News and Notes 9/13

• The Pirates 3-1 victory over the Reds on Sunday afternoon was only the fourth win for the Bucs when trailing after eight innings.
• Brian Burres allowed one run on four hits through seven innings pitched. He walked one and struck out six. (Second straight great start for Burres)

“When he throws strikes, he’s tough to hit,” Pirates manager John Russell said. “The key for him is keeping the ball down and throwing strikes.”

“I had good command the whole game,” said Burres. “I felt good. I thought I was able to make some quality pitches. My last two starts have been good. Hopefully, I can continue the success”.

• Neil Walker’s single in the first inning extended his hit streak to 18 games. It also ties the longest Rookie hit streak in Pirates history. (Rennie Stennett in 1971)
• McCutchen’s bases clearing double was Cordero’s eighth blown save on the season, which is second-most in the majors.

“It’s not like I was pitching to my little boy,” Cordero said. “[McCutchen] is a big league hitter. He’s young, but he’s a big league player. When something like that happens, you just have to tip your cap. There’s nothing I can do.”

• Even though the Pirates lost 2-of-3 against the Reds, they didn’t give up without a fight. They came back from behind and went into extras in the first two games of the series. Although they suffered heartbreaking loses, they did learn from it:

“We’re taking away a lot of positives from this series,” Burres said. “Even though we lost two, we easily could’ve taken two or three. We battled for every out. We need to keep it going.”

• According to MLB beat writer Rob Biertempfel: The Pirates cite “fatigue clause” and will not allow Pedro Alvarez to play winter ball this offseason.
• Matt Bandi writer for The Pittsburgh Lumber Co tweeted about Delwyn Young as a pinch-hitter. I always seem to have arguments with fans regarding if he is a good PH or not. I’ll let the numbers decide it for you.

@MBandi: Can we please stop repeating the nonsense about Delwyn Young being a great pinch hitter? He’s at .242/.266/.355 as a PH in 2010.