Finally for Pirates, a glove story

The Pirates' Andrew McCutchen (22) and Neil Walker (18) celebrate their 5-1 win over the Nationals along with Jordy Mercer (10) and Pedro Alvarez (24) on Tuesday, July 23, 2013, in Washington.

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By Dejan Kovacevic 
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
http://triblive.com/sports
Published: Sunday, July 28, 2013, 10:39 p.m. 

It's been a decade and change.

It's been a dozen years with no change, really.

It's been exactly 12 years, three months and 20 days since Todd Ritchie threw ball one way outside to formally, fittingly christen PNC Park. And in all the time that's passed, not a single pitch of consequence for the home side — meaning one that involved a pennant or playoff chase — has been thrown.

Not until 7:05 p.m. Monday, when Francisco Liriano will pitch to Matt Carpenter, when the Pirates will face the Cardinals for the first of a five-game set between teams separated by a mere couple of games for the National League's best record.

Biggest series in PNC Park history?

Let's just say the folks at Elias Sports Bureau would laugh and hang up if you called with a request to research the rest.

And it's not just this game or this week, but all 14 — yes 14 — meetings left between these teams down the stretch. It's setting up as a mano-a-mano unseen in these parts since, what, John Milner's grand slam at Three Rivers climaxed the fantastic but ultimately futile chase with the Phillies in 1978?

Should be a blast.

And you know what's got to be the most uplifting part from the Pirates' perspective?

They belong in this matchup.

This isn't like the past two summers, when there were surges but never really that feeling of certainty they'd hang around. This is different. Sure, St. Louis has Major League Baseball's No. 4 offense and is miles ahead of the Pirates' 24th-ranked unit, and the Cardinals' pitching is a close No. 4 in ERA to the Pirates' No. 1, but the teams are legitimately comparable as a whole.

And that, if you ask me, is primarily because these Pirates play some serious defense.

First thought that always pops to mind about the Cardinals, whether under Tony La Russa or now Mike Matheny, has been their fundamentals. You've heard it time and again when they execute a play properly: That's why they're the Cardinals. They and the Twins have been cited forever as the models across baseball, from Legion ball on up.

Well, the Pirates have been as good in the field as anyone, maybe better.

Moreover, that facet has become their identity, their mojo, if you will.

As Liriano was telling me last week in Washington, “This team is about who we are in the field, when we're all out there together. We make the pitches, and all our guys make the plays.”

They sure make a lot.

Forget fielding percentage, where the Pirates rank 19th. Antiquated stat based wholly on the subjective scoring of errors.

Forget most of the advanced formulas, too. They're all over the place, and they'll remain that way until someone starts tracking hit velocity, trajectory and fielder placement.

Let's look instead at the simplest of all because no defensive statistic boils it all down quite like batting average on balls in play, or BABIP. Put plainly, BABIP counts how often the ball is hit into fair territory — not home runs — and how often it results in an out. It doesn't account for any other factor.

In this one, the Pirates rank No. 1 in turning 73.2 percent of batted balls into outs, all other variables eliminated.

Neat, huh?

Wait, I've got one more, far less formulaic: The Pirates rank next-to- last in being selected for the nightly web gems on ESPN's “Baseball Tonight.” They've also had only two No. 1 web gems all year, those being an Andrew McCutchen catch and Liriano's between-the-legs grab of a grounder.

So how does that low standing jibe with being the best defensively?

Again, it's simple: The Pirates' defense is more of an assembly line than a highlights machine. Intensive scouting reports — seriously, they're as thick as phone books — offer background for Clint Hurdle and his staff. Ray Searage instructs his pitchers and catchers to pitch to specific spots, Nick Leyva aligns his infield accordingly, and, on occasion, there are even wild shifts aimed at essentially trapping the batter.

The result tends not to be dramatic. Roller to Neil Walker, flip to Gaby Sanchez, 4-3 putout. That sort of thing.

“We don't have a lot of bling,” Hurdle tried to explain. “The extraordinary is the ordinary. That's as simplistic as I can put it, and that's actually the term we use with our players. Make the play. Get the out.”

Sanchez was even less blingy about it: “For us, with the pitching staff we have, it's not about the crazy plays. It's about making the routine plays, being gritty, getting 27 outs.”

Take that, Cardinals.

And bring it on.

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Breaking down Cole’s 100 mph pitch

Pirates rookie Gerrit Cole is one of the few starters who can throw 100 mph.

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Published: Sunday, July 28, 2013, 12:01 a.m.

The 100 mph club is light in membership among major league starting pitchers. Only two — Pirates rookie Gerrit Cole and Mets ace Matt Harvey — have touched 100 mph this season, according to the pitch tracking tool PITCHf/x. · Starting pitchers combined to throw one pitch reaching 100 mph entering June 21, according to ESPN. Cole threw eight such pitches that night. · The Tribune-Review contacted Baseball Prospectus pitching mechanics analyst Doug Thorburn to understand how Cole produces a 100 mph fastball. What we learned was reaching 100 mph not only requires physical strength but also a proper employment of physics and mechanical efficiency.

BALANCE

How do you throw 100 mph as Cole has done 13 times this season? You begin with balance. Balance is a key component for a pitcher throughout his delivery, but it starts with a balance point, where a pitcher's ability to repeat a throwing motion — and control a 100 mph fastball — begins.

“(Balance) is crucial from leg lift to when the foot comes back in contact with the ground,” Thorburn said. “Cole is very stable during the leg-lift phase of his delivery, with the strength to maintain balance along with a relatively high leg kick. He begins with a strong move to the plate, leading with the front hip while he directs his energy toward the target.”

After Cole was selected No. 1 in 2011 out of UCLA, Thorburn gave Cole's balance a grade of 55 on baseball's 20-to-80 scouting scale. Thorburn said his balance has improved to become nearly elite. Thorburn now grades Cole's balance as 65.

“He had a little wavering early on, but he's actually stabilized that,” Thorburn said.

STRENGTH

In Cole's final Triple-A start June 5, his 88th pitch left his hand at 99 mph. In his next start — his major league debut — his 81st and final pitch traveled 98 mph.

How does Cole generate not only rare velocity but also hold it late into games?

Rare strength.

Cole is built like a Big Ten tight end. He's listed at 6-foot-4, 240 pounds and generates much of his power from his lower body and core.

“Guys that really throw hard have great balance of strength. Strength in the back side, shoulder muscles, and core strength, which is where Cole really does well,” Thorburn said. “He has this amazing core strength.”

Strength combined with efficient mechanics.

“Some of it is natural strength, but some of it is mechanical efficiency,” Thorburn said. “Cole is pretty similar to how Roger Clemens did it. Clemens was all (lower body). I'm looking at what the body is doing, and the efficiency of energy and transfer, and I see some similarities.”

SIMPLE MECHANICS

Cole's average fastball velocity of 95.4 mph, the fastest among major league starting pitchers, is not the product of a substantial scapular load, which is the pinching in of the shoulder blades during the throwing motion.

Scapular loading is a technique some pitchers use to increase velocity, but there is research that has tied substantial scapular load to increased injury risk. Extreme scapular loading includes the “inverted W” trait, which describes a pitcher who raises his elbows above shoulder level prior to releasing the ball, a component of the deliveries of Nationals standout Stephen Strasburg and former Cubs phenom Mark Prior.

“It's not heavy load or aggressive in any way,” Thorburn said about Cole. “Some guys are more hips. Some guys are more shoulders. Aroldis Chapman does both. … Relying on (lower body) rather than arm strength takes some of the kinetic toll off of your arm.”

Cole said he always has tried to keep his mechanics simple.

“I was fortunate to be taught to throw the ball the right way at a young age,” Cole said. “My dad and pitching coach taught me when I was younger.”

TORQUE

Cole threw a 101.88 mph fastball on June 21 at the Angels, according to Brooks Baseball. It was the fastest pitch thrown by a major league starter not named Justin Verlander in the past five seasons, according to ESPN.

What is most responsible for the velocity is Cole's torque. His belt buckle is nearly facing home plate while his shoulders are facing toward third base.

“Imagine a broom handle going through the shoulders and a broom handle going through the hip, and imagine an angle between them creating an X,” Thorburn said. “His hip broom is really turned, and his upper-body broom hasn't even begun to go yet. … Cole's belt buckle is almost facing the target, and you can see his arm has just begun to fire. His upper body has just begun to fire. You see that lower-body hip twist. He's really using core strength to generate that velocity.”

GROUNDED

To throw 100 mph and command the velocity — Cole averages fewer than two walks per nine innings — the end point is as important as the starting point.

“He keeps his foot anchored to the ground after the ball leaves has hand,” Thorburn said. “The best pitchers do this. If his back foot leaves (the ground) before he releases the baseball, that means he's tilted out front like a keel of the boat.

“He finishes with excellent form into release point, efficiently transferring his energy to the baseball. Release-point extension is an underappreciated aspect of effective pitching, with benefits that include higher perceived velocity.”

Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said Cole's velocity is the result of an ideal pitching package.

“He has a lot of things the best power pitchers have,” Huntington said. “Go back to Nolan Ryan and Justin Verlander and CC Sabathia in his heyday. They have a combination of all the things. There isn't one thing that allows them to throw 100.”

Travis Sawchik is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at tsawchik@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Sawchik_Trib.

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Markus Wheaton playing catch-up as Steelers begin

By WILL GRAVES (AP Sports Writer)

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/teams/pit

July 27, 2013

Steelers wide receiver Markus Wheaton makes a catch during the first practice of Pittsburgh's training camp in Latrobe, Pa., on Saturday. (AP)

LATROBE, Pa. (AP) -- The practice field at Saint Vincent College is long deserted. The veterans on the Pittsburgh Steelers have already showered for dinner, and the rest of the rookies and the last-chancers are close on their heels.

Markus Wheaton, however, is just getting started. Standing near the corner of the end zone, Wheaton spends 15 minutes catching passes off a machine, clapping his hands together when the ball buzzes through his gloves and onto the artificial turf.

NCAA rules cost the third-round draft pick out of Oregon State a chance to make a first impression. Instead, Wheaton will settle for making a lasting one.

The player tasked with providing the speed lost by the Steelers when Mike Wallace took his fast feet to Miami finds himself playing catch-up. The trimester system used at Oregon State didn't end until after the completion of organized team activities and minicamp.

NCAA bylaws prevent players from practicing with professionals until their academic year is over.

While the rest of Pittsburgh's rookies got a feel for their new job, Wheaton was 2,600 miles away getting near daily missives from Steelers wide receivers coach Richard Mann and relying on Oregon State quarterbacks Sean Mannion and Cody Vaz to serve the role ofBen Roethlisberger.

Ideal? Hardly. For all the hard work he put in, Wheaton admitted to more than the typical jitters when he arrived at training camp Friday.

''I felt like I was behind because I missed that camp,'' Wheaton said. ''But really, we all start from scratch. Mentally they're teaching (the offense) as if no one knows it.''

Wheaton hardly appeared behind while joining his teammates for the first day of practice, drawing praise from coach Mike Tomlin after Wheaton sprinted through a sea of defenders to make a fingertip grab during a seven-on-seven drill.

''I like that urgency,'' Tomlin shouted.

It's one of the reasons the Steelers selected Wheaton with the 79th pick in the draft. That and the 91 receptions and 11 touchdowns he scored as a senior and the 4.5-second time in the 40-yard dash that Wheaton believes should have been at least a tenth - if not two-tenths - better.

And it's why they did what they could while Wheaton waited for class to break. Wheaton did make a brief trip east to work out with Roethlisberger and receivers Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders in mid-June.

Saturday, however, was the first time he had an opportunity to show Tomlin and Mann that he didn't spend his time away from the team just hanging out. Mann helped make sure of it, giving Wheaton a detailed rundown of the playbook, the route trees and the blocking assignments.

This isn't the first time Mann has been forced to teach from afar. He was the wide receivers coach for the New York Jets in 1996 when top pick Keyshawn Johnson held out during camp. Johnson arrived a few days before the season opener and contributed a 50-yard reception in his first game as a pro.

The expectations aren't quite as high for Wheaton, though. Mann has little doubt his newest pupil can exceed them.

''It's up to us to get him the reps that he needs, get the success that he needs so he don't go down the tubes,'' Mann said. ''Has he learned it all? No.''

Yet Wheaton appears to be on his way. He met face-to-face with Mann on Friday night, with the veteran coach giving Wheaton a series of things to work on before a walkthrough Saturday morning. In the span of a dozen hours, Mann could already see progress.

''He remembered it, just about everything,'' Mann said. ''He wasn't perfect, but he was trying.''

For the moment, that's all that matters. Barring injury, it's unlikely Wheaton will see extensive time with the starters during camp. Then again, things can change quickly. Wallace arrived with relatively little fanfare as a third-round pick out of Mississippi in 2009 and led the NFL with 19.4 yards per catch.

Wheaton understands the comparisons to the former Pro Bowlers are inevitable, so long as everyone understands Wheaton is not the one making them.

''I just want to make the team,'' he said.

Even if it means not making people forget about Wallace. Mann describes Wheaton as ''fast enough'' even if he lacks the ''blur'' factor Wallace provided for four seasons. Wheaton ran track at Oregon State and once zipped through the 100 meters in 10.58 seconds. Not quite world class, but world class isn't a requirement to find the end zone.

''Give me a guy like Markus that's got good speed, I can give him technique and fundamentals that get him over,'' Mann said. ''You don't have to be a burner burner to have speed.''

NOTES: Roethlisberger downplayed any lingering pain in his right knee left over from minor surgery in June. Though Tomlin said Friday that Roethlisberger was experiencing ''discomfort'' in the knee, Roethlisberger said he felt great and called any pain the result of ''getting old.'' ... Tight end Heath Miller, still recovering from major knee surgery last December, remains uncertain on when he will be able to return. ''I have no idea,'' Miller said. ''I'm just focused on the short term, and that's making every day positive. I think that'll add up to a good outcome.'' Miller is on the physically unable to perform list. ... Practice was halted for 45 minutes due to rain. Players switched into turf shoes and returned to finish drills on the turf field installed last year. Practice continues on Sunday afternoon and is open to the public.

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McKenry's 4 hits help Pirates top Marlins, 7-4

By TIM REYNOLDS (AP Sports Writer)

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/pit

July 27, 2013

Pittsburgh Pirates' Michael McKenry follows through on his base hit against the Miami Marlins during the first inning of a baseball game in Miami, Saturday, July 27, 2013. Garrett Jones scored on the hit. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

MIAMI (AP) -- Michael McKenry dove to his left, snagging an errant pitch that was sailing behind Miami's Placido Polanco to save what almost certainly would have been a run.

And that was just one of many highlights in McKenry's night.

McKenry had a career-best four hits and drove in two runs, Neil Walker and Garrett Jones each added two RBIs, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Miami Marlins 7-4 on Saturday.

McKenry, who came in batting .191, raised his average 26 points with a double and three singles - but tweaked his left knee during the game, and merely trotted up the first-base line after grounding to short to open the ninth. Walker added three hits for the Pirates, the NL wild-card leaders who set the tone with three first-inning runs against Tom Koehler (2-6).

''It's all right,'' McKenry said of his knee, which could be a big issue for the Pirates since starter Russell Martin was also out of the lineup with what the team thinks is a minor knee injury. ''It's just kind of stuck.''

Charlie Morton (3-2) allowed a season-high nine hits in five innings, but still found a way to win consecutive starts for the first time since May 2011. Mark Melancon worked the ninth for his fourth save.

Koehler gave up nine hits and five runs in five innings.

Logan Morrison tied a season-high with three hits, Giancarlo Stanton also had three hits, and Christian Yelich added a pair for the Marlins, who are 3-35 when allowing at least five runs.

''Offensively, I was happy with the way we bounced back and gave ourselves a chance,'' Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. ''We were battling from behind the whole game. ... After the third inning we didn't get much going but pitched well enough to keep it close.''

The Pirates finished with 14 hits, their most since June 12.

McKenry was a most improbable catalyst of that attack. The light-hitting catcher came into the night with four hits in 32 at-bats, and only three hits in July.

But his RBI single capped a three-run first inning - Pittsburgh's highest-scoring opening frame since June 18 - and he added another single in the third to push the Pirates' lead to 5-1. He added a double in the fifth and a single in the seventh.

McKenry also saved an almost-sure run in the fifth to preserve what was then a 5-4 lead. Morton threw a pitch wildly, but McKenry snagged it and keep it from heading toward the backstop, keeping Stanton at third.

''I take a lot of pride in not letting balls get by me,'' McKenry said. ''It's another way to keep somebody from getting a free 90 (feet), especially when they're at third base. It was a one-run ballgame at the time, it would have made it 5-5, so that was a big moment. I think it was a funny sequence because I'm sure Polanco felt really uncomfortable after that.''

Polanco wound up striking out.

''That's the second time he's caught a ball thrown behind a hitter this year,'' Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. ''I don't know how you do that.''

Walker and Garrett Jones each drove in two runs for Pittsburgh.

By the time Koehler had thrown five pitches, the Pirates were up 1-0. Starling Marte smacked a double just to the inside of the third-base bag on Koehler's second pitch, and three offerings later, Walker hit a ball to nearly the same spot to open the scoring.

Jones blooped a double into short left to make it 2-0, and McKenry got one under Polanco's glove and into right for the third run.

''I thought as a whole group, we swung the bat really well,'' McKenry said. ''The bullpen came in and just shut the door tonight. It was fun.''

It was the third time Koehler allowed at least three first-inning runs in six starts, but Miami clawed back.

Stanton doubled to bring Yelich home and start what became a three-run third for Miami. One batter later, Morrison looped a soft single into left, and Stanton read it correctly, taking off almost on contact and scoring easily. Polanco added a single to bring Morrison home and get the Marlins within a run, but they got no closer.

NOTES: The Marlins said right-hander Kevin Slowey (right forearm) is heading to the disabled list, with a corresponding move coming Sunday. ... Pirates SS Jordy Mercer's 11-game hitting streak ended. ... Sunday's pitching matchup pits a pair of stellar rookies, with All-Star Jose Fernandez (6-5, 2.74) going for Miami against Pittsburgh's Gerrit Cole (5-3, 3.51). ... Pirates players signed Friday's scorecard as a gift for Marlins rookie Jake Marisnick, who got his first career hit in that game. ... Marlins closer Steve Cishek has converted 16 straight save chances. ''Couldn't get him in the game the first two months and now he's pitching a lot, which is great,'' Redmond said.

Clint Hurdle’s purple reign

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle is thrown out of the game by first base umpire Laz Diaz in the seventh inning against the Nationals on Thursday, July 25, 2013, at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

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By Dejan Kovacevic 
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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Published: Thursday, July 25, 2013, 11:03 p.m.

WASHINGTON — As manager-player blowups go, Clint Hurdle barking at A.J. Burnett in the Pirates' dugout Thursday afternoon has zero chance of rivaling, say, Jim Leyland upbraiding a skinny, snotty Barry Bonds in Bradenton many springs ago.

Mostly because this wasn't that big a deal in and of itself.

Hurdle was visibly displeased that Burnett, upon working out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning of what wound up a 9-7 loss to the Nationals, motioned toward the visitors' bullpen ­— where relievers had begun to stir — to sit back down.

Just A.J. being A.J., right?

You know, like when he famously shouted an R-rated version of that same sentiment to Hanley Ramirez after striking him out last summer, then saw the quote blossom into a T-shirt brand.

Well, whether this sit-down command was supposed to be cute or charismatic or drop-dead serious, Hurdle wasn't laughing. It's the manager's job and no one else's to decide who gets up in his pen and when.

So once Burnett had made his way off the grass, Hurdle rose to the top step and began popping off at his starter. He then followed Burnett for the length of the dugout, trademark angry purple complexion in tow, to continue what looked to be mostly a one-way conversation albeit with a bit of backtalk from Burnett.

What was said?

Come on, you didn't think they'd divulge that.

“We were strategizing,” Hurdle said, somehow stifling a grin.

“He was just letting me know I wasn't going to hit if we scored,” Burnett said, somehow equally stoic. “I guess I was under the impression I was done, so I just had to turn the switch back on.”

Um, OK.

To his credit, Burnett then added this about Hurdle, unsolicited: “He deals with me pretty good.”

That task, as I reminded Burnett, can't be easy.

“Not with me, no,” he replied, finally smiling. “But he's a good people manager, man. He knows his players. He knows how to react to them. And he knows I'm in the middle of a battle, as well.”

Like I said, it was no big deal in and of itself. The very next inning, Hurdle and Burnett were joking by the bat rack. At the same time, don't underestimate the underlying message here: This is Clint Hurdle's team.

Burnett's the leader in the clubhouse. He has been since his arrival, and the Pirates are the better for it. But I remember how Lloyd McClendon used to answer anytime a reporter would ask him to identify the Pirates' leader: “You're looking at him.”

Exactly. Ultimately, it has to be the manager in the baseball culture, or nothing works.

And I'm not so sure, to be blunt, that it was working as well as it should during Epic Collapses I and II.

Yes, if you rewind to his hiring, Hurdle offered immediate gratification after the look-at-me Jim Tracy era and the don't-wake-me John Russell era. He was a breath of fresh air, funny, friendly, even something of a father figure in his dealings with people.

 At the same time, no one ever should have absolved Hurdle of blame for how the last two editions of the Pirates fell apart, especially when so much of it was psychological. They lacked talent and depth, but they also choked, and the latter reflects worst on the man in charge. He needed to do more than crack a few one-liners and express regret. He needed to fight. He needed to take control.

The pattern wasn't much different when he managed the Rockies, I've been told. The veterans in the Colorado clubhouse loved him at first, started to figure out how to take advantage of his good nature and eventually ran him out.

Maybe Hurdle, a cerebral sort, has learned. Maybe he's found a new volume, a new temperament. Sure looks like it from this view.

I've heard from players that Hurdle has been more assertive from the first day of spring training this year, even as he's become more available to Burnett and other clubhouse leaders to hear their concerns. He's communicated what he wants in clear terms, and those terms are resonating. It's not uncommon now to hear players cite Hurdle-isms the same way the Steelers long have repeated Tomlin-isms, as if gospel.

Last summer, most of what you heard from players was second-guessing.

It's one of many reasons, and an underappreciated one, that the Pirates have made it through their first 100 games with 60 wins and show no signs of decline. Everyone will complain about a manager's moves, no matter how minute, but it's the bigger scope that counts. It's having players buy what you're selling. It's having them believe.

It's having them shrug off a losing streak and the loss of their All-Star closer to take three of four here while nearly pulling off a sweep before Bryce Harper's dagger of a walkoff home run in the ninth.

Still have questions about whether this team is mentally tough enough?

Take it up with the purple-faced gentleman at the top step.

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Insider trading tips for Pirates

The Pirates' Neil Walker doubles against the Nationals during the ninth inning Wednesday, July 24, 2013.

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By Dejan Kovacevic 
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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Published: Wednesday, July 24, 2013, 11:24 p.m.

WASHINGTON — You want trades that convert the Pirates into a certified contender?

OK, then, in the context of fighting for first place and knocking down the Nationals yet again, 4-2, Wednesday night, I've got three trades for you right here …

1. Trade this Neil Walker for the real Neil Walker.

You know, the one who can hit .280 in his sleep, who never saw a two-strike count he didn't relish, who can put it over the fence once in a while.

Not this one dragging around a .240 average, six home runs and all the injuries that have cost him chunks of the past two seasons. He returned this week from the latest, a strained oblique.

“I've battled some stuff,” Walker was saying beforehand in the visiting clubhouse at Nationals Park. “Battled a few injuries. Battled myself at the plate, pretty much grinding all year. I haven't gotten hot much. But this is the time of year I start to feel good, and those injuries are behind me.”

He stressed he wasn't citing injuries as an excuse.

“I've just got to do better. I know how much it can mean for this team.”

He would demonstrate exactly that, drilling a ninth-inning RBI double — first-pitch sinker crushed to left-center — for the welcome second run.

Should have seen him light up afterward. And no, not just because of his phantom tag for the closing double play.

“Honestly, it felt great for us as a team,” Walker said of his hit. “Look, numbers are numbers. I'm not going to feel bad over where I am. It's kind of the theme here: Doesn't matter who gets credit or how you get it done. Just get it done.”

Which he did.

Take care of my first trade proposal, and you're jumping 40-50 points in average at one position, more than you'll get with the finest first baseman/right fielder Neal Huntington could find on the outside.

2. Trade this Garrett Jones for the 2012 edition.

Think the Pirates would be combing through options like a broken Justin Morneau if Jones were pacing toward, oh, a .274 average with 27 home runs and 86 RBI?

Well, that was his line last season, not far off his current .255, 10 home runs and 37 RBI and yet far enough that first baseman/right fielder now tops the Pirates' target list.

Yeah, I know, Jones doesn't hit lefties. He also doesn't face lefties — just 16 at-bats — so it's irrelevant. Gaby Sanchez tends to face the lefties and, flat as he's been for a while, he's still .295 against lefties.

Put another way, if Jones goes on one of his tears — hasn't happened yet — those Jones/Sanchez platoon splits look better than any first baseman from the outside.

“Well, unless we get Miguel Cabrera,” Jones conceded with a laugh. “That'd be cool.”

Alas …

“I just need to be consistent. I've been feeling good at the plate since just before the All-Star break, and I feel like it's coming. Going and getting a guy … there's no guarantee. I know what I can do.”

What Jones has done of late: He's 7 for his past 24, and five of those hits have gone for extra bases, though he did lay an egg — as did most guys — against Stephen Strasburg on Wednesday night.

Right field?

That's a separate issue. It was smart of the Pirates to give Jose Tabata a shot, but he's dug himself a 2-for-24 rut at a lousy time, and it's now of genuine urgency to find a right fielder elsewhere.

3. Trade K-machine A.J. Burnett for an efficient model.

Here's a question: If the Pirates wind up in a one-game wild card match this fall, which pitcher would go?

Francisco Liriano, right?

You did watch him utterly annihilate the Nationals, yes?

And which would it have been last fall?

Burnett, without a doubt.

Make no mistake: For all the fuss over adding a bat and replacing Jason Grilli, the No. 1 issue the Pirates face down the stretch is sustaining their excellent starting pitching. Or even improving it.

The best way — better than giving up a mint in prospects for the blah likes of Bud Norris — is for Burnett to get back to going deep in games.

His 3.07 ERA and 118 strikeouts are fine, obviously, but those Ks run up his pitch counts quickly. He's topped six innings only seven times in 17 starts, once in his past six.

“I'm aware of it. I am,” Burnett, the starter in the series finale here Thursday, was saying. “But you know, like a few of us were joking about in here the other day, it's a simple game: That hitter's trying to hit the ball out of the park, and you're trying to strike him out. I won't lie. I like strikeouts. I do. I consider myself to be a power pitcher.”

He grinned.

“But, hey, if they roll over on the first pitch and ground out, I'm OK with that, too.”

Find a right fielder, repair or replace the Fort, do all of the above, and go ahead and print playoff tickets.

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Strasburg, slumping Nationals lose to Pirates 4-2

By HOWARD FENDRICH (AP Sports Writer)

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/pit

July 25, 2013

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Francisco Liriano (10-4, 2.23 ERA) throws to a Washington Nationals batter during the third inning of a baseball game at Nationals Park, Wednesday, July 24, 2013, in Washington.(AP)

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Stephen Strasburg fiddled with the bottom of his gray T-shirt and stared blankly ahead, unaccustomed to hisWashington Nationals struggling day after day the way they are at the moment.

''We need to win some games,'' Strasburg said. ''It's getting to the point where our back's against the wall.''

A popular pick to follow up last year's majors-leading 98 wins and playoff appearance with a deep run, Washington is in a real rut right now. Wasting Strasburg's 12-strikeout performance, and held without a hit by Pittsburgh's Francisco Liriano until the sixth inning, the Nationals lost to the Pirates 4-2 Wednesday night, their sixth consecutive defeat since the All-Star break.

''When things get tough ... your true colors really come out. It's all about what type of person you are. Are you the type that's going to sit there and look in the mirror and do everything you can to be better out there? Or are you going to start pointing fingers?'' Strasburg said. ''I don't think there's a single guy in the clubhouse who's going to start pointing fingers. Every single guy in here is responsible and we all want to win just as bad as any other team out there.''

The reigning NL East champions are currently in third place, a season-worst nine games behind the Atlanta Braves, and the offense is mainly to blame. The Nationals have scored only 13 runs during their 0-6 slide, which is part of a 2-11 stretch.

Already the owner of one previous no-hitter, Liriano (10-4) walked the first batter he faced, then retired 11 in a row before another walk. Five more outs followed, before rookie Anthony Rendon reached on what was ruled an infield single with two away in the sixth.

Third baseman Pedro Alvarez - who earlier homered off Strasburg - dove to his left to stop the ball, but it popped out of his glove, and he couldn't quite corral it. The next batter walked, but Liriano struck out cleanup hitter Jayson Werth looking.

''Everything was working the way I wanted tonight,'' said Liriano, who wound up allowing two hits in 7 2-3 innings.

The Pirates tacked on three insurance runs in the ninth against relievers Drew Storen and Fernando Abad, thanks to Neil Walker's RBI double and Michael McKenry's two-run single. That became pivotal when Werth hit a two-run shot, his 15th homer, off Justin Wilson in the bottom half. Werth is seemingly the only Nationals batter capable of producing at the moment; he's hit five homers in the past four games.

Wilson was replaced by Mark Melancon, who got the last three outs to earn his third save - ending with a double play on which second baseman Walker whiffed on his attempted tag of lead runner Wilson Ramos.

''Not even close. He never tagged me,'' Ramos said.

He argued the call with umpire Laz Diaz, to no avail.

''Maybe,'' Ramos said, ''he (wanted) to go home.''

Nationals spokesman John Dever declined to check whether the umpiring crew would respond to reporters' request for comment.

Washington center fielder Denard Span's take: ''It's no secret that the ball definitely isn't bouncing our way. That wasn't the story of the game tonight, but anything could've happened if that play isn't called there.''

The Nationals are a season-worst five games under .500 at 48-53. Already having all sorts of trouble at the plate - so much so that the club fired hitting coach Rick Eckstein this week - Washington's starting lineup was missing All-Star left fielder Bryce Harper and shortstop Ian Desmond.

Harper was held out as a precaution after getting treatment on the left knee that landed him on the disabled list earlier this season, while Desmond is dealing with a blister on his left hand.

The last time Washington lost more than six consecutive games was nearly four years ago: They dropped eight in a row from Aug. 28 to Sept. 5, 2009, according to STATS LLC - shortly after signing Strasburg as the No. 1 overall pick in that year's amateur draft.

This was Strasburg's ninth career game with 10 or more strikeouts and first this season. His career high remains the 14 Ks from his major league debut on June 8, 2010, against Pittsburgh.

''I want to be the big dog in the rotation; that comes with the territory. The sixth inning isn't cool anymore, for me,'' Strasburg said. ''I want to go seven, eight and hopefully nine sometime.''

Strasburg (5-8) did not walk anyone in eight innings Wednesday, giving up only one run and two hits, all in the second inning. That included the leadoff shot by Pedro Alvarez, who drove a 96 mph fastball over the wall in right-center for his 26th homer.

''A backspin 2-iron,'' Pirates manager Clint Hurdle called it. ''I've seen a lot of home runs. I've seen a lot of hard-hit balls. But that one got my attention.''

Notes: Melancon is filling in for closer Jason Grilli, on the disabled list with a strained right forearm. ...

Nationals manager Davey Johnson said LHP Ross Detwiler is expected to miss a month with a back injury. ... On Thursday, the Nationals will start LHP Gio Gonzalez (7-3, 2.89) against Pirates RHP A.J. Burnett (4-7, 3.07).

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Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich