Thankfully, Neil Walker Rejoins Pirates This Weekend

Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Neil Walker is able to come off the disabled list Sunday.  It can’t come soon enough.

Last night Walker doubled for the Altoona Curve who have had very little offense this season.  Last night was a different story as the Curve came alive with 15 hits and came from behind with two runs in the eighth inning.

The Curve topped Richmond, 9-8, before friends and family at People Natural Gas in Toona Town.

Walker will play another game with the Curve tonight before heading to New York to join the Pirates.  The Pittsburgh Kid went one for four with a double in his six innings of work.

Walker let us know he will play all nine innings tonight with the Curve before jumping on a plane to head to the Big Apple.

The Pirates need a couple of things from Walker.  The fielding Walker provides when combined with his bat is something the Bucs simply can’t match with the likes of Brandon Inge who played second last night and had a key gaffe in the ninth inning with Jason Grilli on the mound.  Inge ran hard to his left, too far in fact and when he dove the baseball hit off the heel of his glove.  He scrambled, but was unable to pick the ball up and throw it in time to get the out.    It turned out to be the winning run in a walkoff win for the Mets.

That wasn’t the sole reason the Bucs lost last night.  Hurdle’s managining in the seventh after a Jose Tabata leadoff hit could be a glaring reason, but this is about Neil Walker.

Walker is in absolutely great condition.  After missing the tail end of the 2012 season, the kid is ready to eat baseballs.  If he can show patience and let the game come to him when he returns this weekend, it says here the Pittsburgh Kid is about to go on a tear.

The competitive fire Walker has burning inside is about to come loose.  It’s one of those things that is pretty easy to see coming.   With McCutchen heating up too, the month of May is going to be pretty exciting.

Sit back and enjoy it.