Anthony Rizzo went 3-4 with a homer and a pair of doubles, driving in 3 and scoring 3 as the Cubs took the game 7-3 in Pittsburgh.
Collin Cowgill went 3-6 including a 2 out, 2 strike walk off homer in the bottom of the 14th inning that gave the Angels a 2-1 triumph over the A’s.
A. J. Burnett went 7 1/3 innings letting up just 3 hits and 2 runs, earning the Phillies 5-2 victory over San Diego.
Brandon Workman retired the first 13 batters he faced and took a no hitter into the 6th. He finished with 6 2/3 innings of 1 hit shutout ball, winning the 1-0 game for the Red Sox in Baltimore.
They owned baseball on June 10, 2014.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
Lonnie Chisenhall had a historic night at the plate. He went 5-5, missing the cycle by a triple, clubbing three homers and driving in 9 runs in the Indians’ 17-7 thrashing of Texas.
Scott Van Slyke got on base 5 times, homered twice and drove in 4 while scoring 3, helping the Dodgers top Cincinnati 6-2.
Bud Norris threw 8 shutout innings, allowing just 3 hits, earning the 4-0 Baltimore victory over Boston.
Charlie Morton went 7 innings, letting just one Cub run and walked none leading the Pirates to a 6-2 win.
They owned baseball on June 09, 2014.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
Jordan Zimmermann pitched perfect ball into the 6th and finished with a 2 hit 6-0 shutout of the Padres that put the Nationals into a first place tie.
Felix Hernandez threw 7 dominating shutout innings, letting up just 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 15 Rays, a career high. He did not get the decision but helped set up Seattle’s 5-0 victory.
Paul Goldschmidt got on base 3 times, stole a base and crushed a towering 2 run homer to centerfield, helping the Diamondbacks come from behind against Atlanta, 6-5.
Brock Holt got 4 hits including a triple and a single that started the 9th inning comeback rally as the Red Sox stunned the Tigers, 5-3.
They owned baseball on June 08, 2014.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
The 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates went from zeros to heroes, after 20 seasons of cellar dwelling. Finally, the people of Pittsburgh PA, finally had something to cheer about besides the NHL’s Penguins, and NFL’s Steelers. They were the last NL team to make the playoffs (Post 1994 Player Strike).
The Pirates not only kicked the playoff curse in 2013, but they also embarked on a journey that saw them improve on their win total for a 4th consecutive season.
In a row, it went 59, 72, 79 and 94 wins respectively from 2010 – 2014.
Neil Huntington could finally show the fruits of his labor in assembling his team.
In the last few years particularly, stalwart Draft pick Andrew McCutchen has asserted himself as one of the premiere players to suit up in the MLB right now. Read the rest of this entry →
The Pittsburgh Pirates broke a 21 Year Old playoff drought in 2013, by winning 94 Games, winning the Wild Card Game to the Reds – before bowing out to the St. Louis Cardinals in 5 games of the LDS.
Neil Huntington has done an exceptional job assembling this club both via trade an drafting.
Not signing A.J. Burnett to a deal is actually a smart move when you figure he is going to earn $16.0 MIL in 2014. If the Bucs GM would have doled out the 1 YR/$14.1 MIL for the cagey veteran, it would have blown the teams salary structure.Read the rest of this entry →
The Angels have spent almost a half of a billion in Free Agency over the last 3 years, and all they have to show for it, is back to back 3rd place finishes in the AL West. The team will lose Jason Vargas this year, and the Angels are expected to non-tender Tommy Hanson. The team also featured an anemic Bullpen in the 2013 campaign. If the Angels are wishing to trade Mark Trumbo, they best acquire 2 Pitchers that can fill in their weaknesses. Los Angeles have a surplus of OF/DH and 1B on the Roster with Hamilton, Pujols and Bourjos. Trumbo will be a heavy commodity sought after because he has 3 years of Team Control left with any aspiring club that brings him in.
The Angels have doled out nearly half a Billion in contracts over the last 3 winters of Free Agency and have nothing to show for it but heartache, misery – and a team that was once a perennial playoff favorite dropped under .500 for only the 2nd time in the last decade during the 2013 season.
Hemorrhaging funds for a club not competing can’t sit well with the team owner Arte Moreno. Amidst in all of this would be a contract for Mike Scioscia as manager for $5 MIL a year, that renders him unfireable, and even untradeable.
Ryan Raburn got on base 4 times, homered and drove in 5 runs, leading the Indians to a 14-3 thrashing of the White Sox.
A. J. Griffin moved the A’s closer to a second straight Division Title by holding the Twins to 2 hits, 1 walk and 1 run while striking out 8 over 7 innings in Oakland’s 8-2 victory.
Freddie Freeman went 3-4 with a homer and a walk, driving in a pair, helping the Braves beat the Marlins, 6-1.
Jeff Locke pitched the Pirates back into first place by throwing 7 innings, letting only 3 Cubs get hits and letting up just a single run, getting the 3-1 win.
They all owned baseball on September 12, 2013.
My explanation for “Who Owns Baseball” can be found here.
At the end of the year, we will tally up who owned baseball the most individual days and see how it compares to the final MVP and Cy Youngvote.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON.
To View The List of just the nightly winners (WOB dedicated Page) starting from Mar.31/2013 – today click here
A.J. Burnett is showing that he is not a one-hit wonder by having another solid year pitching for the Pirates in their rotation. He leads the club in strikeouts with 160 on the season in 145.2 innings pitched, with a WHIP of 1.22 and a 3.09 ERA. He has allowed nine Home Runs with him walking 53 batters. Burnett has a strikeout per nine of 9.9 and is holding opponents to a batting average of .231. He has been very tough on right-handers by holding them to an average of .203 in 286 at-bats. The right-hander is just as good with runners in scoring position, as indicated by teams just hitting .188 in this situation. When there are two outs and runners in scoring position, he limits teams to a .197 average.
By Chris Lacey (Lead Baseball Columnist/Minority Website Owner) Follow @aecanada12
There have been plenty of story lines this season in baseball, and one them is could the Pittsburgh Pirates finally end their drought of losing seasons. For those that don’t know the Pirates have not had a winning baseball season since 1992.
This is a long time to go without having a winning season and the fans in Pittsburgh have been waiting some time to see a good baseball club.
The Pirates have a great fan base and also they have one of the most beautiful ballparks in all of baseball. PNC Park has a great skyline that shows off the city and the three yellow bridges.
Pittsburgh Pirates 2013 First Half Highlights Parental Guidance Is Advised
The Braves have charged out of the ALL – Star Break at a pace like they did to start the year. They have an 11.5 Games Lead in the NL East over Washington, and most of their offense is starting to click – which have helped contributed to the team hold down the fort now that the pitching has had vast injuries.
It is time for the MLB Power Rankings. These are based on my thoughts on whether who has the best chance to win the World Series.
A lot of these positions are based on who has the toughest Strength of Schedule left, who their competition is for the Division, and possibly even the League they are in.
How unfortunate it is for the Indians and the Royals to have the Tigers winning 9 of their last ten – to fend off their those absurdly hot AL Central counterparts?
The good news for the KC and CLE teams is that the AL East are beating up on each other in the last month, while Texas will see a Nelson Cruz suspension dampen their odds of making the Post Season.
Check out the Show we did on AL and NL Rankings Here on the 2 And A Hook Podcast
The trading deadline has been an exciting time of year for Pittsburgh Pirates fans the past two seasons and this year looks to be bordering on an extravaganza for the city, as the Bucs will be hosting the division-leading St. Louis Cardinals for a five-game series as the deadline approaches and passes. Although GM Neal Huntington will likely be active, the sound advice might be to hold onto prospects, do not mortgage the future and go with what got you a couple games back of the Cardinals in the NL Central and for the best record in all of MLB.
If you read the newspapers in Pittsburgh or listen to talk show radio, the expectation is that Huntington is going to make a significant deal to upgrade the Pirates’ hitting, outfield, bullpen, and even starting pitching.
Realizing that baseball in October is a lot different than baseball in May, June and July, if the Bucs needed upgrades in all those areas, how are they winning about 60 percent of their games so far?
The Pirates have posted one of the best records in baseball so far in 2013.
Im back & ready after being off during the 4th of July week to give you all another baseball packed podcast. On today’s show, brought to you by MLB Reports ( www.mlbreports.com ) & yours truly The Bench Warmers Show.
I star by paying respect to the great Yankee Stadium PA announcer Bob Sheppard on the 3 year anniversary to the day that he passed away…
I talk to the boss man Chuck Booth as he returns to do his segment! 16 Minutes in and a 31 Minute Segment Follow @chuckbooth3024
The Giants have gone 9 – 23 in their last 32 Games – and are in danger of having a brutal campaign just one year after capturing the World Series. Key injuries and overlogged pitchers have been the main point of contention. They lost 8 Ranking Spots this past time. Should they also become sellers at the Trade Deadline, Tim Lincecum and Hunter Pence could fetch a few players in return. The Giants are currently 40 – 50 and 6.5 Games behind the NL West Leading DBACKS – but are in last in the NL West.
The time has come for the July Power Rankings with Stats Edition. There will be one each for May, June, July, August, September – and then a special playoff edition Power Rankings will be done in October.
I will not do a weekly Power Rankings during these weeks, because in essence, these are the weekly rankings done on a much larger scale.
These Reports are done with a heavy thought to how the teams project by the end of the season – along with how the clubs have fared so far.
I will point out who has had great months for the all 30 MLB Teams. I reward the good performances in these rankings – and leave the poor ones for the Podcasts or future articles. CLICK THE READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON or scroll past the video and picture.
Citi Field is one of the newest Ball Parks in the Majors and will be host to the 2013 ALL – Star Game. It is light years ahead of where Shea Stadium was. The home club should have the Starting Pitcher and Third Baseman for the NL, who else will be picked for the NL and AL – will all be revealed in a matter of hours. MLB Reports gave its candidates and choices in this blog. Citi Field also modified its fences last year in hopes of hosting this event. This is the RF cavernous portion that used to be what Right Field was. I took this photo in 2009 – during its 1st season in existence.
I am doing this list based solely on whether the player is a viable candidate or not. I don’t care if the fans vote someone else in – although they have done a decent job.
This website’s stance on Yasiel Puig is known by know – if you are reading this for the 1st time. We feel the man belongs based on his numbers. He has numbers comparable to Bryce Harper – and his BA and OPS is far above and beyond.
Han- Ram might be a victim of all teams needing to be represented as the Padres best candidate is definitely Everth Cabrera – unless Bochy takes Jason Marquis to replace him.
Grilli has done a phenomenal job in closing games for the Pirates this season. He has saved 28 games for the Pirates this season which is first in the NL, and has a chance to possibly save 60 games. Grilli has a 2.15 ERA with only one blown save, and has only surrendered two home runs in 37.2 innings pitched. The right-hander has struck out 60 batters, and has a strikeout rate of 14.3 SO/9. He also has a terrific SO/BB ratio of 8.57. The opposition is only hitting .187 against him this season, with right-handers hitting just .155. The Pirates know that with a lead in the ninth inning, he is the guy they trust the most.
By Chris Lacey (Lead Baseball Columnist/Minority Website Owner) Follow @aecanada12
Who can remember the last time the Pittsburgh Pirates were in the playoffs, because it seems like it has been a long time. The reason that I can’t remember is that it happened in 1992, when they went 96-66.
This is a long time for a sports franchise to go without at least making the playoffs. The Pirates in the past seasons have started out fast, only to fade away in the second half of the baseball season.
Pittsburgh Pirates Early 2013 Season Highlights- So Parental Guidance Is Advised
On today’s podcast, brought to you by MLB Reports ( www.mlbreports.com ) & yours truly The Bench Warmers Show, I talk to the boss man Chuck Booth as he returns to do his segment! 8 Minutes and a 18 Segment Follow @chuckbooth3024
Chuck makes a HUGE announcement about MLB Reports & then we talked about contract stuff like arbitration, Super 2, & service time…
Also we talk about these guys Wil Myers, Yasiel Puig & Chris Archer on why they should have been up in the major leagues since the beginning of the season!
Then I talk to LAA correspondent Joshua Jones (34 Minute Mark and a 18 Minute Segment) Follow @JoshJones4 about the Angels season & what might or might not happen…
Next up was Bernie Olshansky (53 Minute Mark and a 13 Minutes Segment) Follow @bernieolshanskyabout the padres & what moves they might make for the future…after that i talked to Mariners/Marlins correspondent.
The last guest of the show is the 2nd longest active writer on the MLB Reports website Sam Evans (1 HR and 12 Min Mark and a 25 Min Segment) ( @RJA206 ) as we get into the mariners/marlins & whats been going on with both of these teams!
I then get into everyone’s favorite segment Stats & Facts (29, Minute Mark (5 minutes) 1 HR, 7 Min Mark ( 5 Minutes ) and, 1 HR 37 MIN (20 Minutes) – so go check it out & SPREAD THE WORD!!! ThanksRead the rest of this entry →
McCutchen is signed for about an average of 8.5 Million Dollars a year until he hits FA in 2018. If he can be among the running for NL MVP every year like 2012, this will bode well for the Pirates value in his salary. He is the best player the franchise has drafted since Barry Bonds.
Neil Huntington has done a great job assembling this Pirates team – and has spun some great trades in order to see his club actually be competitive over the last few years.
At the MLB Reports, we intend to show you the Roster Tree for the Bucs – and how they assembled their current rosters. It will work in a six degrees of separation like format.
Once we figure out the origin of how many trades going back in time it takes to see w here the tree started, it will be time to dissect how the team fared on the deals.
If a player has never left the organization at all, the tree will be easy – as it will just be the year they were drafted.
What 3 current Pirates players can be traced back to Ricardo Rincon? Read this article and you will find out how all of the players have arrived in a Bucs uniform – and we dissected the Pirates brass for each move.
Neil Huntington has done a great job assembling this Pirates team – and has spun some great trades in order to see his club actually be competitive over the last few years.
At the MLB Reports, we intend to show you the Roster Tree for the Bucs – and how they assembled their current rosters. It will work in a six degrees of separation like format.
Once we figure out the origin of how many trades going back in time it takes to see where the tree started, it will be time to dissect how the team fared on the deals.
If a player has never left the organization at all, the tree will be easy – as it will just be the year they were drafted.
Papa Grande had led the AL in Games Finished during each of the last 2 seasons (70 in 2011 and 67 Last Year.) he also led the AL in Saves in 2011 with 49. It was a Sept/Oct swoon of a 5.02 ERA that started his troubles – before giving up 6 Earned Runs in 1 combined Inning Pitched between the ALCS and the World Series. He remained unsigned by everyone until the Tigers gave him an incentive laden 1 Year Deal. Valverde nailed down 2 Saves this week and the Tigers have won 4 out of 5 games – including sweeping the Atlanta Braves in Detroit this past weekend.
With it coming up to the 4 week Report, the biggest mover this week where the Detroit Tigers. Jose Valverde came back to the club, looked trimmed down – and more like his 2011 self compared to when we last saw him. The Motown Boys pasting the Braves over the weekend speaks volumes about their talent.
The worst week went to the Giants – who plummeted from #1 to #11. It has to be concerning for the fans that Matt Cain and Ryan Vogelsong do not look right. Decent start by Tim Lincecum and Barry Zito have been wasted. The club may be lacking the hunger to repeat. I see the whole team having up and down campaigns.
The Toronto Blue Jays may not have plunged down the rankings that much this week, however they have free fallen the most out of any franchise from the start of the year. The projected AL favorite – have started 9 – 17 and are looking up at 4 good teams in the AL East now.
I am predicting they will have a good second half, yet they will not make the playoffs now based on the Jose Reyes injury mostly. John Gibbons also has to be on the hot seat.
The Pittsburgh Pirates organization is looking a lot better over the last few years. They have had 20 Losing season in a row – and are one of the 3 teams to not make the playoffs since the 1994 Player Strike (KC and Toronto) and are the the only National League team to hold this distinction. The club were one of the best franchises around the game of the MLB in the 1970’s. The club has started 13 – 9 in 2013. This pattern has formed over the last few campaigns, – in the NL Central contention until just after the ALL – Star Break – before swooning in 2011 and 2012.
You guys are all in for a treat. Jeff Kleiner recently contacted me about a partnership merge for the website. He has developed a site (prosportsrosters.com) that covers all organizational affiliates in the Minors for all of the Major League Baseball Clubs. We are going to combine efforts to bring you the best look at salaries, current 25 Man Player Rosters and Depth Charts for all 30 teams.
Jeff is going to provide the documents in form of spreadsheets and I am going to accompany the posts with deep analysis of what the numbers tell us from my perspective. If you can’t wait for all of my assessments for each club, go and visit Jeff’s website over at http://www.prosportsrosters.com.
In Speaking with Jeff, he is one of the more passionate fans I have come across towards the game of baseball. He spends enough time in updating his MLB Facts for it to be a Full-Time Job. So after the usual Video Clip and READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY button, you will find some serious &*!@?!#!
For a Full 3 year Salary Outlook plus last years Stats for every player in the Pirates Organization click here
The statistical improvements are easy to decipher in Clint Hurdle‘s first two years as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 2011, the Bucs were 72-90, scored 610 Runs and gave up 712 Runs. Those were improvements of 15 victories, 23 Runs Scored and an impressive 154 less Runs Allowed.
This past season, Pittsburgh improved in all three categories again – earning 79 victories with 651 Runs Scored and 674 Runs Allowed. If it seems like an excruciatingly long time since Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonilla, Andy Van Slyke and Doug Drabek were leading the Pirates to a winning season and a third consecutive NLCS, that’s because it has been – two decades to be exact.
Bill Clinton was just starting his first term as President of the United States and something called Color Me Badd was popular on the radio.
Questionable music aside, if the Pirates want to put an end to all that losing, another year of similar improvement will get them over the .500 hump.
Here are three reasons why 2013 will be the year it happens for them and three reasons why the longest consecutive streak of losing seasons in professional sports will reach 21 years.
Sid Breams 1992 NLCS Game 7 Slide kicked off a 20 Year Consecutive Losing Records Streak
Pittsburgh GM Neil Huntington has found creative ways to help the Budget out – by taking risks on Wandy Rodriguez and A.J. Burnett. They are both being paid portions of their contracts by their previous teams. Signing Andrew McCutchen to a long-term contract has also given the franchise the ability to add players in 2013 if need be.
On August 8 of last season, the Pittsburgh Pirates were 63-47, 2.5 games back of the First-place Cincinnati Reds, securely into the second Wild-Card Spot – and had the fourth-best record in the National League. The wheels came off, the Bucs finished on a 16-36 slide, 18 games back of the Reds and with the 10th-best record in the NL. Reality could have caught up to a overperforming squad, or a youthful team took the next step in learning how to win. Either way, the Pirates enter 2013 with breaking a streak of 20 losing seasons on their minds.
General Manager Neal Huntington has been shrewd and active, signing MVP candidate Andrew McCutchen to a long-term deal in 2012 and getting other clubs to eat up significant chunks of their largest contracts when acquiring their top two starters. Starting pitching depth has been added and Huntington is even taking more high-priced risks, landing Catcher Russell Martin as a Free Agent.
The Pirates have not made the playoffs since the 1992 Season. That year, Barry Bonds could not throw out Sid Bream from deep Short in Game #7 of the NLCS versus the Braves – and they were eliminated for the 3rd straight year in the playoffs before reaching the World Series. Bonds subsequently left the team for the SF Giants in 1993 – and 20 losing seasons have since occurred. Only the Kansas City Royals have a longer streak of not making the playoffs (1985). Will this change in 2013?
Although the Pirates made significant strides in 2012, they still finished in fourth place in the National League Central – with a 79-83 mark – extending their professional sports record for consecutive losing seasons to 20. After being active at last season’s trading deadline, the Bucs added two key Free Agents in the offseason. One of those signings, LHP Francisco Liriano, agreed to 2 YR Deall for just under $13 Million – but broke his arm from an undisclosed injury in late December. The two sides agreed to a deal that lowers the first-season payout if Liriano misses any time due to the injury.
That has not dimmed the enthusiasm swelling around Pittsburgh and very few roster spots are up for grabs as the 2013 season nears. With the Houston Astros moving to the American League West, the division is down to five teams, but the Pirates still have numerous questions surrounding their ability to compete for a Post Season Berth.
Andrew McCutchen hitting mechanics: Mature Lyrics Content – Parental Guidance is Advised
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