PITTSBURGH (AP)—Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Charlie Morton(notes) will be out
about six months after having hip surgery.

Morton had the surgery Monday to repair a torn labrum, and is not expected
to be ready for the start of spring training.

The 27-year-old Morton experienced discomfort in the hip throughout the
season. He went 10-10 with a 3.83 ERA despite the problem.

The previous year, the right-hander was 2-12 with a 7.57 ERA.

PITTSBURGH (AP)—Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Charlie Morton(notes) will be out
about six months after having hip surgery.

Morton had the surgery Monday to repair a torn labrum, and is not expected
to be ready for the start of spring training.

The 27-year-old Morton experienced discomfort in the hip throughout the
season. He went 10-10 with a 3.83 ERA despite the problem.

The previous year, the right-hander was 2-12 with a 7.57 ERA.

(Sports Network) – Lefty Travis Wood can continue a recent string of scoreless
outings tonight when the Cincinnati Reds visit the Pittsburgh Pirates for the
middle contest of three weekend games at PNC Park.

A 24-year-old, Wood had appeared in five consecutive games — four relief
outings and one start — since last allowing a run during a 5-3 loss to the
New York Yankees on June 20 in Cincinnati.

He’s 1-0 in his outings since, picking up the win after two-thirds of an
inning of relief against the Pirates during Cincinnati’s 11-8 victory in
Pittsburgh on Aug. 19.

Overall, he’s pitched 10 consecutive shutout innings while allowing five hits
and striking out nine batters.

He’s 2-1 lifetime against the Pirates with a 4.91 earned run average in 11
innings.

In Friday’s opener, pinch-hitter Ryan Ludwick posted the game-winning hit in
the bottom of the ninth inning, sending the Pirates to a 4-3 win.

Pinch-hitter Jason Jaramillo ripped a double to left with one out off Reds
reliever Bill Bray (5-3) before Ludwick came through with the walk-off single
to center against Nick Masset, allowing pinch-runner Chase d’Arnaud to easily
score from second.

Garrett Jones hit a two-run homer and Andrew McCutchen finished with two hits
and a run scored for the Pirates, who bounced back after a 2-5 road trip.

Joel Hanrahan (1-4) earned the win despite plunking Todd Frazier to force in
the tying run in the top half of the frame.

“I didn’t have all my good stuff, but I tried to find a way to make it work,”
Hanrahan said. “I think I hit my first guy of the year. This game’s funny.”

Joey Votto picked up an RBI double, while Frazier and Paul Janish had two hits
apiece for the Reds, who had their two-game winning streak snapped.

The Pirates start 26-year-old righty Brad Lincoln, who appears for the second
time in his career against the Reds.

Lincoln took a no-decision in the initial outing, tossing two-thirds of an
inning in relief in the aforementioned 11-8 game in which Wood got the
victory.

He’s made six starts since and is 1-3 while allowing 17 runs in 31 innings.

Lincoln is 0-2 in seven home appearances this season.

Pittsburgh is 9-4 versus the Reds this season.

The Sports Network

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been so bad in the second half of this season that you almost just want to leave them alone in their misery during the final hours of their 19th straight losing campaign.

But then you see this oh-so-representative (and awesome) picture of manager Clint Hurdle in the dugout.

You also learn that they have been historically bad since reaching the dizzying heights of first place in July.

All-time bad, in fact.

So, really, what other choice do you have but to pause, look at the wreck and post that picture? None, I’m afraid.

According to columnist Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the 2011 Bucs are now the not-so-proud victims of baseball’s greatest plunge from first place. Citing the research of Elias, Kovacevic notes that no other team in history has put together a worse record — 16-40 — after leading their division at the 100-game marker.

What’s worse, the next-closest free fallers aren’t actually close at all.

From the T-R:

The Pirates’ 16-40 record down the stretch makes for a .286 winning percentage. Next-worst was the 1977 Chicago Cubs, who went 60-40 to lead their division through 100 games, then went 21-41 for a .339 winning percentage.

These Pirates went from delight to disgrace before Regis Philbin could break out one chorus of “We Are Family.”

Of course, because it’s the Pirates, there’s a particularly cruel twist: Game No. 101 was the infamous 19-inning affair in Atlanta that ended with umpire Jerry Meals making one of the worst calls in history. Meals is a Bartmanesque anti-hero in this case — Pittsburgh would have likely plummeted without his atrocity — but that probably doesn’t make it any easier for Pirates fans to digest.

So, as we enter the final six games of the season, there’s a chance they could fumble further than the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins to end up as the second-worst team in the National League. But even if they don’t, the Pirates will be heading into an offseason where they’ll have to reconcile the great successes of the first half and individual growth with the complete business-as-usual suckitude of the second.

As Kovacevic notes, that’s not going to be easy.

Want more baseball news all season long?
Follow ‘Duk on Facebook and Twitter!

Related: Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, Florida Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres

It’s been seven years since Pittsburgh won as many as 70 games
in a season. The Pirates waited that long; what was one more
half-inning?

Ryan Ludwick’s single in the bottom of the ninth drove in the
winning run and the Pirates came back from a blown save in the top
of the inning for a 4-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday
night.

Ludwick’s fly ball to deep center field fell for a single and
scored pinch-runner Chase d’Arnaud from second after pinch-hitter
Jason Jaramillo had doubled to left with one out.

“It felt like it was what I was supposed to do,” said Ludwick, a
trade-deadline acquisition who was hitting .231 in 34 games with
the Pirates. “It’s been a while since I hit a walk-off, but it felt
good.”

Garrett Jones homered for the first time in more than a month
for Pittsburgh (70-87), which reached 70 wins for the first time
since 2004.

The Pirates had been a strike away from that elusive 70th
victory, but closer Joel Hanrahan hit Todd Frazier in the hand with
a 98 mph fastball, the eighth pitch of a dramatic at-bat with the
bases loaded and two outs in the top of the ninth.

The blown save was Hanrahan’s fourth in 43 opportunities.

“It was one of those days I didn’t have my good stuff, so you
try to find a way to make it work,” Hanrahan said. “It’s a full
count there, and I think I hit my first guy of the year there.
Baseball’s a funny game.”

Paul Janish had two hits and an RBI and Joey Votto had his 99th
RBI for the Reds.

Ryan Doumit had two hits and an RBI and Andrew McCutchen added
two hits for Pittsburgh, which won for the second in its past seven
games overall and second time in its past seven home games.

Pirates starter Jeff Locke was on a pitch limit and was lifted
after 4 2-3 innings when his 80th pitch became an RBI double by
Votto.

That left two men on, but Daniel Moskos got Jay Bruce to strike
out swinging to end the inning.

“We hit that young man over there pretty hard,” Reds manager
Dusty Baker said about Locke. “We flirted with the fence probably
five or six times.

“We had plenty of opportunities, but we didn’t get the hit when
we needed it.”

Making his third career start, Locke was charged with one run,
six hits and two walks. He lasted only three innings in his most
recent start.

“It’s a process,” the 23-year-old said. “I’m definitely taking
the mound now, the nerves are gone, the composure’s there. I’m
still leaving some pitches up and falling behind some hitters.”

Janish had an RBI single off Chris Leroux in the sixth, but
Chris Resop, Tony Watson and Jason Grilli combined for two
scoreless innings.

Pinch-hitter Chris Heisey started Cincinnati’s ninth with an
infield single and Brandon Phillips followed with a single. After a
fielder’s choice and a strikeout, Phillips and Drew Stubbs pulled
off a double steal. Bruce was intentionally walked and Frazier was
hit by the pitch.

“They didn’t really hit the ball too hard that inning,” Jones
said. “They had some freak things happen, but we were able to help
Joel out. Ryan came up with the big hit.”

Jones homered for the first time since Aug. 21 after Doumit led
off the second with an infield single. Jones’ homer to right-center
off Edinson Volquez was his 16th and traveled an estimated 458
feet.

Doumit made it 3-0 in the second with a run-scoring single.

Making his third start since being recalled after his second
demotion to the minors this season, Volquez, Cincinnati’s opening
day starter, allowed three runs, six hits and two walks while
striking out five in five innings.

“I felt good. We didn’t win, but that’s part of the game,”
Volquez said. “A lot of things happen during a game, but I was
happy to be back out here and pitch some innings.”

Notes: Barring setbacks, LHP Dontrelle Willis will start for the
Reds on Sunday. He has not pitched since Sept. 12 due to a back
injury. … The announced paid crowd of 23,632 pushed Pittsburgh’s
season total to 1,874,283 _ the fourth-largest in club history. …
The previous time Cincinnati’s Saturday starter RHP Travis Wood
faced Pittsburgh, he had the shortest start of his career, 3 1-3
innings in a 9-3 loss April 18. … RHP Brad Lincoln will make his
final start of the season Saturday for the Pirates after allowing
six runs in 1 2-3 innings in his most recent outing.

(Sports Network) – Rookie left-hander Jeff Locke makes the third start of his
career tonight when the Pittsburgh Pirates host the visiting Cincinnati Reds
in the opener of a three-game series at PNC Park.

A second-round pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2006, Locke was 8-10 in 28
appearances in the minors this season, posting a 3.70 earned run average and
striking out 139 batters in 153 1/3 innings.

He made his initial big-league start at home against Florida on Sept. 10 and
took a 3-0 loss, then returned six days later for a 7-2 loss to the Dodgers in
Los Angeles.

In eight combined big-league innings, Locke has allowed 10 hits and six runs
while walking six and striking out one.

The Reds start 28-year-old Edinson Volquez, who’s lost three consecutive
starts.

The former National League All-Star, who last won on June 29 at Tampa Bay, was
sent to the minors after an 8-1 loss in St. Louis on July 5. He returned for a
4-1 loss at Colorado on Sept. 11 and was tagged for five runs and six hits in
6 2/3 innings of a 10-1 loss to Milwaukee on Sept. 17.

Volquez is 1-0 in six career starts against the Pirates with a 3.44 ERA.

On Wednesday in Cincinnati, Bronson Arroyo tossed his first shutout in over
two years, as the Reds handled the Houston Astros, 2-0, in the rubber match of
a three-game series.

Arroyo (9-12) gave up six hits and recorded his first shutout since August
2009. The right-hander struck out two and did not issue a walk in his first
win this season since Aug. 24.

Miguel Cairo hit a solo homer for the Reds, who finished their 2011 home
schedule with a 42-39 mark. Chris Heisey had an RBI single in the first
inning.

In Phoenix, Miguel Montero went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer, as the Arizona
Diamondbacks hung on to defeat the Pirates, 8-,5 in the rubber match of a
three-game set.

Pirates starter Ross Ohlendorf (1-3) was chased from the game in the third
frame when he loaded the bases without recording an out. He went two-plus
innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits and two walks.

Derrek Lee continued to swing a hot bat for Pittsburgh, going 3-for-4 with a
home run and two RBI.

Pittsburgh is 8-4 versus the Reds this season.

The Sports Network