Articles from Raise the Jolly Roger!

GameDay #15 at Dodgers
2008-04-16 15:48:00
Pirates (7-7) at Dodgers (6-8)10:10, Dodger Stadium, Los AngelesPaul Maholm (0-1, 4.35) vs. Brad Penny (1-2, 3.86)[Fox GameTrax]For anyone wondering, I switched to Fox GameTrax because it's a little more convenient and is one, updating page that gives relevant info before, during, and after the game. The MLB link doesn't come up until right before game time. If you want to follow the game live on the internet, MLB.com or ESPN.com is the way to go.Time for a little fella we haven't brought out since the third game of the year: [rubberducks.org]Yep, it's rubber match time. Amazing this is only our second one of the season. Hopefully the Pirates can come out on top and continue to hover above the .500 mark, rather than constantly try and climb back up to it.We'll have Paul Maholm on the hill tonight. His first start was great for a while before an error led to a grand slam, but he still racked up a career high in K's. Maholm was stellar in shutting out the Reds for 5.1 innings ...

Game 14 Recap--Pirates 2 Dodgers 11
2008-04-16 14:56:00
[Pirates.com Wrapup]Yeah, as the score indicates, this was an ugly game.Matt Morris is officially killing us in two ways. We always knew we were paying the guy too much (thanks, Littlefield) but (at least some) fans hoped or thought that he would be a mediocre, back-end of the rotation guy who can usually keep the game somewhat close.0-2 with a 7.02 ERA doesn't exactly fit that description.The Bucs' winning streak is snapped at 4 and their record drops to .500 at 7-7. Wait a sec, we're complaining about being .500? It could be worse, people.Kuo was strange in this game. He gave up a leadoff hit to McLouth (who has a hitting streak spanning all 14 games this year) and got 2 quick outs. Then he walked Bay, Nady, and Paulino to force in a run. Bautista struck out. For the next three innings, he was lights-out. Loaiza came in to pitch the last 5. The Dodger bullpen dodged a serious bullet (no pun intended).Jesse gets his second correct prediction in a row. He also correctly guessed ...

GameDay #14 at Dodgers
2008-04-15 17:34:00
Pirates (7-6) at Dodgers (5-8)10:10--Dodger Stadium, Los AngelesMatt Morris (0-1, 5.25) vs. Hong-Chih Kuo (0-0, 0.00)[MLB.com GameDay]I'll add in my thoughts, but first, here's Jesse:Before we look at Game 2 of the series, let's see how my predictions went. And YES I DID stay up to watch the game. My breakout pick (Jose Bautista) was 2/4 with a homer. DeWitt did not do much, but did have an RBI single. Also, Freddy did go 3/5 (three hits like I said). I apologize for telling you that the Bucs would win 7-3; they still won, but it was 6-4.---------------Now let's look at Game 2. The pitching match-up is Matt Morris against Hong-Chih Kuo, who has not started a game yet this year. I do not know much about this guy, except for that he replaced Esteban Loaiza in the rotation and he does not seem to be very good as I look at his stats (although he hasn't given up a run this year in 6.2 innings of relief).Morris has struggled this year with his command. I doubt he will recover against th ...

Game 13 Recap--Pirates 6 Dodgers 4
2008-04-15 14:57:00
[Pirates.com Wrapup]YEAH!!!That was my reaction when I woke up this morning and heard the ESPN Radio 10-second summary of this game, because no, I'm not crazy enough to stay up till 1:30 AM to watch the Bucs when I have to get up at 6:00. But you can bet I was fired up when I heard what happened.Zach Duke did what he's done all three starts this year: bend without breaking. He gave up 3 runs on 8 hits in 6 innings. The alarming part: No K's. The good part: he kept the Pirates in the game. If Duke can keep this up the Pirates' rotation all of a sudden looks really promising.Jose Bautista (as Jesse correctly predicted) drilled his first homer of the year to give Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead. An ugly inning that included a balk and passed ball gave the Dodgers one back. They would scratch another out to tie it, but Nady came through in the clutch for the 637th time this year, doubling to give the Pirates the lead. Duke would allow two more (one earned) in the next inning, exiting with t ...

Gameday #13 at Dodgers
2008-04-14 14:01:00
Pirates (6-6) at Dodgers (5-7)10:10--Dodger Stadium, Los AngelesZach Duke (0-0, 2.13) vs. Hiroki Kuroda (1-1, 2.13)[MLB.com GameDay]-------------------------Jesse handles the preview for this one:-The Pirates' confidence is overwhelming coming into this series. They've been getting good starting pitching, are hitting the crap out of the ball, and are finishing games strong in the 'pen. With 2 very good starts already, Zach Duke is very anxious to make his third, which is good to hear. We are going to need all the confidence we can get against this strong Dodgers line-up--despite Los Angeles' recent struggles at the plate. They are not going to hit the long ball very often with this squad, but they will get on base and steal like crazy. Both Ryan Doumit and Ronny Paulino's ability to throw baserunners out could be crucial if they get the chance. Freddy has to get out of his slump in order for the Pirates to succeed in this series. We cannot keep relying on Jason Bay, Ryan Doumit, a ...

Game 12 Recap--Pirates 9 Reds 1
2008-04-13 19:15:00
[Pirates.com Wrapup]--------------------Lots and lots of positives coming out of this one. First things first: We won. Next:SWEEP!--Ok, in all seriousness, this was a key win for the Pirates. They are back to .500 at 6-6. They roughed up rookie stud Johnny Cueto for the first time in his career. Ryan Doumit greeted him with a bomb, and Xavier Nady (my vote for MVP if the season ended today) chipped in with yet another. Once Cueto departed, Bay jacked his 3rd homer, all of those coming this homestand. Quickly a close 2-0 game had become 9-1. All this without Freddy and LaRoche (well, maybe that helped). -Tom Gorzelanny pitched today without good stuff at all. All he had was a mid 80's fastball and mediocre movement, but his location was so good the Reds could not hit the ball hard. Gorzo ended up walking 4 and K'ing only 1 but only gave up 1 run while pitching into the 7th. Good to see; despite the velocity issues, it was his best start so far.-Nate McLouth is still red-hot ...

Gameday#12 vs. Reds
2008-04-13 08:46:00
Reds (6-6) at Pirates (5-6)1:35--PNC Park, PittsburghJohnny Cueto (1-0, 2.03) vs. Tom Gorzelanny (0-1, 10.80)[MLB.com GameDay]--------------------------------The Bucs look to bring out the brooms today to leave Pittsburgh back at .500. It will be difficult.-Tom Gorzelanny needs to rebound after REALLY exploding in the home opener. He'll have to do so against young Reds phenom Johnny Cueto, who has been excellent this season. [ESPN]---------It's the first Sunday game at PNC this year. They're giving out a kids Jason Bay shirt. --Will we have our first real (non-home opener) crowd of the year? Unlikely. It's 42 degrees outside right now. Attendance has been absolutely pathetic this year so far, even for the Pirates.--We can leapfrog the Reds in the standings with a win today.--The Pirates head to Los Angeles and Chicago after today (two tough series) so a win today would be nice.--The Parrot gets some national love:[Deadspin]---------The game is on TV (again!) today at 1:35. G ...

Game 11 Recap--Pirates 4 Reds 3
2008-04-13 08:31:00
[Pirates.com Wrapup]Just a solid win.Ian Snell takes the ball into the 7th inning. Pitches well--not awesome, not bad. About what you'd expect from Ian in a tight game like this one.The Pirate offense and bullpen would do just enough to get the job done.Super-clutch hitting from--once again--Xavier Nady and Nate McLouth (a key RBI each). The other 2 came from Ronny Paulino, who actually looked pretty comfortable at the plate today, going with pitches and driving them the other way. Shockingly, he also managed to hang on to a throw home from the outfield (Nady) to tag out Corey Patterson in the first inning.Doug Mientkiewicz made his first career start at 3rd and looked fine there. I'll take him there over Bautista any day.Great use of the bullpen by John Russell. Each reliever came in and took care of his business, then exited so the next could do the same. Marte and Yates each got an out to finish the 7th Snell had started, then Grabow and Capps tossed two solid innings to fi ...

Gameday #11 vs. Reds
2008-04-12 16:42:00
Reds (6-5) at Pirates (4-6)7:05--PNC Park, PittsburghBronson Arroyo (0-1, 5.91) vs. Ian Snell (1-0, 3.75)[MLB.com GameDay]----------------------------------The Pirates look to take control of a key series with their stud, Ian Snell on the hill tonight.--It's Fleece Blanket Night at the park. Hopefully that will bring in a few more than the bobblehead did last night.--Arroyo, the former Pirate, has declined since his days of dominance with the Reds and Red Sox. He's struggled this year and is 1-3 against the Pirates.-The game is on TV tonight, at long last (it seems).--ENEMY BLOG OF THE DAY[Red Reporter]--The weather looks a bit better than it did last night, so far at least.--AFTERNOON GAMESThe Brewers roughed up Santana in a win at Shea. Struggling Detroit lost again to the White Sox, 7-0.The Braves pounded Washington behind a brilliant John Smoltz (2-0, 0.82).--------Go Buccos. ...

Game 10 Recap--In Person--Pirates 1 Reds 0
2008-04-12 10:10:00
[Pirates.com Wrapup]--------------------Amazingly, I was one of the VERY few people last night who decided to head out to rain-soaked PNC Park last night in lieu of staying home and watching the Pens win again.--Also amazingly, I don't regret it.------------------------------We walked into the stadium just after 7:05, hustling up to our seats only to find the game wasn't going to start for 20 minutes. It had clearly been raining all day, but it had stopped about an hour before and we thought the game would at least get under way on time.---At 7:25, Paul Maholm tossed the first pitch. He escaped a shaky first inning with a nifty double play ball. The Pirates did nothing on offense. One note. Luis Rivas is absolutely terrible. Most of us already know this, but last night he made his 4TH ERROR! He also didn't reach base. I've never been an enormous supporter of Jack Wilson, but Rivas is really making me wish we had him back. Thankfully, last night it didn't cost us.--Basically, t ...

Gameday #10 vs. Reds
2008-04-11 13:39:00
Reds (6-4) at Pirates (3-6)7:05--PNC Park, PittsburghEdinson Volquez (1-0, 1.69) vs. Paul Maholm (0-1, 9.00)[MLB.com GameDay]--------------------No TV again tonight (the Pens play Game 2).--Weather looks bad [Google].--It's Manny Sanguillen Bobblehead night.First bobble of the year. [pirates.com]---By the way, we play the Reds.[logoshak]They're 6-4. Edinson Volquez starts. Never heard of him, but he pitched well in his first outing this year.Maholm starts for the Bucs. If you recall, his last outing went something like this:Leadoff HR; 9 STRIKEOUTS IN 5 INNINGS (career high); Error; Grand Slam; Loss.He wasn't as bad as his line indicates. Here's hoping Paul backs that up tonight.This is a BIG series. Any hope the Pirates have of staying in contention early and even staying afloat for the quest for .500 hinges on a series win this weekend.Go Buccos. ...

Game 9 Recap--Pirates 3 Cubs 7
2008-04-11 13:04:00
[Pirates.com Wrapup][Wiki]----Swept.3-6.Matt Morris and the Bucs held their own, holding a 3-2 lead after 5. It was 7-3 after 5 and a half. ...

Gameday #9 vs. Cubs
2008-04-10 15:59:00
Cubs (5-3) at Pirates (3-5)7:05--PNC Park, PittsburghRich Hill (0-0, 3.00) vs. Matt Morris (0-0, 5.40)[MLB.com GameDay]-------------------------------The Bucs look to avoid a sweep in their first divisonal series of the year.Unlikely to be easy with Matt Morris, arguably the greatest weakness of our rotation, especially once you add in the fact that the Bucs' bullpen has to be exhausted.Let's hope Morris can pitch like he's paid to pitch, at least for tonight.--Ironically, his opponent is RICH Hill, who is 2-1 with a 3.62 ERA vs. the Pirates. The lefty had a breakout campaign last year, and looks to move the Cubbies to within 1 game of first place with a win tonight.----------ENEMY BLOG OF THE DAY:[Bleed Cubbie Blue]--------------If you've been living under a rock, the Pens won last night, 4-0. Basically, they dominated. Gary Roberts scored twice. Game 2 is tomorrow night (meaning the Pirate game is actually on TV tonight..yay)-----You can watch the game from the Pirates and/or Cub ...

Game 8 Recap--Pirates 4 Cubs 6
2008-04-10 14:50:00
[Pirates.com Wrapup]--------------------------Wow.--Nobody would have ever guessed that this game would turn into a grueling marathon well into the night after 7 innings of this one.--Starters Zach Duke and Ryan Dempster were brilliant. Duke allowed 8 hits and 1 walk, but recovered nicely, leaving stranded men on base nearly every inning. Duke also notched 6 K's and kept the Cubs' best hitters off balance. He escaped a 7 inning, 115 pitch outing with only one run surrendered. -He was in line for the loss. Ryan Dempster tossed 7 scoreless.1 hit.---In the top of the 8th, Franky Osoria came in for some solid relief. He appeared to be out of an inning when LaRoche made a diving stop on a shot down the line, but the flip to Osoria bounced off his glove. It was right there, Osoria just didn't catch it. 2-0 Cubs.-----The Pirates scored once in the bottom of the inning, but should have gotten more. Bautista and Morgan both reached base to lead off the frame. Rivas tried to bunt but p ...

Craig Wilson Returns to Pirates Organization with a AAA Deal
2008-04-10 14:26:00
[NY Times]-----------Jesse:-I am very pleased to inform you all that on Tuesday, the Pirates signed Craig Wilson, their former 1st baseman, to a deal that will send him to Triple-A Indianapolis. He spent six years with the Pirates and then was traded for Shawn Chacon. Craig wanted to come back! This is why I love this guy. He had success, and we just dealt him away......but then 2 years later he still wants to play in Pittsburgh? There are not many people that pursue opportunites with the Pirates because they have been very subpar for 15 years, but this guy just clearly loves to play here. I would really like to see Craig come back and make it through the minor league system to replace Doug Mientkiewicz. I cannot speak for the rest of you, but I really want to see Craig Wilson in a Pirate uniform again. I do believe he will make it up to the big leagues soon. He still has about 5 years in the tank at 31 years old, and used to be a very impressive power bat. This could be crucial to th ...

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