Morning Pirates Buzz: Alvarez shows game changing ability vs Cards & some trade chatter
MORNING PIRATES BUZZ Francisco Liriano (11-4, 2.16 ERA) pitched seven dominant innings and Pedro Alvarez belted his NL-leading 27th home run of the season as the Pittsburgh Pirates (62-42) beat the St. Louis Cardinals (62-41) 9-2 on Monday night to pull within a half game of the Cardinals for the NL Central lead. It was a big night for the Pirates as they also moved 4.5 games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds (59-48) for the top wildcard spot. Liriano allowed 1 run over seven innings, striking out 8 and walking 2 to improve to 11-4 on the season. Liriano has now won six of his last seven starts and is 6-1 at home with a 1.61 ERA on the season.
Pirates Trade Chatter: Huntington very high on White Sox OF Alex Rios
Pirates GM Neal Huntington has the okay to add a big salary and leading into the July 31st trade deadline, Huntington has his sights set on Chicago White Sox right fielder Alex Rios. Rios, 32, is hitting .270 with 11 home runs, 40 RBIs and has 19 stolen bases. Team sources say Huntington has held Rios in high regard for years now and tried trading for Rios when he was a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. Rios has a huge contract, making $12.5 million this season. He is scheduled to make $12.5 million in 2014, and has a $13.5 million club option with a $1 million buyout in 2015. The terms of Rios contract is that if he is