ivan nova tagged posts

After skipping his last start in the rotation, the Pittsburgh Pirates handed the ball to Ivan Nova this afternoon in the second game of their three game weekend series against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark.  Nova has struggled mightily since the All Star Break, and despite a vastly improved start tonight, the Bucs still dropped another game to their N.L. Central foes by a 2-1 score.

Nova pitched well tonight, giving up two runs on three hits in 6.1 innings, but he was outpitched by his mound opponent.  Sal Romano improved to 5-6 on the season, giving up five hits and striking out six in eight innings.

After a pitchers’ duel took the game into the seventh inning, the Reds scored a pair of runs which would be enough to lift the team to victory.  A solo homerun by Jesse ...

Posted in Game Recaps & Reactions

While the thrill of a playoff race has been out of the minds of Pittsburgh Pirates fans for weeks now, the month of September does present an opportunity to see what this team can do in future years with the talent they have now.  Chad Kuhl, who has vastly improved from this time last year, took the mound against the Cincinnati Reds, looking to finish strong with his final few starts in 2017.

Unfortunately, and uncharacteristically, Kuhl fell victim to the long ball, as the Reds hit four homeruns on their way to a 4-2 victory at Great American Ballpark.

Kuhl fell to 7-11 on the season, giving up four runs on eight hits and three walks in 4.2 innings.  He was forced into long counts early, as he ended up throwing 101 pitches in under five innings of work.  His mound opponent, Homer Baile...

Posted in Game Recaps & Reactions

The Pittsburgh Pirates did everything they could this weekend to help the St. Louis Cardinals gain ground in the N.L. Central Standings.  After two close losses on Friday and Saturday to their divisional foes, the Bucs were beaten easily this afternoon at Busch Stadium by a 7-0 score.  With the victory, the Cardinals completed a three game weekend sweep of the Pirates.

The Bucs fell to ten games under .500 with the loss and their starter, Ivan Nova, lost his 13^th game of the year, giving up five runs on five hits in five innings.  Michael Wacha, the Cardinals’ starter, gave up five hits and struck out seven in eight innings.

Yadier Molina was the star of the day for St. Louis, contributing two hits and five RBIs on the day.  Andrew McCutchen had two hits for Pittsburgh, but there was...

Posted in Game Recaps & Reactions

Not much to see these days when you tune in to watch the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Losers of three straight games, Pittsburgh was hoping to snap that skid, but the St. Louis Cardinals had no intention of losing at home.  St. Louis would pick up a series win with a 4-3 victory tonight.  The Pirates had their chances to win, but the Cardinals would battle back.

Chad Kuhl was good on the bump tonight and even helped his cause with the bat in the second inning.  He would double home Jordy Mercer for the first run of the game, before coming in to score on an Adam Frazier ground rule double.  Kuhl pitched six innings allowing two runs, one earned, on two hits with five walks and six strikeouts.

St. Louis came back from a 2-0 deficit in their half of the second when Yadier Molina hit a two-run ho...

Posted in Game Recaps & Reactions

I guess it is never too late to play exciting baseball and that is exactly what the Pittsburgh Pirates did tonight.  After a so-so night by starter Steven Brault, the Pittsburgh bullpen and offense battled back to pick up a 4-3 victory.  Anytime the Pirates can send the Chicago Cubs away with a defeat is good news to me.

Brault got the start tonight in place of Ivan Nova and had his work cut out for him.  He would last five innings, giving up three runs on eight hits with two walks.  Though the final stat line isn’t terrible, he was walking the tightrope quite a bit during that time.  Brault had a great year in Indianapolis and will hopefully get a couple more starts at the Major League level this year.

Down 1-0 in the bottom of the second, the Buccos would collect two runs on a Jor...

Posted in Game Recaps & Reactions

College football season will be in full swing this weekend, and not a moment too soon.  It will give those of us who follow the Pittsburgh Pirates a chance to hit the reset button and follow our teams in the hopes of a championship.  I say this because in Pittsburgh baseball season is over.  If you weren’t sure before tonight, then the 17-3 beatdown by the Chicago Cubs had to be the assurance you were looking for.

Ivan Nova would last only three innings tonight and in that time, he would allow five runs, four earned, on five hits, to go with five strikeouts and one walk.  Nova has hit a wall and we see why the New York Yankees were willing to trade him last year.  Steven Brault, who has been great in AAA this year, lasted only one inning in relief and gave up four runs on four hits ...

Posted in Game Recaps & Reactions

The Cincinnati Reds have been at the bottom of the N.L. Central division for almost the entire season…and yet, they continue to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates.  That trend continued tonight, as the Reds beat the Bucs 9-5 in the first of a three game series at Great American Ballpark.

Ivan Nova struggled tonight, giving up seven runs (five earned) on eight hits in five innings.  His mound opponent, Robert Stephenson, gave up two runs on seven hits while striking out eleven in 5.2 innings of work.

After the Reds took an early 2-0 lead, Stephenson struck out six straight Pirates to begin the game before issuing a leadoff walk to Francisco Cervelli to begin the third inning.  Later in the inning, Adam Frazier came to the plate with two outs and runners on first and second, delivering a RBI s...

Posted in Game Recaps & Reactions

The Pittsburgh Pirates wrapped up their season series with the N.L. West and the Los Angeles Dodgers today, and not a moment too soon.  The west beat up on Pittsburgh this year, going ten games under .500.  Los Angeles did they part going 6-1 against the Pirates this year including a 5-2 victory today in the series finale.

Chad Kuhl made the start for the Buccos today and was not very effective during his four innings on the mound.  He would allow two runs on six hits, while walking five and striking out two.  Chris Taylor would drive in the first run with a RBI single to shallow center.  Jordy Mercer would tie the game at one in the second with a bloop single into right field.  Curtis Granderson would break that tie with a solo home run in the fourth.

Kike Hernandez would add to tha...

Posted in Game Recaps & Reactions

It was a special night in Williamsport, PA tonight, as the first MLB Little League Classic took place, celebrating the unification of Little League Baseball and Major League Baseball.  And while it was an exciting night, there was also a very important game to play, as the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals were playing the final of their four game weekend series.

Tonight, the Pirates jumped off to a fast start in the first inning and went on to beat the Cardinals 6-3, earning a series split against their N.L. Central division rivals.

Ivan Nova started for Pittsburgh tonight, and while he was hit hard at times, battled his way through 5.2 innings of work, giving up three runs on eight hits.  Mike Leake struggled mightily tonight, giving up six runs on eight hits in three innings ...

Posted in Game Recaps & Reactions

It has been a rough week for the Pittsburgh Pirates. They entered game three of this four game series with the St. Louis Cardinals on a six-game losing streak and have lost in every way imaginable.  That would change today after a rain delay led to some hot bats and a 6-4 Pittsburgh victory.

The Cardinals struck first when Kolten Wong hit a RBI single to right that scored Jose Martinez.  That would be the lone run that Chad Kuhl would allow today, as he returned from the rain delay to throw five innings and give up three hits, while walking one and striking out six.  The Pirates offense would come to life to ensure Kuhl got the victory.

The Bucco bats would smack three homers on the night.  The first came from Adam Frazier who hit a two-run shot to deep right center.  Elias Diaz would...

Posted in Game Recaps & Reactions