Wandy and Kershaw tonight.
When we watch the 2012 world champion PBC DVD in 7 months this part of the season will be the dramatic lowpoint, where the camera goes sharp to blurry and players, bat on shoulder, look out in the distance a la 1000 yd stare, THEN, the dramatic, uplifting music begins...and so the push starts.
Correia and Billingsley tonight.
Bucs are five games back and 1.5 games up in the wild card race. Bucs need some bunts to regain momentum.
Karstenstein vs. the Harangutan tonight.
Given the match-up, fans with small kids should probably just listen to this one on the radio. Bucs need a win.
Bedard and Ross Ohlendorf today as the Bucs try to get back on track for a first-round playoff bye.
J-Mac and Volquez tonight in another must-win game with playoff implications.
Wandy and Saunders today at four with a first round playoff bye at stake.
Reds play in Wrigley at eight.
Correia and Kennedy tonight with the World Series parade in the balance.
Reds play the Brewers in a day game.
Game on now.
Progress of the series so far emphasizes the need to win the division outright.
McDonald and Leake tonight in the most important game of the year.
We gonna get down. We gonna do the do.
Wandy and Latos starting soon in the most meaningful series in twenty years.
Karstens and Wood this afternoon.
Wood is a lefty, so I am curious if we will see Good Pedro (day splits) or Bad Pedro (lefty splits). Probably depends on which way the wind is blowing.
Pirates need to get this win. Day off tomorrow and then twenty games in a row, starting in Cincinnati.
Burnett and Dempster tonight at eight.
Pirates need to shake off all those bad habits they picked up in Houston. It's a real danger playing hapless teams ... playing down to the competition is not how the Pirates will win another championship.
Fortunately the Cubs have been playing well since about when they promoted Rizzo -- I count 18-10 in that department -- so it should not take too long for the Pirates to re-learn how to play the game right. The problem will be if they lose too many games in the meantime.
Snider's another left-handed bat with power and not so much bunting credentials.
McDonald and Harrell at two.
McDonald has not pitched so well in July and needs to dominate this hapless Astros offense.
New acquisition Wandy Rodriguez starts tonight against Andres Galarraga Jr. and the hapless Astros.
Clearly a must-win situation for the Pirates. The MLB playoff structure heavily favors division winners this year.
Astros have lost eleven in a row. You'd think they'd be desperate for a win, but nooo, apparently this is not the case.
Good on the Steelers for signing Antonio Brown long term. Mike Wallace has overplayed his hand. I'm not sure what will come of him, but I do not despair of losing him to either cowardly play in 2012 (does he think he will die before the end of this season?) or some kind of trade/holdout.
Also entertained that a die-hard Steeler fan is going to buy the Cleveland Browns. That's committment, right there.
Karstens and Lyles on central time.
Not excited about the idea of trading Kevin Correia, who has won seven of his last ten starts. Starters don't go on trees and a team always needs more starting pitching than most expect.
Anyway win meter humming happily. New picture for the beer fort wall.
Burnett and Keuchel tonight at 8.
Two and a half games out of first, the Pirates are literally chasing the Reds, who leave Houston happy.
Getaway day underway. Dempster and Correia dueling; Blatz fumage in the home plate area.
Cubs up on a Frank Rizzo home run.
Pirates acquire longtime Pirate-killer Wandy Rodriguez.
One less hap for the hapless Astros.
Maholm and McDonald at seven.
Pirates are 54-41, a game and a half back of the Votto-less Reds.
Facing a pitcher with a pedigree like Maholm's, the Pirates might be fortunate to scratch out two infield hits. McDonald will need to bring his A game.
Bedard and Samardzija tonight.
Just a half game back, the Bucs need wins against the hapless teams.
Anibal Sanchez and Jeff Karstens in an hour.
Pirates are 53-40, 1/2 game out of first. Last year on this day they were 51-46 and one game out.
Kids run the bases after the game.
Correia vs. Nolasco tonight. Bucs need a win for a chance at first place tomorrow.
If the Bucs trade for a Drew or Scutaro or other upgrade at SS, Barmes could start in RF.
No game today. Bucs are tied for first, with the Reds hosting the D-backs today.
Preparation for the postseason should not involve rest, but instead extra batting practice and maybe even a buntathon.
J-Mac and Guthrie in a must-win day game. Hopefully some of the infielders can run around in the outfield today.
Quickly looking through the minors for utility infielders who could start in right field, it's clear that Altoona is the first place to look, with an impressive and affiliate-leading 54 bunts. However, closer inspection reveals Cumpton bunting his ass off is in part responsible, with a jaw-dropping 8 SH in only 25 PA. He's a pitcher though, not a utility infielder.
Benji Gonzalez in Bradenton is the obvious choice, leading the minors with 9 SH while playing 2B/SS/3B, so probably ready to jog out into RF and learn on the job.
Bedard and Friedrice tonight.
Bucs need a win to drive away the creeping languor.
Karstens and Francis tonight.
The Bucs need to bunt and trade their way back into first place.
A. J. Burnett and Gallardo at two.
Here's hoping that Larry Vanover excused himself from last night's Blatz party.
Correia and Estrada at seven.
A lot of hand-wringing about last night's bloodbath, but any team will lose a game like that, here and there, so there are no worries in the beer fort.
Prepare to untuck.
McDonald vs. Greinke tonight, if Zack can avoid getting ejected.
The Bucs are only one game up, so to stay in first place and continue their first half momentum, they really need to win this game.
All but two of the Bucs rest while Cutch assures home-field advantage for the Bucs in the World Series. Then Hairyhands will probably try to give it away.
The Home Run Derby would be more entertaining if it was just one of many contests of baseball prowess. Like a bunting contest (or marathon). And synchronized defensive shifts involving whole infields and/or outfields, set to music.
Burnett vs. the Freak today.
Despite the calming influence of Vogelsong, the Freak Whisperer, Timmy has been a wreck this year. Bucs need a win to carry momentum and sole possession of first place into the All-Star break.
McDonald takes on Ryan Vogelsong and his NL lowest ERA.
Facing a pitcher with a pedigree like Vogelsong, a 1-0 victory is about the best we can hope for.
Bedard and Zito at seven.
Finally the Bucs get to play a real MLB team. If the Bucs want a bigger first place lead, they really need to win this game.
Karstens and Norris at seven.
If the Bucs want to retain sole possession of first place, they really need to win this game.
Keuchel and Correia in an hour.
Match rockets and sparklers line the battlements for post-game patriotic festivity.
The Pirates are at .550 and tied for first with the Reds. As good as they've been the last month, they'll have to play better. Tied with the hapless Reds? ... this will not do.
Sadly, there appear to be no photos of Sutton connecting for the beer fort wall. The photojournalists need to step up their game too.
Burnett goes for his 9th straight win against Harrell, a bunting threat.
If the Bucs want to win the division, they really need to win this game.
McDonald and Lyles at seven.
Bucs need a win if they want to increase their rapidly growing playoff odds. 83.2% are pretty good odds, but it'll be fun to watch that converge on 100%.
Bedard and Westbrook today.
If Bedard fancies himself a starter in the Bucs' playoff rotation, he really needs to win this game.
Karstens and Lynn today.
If Karstens fancies himself a starter in the Bucs' playoff rotation, he really needs to win this game.
Correia and Wainwright tonight.
If Correia fancies himself a starter in the Bucs' playoff rotation, he really needs to win this game.
Burnett and Kendrick in a day game.
If Burnett wants a statue outside of PNC, he really needs to win this game.
J-Mac and Raul Valdes at seven.
The Bucs need to win if they want a first round playoff bye.
Bedard and Worley at seven.
Most scenarios where the Bucs go deep into the playoffs involve a win tonight.
K-Star returns to face Blanton and the hapless last-place Phils tonight.
Bucs are one game out and tied for the wild card lead.
Correia and Verlander starting soon.
If the Bucs are going to go deep in the playoffs, they need to regularly rest the starters like today with Tabata, Rowdy Rod Burrito and NFW on the bench. Cutch is playing, so the Bucs are still heavy favorites.
Lincoln and Scherzer at four.
Smells like first place.
Kevin Youkilis has never laid down a BUNT in his career. Not sure what message signing him would send. He could at least show the other Bucs how to shake up a bottle of champagne and spray it around the clubhouse.
Burnett and Fister tonight in a possible World Series preview. Bucs just two games back.
McDonald and Hendriks tonight.
Must win (or bunt) game if you care about the playoffs.
Bedard and Liriano tonight.
Bucs are 2.5 games out of first. For the first time in recent memory, the Win Meter, the Playoff Meter, and the Bunt Meter are all glowing various hues of green.
Correia and Diamond tonight.
We'll be thoroughly entertained if Pedro hits three dingers.
Burnett and Jimenez starting soon.
Rumors about a possible Manny Ramirez acquisition have not been substantiated.
Bedard and Hunter tonight. The Bucs need to get back to fundamentals, like bunting and defensive shifts.
Correia and Matusz tonight. Matusz is recovering from a serious bunting accident.
Nice view from up here.
Bucs have Monday off to prepare for the 1979 World Series rematch.
Burnett and Chen starting soon. Alvarez, Jones, and Tabata are all on the bench, stealing signs.
The Bucs are one game out. Playoff meter glows the hue of lush infield grass.
Mazzaro and McDonald at 7:15.
Pirates are three games over .500 and two games out of first.
Boyz II Men playing after the game.
Lincoln and Cueto tonight, with the Bucs just two games out.
Bucco playoff odds holding steady around 77%.
Tomorrow, June 5. A.J. Burnett vs. Homer Bailey.
The Pirates are 27-26 and three games back of these 30-23 Reds.
Bucs draft Stanford RHP Mark Appel with the #8 pick, and HS OF Barrett Barnes with #45. In the late rounds, the Bucs should just draft the BBA - Best Bunter Available.
Bedard and Marcum tonight with the Bucs still three games back.
We will untuck.
Burnett and Cueto at seven usher in the Jordy Mercer Era.
Jordy was an accomplished bunter, but has been stone cold buntless in 2012.
Morton and Bailey at seven.
The Bucs are just three games back and have won four in a row. Only Zoltan knows whether today's Assault will be on the Infield Grass or Outfield Walls, but either way, the playoff implications are substantial.
McDonald and Arroyo today.
The Bucs are four games behind the first-place Reds. Some Meaningful Bunting in late May could put the Bucs back at .500.
Paul Maholm returns to PNC to face Correia and the Bucs' bunting juggernaut.
Meanwhile, ZOLTAN! closes the book on the Sam and Frodo Era.
Burnett and Dempster tonight.
When looking for offensive help in the minors, it's hard not to notice Jo-Jo Reyes, currently leading Indy with three bunts.
Hairy Hands on to finish it. Bucs up 5-4, top of the ninth.
Not too far out of first place, too.
Correia and Scherzer starting now. Don Kelly and his .635 career OPS are leading off and playing CF for the Tigers.
Maddening loss. Three times a runner gets on base, and no attempt is made to advance those runners, 90 feet at a time, station to station, to, you know, HOME? This is not rocket science, Clint. No wonder some of the pitchers got demoralized and gave up runs.
Lincoln and Anibal Sanchez at seven.
Pretty amped up for this one. Beer fort in prime condition. Pirates are 16-18 and only four games back of the Cardinals.
Wandy and A.J. still in the game. 6th inning, 1-1 tie.
Call your mothers.
Deer Hunter and the Nats have a 3-2 lead and it's the seventh inning.
Time to sharpen up those bunting bats and get after it.
Here's an interesting piece about how some teams not named the Pirates can't bunt their way out of a wet paper bag. It must be really hard to be a Dodgers or Mariners fan.
Hopefully someone will someday write a piece about how, in contrast, the Bucco BUNTing IGA (Infield Grass Assault) seems, through a combination of good luck and precise execution, hell-bent on playoff domination and another World Championship.
Jackson and Burnett starting now.
Hoping to see Burnett lay down a bunt.
Morton and Latos starting soon.
One day into the Pedro Alvarez Batting Cleanup Era, and the Bucs are undefeated.
