NewsBucs turning corner just as year ends
Pittsburgh (62-98) at Cincinnati (77-84), 1:10 p.m. ET
By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com
10/03/09 11:47 PM EST
CINCINNATI -- The end of another disappointing baseball season for Pittsburgh has arrived, as the Pirates will close out their 161-game slate with one last contest against the Reds at Great American Ball Park on Sunday afternoon. Yet, despite all that has gone wrong this season, the year appears to be ending on a high note. The Pirates have won six of their past nine games, falling just one win short of their best nine-game stretch of the season. At three other points earlier in the year the Pirates went 7-2 in a nine-game stretch. The difference in this recent nine-game run, however, is that the majority of these games have been played on the road. "Unfortunately it's toward the end of the year, but I think it's just taken a little time for them to get the team aspect," said manager John Russell. "So many of the new guys, I think they're starting to gel just a little bit. Hopefully it's a good stepping stone going into next year." If the Pirates can seal the 2009 season with a win on Sunday, it would give the club a series win over the Reds, their first in six series against Cincinnati this year. It would also ensure that the Pirates close the season with three consecutive series wins. The latter two were on the road, doubling the total of series wins away from PNC Park that the Pirates had last year. All this has drastically changed the mood in the clubhouse. "I think they've gotten really closer," Russell said. "They're having fun. I think they're pulling for each other. I think they're really seeing some things team-wise that when they step foot in the clubhouse in Spring Training, they will have a better taste." The Pirates are expected to be without the services of catcher Ryan Doumit for Sunday's game. He suffered a minor concussion on Friday when he was hit in the mask on a foul tip. Doumit remained in Friday's game, but sat out on Saturday. Pitching matchupPIT: RHP Jeff Karstens (4-5, 5.37 ERA)
The Pirates had to scratch Kevin Hart from this outing because of a mild rib cage strain. That means Jeff Karstens will make his third spot start in the last two weeks. Karstens will be pitching on only three days' rest, but that isn't a large concern given that he only threw 61 pitches in his outing on Wednesday. He will likely only be able to give the Pirates three or four innings at most on Sunday, but with the number of relievers the Bucs have right now, it won't be a problem covering the rest of the outing for him. CIN: RHP Homer Bailey (7-5, 4.78 ERA)
Over seven superb innings, Bailey gave up one earned run on seven hits with one walk and seven strikeouts in his previous outing. He also improved to 5-1 with a 1.89 ERA over his past eight starts. The most impressive moment came during a fifth inning, bases-loaded situation against Albert Pujols. He did a fine job of damage control when he got Pujols to hit a sacrifice fly and Matt Holliday to ground out to end the threat. Bucs bits
With Anthony Claggett's relief appearance on Saturday, the Pirates have now had 49 different players and 26 different pitchers appear in games this year. Both of those figures tie a franchise single-season high. ... The Pirates have committed 73 errors this season and can set a season record for fewest errors in a year after Sunday's game. The previous low had been 83, which was set in 2007. ... With 57 pinch-hits going into the season finale, the Pirates need one more to match their total from last year, which ranked seventh in club history for most in a season. ... This will be the fourth year since 1999 that the Pirates have played 161 games in a season instead of the scheduled 162. Tickets
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Jenifer Langosch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
