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Pirates Vs. Nationals Score Update: Bucs Down 2-0 Early

2012-05-17T00:02:35Z

The Pirates have struggled offensively so far, getting just one hit and struggling to get contact as Washington Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez struck out five batters through the first three innings. The Pirates took two of three games from the Nationals in their first match up of the season, but are down 2-0 early to the Nats.

The Nats picked up an early score in the first inning when Ryan Zimmerman plated Bryce Harper on a ground out to shortstop. In the bottom of the third inning, shortstop Ian Desmond extended the Nats lead with a solo home run to left field, giving the Nats the 2-0 lead after three innings.

Center fielder Andrew McCutchen has the only hit so far for the Bucs.

For more on the Pirates, check out Bucs Dugout. For more on the Nats, there's Federal Baseball. For more on baseball and the MLB in general, visit SB Nation's dedicated MLB hub Baseball Nation.

Pirates Option Alex Presley, Recall Evan Meek

2012-05-16T20:26:21Z

The Pittsburgh Pirates made a roster move on Wednesday before their matchup with the Washington Nationals, sending outfielder Alex Presley to triple-a and recalled right-handed pitcher Evan Meek, according to Rob Biertempfel.

#Pirates option Alex Presley to triple-a, recall rhp evan meek
— Rob Biertempfel (@BiertempfelTrib) May 16, 2012

With Brad Lincoln's spot start, the Bucs would have been operating with a short bullpen so they needed another reliever for a few games. The belief is also that the Pirates will send Meek back down in favor of catcher Jake Fox for the Bucs interleague series against the Detroit Tigers.

Presely had struggled while in the lineup as an outfield, so his demotion shouldn't come as too much of a surprise.

For more on the Pirates, check out Bucs Dugout. For more on the Nats, there's Federal Baseball. For more on baseball and the MLB in general, visit SB Nation's dedicated MLB hub Baseball Nation.

Pirates Take On The Nationals Once Again, This Time In D.C.

2012-05-16T20:09:57Z

The Bucs are set to face off against the Washington Nationals again, but this time on the road in D.C.

The Pirates and Nationals don't face each other very often, but their second series in a week begins in D.C. Wednesday night as Erik Bedard takes on Gio Gonzalez (7:05, ROOT Sports).

Gonzalez didn't pitch in last week's series. He's been a big part of the Nationals' resurgence this year, striking out 50 batters in 41.2 innings so far. Bedard might have his hands full keeping up with him.

Bedard, meanwhile, returns after missing a start due to back spasms.

Since the Pirates and Nationals' last series, one of the bigger stories surrounding the Nats has been Stephen Strasburg's struggles in his last start, and the unusual reason for them -- he somehow got Hot Stuff ointment in his groin. The Pirates, perhaps fortunately, will miss Strasburg in this brief two-game set. After Gonzalez on Wednesday, James McDonald and the Bucs will take on Jordan Zimmermann on Thursday at 7:05 before heading to Detroit for an interleague series against the Tigers.

For more on the Pirates, check out Bucs Dugout. For more on the Nats, there's Federal Baseball.

Steelers Offensive Line: Willie Colon To Move To Left Guard

2012-05-16T18:37:13Z

The offensive line has been an area that Pittsburgh Steelers fans have been questioning all offseason. After drafting guard David DeCastro in the first round and tackle Mike Adams in the second round, the Steelers look to be going in the right direction as Willie Colon will move from tackle to guard, according to Mike Prisuta.

This isn't to say the move was inevitable.

Several naysayers over the years have stated that it would never happen and they included Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette who stated just last May, "The move is not going to happen. Cheerleaders on the sideline at Heinz Field will occur before Colon is moved to guard in this offense."

In addition to that, Steelers Depot guesses that Max Starks will start at left tackle and Marcus Gilbert will go to right tackle to at least start the season.

Gilbert is better suited RT long term. Maybe @MaxStarks78 will be ready to start season at LT initially so Gilbert can stat at RT. #steelers
— Steelers Depot (@Steelersdepot) May 16, 2012

But there's also the possibility that because Colon is moving from tackle to guard, that the Steelers are planning on starting Mike Adams at the beginning of the season.

Willie Colon says he's moving to left guard. Guess that means #Steelers plan on starting 2 rookies on OL -- DeCastro and Adams.
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly_Trib) May 16, 2012

Steelers fans will have to keep an eye on the line as the offseason continues.

For more on the Pittsburgh Steelers, head on over to Behind the Steel Curtain. For all the latest offseason news across the league, please visit the SB Nation NFL Hub Page.

Penn State Scandal: Jerry Sandusky's Lawyer Asks For Some Charges To Be Dropped

2012-05-16T16:28:35Z

Joe Amendola, the defense attorney for former Penn St. Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky is asking the judge of Sandusky's child molestation case to drop some of the charges. In an article published by Sara Ganim of The Patriot-News, Amendola claims that the charges against Sandusky are too vague.

Unless prosecutors can give more specific dates for the alleged crimes, Sandusky can't prepare a good defense, Amendola said. Amendola is also asking Judge John Cleland to throw out two specific cases against Sandusky in which no accusers have been identified.

Amendola claims the witnesses that are a part of the 2000 case, janitors who witnessed strange behavior by Sandusky in a locker room, would not be able to testify at trial. One of the janitors has dementia and the other would only be repeating hearsay.

In one of the other cases, involving alleged Victim 6, Amendola claims there is not enough evidence to claim that anything sexual occurred with him.

For the latest updates on the Penn State scandal and the Jerry Sandusky trial, visit our StoryStream. For more on the Nittany Lions, please visit Black Shoe Diaries, SB Nation's Penn State blog.

Pirates Vs. Marlins Recap: Bucs Lose 6-2, Split Series In South Florida,

2012-05-16T02:48:07Z

The Pittsburgh Pirates dropped the second game of a quick two-game series in Miami on Tuesday night, losing 6-2 after Kevin Correia was chased early. The Marlins went to work on Correia in the first inning and then knocked him out of the game with a big fourth. He was charged with all six runs, after walking four and striking out just one.

Hanley Ramirez, Omar Infante, and John Buck all had two RBIs for Ozzie Guillen. Ramirez ripped two doubles, one bringing home Infante in the first inning and the other knocking in Jose Reyes in the Marlins' big fourth. Ramirez had a huge series for Miami and he bookended the scoring by jumping on two meatballs from Correia.

The Bucs offense made some noise against ace Josh Johnson in the first inning but managed to plate only one one. Garrett Jones was credited with the RBI, singling home Andrew McCutchen. But after Pedro Alvarez and Jones advanced to second and third on a throwing error, Clint Barmes would strand them both on a line out to third. Johnson would settle in from there and strike out six and allow six hits over seven innings of work. He cruised through the Bucs' lineup until Michael McKenry hit a 366-foot homer over the left-field fence to make it 6-2.

The Pirates now move on to Washington for another brief two-game series before interleague play opens this weekend.

For the latest on the Bucs, be sure to stay tuned to SB Nation Pittsburgh and check out Bucs Dugout, SB Nation's Pirates blog. For more on the Marlins, visit Fish Stripes. For more baseball news, check out the SB Nation MLB Hub Page.

Pirates Vs. Marlins: Lineups For Tuesday Night

2012-05-15T21:11:42Z

In the first game of a two-game weekday series, the Pittsburgh Pirates (17-18) grabbed a 3-2 win over the Miami Marlins (18-17) last night in South Florida. Tonight, they're looking to complete the sweep, as Kevin Correia gets the start for the Buccos at 7:10 p.m. EST on ROOT SPORTS.

The Pirates tweeted out their lineup for tonight earlier this afternoon. Here it is:

1. Jose Tabata - RF
2. Neil Walker - 2B
3. Andrew McCutchen - CF
4. Pedro Alvarez - 3B
5. Garrett Jones -1B
6. Clint Barmes - SS
7. Alex Presley - LF
8. Michael McKenry - C
9. Kevin Correia - SP

Pirates Vs. Marlins Preview: Pittsburgh Looks For Fourth Straight Win

2012-05-15T19:20:58Z

The Pittsburgh Pirates are on their longest winning streak since last July after taking the first game against the Miami Marlins on Monday. Tuesday night, they go for a two-game sweep of the Marlins as pitcher Kevin Correia takes the hill to start.

Correia is coming off a seven inning performance against the Washington Nationals on May 10. Correia allowed three runs in that start, a 4-2 loss that dropped his record to 1-3 and put his ERA at 3.47.

He will match up against Marlins pitcher Josh Johnson, looking for his first win since April 19 of last year, also against the Pirates. His record is currently 0-3 with a 5.87 ERA. In his last start against the Houston Astros on May 9, Johnson pitched seven innings and allowed two runs on four hits with six strikeouts, but didn't factor into the decision in a 5-3 Marlins victory.

The Pirates are hoping that offense will help them maintain their winning ways after winning 3-2 on only six hits. The Pirates became the last team to score 100 runs on the season thanks to Pedro Alvarez's go-ahead double in the sixth inning.

For the latest on the Bucs, be sure to stay tuned to SB Nation Pittsburgh and check out Bucs Dugout, SB Nation's Pirates blog. For more on the Marlins, visit Fish Stripes.