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Santa Cruz native McGehee letting trade to Pirates…

Admillsed — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:47:15 +0000

One day after third baseman Casey McGehee was traded from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Santa Cruz native was still absorbing the deal.

The Pirates acquired McGehee for reliever Jose Veras late Monday night, hours after the Brewers agreed to terms with Chicago Cubs free-agent third baseman Aramis Ramirez.

In recent weeks, McGehee’s future at third base in Milwaukee became questionable. The Brewers spoke of McGehee seeing action at first base, if free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder signed elsewhere.

“The last 24 hours have been pretty hectic,” said McGehee, a Soquel High alum, on Tuesday. “I saw the writing on the wall and put two and two together. But it moved a lot quicker than I thought it would. In some ways, I feel relieved to have an end to it. It’s starting to sink in a little bit, but it hasn’t hit home yet.”

McGehee, 29, had a strong rookie season in 2009 and a big year in 2010, but slumped at the plate in 2011 and lost his starting job to Jerry Hairston Jr. late in the season. McGehee batted .223 with 13 homers and 67 RBIs for the NL Central champions in 2011 after hitting .285 with 23 home runs and 104 RBIs in 2010. The Dodgers signed Hairston Jr., a free agent, in December.

“Casey McGehee adds a quality option for us at both corner infield positions and adds depth to our position player group,” said Neal Huntington, Pirates general manager, in a statement.

McGehee will enter spring training

competing for the starting job at third base with Pedro Alvarez. McGehee could also split time at first with Garrett Jones and is an option to play outfield.

The Sentinel’s All-County Player of the Year in 1999 and 2000, McGehee views the competition as wide open.

“I’m going to go in and do what I’ve always done,” he said. “And if that’s the case, things will work out like they’re supposed to. … I’m going to go in with a fresh mindset. I think I learned a lot about myself last year. You can’t make up for what happened in the past all at once. You’ve got do things day-by-day and be patient.”

Brewers general manager Doug Melvin called McGehee on Monday evening and informed him of the trade. After that, McGehee took calls from Huntington and Pirates manager Clint Hurdle.

“He seems like a great guy, like my kind of guy,” McGehee said of Hurdle. “It seems like we hit it off good, but that’s just an assessment of 20 minutes of conversation.”

McGehee is a .265 career hitter with 52 home runs and 242 RBIs in three-plus major league seasons. He was chosen by the Chicago Cubs in the 10th round of the 2003 draft and made his big league debut with Chicago on Sept. 2, 2008. Milwaukee claimed him off waivers on Oct. 29, 2008.

Ramirez, who started his career in Pittsburgh, was the starting third baseman in Chicago while McGehee climbed through the minors.

And Ramirez was the player who ultimately led to McGehee’s trade Monday.

“I don’t begrudge him one bit,” McGehee said. “If your best friend was offered $36 million over three years to do your job, he’d take it. It’s ironic because he started his career in Pittsburgh. If you look at the back of our baseball cards, we’ve played for all the same teams, but in just a little different order.”

McGehee is hoping he can rekindle his offensive approach and stroke from two years ago and find himself in the heart of the Pirates’ batting order daily.

He is a career .219 hitter [14 for 64 in 21 games] with five extra-base hits at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

“That’s such a small sample size,” said Barry Meister, McGehee’s Illinois-based agent. “I think the Pirates value his right-handed bat in the middle of the lineup. And he has an opportunity to get at-bats at first and third. It’s a bigger park, but if he goes the other way and hits gap-to-gap, it has a chance to be a good place for him.”

Meister said three other teams expressed interest in McGehee on Monday — two from the AL and one from the NL. But the Pirates it was.

McGehee said he thinks they are on the cusp of doing something special. They had a 53-47 record and were in first place on July 25 last season before going 19-43 in their final 62 games.

“I think they’ve gotten to the point where they’re not rebuilding anymore,” he said. “They’re adding pieces to go to the next level. They’ve got enough talent. If everything falls into place, there’s no reason to believe that this year couldn’t be the year they make the playoffs. … The park is beautiful, one of the nicer parks and kind of out of the mold of the [San Francisco] Giants’ stadium. I remember as a visitor thinking this would be an unbelievable place to play when they’re doing well.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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MLB: BC grad Resop gets good news from Pittsburgh…

purnammasiure — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 04:21:00 +0000

Help the Resop family fight pediatric cancer by sponsoring Kara Resop as she competes in the Naples Daily News Half Marathon on Jan. 15.

Checks can be made out to:

Diamond Dust LLC

C/O Chris Resop

P.O. Box 275

Naples, FL, 34106

Note: 100 percent of the donations will be given to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation for research. Receipts are available upon request.

NAPLES —
As the clock ticked closer to midnight on Monday, Chris Resop began to get nervous.

The Barron Collier High graduate was waiting to see whether the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team he went 5-4 with a 4.39 ERA in 76 appearances with during the 2011 MLB season, had tendered him a contract for 2012.

The Pirates and every other MLB team had until 11:59 p.m. Monday to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players like Resop and six of his teammates.

At 11:55 p.m., Resop finally got the message he had been waiting for when his agent texted him and informed him that the team had tendered him a contract.

“My agent read it on Twitter and let me know,” Resop said with a laugh. “All (seven) of the guys (who were arbitration eligible) found out that way. I don’t have a Twitter so I didn’t know.

“It’s a relief. My family and I are happy to be going back to Pittsburgh.”

The tender means the right-handed relief pitcher will avoid free agency and, unless he is traded, will be back in his role in the Pirates’ bullpen.

Resop’s wait may have been caused by the Pirates’ brass working on a trade that sent relief pitcher Jose Veras to the Milwaukee Brewers for third baseman Casey McGehee.

“They may have been trying to get that trade wrapped up before making any (arbitration) decisions, who knows?” Resop said. “It’s nice to be going back to a familiar city.”

Players and their agents have the next few weeks to discuss potential salary figures with teams. Any player who was been tendered a contract and is still unsigned on Jan. 18 will exchange desired salary figures with his team. Arbitration hearings will then be scheduled during the first three weeks of February for any player that still has not come to an agreement.

Resop is hoping to avoid arbitration at all costs. The hearings could fall after Pirates pitchers and catchers are due to report for spring training in Bradenton.

“I don’t think it’s going to take that long,” Resop said of getting a contract finalized. “Nobody wants to go to arbitration. It’s something you just don’t want to worry about.”

Resop and his family will be doing some fundraising work with the Pediatric Cancer Foundation prior to the 2012 baseball season.

Resop’s wife, Kara, will be competing in the Naples Daily News Half Marathon on Jan. 15 at Cambier Park.

The Resops are looking for people to sponsor Kara’s run by making donations, big or small, to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation.

Donations can be made through the Diamond Dust LLC, care of Chris Resop at P.O. Box 275, Naples, FL, 34106. Receipts are available upon request for tax purposes.

“Any donation is great because 100 percent of it goes to pediatric cancer research,” Chris Resop said. “There are so many different circumstances out there with children’s cancer that just aren’t fair. Kara has run the half marathon a couple times but this is a little more meaningful to us.”

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Pirates Acquire 3B McGehee from Brewers

lillKerry — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 11:33:43 +0000

PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired third
baseman Casey McGehee from the Milwaukee Brewers in a trade for
reliever Jose Veras.

The move came hours after the Brewers agreed to terms with free-agent third baseman Aramis Ramirez on Monday.

McGehee had a strong rookie season in 2009 and a big year in 2010 but then slumped at the plate in 2011 and lost his starting job to Jerry Hairston Jr. late in the season. McGehee batted .223 with 13 homers and 67 RBIs for the NL Central champions, a year after hitting .285 with 23 home runs and 104 RBIs.

Veras was 2-4 with a 3.80 ERA and one save in a career-high 79
appearances last season for Pittsburgh.

Both players are eligible for arbitration.

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Pittsburgh Pirates drop 90 again to finish 19th…

zTommyu61 — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 10:04:35 +0000

[unable to retrieve full-text content]MILWAUKEE – Pittsburgh won 15 more games than last season. It’s a start for a franchise that’s dealt with 19 consecutive losing years. The Pirates fell behind early Wednesday night and lost 7-3 to the Milwaukee Brewers to finish at 72-90.

Gotta run!.

Pirates recall RHP Ohlendorf, designate Beimel

Tauskeela — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 00:48:10 +0000

PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Pirates recalled RHP Ross Ohlendorf from AAA Indianapolis and have designated reliever Joe Beimel for assignment.

Ohlendorf is expected to start on Tuesday night when the Pirates host first-place Milwaukee. It will be his first start with Pittsburgh since being placed on the disabled list in April with discomfort in his left (throwing) shoulder. Ohlendorf went 1-1 with a 3.65 ERA in seven minor league starts. He is 0-0 with a 7.37 ERA in two starts with Pittsburgh.

Beimel went 1-1 with a 5.33 ERA in 35 games for Pittsburgh but has struggled this month, giving up eight runs in 5 2-3 innings, including a two-run homer to Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun on Monday night.

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Pirates Blow Late Lead, Get Swept By Brewers

ragpdz777 — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 03:42:59 +0000

POSTED: 5:44 pm EDT August 14, 2011
UPDATED: 7:15 pm EDT August 14, 2011

MILWAUKEE — Nyjer Morgan’s game-ending sacrifice fly in the 10th inning lifted the Milwaukee Brewers to a 2-1 win over the struggling Pittsburgh Pirates and a series sweep.The Brewers have now won all eight games against the Pirates this season and 12 straight over the last two years at Miller Park.The last time the Pirates won at Miller Park was April 28, 2010. The Pirates have won just two of the team’s last 36 games in Milwaukee. We’ll send the latest Pittsburgh sports headlines to your phone or email every day — just sign up here.
With one out in the 10th inning, George Kottaras singled to left field and Casey McGehee followed with a double.Morgan then hit the first pitch from Chris Resop (3-4) to deep right field, and Kottaras scored easily for the win.Charlie Morton held Milwaukee scoreless over the first seven innings and allowed just three hits.

Reliever Joel Hanrahan came in with two outs in the eighth inning and struck Morgan out swinging for what should have been the third out. But the ball bounced away from catcher Michael McKenry, allowing Morgan to reach first base while Jerry Hairston Jr. moved from second to third. Hanrahan was charged with a wild pitch.”It was a great pitch and, unfortunately, as good as our catcher has been at blocking balls, it was probably wasn’t the textbook way to go at that one,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “We had the right guy in, the situation presented itself, we moved on it, and it didn’t work out.”The next batter, Ryan Braun, singled to center field and drove Hairston home to tie the score at 1-1. It was just the second blown save for Hanrahan in 32 chances this year.Garrett Jones scored Pittsburgh’s only run of the day in the first inning, when Andrew McCutchen hit a double to deep left field off Milwaukee starter Shaun Marcum.Takashi Saito (3-1) pitched a scoreless 10th inning and got the win for the Brewers.

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Pirates Blow Late Lead, Get Swept By Brewers

fauccafestync — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 03:42:59 +0000

POSTED: 5:44 pm EDT August 14, 2011
UPDATED: 7:15 pm EDT August 14, 2011

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

Pirates’ Lee on 15-day DL with injured left wrist

Swaviova2008 — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 01:28:25 +0000

The Pittsburgh Pirates placed first baseman Derrek Lee on the
15-day disabled list before their game with the Milwaukee Brewers
on Saturday.

Lee broke a bone in his left wrist when he was hit by Chicago’s
Carlos Marmol on Aug. 3. The move is retroactive to Aug. 10.

Lee, who was acquired from Baltimore on July 30, missed four
games, but returned Monday and played two games in San Francisco.
He was batting .278 with two home runs and three RBIs in five games
since the trade.

Infielder Josh Harrison was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis.
It is his third stint with the Pirates in 2011. He has gone
25-for-95 (.263) with five RBIs and 12 runs scored in 30 games.

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Greinke sharp as Brewers top Pirates

weldGypetoopy — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 09:35:30 +0000

MILWAUKEE — Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder hit back-to-back homers and Zack Greinke remained perfect at Miller Park to lift the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers to a 7-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.

Braun and Fielder homered in the eighth after the Pirates had chased Greinke (11-4) with two runs earlier in the inning. Milwaukee won its 10th straight at Miller Park against Pittsburgh and is a major league best 42-15 at home this year.

The 2009 AL Cy Young winner struck out nine and retired 11 straight at one point as Milwaukee maintained its four-game lead over St. Louis in the division race.

Milwaukee built a 4-0 lead off Paul Maholm (6-13) before the Pirates rallied, only to have Braun and Fielder answer right back.

The Pirates are 11 games back in the NL Central and continue their skid out of contention with their 14th loss in 17 games. Pittsburgh finally figured out Greinke with run-scoring doubles by Michael McKenry and Andrew McCutchen in the eighth.

But Braun, who also hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth, led off the bottom of the inning with a homer and Fielder hit another fastball from Joe Beimel to right field for his 28th home run the season.

Jonathan Lucroy added a two-out RBI single off Jose Veras and reliever Francisco Rodriguez followed with his first career hit in his second at-bat on an infield single that caused the Brewers bullpen to celebrate wildly.

It may cost Milwaukee.

Rodriguez warmed up for the ninth, but left after talking to trainer Roger Caplinger. The Brewers said Rodriguez exited with a right leg cramp, but he was stretching his left leg after he awkwardly stepped on the bag to beat Garrett Jones to first for his hit.

Greinke is 8-0 with a 3.36 ERA in 10 starts in Milwaukee this year. He allowed a first-inning single to Xavier Paul before retiring 11 straight — including five consecutive strikeouts to finish two short of the franchise record set by Steve Woodard in 1999.

After allowing three hits in the first seven innings, Greinke began to tire in the eighth and left with two outs after McCutchen’s double. Rodriguez got the final out before Braun and Fielder’s fireworks and then was later forced to hit.

Milwaukee is now 14-2 in a stretch of 16 straight games against NL Central opponents after the Pirates and Cardinals led the division just over two weeks ago.

Josh Wilson singled in Milwaukee’s first run in the second. The veteran infielder is one of three Brewers filling in for the injured Rickie Weeks. Weeks is expected to miss two to four more weeks with a badly sprained left ankle, even though the Brewers are 12-2 without the All-Star second baseman in the lineup.

Casey McGehee tripled in two more in the third before Braun’s sacrifice gave Milwaukee a 4-0 lead and put the Brewers on their way to their 34th home win in the last 37 games against the Pirates.

Notes: Maholm lost his fourth straight. … The Pirates activated RHP Ross Ohlendorf from the 60-day disabled list and immediately optioned him to Triple-A Indianapolis. Ohlendorf has been out since April with a strained shoulder. … Brewers RHP Marco Estrada (2-8, 4.80 ERA) faces RHP Kevin Correia (12-10, 4.78) in Saturday’s game. Estrada is starting after LHP Chris Narveson was placed on the 15-day DL after cutting his thumb and needing eight stitches. … Narveson said he hopes he can resume throwing in the next few days and return as soon as he can on Aug. 22.

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Pirates start big series at Milwaukee

eveviashy — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 20:17:13 +0000

Written by

The Sports Network

(Sports Network) – The Pittsburgh Pirates can begin one last improbable charge
toward the top of the National League’s Central Division tonight at Miller
Park, as they open a three-game series with the front-running Milwaukee
Brewers.

The Pirates were among the league’s biggest success stories for the season’s
first half, getting a share of the division for a brief spell and staying in
contention until a 10-game losing streak in late July and early August.

The dip pushed them below .500 for the season and to the fringes of contention
in the division, where they now trail the Brewers by 10 games after winning
two of three in San Francisco earlier in the week.

Milwaukee stretched its lead to four games over second-place St. Louis by
taking two of three in a series that ended Thursday, when Chris Carpenter
pitched eight strong innings and Albert Pujols went 4-for-4 with a homer and
two RBI as the Cardinals won, 5-2, to avoid a sweep.

Mark Kotsay and Prince Fielder both had RBI hits for the Brewers, who lost for
just the second time in their last 15 games. They grounded into four double
plays.

Yovani Gallardo (13-8) was saddled with the loss after allowing seven hits and
five runs — four earned — over five frames.

On Wednesday in San Francisco, Matt Diaz finished 2-for-4 with two RBI as
Pittsburgh plundered San Francisco, 9-2.

Ryan Ludwick added three hits, an RBI and two runs scored, while Andrew
McCutchen hit a two-run homer, walked three times and crossed the plate on
four occasions for the Pirates.

Jeff Karstens (9-6) worked six innings, allowing eight hits and two runs while
fanning nine for the win.

Milwaukee sends right-hander Zack Greinke to the mound, where he’ll face the
Pirates for the third time in his career.

The 27-year-old Floridian has won each of the first two meetings while
allowing a combined seven runs on 13 hits in 11 1/3 innings.

Lately, Greinke has won three straight outings, defeating the Chicago Cubs,
St. Louis and Houston while allowing 14 hits and three runs in 19 2/3 innings.

He’s been perfect at home in his first season with the Brewers, winning all
seven decisions in nine starts while posting a 3.49 earned run average.

Paul Maholm goes for the Pirates in search of his first win since July 10.

The Mississippi native was 6-9 on the season after a 9-1 defeat of the Cubs
that night, but has since dropped three decisions in five starts as his ERA
has ballooned from 2.96 to 3.54.

Maholm, a lefty, gave up 10 hits and seven runs in 6 2/3 innings of his last
outing, a 13-2 loss to San Diego on Aug. 6.

Maholm is 3-7 in 18 career starts against Milwaukee.

Milwaukee has won all five meetings with Pittsburgh this season and is 18-5 in
this series since the start of the 2010 campaign.

The Sports Network

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National League roundup: A look at Saturday’s…

Gotopeld — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 09:25:57 +0000

All the good memories of an overachieving Pittsburgh Pirates team are quickly being erased by an awful second-half stretch.

Kyle Blanks hit a grand slam and drove in five runs as the San Diego Padres sent Pittsburgh to its ninth straight loss, 13-2 on Saturday.

Last in the National League in runs and homers, San Diego set a club record for runs in consecutive games with 28, team said in citing the Elias Sports Bureau. The Padres hit a grand slam in consecutive games for the first time in 20 years.

“We talk about contagious, and you see that happening a little bit the last couple of nights,” San Diego manager Bud Black said. “There’s a feeling amongst the lineup that they are going to give a good at bat and the result is going to be there.”

There was an opposite feeling in the other dugout. The Pirates were in first place on July 26, but have dropped 11 of 12 while plummeting out of the NL Central lead. Pittsburgh fell nine games behind division-leading Milwaukee, prompting a players-only team meeting after the game.

“We’ve got to get back to the attitude we had at the beginning of the season,” outfielder Garrett Jones said. “Get our mindset back to where it was. Get that swagger —that was the word we were using — and that attitude of ‘We’re gonna win every game.’”

Elsewhere in the National League it was: Chicago Cubs 11, Cincinnati 4; Philadelphia 2, San Francisco 1; Milwaukee 7, Houston 5; New York Mets 11, Atlanta 7; St. Louis 2, Florida 1; Los Angeles Dodgers 5, Arizona 3; Colorado 15, Washington 7.

At Pittsburgh, fans at PNC Park booed as the game got out of hand, leaving the Pirates at 0-6 on their homestand. Blanks’ slam off Chris Resop in the seventh inning made it 11-1.

Saddled with a major North American professional sports record 18 consecutive losing years, the Pirates were as many as seven games over .500 in July. But the team’s sudden slump has been just as stunning as its ascension to respectability after losing 105 games in 2010.

“Losing nine is no fun for anybody. But nobody’s holding a pity party for us,” losing pitcher Paul Maholm said. “I’m sure there’s a lot of people that are having fun with the fact we’re losing, but we’re just going to get over it and come back tomorrow and expect to win.”

San Diego has pounded Pirates pitching for five home runs in winning the first two games of the series and have won three in a row overall.

The Padres had not hit a grand slam this season until Chase Headley did it Friday night. After hitting his first homer the day before, Blanks’ shot Saturday marked the first time San Diego had hit slams on consecutive days since Aug. 13-14, 1991, when Fred McGriff had both. Cleveland was the most recent team to do it, Sept. 17-18 of last season.

“I feel like the last couple of days before we came on the road I was making some strides in the cage, figuring out some things and applying them in the game,” Blanks said. “Now the results do start to matter, and I feel good. I had a couple of good nights in a row, and I just want to continue.”

Rookie Cory Luebke (4-6) struck out a career-high nine and allowed one run over seven innings. He also had two hits and scored a run to help the Padres win their eighth straight game in Pittsburgh.

Orlando Hudson had three hits and scored the game’s first run on Blanks’ triple in the second. Rob Johnson had three RBIs for San Diego, which had scored a total of 28 runs over its eight previous games before this series.

Luebke came in having lost his previous three starts. He allowed five hits and no walks.

“We got ahead tonight,” Luebke said, “and with me and (Johnson) on the same page all night, when you get that kind of flow with your catcher, it just makes things easier for everybody.”

Maholm (6-12) gave up a season-high seven earned runs and tied a season high for hits allowed with 10. Pittsburgh has lost each of his five starts since the all-star break.

Jones had a solo home run for the Pirates in the eighth, his 13th and third of the homestand.

Philadelphia 2, San Francisco 1

At San Francisco, Cole Hamels pitched a seven-hitter for his first win in two weeks and the Philadelphia Phillies made a pair of first-inning runs hold up, extending their season-high winning streak to nine games.

Brewers 7, Astros 5

At Houston, Prince Fielder hit a three-run homer in the first inning and later doubled and singled as the Milwaukee Brewers won for the 10th time in 11 games by beating the Astros.

At Miami, Albert Pujols hit a two-run homer in the first inning, then Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis bullpen made it stand up in a win over the Florida Marlins.

At Chicago, Carlos Zambrano hit his 23rd career home run and pitched six solid innings, and the Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds for their seventh straight win.

At Phoenix, Nathan Eovaldi pitched five solid innings in his major league debut and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks.

At Denver, Ty Wigginton and Chris Iannetta each homered in a five-run fourth inning, Jhoulys Chacin won for the first time in seven weeks and a Colorado team shaken by the loss of rookie pitcher Juan Nicasio to a neck injury beat the Washington Nationals.

At New York, Justin Turner homered twice and the Mets stopped a five-game losing streak with a victory over the Atlanta Braves.

That’s all for today.

Cards Take Two From Bucs

Grophypromo — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 08:57:06 +0000

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Lance Berkman and Yadier Molina homered during St. Louis’ five-run fifth inning, Jaime Garcia won his 10th game
and the Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates for the second
consecutive night, 9-1 on Saturday night.

A day after hitting three homers in a 15-hit barrage, St. Louis
won its third straight by collecting 12 hits in assuring itself a
win in what many in Pittsburgh were calling the biggest series in
PNC Park’s 11-year history.

Surprising Pittsburgh – without a winning season since 1992 but
in first place for four of the seven days leading up to this series
- lost its third consecutive game. The Pirates dropped into third
place behind the Milwaukee Brewers and Cardinals in the National
League Central.

That’s all the news for today.

Pirates Vs. Cardinals: Pittsburgh Trails 5-2 In…

tkriss — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 05:48:23 +0000

The Pirates lost to the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 at PNC Park Friday night, thanks to a barrage of extra-base hits by the Cards.

Eight of the Cardinals’ 15 hits went for extra bases, including three home runs. Albert Pujols went 4-for-5 with a homer and two doubles, and Yadier Molina went 3-for-4 with a homer and a double. David Freese also homered.

The Pirates managed 11 hits, nine of them singles, and scored four runs, although starter Chris Carpenter managed to stay in the game for eight innings.

New reliever Jason Grilli made his Pirates debut and allowed one of the Pujols doubles, but he also struck out Matt Holliday and got through an inning without allowing a run.

The Pirates and Cardinals are now tied for second place in the NL Central, and both are a half a game back of the Milwaukee Brewers.

For more on the Pirates, check out Bucs Dugout.

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First-Place Pirates Face Tough Schedule

Duspreere — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:49:05 +0000

By: SportsDirect

Are the Pittsburgh Pirates for real? The next 10 days probably will provide an answer. The Pirates are 51-44 and hold a half-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers atop the National League Central Division. It is the latest point in the season that Pittsburgh has held first place since 1992 — which also is the last time the Pirates had a winning season. On Tuesday, the Pirates edged the Cincinnati Reds, 1-0, for their second straight shutout. Pittsburgh had not won consecutive shutout since April 17-18, 2009. The Pirates have won three straight games and nine of 12. They are 16-7 since June 20 but have a tough stretch of games coming up. Pittsburgh finishes its three-game series with Cincinnati on Wednesday and has a day off before beginning a three-game set with division rival St. Louis (50-46). After that, the Pirates hit the road for four games at Atlanta (57-40) and three at Philadelphia (60-36), the two best teams in the NL.

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Pirates rally to beat Cubs

Edit20 — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 22:45:43 +0000

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,” 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.

Kosuke Fukudome went 1-for-4 for the Cubs in the loss.

Phillies 3, Braves 2 (10)

In Philadelphia, 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.

Rockies 3, Nationals 2

In Washington, 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.

Marlins 6, Astros 3

In Miami, 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.

Diamondbacks 7, Cardinals 6

In St. Louis, 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.

Brewers 8, Reds 7

In Milwaukee, 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 victory.

Dodgers 1, Padres 0

In Los Angeles, 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.

Mets 5, Giants 2

In San Francisco, 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.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Rangers 8, Athletics 5

In Arlington, Texas, C.J. Wilson pitched seven effective innings, Mike Napoli hit a first-inning grand slam off Gio Gonzalez, and the Rangers stretched their winning streak to five games.

Red Sox 10, Orioles 3

In Boston, David Ortiz homered in the Red Sox’s eight-run first inning, then got into a bench-clearing brawl with Baltimore reliever Kevin Gregg.

Blue Jays 11, Indians 7

In Cleveland, Travis Snider drove in five runs and Rajai Davis knocked in four as the Blue Jays rebounded a day after a stunning loss to beat the Indians.

Tigers 6, Royals 4

In Kansas City, Magglio Ordonez’s two-run home run just six pitches into the game staked Rick Porcello to an early lead and got the Tigers rolling.

Twins 8, White Sox 5

In Chicago, Luke Hughes’ three-run homer capped a six-run fourth and the Twins continued their mastery of the White Sox.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka went 1-for-4 for the Twins.

Angels 4, Mariners 3

In Anaheim, Mark Trumbo led off the ninth with a tiebreaking homer, and Hank Conger hit a tying homer in the seventh inning.

Ichiro Suzuki went 1-for-4 for the Mariners in the loss.

Rays at Yankees — ppd.

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