SB Nation Pittsburgh - Pirates Vs. Indians: Pedro Alvarez Powers Pittsburgh Past Cleveland, 9-5https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48827/pitt-fv.png2012-06-18T08:24:25-04:00http://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/rss/stream/28542882012-06-18T08:24:25-04:002012-06-18T08:24:25-04:00The Tantalizing Pedro Alvarez
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<p>Pedro Alvarez's hot streaks have a mythic quality. Unfortunately, so do his slumps.</p> <p>162 games is a long season, and when you're in the midst of one, it can be hard to maintain perspective -- it's like a cross-country drive, where the distance to the coast is so hard to conceptualize that you have a hard time thinking past when your next stop for gas will be. As a fan, it's easy to imagine that every series is momentous and potentially season-changing. And if you're a fan of a particular player, it's equally easy to believe that his last 10 at-bats hold the key to his season.</p>
<p>I can't think of a <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bucsdugout.com/">Pirates</a> player in recent vintage whose streaks and slumps are so convincing as those of <span>Pedro Alvarez</span>. When he's slumping, which, at least to this point in his career, unfortunately has been most of the time, he often looks like he doesn't belong in the majors at all, like even Class AAA pitchers could easily sit him down by throwing him random junk. He has enormous problems recognizing pitches, leading to stretches where he routinely watches fastballs right down the middle when he sees them early in counts, then swings at much worse pitches when he gets behind.</p>
<p>But when he's on, his spectacular power makes concerns about his pitch recognition seem trivial. His amazing four-home-runs-in-two-days outburst against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Cleveland Indians</a> this weekend was a case in point -- once he hit <i>one</i>, you could feel a second one coming on, and once he hit <i>three</i>, well, the fourth seemed almost inevitable.</p>
<p>In the fourth inning on Sunday, <span>Jeanmar Gomez</span> threw a 90-MPH fastball right down the pike, and Alvarez (who'd already smacked two homers Saturday) blasted it into the right-field seats for a three-run shot. He came up the very next inning, and this time Manny Acta went to righty reliever Esmil Rogers. I'm not sure why Acta did that, since the most effective way to slow down a hot Pedro Alvarez is to go with a lefty, but he gave the Pirates a gift. Rogers threw a knee-high, 96-MPH fastball, and Alvarez hit a line drive toward the right-field foul pole. Boom -- it was 9-4, and the game was effectively over. For good measure, though, Alvarez smacked a double in the seventh.</p>
<p>After a day off Monday, would it be a huge shock if Alvarez homered again on Tuesday? Normally, I tend to think that streaks are overrated in baseball, that, at least partially, they're after-the-fact ways of explaining random distributions of events. With Alvarez, though, a hot streak has an inevitable feeling about it. When Alvarez is on, he's a god. He's unstoppable.</p>
<p>In addition to his four home runs this weekend, Alvarez hit five homers and four doubles in a nine-game stretch in late April and early May. That streak had some Pirates fans demanding that Pedro's detractors admit they were wrong for doubting him. Of course, those calls for apologies quickly looked silly as Alvarez vanished yet again, but you can understand the confidence that led people to make them. When Alvarez is on, he's like a combination of <span>Barry Bonds</span> and Zeus. Does Zeus struggle to recognize pitches outside the zone? No, no he does not.</p>
<p>The problem, of course, is that Alvarez's slumps also have a mythic quality, and they tend to last a lot longer than his hot streaks. There's still hope for him going forward, but it's hard to tell how much. He'll probably always strike out too much, and he'll probably always hit for a low average. That doesn't mean he has to bat .207, though -- his batting average on balls in play is currently a very low .239. If he can pull that up a bit, he can probably bat .230 or .240. That's still a frustrating player, but given his power, it's also a valuable one.</p>
<p><i>For more on the Pirates, check out <a href="http://bucsdugout.com">Bucs Dugout</a></i>.</p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/pittsburgh-pirates/2012/6/18/3093770/pedro-alvarez-pirates-home-runsCharlie Wilmoth2012-06-17T19:33:45-04:002012-06-17T19:33:45-04:00Pirates Vs. Indians VIDEO: Pedro Alvarez's Big Day
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<p>In case you didn't hear, <span>Pedro Alvarez</span> had a monster day at the plate. He clubbed two three-run home runs and a double to pace the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bucsdugout.com/">Pirates</a> to a 9-5 win over the Cleveland Indians.</p>
<p>This was the second consecutive day in which Alvarez had two home runs in a game, the second time in his career in which he has achieved the feat.</p>
<p><a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=22371867&c_id=pit&partnerId=aw-8250459617200988543-1041">You can check out the video of both home runs here.</a></p>
<p>Alvarez will look to continue his hot streak of hitting into next week when the Pirates return home for a pair of three game series against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Minnesota Twins</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Detroit Tigers</a>.</p>
<p><i>For more on the Pirates, check out <a href="http://bucsdugout.com/">Bucs Dugout</a>. For more on the <a href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Indians</a>, there's <a href="http://letsgotribe.com/">Let's Go Tribe</a></i>. <i>Still not enough baseball coverage for you, make sure to head over to SB Nation's own MLB hub page, </i><a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/">Baseball Nation</a><i>, for all the latest news and analysis on all 30 MLB teams all summer long.</i></p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/pittsburgh-pirates/2012/6/17/3093580/pirates-vs-indians-video-pedro-alvarezSteve Uhlmann2012-06-17T16:39:01-04:002012-06-17T16:39:01-04:00Pirates Vs. Indians Recap: Pedro Alvarez Powers Pittsburgh To 9-5 Win
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<p>For the second consecutive day, <span>Pedro Alvarez</span> hit a pair of home runs to lead the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bucsdugout.com/">Pirates</a> to a 9-5 win over the Cleveland Indians Sunday afternoon. Both home runs were three-run shots, as Alvarez ended the day with 6 RBIs and a double for good measure.</p>
<p>The game got off to a shaky start for the Pirates, as another poor start for <span>Brad Lincoln</span> almost spelled doom for the Bucs. His day was done after allowing four earned runs and eight hits in 3.1 innings.</p>
<p>The Indians went to work early, making the score 1-0 in the first on a <span>Jason Kipnis</span> home run, then 2-0 on a Casey Kotchman RBI single.</p>
<p>In the fourth, "El Toro" struck for the first time, hitting his first three-run shot to make the score 3-2. Cleveland would answer in the bottom half when <span>Shin-Soo Choo</span> hit a two-run double that scored two to give the Tribe a 4-3 lead.</p>
<p>The Pirates would then break the game open in the top of the sixth in an inning that began with <span>Alex Presley's</span> second home run in as many games to tie the game at four. Then, with the bases loaded, Casey McGhee hit what appeared to be a double play ball to <span>Asdrubal Cabrera</span>, instead Cabrera made two errors on the play to score two runs.</p>
<p>The next batter was Alvarez who clubbed his second three-run shot of the game to put the contest away.</p>
<p>After an off day, the Pirates will return home to begin a three-game series with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Minnesota Twins</a> on Tuesday night.</p>
<p><i>For more on the Pirates, check out <a href="http://bucsdugout.com/">Bucs Dugout</a>. For more on the <a href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Indians</a>, there's <a href="http://letsgotribe.com/">Let's Go Tribe</a></i>. <i>Still not enough baseball coverage for you, make sure to head over to SB Nation's own MLB hub page, </i><a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/">Baseball Nation</a><i>, for all the latest news and analysis on all 30 MLB teams all summer long.</i></p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/pittsburgh-pirates/2012/6/17/3093377/pirates-vs-indians-recap-pedro-alvarez-pittsburghSteve Uhlmann2012-06-17T13:01:25-04:002012-06-17T13:01:25-04:00Jeff Karstens and Chris Leroux Close To Returning To Pirates
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<p>A pair of injured <a href="https://www.bucsdugout.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Pittsburgh Pirates</a> Pitchers are close to returning to the team according to Pirates manager Clint Hurdle.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/pirates/hurdle-watches-pitch-counts-640708/">Hurdle tells Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette</a> that Karstens is expected to throw 80 pitches in his next rehab start with Class AA Altoona on Tuesday. He expects Karstens to make one more rehab appearance after that and eyes a July 1 return to the major league team.</p>
<p>Pirates reliever <span>Chris Leroux</span>, who has spent the entire season on the 60-day disabled list, is also eyeing a return in late June. He has made four rehab appearances with Class AAA Indianapolis without problems. His return could mean a log jam in the bullpen, especially with <span>Brad Lincoln</span> expecting to return to a relief role when Karstens comes back. Hurdle says that health of current relievers and who has options remaining will play a factor in who will be the odd man out.</p>
<p><i>For more on the Pirates, check out <a href="http://bucsdugout.com/">Bucs Dugout</a>. For more on the <a href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Indians</a>, there's <a href="http://letsgotribe.com/">Let's Go Tribe</a></i>. <i>Still not enough baseball coverage for you, make sure to head over to SB Nation's own MLB hub page, </i><a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/">Baseball Nation</a><i>, for all the latest news and analysis on all 30 MLB teams all summer long.</i></p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/pittsburgh-pirates/2012/6/17/3093028/jeff-karstens-michael-crotta-pirates-injuredSteve Uhlmann2012-06-17T10:59:51-04:002012-06-17T10:59:51-04:00Pirates Vs. Indians: Complete Lineups For Sunday's Game
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bucsdugout.com/">Pittsburgh Pirates</a> take the field on Sunday in Cleveland looking for a rare interleague road series win. The Pirates will send reliever-turned-starer <span>Brad Lincoln</span> to the hill on Sunday, opposed by <span>Jeanmar Gomez</span> for Cleveland.</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/Tom_Singer/status/214368329429815296">Via Tom Singer of MLB.com</a>, here is the full Pittsburgh lineup:</p>
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<p><a href="https://twitter.com/search/%2523pirates">#pirates</a> @ tribe: Presley 7 Walker 4 McCutchen 8 Jones 3 McGehee 3 Alvarez 5 Hague DH Barmes 6 McKenry 2 (Lincoln 1)</p>
— Tom Singer (@Tom_Singer) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tom_Singer/status/214368329429815296" data-datetime="2012-06-17T14:46:07+00:00">June 17, 2012</a>
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<p>Here is the Indians lineup,<a href="https://twitter.com/Indians/status/214363682459754497"> from the team's official twitter feed</a>:</p>
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<p>June 17 <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%2523Indians">#Indians</a> lineup: Choo RF Cabrera SS Kipnis 2B Lopez DH Brantley CF Hannahan 3B Damon LF Kotchman 1B Marson CA Gomez P</p>
— <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Cleveland Indians</a> (@Indians) <a data-datetime="2012-06-17T14:27:39+00:00" href="https://twitter.com/Indians/status/214363682459754497">June 17, 2012</a>
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<p><i>For more on the Pirates, check out <a href="http://bucsdugout.com/">Bucs Dugout</a>. For more on the Indians, there's <a href="http://letsgotribe.com/">Let's Go Tribe</a></i>. <i>Still not enough baseball coverage for you, make sure to head over to SB Nation's own MLB hub page, </i><a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/">Baseball Nation</a><i>, for all the latest news and analysis on all 30 MLB teams all summer long.</i></p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/pittsburgh-pirates/2012/6/17/3092854/pirates-vs-indians-complete-lineups-sundays-gameT.J. Doyle2012-06-17T09:41:39-04:002012-06-17T09:41:39-04:00Pirates Vs. Indians: Pittsburgh Aims For Rare Interleague Road Series Win On Sunday
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<p>Less than a day after exploding for four home runs and snapping a four-game losing skid with a 9-2 win over Cleveland, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bucsdugout.com/">Pittsburgh Pirates</a> (33-31) will look to begin a winning streak with a victory over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Indians</a> (33-31) in the final game of the teams' weekend interleague series. The Pirates improved to 23-5 this season when scoring four runs or more.</p>
<p><span>Brad Lincoln</span> (3-2, 3.15 ERA) will take the bump for Pittsburgh on Sunday. Lincoln excelled in a bullpen role, amassing a 0.45 ERA in 13 relief appearances, but his work in the rotation has been subpar, as Lincoln has not escaped the fifth innings in his last two starts.</p>
<p>Manager Manny Acta will hand the ball to <span>Jeanmar Gomez</span> (4-5, 4.71 ERA) on Sunday. Gomez has allowed five or more runs in three of his past four starts.</p>
<p>First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. EST from Progressive Field.</p>
<p><i>For more on the Pirates, check out <a href="http://bucsdugout.com/">Bucs Dugout</a>. For more on the Indians, there's <a href="http://letsgotribe.com/">Let's Go Tribe</a>. Still not enough baseball coverage for you, make sure to head over to SB Nation's own MLB hub page, <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/"><b>Baseball Nation</b></a>, for the latest news and analysis on all 30 MLB teams.</i></p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/pittsburgh-pirates/2012/6/17/3092746/pirates-vs-indians-pittsburgh-game-previewT.J. Doyle2012-06-16T20:35:30-04:002012-06-16T20:35:30-04:00Pirates Vs. Indians: Pittsburgh Halts Four-Game Skid, Tops Cleveland 9-2
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<p>Led by two home runs from third baseman <span>Pedro Alvarez</span>, the <a href="https://www.bucsdugout.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Pittsburgh Pirates</a> cruised past the Cleveland Indiana 9-2 during Saturday's Interleague contest at Progressive Field. The win is the Pirates' (33-31) first in six days.</p>
<p>Over the nine innings, Pittsburgh compiled a total of 12 hits, which led to nine runs, including four in the final inning to bounce back from Friday night's 2-0 loss to the <a href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Indians</a> -- the first game of the weekend series.</p>
<p>The Pirates were led, in large part, by Alvarez, who went deep in the second and ninth innings, as well first baseman <span>Casey McGehee</span>, who went 2-for-4 at the plate with four RBIs.</p>
<p>On the hill for Pittsburgh was <span>A.J. Burnett</span>, who lasted 6.2 innings, giving up two earned runs and four walks while striking out two.</p>
<p><i>For more on the Pirates, check out <a href="http://bucsdugout.com/">Bucs Dugout</a>. For more on the Indians, there's <a href="http://letsgotribe.com/">Let's Go Tribe</a>. Still not enough baseball coverage for you, make sure to head over to SB Nation's own MLB hub page, <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/"><b>Baseball Nation</b></a>, for the latest news and analysis on all 30 MLB teams.</i></p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/pittsburgh-pirates/2012/6/16/3092163/pittsburgh-pirates-cleveland-indians-weekend-seriesJoey Kaufman2012-06-16T08:00:59-04:002012-06-16T08:00:59-04:00Pirates Vs. Indians: Bucs Look To Get Back On Track, And Ubaldo Jimenez Tries To Stay There
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<p><span>A.J. Burnett</span> will try to play the role of stopper as he takes the mound Saturday for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bucsdugout.com/">Pirates</a>, losers of their last four games, against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Cleveland Indians</a> (4:05 p.m.).</p>
<p>The Indians defeated the Pirates 2-0 Friday night as <span>Justin Masterson</span> outdueled <span>James McDonald</span>.</p>
<p>Burnett's mound opponent on Saturday will be <span>Ubaldo Jimenez</span>, whose career has taken a tumble since he was a National League pitcher with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.purplerow.com/">Colorado Rockies</a>. He doesn't throw nearly as hard as he did then, and his strikeout rate has fallen precipitously. This year he has an atrocious K:BB ratio of one, having struck out 44 batters and walked 43. In his last two starts, however, he's struck out 11 and walked one, allowing a total of two earned runs in the process. A start against the Pirates' weak offense might represent a chance for him to keep that his run of good pitching going.</p>
<p><i>For more on the Pirates, check out <a href="http://bucsdugout.com">Bucs Dugout</a>. For more on the Indians, there's <a href="http://letsgotribe.com">Let's Go Tribe</a></i>.</p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/pittsburgh-pirates/2012/6/16/3090934/pirates-vs-indians-ubaldo-jimenez-time-aj-burnettCharlie Wilmoth