Pittsburgh Pirates LockerPulse

Yardbarker: Pirates' Andrew McCutchen has no structural damage in knee

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:37:32 -0400

After missing his second-straight game yesterday, Buc Nation had cause for concern. Their All-Star and perennial MVP candidate is battling a sore right knee. However, Andrew McCutchen does not have any structural damage in the knee. It's just sore. Tom Singer of MLB.com says McCutchen was slated to start yesterday's game, but he reported discomfort in the knee using batting practice. Preliminary examinations by doctors have shown no real issue there. The team will likely just play it safe with McCutchen going forward. The injury happened Friday, and with Monday's off day, McCutchen will get three full days of rest. "There was a small play where I slid home, and came up not feeling right. Something caused an uncomfortable feeling, so I wanted to check everything out. I didn't want to jeopardize the rest of the season. Better safe than sorry. I didn't want to sit out today, it's just something I had to do, but we were able to get a win, so it&...

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TribLIVE: Improved depth could drive Pirates’ fortunes deep into season

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:22:30 -0400

By Travis Sawchik, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Just beyond the season’s quarter pole, the Pirates are on pace to win 96 games. The club is off to its best start since 1992, ...

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TribLIVE: Improved roster depth could drive Pirates’ fortunes deep into season

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:22:30 -0400

By Travis Sawchik, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Just beyond the season’s quarter pole, the Pirates are on pace to win 96 games. The club is off to its best start since 1992, ...

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Pirates Prospects: Prospect Watch: Pimentel Gets Hit Again, Bell and Allie Lead West Virginia Offense

Mon, 20 May 2013 22:52:28 -0400

TOP OF THE SYSTEM

A look at how the current top 20 prospects did today. Note that this list doesn’t include players currently in the majors. If a player is in the majors, he will be removed, everyone below him will be shifted up a spot, and a new player will be added to the bottom of the list. Rankings are from the pre-season rankings, and links to each prospect writeup can be found by clicking the player names below. Players who weren’t in the original top 20 are linked to their player page on the site.

Bucs Dugout: J.Rodriguez throws six scoreless, Sands slams the Sox

Mon, 20 May 2013 22:37:24 -0400

Monday's roundup:

-- Jerry Sands hit a 1st inning grand slam, his second HR on the year, and Indianapolis went on to beat Pawtucket, 8-4. Jared Goedert added his fourth HR and went 3-4. Alex Presley, Josh Harrison and Felix Pie all had two hits. Brooks Brown gave up three runs over six and two-thirds. He allowed eight hits and didn't walk or strike out a batter. Old friend Brock Holt had three hits.

-- Stolmy Pimentel continued to struggle as Altoona dropped a 6-3 decision to Reading.

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Yahoo! Sports: Teheran pitches Braves past Twins (The Associated Press)

Mon, 20 May 2013 22:37:24 -0400

ATLANTA (AP) -- Julio Teheran pitched 8 1-3 strong innings, Dan Uggla hit a three-run homer and the Atlanta Braves won their fourth straight game with a 5-1 victory over the struggling Minnesota Twins on Monday.

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Yardbarker: Pirates fan leaps into Allegheny River to claim home run ball (Video)

Mon, 20 May 2013 22:22:35 -0400

As previously noted on Outside the Boxscore, fans will pretty much do anything for a home run ball and one Pittsburgh Pirates fan proved that last week. The fan's name was Bobby Zappala and he got a little wet trying to track down a Pedro Alvarez home run ball that landed in the Allegheny river: Your browser does not support iframes. Kudos to you Bobby, your dive was well worth the prize! (Courtesy of Busted Coverage)

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Yardbarker: Pirates fan jumps into river for Pedro Alvarez home run ball (Video)

Mon, 20 May 2013 22:07:35 -0400

A Pittsburgh Pirates fan named Bobby Zappala jumped off a boat into the Allegheny River fully clothed to grab a home run ball hit out of PNC Park by third baseman Pedro Alvarez during last Friday night's game. Your browser does not support iframes. The 2-run HR by Alvarez tied the Houston Astros at 4-4 in the bottom of the eighth, and the Pirates won the game in the bottom of the ninth. Video via MLB. H/T OTB. Visit us at holdoutsports.com and follow us on Twitter @HoldoutSports.

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Yardbarker: Top Performers: Do the Pirates Have Anything With Felix Pie?

Mon, 20 May 2013 21:52:26 -0400

Below are the top Runs Created* totals in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ farm system from the last week. The rankings include every hitter who had an at-bat for a Pirates’ minor league affiliate, not including DSL teams, and with no limitations on whether the hitter has prospect eligibility. Players who spent time at different levels are counted multiple times, once for each level, rather than combining their stats. Notes on the top ten players from the last week can be found below the chart. *Runs Created is a stat created by Bill James used to estimate how many runs an individual contributes to his team. There are many formulas for runs created. For these purposes the basic formula is used. That formula is ((H + BB) * (1B + (2*2B) + (3*3B) + (4*HR))) / (AB + BB). Felix Pie is the top hitter in the system for the second week in a row. For the second week in a row Felix Pie is the top hitter in the system. Pie went 10-for-20 with two doubles and two triples in the last week. He’s been on fire in the month o

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Yahoo! Sports: Team Report - CHICAGO CUBS (The SportsXchange)

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:52:22 -0400

Garza scheduled to come off DL

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Pirates Prospects: John Sickels Releases His Latest Mock Draft

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:07:39 -0400

Over at Minor League Ball, John Sickels has released version two of his mock draft. He has many of the same players listed in the top 15-20 as everyone else recently, though he has a new name attached to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Sickels has Georgia HS outfielder Clint Frazier going to the Pirates with the ninth overall pick. Frazier has been in the top six for almost all of the season, a few times being named in the top spot overall.

In the 14th spot, Sickels has

Yardbarker: Q&A: Vic Black, Pirates’ Future Closer

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:37:30 -0400

Vic Black is the heir apparent to the closer’s job in Pittsburgh. The 24-year-old right-hander won’t be replacing Jason Grilli in the near future, but he may be joining Grilli in the Pirates’ bullpen. Four years after being drafted 49th overall out of Dallas Baptist University, Black looks close to big-league ready. Black cooks with gas: His fastball sits in the mid-to-high 90s and touches triple digits. His slider can be overpowering. Last season, at Double-A Altoona, he logged an Eastern League-best 12.8 strikeouts per nine innings. This year, with Triple-A Indianapolis, his K-rate is 12.5 — and he has almost as many saves [11] as hits allowed [14]. Black talked about his power repertoire this past weekend on a visit to McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, R.I. —— Black on adapting to Triple-A: “My approach is the same, it’s just become more refined. It has to be. The hitters are better — their selectivity is better — so the sequences from me and my catcher have to be better. Being on the ...

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Pirates Prospects: John Sickels Releases His Latest Draft

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:07:58 -0400

In the 14th spot, Sickels has

Yardbarker: First Pitch: The Altoona Four – Where Are They Now?

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:52:30 -0400

Jeff Locke was one of the four pitchers known as The Altoona Four. In 2010 the Altoona Curve had a group of pitchers that went on to be called “The Altoona Four” out of convenience. I say convenience because the group led Altoona to an Eastern League title in 2010, but they also led the Lynchburg Hillcats to a Carolina League title in 2009. So they could have easily been “The Lynchburg Four”, which isn’t really as catchy. Then, in 2011, only two of them moved up to Indianapolis at the start of the season. Eventually the other two pitchers made that jump. After that it would have made sense to call them “The Indianapolis Four”. But you say “The Altoona Four” and most people know you’re talking about Jeff Locke, Bryan Morris, Rudy Owens, and Justin Wilson. For most of the 2010 season the Pirates didn’t have an ace of the future. They had the pitchers in Altoona, and the hope that one of the prep pitchers from the 2009 draft would break out and become a top prospect. It wasn’t until a one

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Yardbarker: The most decadent menu items at MLB ballparks

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:22:35 -0400

The Pittsburgh Pirates, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox and other Major League clubs have reset the gluttony bar with their latest menu pairings. There is some sort of irony to be found in the concept of watching the fittest athletes in the world compete while chomping down on the least nutritional food possible. Gone are the days where a simple burger and fries was the worst thing that one could consume at a Major League baseball game. We have arrived at a time where the folks that run park concessions have gotten competitive in their creative zeal to come up with the most decadent combinations possible to tempt your palette. These are the five that are must haves for those that road trip to multiple parks during the summer. Please click here to read this story. The post 5 most decadent menu items at Major League parks appeared first on Players View.

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Pirates Prospects: Minor Moves: Alex Dickerson Placed on the Altoona DL With a Concussion

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:22:34 -0400

Alex Dickerson has been placed on the DL with a concussion.

Last night Alex Dickerson was involved in a collision at first base, and was removed from the field on an ambulance. He was conscious when he left the field, waving to fans. Today he was placed on the Altoona disabled list with a concussion. To take his place on the roster, Justin Howard has been activated off the disabled list.

MLB.com: Pirates showing organization is on the rise

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:37:26 -0400

Slowly but surely, things have begun to turn around under the guidance of general manager Neal Huntington, and the Pirates' farm system is now ranked seventh in baseball.

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Yardbarker: 5 most decadent menu items at Major League parks

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:07:34 -0400

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Bucs Dugout: Bucs Dugout Podcast: The Pirates through mid-May

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:52:22 -0400

David and I discuss the Pirates' starting rotation, Russell Martin and pitch-framing, the incredible pitching of Jason Grilli and Mark Melancon, and why Pedro Alvarez and Clint Barmes haven't gotten as much attention as usual, among other topics.

Opening music: Meeting of Important People

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Bucs Dugout: Minor league thread

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:52:21 -0400

Unfortunately, the only pitcher of any real interest who's scheduled to start is lefty Joely Rodriguez (2-3, 3.14) (pictured). He'll go for West Virginia at Kannapolis at 7:05. Rodriguez has pitched very well in his last four starts: 23.1 IP, 18 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 20 K. The other games:

Indianapolis @ Pawtucket, 7:05 -- Brooks Brown (2-0, 3.66) continues to fill in while the Indians wait to get Phil Irwin and Kyle McPherson back. Indy is 31-14 even without two pitchers who should've been rotation mainstays.

Altoona @ Reading, 6:35 -- Luis Sanz (2-1, 3.63) is another fill-in, as the Curve are missing Tyler Waldron and lost Brandon Cumpton to promotion. Once all the rehabbing pitchers have moved on, Altoona is likely to

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Pirates Prospects: After a Rough Start, Alen Hanson Has Done a Complete 180

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:08:23 -0400

Alen Hanson has done a complete 180 both offensively and defensively since being benched for a few games in April.

Ground balls are supposed to lead to easy outs. When you see a routine grounder hit to shortstop, you expect an out. There’s usually no feeling that the play could go wrong. You get ready to write “6-3″ in your scorebook, even before the play is finished. There’s a reason they call it “routine”.

That wasn’t the case with Alen Hanson early in the season. Hanson’s defense at the start of the year was horrible. The shortstop started the year with ten errors in his first ten games.

Yahoo! Sports: Tossing Up Zeros: The Pittsburgh Pirates Excel at Blanking Opponents (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:37:23 -0400

COMMENTARY | Jeff Locke held the Houston Astros scoreless through seven innings Sunday, just long enough for Mark Melancon and Jason Grilli to come in and shut the door like they have so many times this season. It was a masterful performance for the young pup of the rotation, even if it was against the worst team in baseball. The feat marks the third time this season Locke has held opponents scoreless during an outing, a trend that Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers are accomplishing at a rapid rate so far.

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Yardbarker: Respect the Pitcher: Introducing the Francisco Liriano IcyHot Award

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:22:31 -0400

The two sides of Liriano – celebrating a no hitter and biting his jersey in the dugout Mevs had a brilliant idea of recognizing a batter each week who goes off for that week, maybe out of no where. We couldn’t ignore the pitchers for long though. After much deliberation (with myself), we’d like to introduce the Francisco Liriano IcyHot Award. Let me explain why we chose this name. First of all, it’s gives maximum flexibility. Francisco Liriano has had only 2 starts in his 2013 season after returning from injury. His numbers? 16 K in 11 innings, 1.64 ERA, and 2 wins. This is the hot side of Liriano. The icy side? It’s ugly. A 5 game stretch in April 2011 back in Minnesota. Going 1-4 and compiling a 9.13 ERA in the process. Yikes. Naming the award this allows us to bestow it upon anyone we want (unless they went 1-1 with a 3.50ERA…that’s lukewarm man). It could go to a guy getting a no hitter, it could go to a complete disaster…it’s a grab bag. IcyHot is our unofficia

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Pirates Prospects: Top Performers: Nick Kingham Continues His Impressive Season With Bradenton

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:07:27 -0400

Below are the pitching Game Scores* in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ farm system from the last week. The top ten and the bottom five starts are broken down below the chart. The rankings include every pitcher who made a start for a Pirates’ minor league affiliate, with no limitations on whether the starting pitcher has prospect eligibility.

*Game Score is a stat created by Bill James used to determine how good a pitcher’s outing really was. The formula for game score is simple: Start with 50 points, add one point for every out recorded, add two for each inning completed after the fourth, add one point for each strikeout. Subtract two points for each hit, four points for each earned run, two points for each unearned run and

Pirates Prospects: Top Performers: Do the Pirates Have Anything With Felix Pie?

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:22:25 -0400

*Runs Created is a stat created by Bill James used to estimate how many runs an individual contributes to his team. There are many formulas for runs created. For these purposes the basic formula is used. That formula is ((H + BB) * (1B +