Pirates Comeback to Beat Mets 7-5

Duke pitched another decent game, however, he started off on a bad note. In the first inning, he gave up three runs. He would end up lasting six innings, giving up 5 runs (only three of them earned), striking out 3 and walking only 1. If Duke could only get his first inning under control, he may be solid for us at some point this season.

The Pirates held Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson out of the lineup due to minor injuries. They were replaced by Chris Gomez and Luis Rivas, respectively. The two performed adequately. Though they combined to go 1-for-7, each player scored 2 runs for the Pirates. 1B Doug Mientkiewicz, also getting the nod because of an ailing starter (Adam LaRoche), went 3-for-4, driving in two runs.

The Pirates were trailing 5-1 going into the top of the 7th inning. Luckily for the Buccos, they were facing the Mets and their struggling bullpen. The Pirates scored six runs in the final three innings to earn the victory. In the ninth, Ryan Doumit hit a single which brought home the tying run. Doumit and Andy LaRoche would score on Steve Pearce's two-out single to give the Pirates the victory 7-5.

NOTES: 1B Adam LaRoche was sent to Low-A Hickory for a short rehab assignment. He hopes to be back with the Pirates in a couple of days.

azibuck over at Bucs Dugout takes a look at the difference between the 2006 version of Tom Gorzelanny and the present day version. I am a bit worried by the facts. It's worth a look!

A Tough Loss for the Buccos

Sunday's loss to the Cubs was a tough one for the Pirates to swallow. First, Ian Snell continued to struggle, giving up 7 hits and 4 runs in 4 innings, more on this later. Then, the Pirates came back to tie the game in the top of the eighth on a Andy LaRoche homerun, his first as a Pirate and third of the year (Brandon Moss also got his first HR as a Pirate and third of the year). After newly acquired Craig Hansen got the first two outs of the bottom of the 8th, he walked a man and was replaced by Sean Burnett. Burnett gave up back-to-back homeruns for a total of three runs. The score would remain 8-5 for the rest of the game. Since Hansen was responsible for the man that he walked scoring, he received the loss in his first appearance as a Pirate.


Back to Snell and the Pirates pitching situation...
Snell and Gorzelanny may be reunited soon. Do not be surprised if Snell is sent down to Triple-A if newly acquired Ross Ohlendorf or Daniel McCutchen perform well in their appearances in Triple-A. I find it surprising that the Pirates are not giving Ty Taubenheim a chance. He pitched in one game for the Pirates this season, and while he struggled at first, he finished strong. He pitched six innings, giving up 2 runs on 7 hits. He struck out four and walked three. He has not been that great in Indianapolis, but he as you can see, he performed well in his only game with the Pirates. In Indianapolis, he is 4-9 with a 5.60 ERA in 19 starts.

It is getting hard to recall who is in the Pirates rotation these days, so here it is:
Paul Maholm
Jeff Karstens
Zach Duke
Yoslan Herrera
Ian Snell

Maholm is the only one in the group who has consistently produced. Snell has been terrible in comparison to last year. Duke has played well in a few games, but he is not consistent. Herrara had one solid start, but the rest have been very poor (obviously coming straight up from Double-A is difficult). Karstens performed well in his first game with the Pirates, but we have yet to see if that will continue.

Thoughts on the Jason Bay Trade

On Thursday evening, Pirates LF Jason Bay was shipped to Boston in a three team deal. Here is the breakdown of the deal.



Red Sox Get: LF Jason Bay

Dodgers Get: LF Manny Ramirez

Pirates Get: 3B Andy LaRoche (yes, Adam's brother), OF Brandon Moss, and RHPs Bryan Morris and Craig Hansen



This was quite the deal for the Pirates. They receive a power-hitting third baseman who will immediately take over for Jose Bautista in LaRoche. Anyone who has watched Bautista play this year will more than likely agree that this is a positive. Brandon Moss will also jump right into the Pirates' lineup. He will be the every day left fielder. Craig Hansen also joins the Pirates as part of the bullpen. Morris has been sent to Class A Hickory. If there are no lingering effects from Tommy John surgery, he could find himself at Class AA at the start of next season. Here is an article from about two weeks prior to the trade discussing how Morris was regaining his old form.



This type of trade is one that we rarely saw in the Littlefield Era. GM Neil Huntington got young talent in exchange for an aging veteran. The infusion of youth will provide for a strong base in the future. With some more additions to the minor leagues, the Pirates may have a decent farm system again.


Another positive regarding the Pirates today. They received a very solid performance in today's game against the Cubs from newly acquired RHP Jeff Karstens. Karstens, who came over in the Nady/Marte deal, pitched six scoreless innings to pick up his first win as a Pirate. Andy LaRoche went 1-for-4 with a run in his debut, but Moss went 0-for-3 with a walk. They have a rematch with the Cubs tomorrow at 1:05 pm.