Rain canceled both the Pirates-Reds game today and the Hagerstown Suns-Greenville Drive battle as well.
The Pirates will make up their game on Aug 28,while the Suns will play Greenville in a doubleheader tomorrow beginning at 5:05.
The Pirates lost an exciting 9-8 10 inning game with Cincinnati on Saturday.
8 balls were hit out of PNC Park between the two teams,but the biggest was Adam Dunn's 2 run shot in the 10th off losing pitcher Matt Capps (4-5).
Capps earlier allowed a homer to the singles hitting Jeff Keppinger in the 9th to tie the game and allow the extra stanza.
Matt Morris allowed 5 runs (1 unearned) in 6 and a third in his Pittsburgh opener and hit a homer himself,his first of the year.
4 other Pirates hit homers,Jason Bay (17),Ronny Paulino (8),Jack Wilson (6) and Nate McLouth (4).
Paulino in particular is picking things up after his booing a few days back.
Whatever works as motivation to help a talented player reach his potential.
On the Signing Front
Greenville might have been the toughest team that I have seen over the course of the last two season.
Managed to get them all,but it took much more effort than the average team and lived up to the predictions of many,who thought that this would be the hardest team to do this season.
The crowd size were a little larger than the usual ones,but seemed to be more of a collector Red Sox nation crowd and that means harder time getting the signatures.
Gabe Kapler was not bad,2 cards over 3 nights,it was more that so many were asking for him and usually that is not a problem in Hagerstown.
One theory on the difficulty of the Drive is that farm teams of the Red Sox and Yankees get hammered everywhere they go and since many of them have multiple cards,it can get tiresome and some dont want to sign as much.
I can see the point,but the fact is that this is still Low A ball and signing should not be a huge deal.
I can honestly say that the Suns players this season have been terrific,as have most teams.
I will be missing the Drive finale as I am going to the Potomac-Frederick game instead.
Bullpen Notes
The Pirates called up the closer for the Indianapolis Indians,Franquelis Osoria and made Jonah Bayliss' return to Pittsburgh a brief one and sent him back to Indianapolis.
Osoria has struggled in his previous MLB trials,but has performed well enough in Indy to take a look.
Since this is a slow day,allow me a few lines to clarify some things for those of you that believe that I am too harsh on the Hagerstown Suns.
I can see how some may see it that way,really I can.
And I know from my hit and IP reports that our readership is picking up Suns fans every day,that is good news whether they agree with me or not.
So I will offer this to those of you out there that think things are fine with the Suns.
Comment,tell me what you would write about the Hagerstown Suns........
A few conditions,no talking about the field or stadium itself.
I am in the Suns corner about the field,they need a new one badly and the field condition is the city of Hagerstown's fault-NOT the Suns.
Other than the tarp night,I have not and will not criticize the Suns for the field conditions.
So,no bringing up the field because it is not needed,I am on their side already.
The other condition is this-be specific.
If there are things to be positive about-tell me.
Maybe I dont see something,I rarely go to the 3rd base side of the stadium.
Perhaps there are things going on that I never see.
If a specific employee is terrific,tell me so.
There are a few that are good people,name them.
Say why I should be more positive and give better reasons than just go Suns.
Dont give a Bush-like "You're doin a heck of a va job,Will".
Until tomorrow.
Photo Credit
Pirates field crew-Penn State University.
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