Pirates @ Astros 7/6

I hate when the Pirates have an off day. (I’m sure the players enjoy it, they deserve a break.) I feel strange when I’m not at the ballpark or watching the Pirates on TV. Don’t judge me. It’s like I’m cheating on the Bucco’s when I watch other games. I kid, I kid. I do enjoy watching other teams. (Speaking of that, the Phillies/Braves game was great last night! Did you guys watch it?) As a baseball Junkie in general I love watching all different matchups and going to all different ballparks. The Pirates are just my favorite.

Today’s Pitching Matchup:

The Hometown kid, Brad Lincoln will take the mound vs Wandy Rodriguez.

Lincoln is 1-2, 4.65 ERA. His last outing was his very first ML win. They key for Brad is not to be hesitant to attack the strike zone and to pitch with that nasty curve of his. He only lives 15 minutes from the Downtown Houston area and will have close to 150 friends and family members in attendance for his 1st career start in his hometown. (That’s pretty cool!)

Rodriguez is 5-10 with a 5.30 ERA. He lost six of his previous seven decisions before winning his last 2 straight. 7IP only 1ER-last outing

• Zack Duke threw 29 pitches in his rehab start at AA Altoona yesterday. 3IP, 1ER, 3H, 0BB, 1K.
• Jeff Clement catched in his 1st game since April 2009 (Yesterday in AAA Indy) -I don’t want to look too much into this, but I just can’t help myself. Perhaps the Pirates will ship off Doumit and Bring up Clement as the new catcher? Tony Sanchez will take longer than expected thanks to a broken jaw. (He is currently in High A Brandenton) I’m all for it. Clement has been doing pretty well in AAA. (In his past 24 games he has 25 hits, 11 doubles, 4HR, 17RBI, .301 OBP, .532 SLG, .266AVG) Although, not as much power than Doumit, there is no doubt in my mind that he would be an upgrade deffensively.
• The Pirates sign 6 international prospects: RHP Yunior Montero, LHP Cristian Hernandez, OF Miguel DeAza, SS Rodney Polonia, OF Yunior Valdez, and LHP Melvin Rosario -Read more at Buccofans.com

Other Baseball News:

• Doc Halladay pitched his 7th Complete game of the season last night. It only took him 93 pitches, gave up only 5 hits to get his 10th W of the season. (It was his 2nd straight CG) The Phillies beat the Braves 3-1. His 93 Pitches were the 3rd fewest in a CG in his career. 84 pitches (10/5/06 vs Cleveland) and 88 pitches (5/13/06 vs Tampa Bay)

Consecutive Seasons with 10 + Win’s (at All-Star Break)

Juan Marichal-8 (1962-69)

Catfish Hunter-7 (1970-76)

Roy Halladay-6 (2005-2010)

Bob Gibson-6 (1965-70)

Sandy Koufax-6 (1961-66)

• Andy Pettitte will replace Clay Buchholz (DL) for the All-Star Game.
• Nate McClouth is finally showing progress from his concussion (When he collided with Jason Heyward back on June 9th) He took BP over the weekend for the 1st time. He will be re-evaluated today and could be cleared to begin a minor league rehab later this week.
• White Hot: Carlos Quentin (last 18 games) .345 AVG, 7HR, 20 RBI – The CWS are 14-4 During that span
• Rafael Furcal scored his 11th straight run yesterday, the longest streak in History since the Dodgers moved to the West Coast back in 1958. The Dodgers lost to the Marlins 6-5.
• Biggest All-Star Snubs this year? Padres pitchers (Whose bullpen leads ERA in the majors) and Joey Votto (.313/.414/.574, 19 HRs, 57 RBIs). Read more here
• Joey Votto (last 14 games) .353 AVG, 7HR, 16RBI. The reds are 11-3 during that span.
• Kevin Millwood has a 10.20 ERA in his last 7 starts. His ERA was only 3.38 in his first 5 starts this season.
• Corey Hart extended his hitting streak to 20 games yesterday- the longest active streak in baseball.
• The Tigers scored 12 runs without hitting a HR yesterday, their most since also scoring 12 runs without a HR on July 22, 2005.