Thanks to a walk-off single last night by Lastings Milledge that scored Andrew McCutchen, the Pirates have gotten off to a .500 start this season. Due to their losing ways, the Pirates don’t get much love here at The Ghost of Moonlight Graham .
But today is for the Pirates. Let’s see what is going on with the team from the Steel City.
Whatcha Gonna Do When the Pirates Run Wild on You?
The Pirates are doing their best 1985 St. Louis Cardinals impersonation by running every chance they get. Through 10 games, the Pirates lead the National League in stolen bases with 11.
The fascinating part of the Pirates 11 stolen bases? They are a perfect 11-for-11. McCutchen leads the way with six swipes.
“We wanted to be very aggressive in spring training, not only [with] stolen bases but running the bases,” manager John Russell said in an interview . “We kind of got laughed at and scoffed at because we were making a lot of base-running mistakes, [asked if] were we concerned about it. We kept saying, ‘No, this is what we want to do.’"
Look for the Pirates to continue to run throughout the season. If McCutchen stays healthy for the entire season, it’s quite possible he could steal 50 plus bases.
Jeff Clement Is Really Struggling
When the Pirates acquired Clement from the Seattle Mariners as part of the Jack Wilson and Ian Snell trade last year, the Pirates figured Clement just needed a change of scenery.
The Pirates gave the ball to Clement in 2010, hoping he would run with it at first base. Instead he has fallen flat on his face like the girl in my kickball league.
In case you weren’t already convinced of how manly I am, I play in a co-ed kickball league every Wednesday night. It’s pretty fun. We play with a fun bunch of 24-year-old girls, so how could I complain?
Last Wednesday this poor girl kicked the ball (ironically, to me) and as she was running to first, she fell flat on her face. I mean, it was a belly flop.
Oh, did I mention we play at a school yard, so the ground is concrete? Her wrists and arms looked like Apollo Creed’s face after the first round with Ivan Drago.
That is how Clement’s season is going. In nine games, Clement is hitting just .115 and has only one extra-base hit. If he doesn’t start hitting soon, he might find himself out of a job—for good.
Pedro Alvarez Is Right Around the Corner
Clement might actually be doing the Pirates a favor by struggling. The Pirates could jettison him to the bench, and move Andy LaRoche (who left last night’s game with back spasms, but should be okay) to first.
That would open the door for the Pirates to bring up super prospect Pedro Alvarez and slot him at third. Alvarez doesn’t belong in the minor leagues and should be up with the Pirates sooner rather than later.
In nine minor league games, Alvarez has four home runs and a .994 OPS.
The Pirates continue their six-game homestand against the Cincinnati Reds today and then welcome the Milwaukee Brewers to town for three games starting on Monday.
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