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.

Pirates Cruise Past Reds in Victory

The Pittsburgh Pirates were lead by home runs from both Josh Harrison and Matt Joyce in their 4-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds yesterday. Juan Nicasio threw 7.0 strong innings only giving up three hits in the victory.

After losing two of three to the Cincinnati Reds in a three game series in Cincinnati, the Pittsburgh Pirates bounced back in the series opener in Pittsburgh against the Reds last night winning by a score of 4-1. They were lead by the strength of two home runs and great starting pitching in the victory.

Juan Nicasio struggled last time out and was able to bounce back last night against the Reds turning in his best start of the season. He threw 7.0 innings giving up no runs on three hits while walking one and striking out eight. He is only the second Pirates starter this season to pitch into the seventh inning of a game.

Nicasio had been wild and inefficient in his last few starts and that lead to him giving up a lot of runs. In his last start in Arizona, he was only able to pitch 5.0 innings in a loss. He only gave up two runs in the contest but it wasn't enough for the Pirates to pull out the victory.

Nicasio only walked one on The evening and was very efficient, allowing the Pirates offense to score him enough runs to win the game. He threw 95 pitches in 7.0 innings of work. If he can do that start in and start out the Pirates will have a great number five starter.

Both starting pitchers sent back and forth in the first two innings of work before the Pirates were able to break through in inning number three. Jordy Mercer started the inning with a single and John Jaso walked to give the Pirates first and second with two outs. Then David Freese came through with a two-out RBI single to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead.

The Pirates would respond again in the bottom of the fourth when Josh Harrison hit his first home run of the year, a solo home run, to increase the Pirates lead to 2-0. Harrison has had a good offensive season to this point hitting .333 in his first full season as the team's starting second baseman.

Reds starter Dan Straitly pitched very well in the loss but, like Nicasio's last start, was very inefficient. He went 5.0 innings giving up two runs on five hits while walking three and striking out five. The Pirates have been known to make starting pitchers work extra this season and it proved effective again last night.

The Pirates added two insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh. After two quick outs, Mercer singled and set the Pirates up with two outs. Then Matt Joyce hit a two-out pinch hit home run to put the Pirates up 4-0. It was Joyce's second pinch hit home run of the season and he has been thriving in a pinch hitting role.

The Reds scored their only run of the game in the top of the ninth against Arquimedis Caminero. After a single by Joey Votto and two quick outs it looked like the game was over. Then Tucker Barnhart doubled in the Reds only run of the game making the score 4-1.

Mark Melancon came in to get the final out of the game getting Scott Schelber to fly out to right field to end the game. Melancon picked up his sixth save of the season in the victory and showed how he can come in and shut down a dangerous situation.

The Pirates and Reds play game two of this three game series tonight at PNC Park. The Reds will send Alfredo Simon (0-2 16.39) to the mound and the Pirates will oppose with Francisco Liriano (1-1 4.64). First pitch for today's game will be at 7:05

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.

Bucco Bomber Pittsburgh Pirates Players of the Week: Week 1 Francisco Cervelli and Juan Nicasio

Francisco Cervelli and Juan Nicasio are your Bucco Bomber Pittsburgh Pirates Players of the week. Cervelli leads the team in RBI and Average, and Juan Nicasio had an impressive Pirates debut against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Pittsburgh Pirates Week In Review: Hot Start Puts Pirates on Right Track

The Pittsburgh Pirates started the first week of the Major League Baseball season on the right foot with a record of 4-2 against the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds.

After one week of play, the Pittsburgh Pirates are off to a good start to the 2016 season. They currently sit at 4-2 on the year which is good for third place in the National League Central behind two 5-1 teams in the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago Cubs. Even though this team has a decline in power from last season, they are still finding ways to score runs when they need to.

In the first series of the year, the Pirates swept the St. Louis Cardinals in a three-game set at PNC Park. They managed to outscore the Cardinals by a combined score of 15-7, and they were able to do it against three quality starting pitchers in Adam Wainwright, Michael Wacha, and Mike Leake. The offense was tested early and showed that they can compete with one of the best teams in all of major league baseball.

Then the Pirates hit a bump in the road losing two out of three games against the Reds at Great American Ball Park. Throughout the course of the series, the Pirates had many opportunities to win every ball game. They took advantage of that opportunity in the first game when Starling Marte hit a grand slam that ultimately gave the Pirates a 6-5 victory. However, they did not take advantage of opportunities in games two and three including leaving 14 runners on base in today's contest.

This offense has shown that it has the ability to score a lot of runs against any team. Manager Clint Hurdle's tweaks to the lineup have proven to pay-off early on. Jon Jaso has done a nice job working out of the lead-off spot, and moving Gregory Polanco to the middle of the order has allowed him more opportunities to drive in runs. This new lineup has been successful early on and looks to continue for the rest of the season.

Another strong suit for the Pirates in this first week was the bullpen. The group combined to throw a total of 21.2 innings and have only given up six runs. They have done a nice job of coming into the game and shutting the other team down when they need to. Their best showing was the second game of the year against the Cardinals when they threw 5.0 scoreless innings and held a very potent Cardinals offense to a total of three hits and allowing the Pirates to score the game winning run in the eleventh.

The best of the bullpen, however, has come from the back-end of the bullpen. Neftali Feliz, Tony Watson, and Mark Melancon have done some very good work out of the bullpen. Melancon is the only one of the trio who has given up a run, but that was on opening day. When these three pitchers are on, the game shortens and forces you to beat the Pirates before the seventh inning.

The starting rotation has both some ups and downs in the first week of the season. Juan Nicasio, Jeff Locke, and Francisco Liriano each had great starts this week in their first victories of the season. Nicasio impressed in his Pirates debut throwing 6.0 innings giving up one run on two hits while striking out seven. Nicasio had a great spring training for the Pirates and carried that over to the regular season.

Locke pitched very well against the Reds in today's game going 6.0 innings allowing one run on seven hits while walking two and striking out one. Liriano struck out ten on opening day and allowed no runs over 6.0 innings of work. However, the rotation also had some bumps this week as Jon Niese and Gerrit Cole each struggled in their season debuts.

Cole only went 4.2 innings in his start against the Reds, and Niese went 5.0 innings while giving up five runs, four earned,in his start against the Cardinals. Both of these guys will be fine moving forward and I am looking for big things from this starting rotation. If they can keep the Pirates in ball games through the first five innings, this bullpen will take over and shut down any offense in the league.

Overall, the Pirates showed flashes of being a great team in this first week of the season. The offense showed that it is capable of scoring runs, and the pitching has shown that it can shut down any offense. It is just a matter of bringing things all together and letting this team mesh as one. Once they do that, this team will be a force to be reckoned with across the MLB.

Play of the Week: Starling Marte Grand Slam Against the Reds

This was not a hard choice as the biggest play of the week for the Pirates had to be the grand slam hit in Friday night's game against the Reds that gave the Pirates a 6-5 win. The Pirates and Reds had been going back and forth all evening and the Reds pulled ahead with a 5-2 lead. The Pirates had loaded the bases the inning before and loaded them again in the eighth. Then Starling Marte hit a 1-0 pitch out to left field to put the Pirates ahead for good and giving them a 6-5 win. It was the first home run of the year for the Pirates and it could not have come at a better time.

Hitter of the Week: Francisco Cervelli (.389 average 4 RBI, 4 Walks, 1 Triple)

The offensive leader for the Pirates this week was Francisco Cervelli. The Pirates starting catcher capped off a first week of the season with a .389 average, four RBI, four walks, and a triple on the week. He leads the team in both average and RBI to start the season and has done a nice job behind the dish as well. He provided a key RBI double in the final game of the series with the Cardinals driving in David Freese and Starling Marte to pull the Pirates away from the Cardinals and ultimately earn them the victory. Cervelli has a break out year for the Pirates last season, and so far in 2016 he has continued his success from last season.

Pitcher of the Week: Juan Nicasio (1-0 1.50 ERA, 7 Strikeouts 0 Walks)

Juan Nicasio had a great Pirates debut in the third game of the season against the St. Louis Cardinals where he threw 6.0 innings giving up one run on two hits and striking out seven batters. Nicasio had a great spring training for the Pirates striking out 24 batters in 15.0 innings pitched. Nicasio's control was much better in his first start of the year then it had been in the past. He looks to continue that this season and bounce back as a member of the Pirates rotation. He is currently tied with Jeff Locke for the team lead in ERA and looks to continue to lead this team throughout the 2016 season.

Up Next:

The Pirates return to action tomorrow afternoon when they travel to Comerica Park to take on the Detroit Tigers. For the Tigers, it will be Justin Verlander (0-0 4.50) on the mound. The Pirates will oppose with left-hander Jon Niese (0-0 7.20) who is looking to bounce back after a rough start his last time out. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m.

Cirvelli Breaks Things Open as Pirates Sweep Cardinals

Francisco Cirvelli hit a big two-run double that put the Pirates ahead for good in their 5-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Juan Nicasio built off his great spring training throwing 6.0 innings of one run baseball in his Pittsburgh Pirates debut.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are starting the season 3-0 for the first time since 2007 as they swept the St. Louis Cardinals today defeating them by a score of 5-1. The offense continued its hot streak to start the season scoring five runs on the night. That was backed by a great start by Juan Nicasio and all-in all it lead to another Pirates victory.

Nicasio continued what was a stellar spring training into the regular season as he made his Pirates debut tonight throwing 6.0 innings giving up one run on two hits while striking out seven batters. Nicasio used the corners effectively throughout tonight's start and was able to strike out batters at a high rate.

Nicasio has never been known as a strikeout pitcher throughout his career. His career high in strikeouts sits at 119 in 157.2 innings pitched. This season, however, he has already started the year striking out seven batters in 6.0 innings of work. Nicasio has some good stuff on the mound and it showed in tonight's start.

Nicasio only allowed two base runners on the night on hits by Yadier Molina and Kolton Wang. He was able to keep his pitches on the corners and not throw anything in the hitting zone for the Cardinals to capitalize on. He struggled pitching in the very hitter friendly Coors Field, but the move to PNC Park will be beneficial for the right hander.

The Pirates wasted no time getting on Mike Leake. They started the game by loading the bases with two hits after singles by Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte and a walk by Francisco Cirvelli. That brought up Gregory Polanco who drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch to bring in the first run of the ball game and give the Pirates a 1-0 lead.

Leake and Nicasio were both very good the next couple of innings. Leake walked a couple of Pirates batters, but Pittsburgh couldnt bring these runs home. Meanwhile, Nicasio continued his great work retiring the side in order twice between innings number two and four. Nicasio finished up his six innings of work with only a solo home run by Jeremy Hazlebaker to tarnish his day.

The Pirates got back to work in inning number five. It started with Jon Jaso hitting one off of the top of the right field wall for a triple. A throwing error by Wang allowed Jaso to score and gave the Pirates a 2-0 lead. The biggest hit for the Pirates followed as after singles by David Freese and Starling Marte, Francisco Cirvelli stepped up and hit a two-run RBI double to put the Pirates ahead 4-0.

The Pirates would add another run in the sixth inning as Sean Rodriguez hit an RBI double in his first at-bat of the year scoring Jordy Mercer and giving the Pirates a 5-0 lead. The Pirates scored a total of 15 runs in the three games and are a far cry from where they were a year ago when they got swept in the opening series and started the year out 0-3.

The bullpen took over in inning number seven as Arquimedes Caminero came on for his second appearance in 2016. He did rather well pitching 1.2 innings giving up one hit while walking one and striking out two. Caminero got into a little trouble in the bottom of the eighth, so Tony Watson was called upon to get the final out of the eighth by getting Matt Carpenter to ground out to second base to end the inning.

In the ninth, Cory Luebke made his first appearance in a major league game since the 2012 season and all things considered pitched pretty well. He threw 0.2 inning giving up one hit and a walk while striking out one batter. Luebke made the Pirates roster as the final lefty and is looking to prove himself to the Pirates after dealing with elbow trouble and a staff infection that kept him out of major league baseball for the last couple of seasons.

As the game turned to a save situation, the Pirates called on the man who lead major league baseball in saves last season Mark Melancon. Melancon only had to get one out and did so successfully by getting Kolton Wang to ground out to David Freese to end the game. Melancon picked up his first save of the 2016 season in the victory.

After an off day tomorrow, the Pirates return to action on Friday as they travel to Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati to take on the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds will be pitching right hander Alfredo Simon who will be making his season debut. The Pirates will counter with Francisco Liriano (1-0 0.00). Liriano is coming off an Opening Day start against the Cardinals in which he struck out 10 batters in 6.0 innings of work. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.

Pittsburgh Pirates Roster Starts to Take Shape as Opening Day Approaches

As Opening Day draws near, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been setting up their roster and appear to be ready for the start of the 2016 season. The starting rotation and bullpen have been finalized and one more man was added to the bench.

With Opening Day on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been making roster cuts all week. There were questions surrounding the starting rotation, the bullpen, and the bench. As players start to leave camp, the answers to these questions have become more clear.

The starting rotation is officially set as Jeff Locke and Juan Nicasio were named the fourth and fifth starters for the Pirates. Now the Pirates rotation in 2016 looks like this, Francisco Liriano, Here if Cole, Jon Niese, Jeff Locke, and Juan Nicasio.

Nicasio has had a great spring training with the Pirates and was rewarded for his efforts by making the rotation. In 15.0 innings pitched this spring, Nicasio gave up no runs and struck out 24 batters. He spent most of last season coming out of the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen and will get a chance to break back into the starting rotation with the Pirates this season.

For Nicasio, it will be a chance for him to revitalize his career. As it stands now he is slated to start the third game of the season for the Pirates when they take on the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday April 6. This will be the first big test for Nicasio to see if he can bring his spring training numbers into the regular season.

Locke won the other spot in the rotation after an up and down spring. In total he threw 19.0 innings while giving up 14 runs and striking out 11 batters. Locke struggled last season with Pittsburgh and is looking to have a rebound year with the Pirates in 2016.

We will see Locke pitch for the first time during the second series of the year against the Cincinnati Reds. Locke's biggest problem throughout his career has been his inconsistency. It has plagued him again during spring training as his current ERA sits at 6.63. When he gives up a lot of hits it spells a bad day for the Pirates. However, when he limits the number of hits he gives up, he becomes a much more effective pitcher.

With the rotation finally rounded out, The Pirates can look forward to their different match-ups in the beginning part of the season. After the starters though, the bullpen has to be able to come in  and hold a lead for Pittsburgh. Their were two remaining spots for the bullpen and three pitchers contending for them. In the end it was Kyle Lobstein and Cory Luebke who got the call to the bullpen.

Lobstein had a great spring training with Pittsburgh throwing a total of 13.0 innings giving up four runs and striking out eight batters. Lobstein was acquired this off-season from the Detroit Tigers where he threw in the bullpen and went 3-8 with a 5.94 ERA. Lobstein will be one of three Pirates left handers in the bullpen this season.

Cory Luebke will join the trio as the third lefty of the bunch. Luebke has struggled a little bit as of late. In total Luebke threw 7.2 innings giving up five earned runs and striking out five batters. Luebke last pitched in the majors with the San Diego Padres back in the 2012 season. He is looking to revitalize his career with Pittsburgh and get back on track to the major leagues.

The Pirates also made some finalization to their bench and reserve players. Last season, their was no true fourth outfielder on the Pirates roster. They had a constant merry-go-round between Sean Rodriguez, Josh Harrison, and even Pedro Florimon. However, that has changed in 2016 as the Pirates look to sure up their outfield depth.

Veteran Matt Joyce has made the club as announced by manager Clint Hurdle a couple of days ago. Joyce came over on a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. Joyce had a really good spring for Pittsburgh hitting .256 with four home runs and nine RBI. Joyce is a veteran presence on the bench that can help give a day off to guys like Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco.

Joyce spent time last season with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and struggled. He hit .174 with five home runs and 21 RBI. He is looking to bounce back with the Pirates in 2016. It will be a good thing for the Pirates to have a true outfielder to back-up in the outfield. Defense will be much greater with a true outfielder rather than a guy who can play multiple positions.

There are only a few questions remained to be answered for the 2016 Pittsburgh Pirates. There is one spot remaining on the bench and two men fighting for it. Cole Figueroa and Pedro Florimon are fighting for the 25th man on the roster. Both are valuable options who can provide speed and are able to back-up multiple different positions.

With Opening Day only three days away, it is an exciting time of year as baseball is just around the corner. After a 98 win season last year, the Pirates are looking to take that next step and win the National League Central Division. They have a chance to prove themselves this year and will look to prove themselves in 2016. With leaders like Andrew McCutchen and Francisco Cirvelli on this team, things are looking up for the Pirates in 2016.

Nicasio Remains Hot in Pirates Win Over the Minnesota Twins

Juan Nicasio continued his hot spring training as the Pirates defeated the Minnesota Twins on the road today by a score of 2-0.

The Pittsburgh Pirates were in split squad action this afternoon, and half the team traveled to Century Link Sports Complex to take on the Minnesota Twins. The Pirates were able to defeat the Twins by a final Score of 2-0. Pitching was very good today only giving up sic hits on the afternoon in 9.0 innings of work.

Juan Nicasio started the game for the Pirates and continued what has been an outstanding spring for the Pirates. He threw 5.0 innings giving up five hits while walking two and striking out eight, Nicasio has really solidified his spot as the fifith starter in the Pirates rotation. Out of the three candidates, Nicasio has had the best spring and has had the most experience.

In his last two innings he has thrown 10 innings and struck out 18 batters. Not particularly known as a strikeout pitcher, Nicasio has really turned it on this spring and has impressed me as the spring progresses. As it stands right now, he is having the best spring out of any pitcher on the roster throwing 15.0 innings while striking  out 24 batters and having yet to give up a run. Nicasio pitched in the bullpen last season and is looking to return to the starting rotation for Pittsburgh here in 2016.

Nicasio has been a bright spot for the Pirates this spring and looks to continue this success into the regular season. Nicasio's best major league season came with the Colorado Rockies in 2013 when he went 9-9 with a 5.14 ERA while striking out 119 and walking 64. He is looking to better those numbers in 2016 for Pittsburgh. If Nicasio can be a reliable option at the back end of the rotation, Pittsburgh could posses one of the best rotations in baseball.

Up next was Neftali Feliz, who will be in the back part of the Pirates bullpen in 2016. Feliz performed well today throwing 2.0 innings giving up no runs on one hit while striking out one. Feliz has also had a good spring pitching to a 1.50 ERA in six inning of work. The former Texas Rangers closer is looking to succeed in a late inning role for the Pirates in 2016.

The Pirates have essentially three closers in the back of their bullpen with Mark Melancon, Tony Watson, and Feliz. If the game gets into the late innings and the Pirates have the lead, there is a good chance that they are going to come out victorious. This will be a key to the Pirates success in 2016. If starters can keep them in the game and the Pirates can score enough runs, this could be a big year for the Pirates.

Veteran Jim Fuller came in to finish the game for the Pirates and threw 2.0 perfect innings while striking out two batters. Fuller collected his first save of the season in the contest and and is also pitching well with a 1.23 ERA this spring. Fuller will be a reliable reinforcement for the Pirates bullpen in 2016.

Fuller spent last season with Triple A Nashville in the Oakland Athletics organization and went 2-1 with a 2.78 ERA. Fuller has been in professional baseball for seven years and has yet to make it to the big league level. This could be the year as he will be pitching in Triple A Indianapolis. If any of the bullpen pitchers get injured, we could see Fuller up at some point during the regular season.

Pitching was very good in this game. They gave up only six hits in 9.0 innings of work and in total struck out 11 batters. Nicasio continued his hot spring and still has not given up a run. Feliz also continued his successful spring and is looking to be a key contributor to the Pirates bullpen during the 2016 season.

The offense did not do much for the Pirates in this one, but did just enough to win the game. Sometimes, that is what is going to happen for the Pirates this year. With a lack of power, the clutch RBI hit will be essential to the Pirates success. Today, they got good pitching and did just enough to win the game.

Chris Stewart lead the offensive charge today, going 1 for 2 with one run scored on the afternoon. The Pirates back-up catcher last season established his role as Gerrit Cole's personal catcher. Together they won 14 games last season and will continue the duo this season. Stewart is a great back up for the Pirates to have as he provides great defense and a bat that can come through in the clutch when the Pirates need him to.

David Freese and Starling Marte each went 1 for 2 on the day with singles in the game. Marte has been putting together a very good spring hitting .429 with one home run on the spring. Freese, who just joined the Pirates, has been in a little slump early on hitting .182 in the early going. Both players will be an essential part to this Pirates team and will help lead them to success in 2016.

Minor league outfielder Elvis Escobar got his first spring training action and went 1 for 1 with one run scored on the afternoon. Escobar spent last season on the West Virginia Black Bears and hit .296 with five home runs and 64 RBI. It will be a long time before we see him in a Pirates uniform, but he is a promising young outfielder for the Pirates to look forward to.

Up next the Pirates come back together as a full squad at McKechnie Field as they take on the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles will be sending righty Miguel Gonzalez (1-3 14.90) to the mound. The Pirates will counter with lefty Jeff Locke (0-3 7.07) as he continues his fight for the fifth starter spot. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.

Nicasio Fantastic in Pirates 9-3 Loss To The Orioles

Juan Nicasio had a fantastic start for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but it wasn't enough as the bullpen faltered in the Pirates 9-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium.

It was a fantastic day for Pittsburgh Pirates starter Juan Nicasio, but for everyone else the day did not go as well as the Pittsburgh Pirates lost to the Baltimore Orioles by the final score of 9-3. The bullpen struggled mightily and the offense was held to just three runs on six hits. But the loss does not take away from the fabulous start by Nicasio.

Nicasio pitched 4.0 innings today giving up only one hit and striking out 10 batters. As I stated in my article yesterday, one thing Nicasio has to work on is the amount of hits he has given up. Well today he did just that giving up only one in his four innings of work. Another impressive number is the 10 strikeouts on the day. Nicasio is not known as a guy who will strikeout a lot of batters, but it is nice to see the performance from him today.

Nicasio has yet to give up a run this spring training and, after today's start, has made a strong statement to be the teams fifth starter. The Pirates have not had a solid back-end of the rotation option for the last couple years. If Nicasio can prove consistent on the mound and not give up a lot of runs, he could be a force to be reckoned with at the back of the Pirates rotation.

After Nicasio however, things started going down hill fast on the mound for the Pirates. Next in the game was Jared Hughes who went 1.0 inning giving up three runs on three hits while striking out a batter. The big blow for Hughes was giving up the two-out three-run home run to Johnathan Schoop in the fifth inning. Hughes has had a tendency to give up the long ball this spring training, and that is something he will need to work on as the regular season approaches.

Arquimedes Caminero followed him and struggled just as much pitching 1.1 innings giving up four runs on five hits while walking a batter and striking out two. Caminero was also plagued by the home run ball as  Christian Walker hit a three-run home run off of him in inning number seven. Caminero has been known for his inconsistency throughout his time with the Pirates and that is starting to show again here in spring training with a number of good outings surrounded by quite a few bad ones as well.

Both Caminero and Hughes are going to be in the middle of the Pirates bullpen during the season and both have had their struggles over the course of spring training. The long ball has been detrimental to both of these pitchers as Hughes has given up three during the course of spring training while Caminero has given up two. The more home runs you give up the worse off you are, so Hughes and Caminero need to work on those numbers as the season approaches.

Jim Fuller had to come in to relieve Caminero in the seventh and pitched 0.2 innings giving up one run on two hits. The veteran Fuller was trying to clean up after the Caminero home run, but the hits he gave up lead to another run for the Orioles. 

Curtis Partch finished out the day for the Pirates on the mound throwing 1.0 inning giving up one run on one hit while striking out two. The home run ball hurt Partch as well, as Joey Rikard hit a solo shot off of him in inning number eight. However, besides that pitch Partch has a pretty good day with the two strikeouts. 

The bullpen pitchers struggled mightily today and is what ultimately cost the Pirates the game. Nicasio had a fantastic start and really solidified himself as a contender on this pitching staff. Last year with the Los Angeles Dodgers he was 1-3 with a 3.86 ERA out of the bullpen. He is looking to make a return to the starting rotation, and is making a strong claim for that fifth spot as spring roles on for the Pirates.

The offense struggled today as well.  After starter Kevin Gausman left the game they were held to just two hits in the final five innings. They hit the ball well early on off of Gausman, but just could not figure out the Orioles bullpen. There will be a lot of games this year where the Pirates only score three runs or less do to a lack of power, but when your pitching staff is giving up nine runs, it is hard to win many ball games.

Andrew McCutchen was one of the offensive stars today as he went 2 for 3 with two RBI and a run scored on the afternoon. McCutchen hit a long two-run home run off of Gausman in the fourth inning that gave the Pirates the early lead. However, that lead would not hold as the bullpen faltered. It was McCutchen's second home run of the spring as he gears up for the regular season.

McCutchen has not hit under .290 since the 2012 season and shows no signs of slowing down this year. The face of the Pirates franchise, McCutchen has been a proven performer throughout his time with the Pirates and will be called upon to lead again this year. With the loss of power this season, McCutchen will be the guy looked upon to hit 20 or more home runs and produce a lot of RBI's. The team will go as McCutchen goes this season and from the looks of it, McCutchen is ready to go.

Francisco Cirvelli also had a good day at the plate going 1 for 2 with a run scored on the afternoon. Cirvelli is currently hitting .235 (4 for 17) this spring in seven games played. He had a breakout season with the Pirates last year and looks to continue his success behind the plate again this season. The key for Cirvelli will be to stay injury free like he did last season. Cirvelli brings a lot of fire to the Pirates lineup and can get this team going when in a slump.

The loss today brings the Pirates spring training record to 5-9 so far. Even though they lost, there were a lot of positives to take away from today's game. First of all, Nicasio proved that he can compete at the major league level and pitched very well today. Secondly McCutchen, who is currently hitting .263 on the spring, is heating up as April approaches. Hughes and Caminero will both come around and be key contributors to this Pirates team.

The Pirates are back in action tomorrow as they come back home to McKechnie Field to take on the New York Yankees at 1:05 p.m. The Pirates battle for the fifth starter spot continues as Jeff Locke takes the hill trying to follow up Nicasio's fantastic start this afternoon. The Yankees have not yet announced their starter for tomorrow's contest. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. and the game can be seen on ROOT Sports and heard on 93.7 The Fan.

Battle for the Fifth Starter Spot Heating Up for Pirates

Kyle Lobstein, Juan Nicasio, and Jeff Locke are all battling it out for a chance to be the fifth starter in the Pittsburgh Pirates rotation. Each has shown signs of success and it has made for a heated battle so far in spring training.

For the Pittsburgh Pirates, four fifths of the 2016 starting rotation have been set. Francisco Liriano will start things off on Opening Day followed by Gerrit Cole, John Niese, and Ryan Vogelsong. The one question that remains is who will round out the starting five for the Pirates. As Spring Training has moved forward, there are three candidates who are currently the front runners for the position.

Kyle Lobstein, Juan Nicasio, and Jeff Locke have been battling it out to earn the right to be the fifth starter in the rotation. Each has shown signs that they can handle the role, making for a heated battle. Last season, Locke was the fifth starter and struggled mightily going 9-11 with a 4.59 ERA. The Pirates will be looking for a more dependable option going into 2016.

The key to being a fifth starter is keeping your team in the ball game and throwing as many innings as you can. The Pirates have one of the best bullpens in Major League Baseball, but it means nothing if they are forced to work more than they have to during the course of the regular season. The fifth starter needs to be someone who can throw a lot of innings and keep the Pirates in the ball game when they are on the mound.

As stated before, Locke was the fifth starter for the Bucs last season and struggled mightily. So far in his first three spring training starts, the numbers have not been too kind to him either. He has a record of 0-1 and is pitching to a 6.00 ERA giving up six earned runs in 9.0 innings pitched. He has also struck out six batters and walked two over the course of those 9.0 innings.

The positive that sticks out for Locke is the strikeout to walk ratio. He is currently sitting at six strikeouts to only two walks giving him a 3.00 Strikeout per walk ratio. This is a pretty good number for Locke considering last season that ratio was down to 2.16. It will be key for Locke to be able to keep his strikeout numbers up while keeping his walk numbers low.

The thing I dont like from Locke is the number of hits he has given up so far. In those 9.0 innings of work, he has given up eight hits. For a starting pitcher, you have to limit the number of hits you give up so that your pitch count doesnt get too high. Pitch count is everything now a days and if you are giving up a bunch of hits, it doesnt allow you to be able to go deep into ball games, which is something the Pirates need from their fifth starter this year.

Last time out, Locke had a pretty strong showing against the Detroit Tigers throwing 4.0 innings giving up only two runs on two hits while striking out five and walking one. It was nice too see Locke only giving up those two hits in four innings of work and seeing the five strikeouts. Locke has been known for his inconsistency in the past, so we will see if those demons come back to bite him as spring training starts to wrap up.

Nicasio, who came over in free agency from the Los Angeles Dodgers, has been very impressive so far in spring training. He has appeared in three games and he has no record throwing 6.0 innings and giving up no runs while striking out six and walking three batters. He has yet to give up his first earned run in Spring Training which is a good sign moving forward.

It is nice to see the strikeout numbers being at one per inning for Nicasio. Not really known as a strikeout pitcher over the course of his career, only striking out 100 or more batters once, Nicasio has been getting a lot of swings and misses early on in spring training. His six strikeouts to three walks ratio sits exactly where Locke's sits at the nice 3.00.

Again a problem with Nicasio is the number of hits he has given up. He has given up four hits in his 6.0 innings of work. While not as bad as Locke, that number needs to greatly improve. Pitchers will start to fatigue if they give up too many hits and that is something the Pirates fifth starter cannot do. If Nicasio can limit his hits to about 6.0/2 ratio rather than a 6.0/4 ratio he could be set for a successful 2016 campaign.

Nicasio's last start was a strong one as well against the Tampa Bay Rays when he threw 3.0 innings giving up no runs while walking one and striking out three. Again he gave up the three hits in the three innings of work, but overall it was a good performance. Nicasio has the most experience out of the three hopefuls and that could play a factor in the selection process.

Lobstein rounds out the group of hopefuls, and like Nicasio, has yet to give up a run during the 2016 spring training. He has pitched to a 1-0 record with a 0.00 ERA while striking out four while walking three. Lobstein is the youngest of the group of hopefuls and hopes that his inexperience doesnt get in the way of his chance to be the fifth starter.

Lobstein has shown the ability to work out of trouble early on in spring training. He has been faced with many situations with runners on base in close ball games and has been able to get out of them uscaved. While you do not want to be in these situations as a starter, it is a plus to be able to get out of them. He has allowed six people to reach base so far this spring in 4.0 innings of work and has been able to strand all of them. This will be key if things start to look bad for Lobstein in a game.

One thing I do not like about Lobstein is the number of batters he has walked. In his 4.0 innings of work this spring, he has walked 3 batters. When your walks start to get up to the number of innings you throw that is not very good. Lobstein has some control issues he needs to work out, but if he can contain those issues he could be a big pick up for the Pirates in 2016.

Lobstein's last time out was yesterday against the Boston Red Sox when he came in relief of starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong. In that game he threw 1.0 inning giving up two hits while walking one and striking out two. His only start of the spring thus far has been in the first spring training game against the Detroit Tigers when he went 2.0 innings giving up no runs, striking out one and walking two. 

Out of the three candidates for that fifth starter job, I feel Nicasio should be the guy this season. He has the most experience out of the three and is having the best spring training to this point. Nicasio has impressed me with his strikeout ability and the ability to keep his walks down. While he still needs to work on the amount of hits he gives up, that can work itself out as the season progresses.

I feel that both Lobstein and Locke will still make the Pirates roster and will both be available out of the bullpen in a long relief role. It is always good to have a multitude of lefties in the bullpen and with both Lobstein and Locke being lefties, it offers the Pirates many options out of their bullpen to face the tough left handed batters.

The battle for this fifth spot will rage on tomorrow as Nicasio takes the mound for the Pirates as they take on Kevin Gausman and the Baltimore Orioles in a game that has first pitch scheduled for 1:05 p.m.

Pirates drop Offensive Battle to Astros 11-8

The Pittsburgh Pirates got great starting pitching from Juan Nocasio, but the bullpen faltered as Pirates fall 11-8 to the Houston Astros.

The Pittsburgh Pirates offense shined today, but the relief pitching was not enough as they fell to the Houston Astros 11-8 at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, Florida.

Jain Nicasio started For the Pirates and built off of his last game on Tuesday. He threw 2.0 innings only giving up 1 hit while striking out 2. Nicasio threw one perfect inning last time out and had success again today.

He was followed up by Kyle Lobstein, who threw a scoreless inning of relief striking out 1. Lobstein was strong last time out as well as he threw 2 innings giving up no runs on his start against the Tigers back on March 1.

Both Lobstein and Nicasio are in the three man race for The fifth spot in the Pirates rotation. Both pitchers are making a strong case for that fifth spot early on in spring training.

Next in was Arquimedes Caminero who struggled going one inning giving up 3 runs while walking one and striking out 1. The big blow to Caminero came on a 2 run home run by Matt Duffy.

Duffy had a big day for the Astros homering twice for the Astros and driving in 4 runs. He added a solo home run off Guido Knudson in the ninth and was instrumental to the Astros victory

Caminero Did well in his first game as he threw a 1-2-3 inning striking out 2. Last season consistency was a problem for Caminero and he has to work on that in 201y. Caminero has the potential to be a great back end of the bullpen pitcher and with some consistency he can reach that goal.

Jared Hughes was up next and he struggled as well going 0.2 innings giving up 3 runs while walking one and striking out one. Hughes is also vying for a spot in the middle of the Pirates bullpen and was successful last season. Daniel Bard came into finish the inning getting out the only batter he faced.

Another middle reliever John Holdzkum followed and threw a scoreless inning while striking out 2 and walking 1. Holdzkum has been plagued by injury the Last couple of seasons and built off of his last outing today. Holdzkum looks to return to the major league club this season and help contribute in the middle of the bullpen.

Wilfredo Boscan came in next and threw a perfect inning of relief With no walks or strike outs. Boscan will be used mostly as bullpen depth in 2016 and looks to mature in triple A at the beginning of the season.

A pair of non-rostsd invitees struggled to end the game as Kelvin Marte threw 0.2 innings giving up 4 runs walking a batter and giving up 2 home runs. Guido Knudson came in after and threw 1.1 innings giving up one run and striking out 2.

The thing the pitching staff struggled with most today was giving up the long ball. The Astros hit a total of four home runs on the day including two from Duffy. That is something the Pirates will need to limit in 2016 if they want to succeed.

The bats came out again on the offensive side and scored 8 runs on the day giving them 18 runs scored in the Last two games. Today we saw many players taking reps at different positions on the field and it worked out for them.

Michael Morse played right field today and went 2 For 3 With an RBI. Morse will be the righty platoon at first base along with John Jaso. However, if Morse can show that he can play the outfield as well, it will go a long way to making him more and more of an asset to this Pirates team.

The other half of the platoon John Jaso also had a good day going 1 For 2 With an RBI. The duo will be looking to replace the power that Pedro Alvarez brought to the position. However, the defense that they bring will help the Pirates in 2016.

The young stars also shined for the Pirates today. They have been hitting the ball well and coming up in the clutch late in baseball games helping the Pirates stay in games that their pitchers give up a lot of runs in.

Pedro Florimon continued his success from yesterday going 1 For a Today driving in 2 runs. Florimon has gone 4 For 5 in his last two games while driving in 5 runs. Florimon showed his versatility today as he played centerfield taking over for Andrew McCutchen.

Florimon is a big candidate for that fifth spot on the bench. Florimon can provide defensive versatility and can pinch run late in games. Speed will be a key aspect for for this year's Pirates and that is something that Florimon can provide.

Non-roster invitee Juan Diaz also had a big day going 2 For 2 driving in one run. Max Moroff started the game and went 2 For 2. One of the Pirates top infield prospects, Moroff will be a good player for the Pirates in the future.

Up next for the Pirates they will stay at home to battle The Philledelphia Phillies tomorrow afternoon. For the Pirates, Jeff Locke will return to the hill after his disasterous start last time out where he gave up four runs in two innings of work. The Phillies will send Vincent Velasquez to the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.