Pirates/MLB
Pittsburgh Pirates
Latest Pirates Buzz
Sorry for the lack of updates over the past handful of days but with things slow on the Pens free agency front, such, I decided to take a vacation and a few days off from the site — D
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*The Draft is just 5 days away and the Pirates remain split on who to select with the No. 1 overall pick. However, don’t buy into the talk coming from some media circles that the Pirates are still considering 3 or 4 prospects.
As Neal Huntington and his staff head to Florida for the teams final pre-draft organizational meetings, the decision is coming down to pitchers Gerrit Cole, UCLA, and Danny Hultzen, Virginia.
Over the past couple weeks, Kansas prep outfielder Bubba Starling entered the mix has been given an extensive look and serious consideration. Starling is even said to have surpassed Anthony Rendon on the Pirates radar but the Pirates decision at No. 1 is coming down to the two college pitchers.
The feeling around the team and the league is that Cole is their guy but other factors still have Hultzen and Cole neck and neck going into the organizations weekend meetings in FLA.
*The Pirates (25-28) aim for win No. 17 on the road tonight against the New York Mets (25-29). Last year the Pirates posted a 17-64 record on the road. Now they could win No. 17 on June 1st.
The Pirates won at Citi Field last night for the first time in the clubs history, snapping an 0-8 streak.
*Starter Kevin Correia (7-4, 3.44 ERA) looks to earn his major league leading 8th victory of the season tonight. Through two months, Correia has arguably been one of the top signings in baseball this season.
Correia leads the majors with 6 road victories which has been pivotal to the Pirates success on the road and has kept them around respectability this season.
Pirate starters have allowed 2 runs or less in 13 straight starts. If Correia can make it 14 straight tonight, it will be the first time the Pirates accomplished that feat since 1968.
Mets starter Chris Capuano (3-5, 4.94 ERA) will take the mound tonight. Like Correia, he’s coming off a strong outing in his previous start, allowing 1 run in 6 1/3 innings against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night.
Capuano has just 3 wins in 13 starts against the Pirates and has posted a 6.46 ERA in his career against Pittsburgh.
*Josh Harrison is the kind of player fans are drawn too and like to root for and he had some kind of MLB debut last night. He will remain in the lineup tonight and bat second.
1. Jose Tabata, LF
2. Josh Harrison, 3B
3. Andrew McCutchen, CF
4. Neil Walker, 2B
5. Matt Diaz, RF
6. Chris Snyder, C
7. Lyle Overbay, 1B
8. Ronny Cedeno, SS
9. Kevin Correia, P
*Can the Pirates still hover around .500 through the month of June and into the All-Star break? If they can that would be quite a feat, considering the lack of power they send out on a daily basis.
This is a team starving for a power bat and the only answer for this season is Pedro Alvarez. Once he returns to the lineup, which won’t be for at least another 7-to-10 days, he has to become some kind of difference maker at the plate.
