Tulips frame the field at PNC Park and the skyline of downtown Pittsburgh as pre-season preparations …
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Pirates have spent the last three years making believers out of everybody, even the schedule makers.
The
team that toiled in national anonymity for two decades will bat leadoff
for Major League Baseball on Sunday when the Pirates host rival St.
Louis in the opening game of the 2016 regular season. The significance
isn't lost on a club that has undergone a pragmatic and thorough
transformation under relentlessly optimistic manager Clint Hurdle, a
ride that includes three consecutive playoff berths and the second-best
record in the majors since the start of 2013.
''We're getting the kind of recognition as an organization that I don't think we've gotten a much in the past,'' pitcher Jeff Locke
said. ''Even as successful as we've been the last three years, really
you can say it has been coming on for the last five years. This
organization has really changed its face a lot.''
There's no need to convince the three-time defending NL Central champion Cardinals, who will send out ace Adam Wainwright against Francisco Liriano
as arguably the most hotly contested division in baseball gets a
jumpstart on what could be another six-month staredown between St.
Louis, Pittsburgh and the trendy Chicago Cubs.
''I
do think it's tangible evidence we've gotten better,'' Hurdle said.
''We got to play five Sunday night games last year. There's a whole
different set of challenges in those we found out as we get into the
season and we start playing good baseball and people take notice and
they want to put you on TV because they like your team and they like
your players.''And they taut, high-level play that tends to follow the Pirates face the Cardinals.
St. Louis is the only team with a better record over the last three years than Pittsburgh, the main reason the Pirates have been relegated to the wild card during the franchise's sprint back to respectability. Pittsburgh is well aware a better start would go a long way toward claiming its first division crown in 24 years. The Pirates are just 58-65 in April during Hurdle's highly successful tenure, typically waiting to heat up in lockstep with the weather at PNC Park.
''We dug some holes in the past coming out of spring training,'' Hurdle said. ''We structured our spring training a little differently this year to hopefully generate a more consistent offense from opening day to the end of the season.''
Pittsburgh got hot last spring just in time to hold off the rapidly maturing Cubs in the regular season, though the Pirates mustered little in a 4-0 loss to Chicago ace Jake Arrieta during the one-game elimination. Despite the departure of longtime fixtures Neil Walker and Pedro Alvarez over the winter, Pittsburgh remains bullish on the possibilities 2016 provides.
''It's not so much optimism it's more just a belief that we know what we can do with what we have,'' second baseman Josh Harrison said. ''If that's taken as optimism that's fine but this isn't a front from anybody in this locker room. We know we're good. We don't care about what people say and what's been done. All that matters is what happens between those white lines and that's what makes it so good.''
It's a feeling that's equally as pervasive in St. Louis. The last time the Cardinals visited PNC Park, they soaked the carpet in the visitor's clubhouse after claiming their ninth NL Central crown since the start of the millennium.
INDIANAPOLIS — For the Pirates, the next stop is home. And opening day.
Manager Clint Hurdle likened it to the prom Saturday in Indianapolis, an hour or so before his team fell to Cincinnati, 13-6, at Victory Field to close its exhibition season. After a month in Florida, plus a quick pitstop Saturday in Indianapolis, the Pirates will open the 2016 regular season at 1:05 p.m. today when they play host to the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park.
“There’s a part of opening day that’s always tremendously special and significant,” Hurdle said. “And there’s a part of it, for me, that I’m really glad when it’s over. Because all [the attention] won’t be here the day after opening day. That’s kind of the way it is. Everyone wants to show up and be a part of the prom dance. The day after, it’s ‘I’ll catch them next month.’ We still get the chance to play every day, so that doesn’t change for us.”
The Pirates fell behind, 9-2, in the third inning Saturday before Hurdle pulled most of his starters.
The fact the Pirates will begin their 2016 season with a nationally televised game — and the very first of the entire MLB season — wasn’t lost on Hurdle. His club will play four games on ESPN this season, the third consecutive year they’ve been featured on “Sunday Night Baseball.” Three consecutive playoff appearances will do that.
“It’s tangible evidence we’ve gotten better,” Hurdle said. “We got to play five Sunday night games last year. There’s a whole different set of challenges in those, we found out as we got into the season and we start playing good baseball and people take notice and they want to put you on TV because they like your team and they like your players.”
His star center fielder Andrew McCutchen agreed.
“It’s nice,” McCutchen said. “We’ve never done that before. It just shows you that the past few years, we’ve been moving in the right direction. I’m definitely looking forward to going out and getting the season started.”
Roster move coming
Hurdle said after the game the team would wait until today to finalize its 25-man roster. At this point, three players — Cole Figueroa, Jason Rogers and Pedro Florimon — remain in contention for the final available spot. Rogers had a two-run double Saturday, Florimon had two hits and Figueroa went hitless.
Praise for Indianapolis
Before he was a five-time All-Star and National League MVP, McCutchen was an Indianapolis Indians player trying to make it to the big leagues. Saturday, he looked back on his time in Class AAA fondly.
“This is a minor league team in a major league city,” McCutchen said of the Indians, the Pirates’ Class AAA affiliate since 2005.
“That’s the way I look at it. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else if I was in [Class AAA]. This is a great city.”
Hurdle arrived at Victory Field early Saturday morning and walked the stadium, and while he did so, he revisited his brief stint with this organization 34 years ago. Hurdle spent time with the Indians as a player in 1982.
“This has been a great place for us to grow up some men and future Pirates,” Hurdle said. “This is a great city, and the franchise in and of itself. It’s fantastic. Guys love playing here, but they want to get to Pittsburgh as well.
“Our player development staff has done such a fantastic job with every affiliate. This one very well could be our crown jewel.”
‘We want to use the bullpen’
Hurdle has no intention of reinventing the wheel in the first month of the season. The aim is same as it has always been.
“The key for everybody is going to be who pitches best at the end of the day,” he said. “Pitching and defense win championships. That hasn’t changed and it never will.”
On a day he rested his entire starting rotation, Hurdle instead gave the ball to Wilfredo Boscan, whom the Pirates recently sent down to the minors. (On an extremely windy day, Boscan didn’t make it three innings before being pulled.) Not 24 hours before the regular season was set to start, Hurdle said he felt confident with the depth of his rotation, commending the likes of Francisco Liriano, Gerrit Cole, Jon Niese, Juan Nicasio and Jeff Locke.
“We like how we’re set up,” Hurdle said. “These guys are very well aware of the strength of a starting rotation and what it means. The focus wants to be, ‘Get the ball to the bullpen.’ We want to use the bullpen, not we have to use the bullpen.
“Liriano has shown great experience and leadership in the years he’s been here. Cole’s developed into a staff ace. I think he’ll be in the rotation sometime in the first week ... We like the addition of Jonathon Niese, he’s a veteran guy, a blue-collar guy, throws some ground balls, hits both sides of the plate, pitches down in the zone. The work that Nicasio did was eye-catching in spring training and it warrants an opportunity to get into the rotation. And Jeff Locke is going to have every opportunity to put together two complete halves of a season.”
Today
Game: Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals, 1:05 p.m., PNC Park.
TV, radio: Root Sports, ESPN; KDKA-FM (93.7).
Probable starters: Pirates LHP Francisco Liriano (12-7, 3.38 ERA in 2015) vs. Cardinals RHP Adam Wainwright (2-1, 1.61).
Key matchup: Wainwright vs. Andrew McCutchen, who is 13 for 43 (.302) with 5 doubles, 1 triple and 1 home run against him.
Hidden stat: Left-handed hitters had a .207 average against Liriano in 2015.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have spent the last three years making believers out of everybody, even the schedule makers.
The team that toiled in national anonymity for two decades will bat leadoff for Major League Baseball on Sunday when the Pirates host rival St. Louis in the opening game of the 2016 regular season.
"We're getting the kind of recognition as an organization that I don't think we've gotten as much in the past," pitcher Jeff Locke said. "Even as successful as we've been the last three years, really you can say it has been coming on for the last five years. This organization has really changed its face a lot."
Under Manager Clint Hurdle, the Pirates have advanced to the playoffs in three consecutive seasons and have the second-best record in the majors since the start of 2013.
"I do think it's tangible evidence we've gotten better," Hurdle said. "We got to play five Sunday night games last year. There's a whole different set of challenges in those we found out as we get into the season and we start playing good baseball and people take notice and they want to put you on TV because they like your team and they like your players."
The Pirates will send left-hander Francisco Liriano to the mound against right-hander Adam Wainwright on Sunday.
St. Louis is the only team with a better record than Pittsburgh over the last three years, the main reason the Pirates have been relegated to the wild card during the franchise's sprint back to respectability.
The Cardinals, the defending National League Central champions, are equally enthused about the new season.
"I am very, very excited about this team," said Wainwright, who will start his fifth opening day for St. Louis.
Etc.
The Atlanta Braves reached their opening-day roster, adding outfielder Drew Stubbs and pitcher Alexi Ogando and designating for assignment outfielders Michael Bourn and Emilio Bonifacio. Bourn, who went to the Braves from Cleveland along with Nick Swisher last summer, is on the books for $14 million this season. Swisher, who was released Monday, is owed $15 this season by the Braves and Indians. ... Manager Dusty Baker said the Washington Nationals will start Stephen Strasburg at Atlanta on Wednesday, the team's second game this season. ... The Milwaukee Brewers signed reliever Carlos Torres to a one-year contract. ...
The Colorado Rockies will use left-hander Jake McGee as closer and right-hander Christian Bergman as the No. 5 starter to begin the season. Manager Walt Weiss also announced that outfielder Brandon Barnes and left-hander Jason Gurka are on the 25-man roster. ... All-Star closer Brad Boxberger of the Tampa Bay Rays is starting the season on the 15-day disabled list. He is recovering from groin surgery after being injured during spring training. Right-hander Alex Cobb, who sat out last season after undergoing elbow surgery, also was put on the DL.
Major League Baseball
Sports
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals
Atlanta Braves
Nick Swisher
Adam Wainwright
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