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PITTSBURGH ( LIRIANO )
MILWAUKEE ( JUNGMANN ) |
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| 903 | PITTSBURGH | -145 | Ov 7.5,-105 | -145 | Ov 7.5,-130 | | 904 | MILWAUKEE | +135 | Un 7.5,-115 | +135 | Un 7.5,+110 |
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| All Games | 79-52 | +16.1 | 58-61 | 4.2 | 0.260 | 0.314 | 0.398 | 0.712 | 3.7 | 0.250 | 0.306 | 0.361 | 0.667 | | Road Games | 33-31 | -0.7 | 27-29 | 4.2 | 0.257 | 0.310 | 0.393 | 0.703 | 4.0 | 0.263 | 0.319 | 0.378 | 0.697 | | vs Right-handed Starters | 62-40 | +14.7 | 45-46 | 4.2 | 0.255 | 0.309 | 0.397 | 0.706 | 3.6 | 0.251 | 0.308 | 0.362 | 0.669 | | Past 7 Games | 4-3 | -0.8 | 4-3 | 3.7 | 0.230 | 0.301 | 0.381 | 0.682 | 4.3 | 0.248 | 0.288 | 0.374 | 0.662 | | Grass Games | 79-52 | +16.1 | 58-61 | 4.2 | 0.260 | 0.314 | 0.398 | 0.712 | 3.7 | 0.250 | 0.306 | 0.361 | 0.667 | | Night Games | 55-39 | +6.2 | 44-42 | 4.2 | 0.260 | 0.316 | 0.396 | 0.712 | 3.9 | 0.256 | 0.312 | 0.373 | 0.685 | | Division | 21-31 | -16.2 | 25-21 | 3.8 | 0.242 | 0.301 | 0.381 | 0.682 | 4.4 | 0.270 | 0.332 | 0.393 | 0.725 |
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| All Games | 4.2 | 0.260 | 0.314 | 131 | 4541 | 1181 | 235 | 24 | 114 | 0.398 | 525 | 357 | 1055 | 80 | 937 | 115 | 97 | 151 | 121 | | Road Games | 4.2 | 0.257 | 0.310 | 64 | 2288 | 587 | 129 | 11 | 54 | 0.393 | 253 | 176 | 562 | 39 | 473 | 55 | 54 | 72 | 66 | | Righty Starters | 4.2 | 0.255 | 0.309 | 102 | 3535 | 903 | 189 | 18 | 92 | 0.397 | 403 | 274 | 823 | 62 | 712 | 88 | 72 | 124 | 87 |
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| All Games | 2.61 | 1.176 | 414 | 136 | 120 | 361 | 33 | 126 | 359 | 26-13 | 46 | 12 | 79.3% | | Road Games | 2.89 | 1.309 | 196.4 | 74 | 63 | 188 | 15 | 69 | 174 | 6-9 | 20 | 5 | 80% |
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| All Games | 57-75 | -17.7 | 64-59 | 4.1 | 0.252 | 0.304 | 0.397 | 0.701 | 4.5 | 0.261 | 0.321 | 0.422 | 0.744 | | Home Games | 32-39 | -11.3 | 37-30 | 4.3 | 0.253 | 0.310 | 0.410 | 0.720 | 4.8 | 0.262 | 0.316 | 0.439 | 0.755 | | vs Left-handed Starters | 16-14 | +2.4 | 11-15 | 4.1 | 0.254 | 0.304 | 0.408 | 0.711 | 3.7 | 0.250 | 0.307 | 0.403 | 0.710 | | Past 7 Games | 4-3 | +1.5 | 5-2 | 6.0 | 0.288 | 0.336 | 0.498 | 0.834 | 5.4 | 0.285 | 0.347 | 0.485 | 0.833 | | Grass Games | 57-75 | -17.7 | 64-59 | 4.1 | 0.252 | 0.304 | 0.397 | 0.701 | 4.5 | 0.261 | 0.321 | 0.422 | 0.744 | | Night Games | 39-48 | -8.3 | 45-35 | 4.4 | 0.256 | 0.310 | 0.405 | 0.715 | 4.5 | 0.258 | 0.315 | 0.420 | 0.735 | | Division | 23-29 | -3.1 | 22-28 | 3.9 | 0.248 | 0.303 | 0.382 | 0.685 | 4.0 | 0.240 | 0.301 | 0.398 | 0.699 |
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| All Games | 4.1 | 0.252 | 0.304 | 132 | 4448 | 1123 | 228 | 30 | 119 | 0.397 | 514 | 326 | 1014 | 64 | 832 | 121 | 92 | 124 | 93 | | Home Games | 4.3 | 0.253 | 0.310 | 71 | 2370 | 599 | 131 | 20 | 67 | 0.410 | 293 | 197 | 540 | 35 | 453 | 57 | 47 | 58 | 39 | | Lefty Starters | 4.1 | 0.254 | 0.304 | 30 | 993 | 252 | 58 | 10 | 25 | 0.408 | 118 | 71 | 222 | 17 | 185 | 26 | 12 | 22 | 31 |
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| All Games | 3.56 | 1.220 | 406.7 | 176 | 161 | 359 | 48 | 137 | 420 | 18-11 | 33 | 8 | 80.5% | | Home Games | 3.69 | 1.202 | 236.3 | 110 | 97 | 209 | 32 | 75 | 231 | 12-7 | 20 | 6 | 76.9% |
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| 8/20/2015 | MORTON(R) | SAN FRANCISCO | PEAVY(R) | 4-0 | W | -130 | 8 un | U | 9 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 0 | | 8/21/2015 | LOCKE(L) | SAN FRANCISCO | BUMGARNER(L) | 4-6 | L | +110 | 7 un | O | 10 | 7 | 1 | 14 | 9 | 0 | | 8/22/2015 | COLE(R) | SAN FRANCISCO | LEAKE(R) | 3-2 | W | -170 | 7 un | U | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 0 | | 8/23/2015 | LIRIANO(L) | SAN FRANCISCO | VOGELSONG(R) | 5-2 | W | -180 | 7 ov | P | 11 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 0 | | 8/24/2015 | HAPP(L) | @ MIAMI | KOEHLER(R) | 5-2 | W | -140 | 8 ev | U | 8 | 13 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 1 | | 8/25/2015 | MORTON(R) | @ MIAMI | HAND(L) | 2-5 | L | -140 | 7.5 un | U | 10 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 0 | | 8/26/2015 | LOCKE(L) | @ MIAMI | NARVESON(L) | 7-2 | W | -145 | 8 un | O | 9 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | | 8/27/2015 | COLE(R) | @ MIAMI | NICOLINO(L) | 2-1 | W | -215 | 7 ov | U | 7 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 0 | | 8/28/2015 | LIRIANO(L) | COLORADO | GRAY(R) | 5-3 | W | -255 | 7 ev | O | 10 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | | 8/29/2015 | HAPP(L) | COLORADO | RUSIN(L) | 4-3 | W | -220 | 8 ov | U | 8 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 1 | | 8/30/2015 | MORTON(R) | COLORADO | DE LA ROSA(L) | 0-5 | L | -185 | 8 un | U | 4 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 1 | | 9/1/2015 | COLE(R) | @ MILWAUKEE | NELSON(R) | 4-7 | L | -160 | 7.5 ov | O | 8 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 0 | | 9/2/2015 | LOCKE(L) | @ MILWAUKEE | DAVIES(R) | 4-9 | L | -140 | 9 ov | O | 6 | 4 | 1 | 15 | 8 | 0 | | 9/3/2015 | LIRIANO(L) | @ MILWAUKEE | JUNGMANN(R) | | | 9/4/2015 | HAPP(L) | @ ST LOUIS | LYNN(R) | | | 9/5/2015 | MORTON(R) | @ ST LOUIS | GARCIA(L) | | | 9/6/2015 | COLE(R) | @ ST LOUIS | LACKEY(R) | | | 9/7/2015 | LOCKE(L) | @ CINCINNATI | DESCLAFANI(R) | | | 9/8/2015 | LIRIANO(L) | @ CINCINNATI | IGLESIAS(R) | | | 9/9/2015 | | @ CINCINNATI | | | | 9/10/2015 | | MILWAUKEE | | |
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| 8/21/2015 | NELSON(R) | @ WASHINGTON | GONZALEZ(L) | 10-3 | W | 135 | 7 un | O | 14 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | | 8/22/2015 | JUNGMANN(R) | @ WASHINGTON | ROSS(R) | 1-6 | L | 145 | 7 ov | P | 7 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 6 | 0 | | 8/23/2015 | GARZA(R) | @ WASHINGTON | ZIMMERMANN(R) | 5-9 | L | 180 | 7.5 un | O | 10 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 1 | | 8/25/2015 | PERALTA(R) | @ CLEVELAND | TOMLIN(R) | 6-11 | L | 160 | 8 un | O | 7 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 6 | 0 | | 8/26/2015 | NELSON(R) | @ CLEVELAND | ANDERSON(R) | 2-6 | L | 120 | 7.5 ov | O | 7 | 8 | 1 | 11 | 11 | 1 | | 8/28/2015 | JUNGMANN(R) | CINCINNATI | IGLESIAS(R) | 5-0 | W | -120 | 7.5 un | U | 6 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 0 | | 8/29/2015 | GARZA(R) | CINCINNATI | SAMPSON(R) | 9-12 | L | -130 | 8.5 un | O | 13 | 8 | 0 | 17 | 6 | 2 | | 8/30/2015 | PERALTA(R) | CINCINNATI | LAMB(L) | 4-1 | W | -115 | 8.5 ov | U | 9 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 0 | | 9/1/2015 | NELSON(R) | PITTSBURGH | COLE(R) | 7-4 | W | +150 | 7.5 ov | O | 10 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 0 | | 9/2/2015 | DAVIES(R) | PITTSBURGH | LOCKE(L) | 9-4 | W | +130 | 9 ov | O | 15 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 1 | | 9/3/2015 | JUNGMANN(R) | PITTSBURGH | LIRIANO(L) | | | 9/4/2015 | GARZA(R) | @ CINCINNATI | SAMPSON(R) | | | 9/5/2015 | PERALTA(R) | @ CINCINNATI | LAMB(L) | | | 9/6/2015 | NELSON(R) | @ CINCINNATI | LORENZEN(R) | | | 9/7/2015 | DAVIES(R) | @ MIAMI | NICOLINO(L) | | | 9/8/2015 | JUNGMANN(R) | @ MIAMI | CONLEY(L) | | | 9/9/2015 | | @ MIAMI | | | | 9/10/2015 | | @ PITTSBURGH | | |
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| |  | PITTSBURGH: PITTSBURGH (AP) - The scenario was familiar. The destination not so much.
A veteran player with not much time left leaving millions of dollars on the table for one last run to glory. Only A.J. Burnett didn't walk away from his $12.75 million player option with the Philadelphia Phillies for Los Angeles, Washington or St. Louis.
Nope, the 38-year-old well-traveled (and well tattooed) pitcher practically sprinted to Pittsburgh. His arrival in 2012 marked a sea change in the once-floundering organization's direction. His return three years later signals - he hopes - the end of the team's slow but steady slog from downtrodden afterthought to world champion. And he's not kidding.
''I want to win a ring and I want to win a ring in Pittsburgh,'' Burnett said.
The Pirates are as close to being in the conversation as they've been in nearly a quarter century. And they've opened up their wallets, at least a little, to get there. Pittsburgh made Francisco Liriano the highest-paid free agent in team history when they signed lefthander to a three-year, $39-million deal in the offseason to continue the career resurgence that began when they took a two-year flier on him in 2013. And while Burnett took a cut, he isn't exactly going broke. He'll make $8 million to work as the third man in the rotation behind Liriano and Gerrit Cole.
Pittsburgh even spent $5 million for the rights to sign Korean infielder Jung-Ho Kang, who hit 40 home runs on the other side of the world last year and gives the Pirates an intriguing if unproven option should shortstop Jordy Mercer falter or second baseman Neil Walker's back flare up.
General manager Neal Huntington remains adamant his team's budget will never compare to those of clubs in larger markets but allows there is ''more margin for error'' than in years' past.
''We've built a deeper club because of the money allocated to us,'' he said. ''But we need to continue to grow and mature. We want to put ourselves in a position to win the World Series.''
There are worse places to start than in Pittsburgh, which backed up its breakthrough year in 2013 with a second straight postseason berth in 2014. The playoff run ended abruptly against Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants in the NL wild card game. Yet the point had been made. The Pirates aren't going anywhere.
''It would've been easy to say 2013 was a fluke and we just got lucky,'' centerfielder Andrew McCutchen said. ''But we showed up in `14 and were able to do the same thing. We know we're for real. And other teams know they just can't come in (thinking), `All right, we're going to beat the Pirates.' We're not that team anymore.''
They're also not where they want to be, at least not yet. A National League Central title would avoid the fickleness of a one-game scenario. Pittsburgh believes it's built to withstand the rigors of October.
Here are the keys to getting there:
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THE OTHER FRANCISCO
The Pirates' budget might be growing, but they still couldn't afford to keep catcher Russell Martin, who parlayed his tremendous 2014 into a $82 million deal with Toronto. Pittsburgh prepared for Martin's departure by trading for longtime Yankees' backup catcher Francisco Cervelli. When healthy Cervelli is an adequate defensive replacement with a decent if not powerful bat. If he can handle the pitching staff and control the basepaths, any offense he provides would be a plus.
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SPEED TO BURN
Perennial MVP candidate McCutchen anchors one of baseball's most athletic outfields. Starling Marte surged toward the end of a bumpy 2014 and Gregory Polanco is a raw but talented work in progress. Pittsburgh felt confident enough in Polanco's progress to trade Travis Snider to Baltimore.
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PEDRO'S PROGRESS
Pedro Alvarez moves across the infield to first base in hopes of salvaging his career after developing a serious case of the yips at third. If his can reclaim the groove that helped him mash 36 homers in 2013, the Pirates can live with whatever growing pains may come with the switch.
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KANG SHOW
Kang (pronounced ''Gahng'') doesn't lack for confidence. He told reporters in Korea he believes he can supplant Mercer at shortstop. It may take longer than he thought after a sluggish spring training.
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THE VANIMAL
Vance Worley, like Liriano, Burnett and the since departed Edinson Volquez, thrived under pitching coach Ray Searage's mentoring last spring. He was arguably Pittsburgh's best starter down the stretch and a strong spring gives him a leg up in the battle Jeff Locke for the fifth starter spot. | | MILWAUKEE: MILWAUKEE (AP) - Success for the Brewers this season may hinge on Milwaukee's consistency in the batter's box.
September swoons can prove costly - as can prolonged slumps any other time of year, for that matter.
A lineup filled with accomplished hitters like Ryan Braun, Jonathan Lucroy and Carlos Gomez has the potential to score runs. To break into the playoffs from the competitive NL Central, the Brewers must eliminate team-wide slumps.
''Last year we kind of grinded it to a point where instead of just playing day to day and for that game and to win, we looked like we were forcing things,'' manager Ron Roenicke said. ''We were trying to hold on to what we had, and that's not the way we go about it.''
The Brewers spent 150 days in first place before a stunning, late-season collapse left them out of the playoffs for a third straight year.
''We've got a good club, and when we're playing the type of baseball I think we can play every night ... if we just worry about that game today, at the end of the season, good things will happen,'' the skipper added from the team's spring training complex in Phoenix.
The lineup is bashing again this spring.
After a slow start, Braun has been hitting much better following an unusual offseason medical procedure. Extreme cold was applied to his right hand in hopes of fixing a lingering nerve problem near the thumb.
Lucroy also looks like he is over a hamstring injury that limited him for the first few weeks of spring training. The upbeat, energetic Gomez had three homers three weeks into spring ball.
''Every day you learn something new ... you learn from that,'' Gomez said about the 2014 season. ''The first step we have to do is make the playoffs. We take it game by game.''
The regular season begins on April 6 against Colorado at Miller Park. Some things to watch with the Brewers:
PITCHING: The Brewers don't have a true ace, but they do have solid veterans atop the rotation in Kyle Lohse and Matt Garza. Wily Peralta won 17 games last year in his second full season in the majors, and Mike Fiers impressed down the stretch. But Milwaukee traded Yovani Gallardo and Marco Estrada, so there is no experienced starting depth. Young right-hander Jimmy Nelson must prove he can be a consistent fifth starter. A long-term injury to any of the starting five could leave the Brewers scrambling.
In the bullpen, veteran Francisco Rodriguez figures to return to the closer's role after re-signing with the club more than two weeks into spring training. He bounced back with 44 saves in 49 chances last season.
AGGRESSIVENESS: Roenicke likes his team to take chances on the base paths, and he's sticking with that philosophy. That puts the Brewers in attack mode, and when working at its best, the strategy forces the defense to rush and possibly make mistakes. But rally-killing outs on the bases can make fans at Miller Park groan. Perhaps of more concern is the approach at the plate, where the Brewers led the majors by swinging at 33 percent of first pitches, according to STATS. Darnell Coles is the new hitting coach. The team wants to stay aggressive while having more plate discipline.
KEYSTONE COMBO: While Braun, Lucroy and Gomez draw much of the attention in the lineup, the Brewers' keystone combination of second baseman Scooter Gennett and shortstop Jean Segura will be just as vital to the team's success. Gennett, a left-hander, will play every day and must prove he can hit lefties consistently. The speedy Segura is a top defender, though he is looking to bounce back from a slump that dropped his average nearly 50 points to .246.
RAMMY OUT: It is probably one more and done for third baseman Aramis Ramirez, who turns 36 in June. He has said he likely will retire after this season to spend more time with his family. Ramirez's production has waned over the last two seasons, though he remains one of the best in the league in fielding bunts and slow rollers to third. |
| | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PA SPORTSTICKER NL PREVIEW (PITTSBURGH-MILWAUKEE) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Pirates-Brewers Preview* =========================
By KEVIN MASSOTH STATS Writer
Pittsburgh (79-51) at Milwaukee (56-75), 7:20 p.m. EDT
Francisco Liriano carries his unbeaten streak into a place he and the Pittsburgh Pirates have been beaten badly in the last decade.
Liriano hopes his current roll offsets his team's struggles at Miller Park in the series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night.
The Pirates (79-52) have won each of Liriano's last 11 starts but have dropped three straight, including the first two of this series. Wednesday's 9-4 loss moved their record to 19-64 at Miller Park since the start of 2006, and it put them on the cusp of their 16th sweep there during that span - which includes an MLB-worst .229 winning percentage.
The most recent loss held Pittsburgh six games behind NL Central-leading St. Louis and kept its wild-card lead at 4 1/2 over Chicago.
The Pirates are 7-20 on the road against NL Central teams. They head to St. Louis and Cincinnati following this series and visit the Cubs from Sept 25-27.
"We're looking forward to it because it's the one area that we haven't done as well as we believe we should," manager Clint Hurdle told MLB's official website. "But the numbers are what they are."
Liriano (9-6, 3.28 ERA) has had about as much luck winning at Miller Park as the Pirates the last five years. He won his first two starts there in 2006 and 2009 before going 0-4 with a 7.61 ERA in his last five.
But Pittsburgh has won all 11 Liriano starts since June 26, the longest streak by a Pirate lefty since Emil Yde's 11-start run in 1925. The last Pittsburgh right-hander to reach double digits was A.J. Burnett with a streak of 12 in 2012.
Liriano is 5-0 with a 3.31 ERA during the stretch, benefiting from an NL-leading 6.89 run support average. Pittsburgh, though, has 18 hits and eight runs on its three-game skid.
Liriano is 6-5 with a 4.12 ERA in 13 starts against Milwaukee (57-75). He has lost three of his last four, the latest a 4-1 defeat June 9 in Pittsburgh in which he tossed a season high-tying eight innings and allowed three runs and five hits.
His Thursday counterpart won his major league debut in that game. Taylor Jungmann (8-5, 2.48) will try for Milwaukee's fourth straight victory and his third win in as many tries against the Pirates.
The right-hander tossed seven innings and allowed one run to beat Liriano on June 9, and he finished with the same numbers in a 6-1 win over Pittsburgh on July 19 at Miller Park. The Pirates have eight hits against him and have struck out 10 times.
Jungmann wrapped two scoreless performances around a rough outing in his last three starts. After going 6 1-3 innings and striking out a season-best nine during a 6-1 win over Philadelphia on Aug. 16, he coughed up a season-high five runs in four innings in a 6-1 loss at Washington six days later.
He regrouped, though, by allowing three hits in six innings during a 5-0 win over the Reds on Friday.
"I think a bounce-back start is always big," Jungmann said. "It's good for the psyche."
Jungmann will face a red-hot Aramis Ramirez, who was traded from the Brewers to the Pirates on July 23. Ramirez homered in each of the series' first two games and added an RBI double Wednesday. Ramirez, hitting .310 in his last 24 games, started his career with Pittsburgh in 1998 and will retire at the end of the season.
Milwaukee catcher Jonathan Lucroy extended his hitting streak to a career high-tying 10 games with two hits and three RBIs on Wednesday.
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| | Last Updated: 4/27/2024 1:25:58 AM EST. |
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