The less than powerful Pittsburgh Pirates showed some rare home run pop as Andrew McCutchen hit his first big league longball to combine with homers from both LaRoche brothers Adam (9) and Andy (3) to lead the Bucs to an 8-2 win over the Twins.
Ian Snell allowed both Minnesota runs over six innings as Snell bettered his record to 2-7 on the season.
The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 with what looks to be a solid pitching matchup as Zach Duke takes the ball for the Buccos while Nick Blackburn climbs the hill for the identicals....
Pirate Hooks
1) Ian Snell picked up the win and may have helped his marketabilty somewhat,but he still showcased his two most maddening tendencies.
His refusal to work inside the plate in favor of painting the outside is frustrating to watch,mainly because he has the kind of stuff that could really back hitters off a bit.
2) The other is his absolutely glacial pace when runners are on base.
Anyone that has done any youth coaching at all knows that the faster that the pitchers works the more alert and prepared his defense will be.
A slower worker will have his defense on their heels more than the balls of their feet and that makes quite a difference in reaction time when the ball is struck.
3) Trivia note for the night-the LaRoche brothers homers were the first that brothers hit homers in the same game for the Pirates since 1938.
Hall of Famers Paul and Lloyd Waner turned the trick way back when..
4) Ticket sales for next weeks visit to PNC by the Cleveland Indians aren't exactly jumping to the surprise of Frank Coonelly and company.
Coonelly has been trying to grab the Tribe as the Pirates AL "rival" and play them every year in interleague play,but that would mean stopping the all Ohio series between the Wahoos and the Cincinnati Reds.
If that is what it takes to have my two favorite teams only play every three years against each other than they can play before no one for all I care.
Look for a post on my feelings on Pirate-Indian games next week before the three game set.
5) Looks like the Pirates are going to have second rounder Brooks Pounders signed soon.
Pounders is in Pittsburgh and is expected to sign today,while the Pirates seem to be in on several of the "hard sign" arms from day two as well.
The strategy is interesting,but I still wish that they had used the top pick more wisely.
Bullpen Notes
How about our guy Erik Arnesen?
Erik has continued to build on his solid start at High A Potomac with a 3-2 record with an ERA of just over three in six starts at AA Harrisburg.
Always great to see nice guys that work hard begin to get some breaks.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats spotted the Winnipeg Blue Bombers a 19 point lead before a second half made the score respectable in a 32-22 loss.
The Ti-Cats finish the pre-season slate next week at Ivor Wynne Stadium against the visiting Toronto Argonauts.
Photo Credit
McCutchen:Jim Mone-AP Photo
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