Stay Strong Bucco Fans; They'll Be Back

Did you hear that sound? It's the familiar sound of the fair-weather Pirate fans abandoning ship. For many, the current 4 game skid is like watching Old School for the third time and knowing exactly what is going to happen before it happens. In this case though, it's not Will Ferrell streaking; it's the Pirates lackluster offense failing to muster together a few runs to support great pitching efforts.

However, my words of wisdom to the Pirates faithful: Stay strong, they'll be back.

This team was good enough to be the best team in the majors through the first half of the season. Compiling a franchise best 51 wins before July is not an accident. They say pitching wins championships, so it's not surprising that the Pirates pitching staff was the best in baseball during that stretch as well.

If one thing is for sure, this pitching staff appears to have what it takes to maintain the superhuman stats they posted in the first half. A little more help by the Pirates offense and they are still the best in baseball.

Now, the reality of the situation is the Pirates need a few current players to play better and they need to consider upgrading a few positions before the deadline. Hopefully a player or two can be added to strengthen the offense just enough to put together an extra run or two per game.

Regardless, hang in there. Every MLB team hits a rough patch, or multiple rough patches, throughout the course of a grueling 162 game season. The best team in baseball didn't suddenly become the worst. This is just a bump in the road right now, not a collapse. (I told myself that over and over until I believed it enough to write this...)

So, hang in there Bucco fans...They'll be streaking like Will Ferrell again before you know it

The Pirates have their work cut out after All Star break

It's easy to get caught up in the emotion of our hometown Pirates leading baseball in wins as we head into July. And rightfully so. After 20 years of losing, it's pretty awesome to see the Buccos continue to pile up the wins.

Emotion aside, most Pirate fans are cautiously optimistic after experiencing the late season melt-downs in recent years. Taking a look ahead at the schedule after the All Star break validates the cautious optimism.

July - Post All Star Break

@ Reds - Although the Reds have dropped 7 of their last 10 games, they should continue to contend for the remainder of the season. They are far better when playing at home.

@ Nationals (4 gm series) - The Nats are beginning to play to the potential that most people expected before the season. They are currently a game over .500 and getting Bryce Harper back soon. They also play well at home (22-16 home record is the same as St. Louis).

@ Marlins - For most of the season, the Marlins have been terrible. That said, they are one of the hottest teams in baseball (7-3) over their last 10 games and they've played well in June. In the month of June, the Marlins have series victories against the Mets, Cardinals, Giants, Twins, and are on the verge of taking 3 of 4 from the Padres.

vs Cardinals (5 gm series) - The Cards are 2 games behind the Pirates in the NL Central, but most "experts" believe the Cardinals are still the favorite to win the division. The Cards are struggling recently, but it would be hard to imagine they will struggle for an extended period of time.

In August, the schedule lightens up a little bit as the Pirates play NL West teams 17 times. Every team in the NL West is within 5 games of .500 and nobody is dominating to this point. The greatest challenge will be playing the Cardinals 6 times, but the Pirates could conceivably come out of August unscathed.

In my opinion, the first 4 series after the All Star break could have an impact on the direction the club goes for the rest of the season. Two division rivals, an under-performing quality team, and a shitty team riding a hot streak makes it tough to come out of the gate strong. But if they come out strong, it will be #BUCN awesome.

Let's Go Bucs!

Identity of the 2013 Pirates

Last night's shutout victory over the Cincinnati Reds may have been a defining moment of the season. It also may be an indication that the Pittsburgh Pirates now feel like they belong in the NL Central division race.

The Pirates have played second fiddle to the Cardinals and Reds for several years. We've watched the Reds bully the lowly Pirates and we've watched the Pirates roll over and take it. Those days, however, seem to be behind us. The Pirates aren't going to take it anymore.

In consecutive seasons, the Reds have been throwing at Pirates star Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen was drilled in the back by Cincinnati pitcher Mike Leake again Monday night. After Aroldis Chapman almost decapitated Neil Walker with a 99 MPH fastball, the Pirates were just waiting for their opportunity to send a message back to the schoolyard bully.

Last night, Charlie Morton drilled Shin-Soo Choo in his Choo-Soo Shin on the first pitch of the ballgame. Reds starting pitcher Mat Latos was obviously displeased as he yelled at Morton from the dugout.

Yelling from the dugout was all the Reds did to "stand up for themselves" as the Pirates put an exclamation point on the victory by shutting out the Reds.

The Pirates appear to have an identity for the first time in a long time. Veteran leaders like AJ Burnett and Russell Martin have a lot to do with the tough guy mentality this team possesses. That same leadership will be a significant reason this club will continue to win ballgames and refuse to be bullied.

Expect this team to still be in contention in September. Regardless, the final 2 games of this series will be fun to watch.

Tony Sanchez deserves a callup

Tony Sanchez has always been adequate defensively to play in the big leagues. However, his hitting needed some refinement before taking the next step. He appears to have turned the corner this year and he could be an immediate upgrade for the big league club.

In only 138 AB’s this season, Sanchez is batting an impressive .297, 7 HR, 15 doubles, and 27 RBI. He also adds a .393 OBP and a .951 OPS to solidify his numbers.

Sanchez’s defense is not quite Russell Martin good, but he’d be a significant upgrade over Michael McKenry. In 2012 and 2013, Sanchez has thrown out 27.5% of base stealers. In comparison, Russell Martin has thrown out an astonishing 43% this year, up from 24% last season with the Yankees….And Michael McKenry has only thrown out only 7% this season, down from 18% last season.

Sanchez is 25 years old and seems ready to make his big league debut. The Pirates need to focus on improving the big league club with home grown players as quickly as possible. I believe it’s just a matter of time before we see Tony Sanchez in black and gold.

Should the Pirates give Ricky Nolasco a look-see?

They say in baseball you can never have enough starting pitching. To validate that statement, take a look at the Pittsburgh Pirates current situation. Just a week ago, the starting rotation was among the best in baseball. As of today, they've lost Jeanmar Gomez for an unknown period of time and yesterday Wandy Rodriguez left the game with forearm tightness after throwing only 14 pitches.

It appears the Pirates top 3 choices to fill the 2 open spots are Charlie Morton, Garrit Cole, and James McDonald. Unfortunately, all 3 are unproven commodities as they've never completed an entire successful season at the major league level.

So that brings up my next question. The Marlins are rumored to be shopping Ricky Nolasco. Nolasco would be a 4th or 5th guy in the rotation, but that's what the Pirates need right now. Despite Nolasco's 3-6 record with the Marlins this year, he's posting fairly impressive numbers: 3.61 ERA, 1.130 WHIP, 7.4 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, and he's averaged 6.31 innings per start. Over the last 5 seasons, Nolasco has been an innings eater averaging 190 innings per season.

Nolasco is due to make 11.5 mil this year, the final year of his contract in Miami. I'm assuming the Pirates could eat a large chunk of his remaining salary without parting with prospects. Or if they choose, maybe a few mid level prospects could get the deal done with the Marlins picking up a larger chunk of the remaining salary.

Nolasco is not a great starting pitcher, but he's above average, proven, and capable of staying healthy for the rest of the season. As the Pirates continue to strive to stay in contention for the remainder of the season, does it make sense to make a run right now at a proven commodity in Ricky Nolasco?