Pirates Jared Hughes Reinstated From the 15-Day Disabled List

The Pittsburgh Pirates reinstated right handed pitcher Jared Hughes from the 15-day disabled list today. The right hander had a break out year with the Bucs last season going 3-1 with a 2.28 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 67.0 innings of work.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are currently on a five game winning streak and today they got some more good news. Right handed pitcher Jared Hughes is ready to be reinstated from the 15-day disabled list and join the Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen. Hughes was placed on the DL back on March 25 with a left side strain that he suffered during this year's spring training.

In his rehab assingment in Triple A Indianapolis, he pitched in four games totaling 6.0 innings of work giving up five runs on seven hits while striking out five and walking three. In spring training this season, he only pitched in four games and struggled mightily giving up eight runs on 11 hits in just 3.2 innings of work.

Last season, Hughes was considered a rally killer for the Pirates. He came in in some very high leverage situations and shut the opponent down and limited the damage. Hughes was very effective ending with a record of 3-1 with a 2.28 ERA in 67.0 innings of work. He tied his strikeout total from 2014 with 36 and walked 19 in 67.0 innings of work.

Hughes's claim to fame last season was his ability to strand inherited runners on base. In 2015, he inherited 56 runners coming out of the bullpen. Only 16% of those inherited runners came across to score under Hughes's watch. He was among the league leaders in this last season and looks to be a stopper again in 2016.

One key reason he was able to strand so many runners was thanks to the double play ball. Hughes's primary pitch is the sinker, and it helped him collect 11 double plays last season. With an infield defense that is as good as the Pirates are this season, Hughes will be able to rely on the sinker and get opposing batters to hit into ground ball outs.

One thing Hughes has been plagued with throughout his career is walking a lot of batters. In 2015, he walked 19 batters in 67.0 innings of work. He also had a strikeout to walk ratio of 1.89 which is not very good for a MLB pitcher. If he can work on his control this season, he could take that extra leap forward and become a high impact pitcher in this Pirates bullpen.

With Hughes being reinstated on the active roster, Rob Scahill was sent down to Triple A Indianapolis. During his time with the Pirates, Scahill pitched in eight games throwing 6.0 innings and giving up four runs on six hits while walking three and striking out five. He pitched to a 6.00 ERA and will be back in Indianapolis as reserve in case the bullpen is faced with another injury.

Jared Hughes and the rest of the Pittsburgh Pirates will be back in action tonight for game two of a three game series with the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds will send right hander Alfredo Simon (0-2 16.39) and the Pirates will oppose with left hander Francisco Liriano (1-1 4.64). First pitch for tonight's game is 7:05 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 Outlast Rockies in 12 Inning Victory

The Pittsburgh Pirates were able to outlast the Colorado Rockies last night in 12 innings to pick up a 9-8 victory. Jordy Mercer drove in the game winning run with an RBI double to clinch the victory for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Coors Field in Colorado is known to host many offensive showdowns. Well, in the last two games of this four game series that has held very true. Last night it took 12 innings to find a winner, but in the end, Jordy Mercer drove in the game winning run with a two-out RBI double to give the Pirates a 9-8 victory. With the win, the Pirates have now taken the first three games of this four game series.


Jon Niese started the game for Pittsburgh and pitched a lot better than what his final line says. In total he pitched 5.0 innings giving up five runs on 10 hits while walking two and striking out five. However, he cruised through the first three innings of his start and was able to locate the ball effectively.


Niese has been arguably the most consistent pitcher in the Pirates rotation. Coming over in the trade that sent Neil Walker to the New York Mets, Niese has gone out in every start and left the Pirates with a good chance to win the baseball game. He has been getting good offensive support as well as the team scored him seven runs tonight and eight runs his last time out. Don't let the high ERA fool you, Niese has had a very good start to the 2016 season.


The Pirates started the scoring in the top of the second after singles by Francisco Cervelli and Josh Harrison gave the Pirates first and third with only one out. Then Mercer, the man who ended the scoring, drove the in the first run of the ball game on a fielder's choice play that got Harrison thrown out at second and allowed Cervelli to score giving the Pirates a 1-0 lead. The Rockies would challenge the slide at second base, but it proved unsuccessful as the run still counted.


The Pirates would add to their lead in the top of the third when they put a three spot up on the Rockies. The inning started on singles by John Jaso and Andrew McCutchen to set the Pirates up with runners at first and third with no outs. Then David Freese singled to score Jaso giving the Pirates a 2-0 lead. The Pirates would add two more in the inning on a Gregory Polanco sacrifice fly and a Harrison RBI single to give the Pirates a 4-0 lead.


In the top of the fourth, the Pirates thought they has put the game out of reach for good. A single by Niese followed by a popout and a strikeout gave the Pirates a runner at first with two outs. Then Freese drove in his second run of the ball game with a double that scored Niese and gave the Pirates a 5-0 lead. Starling Marte hit an infield single to give the Pirates first and third with two outs before Francisco Cervelli hit a two-RBI double to give the Pirates a 7-0 lead.


Many people thought the game was out of reach, but if we learned anything in this series no lead is safe in Colorado. The Rockies put together a big fourth inning against Niese putting up a four spot. Niese was bitten by the home run bug as both Trevor Story and Nolan Arenado hit home runs to cut the deficit to 7-2. Then Mark Reynolds doubled and Ryan Raburn tripled on a ball that almost left the yard to cut the lead to 7-3. An RBI single by DJ LeMahieu finished the scoring for the Rockies and left the score at 7-4 Pirates.


Niese had a painless bottom of the fifth, but things started getting to him again in the sixth. He allowed three straight singles to start the inning by Raburn, Nick Hundley, and LeMahieu to load the bases with one out. At this point, manager Clint Hurdle pulled Niese in favor of right handed pitcher Ryan Vogelsong.


Vogelsong came in and worked masterfully only allowing one run in the inning. Mercer made a very heads-up play throwing out Hundley at third base on a ground ball that was ticketed for centerfield. However, Raburn scored on the play to cut the deficit to 7-5. Vogelsong finished the inning by getting Gerrardo Parra to line out and Story to strikeout.


The work by Vogelsong in that sixth inning saved the game for the Pirates. If he had come in and let all of those runners score, we would be talking about a Pirates loss rather than a Pirates win. Vogelsong has been a very valuable piece for the Pirates this season stepping up and performing in whatever situation the Pirates ask him to.


The Pirates added another run on a Polanco solo home run in the top of the seventh to give the Pirates an 8-5 lead. Then the unusual happened as both Neftali Feliz and Tony Watson struggled on the evening. Feliz gave up a two-run home run to Mark Reynolds to cut the lead to 8-7 in the bottom of the seventh. Watson came into relieve Feliz in the seventh and was able to get out of it.


However, Watson ran into his own problems in the eighth inning as he gave up the game tying home run to Parra and the game was all tied up at eight. Watson did work his way out of that eighth inning by striking out Arenado to end the inning.


In extra innings Kyle Lobstein came in and did what he has done all season and was an effective long relief man for the Pirates. He threw 3.0 innings giving up no runs on three hits and striking out two. Lobstein has also been a great pickup for the Pirates and has proved very effective out of the bullpen this season.


The final run was scored by the Pirates in the top of the twelfth inning. A Polanco walk set up the Pirates with a runner on second and two outs. The Mercer stepped up and cracked a ball into the right field gap for the game winning RBI double giving the Pirates a 9-8 lead. Mark Melancon came in and collected his fifth save of the year securing the victory for the Pirates.


The win gives the Pirates the chance to sweep the series this afternoon as they play game four of the four game series. The Rockies will send Tyler Chatwood (2-2 3.47) to the mound. Last time out, Chatwood struggled against the Los Angeles Dodgers giving up three runs in just 4.0 innings of work. The Pirates will counter with former Rockie Juan Nicasio (2-2 4.50). Last time out Nicasio pitched well but did not go deep giving up two runs in 5.0 innings of work. First pitch for this afternoons game is scheduled for 3:10 p.m.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

McCutchen Powers the Pirates Past Rockies in 9-4 Win

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 Week In Review: Pitching Struggles But Offense Keeps Rolling

The Pittsburgh Pirates finish this week just where they left off last week going 3-3 while facing the San Diego Padres and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Pitching was not very good this week, with a few exceptions, and the offense has kept on the hot streak that it has been on throughout the season.

Three weeks into the season and the Pittsburgh Pirates currently sit one game above .500 at 10-9 and are currently in third place in the National League Central. This week, they faced off against both the San Diego Padres, losing two out of three games, and the Arizona Diamondbacks, winning two out of three games.

Pitching in general was definitely a problem this week and as a result the offense had to pick up the slack and score a lot of runs. The one thing the Pirates have been missing this year is a dominant start from one of their pitchers. They have had glimpses of success from all five of their starters, but none of them have been able to put it together and go seven to eight innings consistently.

As a result, the bullpen has been taxed and the effects are starting to show as the entire shark tank has been bit by the wildness bug. Command has gone down and it is allowing the other team to take advantage and score a lot of runs. The Pirates are currently in the midst of a 16 games in 16 days stretch, and for them to be successful the starters are going to have to go deeper into ball games.

In the San Diego series, starting pitching was very shaky in what is known to be a pitchers ball park in Petco Park. Francisco Liriano started game one and was really shaky giving up four runs in just 4.1 innings pitched. The Pirates had a 3-0 lead early on in the game, but saw it fall through as Liriano struggled and Arquimedes Caminero gave up a run in his inning of work as the Pirates fell 5-4.

Game two, the starting pitching got worse. Jeff Locke took the mound and got obliterated by the San Diego offense. He gave up eight runs in just three innings of work putting the Pirates down big early. The Pirates offense was stifled in this game by left-hander Drew Pomeranz as they were only able to score one un-earned run off the lefty. The bullpen did a great job in this game however as Kyle Lobstein and AJ Schugel combined to throw 5.0 innings of shut out baseball giving up one hit and striking out four. However, it was not enough as the Pirates fell in game two by a score of 8-2.

Game three, finally saw the first good starting pitching of the week for the Pirates. After two rough starts, Gerrit Cole took the hill and was able to give the Pirates 6.0 strong innings giving up no runs on four hits and striking out seven. The offense jumped on San Diego pitching scoring 11 runs including an eight run seventh inning. That was more than enough offense for the Pirates pitching as they cruised to an 11-1 victory.

The series in San Diego was kind of a disappointment especially on the pitching front. Two of the three Pittsburgh starters got knocked around and it caused the Pirates to have to try and score more runs then they are used to. If you are asking your team to score six or more runs a game, it is not going to turn out well for you in the end. However, nothing will top the offenses showcase by both teams in the series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Game one was the first of two back and forth affairs as the Pirates took it by the score of 8-7. Jon Niese had an ok start at best going 5.1 giving up four runs on 10 hits. The offense was lead by three of the longest home runs the Pirates have hit all season as Jordy Mercer, Sean Rodriguez, and Gregory Polanco each hit solo shots that went more than 420 feet. The Diamondbacks rallied late off of Tony Watson scoring three runs, one earned, but it was not enough as the Pirates pulled out the victory.

In game two, Juan Nicasio was very inefficient with his pitches on the mound as he only threw 5.0 innings giving up two runs on three hits while walking four and striking out four. AJ Schugel got knocked around out of the bullpen giving up five runs, four earned, in 1.1 innings of work. The Pirates were met by great staring pitching by Ruby De La Rosa as they could only muster a Rodriguez home run in what would turn out to be a 7-1 loss.

The final game of this series was a wild one going 13 innings. Both offenses scored a lot of runs and fought back and forth all afternoon. The deciding blow came in the top of the thirteenth inning when a Rodriguez double and a Niese pinch-hit single put the Pirates up for good with the final score being 12-10. The bullpen was very shaky and Rodriguez saved the game in the tenth by throwing out what would have been the winning run at the plate to extend the game. It was a wild one, but in the end the battling buccos pulled through.

The Diamondbacks series showed what this Pirates offense is capable of run production wise. It showed that they can battle with the bets of them and can score a lot of runs when they need to. While the pitching needs some improvement it was overall a good series win for the Pirates in Arizona.

Play of the Week: Sean Rodriguez Cuts Winning Run at the plate

The play of the week has to go to Sean Rodriguez's game saving play in yesterday afternoons contest. With the infield drawn in and runners at first and third a sharp ground ball was hit to Rodriguez, and he quickly back handed the ball and threw a strike to Chris Stewart for the out at home saving the game. The game would evetually go thirteen innings before the Pirates pulled out the 12-10 victory.

Hitter of the Week: Jordy Mercer (.454, 1 home run, 3 RBI)

Jordy Mercer had a great week for the Pirates hitting .454 and getting on base consistently for Pittsburgh. He got his first shot at the top of the lineup this week and produced against left-handed pitching. He also hit the longest home run of the season for the Pirates with a 466 foot blast in Arizona. He raised his average from .227 to .303 in the course of a week. This has been one of Mercer's hottest starts of his career and if he can keep it up he will be a very productive member of this Pirates lineup.

Pitcher of the Week: Kyle Lobstein (5.0 innings, 0 runs, 2 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts)

Kyle Lobstein has been very effective out of the Pirates bullpen so far this season and came through for the Pirates in a big way this week. He threw 5.0 shut out innings out of the bullpen and in both cases was tasked with keeping the opposing team off the board. He had to do it both in a blow out and a high pressure situation and came through both times. Lobstein has been a reliable member of the Pirates bullpen and looks to continue it into the fourth week of the season.

Up Next:

The Pirates start the first of a four game series with the Colorado Rockies tonight at 8:40 p.m. The Rockies will have right hander Chad Bettis (2-0 3.33) on the hill. Last time out, Bettis threw 6.0 innings giving up three runs against the Cincinnati Reds. The Pirates will counter with Jeff Locke (0-2 7.24) who is looking to rebound after a rough start in San Diego where he gave up eight runs in just three innings of work. Going into a hitters ball park like Coors Field, Locke will have to be on his game if he wants to win and the offense will look to pile on the runs as they did against Arizona.