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.

Locke Fabulous in Pirates 6-1 Win

Jeff Locke gave the Pirates 6.0 shut out innings in yesterday's 6-1 win over the Colorado Rockies. Locke was helped out by a late inning three run bomb from Matt Joyce that put the Pirates ahead for good.

Normally, Coors Field is a launching pad for baseballs as it is one of the best hitters parks in all of the major leagues. Well last night that was not the case as both starting pitchers dominated on the mound and forced the offenses to scrap for runs. In the end, a three-run home run by Matt Joyce put the game out of reach and gave the Pirates a 6-1 victory.

Things started out great for the Pirates as Jeff Locke turned in his best start of the season so far. The left-handed three 6.0 innings of shut out ball giving up only five hits while walking two and striking out eight. The key to Locke's success was his ability to use the inside and outside corners effectively.

It appeared in the beginning of the game that the strike zone was widened by the home plate umpire. However, Locke knew what he could get called a strike and he used that to his advantage collecting a season high eight strikeouts on the night. While he still couldn't go more than six inning his effectiveness all but made up for it.

The first run of the game wasn't scored until the fifth inning when the Pirates struck first. The inning started off with Josh Harrison being hit by a pitch, followed by a Jordy Mercer single and a sacrifice bunt by Locke to set the Pirates up with second and third and one out. Then John Jaso grounded out to the second baseman allowing the first run of the game to score and giving the Pirates a 1-0 lead.

The Rockies would get out of the inning on the next play as Matt Joyce grounded out to end the inning. It was the first instance that the Pirates were able to break through against Rockies starter Chad Bettis, who pitched very effectively on the day.

Bettis threw 6.2 innings giving up four runs on six hits while walking two and striking out three. The numbers don't look too good, but through the first five innings of this contest, he was pitching stride for stride with Locke and causing the Pirates offense a lot of trouble.

The Pirates were finally able to break through against Bettis in the seventh inning. The inning started out pretty routine for the Rockies as Gregory Polanco singled, Harrison flew out, and Mercer grounded out to set the Pirates up with a runner at third with two outs.

Then the flood gates opened for the Pirates offense.  A wild pitch scored Gregory Polanco giving the Pirates a 2-0 lead. Then Bettis walked two straight batters in Jason Rogers and Jaso giving the Pirates runners at first and second with two outs. Then the big hit happened, as Joyce launched an opposite field home run to give the Pirates a 5-0 lead. It was Joyce's second home run of the year and put the game out of reach for the Rockies.

The Rockies scored their only run of the game in the bottom of the seventh. Dj LiMaheui and Chrsthian Adams singled to start the inning. Then Gerrardo Parra hit into a fielders choice that brought in LeMaheui and cut the lead to 5-1. That was the only run The Rockies could score on the night.

Rob Scahill struggled only throwing 0.2 innings giving up that one run on two hits and had to be pulled with two outs. However, AJ Schugel came into replace him and pitched very well throwing 2.1 innings giving up two hits and striking out one. Since Schugel pitched more than two of the last innings of the game he picked up his first major league save in the contest. It was really special for him because the Colorado native got the chance to pitch in front of his friends and family.

Josh Harrison singled in the last run of the game as he drove in Gregory Polanco and gave the Pirates a 6-1 lead. It was refreshing to see a great outing by a starting pitcher for the Pirates. They hadn't had a good starting pitching outing since Cole's start in the third game of the San Diego series so it was nice to get good pitching combined with a lot of offensive production.

The Pirates are back in action tonight as they play game two of the four game series tonight at 8:40 p.m. The pitching matchup will be Jorge De La Rosa (1-2 9.87) for the Rockies taking on Gerrit Cole (1-2 2.70) for the Pirates.

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.