Pittsburgh Pirates Week in Review: Rough Stretch Drops Pirates But Offense Still Strong

The Pittsburgh Pirates went through a tough week of baseball finishing with a record of 3-4. The pitching struggled, especially early in the week, and it caused for some blow out games. However, the offense was still strong and was able to score runs throughout the week.

The Pittsburgh Pirates hit a little bit of a rough patch this week going 3-4 against the Detroit Tigers and the Milwaukee Brewers respectively. Pitching was a problem for the Pirates in Detroit and it effected the Pirates greatly on the road. However, when the Pirates returned to PNC Park, the pitching improved greatly and helped the Pirates in a big way in the last two games against the Brewers.

One thing has remained consistent through this rough stretch, however, as the offense has continued its tear that it has been on to start the season. Some players got on a roll like Andrew McCutchen and Matt Joyce and others continued the success they had in the first week like Francisco Cervelli. All-in-all this Pirates offense is one of the best in the league and continues to score runs on a consistent basis.

The first series of the week was a home-and-home series with the Detroit Tigers. After the offense struggled to score runs against the Cincinnati Reds, the bats broke out for seven runs and 17 hits to defeat the Tigers in game one. However, things went down hill from their as the Pirates dropped the last three games to the Tigers by scores of 8-2, 7-3, and 7-4.

Aside from Jon Niese's start in game one, the pitching was pretty bad in this series both for the starting pitchers and the bullpen. Juan Nicasio struggled mightily giving up four runs in just 3.0 innings of work and Arquimedes Caminero went through a stretch where he gave up four runs in 1.2 innings pitched in the series.

While the offense was scoring plenty of runs to stay in the ballgame, the fact that the pitching struggled caused the series to go for not. Ryan Vogelsong and Niese turned in the two good starts of the series with Niese giving up four runs, three earned, in six innings while Vogelsong gave up one run in 5.0 innings of work.

The question of who was going to be the Pirates designated hitter in the series was answered when Matt Joyce stepped up and had a very good series hitting .285 from the DH spot and providing some quality at-bats for the Bucs. The biggest problem offensively in the Tigers series for the Pirates was men left on base. In total for the four game series, the Pirates left 64 men on base. They were getting a lot of hits, but were not able to drive in the big runs when they needed to.

The first game of the Brewers series looked exactly like the last three games of the Tigers series. Starting pitcher Jeff Locke struggled giving up three runs, two earned in 4.2 innings pitched. The bullpen did not fair much better giving up two home runs, five runs in total, in the Pirates loss. The only spark of offense in that game was a three-run pinch-hit home run by Matt Joyce.

However, the second two games of the series were a different story as the bats broke out and pretty handedly beat the Brewers by scores of 5-0 and 9-3. Niese turned in the best start of any Pirates pitcher this season in the first game throwing seven shut out innings and Nicasio followed that up with a solid 6.0 inning outing today giving up three runs. The bullpen bounced back as well giving up no runs in five innings of work.

Caminero also had a bounce back in today's game giving up no runs in 1.2 innings of work. Caminero has had consistency issues throughout his time with the Pirates and this week we saw both the good and the bad of Caminero. When he is on he can be a force to be reckoned with, but when he is off it can be a long day for both Caminero and the Pirates.

The offense also showed just what it could do in the last two games against the Brewers. Andrew McCutchen got going as he hit his first two home runs of the year against the Brewers and in total hit .642 in the series (9 for 14) with two home runs and two RBI. Seeing McCutchen heat up is always a good sign for the Pirates and now couldn't be a better time for McCutchen to start producing.

In total, this week showed us both the good and bad of this Pirates team. When the pitching is good, the Pirates are one of the top teams in all of major league baseball, however, when the pitching is down it is a long game for the Pirates. The offense has the capability to score a lot of runs for this team, they just have to figure out how to do it on a more consistent basis without leaving runners on base.

Play of the Week: Starling Marte robs Domingo Santana of a home run

One of the only bright spots of the Pirates loss to the Brewers Friday night, Starling Marte leaped at the wall to rob Domingo Santana of a home-run. Up to that point in the game, there was nothing to really cheer about. Marte was having a big day at the plate and then this acrobatic plate topped off the night for Marte. Unfortunately the Pirates were not able to pull out the victory as they lost to the Brewers 8-4.

Hitter of the Week: John Jaso (.416 (10 for 24) 2 RBI 3 Walks and 2 Doubles)

John Jaso had a big week for the Pirates batting out of the lead off spot hitting .416 this week including a 3 for 5 day in the final game against the Tigers. Jaso has hit safely in each of his last eight games including five multi-hit efforts. Jaso has played a solid first base and has hit safely in all but one game as a Pirate. While he doesn't have the power that Pedro Alvarez had he has brought much more to the position by getting on base consistently and setting up the rest of the Pirates hitters in the lineup.

Pitcher of the Week: Jon Niese (2-0 2.07 ERA, 8 Strikeouts, 4 Walks)

Jon Niese picked up two wins this week against the Detroit Tigers and the Milwaukee Brewers. He turned in the teams best start of the season against the Brewers throwing 7.0 shut out innings while striking out five batters. He was helped out by great defensive play by the Pirates and he has grown as a Pirates pitcher. If Niese can consistently throw like he did the last two games he will be a strong hold in the Pirates starting rotation. This week he showed that he was capable of being dominant on the mound.

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.

Pitching Struggles Have Pirates on Losing Streak

Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers have given up seven or more runs in each of the last four games causing the Pirates to be on this current four game losing streak. The home run ball has been a big part of the problem and big innings are causing the Pirates to drop key games.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are currently on a four game losing streak as they dropped the last three games against the Detroit Tigers and the first game against the Milawukee Brewers. Pirates pitchers have given up seven or more runs in each game and the offense has not been able to score enough runs to compensate for the runs given up by the pitchers.

The blame in the last four games has been a combined effort between both the bullpen and the starting pitching. The two bad starts of the week came from Jeff Locke last night and Juan Nicasio on Tuesday afternoon. In each start the starter went less than 5.0 innings and gave up three and four runs respectively. 

Both of these pitchers had major control issues in their starts as Nicasio walked five and Locke walked seven. The Pirates have one of the best defenses in all of major league baseball. However, when pitchers are walking a lot of batters, those defenders are not getting the chance to make the outs that are necessary in the game. Both Nicasio and Locke had very good starts their first time out and in those games they limited the number of walks they gave up. If they can work on their control it could mean a much better Pirates team.

The bullpen has had its struggles as well over the last couple games and it has not helped this team out at all. No matter who the Pirates would call into the game, it seemed like all they could do is give up runs. Kyle Lobstein has pitched in two of the last four games throwing 5.0 innings giving up five runs. Similarly, Arquiemeds Caminero has struggled as well giving up four runs in 1.2 innings pitched in the last four games.

The main problem the bullpen pitchers have been facing is the home run ball. The bullpen has combined to give up five home runs in the last four games. This was a similar problem that the Pirates faced in spring training. They gave up a mass number of home runs and it lead to some losses that could have been avoided if it were not for the home run ball.

In last nights game alone, The Pirates gave up a two home runs to the Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers. In both instances there were two outs and a runner on base and the pitch just happened to be left over the middle of the plate. If the pitchers could have just got the ball on the corner, we are talking about a whole new ball game.

Even though the Pirates are currently in a skid, there are some good things that have come out of this. Ryan Vogelsong had a very good spot start on Wednesday night for Francisco Liriano going 5.0 innings giving up one run on four hits while striking out five. Vogelsong started the year off in the bullpen and was able to step up in a big spot.

The Pirates will be able to climb out of this rough spot and will be fine moving forward. This rough spot will be a spring board for many good things to come as the season moves forward. All five of the Pirates starters have shown the ability to have success at the major league level. It is just a matter of putting it all together consistently and keeping the Pirates in ball games.

Jon Niese (1-0 5.73) will look to right the ship tonight as the Pirates take on the Brewers for game two of a three game series tonight at PNC Park. He will be opposed on the mound by Brewer's righty Taylor Jungman (0-1 11.57).  First pitch for tonight's game is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Offense Comes Alive as Pirates Defeat Tigers

After being held to just one run in the last two game against the Cincinnati Reds, the Pittsburgh Pirates offense came alive this afternoon for seven runs as the Pirates defeated the Tigers by a score of 7-4.

The Pittsburgh Pirates offense was on a cold streak the last couple days only scoring one run in each of the last two games. However, the bats came alive today scoring seven runs en-route to defeating the Detroit Tigers by a final score of 7-4. The offense was able to help out starter Jon Niese who started the game out well, but got a little roughed up late in the outing.

In total, Niese threw 6.0 innings giving up four runs, three earned, on five hits while walking one and striking out five. The home run ball was a problem for Niese as he gave up two on the afternoon. However, both were solo shots so the damage was not as great as it could be against the Pirates starter.

One thing Niese has been very good with to start out is his command. He has only walked one batter in each start and currently has a strikeout to walk ratio of 6.00. Last season he had a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.05 meaning for every walk he struck out two batters. If he can continue to show the control he has in the first two starts, it will be a much better 2016 for the left-hander.

The Pirates offense wasted no time providing run support for their starter. The Pirates scored at least one run in each of the first innings of today's game. Before Niese even took the hill he was already staked to a 1-0 lead. The offense jumped on Justin Verlander scoring early and often putting the Pirates out to a big lead.

In the first, Jon Jaso started things off with a double followed by an Andrew McCutchen fly out that moved him to third base. Then designated hitter Matt Joyce singled to left to score the first Pirates run of the ball game. It was questioned coming into the series, as it always is, who would serve as the DH for the Pirates. Joyce got the call today and performed quite nicely for the Bucs.

Joyce finished the day going 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored. Making the squad as a non-roster invitee, Joyce had not seen a lot of time in the starting lineup before today. He only had six plate appearances and was 0 for 3 with three walks in a pinch hitting role. Today, he got his shot in the starting lineup and contributed early on.

The Pirates continued the scoring in the second as the Bucs loaded the bases with one out after a Gregory Polanco Double, a Josh Harrison single, and a Sean Rodriguez walk. Then, Jordy Mercer stepped up and lined a two-RBI single to center field scoring both Polanco and Harrison and giving the Pirates an early 3-1 lead.

The scoring would continue for the Pirates in the third and fourth innings as two sacrifice flies by Jon Jaso and Francisco Cervelli put the Pirates up 5-1 after four innings of play. The Pirates would finish their scoring in inning number five as an RBI double by Gregory Polanco and an RBI single by Sean Rodriguez made the score 7-1 Pirates after four and a half innings.

The Pirates bats were able to get to Justin Verlander as he threw 111 pitches in 4.1 innings giving up seven runs on ten hits while walking two and striking out two. Verlander struggled in his first start of the year against the Miami Marlins giving up three runs in six innings in that game. At one point, Verlander was considered one of the best arms in the game, however, the last couple seasons he has been hit hard and it has effected him on the mound.

Niese gave up what would be his second run of the day in the bottom of inning number five when he gave up a home run to Nick Castellanos, the second one he had given up in the game to make the score 7-2 Pirates. They would add two more runs in the bottom of the sixth on an error by Mercer that allowed Jose Iglesias to score and an RBI single by Victor Martinez.

That is all of the offense that Detroit could muster on the day, however, as the back end of the Pirates bullpen came in and shut the door once again. Neftali Feliz, Tony Watson, and Mark Melancon each threw scoreless outings in the final three innings of the game to give the Pirates the victory today. The group has combined to give up only one run through the first seven games of the season.

Feliz pitched the seventh and threw a perfect inning striking out one batter. Watson followed with a scoreless inning of his own while walking a batter and striking one out. Finally, Melancon finished the game throwing his 1.0 inning giving up one hit and striking out a batter while collecting his third save of the season.

Overall, the offense combined for 17 hits on the day, which is a season high for the team. The offense wasnt able to cash in on some key situations the last two days, but today they capitalized on the opportunities handed to them. However, they still left 17 runners on base, so this score could have been a lot worse, but the Pirates scored in bunches today and picked up a much needed victory.

The Pirates and Tigers will play game two of their four game home-and-home series tomorrow afternoon at Comerica Park. On the mound for the Tigers will be right hander Anibal Sanchez (1-0 3.60). Last time out Sanchez faced the Miami Marlins throwing 6.0 innings giving up two runs on four hits while walking three and striking out three. The Pirates will oppose with right-hander Juan Nicasio (1-0 1.50). Nicasio is coming off a great Pirates debut in which he went 6.0 innings giving up one run on two hits while striking out seven St. Louis Cardinal batters. First pitch for tomorrow afternoon's game is scheduled for 1:10 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.

Locke Good, Offense Not Enough as Pirates Fall to the Reds

The Pittsburgh Pirates fell to the Cincinnati Reds 2-1 on a walk-off triple by Jay Bruce that scored Brandon Phillips. Jeff Locke threw 6.0 good innings of work, but could not get the offense he needed to back him up.

For the second straight day, the Pittsburgh Pirates offense fell flat at Great American Ball Park as they fell to the Cincinnati Reds. The Pirates again could not take advantage of key opportunities with runners on base. In total the Pirates left 14 men stranded on the day including a bases loaded situation in the first inning.

Jeff Locke started the game and pitched pretty well in his season debut. In total he went 6.0 innings giving up one run on seven hits while walking two and striking out one. Locke was the beneficiary of some great defensive plays as well as David Freese made several diving stops on the day and robbed more than one player of hits today.

For the Reds, Tim Melville was making his major league debut. The Pirates took advantage of the rookie early on in the game. Jon Jaso and Andrew McCutchen both walked to make it first and second with nobody out. However, the Pirates could not take advantage of the opportunity, however, as Freese lined out and Starling Marte struck out. Gregory Polanco drew a two out walk, but Josh Harrison finished the inning by grounding out to short stop.

This was the formula for the day as the Pirates got on base, but struggle to drive guys in when it counted. Today they left 14 runners in scoring position and only mustered one run on the day. The Pirates were one or two hits away from winning this ball game, but it was not meant to be as the Pirates just could not get it done with runners in scoring position.

The Pirates did draw first blood in the contest in the top of the second. Back-up catcher Chris Stewart stepped up with one out and drove a 2-2 pitch over the left field wall for his first home run of the season and his first as a Pirate. Stewart had not hit a home run since August of 2013 and recieved the silent treatment when he reached the Pirates dugout.

Stewart has been a solid back-up catcher for the Pirates over the last couple of seasons. Stewart is known mostly for his defense due to his .989 career fielding percentage behind the plate. However, since joining the Pirates, Stewart has broke out at the plate. He set a career high in average two seasons ago by batting .294, and added to the average total last season hitting .289.

Stewart has never been a power guy throughout his career as today's home run was only the eighth of his career. As a back-up, however, he is a very reliable guy and a great guy to have in the clubhouse. He signed a two-year extension with the Pirates during the off-season and will continue to be that reliable guy behind the plate whenever the opportunity presents himself.

The Reds responded in the bottom of the sixth as Eugenio Suarez hit his fourth home run of the season tying the game at one. Suarez has been hitting the ball well this season as he currently has a .368 average with four home runs and eight RBI in six game played. He was one of the key players for the Reds this weekend against the Pirates going 6 for 11 with two home runs and four RBI. 

The game would remained tied at one as Locke exited the game and it was turned over to the Pirates bullpen. Neftali Feliz was first out of the pen and, as he has done all year, threw a perfect inning of work while striking out one batter. Feliz has been a great pickup for the Pirates so far on the young season. He has been a key cog in this bullpen that has given up very few runs this season.

Tony Watson pitched the eighth giving up only one hit in his 1.0 inning of work. Watson has given up some hits this season, but has been able to work out of tough situations and keep the opposing team off of the board. Feliz, Watson, and Mark Melancon have done a nice job early on coming out of the bullpen and shutting the door for the Pirates. If they can continue to do that throughout the season, the Pirates will be in very good shape moving forward.

Arquimedes Caminero came into pitch the ninth inning for the Pirates with the score tied at 1-1. Brandon Phillips, another Pirate killer this series, started things off with a lead-off single on a 0-2 pitch to set-up shop for the Reds. Devin Mesoraco was next and he popped up on a 2-0 pitch to Josh Harrison for the first out.

Then, Jay Bruce stepped up with Phillips on first and one out. On the day, Bruce was 1 for 3 to this point and had been held at bay. Caminero had him down in the count 2-2, but Bruce took the next pitch and lined it down the right field line and into the corner. Phillips was able to score from first base and give the Reds the walk-off win.

With the loss, the Pirates drop this series against the Reds losing two out of three games. The Reds owned the Pirates last season, especially at Great American Ball Park where the Pirates were 4-6 last season. Moving forward, the Pirates have to find a way to win these division games so they can take the next step and possibly win the division in 2016.

The Pirates return to the field tomorrow afternoon when they travel to Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan to take on the Detroit Tigers. With the postponement today, the Tigers will have Justin Verlander (0-0 4.50) on the mound. Last time out against the Miami Marlins, Verlander went 6.0 innings giving up three runs on three hits while walking two and striking out five. The Pirates will oppose with left-hander Jon Niese (0-0 7.20). Niese struggled last time out against the St. Louis Cardinals throwing 5.0 innings giving up five runs, four earned, on five hits while striking out seven and walking one. First pitch from Comerica Park is scheduled for 1:10 p.m.