Latest Pirates Stories
Posted: Jul 3rd 2009 1:00 PM ET by Pat Lackey (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Pirates, NL Central
Futilitywatch '09 is a our semi-regular update on the Pittsburgh Pirates and their march toward their record 17th consecutive losing season.
How many teams in baseball history have traded 2/3rds of their starting outfields in consecutive years? The Pirates started 2008 with an offense-oriented outfield of
Jason Bay,
Nate McLouth, and
Xavier Nady, from left to right. With Bay and Nady slated to become free agents in the two coming offseasons and having good years at the plate, the Pirates dealt them and shifted towards a defensive outfield of
Nyjer Morgan, McLouth, and
Brandon Moss. Now, Morgan and McLouth are gone and GM
Neal Huntington may not be done dealing. Where does that leave the Pirates?
Posted: Jul 1st 2009 6:32 PM ET by Pat Lackey (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Pirates, NL Central

There have been very few stranger soap operas in baseball this year than the
Ian Snell saga in Pittsburgh. Expected to be one of the Pirates' top starters after signing a contract extension before the 2008 season, Snell has struggled on the mound in the past two seasons, posting 5.00-plus ERAs and struggling with his control. It all came to a head about a week ago when
Snell asked the Pirates to be demoted, then gave a strange impromptu press conference where he lashed out at reporters and bloggers and talked about his need to get away from the negative atmosphere of Pittsburgh.
On Sunday, Snell struck out 17 hitters in seven innings in his first start back in Triple-A. Wednesday, he talked to Indianapolis TV station WTHR and
revealed that he's been battling depression and actually contemplated suicide about a month ago. He says he wanted the trip to Indianapolis to help clear his head because it's somewhere he's always liked pitching, having thrown a no-hitter with the Indians back in 2005.
Posted: Jul 1st 2009 2:09 PM ET by Ed Price (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Pirates, MLB Inside Scoop

After making two trades Tuesday, the Pirates may not be finished.
Pittsburgh has publicly said that it would listen to offers on players who are not under team control for 2010 -- shortstop
Jack Wilson, second baseman
Freddy Sanchez, first baseman
Adam LaRoche and lefty reliever
John Grabow.
And according to an official of an AL team, Pittsburgh was particularly considering deals for Grabow and closer
Matt Capps.
The Marlins, Twins and Dodgers are seeking bullpen help.
Posted: Jul 1st 2009 12:00 PM ET by Will Brinson (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Braves, Cubs, Mets, Pirates

It's a baseball podcast. The math is easy right? BaseCast. Let's rock.Hey there! It's the initial MLB FanHouse BaseCast. You know you're excited, and frankly, you should be, because it's pretty freaking awesome. In this episode, host tandem Will Brinson and Andrew Johnson (Prez) welcome Matt Snyder and Ed Price into the proverbial fray.
We discuss -- with Snyder -- the Cubs' lack of success, the insane notion of cutting
Carlos Zambrano and if a division title is still in the works. Then Ed joins us from Yankee Stadium where we (ironically?) talk about the banged up Mets, the NL East race and whether the Braves plan on making a deadline deal or not.
Posted: Jul 1st 2009 6:00 AM ET by Ed Price (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Angels, Cardinals, Marlins, Orioles, Padres, Pirates, Rangers, Red Sox, MLB Injuries, Starting Five
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.
You Oughta Know ...
That the Red Sox probably did not sleep well Tuesday night.
Boston held a nine-run lead in Baltimore with nine outs to go. Then the Orioles exploded for five runs on seven hits in the seventh inning and five runs on six hits in the eighth, handing
Jonathan Papelbon his second blown save of the season. When
George Sherrill struck out
Jason Bay with two on in the top of the ninth, it finished off a wild 11-10
victory for the O's.
[Said Orioles manager Dave Trembley:] "It was the shootout at the OK Corral except it was Camden Yards."
Posted: Jun 30th 2009 1:08 PM ET by Tom Fornelli (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Pirates, Yankees, MLB Transactions

When the St. Louis Cardinals traded for
Mark DeRosa over the weekend, it was basically the unofficial start of teams swapping players before the July 31 trade deadline. Traditionally teams wait for one big domino to fall before they start wheeling and dealing, so it's no surprise that the Yankees and Pirates have now worked out a deal amongst themselves.
In a Tuesday morning deal, the Yankees acquired
Eric Hinske from the Pirates for two minor leaguers.
Posted: Jun 30th 2009 12:25 PM ET by Tom Fornelli (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Angels, Braves, Cardinals, Cubs, Dodgers, Indians, Pirates, Rays, Red Sox, White Sox, MLB Awards

It hasn't been the greatest week for Cubs manager
Lou Piniella. Not only is he feeling the heat of the Chicago media with the Cubs scuffling, but he's also gotten into an argument with
Milton Bradley in which he called his right fielder a "piece of [expletive]." Regardless of whether the exchange should have ever left the clubhouse or not, it's not exactly the type of thing you want the world to know about.
All of this was done after a recent poll by
Sports Illustrated in which Major League players were asked anonymously which manager in baseball they would least like to play for, and which one they'd most like to play for. Guess which one Sweet Lou
emerged "victorious" in.
Posted: Jun 29th 2009 6:00 AM ET by Andrew Johnson (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Angels, Blue Jays, Braves, Pirates, Rangers, Rays, White Sox, Minor Leagues, Starting Five
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.You Oughta Know ...That Sunday was a good day to steal home in the major leagues. With an assist from
Carlos Zambrano, who airmailed a pitch to the backstop as
Dewayne Wise attempted to suicide squeeze,
Chris Getz was credited with a steal of home in the White Sox's 6-0 victory over the crosstown rival Cubs. Zambrano followed by plunking Wise,
pushing the oft-heated interleague rivalry close to fisticuffs.
Later in the afternoon, the Angels'
Gary Matthews Jr. pulled off a straight steal of home in Los Angeles' 12-8 win over the Diamondbacks.
"I got a good jump and pulled it off," Matthews said. "The key was getting a big lead. They're definitely not expecting it with two strikes. If there was a right-handed hitter up there, I wouldn't have even tried."
Posted: Jun 28th 2009 5:20 PM ET by Pat Lackey (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Pirates, NL Central

With the Steelers and Penguins reigning as champs of their respective sports, it's certainly a fun time to be a Pittsburgh sports fan. The trouble now, with the Penguins' season over and Steelers camp still a month away, is that the only game in town is the Pirates. That's fine for a baseball geek like me, but many more casual Pirate fans are trying to make this rebuilding club, barely hanging around .500, into something they're not.
All those fans had their fires stoked a bit this week when
Beaver County Times columnist Bob Hertzel decided to compare
Andrew McCutchen, the Bucs' exciting rookie, to the golden standard of Pittsburgh Pirates,
Roberto Clemente. I shouldn't have to tell anyone why this comparison is both unfair and ridiculous, but I'm going to anyways.