Pirates Acquire Lee and Ludwick

To help the Pirates chances for the second half of the season Dereck Lee and Ryan Ludwick were acquired to take an outfield spot and first base. We will see what they can do to help the Pirates challenge for their division crown.

Tough losses

Paul Maholm knows all about them, but the team hasn't had any more disappointing losses than the last 2 against the Braves. The team fought valiantly again last night only to lose in the 10th inning. The silver lining in this is that the Pirates continue their dominant pitching. Maholm again pitched a great game and again there was little offense to back him up. He dueled with Jair Jurjjens for most of the game, but the Braves came up with the big run when it was needed.

Where is that deal that will help the Pirates O Mr. Huntington?

Where is the Pirates Offense

If Clint Hurdle needed to make a case to Neal Huntington to add a player to the team this year to improve the Pittsburgh Pirates chances in the second half this season all he would need is 3 DVDs.

What would those DVDs contain? They would contain the offensive highlights/lowlights from each of the 3 games against the Cincinnati Reds. I may be mistaken but the closest the Pirates came to a home run in the series was Andrew McCutcheon's double off the wall in yesterday's game.

Clint has done an great job in taking this offense and managing to score runs and obviously win games, but they are sorely lacking power. I hear you out there saying tell us something we don't know. What can the Pirates do? I think they need to trade Lyle Overbay back to his former team in Milwaukee for Prince Fielder. Just kidding. I would not want another slow first baseman who is going to get cut down at home in a big playoff game. It doesn't matter how many home runs he hits, Fielder is huge and he's going to break down sooner rather than later. Not to mention the Brewers will not trade him while they're in the playoff chase and to another team in their division.

What else can they do? They have a glut of outfielders who are all ok, but except for Cutch, none have an extremely high ceiling. The first tier is Andrew McCutcheon and Jose Tabata. Tabata has not proven anything as of yet, but his potential talent ceiling is slightly lower than McCutcheon's. Andrew's proving his talent, Tabata has a way to go. So hang onto those two.

From there it's just a mishmash. The next outfielder who has shown some flashes is Alex Presley. He is lightning in a bottle right now. Starting off his major league career he has been a very good leadoff hitter and has hit for a high average. The home runs don't look like they are in his future. He's a contact hitter and an aggressive baserunner. That has really helped the Pirates out to this point in his brief stop in the Major Leagues. But, we've seen many many outfielders start out just this same way and fizzle after their first year. Where are you Tike Redman?

The rest are Garrett Jones, Xavier Nady.. I mean Paul. By the way, do the Pirates just like guys named Xavier, or what's the story with that. What are the chances they'd get two Xaviers within 5 years. Matt Diaz and Steve Pearce round out the rest of the outfielders.

The ideal option would be to pick up a proven player such as Andre Ethier in Los Angeles, Hunter Pence from the Astros, or Carlos Beltran from the Mets. If the Pirates could get one of or a combination of these guys for Jones, Diaz, Pearce, Presley, Paul that would be fantastic. The only prospect out of that crew is Presley though. The other guys have shown what they have and probably wouldn't tempt anyone to trade for them. Presley is at the height of his value as a prospect right now though. As I said, he is hitting well, played good defense and has been a spark plug getting things started.

The Buzz has heard the rumors circulating that the Mets are willing to give up Carlos Beltran for little to nothing, and pay part of his remaining salary too. There was a definite hesitancy about that with me because of the perceived lack of production from him. Once I dug into his stats though, I was quite surprised. He is hitting .290 this year with 15 home runs. You can look at his some of his other stats to see he is still performing very well, especially the .911 OPS (On base plus slugging).

The other 2 guys are younger than Beltran, but the Pirates have another guy in the pipeline that appears to have all the tools and will probably be in Pittsburgh next year in Starling Marte. Because the Pirates are in the race this year renting a Beltran would be a perfect fit. Take Beltran for the rest of this year, hopefully he'll add some punch to the offense, then get Marte into the fold next year. If he's not ready at the beginning of the year you've still got plenty of outfielders to hold down the fort til he arrives.

By the way just looking at Ethier and Pence's stats. Ethier's hitting .299 with 9 HRs, 44 RBIs and a .817 OPS. Pence is hitting .316 with 11 HRs, 61 RBIs and a .845 OPS.

I like Beltran's 15 Home Runs compared to the other 2. I think the Astros and the Dodgers would want a lot more in return for their players than the Mets for Beltran though.

So, where is the Pirates Offense? Maybe it is in New York, Houston, or Los Angeles. We will see.

Pirates regain top spot in NL Central

Chase D'Arnaud makes a big play behind second.

Thanks to Charlie Morton, some very good defensive plays, and timely hitting the Pittsburgh Pirates are now in first place. They outlasted 2 rain delays to make this one happen and it was worth the wait. Morton struggled through the first two innings but regrouped to combine with Tony Watson, Daniel McCutcheon, and Joel Hanrahan for the shutout.

Pirates half game back

Kevin Correia, the RBI man, stands at 2nd base after a two run double.

The Pirates are half a game back after taking 2 of 3 from the Astros in Houston. Kevin Correia made his second half preview, and after a shaky start settled down and kept the Pirates within striking distance. Correia also helped out with two RBIs on the offensive side. Neil Walker continued his hot streak and the Pirates moved back to within half a game of first.

Thome hits Home Run number 596

I'm not a Twins fan whatsoever, but Jim Thome is a player that I like to keep track of. He is a professional in all aspects of the word and he is just plain good. So, I was watching this clip of him jacking a big time home run to the upper deck of the Twins stadium in Minnesota. It was pretty awesome and to back me up check out the guy on deck's expression as Thome caught hold of all of this one. Fill in your own bubble of what he's saying. The clean version from me is Holy Cow!

Tryout

I've been doing some scouting lately and I think I may have found a prospect. The only problem is the prospect is a she.

If you've been watching the FIFA Women's World Cup, you've seen Abby Wambach come up with the big scores the U.S. needed in critical situations to win the last 2 games. One of her teammates said that it was amazing how she goes after so many balls and is always in the right place to make the big play. That's not why I'm thinking she could be a good prospect as an athlete type. You know sometimes teams draft players based on their athletic ability alone with hopes they'll adjust and be so athletic that they'll learn the sport quickly and their ability will carry them.

The reason I'm thinking Abby Wambach would be a good prospect is that every clip I've seen of her big plays, she does a patented slide after and it's not a sloppy slide that you see in the majors at times. Her form is perfect, just the way you were taught from the very beginning in little league. Her athletic ability ought to help her with the rest of the sport. But she has the slide down and how hard could it be to get the rest. She's a winner and every championship team needs a winner. The Pirates have definitely lacked that one person that's been able to win at all costs.

The one problem I forsee is being able to clear a roster spot for her. There are quite a few prospects on the Pirates now and I wouldn't want to lose any of them, even for such a talent as Abby Wambach. Oh well, she has one more game to go anyway and she probably wouldn't want to leave for Bradenton to begin her training until after. So, we'll see if the Pirates can lure her away from Soccer.

Multiple All Stars

Wow!
It has been so long since the Pirates have produced a team with multiple All Stars. The Buzz has to use the way back machine to go all the way back to 2009. What? 2009. That can't be right. The Pirates were horrible in 2009. But, the recollection is short when it comes to anything positive about the Pirates because of that long negative string of below .500 seasons. In 2009, though, Zach Duke and Freddy Sanchez were All Stars representing the Pirates. In 2006 it was the Freddy and Jason show, with Mr. Sanchez and Mr. Bay being named as All Stars.

Really?
It is really necessary to dust off the way back machine, though, to find the last time 2 Pirates started in the All Star game. Back in 1992, Mr. Bonds, and Andy Van Slyke both appeared in the outfield in the first inning of that All Star game. In 1990 and 1988 the Pirates had 3 players on the roster.

Who cares about those other guys.
I'm going to pretend that a lot of players didn't drop out and help 3 of our Buccos get on the roster for this game. Why should I pretend? Because I think these 3 guys really deserve to represent the National League in this game and will hopefully help the NLers knock off the ALers to continue the 1 game win streak. The A.L. had dominated up until last year, and I guess you could say they are still dominating. 1 win out of 10 games doesn't really instill confidence that the NL will start their own streak. But, maybe it is just in time for the NL to start their winning streak and give the NL home field advantage in the World Series. With the Pirates looking like they may have the talent for a run that is.

The Selig Rule.
Remember the Selig rule? The other non-loss the NL had in its previous 10 games was the tie when the commissioner decided to end the game all knotted up because there weren't enough players to continue. The next year the Commish decided, in his infinite wisdom, to make the All Star game more meaningful by making it the deciding factor in home field advantage. Doesn't really seem like it motivated the N.L. too much.

But, All that history doesn't make a difference to me, and like I said, I'm going to pretend that those other players injuries and decisions not to play really didn't matter in the decision of the All Star rosters. These 3 Pirates that are to be included in the game are all deserving of a spot.

The 2011 - 3
Joel Hanrahan, the first Pirate to be named was Joel Hanrahan, the Pirates closer. He has been a rock for the Pirates in the 9th inning and is a perfect 26 for 26 in save chances this year. I'm sure everyone realizes how important it is to have a reliable closer. If you don't, check out what the Reds Francisco Cordero has done in his last 4 chances. 3 of those appearances resulted in Ls for the Reds.

Andrew McCutcheon
Then, midway through a game against the Cubs the crowd started cheering and if you looked up to the jumbotron you would see why. The big screen operator found out before McCutcheon, it appeared, that he would be on the roster. Hanrahan definitely deserved a roster spot for his unbelievable performance in the first half, but Andrew McCutcheon was just as deserving. He started slowly and in the last few months has been revving up to full speed culminating in a 5 RBI night the other night, including a Home Run. He has shown everything that the Pirates and fans have expected him to do and it has been a treat. Clint Hurdle even threw Bruce Bochy under the bus saying he whiffed in not picking McCutcheon. Apparently Hurdle and Bochy have mended their fences and made up though.

Kevin Correia
The 3rd Pirate to make the team was the pitcher that has led the way from the start and helped the Pirates to get off to an awesome start on the road, where he won a majority of his games. Kevin Correia has 2 more wins at the All Star break than the winningest Pirate Pitcher had all last year. That was Correia's fellow starter, Paul Maholm. Maholm has turned his fortunes around and if he would have received 3 or 4 runs of support in his games the Pirates could have 4 players in this game. Or, if you really want to be a homer you could say 5 players, because Neil Walker has produced some very good numbers in the first half.

It is a great story and one that is sure to continue after the All Star game if these 3 players have anything to do with it. The Pittsburgh Pirates trio of Joel Hanrahan, Andrew McCutcheon, and Kevin Correia have played some outstanding baseball in the first half of the season and as the young players on the team continue to mature and more of their prospects arrive this could be the year to end the streak and to start a positive streak that could keep Pittsburgh Pirates fans happy for several years to come.

1 Back at the All Star Break

Andrew McCutcheon is congratulated at home plate after his 3 run HR.

The Pirates have reached the All Star Break and something is a little different from the last couple decades worth of seasons. The Pirates are over .500 and they are competing for the lead in the National League Central.

The pitching has been outstanding and the offense has been enough to win. On Sunday Paul Maholm pitched a great game and Andrew McCutcheon put on an All Star show with 5 RBI's to show why he was named to the All Star team.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the second half of the season will bring. Hopefully more of the same winning ways.

Could It Be

I know the season is a little over halfway done and we shouldn't be buying playoff tickets yet, but what Pittsburgh Pirate fan is not brimming with enthusiasm when talking about their buccos right now. Going into the game tonight the Pirates were 1 game out of first place. They were looking up in the standings to St. Louis and Milwaukee. Well, thanks to a Michael McKenry and a 4 run 8th inning the Pirates may be looking eye to eye at the Brewers and Cards. At the time of this article the Pirates have won and the Cardinals and Brewers are losing.

Awesome! Go Buccos!

Update:
The Brewers rallied late in their game and pulled out the win, but the Cards helped the Pirates cause and lost. The Pirates remain one game out before the all star break.

A bad inning

The Pirates 6th inning was as dismal as the Civic Arena future. Charlie Morton pitched 5 scoreless innings and then came the 6th. The Astros scored 5 runs in the 6th to end the game and the Pirates win streak. In that 6th inning the sinker that Charlie had found this year did not sink and the velocity didn't seem to be there. This raises questions about Morton's health. Of course, he and the Pirates both say he is fine and his arm feels good, but comparing his last several outings to his early success raises some red flags.

The All Star break will give him some more time to rest the arm, but the Pirates will need a healthy Morton to continue the success they've had this year. I'm hoping the Pirates future looks a lot brighter than the Civic Arena future.

Karstens picks up number 7

Thanks to a homer from Brandon Wood, Jeff Karstens picked up win, number 7. Not bad for someone who was supposed to be in the bullpen this year.

Casey Anthony Found Not Guilty

No, you're not in the wrong place. I opened my email and every media outlet had the same headline yesterday so I thought I'd join the crowd. I will not write about that situation though, other than to say our legal system has failed and it is a shame.

Now, onto the 2nd place Pittsburgh Pirates. That's right, second place Pittsburgh Pirates. They are a game and a half behind the Cards and playing well. Brandon Wood homered yesterday and now is pulling away from Pedro Alvarez in that category. He has 4 which is more than we expected he would contribute at the beginning of the season, because he was with the Angels.

With the All Star break bearing down this is finally a year that Pirates would rather just keep playing than take a break. They are on a hot streak right now and don't want anything to cool them down.

The All Star break will give the Pirates a chance to rest their pitching arms and give the players on the DL some time to get healthy and get back in the lineup. The Pirates are in second Place, has a nice ring to it, almost as nice as the Pirates are in first place.