Last night did not end well for the Buccos as they lost their fifth straight game, the eigth time this season they have lost at least five straight. 

I’m was one of those idiots you probally saw on T.V. sitting through two delays and five plus innings of rain. It wasn’t just sprinkling either. At times it was like a monsoon. I don’t mind sitting through the rain actually, on hot summer days, it usually feels pretty darn good.

“I thought the guys were into it, even with the rain,” said manager John Russell. “They were having fun with it. I would have liked to have seen what would have happened if we had finished it.” 

Unfortunately, the Bucs didn’t get the oppurtunity to finish the game as it was called in the top of the sixth inning.

James McDonald pitched five innings giving up five runs on six hits, struck out five and walked four. J-Mac was really struggling with the weather and you could tell he was letting it get the best of him. In the fifth inning with two mets on base. McDonald threw a 1-1 fastball to David Wright who launched it over the center field wall for a three-run homerun, giving the Mets a 5-1 lead.

“That was a good pitch he hit, so I have to tip my hat to him,” McDonald said. “He took a good swing at a good pitch.”

“McDonald has got really good stuff, and I think he is very good and is only going to get better,” Wright said. “He’s got very good secondary pitches and has got enough on his fastball to throw it by you. As a hitter, against a guy like that, you really have to go up there and look for certain pitches, and I was fortunate and got lucky and got one I was looking for.” 

The Pirates have not scored more than two runs in nine of their past 10 games.

“It’s not his best start obviously, but it’s a four-run game and we still have a chance to do something,” Russell said. “It did get away from him just a little bit. He didn’t have his best stuff tonight and he still managed to pitch pretty well, with the exception of the three-run homer. 

News and Notes:

• Rudy Owens at Double-A Altoona last night: 5IP 6H 2R 0BB 6K
• Great Article by Pittsburgh-Post Gazette’s Dejan Kovacevic: “Pirates, Mexican ace faced long odds, long route” –PPG 
• Triple-A Starter Brad Lincoln has been placed on the Minor League DL (retroactive to Aug. 20), due to neck stiffness but is expected to miss only one start.  Chris Jakubauskas will fill in the open spot on the roster.  Brad still seems like a likely september call-up.
• (Via @RobBiertempfel) Pirates might consider 6-man rotation if RHP Brad Lincoln is recalled in September.
• (Via @RobBiertempfel) Pirates players had a closed-door team meeting before tonite’s game against Mets. Bucs have lost 4 straight, 22 of past 28 games.
• The Pirates would need to go 23-16 the rest of the season to avoid the first 100-loss season.

• Triple-A Catcher Jason Jaramillo and Pirates reliever Sean Gallagher both have committed to playing winter ball. GM Neal Hunington said recently that he hoped more of the Pirates organization’s players would take part.

  “Winter ball, you usually look at guys who missed time — guys who are in the early stages of development who haven’t played a lot,” said manager John Russell. “We don’t have too many of those guys. We’re going to have a lot of guys who are going to have a lot of at-bats and innings.”

  Expect most of this years participants to be from the minor-leagues.

Today’s Pitching Matchup:

Johan Santana 10-7, 2.97 ERA

VS

Zach Duke 5-12, 5.33 ERA

Santana allowed four runs over eight innings in a 4-3 loss to the Astros on Tuesday night. In his last three starts however, Johan is 2-1 with an 1.48 ERA. Johan pitched a four hit complete game shutout against the Rockies on the 12th, striking out ten.

Duke lost his 12th game his last time out, in eight of those losses he has allowed four or more runs in one inning. Zach hasn’t picked up a W since July 21st against the Brewers. 

*Check back later tonight. I got a really cool tour of the Pirates press box, FSN truck, Pirates dugout, and more. I have a lot of fun pictures to share with you guys. 

Well folks, it’s official. After last night’s loss to the Mets 7-2, the Pirates clinched their 82nd loss of the season making it 18 consecutive losing seasons. The 2010 club reached the 82 losses quicker than any other team in the 18-year span.

“No one wants to lose this many games,” manager John Russell said. “It [stinks]. The bottom line is, it [stinks]. I hate to cuss, but nobody likes it, nobody wants it.”

“We have our bright spots, and then we have our days where we don’t look like we belong on the field sometimes,” starter Jeff Karstens said. “It’s part of the growing pains that are going to go on here, probably for the rest of this year. Hopefully, they won’t carry on past this year.”

“You always come into the season thinking positive,” Andrew McCutchen said. “At the same time, you have to leave the season positive. Just because our record isn’t there, we still have to go out there and play hard every day and continue to keep working. We’re not playing to lose, even though we’re losing. Things just haven’t been going our way lately.” 

“It hurts. As a guy who wears the uniform proudly, it really does,” Banister said of the streak. “But I also look at it with a different set of eyes because of all the things I’ve been fortunate enough to see. The bigger picture of what we’re about to do. So, for me, no, I don’t like that record. And I know it hurts the fans, too. But there’s another number I think everyone should focus on, and that’s the number of years since our last world championship. Ending the streak someday will be nice, but nobody here should be playing for second place.”

“There’s no getting around how important it is. It’s always the elephant in the room,” Walker said. “It’s obviously frustrating. It’s been that way for a long time as a fan and growing up here, and it’s frustrating to be a part of it now. But we’re all working toward that common goal of playing winning baseball here, and I think we’re on the right track.”
 

The Pirates have a lot of work to do over the last 40 games of the season. If they can end the season on a bit of a high note and playing well together it could give them momentum and postivity for when they report to spring training in 2011.

“With the results right now, we have to really focus on the process,” Russell said. “We have to focus on how we can get our hitters better, how we can work to make our pitching better and continue to work on our defense. We have to really finish off making sure these guys have a good understanding of what they’re doing. The record is what it is. I’m not going to run from it. But we can’t focus on that right now. We need to focus on these guys getting better.”

 *Photo Matt Freed/Post-Gazette

Can I just say, what an idiot? The Pirates may have the 18 losing seasons weighing over our heads but I would take the buccos organization and history over the Cubs anyday! How many World Series do the Cubbies have? and when was the last time they won? 1907 and 1908. That’s 102 years that you have been a failure! You haven’t even won a pennant in 65 years! If I were you, I wouldn’t be making fun on the Pirates.

Okay..moving on!

Jeff Karstens took the mound against the Mets Mike Pelfrey. Unfortunately for Karstens, the most consistent starter the Bucs have had all season, was roughed up in the first inning and lasted a season-short 3 1/3 innings. He allowed seven runs on 11 hits, both a season high.

Karstens stats by innings:

                                    Innings 1-5                       6 +

Innings                               85                               13

ERA                                  3.18                            12.46

HR                                      8                                 9

OPP AVG                          .271                             .400

The Mets Pelfrey apparently was throwing up before the game and also did so a few times between innings. Despite being sick he pitched a pretty good game and I commend him for still going out there under the weather. He went eight innings, gave up two runs, one earned on six hits, struck out five.

He was really struggling with some type of stomach problem,” Mets manager Jerry Manuel said of Pelfrey, who lasted eight innings. “I thought that was pretty courageous of him to go as far as he did.”  

In the fourth inning, the Pirates had two men on second and third with two outs and John Russell made the decision to let Sean Gallagher hit. Now, I know there are two ways to look at the situation.

1. John Russell explained why he didn’t use Jones or Young to bat there:

“Well, we’re in the fourth inning. We’ve got a lot of game to cover. … You feel like we’ve got five more chances, with the top of the order due up the next inning, to do something. Gallagher was able to give us much-needed innings. You’d like to get the runs, but you have to realize there’s still a lot of game left. You start taxing your bullpen and your bench early in a 7-2 game or whatever it was, and it’s not going to be a very good situation for us.” 

The fans did not react well to this at all. Loud boo’s flooded the stadium. 

2.   Now, If I was JR, I would have used GFJ or DY there. Now I understand that you want to keep your long relief guy in so you don’t have to tax the bullpen. You have the rest of the Mets series and the Cardinals for three starting Monday. But, you also have Daniel McCutchen who can be used for multiple innings as well. And lets be honest. How many times during the span of the game do the Pirates get runners in scoring position? I would let somone PH and worry about the Pen later.

*By the way, only one more runner advanced into scoring postion the remainder of the game. 

News and Notes:

• The Pirates achieved 82 losses faster then any other team in the 18 year span. The previous mark was on Aug. 27, 2001.
• The Bucs are on pace for 53-109, a .327 winning percentage that would be the worst since 1953.
• Jeff Karstens is the fourth Pirates starter this season to have at least 10 losses.
• The Pirates have scored two or fewer runs in eight of their last nine games.
• (Via @RobBiertempfel) Charlie Morton (elbow) threw bullpen session today @ AAA Indy. Pirates GM Huntington says he “fully expects Charlie to make his next start”

• Luis Heredia will be going to Bradenton to observe and learn the program, director of player development Kyle Stark said.

  “Luis will be getting indoctrinated into our program and American culture,” Stark said. ”He will not be pitching there.”

  Heredia will stay there through the Florida Instructional League season in October, and “probably will pitch,” Stark said, ”and then we’ll make plans from there. We want him to get as much exposure to us, what we do, and American culture as possible.”

Pittsburgh-Post Gazette 

• Jose Tabata ranks 2nd in the N.L. in hits since the All-Star break with 46. Hitting .338 (53-157) since July 4.
• Former Pirates catcher Ronny Paulino was suspended 50 games for PED use.
• A great read: “Pirates commitment to Winning is more evident than ever” -PGH Pine Tar 
• The Pirates agree with Colombian SS Dilson Herrera for $220K, the third-most expensive international signing this year. 

  Here are a few pictures from the Mets BP:

Manager Jerry Manuel and David Wright

Lastings Milledge was chatting with his former teamates, David Wright and Jose Reyes.

Today’s Pitching Matchup:

Jon Niese 7-5, 3.38 ERA

VS

James McDonald 2-1, 2.55 ERA

Niese hasn’t gotten a win since July 27th. His last time out againt the Astros he pitched seven innings, giving up one run on seven hits and struck out five. Jon got the No-decision. Niese has a 1.29 ERA in his past three starts but no win to show for it.

J-Mac has been dominant in his two starts at PNC Park. In 17 1/3 innings there, McDonald is 2-0 with 20 strikeouts and three earned runs.