Meet the new look Pirates

[joncarlos]

Game 62:

Pirates 6, Dodgers 2. The Pirates managed a split in their 2-game series in LA with a solid win over the Dodgers. Javier Vazquez allowed 2 runs in 7 innings and got the win to improve his record to 8-3, allowing 7 hits and 1 walk while striking out 3. The Pirates took the lead in the first on Mike Sweeney's solo HR (his 8th) and held it until the 4th when Ken Huckaby walked and Rafael Furcal and Kevin Orie hit back-to-back RBI doubles to give LA the lead. The Pirates answered with 2 runs in the 5th, scoring one on a beautiful squeeze bunt by Vazquez and another on an RBI groundout by Frank Catalanatto. Catalanatto hit a solo HR in the 8th and Karim Garcia hit a 2-run HR the 9th to complete the scoring.

Around the league, the Pirates were ranked 2nd in the latest power poll at 40-22. The A's were ranked first at 41-21 behind the offense of Vlad Guerrero and Torii Hunter and the pitching of Kevin Brown, Mike Mussina and Jose Contreras.

More veterans released around the league: Sean Casey, Russ Branyan, Dave Hollins and Doug Mientkievicz.

Game 63:

Pirates 10, Padres 2. The Pirates returned home with an impressive win, though they did get a scare early as starter Kurt Ainsworth left the game in the first inning with a tight elbow. Luckily he'll only miss 10-14 days. Rafael Soriano came in to relieve Ainsworth and gave the Padres the lead in the 2nd on Mark Loretta's RBI double. Soriano worked 2 innings before giving way to Brad Lidge, who pitched 5 brilliant innings of relief to get the win to move to 3-0 (5 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K). The Pirates scored 8 runs in the 5th to break the game open as Lidge singled, Eric Young doubled, Aaron Boone was HBP, JC Franco hit a 2-run double and the Bucs got 4 consecutive RBI singles from Karim Garcia, Jack Wilson, Tom Wilson, and Lidge. Yes, PITCHER Brad Lidge had 2 hits in one inning. The Friars made a 2-run error to give the Bucs an 8-1 lead after 5 and the Bucs hung on to win 10-2. Hank Blalock's solo HR in the 8th extended his hitting streak to 14 games.

Game 64:

Pirates 6, Padres 5. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. Facing Cardinals ace Randy Johnson, the Pirates were able to rally for a win after the Unit left the game with an injury. Facing Padres ace Zach Day (7-3, 1.96 ERA coming in) the Pirates lucked out again. The Pirates took a 3-run lead early off Day on Aaron Boone's RBI single in the first and Karim Garcia's 2-run HR (his 12th) in the 2nd; after Day allowed Kerry Wood to reach on an error, he left the game trailing 3-0. The Padres got to within 3-2 on Eric Munson's 2-run HR in the 3rd, but the Pirates got a run to extend the lead to 4-2 in their half of the 4th on Mike Sweeney's RBI double. The Padres took a 5-4 lead in the 5th and held it until the bottom of the 9th. Then, with 2 out, Dave Roberts walked, Frank Catalanatto singled, Mike Sweeney reached on an error and Aaron Boone hit a walk-off 2-run single. Brad Lidge, who worked a scoreless 9th, got his 2nd win in 2 days to move to 4-0. Kerry Wood, starting again on 3 days rest, was ineffective, allowing 7 hits and 5 walks in 6 innings while allowing all 5 Padre runs and striking out just 1. The Pirates announced after the game that Wood would be given his full 4 days of rest this time "somehow."

[joncarlos]

Game 65:

Pirates 8, Padres 5. The Pirates' bats were strong enough to get the win for Joel Piniero despite a mediocre performance from the pitching staff. The Padres took a 1-0 lead in the first on Eric Munson's sac fly after Karim Garcia's assist at home had prevented the Padres from scoring on the previous play. The Bucs tied the game 1-1 in the 2nd on Adam Dunn's 7th HR. The Pirates took a 3-1 lead in the 3rd when JC Franco walked and scored on Mike Sweeney's triple; Sweeney scored on Aaron Boone's sac fly. The Pirates extended their lead to 5-1 in the 5th when Adam Dunn walked, Karim Garcia singled him home and scored on Tom Wilson's double. The Padres got 2 back in the 6th on an RBI single by Munson and sac fly by Kevin Millar, but the Pirates got a 3-run double from Eric Young in the 7th for insurance. Piniero got the win (I think he's 6-4), working 7 innings while allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks while striking out just 2.

Around the league, Roger Clemens' return to his native state proved fruitful as he won his 300th game as a member of the Rangers. Seattle SP Ramon Ortiz will miss 5-6 weeks with a herniated disk. The Pirates put Eric Young on the DL after the game with a bruised heel. 1B/OF Mike O'Keefe was called up from Nashville to replace him on the roster.

Game 66:

Braves 3, Pirates 2 (10 innings). The Pirates offense failed starter Javier Vazquez, who pitched a great game but didn't get quite enough support. Vazquez pitched 7 innings, allowing just 1 run on 3 hits and 4 walks while striking out 7, but he left with a lead of just 2-1. The Pirates struck first as Hank Blalock singled and went to 2nd on RF Bobby Abreu's error, moved to 3rd on Jack Wilson's sac bunt and scored on Aaron Boone's RBI single. Vazquez allowed the Friars to tie the game at 1 in the top of the 2nd when he walked pitcher Jeremy Affeldlt with the bases loaded. The Pirates got the lead right back in their half of the 2nd as Karim Garcia doubled, went to 3rd on a fly ball and scored when Moises Alou threw away the relay from the outfield. The game stayed 2-1 until the 8th when the Pirates brought in Brad Lidge to face the heart of the Braves lineup. Lidge retired the first 2 batters but then gave up a double to Ryan Klesko, a single to Bernie Williams, and a pinch-hit RBI single to Craig Biggio. The Braves won the game in the 10th when Shane Halter singled home Alou and the Pirates failed to score in their half of the 10th.

Game 67:

Braves 12, Pirates 6. With 4th starter Kurt Ainsworth still on the shelf with a tight elbow, the Pirates were forced to call up AAA starter Jason Middlebrook to make his first start of the season. The results were messy. Middlebrook allowed 4 runs in the top of the first on 5 hits. The Pirates rallied to tie the game at 4 in the bottom of the first as Dave Roberts singled, stole 2nd and scored on Frank Catalanatto's single. Cat went to 2nd on the throw, stole 3rd and scored on Mike Sweeney's RBI single. Aaron Boone reached on a fielder's choice and Hank Blalock singled, setting up Mike O'Keefe to get his first hit as a Pirate, a 2-run double that tied the game at 4. Then Middlebrook took the mound again and allowed 4 more runs in the 3rd, another run in the 4th and another run in the 6th before being pulled. His final line: 5.1 IP, 12 H, 10 R, 2 BB, 2 K. The Pirates got 2 runs back on a 2-run error by Morgan Ensberg in the 7th but couldn't get any closer.

Game 68:

Pirates 8, Braves 4. With 5th starter Rafael Soriano still resting from his bullpen work, the Pirates needed another emergency starter. 25-year old John Patterson (2.5 blue stars) was signed to a minor league deal and called up immediately. After yesterday's debacle, Pirate fans were not optimistic about Patterson's prospects, but he pitched well enough to get the win in a see-saw battle. The Braves struck first on a 2-run single by Bernie Williams in the first but the Pirates struck back in the bottom of the first when Dave Roberts singled, stole 2nd (his 30th) and scored on Hank Blalock's RBI single. Blalock advanced to 2nd on the throw and to 3rd on Aaron Boone's groundout before scoring on Karim Garcia's sac fly to make it a 2-2 game. The Braves got another run in the 4th on Jerry Hairston's RBI single, but the Bucs fought back again as JR House singled, Patterson reached on an error, Roberts walked and Adam Dunn hit a 2-run double to give the Bucs a 4-3 lead. The Pirates added another run in the 5th when Frank Catalanatto doubled home Aaron Boone, and 2 more runs in the 6th when Adam Dunn and Mike Sweeney hit back-to-back HRs to make it a 7-3 game. The Braves made it 7-4 on Moises Alou's solo HR in the 8th but Adam Dunn answered that with his second solo shot of the night to make it an 8-4 win for the Pirates. Patterson got the win, pitching 5 innings while allowing 3 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks and striking out 3. Kyle Farnsworth pitched the final 2 innings and hit 100 MPH on the radar gun in the 9th.

Around the league, John Olerud got his 2000th hit - Olerud is currently playing for the Dodgers. The Pirates (44-24) were again ranked 2nd in the power rankings behind the A's (43-25) and ahead of the Expos (45-23).

Game 69:

Mets 11, Pirates 4. For the 3rd game in a row, Kerry Wood just didn't have his good stuff. Wood dropped to 9-3 after allowing 7 runs in 5 innings (6 H, 3 BB, 9 K). The Mets jumped out to an early lead in the 2nd as P Jason Jennings hit an RBI single and Juan Encarnacion followed with a 3-run HR. The Pirates cut the lead to 4-3 in the 3rd on 3 straight RBI singles by Frank Catalanatto, Hank Blalock and Adam Dunn. New York got another run to make it 5-3 in the 3rd as Ross Gload doubled home Adam Kearns, and 2 more runs to make it 7-3 in the 4th when Kearns hit a 2-run single. The Mets broke the game open in the 7th when Scot Shields allowed a single to Kearns, walked the next 2 batters and allowed a pinch-hit grand slam to Nick Johnson.

[joncarlos]

Sorry for the lack of updates yesterday... work interferes

Game 70:

Pirates 7, Mets 5. The Mets took a quick 1-0 lead in the first when Barry Bonds walked, stole 2nd and scored on Austin Kearns' single. The Mets got another run in the 3rd when Brian Hunter singled, stole 2nd and scored on Edgardo Alfonzo's single. The Pirates rallied for 4 runs in the 4th as Aaron Boone hit a solo HR (his 11th), Adam Dunn walked, Hank Blalock singled, Karim Garcia singled home a run and Tom Wilson hit a 2-run double. The Bucs added another run in the 5th, making it a 5-2 game on Garcia's second RBI single. The Mets got back to 5-4 in their half of the 5th on Nick Johnson's RBI double, but the Pirates scored 2 in the 6th when PH Jack Wilson doubled and scored on Frank Catalanatto's 6th HR. Kearns singled home a run for the Mets in the 7th but the Pirates held on for a 7-5 win. Joel Piniero got the win to move to 7-4, allowing 4 runs in 5 innings (6 H, 4 BB, 4 K). Arthur Rhodes pitched a 1-2-3 9th for his 17th save, striking out Barry Bonds to end the game.

Game 71:

Pirates 4, Mets 3. The Pirates left starter Javier Vazquez in a little too long, but their offense was able to salvage the win. The Bucs took a quick lead in the top of the first when Hank Blalock singled, Catalanatto was HBP and Aaron Boone hit a 2-run double. The Mets cut it to 2-1 on a run-scoring single by AJ Pierzinski followed walks by Alfonzo and Bonds. The Bucs got the lead back to 2 as Karim Garcia homered in the 4th (his 13th) to make it a 3-1 game. It stayed that way until the 7th when Vazquez allowed a triple, sac fly, single and double to make it a 3-3 game. The Pirates scored a run in the 9th for a 4-3 win as Blalock and Sweeney singled and Adam Dunn singled home the winning run. Alan Embree pitched a scoreless 8th and got the win to move to 3-2. Arthur Rhodes got his 18th save. Javier Vazquez' final line: 7 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 6 BB, 10 K.

Around the league, I couldn't help but notice Freddy Garcia (MIL) ranked about 8th on the Top Performers list, 9 innings, NO HITS. Hmmmm, I thought. I didn't see a news story about a no-hitter. Back on May 6, Garcia pitched 9 innings of no-hit ball but the Brewers never scored a run and the game went into extra innings. The Breweres scored 5 in the 14th to win 5-0. The Phillies got ONE HIT in 14 innings that night!

Game 72:

Expos 10, Pirates 8. It was hoped that having the Expos on their home turf would help the Bucs figure them out, but it didn't appear to help in this game. Rafael Soriano returned to the starting rotation and struggled, allowing 9 runs in 5 innings on 13 hits and 4 walks while striking out 4. The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the first on Adam Dunn's RBI double, but the Expos took a 2-1 lead in the 3rd on Randy Winn's 2-run HR. The Bucs got the lead back at 4-2 in their half of the 3rd on an RBI single by Blalock and 2-run double by Aaron Boone, but the Expos tied it up in the 4th on David Ortiz' 2 run double; it could have been worse had Karim Garcia not nailed Sammy Sosa at the plate with a rocket throw from right field. The Pirates took the lead once again in their half of the 4th on Aaron Boone's RBI walk but the Expos scored 5 in the top of the 5th on Winn's RBI single, Mike Lowell's sac fly and Jeff Kent's 3-run HR to take a 9-5 lead. The Pirates got one back in the 5th as Dave Roberts singled home JR House, and 2 more back in the 7th on back to back HRs by Dunn and Garcia (their 10th and 14th, respectively) but couldn't get any closer than 9-8. Sammy Sosa's solo HR in the 8th made it 10-8 Montreal and the game ended that way.

[joncarlos]

Game 73:

Expos 6, Pirates 4. With Kurt Ainsworth still recovering from elbow trouble, the Pirates sent John Patterson to the wolves, asking him to face the mighty Expos in only his second start. Patterson survived the test, but the bullpen failed the Bucs in the end. Montreal took a 1-0 lead in the first inning as Patterson looked shaky early, allowing a leadoff double to Randy Winn and RBI single to Jeff Kent. The Pirates scored 3 runs in the bottom of the first to calm Patterson's nerves, Dave Roberts doubled, Frank Catalanatto singled him home, and Aaron Boone hit an inside the park HR (his 12th HR). The Expos got 1 back in the 4th when Patterson hit Kent with a pitch, walked Sosa and David Ortiz and Aaron Boone's error allowed Kent to score. The Expos tied it in the 5th when Winn tripled and scored on Mike Lowell's single. The Bucs got Patterson a lead in their half of the 5th when Dave Roberts singled and stole second, scoring on Frank Catalanatto's RBI single. Patterson left after 6, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7. Unfortunately, Mike Crudale allowed the Expos to tie the game at 4 in the 7th and Ricky Rincon allowed a pair of HRs in the 8th to Ortiz and Javier Valentin to give the Expos a 6-4 win.

Game 74:

Pirates 9, Cubs 2. Kerry Wood returned triumphantly to Wrigley Field, notching his 10th win of the season in typical Kerry Wood style (6.1 IP, 6 walks, 10 Ks, allowing just 2 runs). Wood fell behind early as Todd Walker led off the bottom of the first with a solo HR and Luke Allen hit a run-scoring single to give the Cubs a 2-0 lead after 1. That would be all they would get. The Pirates tied the game right back up in the top of the 2nd when Karim Garcia doubled and JR House hit a 2-run HR (his 2nd of the year). The Pirates got 3 runs in the top of the 5th to take the lead for good as Karim Garcia hit an RBI single and Dave Roberts hit a 2-run double. The Pirates added another run in the 5th on a pinch-hit RBI single by Jack Wilson to make it 6-2 and added 3 more in the 9th on a PH HR by Mike O'Keefe (his 6th), RBI single by Aaron Boone and error allowing a run to come home and Jack Wilson to reach first base.

Around the league, more veterans were released: David Segui, Paul Bako, and Damion Easley. There was a major trade between Boston and Chicago as the White Sox acquired SP Woody Williams, a 3-star 22 year old and 2-star 18 year old from the Red Sox in exchange for LF Jacque Jones.

[Black Lightning]

this has been a great thread! keep it up

[potatoman]

the thing that i don't like about this thread is that you have got almost one of the best teams....it would be funner to watch a team struggle sometimes or have problems...just a suggestion

[joncarlos]

Originally posted by potatoman
the thing that i don't like about this thread is that you have got almost one of the best teams....it would be funner to watch a team struggle sometimes or have problems...just a suggestion

Don't worry, we've been struggling lately a little. I don't expect to do this well, but maybe I think too little of my team. I was thinking with so many young players we'd struggle some this season and start winning next year or the year after.

[joncarlos]

Mostly moved into the new apartment so the updates can continue. Not a great handful of games for the Bucs.

Game 75:

Cubs 6, Pirates 1. The Pirates were dominated by Cubs starter Denys Baez, who allowed 1 run in 7 innings while the Cubs roughed up Pirate starter Joel Piniero. Baez allowed just 1 walk and scattered 8 hits to move to 4-0 in the month of June. Joel Piniero was tagged for the loss, dropping to 7-5 after allowing all 6 Cubs runs on 8 hits and 4 walks, though he did strike out 4. The Cubs jumped out to an early lead as Lance Berkman hit a 3-run double in the 1st inning. Jared Sandberg added a solo HR to make it 4-0 in the 4th and Baez hit a 2-run single in the 6th to round out the scoring. The Pirates lone run came on Karim Garcia's solo HR (#15) in the 8th.

Game 76:

Pirates 10, Cubs 2. Lately the Pirates have only been able to win when Javier Vazquez and Kerry Wood are on the hill, and this game proved no different. The Cubs sent young stud Mark Prior to the hill but he just didn't have his best stuff. The Cubs took a 1-0 lead as Todd Walker led off the bottom of the first with a solo HR. The Pirates scored 4 in the 3rd on a walk by Tom Wilson, single by Vazquez, walk by Aaron Boone and a pair of 2-run singles by Mike Sweeney and Karim Garcia. The Cubs got a run back in their half of the 3rd as Marquis Grissom hit a solo HR, but the Pirates got 2 more in the 5th when Vazquez tripled, Adam Dunn walked and Aaron Boone hit a 2-run double. A solo HR by Hank Blalock in the 6th made it 7-2 and the Pirates got 3 more in the 8th on a walk and steal by Dave Roberts, an RBI double by Tom Wilson and a PH 2-run HR by Mike O'Keefe. Javy Vazquez got the win to move to 9-3 (and win his 8th straight decision!!), allowing 2 runs on 2 hits in 7 innings while walking 4 and striking out 5. Scot Shields pitched 2 scoreless innings to close out the game.

Around the league, another NL Central team suffered a tough break when Houston SP Jeff Weaver suffered a torn back muscle; Weaver will miss the rest of the season. San Diego acquired a 4.5 star LF prospect (18 yr old Dan Dorrance, the 23rd pick in this year's ammy draft) from Detroit in return for 3B Geoff Blum. Tino Martinez will finish try to finish out his career in the place that started it all, signing a 1-year deal with the Mariners.

Game 77:

Phillies 5, Pirates 1. The Bucs travelled to Philly to face Hideo Nomo, and Nomo proved to be up to the challenge, allowing just 1 run in 8.1 innings, holding the Pirates to just 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 10. Kurt Ainsworth started for the Bucs and, in his first start back from elbow tightness, wasn't quite as sharp as he had been before going on the DL. Kurt allowed all 5 Phillies runs as they jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first 6 innings. Ainsworth walked Jason Lane to force in a run in the first, allowed an RBI fielder's choice to Nomo and 2-run double to Ramon Vazquez in the 3rd, and a sac fly RBI to Nomo in the 5th. Dave Roberts singled home a run in the 9th to get the Bucs on the board and chase Nomo, but the Pirates couldn't plate any more runners. Ainsworth's final line was ugly as he dropped to 5-5 on the year: 6 innings, 8 hits, 5 rnus, 6 walks and just 2 strikeouts.

[joncarlos]

Game 78:

Phillies 2, Pirates 1. The Bucs lost a heartbreaker in the 9th after Rafael Soriano had given them a fantastic pitching performance in a close pitchers duel. The Bucs took a 1-0 lead in the 4th when Aaron Boone singled and stole 2nd, scoring on Hank Blalock's RBI single. Soriano turned that 1-0 lead over to the bullpen after allowing 2 leadoff singles in the bottom of the 7th. Alan Embree allowed a sac bunt and then walked Ramon Vazquez. Brad Lidge was brought in. Lidge promptly walked Yorvit Torrealba to tie the game. Then in the 9th, Mike Crudale walked leadoff hitter Jason Lane and allowed a walk-off PH double by Richard Hidalgo. Soriano pitched 6 innings, allowing 5 hits and 1 run while walking just 2 and striking out 5. The Pirates record stands at 48-30, 9 games up on the 39-39 Brewers.

Game 79:

Pirates 5, Reds 0. Kerry Wood pitched a complete game shutout to lead the Bucs to victory in Cincinatti. Wood walked 3 and allowed 3 hits while striking out 7, earning a game score of 85. The Pirates took the lead for good in the first inning when Mike Sweeney doubled and scored on Aaron Boone's single. The Bucs added 3 in the 2nd as Eric Young tripled, JR House hit an RBI single, Kerry Wood singled, Adam Dunn Walked, Jack Wilson had an RBI fielder's choice and Mike Sweeney had an RBI single. House singled home Karim Garcia in the 3rd to complete the scoring. Wood moved to 11-3 with the win.

A few Pirates milestones to keep in mind: Eric Young stands at 1488 hits, Mike Sweeney at 997 hits, and Javy Vazquez and Kerry Wood both have over 900 Ks.

Game 80:

Pirates 7, Reds 6. The game saw a bench-clearing brawl as the Bucs won a see-saw battle. Cincinatti took a 1-0 lead in the first as Edgar Renteria led off the game with a HR. The Pirates tied it in the bottom of the 2nd as Hank Blalock doubled, moved to 3rd on JR House's groundout and scored on a brilliant squeeze bunt by Jack Wilson. The Reds took the lead right back in the top of the 3rd when Bobby Higginson tripled and scored, and the Pirates tied it at 2-2 in their half of the 3rd when Dave Roberts hit a solo HR. Cincinatti got the lead back again at 3-2 in the 4th as Randall Simon doubled and scored on Gerald Laird's single, but the Pirates took the lead at 4-3 in the bottom of the 4th as Frank Catalanatto doubled, Blalock doubled him home and scored on JR House's single. The Pirates made it 7-4 in the 6th when House singled, Jack Wilson reached on an error and PH Mike O'Keefe hit a 3-run HR, his 8th. The Reds got 1 back in the 7th as PH Izzy Alcantara hit a solo HR to make it 7-5. Pitcher Ricky Rincon then drilled the next batter (Renteria) and both bases cleared. Renteria and Rincon were ejected. After a fielder's choice and another HBP, Troy Glaus hit a 2-run double to make it 7-6. Luckily cooler heads prevailed, Arthur Rhodes came in and nailed down his 19th save, and the Pirates got the win. Joel Piniero moved to 8-5, pitching 6 innings and allowing 3 runs on 8 hits and 1 walk while striking out 6.

Around the league, Ruben Sierra was released and Jose Vidro (BOS) is out for the season with a ruptured MCL.

Game 81:

Pirates 7, Reds 0. The Bucs completed their sweep of Cincinatti and posted their second shutout in 3 days, though this one required multiple pitchers. The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the first when Dave Roberts walked and stole 2nd, scoring on Mike Sweeney's RBI single (hit 998). The Bucs extended their lead to 2-0 in the 3rd when Sweeney doubled (hit 999) and scored on Hank Blalock's single. The Pirates tacked on 5 in the 6th to break it open as JC Franco singled, Javy Vazquez reached on an error, Dave Roberts hit an RBI double, Catalanatto walked, Mike Sweeney hit a 2-run double (hit 1000!) and Hank Blalock hit a 2-run single. Javier Vazquez was the beneficiary of the offense, winning his 9th straight decision to move to 10-3, allowing just 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 6. Kyle Farnsworth pitched a scoreless 8th and Ricky Rincon pitched a scoreless 9th. The Pirates go into the all-star break at 51-30 on the season.

Around the league, Anaheim acquired 4-star 27 year old RP Brandon Puffer in return for 2.5-star 34 year old C Brad Ausmus.

[joncarlos]

2003 ALL-STAR GAME:

Here are the rosters from the all-star game. Teams are not included but there were 4 Pirates, 2 starting (Boone and Vazquez) and 2 reserves (Wood, Rhodes)

AL Allstars - Starting lineup, Bench, Bullpen

RF Vlad (.309-18-60)
C Pudge (.294-11-41)
3B Chavez (.315-20-63)
1B Thome (.347-30-69)
SS A-Rod (.283-26-58)
CF Matsui (.318-21-63)
LF Chipper (.311-19-61)
2B Bellhorn (.291-20-53)
P Zito (10-6, 2.32)

C M Barrett (.276-8-38)
1B Ja Giambi (.368-19-60)
3B Hinske (.287-18-52)
3B Rolen (.336-24-71)
LF LuGonzalez (.324-19-64)
CF T Hunter (.308-16-54)
RF S Green (.329-19-57)

SP M Buehrle (12-4, 2.64)
SP R Clemens (10-2, 3.24)
SP B Colon (10-4, 3.50)
SP J Contreras (12-4, 4.21)
SP R Lopez (11-7, 4.23)
SP A Pettite (10-4, 2.29)
MR Edwin Almonte (5-3, 8sv, 1.69)
MR S Williamson (2-2, 24sv, 3.47)
CL Guardado (0-2, 19sv, 1.05)

NL Allstars - Starting Lineup, Bench, Bullpen

2B Soriano (.281-15-50)
CF Bernie (.353-6-48)
RF Sosa (.314-30-66)
LF Bonds (.362-23-46)
1B Delgado (.321-30-78)
C Piazza (.251-19-53)
SS A Boone (.283-12-66) ***
3B Lowell (.338-12-53)
P J Vazquez (10-3, 2.73) ***

C Posada (.276-11-55)
1B Klesko (.321-19-69)
1B Pujols (.361-19-60)
2B L Castillo (.342-2-33-46sb)
2B Kent (.292-24-67)
CF Edmonds (.365-21-58)
CF Winn (.340-9-48)

SP Z Day (10-3, 2.07)
SP W Franklin (11-2, 3.33)
SP Lidle (10-3, 2.29)
SP Neagle (10-3, 3.13)
SP Ponson (10-5, 2.90)
SP Wood (11-3, 3.79) ***
MR Jeff Nelson (1-1, 3sv, 1.30)
MR Rick White (2-4, 19sv, 1.06)
CL A Rhodes (0-1, 19sv, 0.60) ***

And the game results:

AL Wins 10-8
W: E Almonte
L: J Nelson
S Guardado
POG: Pudge (2-3, HR, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R)

[joncarlos]

Game 82:

Giants 8, Pirates 0. The Bucs opened the second half with a resounding thud as San Francisco starter Odalis Perez needed just 107 pitches for a complete game shutout. The Bucs managed just 7 hits and 2 walks all night. The Giants knocked around Pirate SP Kerry Wood early, taking a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the 2nd as Damian Miller doubled, Alex Ochoa hit an RBI double, Odalis Perez walked, Junior Spivey hit an RBI single, Adrian Beltre had an RBI groundout and Aubrey Huff had an RBi single. San Francisco added another run in the 4th when Wood walked Huff and Jeremy Giambi, hit Magglio Ordonez and allowed a sac fly to Damian Miller. The Giants tacked on 3 more off Scot Shields in the 8th as he walked the bases loaded and allowed a 3-run double to Ordonez. Kerry Wood finished the game allowing 5 runs in 5.1 innings, surrendering 5 hits while walking 7 and striking out 7.

Around the league, Greg Colbrunn was released and the Giants dealt 2B Chone Figgins (3-star 25yrs) to the White Sox for SP Jose Valverde (3.5-star 23 yrs) and 2B Matt Moses (3-star 18yrs).

Game 83:

Pirates 4, Giants 1. Joel Piniero returned to the form he displayed early in the season as the Pirates got their first win of the 2nd half. The Bucs jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first as Frank Catalanatto singled, Adam Dunn walked and Aaron Boone hit a 3-run HR (his 13th). San Francisco got on the board in their half of the 3rd as Spivey walked, Adrian Beltre reached on an error by Piniero and Huff singled home Spivey to make it 3-1. The Bucs made it 4-1 in the 5th when Piniero reached on Spivey's error and scored on Catalanatto's RBI double. The Giants threatened in the 8th as Jeremy Giambi walked and Magglio Ordonez doubled to left, but Adam Dunn nailed Giambi at home to preserve the 4-2 lead. Arthur Rhodes struck out the side in the 9th for his 20th save. Joel Piniero moved to 9-5 on the year, allowing 1 run (0 earned) in 6.2 innings, yielding just 2 hits and 5 walks while striking out 6.

Around the league, another handful of veterans were released: Doug Glanville, Dan Plesac, Brian Lawrence and Eric Owens. Glanville still has a '5' in AVG and might catch on somewhere. Some veterans DID receive good news as Doug Mientkievicz was picked up by the Royals and Ramon Martinez was signed by the D-Backs.

Game 84:

Pirates 4, Giants 1. San Francisco sent newly acquired SP Jose Valverde against the Pirates, but Jose was outdueled by the scorching-hot Javier Vazquez. Vazquez won his 10th straight decision (11-3 overall) and his 7th PoG award this year, going 6 innings, allowing no runs, 4 walks and 3 hits while striking out 8. The Pirates built a lead for Vazquez early as Dave Roberts walked, stole 2nd (his 35th steal) and scored on Catalanatto's RBI single in the first inning. The Bucs added 2 more in the second when Hank Blalock and Mike O'Keefe drew walks and Vazquez helped his own cause with a 2-run double. Adam Dunn hit a solo HR in the top of the 3rd (his 11th) to make it 4-0. The Giants got 1 back in the 8th as Aubrey Huff hit a solo HR to make it 4-1, but Arthur Rhodes pitched a scoreless 9th for his 21st save.

Game 85:

Pirates 3, Diambondbacks 1. Remember Joe Mays? Despite a terrible ERA, he shut down the Pirates in his first start against them? (Game 44, Mays was 0-4 with an ERA over 13 at the time). This time Mays came in at 4-6 with an ERA over 6, and again he pitched well against the Pirates. This time, though, Kurt Ainsworth was better. The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on Mike Sweeney's 10th HR and the game stayed that way until the 6th inning. Arizona tied it in the top of the 6th as Placido Polanco singled and scored on Jose Valentin's double. The Pirates came right back with 2 more in the bottom of the 7th though, on a solo HR by O'Keefe (his 9th) and then a single by Kurt Ainsworth and RBI double by Dave Roberts. Arthur Rhodes pitched the 9th for his 22nd save, and 3rd in as many nights. Kurt Ainsworth pitched 7 innings to get the win and move to 6-5 on the year; Ainsworth allowed 1 run on 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 7 (game score of 74)

The Pirates record after 85 games is 54-31, 10 games up on the 2nd place Brewers who are 44-41.

[joncarlos]

Game 89:

Dodgers 7, Pirates 3. The Bucs felt confident going into the game with Javier Vazquez looking for his 11th straight win, but Vazquez was not sharp and the Dodgers ended his winning streak. LA took a 2-0 lead in the first on John Olerud's 2-run HR. The Pirates got one run back in the bottom of the first as Dave Roberts walked, stole 2nd and scored on Hank Blalock's single. LA blew the game open in the 5th as Brian Giles' RBI groundout and Ken Huckaby's 2-run double gave the Dodgers a 5-1 lead. LA added another pair of runs in the 7th as Vazquez walked pitcher Josh Fogg, allowed a single to Fernando Vina and a 2-run double to John Olerud. The Pirates got 1 run back in their half of the 7th on Frank Catalanatto's RBI double and another run in the 8th on Mike Sweeney's RBI single. Vazquez suffered the loss, allowing 7 runs (6 earned) in 7 innings, surrendering 10 hits and 1 walk while striking out 6.

The Pirates were 2nd in the MLB power rankings at 52-31. Oakland remains #1 at 54-29 and the Phillies were 3rd at 49-34.

Game 90:

Pirates 9, Dodgers 4. The Pirates rallied late to win the game, but it was too late to get the win for starter Kurt Ainsworth. LA took a 2-0 lead in the 2nd on Jose Cruz' 2-run HR and extended the lead to 3-0 on Rafael Furcal's RBI single in the 3rd inning. The Pirates got 1 run back in the 4th as JR House doubled and scored on Ainsworth's RBI single. LA attempted to extend their lead in the 5th as Huckaby doubled and Furcal singled to move him to 3rd. Kevin Orie hit a fly ball to right and Huckaby attempted to score, but Karim Garcia threw him out to hold the Dodgers' lead to 3-1. Inspired, the Pirates tied the game in their half of the 5th on four singles, JC Franco, Mike Sweeney, Aaron Boone (RBI) and Jack Wilson (RBI). The Pirates broke the game open in the 7th as Adam Dunn doubled, Jack Wilson hit an RBI single, Hank Blalock hit an RBI single, Mike Sweeney hit a run-scoring sac fly and Aaron Boone hit a 2-run double. Pittsburgh added another run in the 8th as PH Dave Roberts singled, stole 2nd and scored on Jack Wilson's single. Wilson went on to win his first player of the game award!!! Ainsworth got a no-decision, allowing 3 runs, 9 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6. Alan Embree got the win to move to 5-2, pitching a pair of hitless/scoreless innings.

Lots of transactions around the league:

Philly signed Reggie Sanders off the FA list....
San Francisco acquired 3-star OF Endy Chavez from the Yankees for 2-star 1B Lyle Overbay....
Arizona acquired 2.5-star OF Geoff Jenkins from KC for 4.5-star RP prospect Jason Sturm (22 yrs old) and 1-star 3B suspect Travis Harkey (19 yrs old)....
Veterans released: Jason Tyner, BJ Surhoff, Aaron Sele, Shane Andrews, Roberto Hernandez and Rick Reed.

[joncarlos]

Game 91:

Pirates 8, Rockies 3. The Pirates bullpen failed to hold the lead again, and again their offense saved the day with a late rally. The Rockies took an early lead in the top of the first on Carlos Delgado's 2-run HR. The Pirates scored 3 in the bottom of the 2nd when JR House hit a 2-run triple and scored on Rafael Soriano's sac fly. Soriano left after 6 with that 3-2 lead, allowing just 2 hits and a walk while striking out 4. The Pirates brought in Ricky Rincon to pitch the 7th, and he promptly allowed Colorado to tie the game on PH Tom Whiteman's RBI double. In the bottom of the 7th, though, the Pirates offense came to life. Jack Wilson singled, JR House reached on a fielder's choice, Dave Roberts reached on an error, Eric Young hit an RBI single and JC Franco hit a 3-run HR. The Pirates added another run in the 8th when Mike O'Keefe singled and scored on Jack Wilson's double. Despite the blown save, Rincon got the win to move to 2-3.

Game 92:

Pirates 3, Rockies 2. The Pirates won the final game of their series against Colorado in thrilling fashion. With Kerry Wood being skipped in the rotation to recover from arm troubles, John Patterson was called on to start for the Pirates and pitched brilliantly. The Rockies took an early 1-0 lead with 3 straight singles in the 3rd inning and made it 2-0 on Tyler Houston's RBI groundout in the 5th. That would be all they would get for the game. The Pirates got to within 2-1 when Karim Garcia doubled and moved to 3rd on a sac fly, then scored when the throw to 3rd base bounced into the dugout. The Bucs tied the game in the bottom of the 7th when JC Franco walked, moved to 3rd on Mike Sweeney's single and scored on Karim Garcia's sac fly. The Pirates won the game in the 9th as JC Franco singled, prompting the Rockies to bring in closer Trevor Hoffman, who allowed a single to Mike Sweeney and a game-winning single to Hank Blalock. Alan Embree got another win to move to 6-2 after pitching 1.1 perfect innings. John Patterson went 6 innings, allowing just 2 runs on 5 hits (no walks!) and striking out 6.

Game 93:

Pirates 3, Marlins 2. The Bucs travelled to South Florida and won another thriller in the late innings. As always, the Pirates fell behind early as Marlins pitcher Denny Stark tripled and scored on Rey Sanchez' infield single, then Fred McGriff walked and Pat Burrell hit an RBI single. Florida held that 2-0 lead until the 7th inning when Aaron Boone doubled, Adam Dunn was intentionally walked and Frank Catalanatto hit an RBI double to make it 2-1. The Bucs tied the game in the 8th when PH JC Franco was hit by a pitch, Hank Blalock reached on an error at 3B and Mike Sweeney hit an RBI single. The game went into extra innings but the Pirates struck quickly, scoring a run in the 10th as Franco and Blalock walked, Sweeney grounded into a DP and Karim Garcia hit a 2-out RBI single. Arthur Rhodes pitched the bottom of the 10th for his 24th save. Brad Lidge got the win to move to 6-0 after pitching 2 perfect innings. Pirates starter Joel Piniero when 6 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6.

Game 94:

Marlins 2, Pirates 1. The late-inning heroics that Bucs fans have become accustomed to belonged to their opponents last night. The game was a fantastic pitchers' duel between Javier Vazquez and Al Leiter as Leiter surrendered 1 run in 8 innings and Vazquez 1 run in 6 innings. The Pirates took the lead in the top of the 4th when Adam Dunn singled and scored on JR House's double, but Vazquez allowed Florida to tie the game up right away on Eli Marrero's solo HR. The game stayed tied at 1 until the 9th when the Pirates brought in Ricky Rincon, who surrendered a 1-out walkoff HR to PH Scott Hairston. Javier Vazquez pitched a great game, allowing just 6 hits and 1 walk while striking out 7.

The Pirates record stands at 60-34 after 94 games. Rumors persist that the Bucs are considering swapping RP Ricky Rincon plus a prospect for closer Eric Gagne.

[joncarlos]

Game 95:

Pirates 4, Marlins 3. Another late inning win for the Pirates as they took the finale of their series in Florida in the 11th inning. The Bucs took a 2-0 lead in the 4th on a solo HR by Mike Sweeney (#11) and RBI single by Jack Wilson, and made it a 3-0 lead in the 5th on Sweeney's RBI double. The Marlins chipped away at the lead with a run in the bottom of the 5th as Ruben Rivera walked, went to 2nd on Jason Larue's sac bunt and scored on Rey Sanchez' single. Florida made it 3-2 in the 7th when Rivera doubled, Larue sacrificed again and PH Korey DeHaan singled. The Pirates brought in ace closer Arthur Rhodes for the 9th but he was unable to do the job, surrending a game-tying double to Nomar Garciaparra. Rhodes finished out the 9th and pitched a scoreless 10th, and the Pirates got on the board in the 11th when JR House singled and scored on JC Franco's RBI double. Rhodes got the win to move to 1-1 and Brad Lidge pitched the 11th for his second save. Kurt Ainsworth got another no decision, pitching 7 strong innings, allowing 2 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4.

Game 96:

Expos 7, Pirates 1. The Pirates travelled to Montreal and their struggles against the Expos continued. Rafael Soriano struggled mightily with his control and was tagged for 5 runs in 4 innings, surrendering 6 hits and 7 walks without any strikeouts. The Expos jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on Sammy Sosa's solo HR (#35) and added 4 more in the second on a 2-run HR by Ramon Santiago, RBI double from Randy Winn and RBI single from David Ortiz. The Expos threatened again in the 4th as Mike Lowell walked and Sammy Sosa doubled, but Adam Dunn nailed Lowell at the plate. Dunn gave that run back in the 6th as he dropped Randy Winn's fly ball for a 2-base error and then threw the ball away as Winn tagged up to go to 3rd base, throwing the ball into the dugout and allowing Winn to score. The Pirates lone run came in the 8th as Aaron Boone and Hank Blalock hit back-to-back doubles. The good news for the Bucs was that RP Scot Shields worked 4 strong innings, surrendering just 1 hit and no walks while striking out 3; he did allow 2 runs but neither was earned.

Around the league, Houston acquired SP Danny Graves (29, 2.5 stars) and RP Paul Pero (19, 2 stars) from Minnesota for Matt Clement (28, 3 stars). The Yankees released prospect 1B Adrian Gonzalez (3 stars), Oakland released OF Raul Ibanez and LA released SP Miguel Batista. San Francisco acquired FIVE star SP Joe Kennedy, 24, in return for C Angel Azicri (19, 1.5 stars)

Game 97:

Pirates 5, Expos 3. Kerry Wood struggled in his first start back after missing time with a stiff shoulder, allowing all 3 Montreal runs, but the Pirates offense came through in time to get him the win. The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first as Frank Catalanatto singled and stole 2nd, scoring on Mike O'Keefe's RBI single. Montreal answered with 2 runs in the bottom of the first as Randy Winn doubled, David Ortiz hit an RBI single and Jim Rushford hit an RBI double. The Expos added another run in the 5th as Bobby Crosby's RBI double. Wood was lifted for a pinch hitter in the top of the 7th after Karim Garcia walked, and PH Eric Young hit a run-scoring double (hit #1497) to make it 3-2 Montreal. Dave Roberts hit an RBI single to tie the game, Frank Catalantto singled, Roberts and Catalanatto pulled off a double-steal, Mike Sweeney was intentionally walked and Mike O'Keefe drew a bases-loaded walk to give the Pirates a 4-3 lead. Mike Sweeney's 12th HR added an insurance run and Arthur Rhodes mowed down the Expos' toughest hitters for his 25th save, striking out Lowell, Sosa and Ortiz in order. Kerry Wood moved to 12-5 with the win, allowing 9 hits and 3 walks to go with the 3 runs he surrendered while striking out 3. Wood used 113 pitches in just 6 innings.

On an amusing note, Kerry Wood singled in the 3rd inning to extend his hitting streak to 6 games

[joncarlos]

Game 98:

Expos 9, Pirates 8. Poor pitcher management cost the Pirates this game, as Rafael Soriano escaped the 5th inning with a lead but was left in for the 6th and blew it. The Pirates regained the lead, but the bullpen blew it again.

The Pirates jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first as Mike Sweeney singled and Aaron Boone hit a 2-run HR (#14.) But Montreal got 3 back in the bottom of the first on a 2-run HR by Jeff Kent hit a 2-run HR of his own (#31!) and Michael Tucker had an RBI single to make it 3-2 after one. The Pirates scored 3 more runs in the top of the 2nd as Jack Wilson walked, Dave Roberts singled, Catalanatto walked, Mike Sweeney hit a 2-run single and Aaron Boone hit an RBI single. The Expos got one back in the 4th when PH Abraham Nunez walked and stole second, scoring on Randy Winn's double. The Pirates made it 6-4 in the 5th when Adam Dunn singled, stole second, went to 3rd on a wild pitch and scored on a brilliant squeeze bunt by Jack Wilson. Montreal made it 6-5 in the bottom of the 5th when Jim Rushford homered and took a 7-6 lead in the 6th on back-to-back RBI doubles by Omar Vizquel and Bubba Crosby. The Pirates fought back valiantly and took an 8-7 lead in the 9th as Mike Sweeney singled, JR House and Mike O'Keefe walked and Jack Wilson hit a 2-run single.

But closer Arthur Rhodes couldn't get loose and Brad Lidge was brought in to close out the game. Lidge allowed a game-tying leadoff HR to PH Mike Lowell and a double to Crosby before being pulled for Alan Embree. Embree allowed an infield single to David Ortiz and intentionally walked Tucker. PH Andres Torres singled home the winning run to give the Expos a 9-8 win.

Game 99:

Pirates 9, Phillies 1. The Bucs pounded their cross-state rivals in their return to PNC Park, scoring early and often. A sac fly by Adam Dunn and RBI double by Aaron Boone gave the Bucs a 2-0 lead after 1. Back-to-back solo HRs by O'Keefe and House gave the Bucs a 2-0 lead in the second and then Dave Roberts singled and stole second, scoring on Mike Sweeney's RBI double to make it 5-0 after 2. Roberts scored again in the 3rd on an error to make it 6-0, and the O'Keefe and House hit back-to-back HRs AGAIN to make it 8-0 in the 5th (O'Keefe's 12th and House's 4th.) The Pirates went on to win 9-1. Javier Vazquez pitched 7 scoreless innings (3 H, 2 BB, 7 K) to move to 12-4.

Around the league, Boston acquired lefty SP Eric Milton (3.5 stars) from the Cubs for a trio of prospects: RP Douglas Crum (19 yrs old, 2 stars), C Edgar Martinez (3.5 stars, 21 yrs), and 1B Brad Eldred (2.5 stars, 23 yrs).

Game 100:

Phillies 5, Pirates 3. The Pirates got behind early and couldn't come back against Phillies starter Hideo Nomo. Philadelphia took a 1-0 lead in the first as Ramon Vazquez singled, (that guy is really a Pirate killer) Alfonso Soriano singled, Trot Nixon walked and Kurt Ainsworth hit Kit Pellow with a pitch to score Vazquez. The Bucs got the lead in the bottom of the first as Dave Roberts walked and stole second, Frank Catalanatto singled and Mike O'Keefe hit a 2-run double. The Phillies took the lead for good in the top of the 3rd as Soriano doubled, Richie Sexson walked, Trot Nixon hit a 2-run double, Tom Lampkin walked and Jason Lane hit a 2-run double. The Bucs got 1 back in the 4th on Karim Garcia's solo HR (#17) but that was all they could get. Kurt Ainsworth took the loss, dropping to 6-6 after allowing 5 runs in 5 innings, yielding 5 hits and 5 walks while striking out 8.

Around the league, Omar Vizquel (MON) got his 2000th hit!!! Also Torii Hunter (OAK) will miss 5 weeks with a pulled calf muscle.

At the century mark, the Pirates are 63-37 (.630 win %) and 13 games up on 2nd place Milwaukee (50-50).

Game 101:

Phillies 6, Pirates 5. The Pirates bullpen blew another save and this time their offense couldn't bail them out. The Phillies took a 1-0 lead in the first as Will Smith singled, (love that he's playing for Philly), Ramon Vazquez singled and Richie Sexson hit a sac fly. The Pirates took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the 2nd as Adam Dunn walked, Hank Blalock hit an RBI double and Mike O'Keefe hit a 2-run HR (#13). The Phillies made it 3-2 in the 3rd when Vazquez doubled and Soriano doubled him home. It stayed that way until the Pirates made it 5-2 in the bottom of the 7th when Karim Garcia hit a pinch-hit solo HR (#18) and Dave Roberts singled, stole 2nd and scored on Mike Sweeney's RBI single. The Pirates brought in Alan Embree to start the 8th, he recorded 1 out and walked Vazquez before yielding to Kyle Farnsworth who allowed a single to Soriano and a game-tying 3-run HR to Sexson. The game was scoreless until the 12th when Will Smith singled and Soriano tripled him home for a 6-5 Phillies win. Pirate starter Rafael Soriano got a no-decision despite pitching very well (7IP, 8H, 2R, 1BB, 6K)

Around the league, Roy Oswalt (MIN) will miss 6 weeks with a torn tricep.

[joncarlos]

Game 102:

Astros 9, Pirates 0. The Pirates struggles against horrible pitching continued last night as Joacquin Benoit, coming into the game at 4-12 with a 6.88 ERA, pitched a 2 hit shutout against the Bucs. Benoit needed just 96 pitches and allowed 1 walk while striking out 5. Houston scored 3 runs in the first as Kerry Wood struggled, allowing a single to Jim Edmonds, walking Phelps and Hollandsworth to load the bases, walking Ben Davis to force in a run and allowing a 2-run single to Bret Boone. Wood allowed 3 more in the 4th as Delucci and Edmonds walked and scored on Todd Hollandsworth's 3-run HR. An RBI single by Davis in the 6th and solo HRs by Delucci in the 8th and Herbert Perry in the 9th completed the scoring. Kerry Wood got the loss, allowing 6 runs in 5.1 innings of work, surrendering just 5 hits but walking 8 while striking out 6.

Game 103:

Pirates 5, Astros 4 (17 innings). The Pirates won a wild one at PNC Park as they emptied their entire bullpen to get through this game. The scoring started early as Houston took a 1-0 lead in the first on Josh Phelps' fielder's choice. The Bucs tied it at 1 in the bottom of the first as Dave Roberts singled, stole second (#46) and scored on Mike Sweeney's RBI single. Houston took a 3-1 lead in the 3rd when Dave Delucci tripled in a run and scored on the next play when Phelps reached on Aaron Boone's error. The Pirates got one back in the 6th when Boone singled to make it 3-2. The Bucs tied the game in the bottom of the 8th when Frank Catalanatto doubled, Mike Sweeney was intentionally walked, Karim Garcia drew a walk and Aaron Boone hit a sac fly.

The game stayed 3-3 until the 10th when Houston got back-to-back doubles from Ben Davis and Perry, but the Pirates fought back valiantly to tie the game at 4 in the bottom of the 10th as Dave Roberts singled and stole second, Catalantto sacrificed him to 3rd, Sweeney was given another IBB and Garcia hit a sac fly. The 2 teams played 6 more scoreless innings before the Pirates pushed across a run in the 17th. Karim Garcia doubled, P Scot Shields was intentionally walked, and JC Franco singled home Garcia. Shields got the win to move to 1-1 on the year.

After the game, Randall Simon (CIN) was named player of the week in the NL, going 17-29 (.586) with 3 HR, 5 RBI and 8 runs. Mike Sweeney finished a very close second, finishing 16-27 (.593) with 1 HR, 6 RBI and 6 runs.

Around the league, Minnesota acquired 1.5-star RF Gene Kingsale from Toronto for 4-star RP Luis Vizcaino (28 years old), 3-star RP prospect Shaun Travis (23) and 2-star 2B prospect Jason Donald (18). Veterans released included Reggie Sanders (PHI), Ron Gant (MIN) and Jamie Moyer (HOU). The Brewers signed OF Jason Tyner to a 1-year deal as well.

[joncarlos]

Not sure if anyone is reading, but I thought I'd break up the monotony a bit with some feature articles.

Who IS this Mike O'Keefe fellow?

Mike O'Keefe joined the Pirates around game 57 of the 2003 season. Since coming over, he has displayed tremendous power and the fans are clamoring for more playing time for their new hero. Unfortunately, O'Keefe is in a logjam in the Pirates outfield, stuck between productive players (Dave Roberts, hitting .350 with 46 steals, and Karim Garcia, leading the Bucs in HRs with 17) and prospects (Adam Dunn, just 23 and a 5-star prospect, as well as JC Franco, also 23 and a 4-star prospect). The deal that brought Mike to Pittsburgh was:

To MON: P Jeff Manship, P David Aardsma, CF Jose Macias; To PIT: LF Jonny Gomes, P Andrew Miller, RF Mike O'Keefe

O'Keefe is currently hitting .275 with 13 HR and 34 RBI... at first glance, not impressive numbers for a player late in July. But O'Keefe has compiled these numbers in just 109 ABs. O'Keefe is a 25-year old rookie, rated at 3.5 blue stars. He was selected in the 34th round of the initial dispersal draft by Montreal (1002nd pick overall). His ratings are: 4 in AVG (3 vL, 5 vR) and 9 in HR (8 vL, 9 vR). Pirate fans can look forward to seeing Mike for years to come, somewhere, most likely in RF as Karim Garcia appears to be prime trade bait.

Will EY make it to 1500?

The Pirates signed Eric Young after game 17 to serve as their backup at 2B, LF, and RF. At the start of the 2003 season, Young had 1446 hits and seemed a lock for the important milestone of 1500. Eric said in May, "I don't play for the numbers, but I think that would be cool to do [1500 hits] and would be something I could look back on later in life."

After game 103, Young stands at 1497 hits and has gone hitless in his last 9 at-bats. His ratings have dropped a point, from 5 overall, 6vL and 5vR in AVG to 4 overall, 5vL and 4vR. His batting average has steadily declined since May, his averages by month are .321 in April, .361 in May, .233 in June and just .180 in July. Young will continue to play 2B against lefties as long as possible, and Pirates GM John Franco said he would "really love to see EY get 1500 as a Pirate" - the question is, does Young have enough left in the tank to make it to the finish line?

League Recap

Just to let you know what's going on around the league.

AL East: Tampa Bay in first at 60-43, Boston in second, 2 GB
AL Central: Detroit in first at 55-48, Minnesota in second, 2 GB
AL West: Oakland in first at 62-41, Seattle in second, 6 GB

NL East: Montreal/Philly in first at 60-43, Florida in second, 3 GB
NL Central: Pirates in first at 64-39, Milwaukee in second, 13 GB
NL West: LA in first at 59-44, San Francisco in second, 7 GB

League Leaders:

Batting AVG: Jason Giambi (CLE, .347) and Albert Pujols (AZ, .361)
Home Runs: ARod (NYY, 36) and Sammy Sosa (39, MON)
RBI: Scott Rolen (NYY, 89) and Sosa (MON), Delgado (COL) and Brian Giles (LA) all with 90
Runs: Derek Jeter (SEA, 81) and Delgado (COL) 107

ERA: Pedro (TOR, 2.11) and Maddux (SD, 2.05)
Wins: Derek Lowe (TB), Colon (SEA) and Rodrigo Lopez (BOS) all with 14 and Wayne Franklin (PHI) with 13
Strikeouts: Pedro (TOR, 255) and Randy Johnson (STL, 205)
Saves: Scott Williamson (CHW, 29) and Arthur Rhodes (PIT, 25)

[joncarlos]

Game 104:

Astros 5, Pirates 2. Houston took 2 of 3 from the Bucs in Pittsburgh, winning the rubber match on the shoulders of Aaron Cook. Cook pitched 7.2 strong innings (6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K) and the Astros beat up on Pirate starter Javier Vazquez (6.1 IP, 13 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 6 K) early in the game. The Bucs took a 1-0 lead in the first as Frank Catalanatto walked and scored on Karim Garcia's triple. Houston tied the game at 1 in the 2nd on Jason Smith's sac fly and broek the game open in the 4th as Ben Davis, Aaron Boone and Michael Bourne singled to load the bases. Jason Smith hit a 2-run single, Bourne stole 3rd and scored when JR House's throw sailed into left field, and Chase Utley hit an RBI single to make it 5-1. The Pirates got one back in the 5th as Dave Roberts singled, stole second and scored on Catalanatto's single, but that 5-2 score would be the final. John Smoltz finished the game for Houston, notching his 23rd save.

Game 105:

Brewers 5, Pirates 2 (11 innings). It seems like heartbreaking things always happen for one team or another when Kurt Ainsworth pitches for the Bucs. This time, Pittsburgh rallied from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game, but the Bucs couldn't score any more runs and lost in 11 innings. Ainsworth started the game with 3.1 no-hit innings, but Raffy Palmiero's solo HR in the 4th ended the no-no and made it 1-0 Milwaukee. The Brewers added another run in the 6th as P Justin Miller singled, Luis Castillo sacrificed him to second, Shannon Stewart moved him to 3rd with a 4-3 groundout, Ainsworth walked Palmiero and Mark Texeira hit an RBI single. The Pirates tied the game in the 7th when Karim Garcia singled and Adam Dunn hit a 2-run HR (his 12th) but the game remained tied at 2 until the bottom of the 11th when RP Alan Embree allowed a single to Andruw Jones, hit Josh Hamilton with a pitch and allowed Alex Beattie to get his first major league hit in the form of a walk-off 3-run HR. Embree dropped to 6-3 with the loss. Kurt Ainsworth got a no-decision despite pitching very well (7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 K).

Pirates acquire Gagne, prospects for 2 relievers

After the game, the Pirates confirmed the controversial trade rumor that had been swirling for weeks. Relievers Kyle Farnsworth and Ricardo Rincon were dealt to Baltimore for closer Eric Gagne and two prospects. Farnsworth, just 27, had been 1-1 with a 3.16 ERA and was rated at 3 stars. Rincon, 33, had been 2-4 with a 4.63 ERA and was rated at 4.5 stars.

Gagne, 27 and rated at 4.5 stars, was 5-4 with 22 saves for the O's. The Pirates also acquired a pair of prospects: SP Kelvin Jiminez (age 22, 3.5 stars) and RP Richard Fuentes (age 18, 3 stars).

The Bucs will call up 23-year old RP David Sanders to their major league squad. Sanders is a 3.5-star lefty with a rating of 5 in avoiding runs, 7 in hits, 6 in HR, 4 in walks and 6 in Ks. Gagne will work as a setup man to closer Arthur Rhodes for the remainder of the 2003 season and GM John Franco said he "expects no closer controversy." Whether that will happen remains to be seen. Gagne, set to be a free agent after this season, signed a 1-year extension with the Pirates for just over 4 million dollars.

League Trades:

With the trade deadline rapidly appraching, several MLB teams made moves to tweak their rosters, either for a run at the post-season or with an eye towards the future.

To SEA: 3-star CF Preston Wilson; To MIN: 2.5-star 1B Paul Konerko.

To ANA: 3-star SP Jason Schmidt; To COL: 3-star C Brian Schneider

To CIN: 2.5-star CF Juan Encarnacion; To NYM: SP prospect Brian Stokes (4-stars, 23 yo) and a pair of 2-star prospects

To ANA: 2.5-star SS Alex S. Gonzalez; To StL: 1B prospect Dustin Yount (4-stars, 20 yo)

To MIN: 3.5-star 3B Travis Chapman; To FLA: LF Denard Span (3-star 19 yo) and CF Bill McCarthy (3.5-star 23yo)

To MIN: LF Jason Hart (4-star, 25yo); To SEA: C prospect Guillermo Quinz (4-star 21yo) and SP prospect Richie Lentz (3.5-star 19yo)

To MIN: RP Cliff Politte (3.5-star, 29yo); To OAK: RP Jason Botts (3-star 23yo) and SP prospect JD Durbin (2star 21yo)

No, I have no idea why every other trade seems to involve Minnesota

[joncarlos]

Game 106

Pirates 5, Brewers 3. The Bucs rallied late to defeat the Brewers after Milwaukee starter

Jason Johnson limited them to just 1 run in 7 innings. The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the

top of the first on a solo HR by Mike Sweeney (his 13th) and held that lead until the

bottom of the 6th. Bucs starter Rafael Soriano tired and allowed a single and stolen base

to Shannon Stewart, then an RBI single to Rafael Palmiero. The next batter, Andruw Jones,

hit a 2-run bomb to give Milwaukee a 3-1 lead. The Pirates rallied in the top of the 8th

as Dave Roberts singled, Mike Sweeney was intentionally walked, and Aaron Boone hit a 3-

run HR (his 15th) for a 4-3 lead. The Bucs added an insurance run as Karim Garcia walked,

Eric Young was hit by a pitch, JR House walked and PH JC Franco drew a bases-loaded walk.

Pirate starter Rafael Soriano worked 6 innings, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks

while striking out just 1. Scot Shields got the win after working a scoreless 7th to

improve to 2-0. Eric Gagne pitched a scoreless 8th and Arthur Rhodes struck out the side

in the 9th for his 26th save.

Game 107

Pirates 7, Brewers 4. The final score belies exactly how exciting this game was. The game

was scoreles through 3 and Kerry Wood took a no hitter into the 4th. Then Brewers took a

2-0 lead when Luis Castillo walked, stole 2nd and scored when Raffy Palmiero broke up the

no-no with an RBI single. Wood then induced Andruw Jones to ground into a fielder's choice

but Josh Hamilton walked and Andy Beattie singled to make it 2-0. The Pirates took the

lead right away in the top of the 5th as Dave Roberts doubled, Catalantto was HBP and

Aaron Boone hit a 3-run HR (his 16th) for a 3-2 lead. The Bucs added 2 more runs in the 6

th as JR House walked, Roberts singled, both moved up on a passed ball and scored on

Catalanatto's 2-run single. Milwaukee made it 5-3 in the bottom of the 6th when Wood

walked Palmiero and gave up a triple to Andruw Jones. With a runner on 3rd and no outs,

Wood struck out the side to keep the score 5-3. In the bottom of the 7th the Pirates

brought in rookie RP David Sanders for his first game. Sanders was nervous as he allowed a

single to Jeff Davannon who moved to 2nd on Castillo's groundout and scored on Shannon

Stewart's RBI single. Sanders allowed a single to Palmiero and Brad Lidge was brought in

to close out the 7th. Lidge struck out Andruw Jones to keep the game at 5-4. In the 8th,

Lidge allowed a double to Beattie and a walk to Mark Texeira before yielding to Alan

Embree. Embree allowed a single to Johnny Estrada but Karim Garcia nailed Beattie at home

to preserve the 5-4 lead. The Bucs finally got some breathing room in the 9th when Adam

Dunn singled and Blalock hit a 2-run HR (his 6th). Arthur Rhodes pitched a 1-2-3 9th for

his 27th save. Kerry Wood got the win to move to 13-6 on the year; Wood allowed 3 runs in

6 innings, surrendering 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6.

Around the league, Randy Wolf (COL) pitched the first no-hitter of the season in LA

against the Dodgers. Wolf alowed 5 walks and struck out 7.

Contract Extensions

Apparently August 1 is an important day for the computer in terms of contract extensions,

as about 50-60 of them were signed after game 107. Here are some of the highlights:

David Bell - 3 years @ 1.44 mil per season (BAL)
Eric Milton - 3 years @ 5.17 mil (BOS)
Larry Walker - 4 years @ 6.14 mil (CHW)
Doug Mientkievicz - 3 years @ 3.52 mil (KC)
Preston Wilson - 3 years @ 4.275 mil (SEA)
Corey Koskie - 3 years @ 2.76 mil (SEA)
Mark Bellhorn - 3 years @ 4.13 mil (TEX)
Tim Wakefield - 3 years @ 2.69 mil (TEX)

Bernie Williams - 3 years @ 7.60 mil (ATL)
Brad Radke - 3 years @ 4.98 mil (ATL)
Russ Ortiz - 3 years @ 3.93 mil (MON)
Mike Lowell - 3 years @ 4.1 mil (MON)
David Ortiz - 3 years @ 1.097 mil (MON)
Bob Wickman - 4 years @ 2.597 mil (MON)
Aramis Ramirez - 3 years @ 617k (PHI)
Randy Johnson - 2 years @ 7.16 mil (StL)

I've got 4 more games played that I'll try to write up today as well

[joncarlos]

Eeek, sorry about the double spacing up there ^^^ I was writing in notepad since my internet access was uncooperative.

Game 108:

Pirates 7, Cardinals 0. The Pirates travelled to St. Louis and got an impressive performance from starter Joel Piniero as well as their bullpen. Piniero pitched 6.1 scoreless innings, allowing 4 hits and 3 walks to move to 10-5 on the year. Alan Embree and Mike Crudale each worked 1.1 scoreless innings to close out the game. The game was scoreless through 4 and close most of the way as Eric Young doubled in the 5th (hit #1498) and scored on Tom Wilson's 2-run HR. In the 6th Mike Sweeney singled and scored on Catalanatto's double, and in the 8th Adam Dunn singled and scored on Sweeney's single to make it 4-0. The Pirates added 3 in the 9th as Tom Wilson, Dave Roberts and Dunn all walked and JC Franco hit a 3-run double.

The Pirates ranked 2nd in the league's latest power rankings with a record of 64-39. Philly (60-43) was first and Boston (58-45) was 3rd.

Game 109:

Pirates 12, Cardinals 3. The Pirates offense came through in a big way and Javier Vazquez posted another excellent start to get the win. Vazquez worked 6 innings, surrendering 1 run in 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7; the win improves his record to 13-5. Rookie RP David Sanders worked the final 3 innings, surrendering a pair of runs in the 7th but settling down nicely in the 8th and 9th. His final line: 3 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 2 R, 0 K.

The Pirates took a 2-0 lead in the first as Adam Dunn and JC Franco hit back-to-back doubles and Franco scored when Sweeney and Boone hit back-to-back ground balls. St. Louis got an RBI groundout from Rich Aurilia in the bottom of the first to make it 2-1, but the Bucs struck back with 4 in the 3rd. Franco singled, Sweeney doubled, Karim Garcia hit a 2-run double and Hank Blalock hit a 2-run HR (his 7th) to make it 6-1. Eric Young singled (hit #1499) but was stranded. In the top of the 6th, things got out of hand for the Cardinals as Tom Wilson walked, Javier Vazquez hit a 2-run HR (1st of his career), Adam Dunn walked, JC Franco hit a 2-run HR (his 7th), Aaron Boone singled and Karim Garcia hit a 2-run HR (his 19th).

Game 110:

Cardinals 3, Pirates 1. After scoring 19 runs in their first 2 games in St. Louis, the Pirates were apparently a little too tired to put an effort into the series finale. The Bucs took a 1-0 lead in the 3rd when JR House hit a mammoth solo HR (his 5th, it travelled 441 feet) but that was all the offense they could generate. Pirate SP Kurt Ainsworth started the game with 5 scoreless innings but allowed the Cards to tie the game in the 6th when Rich Aurilia hit a solo HR. Ainsworth came in to pitch the 7th and promptly gave up a single to Mike Lamb and a 2-run HR to Jermaine Dye to give the Cards all the runs they would need. Cardinal SP Jon Rauch finished with 7 innings of 1-run baseball, yielding just 4 hits and a walk while striking out 3. Ainsworth dropped to 6-7 with the loss, allowing 3 runs in 7 innings (8 H, 2 BB, an impressive 9 Ks)