Pirates 2016 Grade Book: Outfield

This is week one of a series of a series of six giving a grade to each of the Pittsburgh Pirates position groups in 2016. Our first week takes a look at the Pirates outfield who as a group endured some great highs and some all-time lows as well. However, as a whole, they were still the leaders of the 2016 Pirates team.

Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, and Gregory Polanco. Hearing these three names as the Pirate starting outfield prior to the 2016 season made many Pirates fans very optimistic. McCuthcen was a five time all-star, Marte was coming off a career year, and Polanco was due for a break-out season. This trio was considered by many to be the best outfield in baseball coming into the 2016 season. 

Marte would build upon his fantastic 2015 season in 2016 for the Pirates. He finished the year hitting a team leading .311 with nine home runs and 46 RBI while spending most of the season in the number six or seven spot in the order. The .311 average was a career  high for Marte and he was a much more patient hitter at the plate as the season moved on.

Strikeouts have plagued Marte throughout his career, however, in 2016 he struck out only 104 times in a total of 489 at-bats. That is the lowest number of strikeouts in a season for Marte since he became a full-time starter for the Pirates in the 2013 season. Marte has found a home in the middle of the Pirates order. He started his career hitting in the number two hole behind Polanco, but he tried to do too much to get on base and it would cost him. 

One thing that did not go down with Marte's movement to the middle of the order was his stolen base numbers. Marte stole a career high 47 bases in 2016 in 59 chances. Marte has been known for his speed his entire career stealing at-least 30 bases in each season he has been named a starter. That speed helps him in the field as well as he is able to run down many balls that other outfielders can't get to. He posted a .982 fielding percentage in 2016, four errors in 217 chances. His efforts last year in the field earned him the 2015 Wilson Defenisve Player of the Year award and he will look to win it again in 2016.

Among Marte's other accomplishments was he being named to his first ever all-star game in 2016. He, along with Mark Melancon, were the Pirates representatives for the all-star festivities in San Diego, California. He did get into the game playing center field and went 1 for 1 at the plate with a single.

For as good of a season as Marte had, Polanco had that and much more. Polanco was a prospect who was struggling offensively and defensively for his first two years in the league. However, he put it all together in 2016 and set career highs in every offensive category including average, .258, home runs, 22, and RBI, 86. He finally grabbed a stronghold on the right field position and proved that he belonged at the major league level.

Prior to this season, Polanco had only had over ten home runs twice in his professional career, his professional baseball high was formerly 16 home runs hit in 2012 at the single A level. As a corner outfielder, you expect a little pop in the bat, and Polanco delivered on that this year. I dont know if the power is something we can expect from Polanco in the future, but it would be an added plus to his game.

Polanco is another Pirates who benefited from a move down in the order. Early in his career, he was a guy who was routinely on top of the Pirates lineup. However, this year he hit sixth or seventh, wherever Marte was not, and drove in a career high and a team high 86 RBI. Polanco is a guy the Pirates are counting on for the future to lead this team to the promised land.

Out of the three names mentioned early in the article, nobody expected McCutchen to be the worst of the three in 2016, but that is just what happened. McCutchen struggled through the worst year of his career hitting a career low .256 with 24 home runs and 79 RBI. McCutchen had struggles in the field as well with a .991 fielding percentage, the lowest of either of the other three Pirates outfielders.

McCutchen had carried this Pirates team on his back ever since his call-up to the major league level. The five-time all star routinely lead the Pirates in every offensive category and was a big part of all three Pirates playoff teams. His power numbers were still up in 2016 as he hit over 20 home runs for the sixth consecutive season.

McCutchen just did not look like himself at the plate this season striking out a career high 143 times at the plate and walked the a career low 69 times. Usually one of the most patient hitters in baseball, McCutchen swung at a lot of bad pitches this season and it cost him some stats at the plate. McCuthcen is going into his age 30 season, so the age is something to keep in mind as you evaluate this season.

Outfield 2016 Grade: A-

Despite the struggles of its star Andrew McCutchen, the Pirates outfield gets an A- this year in my book due to the breakout seasons of both Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco. Both had career highs in average and Polanco had a career high in RBI. Both played an integral part in the middle of the Pirates order and look to stay there for years to come. Even with rumors circling about the Pirates shopping Andrew McCutchen, this outfield looks poised and ready for another great season in 2017.

What Does McCutchen's Future Hold In Pittsburgh?

Pittsburgh Pirates star center fielder Andrew McCutchen is in the midst of one of the worst seasons in his major league career. This has left many fans questioning the future of McCutchen here in Pittsburgh. Should general manager Neil Huntington pull the trigger and trade him, or keep him around for the long haul.

I havent announced it on here before, but I am the radio play-by-play announcer for the frontier league's Washington Wild Things baseball team. Our game got rained out tonight and as I was driving home 93.7 the fan brought up the question of what does the future hold for Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen?

After hearing the arguments of many fans calling into the station, it got me thinking "what do the Pirates do with McCutchen?" He was the National League MVP in 2013 and was a five time all-star for the Pirates over his eight year career and has been the face of the franchise since his 2009 call-up. However, he is in the midst of his worst season of his MLB career in which he is hitting .246 with 15 home runs and only 42 RBI and we are in the latter half of the month of July.

McCutchen is signed with the Pirates through the 2018 season and is owed 14,500,000 next season and is due to be a free agent before the 2018 season. McCutchen has been a star for the Pirates, but you could get a very healthy return for the former NL MVP's services. However, before we say lets ship him away there are a couple of factors we must consider.

First of all, we have to look at the minor league talent in the Pirates system that could come up and replace McCutchen if he would be traded. You have two future stars in Gregory Polanco and Starling Marte in the corner outfield spots, but you need someone who will be able to step-up and compliment these two in the Pirates outfield.

Taking a look at the Pirates farm system the three candidates available in Triple A right now are Willy Garcia, Danny Ortiz, and Austin Meadows. The name that stands out most out of these three options is Austin Meadows. Meadows was the 2013 first round draft pick by the Pirates and was tearing it up in double A earlier this year hitting .311 with six home runs and 23 RBI. However, his start to his triple A career is lack luster as through 12 games he is hitting .239 with two home runs and six RBI.

Also, Meadows just made the transition to the Triple A level and is at least a year away from appearing in a Pirates uniform. He still needs time to develop and grow in the higher levels of the Pirates minor league system before he can make his presence felt on the Pirates. I would say he has to appear in at least 250 triple A games before we see him in a Pirates uniform.

The other two options, Ortiz and Garcia, are subpar major league talent at best. Garcia is hitting .258 with four home runs and 33 RBI while Ortiz is only hitting .222 with 12 home runs and 39 RBI. Neither of these players would have the capabilities to come up and perform as an everyday outfielder for the Pirates.

In Double A the only option with any pull is Harold Ramirez, however, being that he is in double A he is still at least two or three years away from joining the team. And, with an organization void of many outfield prospects, there are no reliable replacements for Cutch. The next factor you have to look at is what can they get in return for their star center fielder.

Prior to this season, you could get a huge return for McCutchen as he was the NL MVP and a five-time all-star. You could have gotten at least two major league ready players and a haul of minor league talent. However, with McCutchen's average at a career low, his value has dropped immensely and may deter the Pirates from any thoughts of trading their star centerfielder. 

If you wait until 2017 and see if McCutchen rebounds and returns to form, you can get a much bigger haul for the star. The worst case scenario would be that McCutchen continues his downward spiral in 2017 and he walks in free agency. If your the Pirates, you would rather get something in return for your asset rather than having him walk. It is not likely that Cutch will resign with the Pirates and you would rather see the Pirates get something for McCutchen rather then letting him walk.

In conclusion, if I were the Pittsburgh Pirates, I would keep McCutchen through 2017 and trade him at the deadline next season to see what I can get in return. Yes, McCutchen has been the face of this franchise for the past eight seasons, but as the famous saying goes all good things must come to an end. For McCutchen, I'm afraid his time in Pittsburgh is almost up and we will usher in a new generation of talent 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.

Can Andrew McCutchen Be Considered as One of the Pirates All-Time Greats?

Andrew McCutchen has been the face of the Pittsburgh Pirates since his call-up to the big leagues in 2009. He has been named a National League MVP, a five-time all-star, and a four time silver slugger award winner. However, is he able to be named among the greats like Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell?

Andrew McCutchen is coming off a night against the Colorado Rockies where he went 3 for 5 with three home runs and five RBI. He became only the fourth Pirate to have multiple games in which he hit three home runs joining the likes of Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, and Ralph Kiner. With his name among these great Pirates players, can we consider McCutchen one of the Pirates all-time greats?

The 2016 season is the eighth year that McCutchen has been in the big leagues. He was called up following the Nate McLouth trade in 2009 and ever since has taken the Pirates and the MLB in general by storm. He is a career .297 hitter with 156 home runs and 568 RBI. He has won four silver sluggers in his career, has been a five time all-star, and was named the National League MVP in the 2013 season.

How do these numbers add up to Pittsburgh Pirates legends like Clemente, Stargell, and Honus Wagner? Each of these three players had a big impact on the teams they played on. Wagner played in a time where stats were limited and accolades were few, but numbers don't lie. Clemente and Stargell were staples in the Pirates organization from the 1950's through the 1970's and led three world series championship teams.

Wagner, also known as "The Flying Dutchman", was one of the most prolific hitters of the early 20th century. He played 21 seasons in the major leagues, 18 of those with the Pirates, and was a career .329 hitter with 101 home runs and 1,732 RBI. He was inducted into the major league baseball hall of fame in 1936 and his jersey number was retired by the Pirates in 1956.

Wagner consistently played 130-150 games a year at the short stop position and led the league in average eight times throughout the course of his career. His ability to get on base was second to none as he had a career OBP of .392 and an OPS of .858. Wagner played in an era where power was not a staple, yet he was in the top 10 in the league in home runs 10 times throughout the course of his career.

Through his first eight years of his career, Wagner hit .346 with 41 home runs and 750 RBI. While McCutchen has more power through his first eight seasons at the professional level, that is all he has on Wagner. Wagner is considered the upper-tier of the Pirates all-time greats. While McCutchen doesn't stack up to "The Flying Dutchman" not many players can say that they can.

Moving through the 20th century we come to the next tier of Pirates greats in Willie Stargell and Roberto Clemente. These two players were the cornerstones of the Pirates teams in the late 1950's all the way through the 1970's. Stargell has pop unlike any other batter of his time and Clemente was a hitting machine collecting 3,000 hits in his career.

Clemente could do everything that could be done on a baseball diamond and he did all of it well. His career was cut short when he died in a plane crash following the 1972 season. In his career, he hit .317 with 240 home runs and 1,305 RBI. Clemente, much like Wagner, had an ability to get on base like no other in his time as he had a career .359 OBP and a .834 OPS.

Clemente was named NL MVP in 1966 and was the World Series MVP in the 1971 series against the Baltimore Orioles. He was a 12-time all-star throughout his time in the big leagues and lead the league in hitting four times throughout his career. He collected his 3,000 career hit on September 29, 1972. Unfortunately he could not build on that number as he died in a plane crash on his way to provide aid to Nicaragua.

Stargell was on the other end of the spectrum. He was a power hitter who mashed the baseball and could turn the game around with one swing of the bat. Stargell was a career .282 hitter with 475 home runs and 1,540 RBI. Stargell was a feared hitter at the plate and had 937 career walks and that led to his .360 OBP.

Stargell was a seven time all-star and was named both the NL MVP and World Series MVP in the 1979 season. He led the league in home runs in the 1973 and 1971 seasons and was in the top ten in home runs 10 times over the course of his career. While he was not the hit collector that Clemente was, he certainly new how to hit home runs and drive in runs for the Pirates teams he played on.

Over the course of his first eight seasons, Clemente hit .300 with 75 home runs and 494 RBI. McCutchen has a similar average as Clemente and more RBI. However, McCutchen is playing in an era that is more offensively driven than Clemente's era back in the 1970's. Clemente is what you think of when you think of historic Pirates and it is good to see McCutchen on a similar track as he was.

Stargell through his first eight seasons in the league shows a lot of production. He hit .275 with 196 home runs and 651 RBI. Stargell clearly has more power and production than McCutchen but the average isn't as high as that of McCutchen. Stargell was one of the most prolific power hitters of his day and was a big run producer for the Pirates in a time where power numbers werent as high as they are today.

While McCutchen is on track with what Roberto Clemente did throughout his first eight seasons, it would not be right to put McCutchen on his level right now. If McCutchen's current production can be sustained then there is a possibility, but as of now he is still below "The Great One." 

Willie Stargell meant so much to the Pirates teams he was on much like McCutchen has throughout his career. The leader of the "We Are Family" teams, Stargell had the ability to turn a game around with one swing. He was a great guy in the clubhouse and helped the Pirates win two World Series Championships over the course of his career.

I would personally compare McCutchen to a less powerful version of Willie Stargell. Both were key players on their respective teams and were the big run producers for the Pirates. Each used their primary talents to their advantage and helped their teams win ball games. Only time will tell if McCutchen can continue his success at the major league level and transfer that into a hall of fame career, but for now he will go out day in and day out and do the best he can to produce for the current Pittsburgh Pirates team.

McCutchen Powers the Pirates Past Rockies in 9-4 Win

The Pittsburgh Pirates used the home run ball to their advantage last night as they hit five home runs on their way to defeating the Colorado Rockies 9-4. Andrew McCutchen provided most of the pop hitting three home runs on the evening.

Andrew McCutchen had the best night of his season for the Pirates last night as he went 3 for 5 with three home runs and five RBI in the Pirates 9-4 win over the Colorado Rockies. With his average sitting at a measly .211 coming into the game, many fans were asking when we would see the breakout numbers we are used to from McCutchen.

Well that happened last night as he got the best of Rockies starter Jorge De La Rosa hitting two of his three home runs off the starter. The Pirates added two more home runs and some clutch hitting to get the 9-4 victory. They pounded on De La Rosa and reliever Christian Bergman for seven runs on eight hits through a combined 5.2 innings pitched.

Gerrit Cole did not have his best stuff going on the day, but did just enough to pick up the victory in the ball game. He went 6.0 innings giving up four runs, two earned, on eight hits while walking two and striking out three on the night. In the early going, Cole has not been the dominant pitcher he was last season, but the offense has scored him some runs as of late and it has helped him tremendously.

The scoring started right away with McCutchen's first home run of the night, a solo shot that gave the Pirates an early 1-0 lead. That was followed up quickly as the next batter, David Freese, hit his first Pirates home run and cushioned the lead to 2-0 Pirates. The Pirates hit back-to-back home runs for the second time this season as Gregory Polanco and Sean Rodriguez went back-to-back in the first game against Arizona.

The scoring would continue in the first as after a walk to Francisco Cervelli and Jason Rogers getting hit by a pitch, the Pirates had first and second with two outs. Josh Harrison would come through in a big way with an RBI single that scored Cervelli and gave the Pirates a 3-0 lead. The inning would end on a strikeout by Polanco as the Pirates sent eight men to the plate in the first inning.

The scoring would continue for the Pirates in the top of the second inning after a strikeout by Cole ad a groundout by Jordy Mercer gave the Pirates two outs. Then McCutchen stepped up and hit his second home run of the night, a 430 foot blast to left center field, that gave the Pirates a commanding 4-0 lead.

The Rockies would respond in the bottom of the second as Ben Paulson singled and moved up to second on a passed ball by Cervelli. A ground out by DJ LeMahieu moved Paulson up to third and he later scored on an RBI single by Brandon Barnes to cut the Pirates lead to 4-1. The Rockies would add another run in the bottom of the fourth as Nolan Arenado hit his eighth home run of the season to cut the lead to 4-2.

The Rockies almost crawled back into this game as they threatened again in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Bergman and Gerrardo Parra singled and Christhian Adams walked to load the bases for Colorado. Cole almost got out of the inning as he struck out Carlos Gonzalez for the second out, but Arenado singled to left scoring Bergman and cutting the lead to 4-3. The Rockies almost tied it at four but Starling Marte threw Parra out at the plate. The play was challenged and upheld and the Pirates kept their 4-3 lead.

That would all change the very next inning as a Polanco double and a Mercer walk set-up McCutchen with one out and runners at first and second. McCutchen proceeded to hit his third home run of the night, a three-run blast to right field, to extend the Pirates lead to 7-3. Then Starling Marte capped off the inning with a solo home run of his own to give the Pirates an 8-3 lead.

Each team would score one more time in the contest to make the final score 9-4. The Pirates bullpen has been struggling as of late, but last night pitched very well. Arquimides Caminero, who picked up his first major league save in his last outing, pitched a scoreless inning while walking two batters on the night.

He was followed up by Neftali Feliz, who blew a save his last time out. Feliz rebounded last night with a scoreless inning of work while walking one and striking out one. The game was finished by Rob Scahill who had a bounce back outing himself throwing 1.0 inning giving up no runs and walking a batter. The victory improved the Pirates record to 12-9 on the season and has them in second place in the National League Central.

McCutchen's special night landed him in exclusive company in Pirates baseball history. He now joins Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, and Ralph Kiner as the only three Pirates players with multiple three home run games. The first time McCutchen hit three home runs in a game was back on August 1, 2009 when he accomplished the feat against the Washington Nationals.

The Pirates and Rockies will play game three of their four game series tonight at Coors Field. For the Rockies, Jon Gray (0-0 9.00) will take the mound. Last time out Gray faced the Los Angeles Dodgers and gave up five runs on seven hits over 5.0 innings of work while walking two and striking out 10. The Pirates will oppose with Jon Niese (3-0 4.24). Niese has had a good season so far and looks to continue that tonight. Last time he took the mound he went 5.1 innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks and gave up four runs on 10 hits while walking two and striking out two. First pitch for game three of this series is scheduled for 8:40 p.m.

Pirates Bats Break Out as Pirates Crush Brewers in Series Finale

The Pittsburgh Pirates offense broke out today collecting two home runs and a total of 17 hits as the Pirates sailed past the Brewers 9-3. Nicasio bounced back on the mound throwing 7.0 innings and allowing three runs in the contest.

The Pittsburgh Pirates bats broke out this afternoon against the Milwaukee Brewers collecting 17 hits in the Pirates 9-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Eleven different Pirates players collected hits on the day including four multi-hit games. The offensive struggles were put behind the Pirates in this one as they feasted off of Brewers starter Zach Davies.

Juan Nicasio started the game for Pittsburgh coming off a bad start against the Detroit Tigers where he gave up four runs in only three innings of work. He bounced back nicely this afternoon pitching 6.0 innings giving up three runs on five hits while walking two and striking out six. He had one rough inning in the fourth where he gave up all three runs, but other than that he had a very successful afternoon.

The key for Nicasio was that he was able to hit the target set by Francisco Cervelli. In  that start against the Tigers, he was not able to hit his target and it cost him big time as he allowed six hits in the game and one of them being a big home run. When Nicasio has his control like he did today, he is a very strong starting pitcher in the Pirates rotation.

It helped that Nicasio was pitching with the lead for most of the day as the scoring started in the bottom of the second. A walk by Gregory Polanco and a double by Josh Harrison set the stage for a sacrifice fly by Jordy Mercer as the Pirates scored first and led 1-0. Having the early lead propelled Nicasio on the mound and allowed him to pitch with ease as he retired the first nine batters he faced.

In the bottom of the third the Pirates sent 11 batters to the plate and score five runs as they took control of the game. It started with the Pirates loading the bases after a walk by David Freese followed by singles from Matt Joyce and Francisco Cervelli. Then the Pirates had back-to-back RBI singles from Polanco and Josh Harrison, and a force attempt/fielding error that allowed two runs to score and gave the Pirates a 5-0 lead.

The Pirates would add another run on a Jon Jaso RBI single to make the score 6-0. In total, 11 batters came to the plate for the Pirates and collected six hits in the inning. It was good to see the Pirates put a bunch of hits together to score a lot of runs. It shows that this offense is very capable of exploding at any minute and they proved that once again this afternoon.

The Brewers started to fight back in the fourth inning. With two on and one out, first baseman Chris Carter hit an RBI single to score the first run of the game for the Brewers. A walk to Ramon Flores followed by a pop out by Aaron Hill gave the Brewers the bases loaded with  two out. The Brewers capped their scoring with a two-RBI single by Kirk Nieuwenhuis to make the score 6-3 Pirates.

Pittsburgh added another run in the bottom of the fifth as Andrew McCutchen hit his second home run in as many nights to give the Pirates a 7-3 lead. McCutchen hit six home runs in spring training but ran into a little bit of a power outage early in the season. However, the last two nights he has been able to hit the ball over the wall and produce the way we know he can.

Arquimedes Caminero came into the game next and had a bounce back outing of his own. Coming off a stretch in which he gave up four runs inn 1.2 innings pitched, Caminero came out today and threw 1.2 scoreless innings while walking two and striking out one. Caminero has been a solid pitcher for the Pirates, and when he is on he can be dominant on the mound. Neftali Feliz came in to get one out in the eighth and he struck out the only batter he faced.

The Pirates added two more insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth as Sean Rodriguez hit the longest home run of the year for the Pirates as it traveled 442 feet. The two-run shot scored Gregory Polanco and gave the Pirates a 9-3 lead. Rob Scahill finished out the game for Pittsburgh throwing 1.0 inning giving up one hit and striking out one.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have the day off tomorrow, but will return to action on Tuesday when they travel to San Diego to take on the Padres. The Padres will throw right hander Colin Rea (0-1 5.56) who is coming off of a good outing against the Philadelphia Phillies where he went 7.0 innings giving up one run on two hits. The Pirates will oppose with left-hander Francisco Liriano (1-0 2.45) who is returning after missing his last start with hamstring discomfort. First pitch from Petco Park is scheduled for 10:10 p.m.

Andrew McCutchen Highlights

Andrew McCutchen has been the face of the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise since his call-up in 2009. The four time Silver Slugger and five time All-Star looks to continue his success in a Pirates uniform in 2016 and looks to lead this team to the playoffs and beyond

In this graphic, I am looking to show the highlights of Andrew McCutchen's career and how he has become the leader of the Pittsburgh Pirates. I hope you guys enjoy it and let me know what you think.