control of this week’s series with the Brewers after a dramatic victory last night.

Pregame news:

Remember all that complaining we did when Jordy Mercer was sent to the minors on Monday and John McDonald remained with the team? Well, that situation has been rectified - temporarily at least. McDonald hurt his back during his pinch hit appearance last night and was just placed on the DL. Mercer was called back up, and he’s even getting a start tonight. You don’t like to see anyone get hurt, obviously, but this “injury” basically forced the Pirates to do what they should’ve done all along with the roster.

Tonight’s starters…

Yovani Gallardo (3-2, 4.70) vs. Wandy Rodriguez (3-2, 3.62)

The Brewer ace has not been himself this year, but he posted a strong start against the Pirates on April 29 – his last win. Gallardo usually seems to give the Bucs problems and they have been slumping lately, but hopefully his recent struggles continue tonight.

Wandy has been steady for the Bucs this year, but he hates pitching against Milwaukee. His worst outing of the year came at Miller Park when he walked four in the first inning and allowed seven earned runs in less than four innings.

Bucs vs. Gallardo

Brewers vs. Wandy

LINEUP

Here’s the #Pirates lineup for tonight’s 7:05pm game at PNC. twitter.com/Pirates/status…

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 15, 2013

Gallardo is a righty, but Hurdle has Jones, Snider, and Alvarez on the bench tonight – almost as if the Bucs were facing a lefty. It looks like the career numbers against Gallardo could be the reason for that, but that’s pretty silly since there’s only about 20 AB’s of data to go on. Tabata has been hot lately, so I’m fine with keeping him in the lineup.