DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
Getting ready for the first pitch …
Game: Pirates (65-62) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (71-56), 8:10 p.m., Miller Park, Milwaukee
Pitchers: LHP Jeff Locke (4-3, 3.73) vs. RHP Yovani Gallardo (8-6, 3.32)
TV, radio: Root Sports, 93.7 The Fan
Online: Live box score / Multimedia / Official media notes
Pirates Lineup
1. Josh Harrison (R) 3B
2. Travis Snider (L) RF
3. Andrew McCutchen (R) CF
4. Neil Walker (S) 2B
5. Russell Martin (R) C
6. Gaby Sanchez (R) 1B
7. Starling Marte (R) LF
8. Jordy Mercer (R) SS
9. Jeff Locke (L) P
Brewers Lineup
1. Carlos Gomez (R) CF
2. Jonathan Lucroy (R) C
3. Ryan Braun (R) RF
4. Aramis Ramirez (R) 3B
5. Khris Davis (R) LF
6. Rickie Weeks (R) 2B
7. Mark Reynolds (R) 1B
8. Jean Segura (R) SS
9. Yovani Gallardo (R) P
So is Polanco being punished, trained or benched in favor of Lunchie? I know 1-26 goes a long way, but…….
I think CH is playing the hot hand right now
Hot lunch, eh Biz?
He is up to .277 BA and dripping with power.
Last 28 days .333 5 HR 15 RBI
Last 14 days .429 3 HR 7 RBI
That is hot
Oh ye of little faith.
Honestly, I don’t care who’s in there if they put up some W’s.
I have no problem with playing Lunchie while he’s hot. Plunky (whom I love) is looking a bit lost again. He’s going to be a good one, but I’d play Hot Lunch now, too.
Which forces me to ask, has Cutch had a hit since he’s been back?
Nope.
But it’s 2 games.
True.
Noooo, but you know he’ll hit…
Let’s get a win tonight so Jim S. and his family can make plans to go to the game on Sunday. If the Bucs lose the next two, they might stay home. Need all the fans we can get. (Plus, its always fun to go to a game.)
The time is NOW. Gotta make a statement in the House of Horrors. Clock is ticking & winding down.
Abreu hits another – would have cost Bucs less than Burnett and not had to trade for “the long term 1st base solution”
That’s a great point
Beating these guys will be tough. Right now, they are better at every position except SS and that is close.
I was thinking the same thing. The Brewers have a pretty good lineup.
Bucs have no patience at the plate. Good teams wait for their pitch. Crap – just like that. Here we go again…pitching scared.
The Pirates are giving up a lot of first inning runs lately.
Nobody out and JW is asking for scratching out at least one run. That is what our bases loaded performance has done to our announcers.
jW failed to factor in Josh at .375 with risp and 2 out.
Where would this season be without Harrison?
Team MVP imho. At least tied with Martin.
Martin edges ahead.
Way to go Bearcat…gotta love Jay-Hay!
Two base running mistakes in one inning!!
Imagine that.
Don’t know why but it still surprises me Lucky
All throughout the Pirates organization, baserunning blunders occur, and are not corrected before someone hits the majors.
.
One of the most frustrating things about the team.
.
Mercy.
Jayhay essentially picked off of second again. Time to start adjusting there kid.
Who is the base running coach? Might be as deficient as Brandon is successful as the hitting coach.
Should read Branson.
Rally killer.
Very little plate discipline. The opposing pitcher is up to 65 pitches after 2.1 innings, runners on the corners, a 1-0 count and Sanchez swings at a pitch low and away.
Locke has recovered nicely to retire 8 straight and get through 3 in 42 pitches.
Nice to see Marte contributing again by getting on base and setting the table.
Cutch!!!
He’s baaaack!
What a bomb!
Not watching the game….. but glad the Bucs doing well tonight.
.
I know it is only August, but this is as close to a “must-win” series as one can get this month. Minimum 2 of 3 needed this weekend, especially against the first-place club.
.
Perhaps MLB should check the Gatorade around baseball? More absolutely dumb plays than I can recall in years. Segura = ugly base running, just the latest of nightly monstrosities.
This is the Captain checking in.
Avatar du jour!
Looks like Cutch is wearing some protective wrap around his midsection. He has tugged at it a couple of times after at-bats including the bomb.
Hope he’s not feeling anything funny there.
I read where he was going to be wearing it. At least part of the reason he said was in case he got nicked again it would help protect him.
Cardinals lost to the Phillies 5-4. Braves and Reds tied at 1 in the ninth.
Okay. Can they get Locke the h out if there before he let’s them back in the game. Basically, he’s turning their lineup over so Braun etc. get up again.
I know I’m a Buc fan, but to me that’s the right call, I don’t replay is to decide these plays that are a quarter of inch off. Hopefully they can refine this process because this wait is way too long in an already looooong game
Nice, Walker
Hi Nun!
Following the score here……. not watching the game.
turned the game on 9:30. Hubby was watching car shows lol
Hot Dayum! JHay keeping up with Walker
Brutal AB.
Man, it’s reached the point that, when Pedro comes up to bat, I forgot he was still on the roster.
is that a bad thing?
When I former first round pick and perceived franchise savior falls so far out of grace it is always a problem. Dude has confidence issues. And keeping him out of the line up I think continually compounds them. It was a catch 22. His confidence was so far gone that you cant play him but if you dont play him he will never get his confidence back. All that said sitting him is all you can do and hope that he gets back to it in the off season enough to make it worth keeping him or at least increase his trade value.
Funny how if I never hit enter before hitting submit comment I am always told I still have 280 characters left. And in fact can blow 280 out of the water.
That was an ugly at bat by Alvarez. Familiar theme for him this season.
Jhay does it again
Love that Bearcat!!!
So much for getting swept in Milwaukee. Two more would be nice, at least one more is satisfactory.
Awesome game by J-Hay!! Singlehandedly keeping hopes alive!!
Like the energizer bunny.
Brewers fans are probably like “Who is that guy?”
Referring to No. 5.
Remember when it was considered hilarious that J-Hay could be an upgrade over Pedro as the starting third baseman?
Not even the broadcasters, often the pirates biggest cheerleaders, have anything positive to say about Pedro anymore.
The more he plays the position, the clearer it becomes that he will rarely make mistakes more & more often he makes really good plays.
My biggest surprises this year:
1) Harrison’s breakout year
2) Pedro’s collapse
3) Jared Hughes most dependable middle reliever
Hughes is only somewhat surprising. Remember in 12 he was a major contributor in mid to late innings. Pitched a lot of 8th innings prior to obtaining Grilli if I remember right. Lincoln Hughes Hammer ball game. Last year he hit a funk. He has rebounded nicely.
In all fairness at that point it was hilarious. Jayhay is having a career year. Can he possibly finish strong and repeat anything close to this next year? I dont know. Could be the ultimate sell high trade chip. But of course then who plays 3rd in 15? Let the down votes start….now!
On display in Indy: Alvarez’s next year’s 1B platoon partner in Tony Sanchez? Hmm…
What’s the possibility of Pedro playing winter ball?
I would say somewhere between slim and none. He refused back in 2011 (I think that was the year) so I doubt he would do it this year. Don’t get me wrong, I think it would be a good move, but I don’t see that happening.
Game sure has a different feel when our line up doesn’t have 4 automatic outs in the last 5 slots.
Making this more interesting than it needs to be. Come on.
What makes you more nervous? Pedro fielding a routine ground ball or Wilson pitching in the 9th?
Now THAT is a tough one!
Nice win over the Brauns.
Need to take at LEAST one more this weekend.
“The Brauns.”
Clever and awesome! You Miller Park flag pole bender, you!
Raise it! J Hay is the man!
He is!
.
Just read Madden, who was hating on JHay.
To this day, I simply do not understand all the JHay hate.
I wouldnt say I hate Jayhay. He has been quite the spark plug. But nothing in his history at any level suggests this will be the new norm for him.
I guess I disagree. If you only look at stats – this is pretty much what you would expect based on what he did in the minors.
Beg to differ. By the time this season is over, Harrison’s plate appearances in 2014 will almost equal all his career PA’s prior to ’14. I tend to believe that this year’s consistent results are more reliable than the spot results, heretofore. That and the learning curve factor.
Harrison actually hit over .300 at a number of stops on his way up the minor league ladder. I’m officially declaring it safe to start considering that he might really be this good.
We can at least relax about him turning into a pumpkin any time soon.
Watched Josh play about 25 games at UC. He consistently made contact back then, and could hit to all fields. He just lacked power.
I think he has just got bigger and stronger has he got older. His ability to play MLB infield is what surprises me. Played a lot of CF at UC.