Pittsburgh Pirates at Atlanta Braves Series Preview
by TonyAlmeyda on Jul 25, 2011 9:01 AM EDT
in Series Previews & Recaps
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I think it's safe to say no one expected the Pittsburgh Pirates to be in first place this late in the season.
The Braves face the Pirates for four games at Turner Field, and could have Chipper Jones back in the lineup after he missed two weeks recovering from knee surgery. His bat would certainly help a Braves team that is coming off a 3-4 road trip and has fallen six games out of first in the NL East, but still maintain a four-game lead in the Wild Card.
Meanwhile, the Pirates are 5-4 since the All-Star Break and are in a three-way tie for first in the NL Central. The Braves won both games against the Pirates in Pittsburgh back in May.
Pitching matchups and more after the jump.
Monday, July 25, 7:10 p.m. EDT
Tuesday, July 26, 7:10 p.m. EDT
Wednesday, July 27, 7:10 p.m. EDT
Thursday, July 28, 7:10 p.m. EDT
OFFENSE
Pittsburgh's offense is hitting .246 so far this season, good for 12th in the NL, but have hit just .230 since the All-Star Break; their 62 home runs ranks the third-lowest in the NL. Both catchers Ryan Doumit and Chris Snyder have been sidelined with injuries, so the Pirates have been forced to go with the rookie tandem of Michael McKenry and Eric Fryer. McKenry is hitting .253 in 30 games while Fryer is 5 for 17 since his debut June 26.
Another rookie the Pirates have pressed into everyday duty is outfielder Alex Presley. He was brought up when Jose Tabata was placed on the DL and has been very impressive: in 20 games, he's hitting .333 and posting an OBP of .402 while slugging .494.
We all know what Andrew McCutchen and Neil Walker are capable of; they are the two biggest offensive threats in Pittsburgh's lineup: McCutchen leads the team in most offensive categories including batting average, OBP, slugging, home runs and stolen bases while Walker leads the team in RBI. Their career numbers against the Braves, though, aren't that spectacular: McCutchen is hitting .254 against Atlanta in 15 games and Walker only .212 over eight games. Lyle Overbay, on the other hand, has destroyed Braves pitching to the tune of a .337 average and a .979 OPS.
PITCHING
CURRENT BULLPEN
R - Joel Hanrahan (closer)
L - Joe Beimel
R - Jason Grilli
R - Daniel McCutchen
R - Chris Resop
R - Jose Veras
L - Tony Watson
Following a horrific 2010, the Pirates pitching staff is now one of the best in the league: their 3.41 ERA is fifth in the NL and their 3.06 bullpen ERA is third in the NL, only slightly better than that of the Braves (3.09). Joel Hanrahan has anchored the back end of the bullpen with 28 saves and a 1.21 ERA; he's only issued eight walks in 44.2 innings.
Of the four starters the Braves face in the series, Maholm has seen them the most and has done quite well (few lefties don't against them): only a 1.64 ERA in five starts. McDonald faced the Braves back in May and allowed two runs in six innings; those are the only two runs he's allowed in 17 innings against the Braves. McDonald's 52 walks are tied for fifth-highest in the NL. The 19 walks for Karstens are tied for the fewest among qualified pitchers.
OUTLOOK
The Braves have won 12 of their last 14 home games, and Lowe is a perfect 10-0 against the Pirates. Should this keep up, the Braves will have a very successful series.
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Hooray!
An opponent with an over-.500 average. Maybe we’ll squeak out a win or three.
"You owe it to yourself to be successful. After that you'll owe it to the IRS."
Hope the return to home
causes all our players to be re-inspired, and start firing on all cylinders. Like to see the pitching improve, especially stop letting runs in early. And let’s see some runs by our hitters! Go Braves!
Lived in AZ when i signed on, but that was only for nine months. Had a southern mom, and lived in NC for many years, watching Braves on TBS. Live in Oregon now.
C'mon Pirates.
Time to realize you aren’t for real, and just leave McCutchen and Hanrahan in the ATL.
Our crappy lucky team *WAS* better than your good unlucky team.
I saw him bat the other day
and it was just depressing. I miss him, he was a great guy, but he swings at the worst pitches
It was a particularly small egg...thats why I asked.
by thenightstallion on Jul 25, 2011 1:42 PM EDT up reply actions
3 out of 4
With Lowe taking a tough luck loss.
You heard it here first!
Most of the time Lowe has taking a loss this year it hasn’t exactly been tough luck…
Go USA, Braves, BU Terriers, Irish, Caps, Skins, NU Cats, Wizards, DC United, Washington Freedom
BU Hockey: National Champions 1971, 1972, 1978, 1995, 2009
This. I’m tired of watching him give up 4-5 runs over 5 innings. It may not happen every game, but it sure seems like it. I swear he’s got a case of the KKs – whenever we get a lead, he blows it.
by ducheneaux13 on Jul 25, 2011 4:00 PM EDT up reply actions
As I scroll down through stories of trade rumors
and see McCuttchen’s face, my heart jumped for a moment thinking his name was coming up in rumors, but alas, just a series preview.
You shouldn’t sip liquor.
-justincredubil02
no, Jack Daniel is whiskey.
-ChopMaster
"Welcome to the show, Brandon Beachy. I think you’re going to stay a while."
Anything less than 3/4 is a failure in this series. Pittsburgh is a much improved team, and I’d really like to see them win the Central, I think we are a better team, and combined with being back at The Ted, we should be able to win 3 games at least. Their pitching intimidates me a little. Yes, the Pittsburgh Pirates pitching intimidates me a little, but we should still be able to manage a series victory. I also think we’ll know by the end of this series whether or not we’ll make a move. Chipper, from all reports I’ve read, will be starting tonight, and Schafer should be as well, so we’ll have four games with Freddi’s ideal lineup to what exactly we’re gonna have going forward, and whether or not we need to make a move.
It was a particularly small egg...thats why I asked.
by thenightstallion on Jul 25, 2011 1:47 PM EDT reply actions
So much better than that loser mvhs
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
by Mr. Sanchez on Jul 26, 2011 10:37 AM EDT up reply actions
Tweet from Bowman...
is the first I’ve seen the suggestion that Schafer may be heading to the DL.
"Baseball is the only place in life where a sacrifice is really appreciated."
With Chipper coming back, they’ll need to make room. I suppose it makes sense as a precautionary move.
by ducheneaux13 on Jul 25, 2011 4:04 PM EDT up reply actions
They have activated Chipper, so now they waiting till after BP to decide on Schafer or Ramirez.
"Baseball is the only place in life where a sacrifice is really appreciated."
Beginging to look like Schafer to the DL
"Baseball is the only place in life where a sacrifice is really appreciated."
No Scafer in the lineup tonight
still haven’t made the second roster move.
1. Prado lf, 2. Heyward rf, 3. Chipper 3b, 4. Freeman 1b, 5. Uggla 2b, 6. Ross c, 7. McLouth cf, 8. Gonzalez ss, 9. Hudson
"Baseball is the only place in life where a sacrifice is really appreciated."
And I just noticed
GONZO EIGHTH!!!!!!
"Baseball is the only place in life where a sacrifice is really appreciated."
hello Braves fan, as i stroll in here often id just like to mention that Pedro Alvarez was just recalled and will be in the lineup tonight, also presley to the DL. Good luck during the series!
Thats what she said! - Michael Gary Scott
Pressley is a Good News/Bad News deal for me
I was excited to figure out who the kid is, but I was also scared of him beating us.
Good Luck to you… I hope you lose every game by 1. :)
You’re not all that attached to Andrew McCutchen are you?
by TBuzz on Jul 25, 2011 5:27 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
heh depends on whats on the table, obviously the pirates, and the fans in general would have to be blown away. what would you all be willing to offer
Thats what she said! - Michael Gary Scott
I would have originally offered 2 of the Teheran-Delgado-Vizcaino type prospects plus other. Considering you guys drafted Gerrit Cole (who’ll likely be up in the bigs by late 2012 or ST 2013) and Tallion us there, you guys probably would rather take our positional prospects…of which we are not as stacked.
It’s probably not a good fit, but a guy can dream…
by TBuzz on Jul 25, 2011 8:45 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Jurrjens, Minor, Hoover, and Schafer
need more?
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
by Mr. Sanchez on Jul 26, 2011 10:38 AM EDT up reply actions
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