Pirates acquire Giants' Matt Morris at trade deadline.

Pirates bring Morris back to NL Central
Club deals center fielder Davis, player to be named for starter
By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com

PITTSBURGH -- As Tuesday's non-waiver trade deadline approached, numerous Pirates players heard their names floating around.
Jack Wilson to the Tigers? Salomon Torres to Colorado? Damaso Marte to the Red Sox?

Final answer: None of the above.

Just prior to the 4 p.m. ET non-waiver trade deadline, the Pirates finalized a deal with the Giants to acquire starter Matt Morris in exchange for center fielder Rajai Davis and a player to be named.

Needless to say, the deal caught both players off guard.

"I wasn't expecting it. It's something that I've never experienced before," said Davis, who has been with the team since being recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on June 5. "This is the only organization I've known thus far. I'm pretty happy here."

Davis will be headed to San Francisco, where it is still unclear whether he will immediately join the Giants' big-league club.

Morris, on the other hand, was aware that he was among a list of Giants veteran players that were linked in various trade rumors. But while talking with reporters over the phone on Tuesday, Morris admitted that he wasn't expecting to hear Pittsburgh when he received news of the deal.

"I heard rumors all week about me being traded. Pittsburgh was never mentioned," said Morris, who was in Los Angeles preparing for the beginning of the Dodgers-Giants series later Tuesday night. "I was in a little bit of a shock. It's my first time being traded. I'm excited to get back to the Central."

Morris spent his first eight Major League seasons in the National League Central Division with the Cardinals. It was during Morris' tenure in St. Louis that the right-hander won 22 games in 2001 and became a two-time All-Star. The right-hander has since spent his last two seasons with the Giants.

The 32-year-old right-hander has gone 7-7 with a 4.35 ERA for San Francisco this year after struggling to a 10-15 record and 4.98 ERA for the Giants last season in the first year of his three-year, $27 million contract.




Complete coverage >Morris started 2007 out strong, going 7-4 with a 3.25 ERA through the first three months of the season. However, he will be glad to see the calendar page turned after stumbling through July with an 0-3 record and 8.48 ERA.

While the numbers over his past five starts seem concerning, Morris doesn't worry about the struggles being long-term.

"I'm really feeling confident with my stuff," said Morris, who is 6-0 with a 2.37 ERA in eight career starts at PNC Park. "Health-wise, it's been great. The ball's been coming out as good as it could."

It has been no secret that the Pirates have needed a stabilizer in the back end of the rotation, which prompted general manager Dave Littlefield to scour the market for a veteran starter to complement a young Pirates rotation. While Littlefield couldn't find the right fit over the winter, he said the organization kept a number of veteran pitchers on its radar as the deadline approached.

"I think it's the right player that fits in with what we're going to do," Littlefield said. "He's a winner. He's been very successful in the past."

Though the acquisition of Morris was designed primarily to fill a gaping hole in the rotation, both Littlefield and manager Jim Tracy stressed how important it was to acquire a veteran starter who could also be a mentor to the team's young starting corps. And that's a role the 32-year-old Morris said that he is more than eager to step in to.

"I can't help but be [a mentor]," said Morris, who credited the late Darryl Kyle and Todd Stottlemyre for helping guide him early in his career. "It's just my nature. I'm definitely willing to talk to guys."

When Morris will arrive in Pittsburgh is still not set, though Tracy said that he would like to be able to plug Morris into the rotation at some point during the team's weekend series against Cincinnati.

"I think it's a very sound acquisition," Tracy said. "This is the type of starting pitcher you like adding to the mix of starting players moving forward."

Morris is in the second year of a three-year, $27 million contract and is set to make $9.5 million next season. The right-hander also has a $9 million club option for 2009. The Pirates will be picking up that entire contract.

The Pirates lose Davis, a backup outfielder who has hit .271 in 24 games with the Pirates this season. Davis was a 38th-round selection by the Pirates in the 2001 First-Year Player Draft. He debuted with the Pirates in August of last season before returning to the club this summer and making 12 starts in center field.

"I'm not too sure of the situation yet," Davis said of going to San Francisco. "But they seem pretty happy to have me."

This deadline deal was the second move the Pirates have made this month, following a trade with the Cubs for Cesar Izturis on July 19 in exchange for a player to be named. The addition of Izturis was touted as a depth upgrade for the Pirates infield.

Though the Pirates didn't have to part with any big-name players in either of the deals, having Morris and Izturis comes at a hefty price financially. If the Pirates decided to pick up Izturis' club option after this season, the infielder will be owed $5.45 million in 2008.

Pirates swept by Phillies, lose last game 5-1

Well the starting pitching got a little better but the Pirates bats weren't working. They lost 5-1 to be swept by the Philadelphia Phillies, Ian Snell(7-9) went 6 innings giving up 3 earned runs, one on a wild pitch in the first inning. Kyle Kendrick(5-1) picked up the win for the Phils as he went 7 innings and only giving up a solo home rum to Nate McClouth(3). Jimmy Rollins got his 14th triple in the game, the Bucs are now 42-61. They are 2-13 since the All-Star break and went 1-5 on the road trip. They come home to take on the Cardinals tomorrow night.

Pirates lose 10-5 to Phillies

The Pittsburgh Pirates lost their second game in a row to the Philadelphia Phillies 10-5 Saturday night in Philly. The Pirates led 5-2 after they batted in the 5th inning but then everything fell apart as Philadelphia had a 8 run bottom of the 5th. Freddy Sanchez hit a 3-run homer(6 HR, 38 RBI) in the 3rd and Xavier Nady was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI's(58). Shane Youman(2-3) took the mound in the fifth with the 3-run lead and then Philly had their big inning. Youman(4 IP, 7R, 6ER, 3BB) quickly loaded the bases, then walked Pat Burrell for the first run, then Jose Castillo couldn't handle a routine groundball off the bat of Wes Helms which scored another run and left the bases loaded. Youman never got an out because right after the error manager pulled him and Jose Castillo and brought in Masumi Kuwata to pitch and Matt Kata to play third. Kuwata then got the first out of the inning, a sacrifice fly by Tadahito Iguchi that scored another run. Then, Chris Coste(2) hit a 3-run homer of his own to clear the bases. But, it wasn't over yet. Kuwata got Rod Barajas to strike out, then gave up a single to Michael Bourn who quickly stole second base(18), Shane Victorino walked before Jimmy Rollins tripled(13) both players home to finish out the scoring for the game.

Typical day at the ballpark for the Pittsburgh Pirates who are now 42-60 and look like are just giving up, especially the starting pitchers who are 2-10 with an ERA over 7.00 since the All-Star break. To say the least, it is really disheartening to be a Pirate fan at the moment. Im sure glad the Steelers start their preseason schedule next Sunday, I don't know how many more Pirate games I can sit through.

Van Benschoten sent down(I got my wish!!!!)

07/28/2007 6:41 PM ET

PHILADELPHIA - Tony Armas is in. John Van Benschoten is out. And someone else is on their way up.
Coming on the heels of another disastrous outing for Van Benschoten on Friday, the Pirates optioned the 27-year-old right-hander to Triple-A Indianapolis hopeful that some work with Minor League pitching coach Jeff Andrews will be the first step to get Van Benschoten back on the promising track that made him a first-round Draft pick back in 2001.

As Van Benschoten said before packing up his belongings and heading back to Pittsburgh on Saturday, his objective in Indianapolis will be to pitch "exactly the opposite of what we saw up here."

After three starts that lasted a total of seven innings and resulted in 21 runs, that is probably a good place for Van Benschoten (0-5) to start.

"You can have great mechanics, but if you don't produce results, this is what can happen to you," he said. "This team needs wins and you can't send a pitcher out there to practice. [It's a] smaller stage [in Indianapolis]. [There are] less consequences."

Taking Van Benschoten's place in the rotation will be right-hander Tony Armas, who has made promising strides out of the bullpen lately after a forgettable start to the year. Armas started the season in the rotation, but was yanked from the starting role after building up an 0-3 record and an 8.46 ERA in seven starts.

Since then, work with pitching coach Jim Colborn has Armas' out-of-whack mechanics back on track and more importantly, has the right-hander's head back in a place where he can build off of a number of encouraging appearances.

"It feels good to just come back and pitch like before -- not like how the season started, but like I did [in years past]," Armas said. "I just want to finish up strong in these last two months and hopefully have some good games."

He's had some good games lately, allowing just one run in 12 innings of work. Those results came after Armas pitched just seven times in his first seven weeks in the bullpen, a time during which the right-hander was typically only called upon in games that the Pirates had already all but conceded as losses.

But lately, his breaking ball has returned to form and the strikeouts have been more frequent. As a result, Jim Tracy increased Armas' workload enough to the point where the Pirates manager feels confident that Armas has the longevity to be able to jump back into that starting role.

"He's been throwing the ball pretty well the last several times he's been out there," Tracy said. "If he's throwing the ball similarly to what he has done of late, there is a pretty good chance you could get five good innings from him. So we're going to move in that direction."

Whether or not Armas will be a permanent fixture in the rotation won't be determined until after he makes the start. The Pirates will announce a corresponding roster move on Sunday to fill the 25th spot on the roster.

Gorzelanny to miss start: Deciding to err on the side of caution, the Pirates will skip Tom Gorzelanny's spot in the rotation on Tuesday to give the left-hander some more time to rest his shoulder. Gorzelanny, who complained of left shoulder stiffness during his start on Wednesday, is now slated to pitch next Saturday.

"We are not getting any type of feedback from Tom Gorzelanny that this hurts," Tracy said, clarifying that the decision was not made because of a new setback. "This is just a pretty special arm we're talking about."

Gorzelanny will throw his bullpen session on Sunday and will throw at least one more before his next start.

With an off-day on Monday working in the team's favor, Tracy is able to move each of his starters up a day without sacrificing a full four days of rest for each. Paul Maholm will now start on Tuesday against the Cardinals, followed by Armas, and Shane Youman. Ian Snell will then open the Pirates' series against the Reds on Friday before Gorzelanny returns to the rotation on Saturday.

Minor matters: Triple-A Indianapolis Indians right-hander John Wasdin left his start on Wednesday with a right wrist injury after facing just seven batters and has since traveled to Pittsburgh to have the wrist examined. As of Saturday afternoon, Indianapolis coach Trent Jewitt had not received a report on the examination.

Indians pitcher Sean Burnett remains in Bradenton where he working to rehab his ailing left elbow, an injury that has kept Burnett out since July 3. Burnett's left elbow was examined earlier this month and doctors determined that the pain was a result of a nerve problem and fortunately not due to structural damages. No timetable has been set for Burnett to return to Indianapolis.

Rumor mill: Add the Braves to the list of teams that have expressed interest in Pirates relievers Salomon Torres, Damaso Marte and Shawn Chacon. According to a source in Atlanta, however, the Pirates' asking price -- a Major League ready talent -- is more than Atlanta general manager John Schuerholz is willing to offer.

Bucs bits: Opponents have 15 stolen bases in their last 15 attempts against Pirates catchers. The last runner to be thrown out was Milwaukee's Ryan Braun on July 4. ... Though Adam LaRoche said that he was "still feeling knotted up" on Saturday afternoon, the Pirates first baseman felt well enough to return to the lineup after missing two games from food poisoning. ... Left-handed specialist Marte has not allowed a hit to the last 27 left-handed hitters he has faced, which, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, is the longest streak of consecutive hitless at-bats by left-handed hitters against any pitcher this year.

On deck: The Pirates close out their series against the Phillies with one more game at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday, beginning at 1:35 p.m. ET. Pirates righty Snell (7-8, 3.62 ERA) will make his fourth attempt at his first win since the All-Star break and will face Philadelphia right-hander Kyle Kendrick (4-1, 4.44).


By: Jenifer Langosch of www.mlb.com

Fans come out for Steelers night practice

From KDKA.com

Fans Come Out For Steelers Night Practice
(KDKA) LATROBE Thousands of fans brought their Steelers spirit to Latrobe Memorial Stadium tonight where the team had their first night practice of 2007 Training Camp.

About 10,000 fans of all age groups in the Steelers nation came out for tonight’s practice and festivities.

Many say they had high hopes of meeting their favorite player.

Practice got started at 7pm, and the Steelers signed autographs before the session.

Steelers fan, Kim Davis, said she got players like Troy Polamalu, Willie Parker and Hines Ward to sign the football she brought with her.

Another couple brought their new twins, Maddox and Logan, decked out in their best black and gold outfit to the practice.

While yet another fan said he hoped that quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, would bounce back from his bad year last season.

Even the Rooney family came out to support their team.

“Oh, it’s wonderful, the enthusiasm of everyone, the crowd, fans, Latrobe, Saint Vincent’s, our players. They really enjoy coming here,” said Art Rooney, the Steelers President.

After the team was done practicing, the fans were treated to Zambelli fireworks that lit up the sky to cap off the exciting evening.

Bonds hits #754

SAN FRANCISCO -- It may not have been the "Shot Heard 'Round The World," but Rick Vanden Hurk is pretty sure Barry Bond's 754th home run was widely known in The Netherlands.
Born in Holland, the 22-year-old Vanden Hurk is a budding sensation in his native country. While he says there is a nine-hour time difference to where his family lives, he knows they were up following Friday night's 12-10 Giants win over the Marlins at AT&T Park.

In the first inning, Vanden Hurk became the 444th different Major League pitcher to allow a home run to Bonds, who now is one shy of Hank Aaron's all-time record.

"I left a changeup up, and he hit it out," Vanden Hurk said.

While the Marlins suffered their fifth straight loss, they couldn't help but admire the achievement Bonds is about to claim.

After his homer, Bonds walked four straight times.

In the third inning, when he reached, Marlins first baseman Mike Jacobs offered some thoughts to the legendary Giant.

"Basically I told him, 'You probably already know this, but this was something special to watch,'" Jacobs told Bonds at the bag. "I think he appreciated it. Obviously, he's in his 20th year and I'm in my second year. I'm sure what I say goes in one ear and out the other, but he was pretty talkative with me over there. It was neat to chit-chat with him. I told him that it was something special to watch."

Jacobs has some perspective when thinking about Bonds' career.

"I look at it like this, throughout my Minor League career, I don't have as many hits as he has home runs," Jacobs said. "I played seven years in the Minor Leagues. And he has more than 700 home runs in the big leagues. That's pretty amazing. Just the consistency, the power and everything he does is pretty special."

In Bonds' final plate appearance, he drew a walk after falling behind 0-2 to lefty reliever Taylor Tankersley.

"I was not trying to go around him. I was trying to go right at him," Tankersley said. "I got ahead, and I overthrew a couple of pitches. Obviously, he's not one known to chase balls out of the zone. I walked him. That's not really what I wanted to do, but I did challenge him early. Hopefully, I get another shot.

"I go in there thinking, 'This is the greatest hitter of all time. And it's going to be an honor to get him out.' I didn't get him out."

By Joe Fesaro,

Please Send Van Benschoten back to the Minor Leagues

Message to the Pirates: please send John Van Benschoten(0-5, 9.76 ERA) back to the minors. He got rocked again last night in a 8-1 loss to the Phillies, He could only get 7 outs(2.1 IP) giving up 7 runs on 6 hits and 4 BB's. Dinosaur Jamie Moyer(9-8) got the win for the Phillies pitching a complete game that was ended due to rain.

Pirates win 8-4 over Mets

The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the NY Mets 8-4 on Thursday afternoon in New York, to stop a sweep. Paul Maholm(7-12) won his second straight start(the only 2 wins for the Pirates since the break). He pitched 6 innings giving up 3 runs on 6 hits. Ex-Pirate Olly Perez(9-7) got the loss also going 6 innings, giving up 5 runs(0 earned) on 5 hits. Josh Phelps was 3 for 4 with 3 RBI(15) including his 3rd home run of the year. Xavier Nady also had 3 RBI(56) going 2 for 4. Jose Reyes(7) and Lastings Milledge(3) hit home runs for the Mets. The Bucs are now 42-58

Polamulu's contract extended, 4yrs $30M

Pittsburgh Steelers star safety Troy Polamalu signed a four-year contract extension Monday worth $30.19 million that makes him the highest-paid player in team history and one of the NFL's top-paid defensive backs.

The deal guarantees the Steelers will keep their most versatile defensive player through the 2011 season, when he will be 30, meaning Polamalu could negotiate another big-money contract before his NFL career ends.

"I didn't want to be a player who is jumping from team to team," Polamalu said. "I've always felt comfortable here, I think this organization, this tradition they have here, is very legendary and I always wanted to be part of this."

Mike Tomlin's first training camp will be grueling for players

Steelers Camp 2007: Mike Tomlin outlines a grueling first camp schedule
Friday, July 20, 2007

By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Mike Tomlin does not care much if his players do not like his plans for a toughened training camp that starts Monday in Latrobe.

He's not trying to make friends.

"I want to come out of training camp a unified, hardened group that's ready to do battle," the new Steelers coach said yesterday.


Toward that end, he has planned a heavy dose of twice-daily practices, the dreaded two-a-days many NFL head coaches have virtually eliminated in training camps during the past decade. Tomlin has 15 scheduled, about twice what former Steelers coach Bill Cowher put his teams through. While seven of those practices are one-hour morning sessions that will deal mostly with special teams issues and light drills, all players must attend.

"I like the schedule, I put a great deal of time into developing it," Tomlin said. "I'm comfortable with it.

"We have some special teams work we'd like to focus on; they're shortened practices but at the same time you have to go through the mental process of getting yourself up and ready to take the field twice a day, even if there's not two full practices."

There's also no day off for the roster of 86 players over the first two weeks of practices at Saint Vincent College.

"It's not going to be comfortable when we play on Sunday and have to come back and play on Thursday night on the road," Tomlin said.

Indeed, the Steelers play Jacksonville at home Dec. 16 and four days later, have another game at St. Louis.

"But guess what?" Tomlin said. "The standards of expectations are not going to change, is it? We have to go win. That's what training camp is about, that's why we're thoughtfully non-rhythmic. That's why we do some of the things that we do in terms of scheduling."

Tomlin hinted of some unscheduled relief based on how practices turn out.

"Christmas may come a few times, we'll see. We'll play that by ear. That decision may become obvious too."

Tomlin said he believes every Steelers rookie will be signed and ready to go when he opens training camp Monday. Players must report by 4 p.m. and Tomlin will immediately put them through a conditioning test, which will not include a series of 40-yard runs, as Cowher, in past camps, conducted the day after players reported.

"It is important, because the train starts moving at 4 o'clock on Monday. It's tough to get on a moving train if you haven't tried before. You like to have everybody on board before we take off."

This training camp should not be compared to previous ones, or those in the future, for that matter, not that there won't be similarities.

"I'm not familiar with how it's been in the past, so I really can't speak to that," Tomlin said. "But it is going to be trying at times. There will be some adversity, that's what training camp is about. That's part of team-building. It's supposed to represent, if you will, what lies ahead and no doubt there will be some challenges when we play football in the fall.

"It's just football camp, it's the '07 season and we want to be the very best we can. I'm not approaching this as a tone-setter or looking about how this camp is going to compare to camps in the future or even how it's going to compare to camps in the past. Each camp stands on its own. We have to prepare to be our very best and that's how we'll approach it."

Among other topics Tomlin touched on during his 20-minute news conference:

He believes guard Alan Faneca will back up his words and give it his all and not be a distraction merely because he's unhappy with his contract situation.

"You don't play football the way he plays football without being a professional. I think ultimately your character shows through; it's obvious when you turn the tape on, what his football character is about."

Tomlin will select the team captains, which previously were picked in a vote of the players. He will wait until after training camp to do so.

Willie Colon will compete with Max Starks at right tackle for now and not worry about playing other positions. However, Tomlin left the door open that Colon indeed could play elsewhere, if not at tackle. Colon also has practiced at center and guard.

"Willie's a guy we think is capable of competing in the top five," Tomlin said of his five starting linemen.

Pirates lose 6-3 to NY Mets

The Pirates lost another game Wednesday, 6-3 to the Mets. Tom Glavine(9-6) picked up his 299th win of his career. He went 6 innings, giving up 3 runs on 8 hits. The Pirates starting pitching got rocked again. This time Tom Gorzelanny(9-6) got beat up, he only lasted 2.1 innings, giving up all 6 runs on 7 hits. Jason Bay hit a two-run homer(16 HR's, 65 RBI). He has hit 3 in the last 2 games. The Bucs are now 41-58.

Pirates lose 8-4 to NY Mets

The Pittsburgh Pirates traveled to New York Tuesday to take on the NL East leading NY Mets and it wasn't pretty, losing 8-4. The Pirates have lost 9 out of their last 10 games. Ian Snell(7-8) got rocked by the Mets, his 3rd consecutive bad start. He only could make it 4 innings giving up 6 runs on 10 hits. John Maine(11-5) got the win for the Mets, he also smashed a high fastball off Snell over the left-field fence for his first homer of the year. Lastings Milledge was 3 for 3 for the Mets with 3 RBI's, including a 2-run homer(2) in the 8th inning. Jason Bay hit two home-runs(14,15) and was 3 for 4 with 3 RBI's(63) for the Pirates. The Bucs fall to 41-57 and are 14 games out of first place in the NL Central.

Pirates shut out 1-0 by Astros

Shane Youman(2-2) pitched a 4-hitter and gave up 1 run over 8 innings but lost the game as the Pitates could get nothing going at the plate, losing 1-0 Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh. The Pirates have lost 8 of 9 games since the All-Star break. After being swept by the Braves in Atlanta they came home and lost 5 of 6 to the Astros and Rockies. Now they have to travel to play the first-place New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. Woody Williams(5-11) who has struggled all year pitched a great game against the Pirates Sunday. He pitched 8 innings and gave up 0 runs on 5 hits. Brad Lidge picked up his 3rd save. The only run of the game was scored when Luke Scott singled home Brad Ausmus in the top of the 6th with two outs. The Pirates fall to 41-56

Pirates End Losing Streak With 7-3 Win over Astros.

The Pittsburgh Pirates ended their 7 game losing streak by defeating the Astros Saturday night 7-3. Paul Maholm who has pitched well lately but his 6-12 record doesn't show it got the win. He didn't allown any runs until the 7th inning when Mike Lamb hit his 10th home run of the season. Maholm went 6.2 innings, giving up 2 runs on 8 hits. Wandy Rodriguez(6-9) took the loss for the Astros, he pitched 5 innings gving up 6 runs(4 earned) on 7 hits. Freddy Sanchez hit his 5th home run of they year in the seventh. Adam LaRoche went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI's(56). The Bucs are 41-55.

Bucs lose 7th Straight, 2-1 to Astros

No run support. Thats what it came down to tonight. The Pirates and Astros both sent their aces to the mound, Tom Gorzelanny and Roy Oswalt. Well Gorzelanny(9-5) gave up a 2-run homer to Carlos Lee(19 HR, 80 RBI) and that was enough for the Astros as they won 2-1. Gorzo went 7 innings giving up the 2 runs on 6 hits. Oswalt(9-6) went 6 innings giving up 1 run on 7 hits. The Pirates did load the bases in the bottom of the 9th but Freddy Sanchez struck out to end the game. The Pirates are now 40-55.

Bonds hits #752 and #753 in Chicago.

Barry Bonds smacked two homers(19) at Wrigley field today to bring him to 753 home runs and 2 away from tying Hank Aaron for the all-time mark. He hit the first one in the top of the 2nd inning off Ted Lilly over the right-field bleachers and onto Sheffield Avenue in Chicago. Then in the 7th he hit a three-run shot off reliever Will Ohman to left center field to bring the total to 753 for his career. Bonds was 3 for 3 with 6 RBI's(48) but the Giants still lost to the Cubs 9-8. The second ball looked like it was thrown back but it was not the special ball that they use when Bonds comes to the plate. Bonds said the changing of the ball is distracting to him.

Pirates acquire Cesar Itzuris

July 19, 2007


PIRATES ACQUIRE CESAR IZTURIS

The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired infielder Cesar Izturis and cash
considerations from the Chicago Cubs on Thursday in exchange for a
player to be named. Izturis hit .246 with 11 doubles and eight RBI in
65 games with the Cubs this season while making 60 appearances
(48 starts) at shortstop. Izturis, 27, was a Gold Glove winner in 2004
and an All-Star in 2005 while with the Dodgers.

Bucs Lose 6th Straight Game;5-3 to the Rockies.

The Pirates lost again Wednesday afternoon 5-3 to the Rockies. Jeff Francis(10-5) got the win for the Rockies, he pitched 7 innings giving up 2 runs on 6 hits. Ian Snell(7-7) pitched decent for the Bucs but gave up two big two-run home runs to Brad Hawpe(17) in the 4th and Todd Helton(9) in the 6th. The Pirates couldnt get anything going really at the plate. Freddy Sanchez was 2 for 4 with a solo homer(4). Adam LaRoche also had a solo homer(14) and 2 RBI's(54). The Pirates are now 40-54 and its safe to say we will have to wait until next year.(AS usual)

Pirates lose 6-2 to Rockies.

Five games since the all-star break, five losses. This time the Colorado Rockies knocked around Shane Youman(2-1) early. He went 5 innings giving up 5 runs(4 earned) on 8 hits. Former Pirate Josh Fogg(5-6) pitched a great game for the Rockies going 7 innings and giving up 2 runs on 5 hits. Nate McClouth(2) got a homer off Fogg. The Bucs are now 40-53

Pirates lose 4th Straight

The Colorado Rockies crushed John Van BenSchoten(0-4) for 9 runs after three innings that turned out to unsurmountable, the Bucs losing 10-8. They scored some runs but couldnt quite comeback. Ryan Doumit was 2 for 5 with 2 RBI's(27). Matt Holiday was 1 for 3 with 3 RBI's(73). BenSchoten was only credited for 2 innings as he got no outs in the 3rd innings. He gave up 9 earned runs on 6 hits, 2 BB's and he hit two guys. He is now 0-4 with a 8.17 ERA. The Pirates are now 40-52 and 12 games back.

Bucs swept by Braves

All the good work the Pirates did in the week before the All-Star break is going for nought. The Atlanta Braves finished the sweep of the Pirates 5-1 in Atlanta. Freddy Sanchez(3) hit a solo home run in the first inning for the Pirates only run. The Bucs only managed 4 hits off of the Braves pitching staff led by Buddy Carlyle(4-2) who went 8 innings giving up a run on the 4 hits. Paul Maholm(5-12) got the loss going 6 innings allowing 3 runs(2 earned) on 8 hits. Salomon Torres came back to the bullpen today and pitched one inning allowing one run. Jose Bautista was placed on the 15-day DL. The Pirates are now 40-51.

Pirates lose Heartbreaker 5-4 to Braves

After an hour and twelve minute rain delay in Atlanta, the Braves won the second game of the series on a walk-off RBI single by Jeff Francouer off of Shawn Chacon(4-2). Another good Pirate starter got hit hard by the Braves, Tom Gorzelannyn got the start and Andruw Jones(17) got a two run homer off him in a 3 run 1st, he did ended up calming down, giving up 4 earned runs(3.24) on 6 hits over 6 innings for a no-decision. If not a 4 run inning by the Pirates in the 7th inning right before the rain delay Gorzo probably would have got the loss, but Ryan Doumit(7) hit a 3-run homer to tie the game at 4-4, then the long rain delay. Shawn Chacon got in trouble in both the 8th and 9th innings loading the bases both times. He was able to get out of the inning in the 8th but couldn't get it done in the 9th. The Bucs are now 40-50.

Pirates Scalped by Braves 9-1

The Pirates went into the break a little hot and came out of it ice cold. The Braves handed the Pirates a 9-1 loss in Atlanta Friday night. Ian Snell(7-6) got the loss. He went 5+ innings(He faced 4 batters in the 6th) giving up 7 runs, 4 earned on 8 hits. Brian McCann was the star at the plate for the Braves. He was 3 for 4 with 4 RBI's(53) and two home runs(11). He hit a 3-run homer in the first, then Andruw Jones(16) and McCann went back to back with homers in the 6th. Tim Hudson(9-5) pitched great for the Braves, going 7 innings and allowing no runs. The Pirates broke up the shutout in the 9th on a Ronny Paulino RBI double. The Pirates fell to 40-49 but the good news is Milwaukee(49-40) lost 10-6 to the Colorado Rockies. The Bucs are 9 games back.

AL wins All-Star Game 5-4

The American League has locked up home-field for the World Series this season by beating the National League 5-4 in the 78th All-Star game. Ichiro Suzuki won the MVP going 3 for 3 with the first inside the park home run in ASG history in the 5th inning off Padre Chris Young. He also had 2 RBI's. Tampa outfielder Carl Crawford hit a solo home run in the 6th off of Brewers reliever Francisco Cordero, and Cleveland catcher Victor Martinez hit a two-run homer off of Billy Wagner in the 8th for the AL's 5 runs. Ken Griffey got the first 2 RBI's of the game for the NL with a RBI single and a sacrifice fly. Then in the ninth inning, with the NL down 5-2 with 2 outs the game got crazy. Dmitri Young got on with what could have been called an error by 2nd baseman Brian Roberts but was ruled a single. Then Alfonso Soriano hit a two run homer off Mariners closer JJ Putz, Putz walked JJ Hardy then was removed for Fransisco Rodriguez who walked Derrek Lee and Orlando Hudson to load the bases before getting Aaron Rowand to fly out to right field to end the game. Pittsburgh Pirate Freddy Sanchez got in the game to play the field in the bottom of the 6th inning and made a couple nice plays but went 0 for 1 at the plate. In the bottom of the 8th with Derrek Lee on 3rd with 2 outs he swung at the first pitch from Jonathan Papelbon and lined out to right.

Vlad Guerrero wins Home Run Derby

Vladimir Guerrero won the Home Run Derby tonight in San Francisco, he defeated Alex Rios in the final round 3-2. The first round was pretty boring. The shadows were close to the pitcher's mound though, as the shadows moved farther back the more homers got hit. Alex Rios, Vlad Guerrero, and Matt Holliday all hit 5 in the first round and Albert Pujols and Justin Morneau hit 4 so they had a 5 swing tiebreaker that Pujols won 2-1 to advance to the second round. In the second round Holliday hit 8(13), Rios hit 12(17), Vlad hit 9(14) and Pujols hit 9(13). In the second round Guerrero hit a 503 foot blast to left field.

Pirates at the Break(Pitching)

PITCHING

Wins
1. Tom Gorzelanny 9
2. Ian Snell 7
3. Paul Maholm 5
4. Jonah Bayliss 4
Matt Capps 4
Shawn Chacon 4

Losses
1. Paul Maholm 11
2. Zach Duke 7
3. Ian Snell 5
4. Matt Capps 4
Tom Gorzelanny 4

Earned Run Average
1. Damaso Marte 1.71
2. Matt Capps 2.37
3. Ian Snell 2.93
4. Tom Gorzelanny 3.10
5. Shawn Chacon 3.59

Games
1. Matt Capps 47
2. Jonah Bayliss 38
3. Damaso Marte 36
4. Shawn Chacon 33
5. John Grabow 30
Salomon Torres 30

Saves
1. Salomon Torres 12
2. Matt Capps 9
3. Shawn Chacon 1
4. John Grabow 1

Innings Pitched
1. Tom Gorzelanny 119.0
2. Ian Snell 116.2
3. Paul Maholm 113.1
4. Zach Duke 93.1
5. Shawn Chacon 67.2

Hits
1. Zach Duke 141
2. Paul Maholm 118
3. Tom Gorzelanny 113
4. Ian Snell 104
5. Shawn Chacon 65

Earned Runs
1. Zach Duke 60
Paul Maholm 60
3. Tom Gorzelanny 41
4. Ian Snell 38
5. Tony Armas 37

Home Runs
1. Paul Maholm 15
2. Zach Duke 10
3. Tony Armas 9
Tom Gorzelanny 9
Ian Snell 9

Walks
1. Tom Gorzelanny 35
2. Paul Maholm 33
Ian Snell 33
4. Shawn Chacon 30
5. Zach Duke 22

Strikeouts
1. Ian Snell 93
2. Tom Gorzelanny 75
3. Paul Maholm 68
4. Shawn Chacon 55
5. Matt Capps 34

Pirates at the Break(Hitting)

HITTING

Batting Average
1. Ryan Doumit .305
2. Freddy Sanchez .296
3. Xavier Nady .291
4. Jack Wilson .259
5. Jose Bautista .257
6. Jason Bay .254
7. Chris Duffy .249
8. Jose Castillo .243
9. Nate McClouth .241
10.Adam LaRoche .239

Home Runs
1. Xavier Nady 14
2. Jason Bay 13
Adam LaRoche 13
4. Jose Bautista 7
5. Ryan Doumit 6

Runs Batted In
1. Jason Bay 56
2. Adam LaRoche 51
3. Xavier Nady 50
4. Jose Bautista 33
5. Freddy Sanchez 32

Hits
1. Freddy Sanchez 96
2. Jason Bay 83
3. Xavier Nady 81
4. Jose Bautista 80
5. Jack Wilson 77

Doubles
1. Jose Bautista 23
Adam LaRoche 23
3. Freddy Sanchez 20
4. Jason Bay 16
Ryan Doumit 16

Triples
1. Chris Duffy 3
2. Jason Bay 2
Nate McClouth 2
Jack Wilson 2
5. Jose Bautista 1
Rajai Davis 1
Xavier Nady 1
Freddy Sanchez 1

Stolen Bases
1. Chris Duffy 13
2. Nate McClouth 6
3. Jose Bautista 5
Rajai Davis 5
5. Jason Bay 2
Xavier Nady 2

Pirates win 6-2 over Cubs; Win 5 of 7 in Cubs/Brewers home stand

The Pittsburgh Pirates have won 9 of their last 13 and more importantly won 5 of the 7 games they played this week against the Brewers and Cubs, the 1st and 2nd place teams in the NL Central Division. They gained 3 games this week in the standings, they are 40-48 and 9 games back of Milwaukee who is lost to the Nationals 7-2. Today newcomer Shane Youman(2-0, 3.00ERA) got the start and pitched well in Zach Duke's spot going 6 innings, allowing 2 earned runs on 6 hits. Jason Bay was the star at the plate going 2 for 4 with a home run(13) and 4 RBI's(56). He hit a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 3rd off Carlos Zambrano(10-7) and added a 2 insurance runs with a single in the 8th. The All-Star game is Tuesday and the Pirates play next, Friday, against the Atlanta Braves.

Bucs lose 7-1 to Cubs

John Van Benschoten(0-3) got rocked Saturday night against the Cubs giving up 5 runs in 2.2 innings on 7 hits. Ted Lilly(8-4) was awesome for the Cubs going 7.1 innings and giving up one run to the Bucs. It looked like Lilly was heading for a shutout until Jack Wilson doubled(15) home Ryan Doumit in the bottom of the 7th to get the only run. Alfonso Soriano(.310) was 3 for 5 with 3 sngles and a RBI(33). The Pirates are now 39-48 and play their last game before the All-Star break tomorrow afternoon at 1:35pm with Shane Youman(1-0, 3.00) expecterd to start for the Pirates and Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano(10-6, 4.04) will go for the Cubs.

Email from McClatchy's Office

He will be stepping down after the season, He never really got anything done though in his 11 years. Here is the email I got this afternoon, Im cant say Im upset :).

********************************************************

FROM THE DESK OF KEVIN McCLATCHY

Dear Pirates Fan:

Today I announced that I will be stepping down as
the Chief Executive Officer of the Pittsburgh Pirates
at the end of the 2007 season.

A decision of this personal and professional magnitude
is not something you make overnight. It was something Bob Nutting
and I have discussed even before the change of control took place
in January and something I decided upon a few months ago.
It is a difficult decision, but I felt the time was right to step down
as the day-to-day leader of this franchise so the organization
can move forward with a fresh leadership perspective.

I will remain as the active leader of the organization until
the end of the season. This will give the organization an
opportunity to conduct a thorough search to find my successor and
ensure a smooth transition into the next chapter of Pirates history.

I have worked hard for more than 11 years in the best interests
of the Pittsburgh Pirates, our fans and the community
and will continue to do so. Nobody within the organization
has given up on this season. I have confidence in this team.
We have played better recently and remain focused on having
a strong second half.

Thank you for your continued support of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
I hope to see you at PNC Park during the second half of the season.

Sincerely,

Kevin McClatchy
Chief Executive Officer
Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates Win 4th straight; Beat cubs 8-4

Paul Maholm(5-11) finally got some nice run support, and got the win in a 8-4 win over the Cubs. He went 7+ innings, giving up 4 earned runs on 5 hits. He started the 8th inning but did not get an out, He let Alfonso Soriano and Mike Fontenot get singles and then he was pulled for Shawn Chacon who let the two runners score on sacrifice flies so the runs were charged to Maholm(4.76). Maholm sort of took matters into his own hands, coming up to bat in the 2nd inning with the bases loaded and 2 outs he lined a single to the outfield to get the first two runs of the game. The Cubs tied it up 2-2 in the top of the 3rd but Freddy Sanchez(2) and Xavier Nady(14) both hit solo homers in the bottom of the 3rd to make it 4-2. Ryan Doumit(16) and Jose Bautista(22) both got RBI doubles in the bottom of the 5th to put the game away off of starter Jason Marquis(6-5) who left after the Bautista double. The Pirates are playing well against the teams they need to be playing well against and if they can win at least one of these last two games can actually think about making a run at the division. I think the winner of the Spooky Central will be not much higher than .500 like the Cardinals(39-43) last year who are kind of making a run this year and are 8 games back, the Bucs(39-47) are 10 games back(4th place) of Milwaukee(49-37), I think they will fall back a bit though with the young guys like Fielder and Hall has no postseason experience in the second half. The Cubbies(43-42) are 5.5 games back and are in 2nd place.

Pirates take 3 of 4 from Brewers, win 6-3 on Thursday

After losing the first game of the 4 game series with Milwaukee on Monday, the Pirates took the last 3 games including a 6-3 win Thursday afternoon. Tom Gorzelanny(9-4) got the win going 7 innings and giving up 3 earned runs(3.10 ERA) on 4 hits. Matt Capps got the save(9). After hitting home-runs yesterday Adam Laroche hit 2(12,13) today and Ryan Doumit(6) hit one again. Adam LaRoche has been playing great lately and was 3 of 4 today with 3 runs scored, and 3 RBI's(51). He got his 23rd double of the year also. Geoff Jenkins got his 13th homer of the year for the Brewers. The Pirates(38-47) are now 10 games back of Milwaukee(48-37). Lets all hope we sweep the Cubbies and go into the All-Star Break on fire!! Also, everyone put in your 25 votes for Tom Gorzelanny today because this is the last day to vote, you can put in more than 25 if you use a different email address.

Pirates Win Again over Brewers 5-3

The Pirates won again over the Brewers on July 4th, 5-3. Ian Snell(7-5) got the win going 8 innings, giving up 3 earned runs(2.93) on 9 hits. Matt Capps pitched the ninth for the save(8). Ryan Braun hit a 3-run homer off Snell in the first inning but then Snell calmed down and pitched a good game. Ryan Doumit(5) tied the game in the 4th with a two run homer, then Adam LaRoche(11) hit a two run home-run in the 6th to make it 5-3. The Pirates really need tomorrows game with the Brewers so they can gain some ground on them. The Bucs are 37-47 and 10 games behind Milwaukee(48-36)

Pirates over Brewers 6-2

The Pirates got a win over the Brewers Tuesday night 6-2. Shane Youman was called up to take Zach Duke's spot in the rotation while Duke is on the DL. Youman(1-0) got the win going 6 innings, giving up 2 runs on 8 hits. The Bucs are now 36-47 and 12 games back of Milwaukee.

Damien Miller has HUGE game against Bucs

The Pirates lost 10-3 to the Brewers Monday night. Damien Miller had a monster game. He was 4 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 7 RBI's(17), he only had 10 RBI's going into the game. He hit 2 home runs(2,3) to triple his season total. He hit a grand slam in the 7th and a 2-run shot in the 4th. The Pirates stayed with the Brewers until the 7th inning. The score was tied at three, then the Brewers had a 7 seven run inning off reliever Masumi Kuwata(0-1) including that grand slam from Miller to make it 10-3. John Van Benschoten pitched well going 6 innings, giving up 3 runs on 3 hits. The Pirates are now 35-47 and 13 games back of Milwaukee(48-34). They better get it together this week or this is where they will be put away for the season.

All Star Game Rosters

The only Pirate chosen was Freddy Sanchez, but Tom Gorzelanny could be voted in as the last National League player, he was one of the five picked so everyone go to www.mlb.com and vote for Gorzo.

National League
Starters
C Russell Martin, LAD R/R
1B Prince Fielder, MIL L/R
2B Chase Utley, PHI L/R
3B David Wright, NYM R/R
SS Jose Reyes, NYM S/R
OF Carlos Beltran, NYM S/R
OF Barry Bonds, SF L/L
OF Ken Griffey Jr, CIN L/L

Pitchers

P Francisco Cordero, MIL R/R
P Brian Fuentes, COL L/L
P Cole Hamels, PHI L/L
P Trevor Hoffman, SD R/R
P Jake Peavy, SD R/R
P Brad Penny, LAD R/R
P Takashi Saito, LAD R/R
P Ben Sheets, MIL R/R
P John Smoltz, ATL R/R
P Jose Valverde, ARI R/R
P Billy Wagner, NYM L/L

Reserves

C Brian McCann, ATL L/R
1B Derrek Lee, CHC R/R
1B Albert Pujols, STL R/R
1B Dmitri Young, WSH S/R
2B Orlando Hudson, ARI S/R
2B Freddy Sanchez, PIT R/R
SS J.J. Hardy, MIL R/R
3B Miguel Cabrera, FLA R/R
OF Matt Holliday, COL R/R
OF Carlos Lee, HOU R/R
OF Aaron Rowand, PHI R/R
OF Alfonso Soriano, CHC R/R

American League
Starters

C Ivan Rodriguez, DET R/R
1B David Ortiz, BOS L/L
2B Placido Polanco, DET R/R
3B Alex Rodriguez, NYY R/R
SS Derek Jeter, NYY R/R
OF Vladimir Guerrero, LAA R/R
OF Magglio Ordonez, DET R/R
OF Ichiro Suzuki, SEA L/R

Pitchers

P Josh Beckett, BOS R/R
P Dan Haren, OAK R/R
P Bobby Jenks, CWS R/R
P John Lackey, LAA R/R
P Gil Meche, KC R/R
P Jon Papelbon, BOS R/R
P J.J. Putz, SEA R/R
P Francisco Rodriguez, LAA R/R
P C.C. Sabathia, CLE L/L
P Johan Santana, MIN L/L
P Justin Verlander, DET R/R

Reserves

C Victor Martinez, CLE S/R
C Jorge Posada, NYY S/R
1B Justin Morneau, MIN L/R
2B Brian Roberts, BAL S/R
SS Carlos Guillen, DET S/R
SS Michael Young, TEX R/R
3B Mike Lowell, BOS R/R
OF Carl Crawford, TB L/L
OF Torii Hunter, MIN R/R
OF Manny Ramirez, BOS R/R
OF Alex Rios, TOR R/R
OF Grady Sizemore, CLE L/L

Pirates Cannot Complete Sweep, lose 3-2

The Pirates could not get the sweep, losing 3-2 to the Nationals Sunday afternoon. Paul Maholm(4-11) got the loss despite pitching well going 7 innings giving up 3 runs. He gave up a 2-run homer to Jesus Flores(1) that proved to be the edge in the game. The Pirates trailed 3-0 but got 2 runs in the bottom of the 7th but couldnt complete the comeback. The Pirates are now 35-46 and have to have a great week this week when they take on Milwaukee in a 4 game series and Chicago in a 3 game series before the All-Star break if they want to compete in the second half.