5/9/13: Maybe this sounds familiar. The Pirates are off to a strong start. They trail the NL leading St. Louis Cardinals by one game, and are just ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds (and everyone is well ahead of the Chicago Cubs). The Pirates took two of three from the Cardinals in St. Louis - and always seem to have the Redbirds number (at least in the first half of the year). Closer Jason Grille is having a standout year so far and leads the majors in saves. The Pirates have collapsed in the second half for the past two years, but maybe this time they will be able to string 162 games together and make the playoffs for the first time since 1993.

The Pittsburgh Pirates had no answers for Chad Billingsley on Tuesday as they were shut out by the Los Angeles Dodgers by the score of 11-0. Keven Correia got the start for Pittsburgh and it's safe to say he didn't have his best stuff. While he did manage to last six innings, he gave up five earned runs on seven hits and a walk. Offensively, the Pirates managed to scatter just five hits and were an paltry 0-7 with runners in scoring position. No player managed more than a single hit on the day, with Starling Marte's stolen base in the fourth inning the only real excitement that they managed throughout the game. Wandy Rodriguez will get the ball for Pittsburgh on Wednesday night.

Kevin Correia pitched well enough to earn his ninth win of the season on Tuesday as he led his Pittsburgh Pirates to a 7-6 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Correia pitched six innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits and three walks. He also added five strikeouts over the course of his 90 pitch outing to help seal the deal. Offensively, Neil Walker, Starling Marte and Jordy Mercer all went deep in the victory, each player accounting for all of the runs batted in on the game. Despite only nine hits, they were solid overall in the clutch, with the team hitting a solid 3-7 with runners in scoring position.

Despite only lasting five innings, Jeff Karstens was good enough to pick up the victory as he propelled the Pittsburgh Pirates to an 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night at Wrigley Field. Karstens allowed just one earned run over his five innings of work, surrendering three hits and a walk over his 93 pitch outing. He also earned his fourth victory of the season and lowered his ERA to 3.70 thus far. Offensively, Starling Marte and Mike McKenry each had home runs for Pittsburgh, while Garrett Jones also contributed three runs batted in for the cause. Overall, the team struggled with runners in scoring position, hitting just 2-11 not eh day.

Jack McDonald didn't have his best stuff on Tuesday night and Paul Maholm was on fire as the Pittsburgh Pirates dropped a 5-1 ball game to the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park. McDonald pitched six innings, allowing five earned runs on five hits and three walks. He also added six strikeouts on the day, but in the process also picked up his fourth loss of the year. Offensively, Garrett Jones provided the lone run, hitting his 14th home run of the year in the fourth off Maholm. The blast also gave him 44 runs batted in to go along with a .263 clip on the season so far. Overall, the team only managed five hits off Maholm and the Cubs bullpen.

The surprising Pittsburgh Pirates are winners of 7 of their last 10 games and are 29-27, currently 2 games behind the Cincinnati Reds for the NL Central lead. The Pirates have been playing very consistent baseball as of late, led by great pitching from James McDonald, who is 5-2 with a 2.14 ERA. Despite being close to the bottom of the league in runs, batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, the Pirates are finding ways to win. They will begin a three-game series with the Kansas City Royals on Friday night and will send Erik Bedard (3-6) to the mound against Luke Hochevar.

Despite being swept by the Baltimore Orioles this week, the Pittsburgh Pirates didn't really lose too much ground, and managed to remain tied for second- place with the St. Louis Cardinals, three games behind the first-place Cincinnati Reds in the NL Central. The Pirates, at 32-30, are one of the surprise stories of the season thus far and are looking to finish above .500 for the first time in over a decade. They still have a long road ahead of them though, and will face the Cleveland Indians this weekend in an interleague series at Progressive Field.

Pittsburgh Pirates starter Charlie Morton had a rough outing on Tuesday night as he gave up five earned runs in just 4.1 innings to pick up his second loss of the season. The Pirates dropped the game by the score of 10-7 and were bested by St. Louis Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright, who gave up four earned runs through seven innings. Jose Tabata crushed his first home run of the season for Pittsburgh off of Wainwright, while Pedro Alvarez also added a home run in the seventh. The Pirates will turn to starter A.J. Burnett for a victory on Wednesday night.

While the Pittsburgh Pirates have been playing solid baseball in the month of April, the team has struggled to break the .500 mark and currently sports an 8-10 record in the National League Central. The division-leading Cardinals have not run away with the division just yet and the team finds itself only three and half games out of first place. Andre McCutchen continues to impress baseball fans across the board, leading the squad with a .329 batting average, 10 runs scored a .773 OPS. Kevin Correia has also been solid on the mound, leading the pitching staff with an even 2.00 ERA through his first four starts of the season.

While scoring runs has not been easy for the PIttsburgh Pirates through the first four games of the season, the team has managed to amass a 2-2 record through their first week of the season. Strong starting pitching performances from Eric Bedard, Kevin Correia, Jeff Karstens and James McDonald have kept the team in games and allowed small bits of offense to win them games. Offensively, left-fielder Alex Presley leads the team in batting with a .353 average, while Pedro Alvarez has smacked the team's lone home run. The team heads into a three game series against the 1-3 San Francisco Giants this weekend.

Pittsburgh Pirates Tickets - Team History

Pittsburgh Pirates tickets allow fans the opportunity to experience one of baseball's oldest franchises. The Pirates, based in Pittsburgh since 1882, have won five World Series championships to go along with nine NL pennants. The Pirates play at the PNC Park, which seats just 38,496 people, making it the second-smallest capacity of any Major League ballpark. PNC Park has also been hailed as one of the best ballparks in the country. Grab some Pirates tickets and enjoy a game this season!

Pittsburgh Pirates Tickets - Season Info

It's been tough sledding for the Pittsburgh Pirates in recent years, but the team looks to take big steps forward in the AL East in 2011. Last season didn't begin the way the Pirates planned, but encouragement and hope comes with the hiring of Clint Hurdle, who managed the Colorado Rockies to a NL pennant in 2007. The club will look for marked improvements from young guns Evan Meek and Joel Hanrahan in 2011 but solid contributions need to be made throughout the team for it to win games next season.

Pittsburgh Pirates Tickets - Ticket Information

Pittsburgh Pirates tickets ensure that fans see the Pirates playing top contenders throughout the entire MLB season. The Pirates have their work cut out for them in an always-tough National League Central. With matchups with great teams like the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds and non-divisional meetings with the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies throughout the season, the Pirates will have plenty of opportunity to test themselves against top talent in 2011. Be a part of this great tradition and don't miss the action!

Pittsburgh Pirates Tickets - 2011 Season Update

The first half of the season turned out great for the Pirates. They were in a battle for first in the NL Central with the Cardinals and the Brewers. Its been a pleasant surprise for the city of Pittsburgh. Andrew McCutchen has been playing great baseball but recently the Pirates have been slacking. All season they have been exceeding expectations but they haven't been able to carry the momentum through the All-Star break into the second half. Although the they may not make the play offs this year, this team is definitely improving and is getting ready to make a run for the world series in the future.

Related Teams and Bands

• Cincinnati Reds
• San Francisco Giants
• Milwaukee Brewers
• Los Angeles Dodgers
• Oakland Athletics