BLACKNGOLDNAT
Friday, July 15, 2016
THE BULLPEN
Make baseball fun again! Our Pittsburgh Pirates take their show on the road tonight to open a 3-game series that starts the 2nd half in Washington DC to battle the Nationals. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)Pirates LH Francisco Liriano, 5-8, 5.15 ERA faces Nats RH Stephen Strasburg, 12-0, 2.62 ERA. Strasburg is due to lose. Why not tonight? Give him L, Frankie! 2)When facing a pitcher of Strasburg's caliber, it's best to get to him quickly. Hit him early, hit him often, hit him HARD! 3)Before the All-Star break, the Bucs were on an 8-2 run. Keep finding the win column and raising the Jolly Roger! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
Thursday, July 14, 2016
THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS
Start spreading the news! That's right, Black-N-Gold Nation, it's time for all of the Black-N-Gold information. Mrs. Black-N-Gold has for you the latest edition of The Black-N-Gold News. She's got all the news for you on our Pittsburgh Pirates, Steelers and Penguins.
THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS
PIRATES
Our Pirates seem to have righted the ship in the early goings of July. They had a big series against NL Central-leading Chicago last weekend to close out the 1st half of the season. Before the began that series, they made a roster move. 1B Josh Bell was called up from Triple A Indy while RH Tyler Glasnow was sent back to Indy.
The move helped as Bell recorded his 1st Major League and run scored en route to the Bucs 8-4 win. Congrats to Josh! Bell also made history with his 1st MLB grand slam in his 2nd MLB at bat in Saturday's 12-6 win.
Congrats also go out to LF Starling Marte. The Marte Partay was elected to the NL squad as an injury replacement.
The Buccos went for the sweep in Sunday's game to finish the 1st half. Unfortunately, the came up short losing 6-5.
The Pirates lost RH Rob Scahill in a waiver claim to Milwaukee during the All-Star break.
The Bucs stars had a chance to shine in the All-Star Game at San Diego on Tuesday. RH Mark Melancon walked a batter but also recorded 1 out to end his inning. Marte hit a single in his only at bat. Maybe if they'd played more, they could have helped the NL. They fell to the AL 4-2.
They'll return to action on Friday night to open a 3-game series in Washington versus the Nationals. They're in 3rd place in the NL Central, 7.5 games out. They are 1.5 out for the 2nd wild card spot. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
STEELERS
The only news to report from our Steelers is that they'll honor Hall of Fame LB Kevin Greene for his enshrinement into Canton. There will be a ring ceremony October 2 at Heinz Field when the Steelers face the KC Chiefs.
Training camp begins on July 27. See you soon. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
PENGUINS
There was one signing made this week. Our Pens re-signed D Justin Schultz to a 1 year deal.
Just a few more announcements regarding the Pens. F Phil Kessel recently underwent surgery for a hand injury suffered during the Stanley Cup playoffs. He is expected to be ready for training camp. Get well soon, Philly!
It was also announced that D Olli Maatta will not perform his military service for the Finnish army this offseason. Maatta is still trying to recover from various injuries and will fulfill his commit at a later time. Hopefully, Olli will be rested and recovered by the time training camp rolls around. Let's Go Pens!!!
THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS
PIRATES
Our Pirates seem to have righted the ship in the early goings of July. They had a big series against NL Central-leading Chicago last weekend to close out the 1st half of the season. Before the began that series, they made a roster move. 1B Josh Bell was called up from Triple A Indy while RH Tyler Glasnow was sent back to Indy.
The move helped as Bell recorded his 1st Major League and run scored en route to the Bucs 8-4 win. Congrats to Josh! Bell also made history with his 1st MLB grand slam in his 2nd MLB at bat in Saturday's 12-6 win.
Congrats also go out to LF Starling Marte. The Marte Partay was elected to the NL squad as an injury replacement.
The Buccos went for the sweep in Sunday's game to finish the 1st half. Unfortunately, the came up short losing 6-5.
The Pirates lost RH Rob Scahill in a waiver claim to Milwaukee during the All-Star break.
The Bucs stars had a chance to shine in the All-Star Game at San Diego on Tuesday. RH Mark Melancon walked a batter but also recorded 1 out to end his inning. Marte hit a single in his only at bat. Maybe if they'd played more, they could have helped the NL. They fell to the AL 4-2.
They'll return to action on Friday night to open a 3-game series in Washington versus the Nationals. They're in 3rd place in the NL Central, 7.5 games out. They are 1.5 out for the 2nd wild card spot. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
STEELERS
The only news to report from our Steelers is that they'll honor Hall of Fame LB Kevin Greene for his enshrinement into Canton. There will be a ring ceremony October 2 at Heinz Field when the Steelers face the KC Chiefs.
Training camp begins on July 27. See you soon. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
PENGUINS
There was one signing made this week. Our Pens re-signed D Justin Schultz to a 1 year deal.
Just a few more announcements regarding the Pens. F Phil Kessel recently underwent surgery for a hand injury suffered during the Stanley Cup playoffs. He is expected to be ready for training camp. Get well soon, Philly!
It was also announced that D Olli Maatta will not perform his military service for the Finnish army this offseason. Maatta is still trying to recover from various injuries and will fulfill his commit at a later time. Hopefully, Olli will be rested and recovered by the time training camp rolls around. Let's Go Pens!!!
THE BULLPEN
It's MLB All-Star break this week. Most of our Pittsburgh Pirates, with the exceptions of LF Starling Marte and RH Mark Melancon, have a few days off to rest their weary bones and get ready for the final 73 games of the season. They're currently in 3rd place in the NL Central, 7.5 games behind the leader the Chicago Cubs. The Cardinals are in 2nd place, 7 games back. The Bucs are 1.5 games out of the 2nd wild card spot. Mrs. Black-N-Gold thought she would take an opportunity to look at 4 things the Buccos need to make a run in the 2nd half.
1)PITCHING-Yes, pitching is the obvious need. It seems to be obvious to the fans and the media. But is it obvious to GM Neal Huntington? That, I'm not so sure. The rotation is definitely going to get an overhaul going into the 1st series against the Washington Nationals. If RH Gerrit Cole returns for that series, it could be the shot in the arm the staff needs. But where do the Bucs go from there? The starting pitching has got to get better and stronger and go longer. If they don't, the bullpen arms will wear down again. NH needs to start looking under a rock for every available arm (although, it may be that kind of thinking that got us in this mess in the first place). If we never see LH Jon Niese again the the Black-N-Gold, that will be alright by me. LH Francisco Liriano needs to get back on track or see what he can bring in a trade. Bring up the youngsters. If there's not enough room in the rotation, try them in the bullpen. While you're at it, you may as well see if RH AJ Burnett ever filed his retirement papers.
2)DEFENSE-Mrs. Black-N-Gold was very surprised when she saw that the Pirates are tied for 3rd best in the NL with a .987 fielding percentage. They're 4th in the league with just 44 errors. This is good news for all concerned. With sometimes suspect pitching, it is a trend that needs to continue if they hope to make the playoffs. Limit the number of opportunities for the opponent by limiting the number of balls that hit the grass.
3)GRIT-This is one of those type of unquantifiable traits that every team needs. Manager Clint Hurdle refers to it often. Following the dreaded June swoon, the Buccos exhibited tons of grit by bouncing back in a big way to start the month of July. They need to continue to show every bit of grit to continue to battle for a playoff spot. That's what so cool about this team. If one guy gets down, another teammate will pick him up. Grit happens.
4)YOUTH-The story of how the Baby Pens helped the veterans in Pittsburgh go from out of the playoffs straight to the Stanley Cup is well-documented. Mrs. Black-N-Gold isn't saying that the kids from Indy would lead the Buccos all the way to the World Series, but they can give this team the the shot in the arm they need. The young pitchers certainly have more upside than some of the current starters. And it's always good to have energy off the bench if not in the starting lineup. Let's see if these kids are alright, too.
Mrs. Black-N-Gold feels if the Pirates can make the necessary adjustments, they could be playoff-bound again this year. But a one-and-done wild card isn't good enough. Get ready for the 2nd half of the season and a run to the World Series. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
1)PITCHING-Yes, pitching is the obvious need. It seems to be obvious to the fans and the media. But is it obvious to GM Neal Huntington? That, I'm not so sure. The rotation is definitely going to get an overhaul going into the 1st series against the Washington Nationals. If RH Gerrit Cole returns for that series, it could be the shot in the arm the staff needs. But where do the Bucs go from there? The starting pitching has got to get better and stronger and go longer. If they don't, the bullpen arms will wear down again. NH needs to start looking under a rock for every available arm (although, it may be that kind of thinking that got us in this mess in the first place). If we never see LH Jon Niese again the the Black-N-Gold, that will be alright by me. LH Francisco Liriano needs to get back on track or see what he can bring in a trade. Bring up the youngsters. If there's not enough room in the rotation, try them in the bullpen. While you're at it, you may as well see if RH AJ Burnett ever filed his retirement papers.
2)DEFENSE-Mrs. Black-N-Gold was very surprised when she saw that the Pirates are tied for 3rd best in the NL with a .987 fielding percentage. They're 4th in the league with just 44 errors. This is good news for all concerned. With sometimes suspect pitching, it is a trend that needs to continue if they hope to make the playoffs. Limit the number of opportunities for the opponent by limiting the number of balls that hit the grass.
3)GRIT-This is one of those type of unquantifiable traits that every team needs. Manager Clint Hurdle refers to it often. Following the dreaded June swoon, the Buccos exhibited tons of grit by bouncing back in a big way to start the month of July. They need to continue to show every bit of grit to continue to battle for a playoff spot. That's what so cool about this team. If one guy gets down, another teammate will pick him up. Grit happens.
4)YOUTH-The story of how the Baby Pens helped the veterans in Pittsburgh go from out of the playoffs straight to the Stanley Cup is well-documented. Mrs. Black-N-Gold isn't saying that the kids from Indy would lead the Buccos all the way to the World Series, but they can give this team the the shot in the arm they need. The young pitchers certainly have more upside than some of the current starters. And it's always good to have energy off the bench if not in the starting lineup. Let's see if these kids are alright, too.
Mrs. Black-N-Gold feels if the Pirates can make the necessary adjustments, they could be playoff-bound again this year. But a one-and-done wild card isn't good enough. Get ready for the 2nd half of the season and a run to the World Series. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
Sunday, July 10, 2016
THE BULLPEN
Hey batter, batter, batter, batter! Our Pittsburgh Pirates close out the first half of their season today with a matinee versus the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park. These are your keys for today's game. 1)The Pirates go for 3 in a row against Chicago following last night's 12-6 win. The victory was powered by 4 home runs from CF Andrew McCutchen (could the giant finally be awakening from his slumber?) SS Jordy Mercer, RF Sean Rodriguez, and 1B Josh Bell. The Bell tolled with his 1st career granny. Chicks dig the long ball! 2)Some house cleaning is the order of the day as the Bucs go for the sweep. Break out the brooms! 3)During the 1st 2 games of this series, the Buccos have scored 20 runs. There's always room for more Hit, Run, & Score! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
Saturday, July 9, 2016
THE BULLPEN
The crack of the bat, the thrill of the hit! Our Pittsburgh Pirates continue their series with the Chicago Cubs tonight on the North Shore at PNC Park. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)With last night's 8-4 win in the opener, the Bucs have gone 8-1 in their last 9. Refuse to lose! 2)This has been a season of many firsts for several Pirates prospects. We've seen Wilfredo Boscan, Jameson Taillon, Chad Kuhl, Steven Brault and Tyler Glasnow all contribute to the big club on the mound. We've also seen Adam Frazier record his 1st MLB hit and RBI. Last night was another milestone for another highly-toted rookie. Congrats to 1B Josh Bell for his 1st MLB hit and run scored. These youngsters are contributing the way the Baby Pens helped the Black-N-Gold win another Stanley Cup. The kids are alright! 3)The Cubs start LH Jon Lester, 9-4, 2.67 ERA. He will face Pirates rookie RH Chad Kuhl, 1-0, 4.09 ERA. Of course, Mrs. Black-N-Gold could cue up the "Kuhl" puns for this last one. But she's not going that route right now. Lester can be had on the basepaths. It's a well-known fact that he doesn't like to throw over to hold the runner. Run wild on the lefty and Hit, RUN, & Score! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
Friday, July 8, 2016
THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Mrs. Black-N-Gold is back in Black (N-Gold) to bring you the newest edition to the internet sensation that is sweeping Black-N-Gold Nation. Yes, it's time, once again, to give you all the information on our Pittsburgh Pirates, Steelers, and Penguins. It's time for The Black-N-Gold News.
THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS
PIRATES
Boy were our Pirates glad to turn the calendar to the month of July because they've gotten hotter than a firecracker in a fire pit this past week. Some of their prospects that are in the pipeline have also heated up and received recognition for their play.
The following members of the Double A Altoona Curve were named to the Eastern League All-Star Game: 1B Edwin Espinal, LH Jared Lakind, RH Tyler Eppler and OF Harold Ramirez. Congrats to all!
The Pirates welcomed July by winning the opener last Friday night in their series in Oakland 7-3. They found the win column again on Saturday in a 4-2, 10-inning win. They completed the sweep on Sunday with a 6-3 victory.
Roster moves were plentiful this week. The Bucs claimed C Eric Fryer off waivers from St Louie. To make room for the new backstop, they designated for assignment RH Rob Scahill. They also placed C Chris Stewart on the 15 day DL with a knee and RH Jameson Taillon on the 15 day DL due to right shoulder fatigue. Get well soon, Jamo and Stew!
There was some good news on the injury-front. RH Gerrit Cole began his rehab assignment at Triple A Indy. Also, RH Ryan Vogelsong worked a simulated game on his way back from injury. And C Francisco Cervelli started working with the bat as he comes back from a broken hamate bone in his left hand.
The Pirates provided the fireworks in their 4th of July series opener in St Louie on Monday, winning 4-2. They won Tuesday's tilt 5-2.
The Bucs announced that RH Mark Melancon would represent the team next Tuesday at the All-Star Game in San Diego. It will be the Shark's 3rd All-Star appearance. Congrats, Mark! LF Starling Marte is one of the players involved in the NL Final Vote. You have until 4pm today to vote for the Marte Partay to join the Shark in San Diego. Vote Marte!
Unfortunately, OF Austin Meadows won't make his appearance in the Futures Game in San Diego on Sunday. Meadows has been sidelined with an injury. Get well soon, Austin.
LH Steven Brault was called up for a spot start against St Louie. The Bucs DFA'd C Jacob Stallings to make room. Stallings cleared waivers and returned to Triple A Indy.
On a more serious note, it was announced this week that Pirates 3B Jung Ho Kang is under investigation for sexual assault by the Chicago police department. The alleged incident was said to have occurred when the Bucs were in Chicago back on June 17. As of yet, no charges have been filed.
Following his spot start, Brault was returned to Indy while LH Kyle Lobstein was recalled from Indy. The Pirates won their 7th straight on Wednesday, a 7-5 win over St Louie. The win was also their 6th come-from-behind win. The Buccos closed out their series in St Louie yesterday. They called up highly-touted RH Tyler Glasnow from Indy for the start. Lobstein was sent back down to Indy. Unfortunately, the streak came to a halt with a 5-1 loss. Glasnow showed us some reasons he was the Pirates #1 prospect but still suffered the loss.
All in all it was an excellent road trip, going 7-2. They now return home tonight for a 3-game set with the NL Central-leading Cubs before the All-Star break. Following a woeful June, the Bucs have managed to get themselves back in the playoff conversation. If they want their voices to be heard, they've got to have a good showing this weekend against Chicago. So far this season, they've only beaten the Cubs once. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
STEELERS
Mrs. Black-N-Gold just checked her notes (twice) and sees no significant news on our Steelers this week. She did hear that RB Le'Veon Bell made some noise. Apparently, LBell has released some rap tunes and the lyrics on one of the songs says something to the affect that he needs "15 mil" a year once his current deal runs out this year. How about that? I just busted my own rhyme without even tryin'. I don't know if Bell go the memo, but the Steelers don't air their laundry in public like that when they do business. Especially to a running back coming off a knee injury who has a bit of a history with the injury bug. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Training camp opens at the end of the month. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
PENGUINS
It's the offseason for our Pens but they made some news this week with the start of free agency. They lost G Jeff Zatkoff, who signed with the LA Kings.
They did manage to sign assistant coach Jacques Martin to a 2 year contract extension.
Lots and lots of 2 way deals were made. The Pens signed D Chad Ruhwedel to a 1 year, 2 way contract. Also receiving such deals were Ds Steve Olesky, Stuart Percy, David Warsofsky, and Cameron Gaunce and Fs Tom Sestito and Garrett Wilson.
GM Jim Rutherford signed a 3 year contract extension.
And former Pens GM Ray Shero signed D Ben Lovejoy to a 3 year deal in New Jersey.
C Matt Cullen and D Justin Schultz are still on the open market with a chance of returning to Pittsburgh. Let's Go Pens!!!
THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS
PIRATES
Boy were our Pirates glad to turn the calendar to the month of July because they've gotten hotter than a firecracker in a fire pit this past week. Some of their prospects that are in the pipeline have also heated up and received recognition for their play.
The following members of the Double A Altoona Curve were named to the Eastern League All-Star Game: 1B Edwin Espinal, LH Jared Lakind, RH Tyler Eppler and OF Harold Ramirez. Congrats to all!
The Pirates welcomed July by winning the opener last Friday night in their series in Oakland 7-3. They found the win column again on Saturday in a 4-2, 10-inning win. They completed the sweep on Sunday with a 6-3 victory.
Roster moves were plentiful this week. The Bucs claimed C Eric Fryer off waivers from St Louie. To make room for the new backstop, they designated for assignment RH Rob Scahill. They also placed C Chris Stewart on the 15 day DL with a knee and RH Jameson Taillon on the 15 day DL due to right shoulder fatigue. Get well soon, Jamo and Stew!
There was some good news on the injury-front. RH Gerrit Cole began his rehab assignment at Triple A Indy. Also, RH Ryan Vogelsong worked a simulated game on his way back from injury. And C Francisco Cervelli started working with the bat as he comes back from a broken hamate bone in his left hand.
The Pirates provided the fireworks in their 4th of July series opener in St Louie on Monday, winning 4-2. They won Tuesday's tilt 5-2.
The Bucs announced that RH Mark Melancon would represent the team next Tuesday at the All-Star Game in San Diego. It will be the Shark's 3rd All-Star appearance. Congrats, Mark! LF Starling Marte is one of the players involved in the NL Final Vote. You have until 4pm today to vote for the Marte Partay to join the Shark in San Diego. Vote Marte!
Unfortunately, OF Austin Meadows won't make his appearance in the Futures Game in San Diego on Sunday. Meadows has been sidelined with an injury. Get well soon, Austin.
LH Steven Brault was called up for a spot start against St Louie. The Bucs DFA'd C Jacob Stallings to make room. Stallings cleared waivers and returned to Triple A Indy.
On a more serious note, it was announced this week that Pirates 3B Jung Ho Kang is under investigation for sexual assault by the Chicago police department. The alleged incident was said to have occurred when the Bucs were in Chicago back on June 17. As of yet, no charges have been filed.
Following his spot start, Brault was returned to Indy while LH Kyle Lobstein was recalled from Indy. The Pirates won their 7th straight on Wednesday, a 7-5 win over St Louie. The win was also their 6th come-from-behind win. The Buccos closed out their series in St Louie yesterday. They called up highly-touted RH Tyler Glasnow from Indy for the start. Lobstein was sent back down to Indy. Unfortunately, the streak came to a halt with a 5-1 loss. Glasnow showed us some reasons he was the Pirates #1 prospect but still suffered the loss.
All in all it was an excellent road trip, going 7-2. They now return home tonight for a 3-game set with the NL Central-leading Cubs before the All-Star break. Following a woeful June, the Bucs have managed to get themselves back in the playoff conversation. If they want their voices to be heard, they've got to have a good showing this weekend against Chicago. So far this season, they've only beaten the Cubs once. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
STEELERS
Mrs. Black-N-Gold just checked her notes (twice) and sees no significant news on our Steelers this week. She did hear that RB Le'Veon Bell made some noise. Apparently, LBell has released some rap tunes and the lyrics on one of the songs says something to the affect that he needs "15 mil" a year once his current deal runs out this year. How about that? I just busted my own rhyme without even tryin'. I don't know if Bell go the memo, but the Steelers don't air their laundry in public like that when they do business. Especially to a running back coming off a knee injury who has a bit of a history with the injury bug. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Training camp opens at the end of the month. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
PENGUINS
It's the offseason for our Pens but they made some news this week with the start of free agency. They lost G Jeff Zatkoff, who signed with the LA Kings.
They did manage to sign assistant coach Jacques Martin to a 2 year contract extension.
Lots and lots of 2 way deals were made. The Pens signed D Chad Ruhwedel to a 1 year, 2 way contract. Also receiving such deals were Ds Steve Olesky, Stuart Percy, David Warsofsky, and Cameron Gaunce and Fs Tom Sestito and Garrett Wilson.
GM Jim Rutherford signed a 3 year contract extension.
And former Pens GM Ray Shero signed D Ben Lovejoy to a 3 year deal in New Jersey.
C Matt Cullen and D Justin Schultz are still on the open market with a chance of returning to Pittsburgh. Let's Go Pens!!!
THE BULLPEN
Baseball fever, catch it! Our Pittsburgh Pirates return home to the friendly confines of PNC Park tonight to start a 3-game series with the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs for their last series before the All-Star break. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)The Pirates return home following an impressive 7-2 road trip after yesterday's 5-1 loss to St Louie. They'll look to get back in the win column in front of the home crowd. There's no place like home! 2)The Bucs have climbed back into the playoff picture following a dismal June. If they want to continue to photobomb the postseason, they'll need to do better against the Cubs. They've only beaten the Cubbies once this year. Get the monkey off your back and kick their ass! 3)RH Jake Arrieta, 12-3, 2,33 ERA will start for Chicago. The Pirates counter with LH Francisco Liriano, 5-8, 5,34 ERA, Everything has not been "jake" for the Buccos vs Arrieta. He is 3-0 against The Black-N-Gold this season. Hit hit early, hit him often, hit him HARD; Hit, Run, & Score! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
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