Cervelli Pirates Agree to 3-Year Extension

The Pittsburgh Pirates and catcher Francisco Cervelli have agreed to a 3-year 31 million dollar contract extension today that will keep Cervelli in Pittsburgh through the 2019 season.

"When the moon hits your eyes like a big pizza pie that's amore." These sweet sounds of singing legend Dean Martin fill the air as Francisco Cervelli comes to bat for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Well the love affair will continue for the next three seasons as today Cervelli agreed to a 3-year 31 million dollar deal that will keep him in Pittsburgh for the foreseeable future.

Cervelli has been a big part of the Pirates success over the last two seasons both in and off the field. He came over in the trade that sent lefty reliever Justin Wilson to the New York Yankees and was thrusted immediately into the starting catcher role, something he had been striving to be for the New York Yankees.

Once named the Pirates starting catcher, he took off and became an instant hit in Pittsburgh. Last season, Cervelli had a break out year hitting .295 with seven home runs and 43 RBI. He set career highs in both home runs and RBI and helped secure what had been a revolving door at the catchers position.

Offensively, Cervelli has been a huge asset in the middle of the Pirates order. While he isn't a huge home run guy, he consistently gets on base and delivers the clutch base hit when he needs to. He tied his career high in on base percentage last season coming in at .370. Pair that with his ability to get the clutch base hit and he is a very tough out to get in the Pirates lineup.

Another plus with Cervelli is his patience at the plate. He walked 46 times last season in 451 at-bats. He coupled that with 91 strikeouts for a strikeout to walk ratio of 1.97. As a major league hitter, when your SO/BB ratio sits under two you are in good shape.

Cervelli has been a force behind the plate for the Pirates as well. He committed only seven errors behind the plate last season good for a .994 fielding percentage. He also managed the run game well throwing out 28% of base stealers last season (29 in 101 attempts).

What Cervelli excels at most behind the plate however is pitch framing. Cervelli was one of the best catchers in the league in terms of getting pitched out side of the zone called strikes. He had 14.4% of balls called strikes last year which was the best mark of any catcher on the year.

In total, Cervelli got 95 calls to go the Pirates way throughout the 2015 season. This goes a long way to helping your pitching staff succeed. That means 95 less pitches had to be thrown do to called strikes and over the course of a long season, those 95 pitches make a big difference.

Cervelli's success for the Pirates goes beyond just the stat line. His chemistry with this pitching staff is so good. He knows exactly what his pitchers want to throw in certain situations and knows the strengths and weaknesses of each guy on the mound.

His hard work on and off the field match the blue collar work ethic that this city was built on. When times get tough for the Pirates, Cervelli keeps fighting through them and always comes out on top in the end.

I love this signing by Neil Huntington and the rest of the Pirates front office staff. They went out and spent the money to secure the catching position for this team in the future. This and the two year extension the Pirates gave to backup catcher Chris Stewart this off-season gives the Bucs to viable options behind the plate for seasons to come.

So Dean Martin's classic hit will keep ringing through the stands of PNC Park for years to come. In Pittsburgh the fans and the team alike will keep singing their praises and their love of Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli.

After Long Wait, Hanson Gets Call To Big Leagues

Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Alen Hanson has been a member of the Pirates organization for six years and finally got his call to the big leagues today. Hanson made his major league debut tonight and struck out in his first at bay.

On Monday, the Pittsburgh Pirates place left fielder Starling Marte on the paternity list and recalled Alen Hanson from triple A Indianapolis. Hanson has spent most of his professional career as a short stop and was at one time looked at as the Pirates short stop of the future.

Hanson has been a member of the Pirates organization since being drafted back in 2010. Since then, he has been developing as a short stop and recently got some work in the outfield to help up his stock and his chances to make the big league roster.

This season, Hanson was batting .288 with two home runs and 10 RBI in 27 games played for Triple A Indianapolis. Hanson made his major league debut On Monday night and struck out in his only at bat.

Throughout the minor leagues, Hanson has always shown an ability to hit the ball, just not on a very consistent basis. He hasn't hit below .260 in his professional career with his best year being in 201s when he hit .309 with 16 home runs and 62 RBI.

Hanson is one of those players that can use his speed to his advantage to help him pick up hits that a normal hitter would not be able to get. Hanson has stole 30 or more bases in three of the last four seasons. His speed allows him to leg out infield singles and set the table for the middle of the lineup.

One thing Hanson has to work on is his strike out numbers. He struck out 91 times a year ago in 475 at bats. He has a career strikeout to walk ratio of 2.27. If Hanson can get that number closer to 1 it will make for a more successful major league career.

The main reason we haven't seen Hanson in the big leagues, however, is his defense. Hanson is not the best defender and as a middle infielder defense is a high priority. You can't have your short stop committing a bunch of errors especially with a team like the Pirates whose pitchers often have the ball put in play.

At his natural position as a short stop, He has a career .932 fielding percentage committing 112 errors in just over 3100 innings played. And as we move around the infield it doesn't get much better as he has an .876 fielding percentage at third and a .981 at second.

He has been getting some reps in the outfield this season and has yet to commit an error, but that is only in a small sample size of work. With the Pirates outfield already full with Marte, Andrew McCutchen, and Gregory Polanco, Hanson will have to step up in the infield if he wants to make this Pirates team.

My guess is that Hanson's stay on the big league roster will be very short lived. Players have a maximum of three days in the paternity list before they have to return. When Marte returns, look for Hanson to be sent back down to the minors so he can continue his development.

For Hanson, he needs to become a better defensive player and work on hitting consistently before making the big league club. With Jordy Mercer performing well to start the season, and only in his first year of arbitration eligibility, Hanson will have a lot of work to do if he wants to be major league ready.

Only time will tell if Hanson develops into the everyday short stop that the Pirates wanted when they drafted Hanson. For now Mercer is doing a fine job and Hanson can continue to hone his skills down in the minor leagues.

Homers Kill Niese As Pirates Fall to Reds

The Cincinnati Reds hit three solo home runs off Pittsburgh Pirates starter Jon Niese as they defeat Pittsburgh 3-2. The Pirates couldnt get anything going against starter Dan Straily collecting only four hits in his six innings of work.

On a cold rainy May night, the Cincinnati Reds were able to hit the ball out of the ball park on their way to defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates by the score of 3-2. All three of Cincinnati's runs came via the long ball, and the Pirates offense could not retaliate as they had trouble all night against Reds starter Dan Straily.

Straily kept his team in the game all night long pitching 6.0 innings giving up two runs on four hits while walking three and striking out two. Straily only allowed two hits in the first five innings of the game and, for the most part, was in complete control of this Pirates offense. The Reds have been dealing with injury problems this season as all five of their projected starters are currently on the disabled list. However, their replacement starters have been holding their own for the team this season.

Jon Niese started the game for the Pirates and pitched well, but received no run support on the night and in turn picked up his second loss of the season. In total, he went 6.2 innings giving up three runs on seven hits while walking one and striking out four batters. Niese was able to get out of jams when he needed to, but couldn't avoid the home run ball as that was his downfall on this night.

The scoring started off right away for the Reds as Zack Cozart took the third pitch of the ball game and sneaked it over the left field wall to give the Reds an early 1-0 lead over the Pirates. The next two batters reached as Billy Hamilton singled and Joey Votto was hit by a pitch to help the Reds set up shop. Fortunately for the Pirates, Brandon Phillips would hit into a big double play and Eugenio Suarez struck out to end the inning.

Then, both starters got into a groove pitching scoreless innings all the way to the sixth inning. The two starters combined to allow only three hits from the second to the fifth inning. Neither offense could get into a groove and when someone did get on base, they were quickly erased as nobody could get the clutch hit.

The Pirates offense finally got on the board in the top of the sixth inning after singles by Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte and a walk to Gregory Polanco loaded the bases for the Pirates with nobody out. Then Francisco Cervelli tied the game at one with a sacrifice fly to center to score McCutchen. Jung Ho Kang followed that up with an RBI ground out that gave the Pirates their first lead of the day as they lead 2-1.

The Reds wasted no time getting that run back as in the bottom of the sixth, after a Hamilton line out, Joey Votto hit his fifth home run of the season to tie the game at two. Niese got the ball where he wanted on the inside corner, but Votto got his hands inside and just got the ball over the left field wall to tie the game.

Jon Niese was trying to get through seven innings of work and he almost did as he got the first two outs pretty quickly as Adam Duvall grounded out and Tyler Holt struck out. Then, Tucker Barnhart hit a deep fly ball to left that just inched its way over the left field wall to give the Reds a 3-2 lead. The home run was reviewed and stood on the field to confirm the 3-2 lead.

Ryan Vogelsong was calle upon to finish the inning and after allowing a pinch hit single by Jordan Pacheco he got Cozart to line out to end the inning. Vogelsong pitched very well out of the bullpen going 1.1 innings giving up two hits while walking one batter. Vogelsong has been a very effective pitcher for the Pirates allowing two earned runs or less in every one of his outings this year including a spot start. He pitched well tonight keeping the Pirates in the game and giving them a chance to win.

It looked like the Pirates would tie the game in the top of the ninth as Kang got the inning started off with a lead-off double. However, Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer each grounded out and David Freese flew out to center field to end the game.The loss was the Pirates third straight loss at Great American Ball Park following a series early in the year where they lost two out of three to the Reds.

The Reds and Pirates will play game two of this three game series tomorrow at 7:10 p.m. at Great American Ball Park. For the Reds, right hander Alfredo Simon (1-3 9.86). Last time out, Simon pitched seven innings giving up three runs while collecting his first win of the season. The Pirates will counter with right hander Juan Nicasio (3-3 3.16). Nicasio was plagued by bad defense his last time out as he went 4.1 innings allowing four runs, one earned, while walking three and striking out three. The Pirates will look to get back on the right track as they currently sit eight games back of the first place Cubs.

Pirates Offense Explodes for Ten Runs in Win Over Cardinals

The Pittsburgh Pirates offense broke out for ten runs in todays 10-5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Gregory Polanco and John Jaso gave the Pirates the insurance runs they needed as both hit home runs that put the Pirates ahead for good. 

After losing on a walk-off home run by Matt Carpenter yesterday, the Pittsburgh Pirates offense turned it on in today's game as they scored 10 runs in the Pirates 10-5 victory today over the St. Louis Cardinals. Gregory Polanco and John Jaso each hit big home runs to help the Pirates secure the victory.

Gerrit Cole started the game and struggled early on as he allowed the Cardinals to load the bases in the first inning while throwing over 30 pitches. However, as the afternoon went on, Cole settled down and turned in what turned out to be a solid start going 6.0 innings giving up two runs on six hits while walking two and striking out seven.

Cole has not been his normal self so far this season struggling early on in starts, and hopefully today is the start of a turn around because if the Pirates are to be successful they need their ace to come through. One of Cole's problems this season has been the number of walks Cole has given up this year. Coming into today's game, Cole had allowed 10 walks in 27.1 innings pitched. Today, he took a step in the right direction today as he only walked two in his 6.0 innings of work.

Cardinals starter Michael Wacha was the opposite of Cole as he retired the first nine Pirates batters on the day, and only threw 16 pitches through the first three innings of work. However, as Wacha's afternoon went on, it got worse as he ended up throwing 6.0 innings giving up four runs on six hits while walking two and striking out six.

The St. Louis Cardinals drew first blood in this contest in the bottom of the third as after Matt Carpenter and Stephen Piscotty singled, Matt Holiday hit into a double play to give the Cardinals a runner at third with two outs. Then, Cole threw his first mistake pitch of the day as Brandon Moss hit an RBI double to right field to score Carpenter and give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.

The Pirates offense got itself going in the top of inning number five after struggling mightily against Wacha through the first four innings. Things got started when Jordy Mercer drew a one out walk to give the Pirates a runner at first with one out. Then, Chris Stewart hit an RBI double to left field to score Mercer and tie the game at one. The Pirates would add two more in the inning as two batters later, John Jaso inched his third home run of the year over the right field wall to give the Pirates a 3-1 lead.

The offense would keep coming for the Pirates as the next inning Starling Marte hit a one out ground-rule double bringing up St. Louis native David Freese with one out in the sixth. Freese would proceed to hit an RBI single extending the Pirates lead to 4-1. The Pirates would eventually get runners at first and second with two outs, but Stewart popped out to end the inning and strand the runners.

The sixth inning started a back and forth between the Cardinals and Pirates for the next couple of innings. The Cardinals responded to the Pirates in the bottom of the sixth as Jeremy Hazlebaker hit his sixth home run of the year trimming the Pirates lead to 4-2. The back and forth would continued the next inning as both teams continued to score runs in bunches.

In the seventh, Matt Joyce walked followed by a Jaso double to give the Pirates second and third with nobody out. Then Andrew McCuthcen hit an RBI single to left field to score Joyce and give the Pirates a 5-2 lead. Then Gregory Polanco delivered what turned out to be the biggest hit of the day for the Pirates as he hit a three-run home run off of the foul pole putting the Pirates in front for good as they lead 8-2.

Kyle Lobstein, who is normally very reliable, came into pitch the seventh inning to relieve Cole. Lobstein struggled giving up three runs in just 0.2 innings of work. It all started when after one out Carpenter walked, Piscotty singled, and Holiday walked. Brandon Moss grounded into a force out that scored Carpenter and trimmed the lead to 8-3. Arquimedes Caminero came into the game trying to get the final out of the inning, but allowed Yadier Molina to deliver an RBI single to right that scored both Piscotty and Moss to trim the lead to 8-5.

Neftali Feliz came in to get the final out of the inning as he got Hazlebaker to strike out to end the Cardinal threat. The Pirates had to use three different pitchers in the seventh inning to get the job done as the bullpen has been taxed and struggling lately. The Pirates need one of their five starters to step up and give them a long start to save the arms in the Pirates bullpen.

The Pirates would add two more insurance runs in the ninth inning. With two outs, the Pirates had Marte on second when Josh Harrison hit an RBI single to left field and advanced to second on the throw. Then Mercer was walked followed by a Stewart RBI single to cap the scoring and give the Pirates a 10-5 lead.

The Cardinals would not go down without a fight, however, as they managed to load the bases with one out and threatened to come back in the game. Manager Clint Hurdle then called on Mark Melancon to shut the door and he did just that getting Yadier Molina to ground in to a double play to seal the victory for the Pirates.

The Pirates start a three game series with the Cincinnati Reds tomorrow at Great American Ball Park. On the mound for the Reds will be right hander Dan Straitly (1-1 3.56) and the Pirates will oppose with left hander Jon Niese (3-1 5.94). First pitch for the start of this three game series is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.

Pirates Comeback, But Fall In 9 Innings

The Pittsburgh Pirates came back twice to tie today's ball game but it wasn't enough as they fell to the St. Louis Cardinals by the score of 6-4. Matt Carpenter hit the walk-off home run for the Cardinals to win by the score of 6-4.

The resilient Pittsburgh Pirates offense made two comebacks coming back from being down 3-2 and 4-3 to tie the game at four in the bottom of the ninth. However, it wasn't enough as Matt Carpenter hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to give the Cardinals the 6-4 victory.

Jeff Locke started the game and pitched very effectively for the Pirates going 6.0 strong innings. He gave up three runs on the day on four hits while walking two and striking out one. Locke pitched very efficiently only throwing 89 pitches in his 6.0 innings of work.

Locke has not been very efficient in his previous starts and Today it paid dividens for the Pirates. He got bailed out by a couple of great defensive plays as well by Jordy Mercer and Starling Marte. If Locke can build on this start and stay efficient, it could mean big things for the Pirates in years to come.

The Pirates took the lead early on in this one as with nobody out in the top of the first, John Jaso singled, Andrew McCutchen doubled and Gregory Polanco followed with an RBI single that scored Jaso to give the Pirates an early 1-0 lead.

The Bucs would add another run after Starling Marte singled to give the Pirates runners at first and third with nobody out. Then Francisco Cervelli struck out and Jung Ho Kang hit a sacrifice fly to put the Pirates ahead 2-0 early on.

Locke didn't hold the lead for very long as the Cardinals responded right away in the bottom of the first. He loaded the bases right away as Matt Carpenter doubled followed by walks by Stephen Piscotty and Matt Holliday. Then Randal Grichuck singled in Carpenter and Piscotty to tie the game at 2-2.

The Cardinals added an insurance run in the bottom of the third as Piscotty hit his fifth home run of the year to give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead. Then both offenses went quiet as pitching started to take over in this game.

Adam Wainwright pitched a good game for the Cardinals going 6.1 innings giving up three runs on seven hits while striking out five batters. Wainwright missed all of last season with a torn Achilles tendon and has been struggling early on this year and is trying to fight back to his former dominant self.

The Pirates made the first of their two comebacks in the top of the seventh inning. Josh Harrison lead off the inning with a double and Jordy Mercer sacrificed him to third base with one out. Then John Jaso came through with a clutch two-out RBI single to tie the game at three.

The Cardinals regained the lead in the bottom of the eighth as Piscotty doubled to give the Cardinals a runner at second with one out. Then Grichuck drove in his third run of the day on an RBI single giving the Cardinals a 4-3 lead.

In the top of the ninth, the game looked like it was over for the Pirates as after the first two men of the inning reached McCutchen struck out and Polanco grounded into a fielders choice to give the Pirates runners at first and third with two outs.

Then Starling Marte came in with a clutch hit as he hit an RBI ground rule double to score David Freese and tie the game at four. It was the Pirates second comeback of the game as they looked to take this game in to extra innings.

However, the Cardinals put a stop to the hot quickly as in the bottom of the ninth Aledmys Diaz lead-off with a single and the next batter flew out to give the Cardinals a runner at first with one out. Then Matt Carpenter hit the game winning shot, a walk-off two-run home run, giving the Cardinals a 6-4 victory.

It was the first loss the Pirates had to the Cardinals this season and tied the series at one game a piece. The Pirates currently sit at 16-14 and are in second place in the NL Central.

The Pirates and Cardinals wrap up this three game series tomorrow afternoon at Busch Stadium. Michael Wacha (2-2 2.65) will pitch for the Cardinals and will be opposed by Gerrit Cole (2-3 3.95) for the Pirates. First pitch from Busch Stadium is scheduled for 2:15 p.m.

Pirates Offense Struggles As They Get Swept By Cubs

The Pittsburgh Pirates offense was not very effective for the third day in a row as they got swept by the Chicago Cubs losing by a score of 6-2. Matt Joyce provides the only offense of the day with his third pinch hit home run of the season.

The Pittsburgh Pirates offense once again went dormant as they lost to the Chicago Cubs today by the score of 7-2. The loss was the Pirates fourth straight as they were swept by the Cubs and could not do anything right in the series.

Juan Nicasio started the game for the Pirates and pitched a lot better than his stat line suggests. In total he went 4.1 innings giving up four runs, one earned, on eight hits walking three and striking out one batter.

Nicasio had two big problems on the day. The first being his inefficiency he walked three batters and threw 102 pitches in just over four innings of work. He has to work on being more efficient in future starts to have the success he was having in spring training.

Secondly, his defense failed him when he needed them to come through. Andrew McCutchen committed an error in the second inning and it cost them big time as it ended up costing them big time and giving the Cubs a big lead.

The Cubs offense started up early in the top of the second as a walk, a fielders choice, and the McCutchen error set the Cubs up with first and third and two outs. Then Ben Zobrist hit a three-run home run driving in all three of his RBI on the day and giving the Cubs a 3-0 lead.

The Cubs would add another run in the fifth as a double by Anthony Rizzo and a ground out by Javier Baez gave the Cubs a runner at third with two out. Then Javier Baez came through with a big ground rule double that put the Cubs ahead 4-0. Nicasio was pulled after that and Jared Hughes came in to finish off the inning for the Pirates.

Ryan Vogelsong came in next for the Pirates and pitched 2.0 strong innings for the Pirates giving up one run in the top of the seventh inning on one hit While striking out one batter. Vogelsong has been an effective long relief man for the Pirates and, along with Kyle Lobstein, have logged a lot of innings saving some of the later inning guys.

Vogelsong's only big problem came in the top of the seventh when he gave up a leadoff solo home run to Anthony Rizzo to put the Cubs ahead 5-0. Four of the Cubs six runs on the day came via the home run. If the Pirates are able to limit home runs, they can be a very successful stats.

The Pirates got their only offensive production on the day in the bottom of the seventh inning. Andrew McCutchen hit a one out double to give the Pirates a man in scoring position with one out. Then Matt Joyce hit his third pinch hit home run of the season, a two run shot, to put the Pirates on the board 5-2

Joyce has been a force off of the Pirates bench producing three of his four home runs in the pinch hit role. He is currently batting .371 with four home runs and 12 RBI in limited work. He has been a force off the bench and has produced in a big way.

The Cubs would add one more run in the bottom of the ninth after back to back singled by Rizzo and Kris Bryant and a pop out by Zobrist gave the Cubs first and third with one out. Then Javier Baez drove in the final run of the game with a fielder's choice to give the Cubs the 6-2 lead that would eventually hold up to the final score.

The Pirates were swept by the Cubs and are on a four-game losing streak. They currently sit at 15-13 which is good for second place in the NL Central. The Cubs improve to 20-6 and still sit atop the NL Central.

The Pirates are off tomorrow and return to action on Friday as they travel to St. Louis to take on the Cardinals. The Cardinals will send Carlos Martinez (4-1 2.60) to the hill. Last time out Martinez took the loss as he faced the Washington Nationals giving up four runs over 6.2 innings of work. The Pirates will counter with Francisco Liriano (2-1 3.86). Last time out, Liriano collected his second win of the season giving up one run over 6.2 innings of work against the Cincinnati Reds. First pitch is scheduled for 8:15 p.m.

Pittsburgh Pirates Vs. Chicago Cubs May 3 2016

Jon Niese and the Pittsburgh Pirates get ready to face off against Jake Arrieta and the Chicago Cubs in the second of a three game series at PNC Park

Pirates-Cubs Rivalry Built On Growing Farm Talent

Once the bottom feeders in the National League Central Division, The Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates have risen as the top dogs in the division. With this rise has come a rivalry that has been built on developing players throughout the minor league system.

It was the 2009 season and the Pirates currently sat at 62-99 and had one more game left to play, a postponed game against the Chicago Cubs. However, Major League Baseball decided not to play the game since both teams were out of the playoff race and had no chance of moving forward with the win. 

While that decision probably saved the Pirates from their first 100 lost season since 2001, it is a decision that would never be made in today's game. The Pirates and Cubs currently occupy the first and second place spots in the National League Central and, with the St. Louis Cardinals struggling right now, could run away with the division.

This transformation did not happen overnight, however. From the 2010-2013 seasons the Pirates and Cubs were the last two teams in the NL Central consistently ending the season under a .500 winning percentage. Both teams endured droughts that seemed to last forever. The Pirates dealt with 20 consecutive losing seasons before breaking out in 2014, and the Cubs are still currently in the midst of a 97 year drought where they have not made the world series.

Both fan bases have suffered through some bad baseball and some bad players and some sloppy baseball in their recent history. Whether it was Starling Castro being called out for being lazy or the awful play of Ronny Paulino behind the plate, both fan bases know what it is like to watch a losing baseball team take the field day in and day out.

Last season saw the rise of so many great players out of the Cubs farm system including Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, and Kyle Schwarber and that has lead to the Cubs current success this season. They sit on top of the NL Central with a record of 18-6. The Pirates started their rise much in the same way with the emergence of guys like Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco to help create what has been considered a worst to first Cinderella story in baseball.

Looking at the current rosters for both teams, the Pirates have nine home grown players that anchor the team and the Cubs have seven. Each of these players have played a significant role on their clubs and has allowed this once battle of bottom feeders to blossom into a battle of MLB titans looking for supremacy.

You cant think of the Pittsburgh Pirates without thinking of their center fielder Andrew McCutchen. Since his call-up to the big leagues in 2009 he has been the face of the Pirates and the anchor of this team. Since joining the Pirates, he is a career .296 hitter with 157 home runs and 570 RBI. While known for his slow starts, he has consistently lead the Pirates in all major offensive categories during his time with the team.

The five-time all-star and four-time silver slugger winner has seen both the good and the bad times of this team and has been an instrumental part to their turn-around. The Pirates have gotten better each season that McCutchen has been on the team going from a team that finished 62-99 to last year where they finished 98-64.

McCutchen has also been a life saver on defense patrolling center field and catching almost every fly ball that was hit his way. The 2012 Gold Glove winner owns a career .988 fielding percentage only committing only 29 errors in just under 10,000 innings played. McCutchen can do it all both in the field and at the plate and has been the biggest part to the Pirates turn-around.

On the Cubs side, the turn around started with first baseman Anthony Rizzo who got his call to the major leagues in 2011. Since coming up, he has provided power and clutch hitting to the Cubs lineup. He has hit 15 home runs or more in each of the last four seasons including back-to-back 30 home run seasons in 2014 and 2015.

Rizzo is a career .259 hitter with 110 home runs and 341 RBI in five major league seasons. Rizzo has brought a fire to the Chicago Cubs and challenges his team to perform everyday. He has also opened the door for other Cubs rookies to have success by creating protection in the middle of the Cubs lineup. Opposing Pitchers would not want to pitch to Rizzo so they threw better pitches to hit to guys like Bryant and Schwarber.

Rizzo is no slouch on defense either as he owns a .994 career fielding percentage committing 31 errors in 5541 innings played at first base. Not much gets by Rizzo as he has the ability to get to a lot of the balls that are hit his way and he has robbed many hits from many players. Both Rizzo and McCutchen are examples of what great home grown talent can do for a team.

This Pirates-Cubs rivalry really got its start last season during the three-team race for NL Central supremacy as the Cubs, Cardinals, and Pirates were battling for the top spot in the division. The rivalry came to its height during last seasons NL Wildcard game between the Cubs and Pirates that included a benches clearing brawl.

The rivalry is still very evident between these two teams as last night Starling Marte was hit in the arm followed by Ben Zobrist being hit in the back. As a result, both benches were warned and Cubs manager Joe Maddon was seen yelling to Kyle Lobstein and Francsico Cervelli on the field. Now that these two teams are the top dogs in the NL Central, we will see just how much this rivalry can grow over the next couple seasons.

The rivalry continues tonight as the Pirates an Cubs play game two of a three game sereis at PNC Park. For the Cubs, it will be right hander Jake Arietta (5-0 1.00) on the hill coming off of a 5.0 inning one run start against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Pirates will oppose with Jon Niese (3-0 5.08) who is coming off of a decent start in Colorado where he gave up five runs over 5.0 innings of work. First pitch for tonight's game is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Offense Held Silent as Pirates Fall to Cubs

The Pittsburgh Pirates potent offense was held at bay tonight by Chicago Cubs starter Jason Hammel tonight in their 7-2 loss. Gerrit Cole started out the game well, but was overcome by the Chicago Cubs only going 4.2 innings and giving up six runs on the night.

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs started a three game series in PNC Park tonight as the top two teams in the National League Central battled it out in the first of 18 meetings between the two teams this season. The Chicago Cubs got the upper hand in the first game of the series defeating the Pirates by a score of 7-2.

The key to the Cubs victory was great starting pitching by starter Jason Hammel. Hammel kept what has been a potent Pirates offense at bay going 5.0 innings giving up two runs on five hits while walking one and striking out three. Hammel has been one of the starters that has been overlooked in the Cubs rotation, but he has quietly had a very successful year coming into the game with an ERA under 1.00.

The Pirates opposed with Gerrit Cole who started the game out well but deteriorated as the day went on. In the end, he only pitched 4.2 innings giving up six runs, five earned, on six hits while walking four and striking out six. He allowed hits early on but was able to get out of some jams. However, allowing so many hits would eventually come back to bite Cole and once the third inning rolled around the game became more and more out of reach.

 Things were looking good for the Pirates to start the game as they scored the first run of the contest. Andrew McCutchen hit his team leading sixth home run of the season to put the Pirates up 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning. The Pirates would be retired in order to finish the first inning and the score would stay at 1-0.

The Cubs took control of this game in the top of the third inning as things started to unravel for Cole. The inning started off with a walk to Dexter Fowler followed by a line out by Tommy La Stella and a flyout by Kris Bryant to give the Cubs a runner at first with two outs. Then Anthony Rizzo tied the game at one on an RBI double that scored Fowler. The Cubs then took the lead the very next batter as Ben Zobrist hit an RBI single that scored Rizzo and gave the Cubs a 2-1 lead.

The Cubs would later put the game out of reach in the fifth inning as with one out Bryant walked and Rizzo doubled to give the Cubs runners at second and third with one out. Then Zobrist drove in his second run of the game as he hit a sacrifice fly that scored Bryant and gave the Cubs a 3-1 lead. Cole's night ended as he hit Addison Russell and walked Matt Szczur loading the bases for the Cubs. 

AJ Schugel came in for relief and did not do much better than Cole did. The first batter he faced, David Ross, hit an RBI single that scored both Rizzo and Russell to put the Cubs ahead 5-1. The Cubs would add one more in the inning on a caught stealing error that scored Szczur and gave the Cubs a 6-1 lead.

The Pirates tried to get back into the game in the bottom of the fifth and almost did as they threatened with runners at first and second with nobody out after Jordy Mercer singled and Jason Rogers walked. John Jaso moved the runners over on a ground out to first and McCutchen drove in his second run of the ball game with an RBI groundout that scored Mercer and made the score 6-2.

The Cubs would score their final run of the ball game in the top of the seventh after Zobrist was hit by a pitch and Javier Baez singled and advanced to second on a throwing error to give the Cubs second and third with one out. Then, a wild pitch by Lobstein allowed Zobrist to score and gave the Cubs a 7-2 lead.

One bright spot for the Pirates on the night was the work they got out of the bullpen. Kyle Lobstein came in to relieve Schugel and pitched 3.0 innings giving up only one run on three hits while striking out a batter. Arquimedes Caminero finished up the game for the Pirates pitching a scoreless inning giving up a hit and a walk and striking out a batter.

The Pirates have a tough task ahead of them tomorrow in game two of this three game series against the Cubs as it will be Jake Arietta (5-0 1.00) versus Jon Niese (3-0 5.08). Niese has been one of the most consistent of the Pirates starters this season and is coming off of an outing where he got a no decision against the Colorado Rockies. Arietta has been just as good this season as last season and is coming off of his worst start of the year where he went 5.0 innings giving up one run on three hits while walking four and striking out six. First pitch for tomorrow's contest is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Pirates Lose Heartbreaker in 11 Inning Loss

The Pittsburgh Pirates had their six game winning streak snapped by the Cincinnati Reds this afternoon losing 6-5. Jeff Locke turned in a strong 7.0 inning start but the bullpen couldn't hold strong in the loss.

The Pittsburgh Pirates saw their six game winning streak come to an end this afternoon as they lost to the Cincinnati Reds by a score of 6-5. The game started out as a pitchers duel, but by the end of the game turned into an offensive juggernaut as each team took turns scoring on the afternoon.

Pittsburgh Pirates starter Jeff Locke turned in his second consecutive quality start as he went 7.0 innings giving up three runs on four hits while walking two and striking out six. Locke again showed the good control he had in his start in Colorado and it helped him on the mound once again.

Cincinnati Reds starter Tim Adleman pitched just as well in his major league debut. He ended up throwing 6.0 innings giving up three hits while walking two and striking out six. Adleman kept the potent Pirates offense at bay all afternoon. The only Pirate who could hit off of him was Gregory Polanco who went 2 for 2 against the Reds starter.

Both starters threw up zeroes through the first four innings of work before the Pirates were finally able to break through in the bottom of the fifth. Polanco got the first hit of the game for the Pirates as he sent his third home run of the season over the right field wall to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead.

Polanco's home run was the first home run ball to hit the river since Pedro Alvarez did it in July of last season. The Pirates have been on a home run tear recently after not hitting a home run until their first game of the season. The recent power success has helped the Pirates offense get the extra boost that it needs.

The Reds responded the very next half inning as a Tucker Barnhart double and a Zack Cozart walk set the Reds up with first and second with two outs. Then Joey Votto hit an RBI single to right field to tie the game at one. The Reds added another run in the inning as after an intentional walk to Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce hit a double to right field to score both Billy Hamilton and Votto to give the Reds a 3-1 lead.

The Pirates would respond in the bottom of the seventh as After a Starling Marte single and a Polanco strikeout, Sean Rodriguez tripled into the left field corner to make the score 3-2 Reds. Then Matt Joyce delivered a pinch hit single just over the second baseman's head scoring Rodriguez and tying the game at three.

This is where the back and forth started as both teams scored in the eighth to make it 4-4 going into the ninth inning. Then the Reds scored in the top of the ninth on a Scott Schelber RBI double that scored Adam Duvall and gave the Reds a late 5-4 lead.

It looked like the game was over for the Pirates in the bottom of the ninth as Chris Stewart and Jason Rogers each got out to start the inning. Then John Jaso hit his second home run of the season to tie the game at five as they went into extra innings.

Ryan Vogelsong came into pitch the tenth for the Pirates and made the Red go 1-2-3 in the tenth, but he ran into trouble in the eleventh. He let up a leadoff triple to Eugenio Suarez and set the Reds up with a runner at third and no outs. Then Schelber burned the Pirates again as he hit a one-out RBI double to right field to put the Reds up 6-5. The Pirates were unable to score in the bottom of the inning as they lost the game.

The Pirates commuted four errors in the loss and that ended up hurting them in the end. While he had a good day at the plate, Polanco committed two costly errors in the field that cost the Pirates in the end.

The Pirates start a big three game series against the Chicago Cubs tomorrow night at PNC Park. Right hander Jason Hammel (3-0 0.75) will be on the mound for the Cubs and the Pirates will oppose with right hander Gerrit Cole (2-2 2.78). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Pirates Win 6th Straight In 5-1 Win Over Reds

The Pittsburgh Pirates end the month of April on a hot streak winning their sixth straight game as they defeated the Cincinnati Reds last night by a score of 5-1. Francisco Liriano threw 6.2 strong innings and John Jaso hit his first Pirates home run in the victory.

The Pittsburgh Pirates continued their recent tear last night as they won their sixth straight game defeating the Cincinnati Reds by a score of 5-1. The two teams were forced to play between the rain drops, as showers rained down on Pittsburgh for most of the game, but that did not stop Francisco Liriano and this potent Pirates offense.

Liriano turned in his longest outing of the season going 6.2 innings giving up one run on five hits while striking out six batters. This was a bounce back start for Liriano as he has struggled his last few times out. Today, he returned to his normal form and was getting a lot of swings and misses on the night leading to his success.

Last time Liriano pitched was in the crazy 12-10 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. In that game, Liriano had some control issues and could not keep the ball in the ball park as he walked three Diamondbacks and allowed two home runs in the contest. Yesterday, he was very efficient and kept the ball in the ball park. The key was, that his slider was effective last night, and when Liriano's slider is on he is one of the toughest pitchers to face in all of major league baseball.

The Pirates struck first in the contest and got the game going with a bang. The first pitch by Reds starter Alfredo Simon was sent over the wall for a solo shot by John Jaso to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead. Jaso has been an on base machine for the Pirates this season and has done a very good job at working the count. However, tonight he saw a first pitch that he could handle and put it over the wall for his first Buccos home run.

Reds starter Alfredo Simon had a rough time against this Pirates offense. While he kept the Pirates scoreless after the Jaso home run and through the fourth inning, he struggled giving up four walks and three hits through those innings. Simon baffled the Pirates in his first outing against them in Cincinnati and today the tables turned on the right hander.

The Reds scored their only run of the game in the top of inning number five. Liriano got the first two outs of the inning fairly quickly before allowing a single to Billy Hamilton with two outs. Zack Cozart made Liriano pay for the hit by lining a double into left field to score Hamilton and tie the game at one

The Pirates responded by adding two more in the fifth inning delivering the final blow to Simon's night. After a David Freese single and a Starling Marte hit by pitch, the Pirates had runners at first and second with nobody out. Then, Francisco Cervelli stepped up and delivered an RBI single into center field to score Freese and give the Pirates a 2-1 lead. The Pirates would add one more run in the inning as a ground out by Gregory Polanco moved runners to second and third and a sacrifice fly by Josh Harrison gave the Pirates a 3-1 lead.

The bullpen was very effective on the night and, because of the good start by Liriano, didnt have to do a lot of work. Neftali Feliz came in to relieve Liriano in the seventh inning and got the only man he faced out. Then Tony Watson pitched a scoreless eighth while walking a batter and striking out two men.

The Pirates got some much needed insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Matt Joyce started the inning off with a pinch-hit single setting the Pirates up with the leadoff man on base. Then Sean Rodriguez hit his fourth Pirates home run of the year, a two-run shot over the left field wall, to give the Pirates a commanding 5-1 lead. Rodriguez now leads the Pirates in home runs and has tied his home run total from a year ago.

AJ Schugel came in to start the ninth And after a ground out, a walk a force out, and a single the Reds had runners on first and second with two outs bringing the tying run to the plate and creating a save situation. With that in mind, manager Clint Hurdle called on his closer Mark Melancon to get the final out of the game. He did so effectively as he got Zack Cozart to strike out to end the ball game and collect his seventh save of the season.

With the win the Pirates have now won six straight games to end the month of April and sit at 15-9 on the young season, and currently sit in second place behind the 17-5 Chicago Cubs in the National League Central. After being swept in Cincinnati last time they faced the Reds, the Pirates have a chance to sweep the Reds in the final game of this three game series this afternoon at PNC Park.

The third game of this three game series will be played this afternoon at PNC Park. For the Reds right hander Tim Adleman will be making his major league debut as he steps in for the injured Rasiel Iglesias. The Pirates will counter with Jeff Locke (1-2 5.03) who is coming off his best start of the season going 6.0 shut out innings against the Colorado Rockies. First pitch for this afternoons game is scheduled for 1:35 p.m.