DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
Getting ready for the first pitch …
Game: Pirates (80-70) vs. Boston Red Sox (66-85), 7:05 p.m., PNC Park
Pitchers: LHP Francisco Liriano (5-10, 3.53) vs. RHP Clay Buchholz (8-8, 5.19)
TV, radio: Root Sports, 93.7 The Fan
Online: Live box score / Multimedia / Official media notes
Pirates Lineup:
1. Josh Harrison (R) 3B
2. Gregory Polanco (L) RF
3. Andrew McCutchen (R) CF
4. Neil Walker (S) 2B
5. Russell Martin (R) C
6. Starling Marte (R) LF
7. Ike Davis (L) 1B
8. Clint Barmes (R) SS
9. Francisco Liriano (L) P
Red Sox Lineup:
1. Mookie Betts (R) 2B
2. Xander Bogaerts (R) SS
3. Yoenis Cespedes (R) LF
4. Mike Napoli (R) 1B
5. Allen Craig (R) RF
6. Will Middlebrooks (R) 3B
7. Rusney Castillo (R) CF
8. Christian Vazquez (R) C
9. Clay Buchholz (L) P
The no. 7 hitter is the new hot Cuban prospect making his mlb debut.
That worries me a bit, Radio, based on past history. It seems like the Cuban guys show up & start raking from day 1. Sometimes they slow down the next year, but they usually come out of the gate w no fear of MLB pitching.
Think Buchholz is a Righty – bats L
I saw Rusney Castillo just a few days ago in AAA. Had no idea who he was.
Castillo did end up as the hero of the night, though. With the Durham Bulls one strike away from clinching the International League title, Castillo ripped a single into center, scoring the tying run. His PawSox went on to win the game in extras and win the series the next day.
1 thru 6 have their work cut out for them – Davis is now well below the Mendoza line with an OBP below .300 the last month.
Hope Mercer’s back doesn’t keep him out too much longer…. swap Lambo for Ike and Mercer for Barmes and you have my favorite current lineup.
81-70 awaits. Go Bucs!
It’s Dunkin Donuts vs. Starbucks, game 2.
Com’on Frankie, keep this train rolling…straight into Oct!!!
And everybody needs more CHUDDER!
Giants – Dbags tied 2-2, top 9 out here in ‘slightly rainy’ Phoenix… two on, 1 out as Dbags trying to keep this tied…..
crap, Addison Reed implodes, 4-2 Giants now, still only 1 out… this looks like a SF win.
Let’s go Buccos!
and cardinals!
Sorry, I just like starting trouble.
I’m watching in Boston and their TV per game was a love fest for the Castillo kid. They flashed a stat of his last 11 games I guess in AAA. Small sample size but nothing really jumped out.
Is this a statement of fact or criticism? If the latter I will refer you to Gregory Polanco.
I was just making a statement, you know adding to the discussion.
Hope he got that out of his system!
Filthy Frankie not looking so Filthy. This is why I like Cole for the wc game. Volquez and Frankie both have disasterous innings hiding inside.
Mr. Hurdle ? May Gregory come out and play ?
Bad 1st inning for Frankie, and yet he’ll have the lead in the 2nd. What a laser by Polanco
how big was that strike one call for Frankie in the 1st…that led to the ground out, the 0 for the Sawwks, and the Polanco bomb puts the Bucs ahead. BIG break for the Bucs there.
Huge break, Blass was saying it, too. If that’s called a ball, Clint may have had someone up in the bullpen.
Maybe an overstatement in a 9-1 game, but that strike call may have been the turning point of the game. Never thought Frankie would end up making it through 6.
Wow, Ike turned on a ball and smacked it down the line…. Speechless.
….and I remain speechless as Barmes RIPS one (or HAMMERS if you are Timmy Tim) a 2-run double to left. 3-0 good guys.
Ike rips one, then Barmes?! How do you do!?!
OK, the 7-8-9 guys got it covered. How ’bout you boys at the top of the order?
The per game guys on NESN were saying how this pitcher was their best all year including the guys traded at the deadline.
Excellent comment, Jay!
According to sox announcers Buckholtz had been pitching really well, lately. The Pirates are locked in!
They won’t quit whining about how high their view is at PNC, wah!
They were doing that last night, too. They were very complimentary of the park (excuse me, “pak”) as a whole, but did spend an inordinate amount of time lamenting their booth location.
Another bullpen night. Feh.
no problem. get another run or two and let Cumpton work a couple. Or Worley.
Walker is happy to oblige.
Oh trust me, he can throw as many pitches as it takes if he keeps putting up zeroes. Just like Rasputin last night.
Would someone bring me in the loop on why Cutch keeps dropping his bat like it’s a hot poker iron after striking out these past 2 nights? Is there an unreported wrist injury he’s fighting through or did I miss the injury report?
N W goes deep
Neil Walker just hit his 21st home run on Roberto Clemente Day. You all know the story. Wow.
Mr. Walker is making things tough for the BMTIB…. if you get my drift.
21 for the hometown man.
21….hmmmmm…. Roberto night…karma maybe?
Here it comes.
Just for fun and to irritate some people, have you noticed what Pearce has been doing for Baltimore? Got his 19th, tonight.
good for him, good guy. when at first, and second, and third, and fourth and fifth you don’t succeed, try, try again. Good for Pearce, he’s important to the O’s with Davis crashing back from his ‘high’ last year.
Gotta give Steve Pearce credit. Much like Brandon Moss, he just kept chopping wood and plying his trade. And, eventually, he became a pretty darn good mlb hitter.
7th best war of position players in the AL. 5.7 (Cutch is 5.5 & JHay is 5.3). He has really been terrific thi year.
That guy was one of 6 call ups from the minors today. First major league hit.
Love JHay’s attempt at the hidden ball trick on Polanco’s throw to third – the man is loving every minute of this year…
I love the way Polanco sets up to throw on flyballs. I also think he’s starting to figure things out at the plate. If he gets hot now, this good offense suddenly gets great.
Bases FOB; let’s put this one away now
OK, they did, and it’s Ike? Again?!
7-9 have done a number on Boston. Who would have thought? The Lonely Libertarian?
Where did all these bats come from? Ike flippin’ Davis?
9-1. Think I’ll have church tomorrow, too, and get in late.
And an Ike, Greg and Neil HR game. Let’s get a few more!
Ike???
What the hey?
And some guys thought that bat was just a prop. lol
The Pirates having 9 guys with double figures in homers reminds me of the ’75 Penguins having 9 guys with 20 or more goals. Each team had a guy named LaFramboise (he only had 5 goals).
Are we THAT good DK or the Red Sox THAT bad?
Im leaning more toward the sox being that bad but dont discount the talent on this pirate team.
Yes.
Both, don’t forget THIS Sox team just won a series AT KC, and an important one that was for the Royals, who have been hot.
This is the Ike Davis the bucs thought they were trading for.
Shades of 1979 and ” The Lumber Company”. Need one of these games every now and then.
I just checked in to make the exact comment. Couldn’t agree more. It’s like a day off for your top bullpen arms. Much mended thus time if year….keep’em coming.
Thanks. Great point, Iron, about giving the bullpen a rest.
Alan Craig is one slow mammal.
we can safely now say that his 2013 was unsustainable. Cards made a mistake with the contract but bailed out in the Lackey trade.
That’s exactly what I think. Boston bailed them out. They didn’t want much in return. I do think he’s a better fit in Fenway, though.
Cutch looks bored. Meh, a mere opposite field double.
Why not give him, Martin & Walker the rest of game off?
He’s slacking. Why not just hit it a foot higher?
After the Bucs got swept in St. Louis, I urged the team to just relax, play smart, and take one game at a time the rest of the season. Since then, the Bucs are 9-2, soon to be 10-2.
.
If they keep up this pace, the division will be in reach.
Of course like I tell Jandy, what do I know?
.
And like I tell Jim, I am living proof of the ‘blind squirrel theory.
.
GO BUCS !!!
I’m trying to figure out who you know that you got to speak to the team.
Jim, the same guy that told me Pitt would win by 17.
Love it, plan. Great line!
Well said, Plan
Thanks, Tom.
.
Sometimes a team just has to slow down, and focus on that particular day, and let the other noise out.
.
Bucs doing very well since that approach has been used, and will do well for them going forward.
.
In the last inning we’ve had crowd shots of Jerry DiPaola, Larry Richert & Mike White. Pittsburgh media not only in the press box, but in the stands as well.
Just your garden variety 30 pitch, scoreless inning.
30 pitches for Wilson to put up a goose egg in the 7th. Mercy. We don’t need anybody “hangin around to give the joint atmosphere.”
Guess he won’t be available tomorrow.
That’s a good thing.
This game should be in the bag
So what do you do when Steve Blass leaves us?
He has been part of the PBC for a long time
Like or dislike the guy, I’ve enjoyed that guy for 35 or so years, slop drop, 71, the rumors, the dropping of stuff to kids on Sundays, his constant humor.
He is a treasure to me.
I’ll be bummed. I realize he’s not a great announcer. But, I love him. 1971.
Jim, I have liked that guy since the 60’s
He is a person to enjoy
Blass is a classic.
Mike Fiers holding the Cards hitless through 5. They’re all scared to death of him.
Groat must have talked to him
I thought the same thing earlier today. Probably not too many Cardinals digging in at the plate. I wonder if that could throw off their hitting for a game or two more?
Can we get a GIF of that dude hopping down the first base line?
Adam Wainwright breaks up the no hitter with a single.
JHay doesn’t seem to be the slightest bit interested in seeing Andrew McCutchen win his first batting title.
go JHay!!
Gomez is in to close it out. I hope this doesn’t end up a save situation. Just kidding!
RAISE THAT JOLLY ROGER….Bucs having a strong September… bring the brooms tomorrow for Sawwwks Nation.
Here’s hoping the StL/Mil game ends 1-0 in 19 innings.
.
And I don’t care who wins.
From -8 to a new high water mark of +11. Bucs have been one of the top teams in MLB since their bad start, and have played 19 games over .500 since 10-18. This is a good team. Go Bucs!
Holliday (vomited a little in my mouth, sorry) just ‘hustled’ in to score the first run in the bottom of the 7th, Cards 1-0. Gomez error allowed the run.
Here I thought I was the only one to have that reaction to Holliday
I friggin DETEST Holliday Grrrr!
Cards are on the board. 1-0, bottom of 7.
Braun just struck out to start the 9th on a pitch that had to be 6″ off the plate. It’s good to be Wainwright.
Called?
Yes, called. Braun wasn’t happy. He shouldn’t have been.
Second straight non-losing season. Now to break the other streak.
The Reds have been mathematically eliminated. Here’s a lovely parting gift. It’s an 8 by 10 glossy of Bryan Price, suitable for gift wrapping fish.
As much as I dislike dirty Dusty Baker, he won there.
.
Now to just get Milwaukee mathematically eliminated.
.
Parting gift for Ryan Fraud:
a personality.
I thought the same thing about Dusty and the Reds, Plan.
What do you think is going through Jay Bell’s mind right about now?
The Red Sox are looking more and more like the Cubs, Influx of young guys and with pitching trades, who will pitch for them next season. I would be surprised if Lester signs there. I think he saw the writing on the wall of a semi youth movement and not sure who wants to pay him .
The Bucs are now playing well enough to avoid the close games w bad teams. For most of the year, they were held back by playing 1 & 2 run games almost every night. Close games are like playing with fire. But, the offense is so much better lately, & that’s the main difference.
Since the All Star break, the Pirates are 14-14 in games decided by one or two runs. (There were some heartbreakers and miracles in there.) The Cardinals, meanwhile, are 20-10. In one run games, the Cards are 14-7. The Bucs are 5-11. Isn’t it time the close-game percentages began to even out?
Every time I have ever looked into it, I have found 1-run win% is pretty random, War. I hate losing them, though, & it can affect the race in a big way.