For perhaps the first time in his major league career, Barron Collier graduate Chris Resop has some job stability.

He’s earned that stability by becoming a valued member of the resurgent Pittsburgh Pirates’ bullpen.

Resop joined the Pirates last August, posting a 1.89 earned run average and 1.05 WHIP in 22 appearances.

He’s followed that up with another solid season, appearing in 39 games and posting a 3-2 record with a 3.38 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. He’s again averaging more than a strikeout per inning, with 51 Ks and 17 walks in 40 innings.

“I feel really good with the way I’m throwing,” Resop said. “I had a rough May but was able to work through it.”

Resop said finally having some job security allowed him to overcome the rough stretch in May.

“It’s a lot easier to go to the ballpark every day when you’re not worried about losing your job,” Resop said. “Obviously, the results have to be there, but it’s nice to know the team has a lot of confidence in you. As a reliever, they know you’re going to have bad outings every now and again. They’ve shown faith in me, putting me right back out in those situations even after I’ve struggled.”

Resop has been a key contributor on a much improved Pirates team, serving as a late-inning setup man for dominant closer Joel Hanrahan. Resop works anywhere from the sixth to the eighth inning, where his mid 90s fastball and assortment of offspeed pitches are able to generate strikeouts in big spots.

The Pirates entered Saturday night’s game against Chicago at 46-42, just one game off the pace in the NL Central. Pittsburgh hasn’t recorded a winning season since Barry Bonds left the team in 1992, but the players believe this is the year they break that streak.

“I think at the beginning of the season, people in Pittsburgh were a little skeptical,” Resop said. “We had a few good crowds early in the season, and then we started to struggle a bit and I think everybody thought it was going to be another losing season. But we’ve always believed in our team. We don’t just want to finish over .500, we want to be a playoff team.”

The players are certainly noticing the buzz now surrounding their team.

“We had 120,000 people in for a series with the Red Sox,” Resop said. “Last year, it could take us 10 to 12 games to get that many people. There’s a huge glimmer of hope with this team. We’re very much in the race, and we’ve got a ton of games left with the teams in our division. The fans really want a winner here, and we believe we can get it done.”

Resop says new manager Clint Hurdle has been the perfect leader for the upstart Pirates.

“Clint’s a great guy, he’s friends with everybody on the team,” Resop said. “He knows when to back off, but he also knows when to put the hammer down when we need it. He’ll do everything he can to get that W.”

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates are still providing plenty
of surprises in their successful first half of the season.

Mike McKenry’s first major league home run, a three-run shot in
the eighth inning, rallied Pittsburgh to a 7-4 victory over the
Chicago Cubs on Friday night and assured the surprising Pirates of
a winning record at the All-Star break for the first time in 19
years.

The Pirates were 49-39 at the break in 1992 on their way to a
third consecutive NL East title. They have had 18 consecutive
losing seasons since, a record for major North American
professional sports.

‘I’ve learned from experience that you don’t put expectations on
people,” coach Clint Hurdle said. ‘You draw up a plan and follow
that plan. I don’t what’s going to happen from here on in. I’m not
an expert. My job is just to get ready to play. Where that’s going
to take us, I don’t know.”

Where it has taken the Pirates so far is contention in the NL
Central. They are in a second-place tie with the St. Louis
Cardinals, one game behind the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Pirates have 10 players on the disabled list and started
four rookies on Friday. Yet they won for the fifth time in six
games thanks to McKenry, who is hitting .242 in 20 games.

McKenry was the backup catcher with the Boston Red Sox’s
Triple-A Pawtucket club when the Pirates acquired him in a trade
last month. Yet he has settled in nicely as the starting catcher
with Chris Snyder and Ryan Doumit on the DL.

‘The thing about Mike is he comes to play,” Hurdle said. ‘On the
home run, he kept taking good pass after good pass after good pass.
You got the feeling he was going to square a pitch up
eventually.”

McKenry tried to downplay the biggest moment of his young
career.

‘I don’t know about being the hero,” he said. ‘There were eight
other innings where guys just battled their brains out.”

The Pirates stayed hot before yet another large crowd as they
continue to win back old fans and make new ones in a city that has
waited a generation for a competitive baseball team.

Attendance was 37,140, the Pirates’ ninth sellout of the season
and fifth in their past seven dates at PNC Park.

‘Anytime you have sellout crowds, it’s usually an electric
atmosphere,” Hurdle said. ‘And the atmosphere has truly been
electric in this ballpark. It’s been great to see and be a part of
it.”

McHenry’s drive deep into the left-field bleachers came one
batter after Carlos Marmol suffered his sixth blown save in 24
opportunities when he relieved Sean Marshall (5-3) and allowed Josh
Harrison’s game-tying single on the rookie third baseman’s 24th
birthday.

Daniel McCutchen (3-1) got the final out of the eighth inning
for the win and Joel Hanrahan got his 26th save.

Harrison had three of the Pirates’ 12 hits, Andrew McCutchen
homered, Neil Walker hit a two-run single and rookie left fielder
Alex Presley and Lyle Overbay added two hits each.

Phillies 3, Braves 2, 10 innings: Raul Ibanez hit a solo homer
with one out in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Phillies
to a victory over the Braves.

Roy Halladay pitched seven strong innings, Carlos Ruiz hit a
tying homer and the Phillies increased their lead to 3.5 games over
the Braves in the NL East. It was manager Charlie Manuel’s 600th
career win with the team.

Rockies 3, Nationals 2: Jason Hammel pitched into the seventh
inning for his second win in 13 starts, and the Rockies beat the
Nationals to end a five-game losing streak.

Hammel (5-8) allowed two runs and five hits as Colorado won for
the first time in eight road games.

Marlins 6, Astros 3: Hanley Ramirez continued his recent torrid
hitting with three hits and three RBIs and Javier Vazquez pitched
seven solid innings as the Marlins defeated the Astros.

Florida broke a 2-2 tie and took the lead for good on Ramirez’s
run-scoring single in the third inning. He drove in Gaby Sanchez,
who reached on a two-out double.

Diamondbacks 7, Cardinals 6: Leadoff man Kelly Johnson broke a
seventh-inning tie with his second grand slam of the season and the
Diamondbacks’ bullpen barely hung on for a victory over the
Cardinals.

Chris Young added a two-run triple and David Hernandez earned
his fifth save in as many attempts as the stand-in closer for the
Diamondbacks.

Ian Kennedy (9-3) allowed three runs in six innings, matching
his career-best victory total from last season.

Brewers 8, Reds 7: Mark Kotsay hit a two-out, two-run single in
the ninth off Reds closer Francisco Cordero and the Brewers rallied
twice to beat Cincinnati for their third straight win.

In the ninth, Nyjer Morgan hit a one-out triple off Cordero
(3-2) to cut the lead to 7-6 but was thrown out at the plate on
Corey Hart’s fielder’s choice. Prince Fielder walked, Casey McGehee
hit an infield single and Kotsay ripped a hit to right for the
winner before being mobbed by McGehee on the base paths.

Dodgers 1, Padres 0: Chad Billingsley scattered four hits over
eight innings and Rafael Furcal singled in the go-ahead run in the
eighth to give the Dodgers a victory over the Padres.

Billingsley (8-7) struck out four and walked a season-high
five.

Mets 5, Giants 2: Pinch-hitter Scott Hairston hit a tiebreaking
home run off All-Star closer Brian Wilson in the ninth inning,
leading the Mets past the Giants.

Carlos Beltran and Nick Evans added RBIs in the inning to help
the Mets to their fifth victory in six games.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are still providing plenty of surprises in their successful first half of the season.

Mike McKenry’s first major league home run, a three-run shot in the eighth inning, rallied Pittsburgh to a 7-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Friday night and assured the surprising Pirates of a winning record at the All-Star break for the first time in 19 years.

The Pirates were 49-39 at the break in 1992 on their way to a third consecutive NL East title. They have had 18 consecutive losing seasons since, a record for major North American professional sports.

“I’ve learned from experience that you don’t put expectations on people,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “You draw up a plan and follow that plan. I don’t what’s going to happen from here on in. I’m not an expert. My job is just to get ready to play. Where that’s going to take us, I don’t know.”

Where it has taken the Pirates so far is contention in the NL Central. They are in a second-place tie with the St. Louis Cardinals, one game behind the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Pirates have 10 players on the disabled list and started four rookies on Friday. Yet they won for the fifth time in six games thanks to McKenry, who is hitting .242 in 20 games.

McKenry was the backup catcher with the Boston Red Sox’s Triple-A Pawtucket club when the Pirates acquired him in a trade last month. Yet he has settled in nicely as the starting catcher with Chris Snyder and Ryan Doumit on the DL.

“The thing about Mike is he comes to play,” Hurdle said. “On the home run, he kept taking good pass after good pass after good pass. You go the feeling he was going to square a pitch up eventually.”

McKenry tried to downplay the biggest moment of his young career.

“I don’t know about being the hero,” he said. “There were eight other innings where guys just battled their brains out.”

The Pirates stayed hot before yet another large crowd as they continue to win back old fans and make new ones in a city that has waited a generation for a competitive baseball team.

Attendance was 37,140, the Pirates’ ninth sellout of the season and fifth in their past seven dates at PNC Park.

“Anytime you have sellout crowds, it’s usually an electric atmosphere,” Hurdle said. “And the atmosphere has truly been electric in this ballpark. It’s been great to see and be a part of it.”

McHenry’s drive deep into the left-field bleachers came one batter after Carlos Marmol suffered his sixth blown save in 24 opportunities when he relieved Sean Marshall (5-3) and allowed Josh Harrison’s game-tying single on the rookie third baseman’s 24th birthday.

“It’s a great birthday present,” Harrison said with a smile.

Marmol wasn’t celebrating, though.

“Today, I was throwing the ball right down the middle,” he said. “That’s what happens when I get hit. You’re not going to be sharp every time you go out there. No excuses. I gave up two base hits and that’s the ballgame.”

Daniel McCutchen (3-1) got the final out of the eighth inning for the win and Joel Hanrahan got his 26th save.

Harrison had three of the Pirates’ 12 hits, Andrew McCutchen homered, Neil Walker hit a two-run single and rookie left fielder Alex Presley and Lyle Overbay added two hits each.

Chicago’s Aramis Ramirez hit his 10th home run in his past 16 games. Marlon Byrd had three hits, Alfonso Soriano doubled twice and drove in two runs and Ramirez and Darwin Barney added two hits apiece.

Barney put the Cubs ahead 4-3 with an RBI single in the top of the eighth.

In the bottom of the eighth, pinch hitter Matt Diaz worked a leadoff walk off Marshall and pinch runner Pedro Ciraco then slid hard into shortstop Starlin Castro to break up a potential inning-ending double play grounder by Walker. Overbay singled to put runners on first and second and Cubs manager Mike Quade called on Marmol.

Harrison hit a first-pitch single into center field to tie the game then McKenry hit his game-winning homer.

The Cubs’ Rodrigo Lopez allowed three runs and eight hits in six innings while walking one and striking out three.

Pittsburgh’s James McDonald lasted 5 2/3 innings and gave up three runs and five hits with two walks and four strikeouts.

McCutchen homered to center field, his 13th, to lead off the bottom of the sixth and tie the game at 3-3. Chicago had pulled ahead 3-2 in the top of the inning on Soriano’s two-run double.

The Cubs opened the scoring in the first inning on Ramirez’s home run to right field, his 15th.

Pittsburgh answered with two runs in the third to take the lead as Walker’s two-out infield single scored a pair of runs. Presley scored from third and Chase d’Arnaud came around from second when second baseman Barney’s off-balance throw pulled first baseman Carlos Pena off the bag.

Notes: RHP Ryan Dempster will start Saturday night for the Cubs after getting through a pre-game workout without incident. Dempster was scratched from his start Monday night at Washington because of back pain. Chicago RHP Marcos Mateo underwent an MRI on Friday that revealed a forearm strain and he is expected to miss at least four weeks. He was placed on the DL on Tuesday. … Hurdle said he had a 15-minute phone call with San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy on Friday to clear the air about Andrew McCutchen being left off the NL All-Star team. Hurdle had been quite vocal about McCutchen’s exclusion from the squad that will be managed by Bochy in the All-Star game on Tuesday night at Phoenix. … Chicago released Triple-A Iowa OF Fernando Perez, who was on its 40-man roster, after he hit .238 with three home runs, 20 RBIs and 17 stolen bases in 76 games.

PITTSBURGH (AP)—The Chicago Cubs’ bullpen was out of gas after a rough
four-game series against the Nationals in Washington in which manager Mike Quade
was forced to use his relievers for 17 innings.

It caught up with the Cubs on Friday night as rookie catcher Mike McKenry
hit his first major league home run, a three-run shot in the eighth inning off
closer Carlos Marmol(notes) that rallied the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 7-4 victory.

The Pirates scored four runs in the eighth off Sean Marshall(notes) and Marmol,
Chicago’s two best relievers.

“We’ve asked a lot of our guys in the bullpen, too much,” Quade said.

After Darwin Barney’s(notes) RBI single in the top of the eighth broke a 3-3 tie,
Quade called on Marshall to protect the one-run lead even though the left-hander
had pitched two innings and threw 30 pitches on Thursday in a 10-9 victory over
Washington.

Marshall (5-3) walked pinch-hitter Matt Diaz(notes) to start the inning. After
Andrew McCutchen(notes) flied to right, Neil Walker(notes) hit what appeared to be an
inning-ending double play ball to Barney, the second baseman.

However, pinch-runner Pedro Ciriaco(notes) slid hard into shortstop Starling Castro
to break up the double play and keep the inning alive.

Lyle Overbay(notes) singled to left and Marmol came on to face rookie third baseman
Josh Harrison(notes) with two on and two outs.

However, Harrison hit Marmol’s first pitch into center field for the tying
single, handing the hard thrower his sixth blown save in 24 opportunities.

McKenry followed by fouling off six straight pitches before hitting a drive
deep in the left-field bleachers.

“I was hoping Marsh could get us through the inning, but he just didn’t
have anything left,” Quade said.

What concerned Quade more is that Marmol got beat on sliders as the Cubs
lost for the sixth time in eight games.

“His slider was as flat as I’ve ever seen it, which was a little
surprising,” Quade said. “We’ve got to get that straightened out. I felt
really about I felt good about bringing him in against a couple guys who had
never seen him.”

However, the rookies wound up getting big hits off Marmol, much to the
delight of Pirates manager Clint Hurdle.

“It was a grind,” Hurdle said. “It was a reach. Our guys reached down and
were able to get four runs off two of the best relief pitchers in the National
League in Marmol and Marshall. That was pretty impressive.”

Marmol said poor location was the main factor in the Pirates hitting him.

“Today, I was throwing the ball right down the middle,” he said. “That’s
what happens when I get hit. You’re not going to be sharp every time you go out
there. No excuses. I gave up two base hits and that’s the ballgame. You’ve just
got to think about tomorrow now because you can’t do anything about today.”

Chicago’s Aramis Ramirez(notes) hit his 10th home run in his past 16 games. Marlon
Byrd(notes) had three hits, Alfonso Soriano(notes) doubled twice and drove in two runs and
Ramirez and Darwin Barney added two hits apiece.

The Cubs had 11 hits, but stranded 10 base runners.

Daniel McCutchen(notes) (3-1) got the final out of the eighth inning for the win
and Joel Hanrahan(notes) got his 26th save.

Harrison had three hits of the Pirates’ 12 hits, Andrew McCutchen homered,
Walker hit a two-run single and rookie left fielder Alex Presley(notes) and Overbay
added two hits each.

The Cubs’ Rodrigo Lopez(notes) allowed three runs and eight hits in six innings
while walking one and striking out three.

Pittsburgh’s James McDonald(notes) lasted 5 2/3 innings and gave up three runs and
five hits with two walks and four strikeouts.

McCutchen homered to center field, his 13th, to lead off the bottom of the
sixth and tie the game at 3-3. Chicago had pulled ahead 3-2 in the top of the
inning on Soriano’s two-run double.

The Cubs opened the scoring in the first inning on Ramirez’s home run to
right field, his 15th.

Pittsburgh answered with two runs in the third to take the lead as Walker’s
two-out infield single scored a pair of runs. Presley scored from third and
Chase d’Arnaud(notes) came around from second when second baseman Barney’s off-balance
throw pulled first baseman Carlos Pena off the bag.

Notes: RHP Ryan Dempster(notes) will start Saturday night for the Cubs after
getting through a pre-game workout without incident. Dempster was scratched from
his start Monday night at Washington because of back pain. Chicago RHP Marcos
Mateo(notes) underwent an MRI on Friday that revealed a forearm strain and he is
expected to miss at least four weeks. He was placed on the DL on Tuesday.
Chicago released Triple-A Iowa OF Fernando Perez(notes), who was on its 40-man roster,
after he hit .238 with three home runs, 20 RBIs and 17 stolen bases in 76 games.

PITTSBURGH, July 8 (UPI) — Michael McKenry hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning Friday that helped rally the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 7-4 decision over the Chicago Cubs.

The comeback gave the Pirates their fourth win in five games and continued a surprising season that has then in a battle for the National League Central lead midway through the campaign. Pittsburgh has lost at least 94 games in each of the last six seasons.

Chicago held a 4-3 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth but Matt Diaz began the rally by drawing a leadoff walk against Sean Marshall.

Pittsburgh still had only a runner on first with two away when Lyle Overbay singled and Josh Harrison also delivered a two-out base hit to drive in the first run of the inning. McKenry followed by fouling off five pitches and finally hitting an 0-2 delivery over the wall in left.

Daniel McCutchen (3-1) recorded the final out in the top of the eighth to get the win and Joel Hanrahan struck out two during a perfect ninth for his 26th save. Hanrahan set a franchise record for most saves prior to the All-Star break.

Marshall (5-3) took the loss after retiring only one batter. The Cubs have dropped six out of eight.

(Sports Network) – Surprise early-season standout Kevin Correia can get the
Pittsburgh Pirates back to .500 today when they host the New York Mets in game
three of a four-game set at PNC Park.

The Mets entered Saturday’s game with a chance to get back to .500, but were
denied when Andrew McCutchen stroked a two-run double and James McDonald
tossed six innings in the Pirates’ 3-2 win.

McDonald (4-4) gave up two runs, eight hits and three walks for the Pirates,
who rebounded from an 8-1 loss in the opener and are 7-4 in their last 11
contests. Jose Tabata is riding a five-game hitting streak.

R.A. Dickey (3-7) went the distance for New York, allowing three runs on eight
hits over eight frames. Jose Reyes had two hits and leads the majors with 32
multi-hit games this season. He has reached base safely in 52 of his 61 games
this season and leads the majors with a .341 average, 91 hits and 11 triples.

The Mets lost for just the third time in their last nine games.

New York is fourth in the National League’s East Division and 7 1/2 games
behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies, while the Pirates are fourth in
the NL Central and 5 1/2 back of first-place St. Louis.

Correia, who entered the season with a 36-43 record in the big leagues, was
5-4 after a 9-6 loss at Milwaukee on May 15, but has since bounced back with a
four-start unbeaten run.

He won consecutive decisions over Detroit, the Chicago Cubs and the Mets
through June 1, then pitched five innings in the Pirates’ 8-5 win against
Arizona in his last start on June 7.

Against New York, the 30-year-old Californian allowed six hits and two runs
across six innings in upping his career mark against the Mets to 2-3 in 11
games — five starts.

Pittsburgh is 9-5 in the 14 games he’s pitched.

For New York, 32-year-old lefty Chris Capuano continues his comeback with his
14th appearance of the season and 12th start.

The Massachusetts native was an 18-game winner with the Milwaukee Brewers in
2005, then won 11 and five games the following two years before not pitching
at all in the big leagues in 2008 and 2009.

He returned to make 24 appearances with the Brewers in 2010, then signed with
the Mets as a free agent on Jan. 3, 2011.

Capuano took the loss in the June 1 matchup with Correia and the Pirates after
allowing eight hits and five runs in six innings. He rebounded for a 2-1 win
at Milwaukee on June 7, giving up just six hits and a run in six innings. Mets
starters have posted a 2.70 ERA over their last 16 games — the lowest in the
majors over that period.

The Mets and Pirates split a four-game set in Flushing, N.Y. from May 30-June
2, but New York is 10-4 in the last 14 meetings overall.

The Sports Network

SECAUCUS, N.J. – The Pittsburgh Pirates selected hard-throwing UCLA righty Gerrit Cole with the No. 1 pick in the baseball draft Monday night.

Cole, a six-foot-four, 220-pound junior, posted mediocre numbers this season for the Bruins (6-8, 3.31 earned-run average), but has what many consider to be the best pure stuff in the draft. His college teammate, right-hander Trevor Bauer, wasn’t far behind, going third overall to Arizona.

Cole was a first-round pick of the New York Yankees in 2008, but refused to listen to an offer and instead attended UCLA — as he insisted to teams he would.

The Pirates, picking No. 1 for the fourth time in franchise history, are hoping Cole ends up being the ace of their pitching staff. He has a fastball that’s consistently clocked at 95 m.p.h. and was up around 100 at times late this season. Cole’s change-up and slider are also outstanding.

“Gerrit Cole has the size, strength, overall package of stuff and mentality to develop into a top-of-the-rotation major league starting pitcher,” said Greg Smith, the Pirates’ director of scouting.

Cole is the latest promising young arm that Pittsburgh, which finished with baseball’s worst record a year ago, has added in the last two drafts. The Pirates took a pair of high school right-handers with their first two picks last year in Jameson Taillon and Stetson Allie, giving them three potential front-line starters.

With the second choice, the Seattle Mariners tabbed Virginia lefty Danny Hultzen, the Atlantic Coast Conference pitcher of the year the last two seasons. Watching with family and friends, Hultzen looked stunned when the pick was announced, putting his hands on his head.

“This is completely unexpected. It’s a huge honour, though,” Hultzen said in an interview on MLB Network. “I’m very excited. … I really don’t know what to say right now. I’m completely speechless.”

Hultzen, a junior, is 11-3 with a 1.57 ERA and 148 strikeouts while leading the top-ranked Cavaliers to the super regionals of the NCAA tournament.

Arizona, which had two of the first seven picks, couldn’t pass up Bauer at No. 3. The Pac-10 pitcher of the year outshined Cole statistically, going 13-2 with a 1.27 ERA and a Division I-leading and Pac-10-record 203 strikeouts. He ended the season having thrown nine straight complete games.

With the seventh pick, the Diamondbacks took another pitcher in right-hander Archie Bradley from Broken Arrow High School in Oklahoma. Bradley went 12-1 and fanned 133 against just 11 walks in 71 1-3 innings while posting a 0.29 ERA this year. He was also considered one of the country’s best quarterback prospects and is committed to play football at Oklahoma.

At No. 4, Baltimore selected Bradley’s good buddy, Dylan Bundy, another high school pitcher from Oklahoma. The six-foot-one, 200-pound righty went 11-0 with 158 strikeouts and only five walks in 71 innings for Owasso High School.

It was the first time since the amateur draft began in 1965 that the first four selections were all pitchers.

Kansas City ended the run on the mound by taking a local high school outfielder in Bubba Starling. The Royals have had their eye on the star out of Gardner-Edgerton High School in Kansas since he was 14. And, for good reason.

The 6-5, 200-pound Starling is one of the most impressive all-around athletes in the draft and has eye-popping power. He’ll now have a difficult decision: Starling has already committed to Nebraska to play quarterback after rushing for 2,471 yards and 31 touchdowns, and throwing for 790 yards and eight TDs last season.

Anthony Rendon, a slick-fielding and sweet-swinging third baseman from Rice, celebrated his 21st birthday by going sixth overall to Washington. He was hampered by a strained shoulder for most of this season, limiting him to DH — although he played some second base in the post-season. Still, he hit .327 with six homers and 37 RBIs. Teams also constantly pitched around him, as evidenced by his Division I-leading 80 walks.

“I’m feeling great,” Rendon said. “I’ve got no problems with me right now. I think my injuries only make me stronger as a person.”

Two Florida high school shortstops went back-to-back, with Francisco Lindor from Montverde Academy going to Cleveland at No. 8, and Javier Baez from Arlington Country Day to the Chicago Cubs one pick later.

Rounding out the top 10, San Diego took slugger Cory Spangenberg, who played third base for Indian River Junior College in Florida.

The last time the Pirates had the top pick in the draft they selected pitcher Bryan Bullington in 2002. They also took pitcher Kris Benson at No. 1 in 1996 and infielder Jeff King in 1986.

“We’re working hard to never pick No. 1,” Pittsburgh general manager Neal Huntington said. “It’s a long process. It’s not an easy thing to turn around a major league team.”

Washington chose slugger Bryce Harper with the first pick last year.

SECAUCUS, N.J. — The Pittsburgh Pirates selected hard-throwing UCLA righty Gerrit Cole with the No. 1 pick in the baseball draft Monday night.

[+] Enlarge

Jayne Kamin-Oncea/US PresswireUCLA Bruins starter Gerrit Cole was taken first overall by the Pirates in the 2011 MLB draft.

Cole, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound junior, posted mediocre numbers this season for the Bruins (6-8, 3.31 ERA), but has what many consider to be the best pure stuff in the draft. His college teammate, right-hander Trevor Bauer, wasn’t far behind, going third overall to Arizona.

Cole was a first-round pick of the New York Yankees in 2008, but refused to listen to an offer and instead attended UCLA — as he insisted to teams he would.

The Pirates, picking No. 1 for the fourth time in franchise history, are hoping Cole ends up being the ace of their pitching staff. He has a fastball that’s consistently clocked at 95 mph and was up around 100 at times late this season. Cole’s changeup and slider are also outstanding.

“Gerrit Cole has the size, strength, overall package of stuff and mentality to develop into a top-of-the-rotation major league starting pitcher,” said Greg Smith, the Pirates’ director of scouting.

Cole is the latest promising young arm that Pittsburgh, which finished with baseball’s worst record a year ago, has added in the last two drafts. The Pirates took a pair of high school right-handers with their first two picks last year in Jameson Taillon and Stetson Allie, giving them three potential front-line starters.

With the second choice, the Seattle Mariners tabbed Virginia lefty Danny Hultzen, the Atlantic Coast Conference pitcher of the year the last two seasons. Watching with family and friends, Hultzen looked stunned when the pick was announced, putting his hands on his head.

“This is completely unexpected. It’s a huge honor, though,” Hultzen said in an interview on MLB Network. “I’m very excited. … I really don’t know what to say right now. I’m completely speechless.”

Hultzen, a junior, is 11-3 with a 1.57 ERA and 148 strikeouts while leading the top-ranked Cavaliers to the super regionals of the NCAA tournament.

Arizona, which had two of the first seven picks, couldn’t pass up Bauer at No. 3. The Pac-10 pitcher of the year outshined Cole statistically, going 13-2 with a 1.27 ERA and a Division I-leading and Pac-10-record 203 strikeouts. He ended the season having thrown nine straight complete games.

With the seventh pick, the Diamondbacks took another pitcher in right-hander Archie Bradley from Broken Arrow High School in Oklahoma. Bradley went 12-1 and fanned 133 against just 11 walks in 71 1-3 innings while posting a 0.29 ERA this year. He was also considered one of the country’s best quarterback prospects and is committed to play football at Oklahoma.

At No. 4, Baltimore selected Bradley’s good buddy, Dylan Bundy, another high school pitcher from Oklahoma. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound righty went 11-0 with 158 strikeouts and only five walks in 71 innings for Owasso High School.

It was the first time since the amateur draft began in 1965 that the first four selections were all pitchers.

Kansas City ended the run on the mound by taking a local high school outfielder in Bubba Starling. The Royals have had their eye on the star out of Gardner-Edgerton High School in Kansas since he was 14. And, for good reason.

The 6-5, 200-pound Starling is one of the most impressive all-around athletes in the draft and has eye-popping power. He’ll now have a difficult decision: Starling has already committed to Nebraska to play quarterback after rushing for 2,471 yards and 31 touchdowns, and throwing for 790 yards and eight TDs last season.

Anthony Rendon, a slick-fielding and sweet-swinging third baseman from Rice, celebrated his 21st birthday by going sixth overall to Washington. He was hampered by a strained shoulder for most of this season, limiting him to DH — although he played some second base in the postseason. Still, he hit .327 with six homers and 37 RBIs. Teams also constantly pitched around him, as evidenced by his Division I-leading 80 walks.

“I’m feeling great,” Rendon said. “I’ve got no problems with me right now. I think my injuries only make me stronger as a person.”

Two Florida high school shortstops went back-to-back, with Francisco Lindor from Montverde Academy going to Cleveland at No. 8, and Javier Baez from Arlington Country Day to the Chicago Cubs one pick later.

Rounding out the top 10, San Diego took slugger Cory Spangenberg, who played third base for Indian River Junior College in Florida.

The last time the Pirates had the top pick in the draft they selected pitcher Bryan Bullington in 2002. They also took pitcher Kris Benson at No. 1 in 1996 and infielder Jeff King in 1986.

“We’re working hard to never pick No. 1,” Pittsburgh general manager Neal Huntington said. “It’s a long process. It’s not an easy thing to turn around a major league team.”

Washington chose slugger Bryce Harper with the first pick last year.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

Read More: Brad Hawpe (1B – SDP), San Diego Padres, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Rays, Washington Nationals, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs

Here’s the order for the 2011 MLB Draft, which begins Monday. Our heroes, the Pittsburgh Pirates, will pick first, and will likely use the top pick to select UCLA pitcher Gerrit Cole. After that comes the Mariners, Diamondbacks, Orioles and Royals.

After that, the Pirates will have to wait for the Tampa Bay Rays to pick approximately 82 times before the Bucs are up again with overall pick No. 61. (They have three first-round picks, then seven compensation-round picks.) Due to Major League Baseball’s absurd method of award compensation picks for departing free agents, the Rays got themselves compensated for ridiculously unimportant free agents like Brad Hawpe, and they’ll now get to fill their farm system with high-upside arms. Good for the Rays for gaming the system, but MLB needs to fix the system so it can’t be so easily gamed.

The Rays, naturally, pick three more times in the second round before the Pirates come up again, but this time, at least, there aren’t any additional comp picks added to the round, so the Bucs’ third selection will be at No. 91.

Here’s the top 10:

1. Pirates

2. Mariners

3. Diamondbacks

4. Orioles

5. Royals

6. Nationals

7. Diamondbacks (compensation for unsigned draft pick)

8. Indians

9. Cubs

10. Padres (compensation for unsigned draft pick)

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been the modal franchise for almost two decades. That is, of course, if you look up to total failure. 

That being said, this article isn’t to rip on the Pittsburgh Pirates but to applaud them on their rise from their own abyss. They picked the right manager in Clint Hurdle to lead the new era and in a delightful surprise, one of their one year rentals leads the majors in wins and the pitching staff has the best ERA in the NL Central. 

So why are they sill below .500 and in forth place in the Central?

While their 3.47 ERA is the best in their division and among the best in the majors, their hitting is one of the worst in the majors with a batting average of .238.

In the era of the pitcher, the difference between the best pitching staff and the worst pitching staff is 1.77, which means that hitting is much more important because very few teams will have the lineup to succeed if the pitching is in total parity. 

So how do they improve their lineup to match their pitching?

As most good teams do, the Pirates must take advantage of the rentals of the losers and trade for their cheap veterans. This might feel weird for them because they use to be the sellers all the time. 

Who should they look for?

Jeff Francoeur, KC: .281, 9 HR, 31 RBI

Frenchy is an outfielder who is still in his peak and despite one year contract, his value and cost is unknown.

Rual Ibanez, PHI: .246, 8 HR, 29 RBI

Ibanez is a power bat who enters free agency at the conclusion of this season and is in the process of being replaced. 

Carlos Pena, CHC: .222, 8 HR, 26 RBI

Pena possesses a power bat and gold glove. He was meant to be a one-year player in Chicago and a swap of first baseman should be enough to land him.

Who in the Pirates organization is expendable to pull off trades?

Lyle Overbay, 1B: .240, 5 HR, 22 RBI

Overbay’s one-year contract would be suitable in trades that involves receiving a first baseman or a right fielder.

Garret Jones, RF: .222, 6 HR, 18 RBI

Jones is a power bat who is starting to lose touch and should be traded for veteran help before it is too late.

It will be up to the Pirates front office to pull the right strings to get the necessary imports to finally break out and surge into playoff contention.

Charlie Morton has been a pleasant surprise for the
Pittsburgh Pirates this season and will make his 10th start tonight against
the New York Mets in the opener of a four-game series at Citi Field.

Although Morton lost his most recent outing, he’s still an impressive 5-2 with
a 2.61 earned run average this season. Morton has never won six games in a
season and was the hard-luck loser in a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Atlanta
last Tuesday at PNC Park, where he allowed both runs and seven hits in seven
innings. The right-hander was coming off a shutout at Cincinnati that pushed
his 2011 road record to 4-1 in five starts.

Morton has faced the Mets twice in his career, one of which was a start, and
he is 0-0 with a 2.57 ERA.

Pittsburgh didn’t give starter Jeff Karstens enough run support in Sunday’s
3-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs in the finale of a three-game series at Wrigley
Field. Karstens allowed three runs — two earned — and seven hits in five
innings to fall to 3-4 on the season. Lyle Overbay provided the offense for
the Pirates with a two-run double in the first inning.

The Pirates were aiming for a three-game sweep of the Cubs, but lost for the
fourth time in six contests.

“We’re not disappointed. We went out and played a ballgame and they played
better than us,” said Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle after the Cubs loss. “We
won the series. That was the objective coming in.”

Hurdle could be without catcher Ryan Doumit after he sprained his left ankle
in a play at the plate during the second inning. Doumit was in a walking boot
and had crutches at his locker following the loss, and is scheduled to fly
back to Pittsburgh for an MRI. X-rays taken during the game were negative.

New York is coming off a big win over rival Philadelphia and salvaged the
finale of a three-game set with a 9-5 triumph on Sunday afternoon.

Jose Reyes had four hits, including two triples, and drove in a run, while
Josh Thole went 3-for-4 with three RBI for New York, which won for the second
time in eight tries and improved to 1-2 on a 10-game homestand.

New York starter Jon Niese gave up one unearned run, five hits and four walks
while recording six strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings for the win.

“Our offense got timely hits and a lot of hits,” Niese said.

The Mets, who will also host Atlanta for three games, are slated to send
Dillon Gee to the mound on Monday and he’s 4-0 with a 3.83 earned run average
through nine games (6 starts) this season. Gee has won two straight outings
and squeezed by the Cubs at Wrigley Field in Wednesday’s 7-4 win, allowing
four runs in six innings of work.

Gee, a right-hander, was coming off 7 2/3 shutout innings in a 1-0 win versus
Washington and is 2-0 in five games (3 starts) at home this season. Gee threw
six shutout innings in a 1-0 win over Pittsburgh last Sept. 13, but did not
figure into the decision.

New York won six of seven meetings with the Pirates a year ago and has won
seven in a row at home in this series. Pittsburgh’s last road win in this
series was a 7-5 triumph on August 11, 2008.

Mets outfielder Jason Bay will face his former Pirates club for the first time
since he was traded to Boston in a three-team trade on July 31, 2008. Bay is
the only Rookie of the Year in Pittsburgh history.

©2011 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Pittsburgh (KDKA)- The Pittsburgh Pirates are currently dealing with two injuries which will result in those players being placed on the disabled list.

Often-injured Steve Pearce has been placed on the 15-day DL with an injured calf.

Pearce was injured in Saturday’s 10-0 win, but it’s still unsure which played led to his injury.

To take his spot on the 25-man roster, the Pirates have recalled infielder Josh Harrison from AAA Indianapolis.

Harrison was acquired by the Pirates in the John Grabow/Tom Gorzelanny trade.

This year at Indy, Harrison was hitting .331 with eight doubles, two triples and two homers in 141 at-bats.

Harrison’s .331 average isn’t a fluke because he’s a lifetime .308 hitter.

Harrison is very much a contact hitter considering he’s only struck out 142 times in 1,564 lifetime minor league at-bats.

The team is also expected to place catcher Ryan Doumit on the disabled list. That move will officially come later this morning.

Doumit injured his left ankle trying to block the plate with Chicago’s Carlos Pena attempting to score on a sac fly.

The team will recall Dusty Brown from AAA Indianapolis.

Brown, who was hitting .264 with 6 homers, was splitting time with Jason Jaramillo.

On Saturday, the Pirates placed lefty Joe Beimel on the disabled list because of left elbow soreness.

Before the Pirates officially recall Harrison and Brown, they’ll need to open two spots on the 40-man roster.

Two possibilities are to move Ross Ohlendorf to the 60-day DL from the 15-day DL and to DFA reliever Chris Leroux.

Aramis Ramirez ended a long home run drought, Ryan Dempster threw six solid innings and the Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 in a rain-delayed game Sunday.

Ramirez’s line drive solo shot in the second broke a streak of 155 at-bats without a home run, the second longest stretch of his career. Ramirez went 170 at-bats between homers from Aug. 2, 1998, until April 21, 2000.

Dempster (4-4) recovered from a poor start to post his fifth quality start in his last six outings. After allowing two runs, a walk and Lyle Overbay’s two-run double in the first inning, Dempster settled down to shut out the Pirates on four hits over the next five innings.

Dempster allowed four hits and two runs overall, striking out five and walking three. He beat the Pirates for first time in five starts dating to May 4, 2010.