Showing posts with label pirate playoffs 2013. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pirate playoffs 2013. Show all posts
Monday, October 14, 2013
Summer To Remember Epilogue: Wild Card & NLDS In Buctober
Playoff fever swept the City, and the three playoff games at PNC Park were every bit the equal of the Steeler Nation on an especially lubricated day. The Bucs starting pitching held up pretty well, but a season-long inconsistency in scoring reared its ugly head in the NLDC.
October 1 - A record PNC Park crowd of 40,487 saw the Pirates win the NL Wild Card game against the Cincinnati Reds by a 6-2 score. Francisco Liriano gave up one run on four hits over seven innings for the win. He was supported by Russell Martin, who had a pair of homers, and Marlon Byrd, who also went long. Martin was the first catcher to homer for three different teams in the postseason, going yard with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008 and the New York Yankees in 2012. Byrd’s long ball was during his first post-season at-bat after playing 1,250 MLB games to finally get into the playoffs. It was the first playoff game ever held at PNC and the first Pirate playoff win in Pittsburgh since defeating the Atlanta Braves 7-1 on October 11th, 1992 in the NLCS at TRS. The victory cost the Reds more than a playoff run; it also cost them a manager when Dusty Baker was fired three days later after suffering his seventh straight playoff loss as Cincinnati skipper.
October 3 - AJ Burnett was chased in a seven run third inning that saw 11 Cardinals bat as St. Louis took the opener of the NLDS at Busch Stadium by a 9-1 score. Adam Wainwright went seven innings and struck out nine for the Redbirds. The Pirates only mustered four hits, two by Andrew McCutchen, with Pedro Alvarez’s homer providing the lone Bucco tally.
October 4 - After being trounced in the opener of the NLDS by the Cards, rookie Gerrit Cole fired two-hit ball for six innings in a 7-1 win over St. Louis at Busch Stadium to square the series. Pedro Alvarez and Starling Marte cracked home runs while Russell Martin added a pair of RBIs. Alvarez went 2-for-4 with the homer and a double, scoring twice and driving in a pair of runs. El Toro became the first Pirate since Willie Stargell in 1974 to go yard in back-to-back playoff games.
October 6 - PNC Park had another record breaking crowd of 40,489 to watch the Pirates take a two-one lead in the best-of-five NLDC against the Cards by a 5-3 score. St. Louis rallied from behind twice against the Pirates, but the last comeback belonged to Pittsburgh. The Bucs went up 2-0 on a two-out, two-run Marlon Byrd single in the first, and the Redbirds tied it in the fifth on Carlos Beltran’s two-out, two-run single. The Pirates went ahead 3-2 an inning later on Russell Martin’s sac fly. Beltran tied it again in the eighth with a homer to right center off Mark Melancon. Pittsburgh put up two in their half off Carlos Martinez, with RBI singles from Pedro Alvarez and Martin. Jason Grilli then closed out the see-saw game, with Melancon getting a blown hold and the win. Francisco Liriano and Joe Kelly started the game, but neither made it to the seventh inning.
October 7 - The Pirates were on the brink of eliminating the St. Louis Cardinals from the NLDC at PNC Park, but the Redbirds rode Michael Wacha’s arm to a 2-1 win. The Cards drew first blood when Matt Holliday hit a two run homer in the sixth off Charlie Morton. Pittsburgh halved the gap in the eighth when they got their first and only hit, a 438’ bomb by Pedro Alvarez, to make it 2-1. But both bullpens were in shutdown mode, and that score stood as the final. 40,893 fans - the third consecutive playoff game to set a park attendance record - left the North Shore disappointed. The Cardinals set a playoff record as all three of their pitchers (Wacha, Carlos Martinez and Trevor Rosenthal, who got the save) were 23 or younger.
October 9 - The Pirate playoff run ended 6-1 at Busch Stadium as two-run homers by David Freese and Matt Adams gave Adam Wainwright all the support he needed to take the fifth and deciding game of the NLDS. Gerrit Cole pitched well, but after he was pulled for a pinch hitter in the sixth, the Cards scored four times off the Bucco bullpen. Pedro Alvarez singled home the lone score, giving him a MLB record for chasing home a run in each of his first six post-season games.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Pirate's Dream Run Ends In 6-1 Loss To Cards
Elimination round on: Adam Wainwright K'ed Starling Marte looking at a curve, then walked Neil Walker on a curve. Cutch struck out swinging at a curve. Justin Morneau wasn't waiting for a hook; he bounced out swinging at a cutter. Wainwright left a few pitches over the plate for the Bucs in that frame, but they still couldn't do anything with them.
Matt Carpenter slapped a two seamer the other way off Gerrit Cole to open for the Cards, and Pedro ate it up for the first out. A popup and grounder later, the Redbirds were back in the field. And that's with getting squeezed by ump Jim Joyce, who's noted for a tight strike zone.
Marlon Byrd started the second with a single to center. But hitting a ball hard isn't a guarantee of good things; Pedro roped a curve above the knees to second, Carpenter gloved it and caught The Byrd off first for a DP. The Cards went into a shift against El Toro, something they hadn't done in the prior games, and it paid off. Russ Martin drilled one just short of the track in center for the third out. The good news is the Bucs squared up on three balls; the bad news is there was nada to show for it.
After a fly and whiff, Cole lost an eight pitch battle to Jon Jay and walked him. And as it always seems to happen, the walk hurt as David Freese lined a two strike hook that was hung over the inside half of the plate, the second of a back-to-back pair, into the Buc bullpen in left to make it 2-0, so the Pirates have to go to work. Freese got a curtain call after adding a splash of little league mustard during his trot sequence; seems a bit early for the dramatics, though we'll see.
The Bucs 8-9-1 hitters went down in order in the third, even though Wainwright is still up in the zone. St. Louis went down in order, thanks to a slding grab of Carpenter's liner to left by Marte that the Redbird fans applauded; Cole has left some pitches up, too.
Walker's woes continued as he lined out softly to short to start the fourth, hitting not exactly into a shift, but Pete Kozma was cheated toward the middle and left his feet to make the catch on the 2b side of the bag. Cutch and Morneau grounded out, Kozma making another nice stop and throw on Justin's ball.
With an out, Matt Adams went the opposite way for a knock. He lucked out when on a hit-and-run, Molina caught enough of the ball to roll it foul, or Adams would have been dead at second. Molina's luck continued on a dribbler to third; Pedro barehanded it and threw it away down the first base line; it was ruled a single and error, and left Cards at second and third.
Cole was unshaken. With the infield in, Jay bounced one to Walker. Adams was out easily at home, and Martin nearly doubled up Molina at third with a quick snap throw. And give Martin props during the at bat by Jay; he blocked a couple of tough balls in the dirt with the runner staring him down from third. That brought up Freese, and three heaters later, he sat down to keep the Bucs alive, still down 2-0.
The Pirate concern in the fifth is that Wainwright is getting into a groove. Byrd popped out, Pedro was rung up on a strike call that Molina stole, and Martin flew out to left; that's 12 straight Bucs retired on 60 pitches, and just two hits in the past 14 innings for Pittsburgh period. After a pair of K, Cole fell behind Carpenter 3-1 and blazed a meatball that Cutch ran down a step in front of the 400' mark to end the frame. That may be it for him; he's due to hit second in the sixth and the bullpen is loaded and rested.
Clint Barmes had a nice at bat to open the sixth, falling behind 0-2, working the count full and lining a single to left. Garrett Jones, batting for Cole and maybe the last time as a Buc, just missed on a fastball up and flew out to right center. Marte continued the top-of-the-order funk by rolling one right at Kozma to end the inning on a 6-4-3 DP. That brought on Justin Wilson. With two outs and Holliday on first after a one-out, opposite field single, Wilson walked Molina on six pitches, none a strike. He fell behind Jay 2-0, and the Card right fielder bounced one up the middle that Wilson waved at, and it was 3-0; a walk set up another run. Vin Mazzaro came on to K Freese, escaping disaster when a ball to the right field corner went foul by three or four feet.
The Bucs finally dented the scoreboard with two down in the seventh. Morneau barely beat out a slow roller to second when Carpenter lost his footing between the infield dirt and outfield grass, and Byrd beat out a chopper over second when Kozma opted to go to first rather than take the force. Pedro worked the count full, fouling a 2-1 center-cut fastball , then bounced a bad hopper off the first base bag to plate Morneau and send Byrd to third. Martin went after a first pitch cutter down the middle, but bounced to short to end the frame at 3-1 Cards. Tony Watson climbed the hill and worked a clean frame.
The Bucs went to the bench in the eighth. JT bounced out to third, then Jordy Mercer dropped a bloop into right. Marte hit a soft, tailing liner to second; Mercer was doubled off in a close call; he may have beat the throw back but did wander a step or two too far off for the situation; Matt Adams gave a little happy dance after the call.
Mark the Shark took the hill and effectively ended the Buc season. With an out, Matt Holliday did what he does, chipping a single to right. Adams crushed the next pitch far into the night, and it was 5-1; the Shark Tank has sprung some leaks. He walked Molina, got a force, then Jay blooped a single to left that maybe Marte could run down, but JT couldn't, to put Redbirds on the corners. Jason Grilli came on, and the unstoppable Pete Kozma bounced one past third that Mercer gloved deep in the hole but had no play on, and it was 6-1. Grilli closed out the inning, and the Bucs were five runs and three outs from vacation.
Walker bounced out, Cutch took one to the wall in center for a loud second out, and then Morneau singled to keep the season alive, if on life support. Byrd followed with another single as Wainwright is struggling to get his complete game in, though at 104 pitches, he's not done yet. pedro was looking for the fences, and Adam tossed him three curves to end the game.
A frustrating finish, to be sure. A pair of two-out walks led to three runs, and the Bucs lined into a pair of DP. But the bullpen's rough September carried over, and the Pirate bats just didn't have a clutch hit in them, which was the only reason Gerrit Cole left the game.
But still, it was a remarkable season. Pittsburgh finally got over the hump and into the playoffs with the fifth best record in baseball, and it was a fun ride. Now to see how they carry over next season; getting there is one thing, but staying there will be another. It should be an interesting off season for Neal Huntington and company as he tries to fill a couple of holes in a pretty solid and young team.
Matt Carpenter slapped a two seamer the other way off Gerrit Cole to open for the Cards, and Pedro ate it up for the first out. A popup and grounder later, the Redbirds were back in the field. And that's with getting squeezed by ump Jim Joyce, who's noted for a tight strike zone.
Marlon Byrd started the second with a single to center. But hitting a ball hard isn't a guarantee of good things; Pedro roped a curve above the knees to second, Carpenter gloved it and caught The Byrd off first for a DP. The Cards went into a shift against El Toro, something they hadn't done in the prior games, and it paid off. Russ Martin drilled one just short of the track in center for the third out. The good news is the Bucs squared up on three balls; the bad news is there was nada to show for it.
After a fly and whiff, Cole lost an eight pitch battle to Jon Jay and walked him. And as it always seems to happen, the walk hurt as David Freese lined a two strike hook that was hung over the inside half of the plate, the second of a back-to-back pair, into the Buc bullpen in left to make it 2-0, so the Pirates have to go to work. Freese got a curtain call after adding a splash of little league mustard during his trot sequence; seems a bit early for the dramatics, though we'll see.
The Bucs 8-9-1 hitters went down in order in the third, even though Wainwright is still up in the zone. St. Louis went down in order, thanks to a slding grab of Carpenter's liner to left by Marte that the Redbird fans applauded; Cole has left some pitches up, too.
Walker's woes continued as he lined out softly to short to start the fourth, hitting not exactly into a shift, but Pete Kozma was cheated toward the middle and left his feet to make the catch on the 2b side of the bag. Cutch and Morneau grounded out, Kozma making another nice stop and throw on Justin's ball.
With an out, Matt Adams went the opposite way for a knock. He lucked out when on a hit-and-run, Molina caught enough of the ball to roll it foul, or Adams would have been dead at second. Molina's luck continued on a dribbler to third; Pedro barehanded it and threw it away down the first base line; it was ruled a single and error, and left Cards at second and third.
Cole was unshaken. With the infield in, Jay bounced one to Walker. Adams was out easily at home, and Martin nearly doubled up Molina at third with a quick snap throw. And give Martin props during the at bat by Jay; he blocked a couple of tough balls in the dirt with the runner staring him down from third. That brought up Freese, and three heaters later, he sat down to keep the Bucs alive, still down 2-0.
The Pirate concern in the fifth is that Wainwright is getting into a groove. Byrd popped out, Pedro was rung up on a strike call that Molina stole, and Martin flew out to left; that's 12 straight Bucs retired on 60 pitches, and just two hits in the past 14 innings for Pittsburgh period. After a pair of K, Cole fell behind Carpenter 3-1 and blazed a meatball that Cutch ran down a step in front of the 400' mark to end the frame. That may be it for him; he's due to hit second in the sixth and the bullpen is loaded and rested.
Clint Barmes had a nice at bat to open the sixth, falling behind 0-2, working the count full and lining a single to left. Garrett Jones, batting for Cole and maybe the last time as a Buc, just missed on a fastball up and flew out to right center. Marte continued the top-of-the-order funk by rolling one right at Kozma to end the inning on a 6-4-3 DP. That brought on Justin Wilson. With two outs and Holliday on first after a one-out, opposite field single, Wilson walked Molina on six pitches, none a strike. He fell behind Jay 2-0, and the Card right fielder bounced one up the middle that Wilson waved at, and it was 3-0; a walk set up another run. Vin Mazzaro came on to K Freese, escaping disaster when a ball to the right field corner went foul by three or four feet.
The Bucs finally dented the scoreboard with two down in the seventh. Morneau barely beat out a slow roller to second when Carpenter lost his footing between the infield dirt and outfield grass, and Byrd beat out a chopper over second when Kozma opted to go to first rather than take the force. Pedro worked the count full, fouling a 2-1 center-cut fastball , then bounced a bad hopper off the first base bag to plate Morneau and send Byrd to third. Martin went after a first pitch cutter down the middle, but bounced to short to end the frame at 3-1 Cards. Tony Watson climbed the hill and worked a clean frame.
The Bucs went to the bench in the eighth. JT bounced out to third, then Jordy Mercer dropped a bloop into right. Marte hit a soft, tailing liner to second; Mercer was doubled off in a close call; he may have beat the throw back but did wander a step or two too far off for the situation; Matt Adams gave a little happy dance after the call.
Mark the Shark took the hill and effectively ended the Buc season. With an out, Matt Holliday did what he does, chipping a single to right. Adams crushed the next pitch far into the night, and it was 5-1; the Shark Tank has sprung some leaks. He walked Molina, got a force, then Jay blooped a single to left that maybe Marte could run down, but JT couldn't, to put Redbirds on the corners. Jason Grilli came on, and the unstoppable Pete Kozma bounced one past third that Mercer gloved deep in the hole but had no play on, and it was 6-1. Grilli closed out the inning, and the Bucs were five runs and three outs from vacation.
Walker bounced out, Cutch took one to the wall in center for a loud second out, and then Morneau singled to keep the season alive, if on life support. Byrd followed with another single as Wainwright is struggling to get his complete game in, though at 104 pitches, he's not done yet. pedro was looking for the fences, and Adam tossed him three curves to end the game.
A frustrating finish, to be sure. A pair of two-out walks led to three runs, and the Bucs lined into a pair of DP. But the bullpen's rough September carried over, and the Pirate bats just didn't have a clutch hit in them, which was the only reason Gerrit Cole left the game.
But still, it was a remarkable season. Pittsburgh finally got over the hump and into the playoffs with the fifth best record in baseball, and it was a fun ride. Now to see how they carry over next season; getting there is one thing, but staying there will be another. It should be an interesting off season for Neal Huntington and company as he tries to fill a couple of holes in a pretty solid and young team.
- Pedro set an MLB mark by driving in a run in each of his first six post season games.
- Mark Melancon gave up one homer during the season, but two in the playoffs.
- Neil Walker set a Pirate record for most hitless at-bats to start a postseason series with 19.
- The Cardinals are 8-1 in postseason elimination games. The series this year ended up 12-12 between the two teams, with each side winning eight times at their home yard.
- Neal Huntington told Danny Knobler of CBS Sports that he'd like to keep the 2013 Pirates together for 2014, rentals and all.
Showtime: Cole v Wainwright, Lineup, Notes
It's Gerrit Cole (10-7, 3.22 ) and Adam Wainwright (19-9, 2.94 ) for all the marbles tonight. Both spun nice games at Busch Stadium on Thursday and Friday to open the series, and now they'll meet to decide the set.
Because of the travel days, Cole is going on normal rest, though by rotation schedule, it's AJ Burnett's start. But AJ's woes against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium have been pretty well documented, and Clint Hurdle decided that Gerrit gave the team the best chance to win. And he's right, even if we are surprised a bit, given the manager's loyalty to his veteran players.
The skipper told the media after Monday's game that "If this was any other venue, he (AJ) would have gotten the ball. But for me in this venue, this game, Cole is going to be our guy."
The main trend to watch for is that both Cole and Wainwright are sometimes slow starters and are prone to giving up first inning runs; that could be key in a contest like this.
The game starts at 8:07 PM and will be televised by TBS, with 93.7 The Fan and AM 970 ESPN covering the radio side.It's the only game of the day, so it will be more than a local showcase.
Pirate lineup: Starling Marte LF, Neil Walker 2b, Andrew McCutchen CF, Justin Morneau 1b, Marlon Byrd RF, Pedro Alvarez 3b, Russ Martin C, Clint Barmes SS and Gerrit Cole P.
Cardinal lineup: Matt Carpenter 2b, Carlos Beltran RF, Matt Holliday LF, Matt Adams 1b, Yadier Molina C, Jon Jay CF, David Freese 3b, Pete Kozma SS and Adam Wainwright P.
Both managers are going with the tried and true.
Because of the travel days, Cole is going on normal rest, though by rotation schedule, it's AJ Burnett's start. But AJ's woes against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium have been pretty well documented, and Clint Hurdle decided that Gerrit gave the team the best chance to win. And he's right, even if we are surprised a bit, given the manager's loyalty to his veteran players.
The skipper told the media after Monday's game that "If this was any other venue, he (AJ) would have gotten the ball. But for me in this venue, this game, Cole is going to be our guy."
The main trend to watch for is that both Cole and Wainwright are sometimes slow starters and are prone to giving up first inning runs; that could be key in a contest like this.
The game starts at 8:07 PM and will be televised by TBS, with 93.7 The Fan and AM 970 ESPN covering the radio side.It's the only game of the day, so it will be more than a local showcase.
Pirate lineup: Starling Marte LF, Neil Walker 2b, Andrew McCutchen CF, Justin Morneau 1b, Marlon Byrd RF, Pedro Alvarez 3b, Russ Martin C, Clint Barmes SS and Gerrit Cole P.
Cardinal lineup: Matt Carpenter 2b, Carlos Beltran RF, Matt Holliday LF, Matt Adams 1b, Yadier Molina C, Jon Jay CF, David Freese 3b, Pete Kozma SS and Adam Wainwright P.
Both managers are going with the tried and true.
- Dave Cameron of Fangraphs did an article on whether AJ or Cole should start today, followed by a poll that came out 75% in favor of Gerrit pitching the contest.
- The national gurus don't like the Bucs' chances tonight.
- Francisco Liriano will be available in the pen if Cole gets rocked early or if game goes into extra innings. AJ is not; he's the NLCS game #1 starter at LA if all goes well.
- The last Pirate rookie beside Cole to start a playoff game for Pittsburgh was Tim Wakefield against the Braves on October 13th, 1992. Though that series ended badly, Wakefield won the game and went 2-0 against Atlanta in the set. The last Bucco rookie to start a winner-take-all playoff game was Babe Adams in Game Seven of the 1909 World Series. He won and was 3-0 during the WS. Pittsburgh pups have, in fact, gone 7-0 in the post season crucible; they're 7-0 (John Candelaria also won in 1975). ESPN Stats notes that Cole will be third #1 pick to start a winner-take-all game, joining David Price ('10 ALDS) & Andy Benes ('95 ALDS).
- Pedro Alvarez has chased home a run in five straight postseason games. The record is held by 1b Clyde Barnhart with seven, compiled the World series of 1925 (Games #5-7) and 1927 (Games #1-4).
- Been a pretty even series this year. Through 23 games, the Bucs have a 12-11 slate against the Redbirds. As for runs, St. Louis has scored 102, Pittsburgh 99.
- The Pirates announced that they'll hold a block party for Game Five with a projection screen on Federal Street. Federal Street and the Clemente Bridge will be closed to vehicle traffic at noon, and they will be street vendors for the hungry & thirsty.
- The winner plays the Dodgers Friday. If it's Pittsburgh, the series opens in LA; if it's the Cards, the series opens in St. Louis.
- Bucs and Ducks give the DT economy an autumn boost.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Playoff Stats & Stuff...
Some tidbits during the off day...
- Pirate playoff history since 1960: They've been in 12 series, with a 5-7 record. The Bucs have lost their last three post-season sets, in the nineties. Five of those series ended in Pittsburgh, with the Pirates holding a 3-2 edge, and when a series goes the distance, the Bucs are 3-2 when on the road for the deciding contest.
- The MLB Stat of the Day: the LA Dodgers have won three straight NLDS (after losing their previous four); the Atlanta Braves have dropped seven in a row (after winning six of their first seven).
- Pedro and Cutch are tearing it up in the SL series so far. Pedro is hitting .385 with a .467 OBP, and Cutch is on his tail with a .357 BA and a .471 OBP. Justin Morneau (.250/.250) and Marlon Byrd (.214/.267) are kinda sputtering along in the middle. The problem is at the top of the order, where Starling Marte and Neil walker have combined for one hit, two walks and a HBP (.032/.114), which doesn't set the table very well. Russ Martin and Clint Barmes haven't done much heavy lifting at the back end, either. Both are hitting .200, though Martin has drawn a couple of walks for a .333 OBP. So the middle of the order could use a little help.
- When Tom Singer of MLB.com asked Frank Coonelly about possible long-term deals for Neil Walker and Pedro Alvarez, he was told "Both Neil and Pedro will be eligible for arbitration. They'll both be members of the Pittsburgh Pirates for the next three years, if nothing happens in terms of long-term arrangements. There have been discussions in the past with Neil, and I suspect we'll have those discussions again, and we look forward to keeping them as key members of the organization." Doesn't sound like the FO considers them to be front burner issues.
- Coonelly has been making the rounds. He told 93.7 The Fan that “The increased attendance this year allowed us to bring in Justin Morneau, Marlon Byrd, and John Buck at the trade deadline,” Coonelly said. “And the increased attendance and excitement for next year will certainly allow us to increase payroll.”
- Looking ahead: with AJ's 2014 status up in the air, Jeff Locke in shutdown mode, and Kyle McPherson & Phil Irwin having lost years, we'd be surprised if Stolmy Pimentel, Jeanmar Gomez and Justin Wilson aren't stretched out over the off season so they can compete for a starting job to fill in around Francisco Liriano, Gerrit Cole, Wandy Rodriguez and Charlie Morton. Brandon Cumpton will be in that mix, and so will Jameson Taillon in either mid-season or 2015.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Wacha, Holliday Just Enough to Edge Bucs 2-1
Well, couldn't ask for a better start from two pitchers. Charlie Morton gave up a single and a walk in his first four frames; Michael Wacha gave up nothing. In the fifth, the Redbirds challenged. A single and a walk to the #7 and #8 hitters was followed by a bunt to move them up, but Charlie was equal to the task. He whiffed Matt Carpenter on a ball in the dirt to keep the goose eggs coming, while Wacha pit three more Bucs away.
In the sixth, the Cards did some damage. A Carlos Beltran walk was followed by a Matt Holliday homer, and St. Louis had the 2-0 edge. The Bucs at least got a runner when Russ Martin walked to open the Bucco half, but too no avail as he never moved off first. With Justin Wilson on the hill, the Cards went down in order in the seventh; so did the Pirates.
Wilson put the Redbirds away in the eighth, and the Bucs broke the ice when Pedro bombed a heater 438' to center. Wacha, a change up master, worked El Toro backwards, giving him the heat and paid. Another walk to Martin ended his day. Josh martin came on to run while the house was waiting to explode, but it wasn't to be.
Carlos Martinez, who pumps nothing but cheese, and Yadier Molina are a tough pair to run on, and they teamed up to nail Josh trying to steal, or maybe on a hit-and-run without the hit. At any rate, Harrison slid noticeably short of the bag, and that sealed the deal; it would have been close otherwise. Good intentions to get the tying run to second, but not very good execution. JT K'ed, and it was on to the ninth.
Mark the Shark whiffed a pair in a perfect frame, ended on a nice barehanded grab and toss by Pedro Trevor Rosenthal came on to close it for the Cardinals, and got two down before walking Neil Walker on four pitches. Cutch got ahead 3-0, took a strike, and then flew out to medium center, and now the series will be decided in St. Louis.
Great pitching both ways; there were only four hits rung up by both clubs. Unfortunately, as often happens to the Bucs, a walk cost them the contest. Morton gave up his homer after a walk; Wacha served his gopher ball before a walk, and that was the difference. So it's on to the River City and a 5:07 PM date on Wednesday with Adam Wainwright to decide who goes on and who goes home. The Bucs will counter with their own ice-water youngster, Gerrit Cole. If you like High Noon drama in baseball, you've got it.
In the sixth, the Cards did some damage. A Carlos Beltran walk was followed by a Matt Holliday homer, and St. Louis had the 2-0 edge. The Bucs at least got a runner when Russ Martin walked to open the Bucco half, but too no avail as he never moved off first. With Justin Wilson on the hill, the Cards went down in order in the seventh; so did the Pirates.
Wilson put the Redbirds away in the eighth, and the Bucs broke the ice when Pedro bombed a heater 438' to center. Wacha, a change up master, worked El Toro backwards, giving him the heat and paid. Another walk to Martin ended his day. Josh martin came on to run while the house was waiting to explode, but it wasn't to be.
Carlos Martinez, who pumps nothing but cheese, and Yadier Molina are a tough pair to run on, and they teamed up to nail Josh trying to steal, or maybe on a hit-and-run without the hit. At any rate, Harrison slid noticeably short of the bag, and that sealed the deal; it would have been close otherwise. Good intentions to get the tying run to second, but not very good execution. JT K'ed, and it was on to the ninth.
Mark the Shark whiffed a pair in a perfect frame, ended on a nice barehanded grab and toss by Pedro Trevor Rosenthal came on to close it for the Cardinals, and got two down before walking Neil Walker on four pitches. Cutch got ahead 3-0, took a strike, and then flew out to medium center, and now the series will be decided in St. Louis.
Great pitching both ways; there were only four hits rung up by both clubs. Unfortunately, as often happens to the Bucs, a walk cost them the contest. Morton gave up his homer after a walk; Wacha served his gopher ball before a walk, and that was the difference. So it's on to the River City and a 5:07 PM date on Wednesday with Adam Wainwright to decide who goes on and who goes home. The Bucs will counter with their own ice-water youngster, Gerrit Cole. If you like High Noon drama in baseball, you've got it.
- From ESPN Stats: Pedro became the second player to have an RBI in each of the first five postseason games of his career. The other is Nomar Garciaparra.
- For the third straight game, the Bucs set a PNC attendance record with 40,493 in the house despite the time and the weather.
- The four combined hits by Pirates and Cardinals matched a record for fewest total hits in game since 2004's Cardinals-Astros match. Brandon Backe of the 'Stros and the Redbirds' Woody Williams started in a game that Houston won in the bottom of the ninth when Jeff Kent homered off Jason Isringhausen.
- The Cardinals are the first team in postseason history to use three pitchers in a game all of whom were 23 or younger.
Charlie Morton v Michael Wacha; Lineup, Notes
Charlie Morton (7-4, 3.26) will face the Card's wunderkind, Michael Wacha (4-1, 2.78). Charlie has been a steady presence since his return, but always seems to have that one inning... He lasted until the fifth the last time he worked, although it didn't make much difference in the Bucs 8-3 win over the Reds on September 27th. His key is to watch his work against lefties; if they're not hurting him, he's on.
St. Louis has been a test for Morton. He's lost six straight decisions to them, going 2-9 with a 6.52 ERA in his career, which is the highest ERA against the Cards of any active pitcher. And Charlie's been toasted by them this season, too, steamrollered for 12 runs in 13-2/3 innings for an unsightly 7.90 ERA and an opp line of .397/.455/.483.Ouch!
Jake Westbrook's DL stint opened a starting spot for Michael Wacha, who joined the rotation to stay in early September and hasn't looked back. On September 8th, he met Morton and came away with a 9-2 win (although that was the game Charlie left in the second inning with a foot injury). He throws in the high nineties and balances that heat with a killer change, a combo the Bucs have had trouble against in the past. In his two outings against Pittsburgh, he went nine innings and gave up two hits. Small sample size, but...
On paper, this could set up as a mismatch as much as yesterday's game was hyped to be, but that ended up a pretty competitive baseball match. Guess that's why they play the games.
The game starts at 3:07 and will be aired by TBS and on the radio side by 93.7 The Fan and AM 970 ESPN .
Pirate lineup: Starling Marte LF, Neil Walker 2B, Andrew McCutchen CF, Justin Morneau 1B, Marlon Byrd RF, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Russell Martin C, Clint Barmes SS and Charlie Morton P.
Same dance card for Clint Hurdle.
.
Card lineup: Matt Carpenter 2b, Carlos Beltran RF, Matt Holliday LF, Matt Adams 1b, Yadier Molina C, Jon Jay CF, David Freese 3b, Pete Kozma SS and Michael Wacha P.
Mike Matheny is staying with who brung him.
St. Louis has been a test for Morton. He's lost six straight decisions to them, going 2-9 with a 6.52 ERA in his career, which is the highest ERA against the Cards of any active pitcher. And Charlie's been toasted by them this season, too, steamrollered for 12 runs in 13-2/3 innings for an unsightly 7.90 ERA and an opp line of .397/.455/.483.Ouch!
Jake Westbrook's DL stint opened a starting spot for Michael Wacha, who joined the rotation to stay in early September and hasn't looked back. On September 8th, he met Morton and came away with a 9-2 win (although that was the game Charlie left in the second inning with a foot injury). He throws in the high nineties and balances that heat with a killer change, a combo the Bucs have had trouble against in the past. In his two outings against Pittsburgh, he went nine innings and gave up two hits. Small sample size, but...
On paper, this could set up as a mismatch as much as yesterday's game was hyped to be, but that ended up a pretty competitive baseball match. Guess that's why they play the games.
The game starts at 3:07 and will be aired by TBS and on the radio side by 93.7 The Fan and AM 970 ESPN .
Pirate lineup: Starling Marte LF, Neil Walker 2B, Andrew McCutchen CF, Justin Morneau 1B, Marlon Byrd RF, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Russell Martin C, Clint Barmes SS and Charlie Morton P.
Same dance card for Clint Hurdle.
.
Card lineup: Matt Carpenter 2b, Carlos Beltran RF, Matt Holliday LF, Matt Adams 1b, Yadier Molina C, Jon Jay CF, David Freese 3b, Pete Kozma SS and Michael Wacha P.
Mike Matheny is staying with who brung him.
- The Pirates are 6-for-18 (.333) with RISP in the series, while the Cards, which set a single-season record this year by hitting .330 with RISP, are 3-for-20 (.150).
- Andy Van Slyke, who played for the Cards before being traded to the Bucs and makes his home in St. Louis, will throw out first pitch before Game Four.
- If Pittsburgh takes this series, it will be the first playoff set they've won since the 1979 World Series.
- OF Gregory Polanco, P Nick Kingham, and IF Alen Hanson were included in Baseball America's Top 20 Prospects of the Florida State League.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Last Rally Belongs To Bucs In 5-3 Win
Well, it didn't exactly turn out to be be the game everyone expected, but it was a perfect playoff theater; dramatic, hotly contested and won at the end by the Buccos, 5-3.
Francisco Liriano started out with a strikeout and followed with a pair of grounders to work a perfect first. Joe Kelly started out strong with a pair of quick outs, but worked around Cutch and walked him. Justin Morneau followed with a ball that ricocheted off Kell's foot to short; Pete Kozma threw the ball away and Bucs were on second and third. But not for long. as Marlon Byrd banged a ball to left to make it 2-0.
Frankie tossed another 1-2-3 frame in the second. Kelly worked a quiet inning, somehow managing to lose Liriano with two outs but retiring Starling Marte on a soft grounder to end the Bucco at bat.
Liriano worked himself into a pickle in the third. With Kozma on second after a double (a routine ball to left that Starling Marte lost in the sun) and two outs, a walk and hit batter loaded the bases. Matt Holliday lined one the other way, but The Byrd had a bead on it on gloved it a step short of the Clemente Wall. The Pirates went down without a peep.
The Cards lined into a couple of hard outs, but went down in order in the fourth, while the Bucs went down meekly, with a pair of whiffs. St. Louis drew blood in the fifth.
A single by Jon Jay and a walk to #8 hitter Kozma opened the inning. That followed a pair of K and a pair of mistakes that would cost the Bucs. As Matt Carpenter went down looking on a 3-2 pitch, the Redbirds were on the move. Martin tossed out the runner at third, but it was a bang-bang play and the ump gave Jay the call (and it took super-slo mo to tell). The second mistake was on Pedro; who lifted his swipe tag as Jay came off the base, missing a second chance to get him.
October superman Carlos Beltran took advantage and rolled a two-out single into center to tie the game, just after Clint Barmes had taken a couple of steps toward the hole and left the middle open. In the Buc half, Barmes singled and was bunted to second, but languished there, and it was 2-2 after five innings.
The Cards went down in order in the sixth. Pittsburgh had an answer in their half. Cutch walked, and an out later, Byrd doubled him to third. Pedro was walked intentionally, and ground ball bossman Seth Maness got the call. Russ Martin would have none of it, banging a fly deep enough to center to score Cutch on the trot and regain a lead for the Pirates at 3-2.
Tony Watson took the hill in the seventh, and except for a single by the pesky Kozma, worked a routine frame. John Axford did a three up, three down number on the Bucs.
Mark the Shark took the mound for the eighth. He was keeping everything up, and paid almost immediately when Beltran went yard to right center. An out later, Yadier Molina singled softly into center, but that was cleaned up by a comebacker 1-6-3 DP from David Freese.
The homer took the air out of the crowd briefly, but not out of the Pirates. Carlos Martinez took the ball, and Cutch greeted him with a double. That was quickly followed by Cutch getting thrown out at third on a grounder to short by Morneau. It was an inexplicable base running blunder, but his teammates picked him up, and big-time. Josh Harrison came on to run for Morneau, and jogged to second after a Byrd walk. LHP Kevin Siegrist got the call to face Pedro, who yanked a ball into right to score Josh as the house erupted. It got even louder after Martin ripped a single to left to make it 5-3 after fouling a suicide squeeze attempt. The fans didn't even seem to mind that Gaby bounced into an around-the-horn DP to end the frame.
Jason Grilli came in looking for the save. Matt Adams started the frame with a flare into left, but that was it; a soft liner to Mercer, a can of corn fly to Cutch and a roller to Gaby ended the Cards night, and the Bucs took a two-to-one lead in the series. Jason earned the save and Mark Melancon got a blown hold - and the win.
Lefties hitting lefties. Sac flies with runners on third. Two out, two run singles. Everybody is carrying his weight. There was plenty of good stuff going on at PNC Park by the Bucs, enough to take a big win and keep home advantage. Now it's up to Charlie Morton and rookie hot shot Michael Wacha to see if the series goes five games or ends in Pittsburgh tomorrow afternoon.
Francisco Liriano started out with a strikeout and followed with a pair of grounders to work a perfect first. Joe Kelly started out strong with a pair of quick outs, but worked around Cutch and walked him. Justin Morneau followed with a ball that ricocheted off Kell's foot to short; Pete Kozma threw the ball away and Bucs were on second and third. But not for long. as Marlon Byrd banged a ball to left to make it 2-0.
Frankie tossed another 1-2-3 frame in the second. Kelly worked a quiet inning, somehow managing to lose Liriano with two outs but retiring Starling Marte on a soft grounder to end the Bucco at bat.
Liriano worked himself into a pickle in the third. With Kozma on second after a double (a routine ball to left that Starling Marte lost in the sun) and two outs, a walk and hit batter loaded the bases. Matt Holliday lined one the other way, but The Byrd had a bead on it on gloved it a step short of the Clemente Wall. The Pirates went down without a peep.
The Cards lined into a couple of hard outs, but went down in order in the fourth, while the Bucs went down meekly, with a pair of whiffs. St. Louis drew blood in the fifth.
A single by Jon Jay and a walk to #8 hitter Kozma opened the inning. That followed a pair of K and a pair of mistakes that would cost the Bucs. As Matt Carpenter went down looking on a 3-2 pitch, the Redbirds were on the move. Martin tossed out the runner at third, but it was a bang-bang play and the ump gave Jay the call (and it took super-slo mo to tell). The second mistake was on Pedro; who lifted his swipe tag as Jay came off the base, missing a second chance to get him.
October superman Carlos Beltran took advantage and rolled a two-out single into center to tie the game, just after Clint Barmes had taken a couple of steps toward the hole and left the middle open. In the Buc half, Barmes singled and was bunted to second, but languished there, and it was 2-2 after five innings.
The Cards went down in order in the sixth. Pittsburgh had an answer in their half. Cutch walked, and an out later, Byrd doubled him to third. Pedro was walked intentionally, and ground ball bossman Seth Maness got the call. Russ Martin would have none of it, banging a fly deep enough to center to score Cutch on the trot and regain a lead for the Pirates at 3-2.
Tony Watson took the hill in the seventh, and except for a single by the pesky Kozma, worked a routine frame. John Axford did a three up, three down number on the Bucs.
Mark the Shark took the mound for the eighth. He was keeping everything up, and paid almost immediately when Beltran went yard to right center. An out later, Yadier Molina singled softly into center, but that was cleaned up by a comebacker 1-6-3 DP from David Freese.
The homer took the air out of the crowd briefly, but not out of the Pirates. Carlos Martinez took the ball, and Cutch greeted him with a double. That was quickly followed by Cutch getting thrown out at third on a grounder to short by Morneau. It was an inexplicable base running blunder, but his teammates picked him up, and big-time. Josh Harrison came on to run for Morneau, and jogged to second after a Byrd walk. LHP Kevin Siegrist got the call to face Pedro, who yanked a ball into right to score Josh as the house erupted. It got even louder after Martin ripped a single to left to make it 5-3 after fouling a suicide squeeze attempt. The fans didn't even seem to mind that Gaby bounced into an around-the-horn DP to end the frame.
Jason Grilli came in looking for the save. Matt Adams started the frame with a flare into left, but that was it; a soft liner to Mercer, a can of corn fly to Cutch and a roller to Gaby ended the Cards night, and the Bucs took a two-to-one lead in the series. Jason earned the save and Mark Melancon got a blown hold - and the win.
Lefties hitting lefties. Sac flies with runners on third. Two out, two run singles. Everybody is carrying his weight. There was plenty of good stuff going on at PNC Park by the Bucs, enough to take a big win and keep home advantage. Now it's up to Charlie Morton and rookie hot shot Michael Wacha to see if the series goes five games or ends in Pittsburgh tomorrow afternoon.
- Another PNC Park record was set with a crowd of 40,489 today, breaking a record set...Tuesday.
- In four playoff games, Cutch is 7-for-12 with two doubles, four runs, five walks and one whiff.
- Justin Morneau has a seven game post-season hitting streak.
- Former owner Kevin McClatchy was given a warm welcome before throwing out the first pitch; Pittsburgh fans do appreciate that all's well that ends well.
- Clint Hurdle won't name the Game #5 starter for the media. Our question is why would he until there's a fifth game to worry about?
- Danny Knobler of CBS Sports Baseball Insider thinks there's something special brewing in Pittsburgh.
The Cisco Kid v Joe Kelly, Lineups, Notes, News
Francisco Liriano (16-8, 3.02 ) will kick off the Bucco home opener in the NLDS against Joe Kelly (10-5, 2.69). Liriano won all three 2013 starts against the Redbirds, with a 0.75 ERA and .127 BA. And Frankie is a monster at home, where he's 8-1 with 1.47 ERA and already has a playoff scalp on his belt. Watch how he deals in the first inning as a key; he's given up 13 runs in the 26 opening frames that he's tossed.
Kelly has been a road warrior, with a 2.07 ERA away from Busch Stadium this year. In three starts at PNC Park, he's 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA. It is his first post-season start, so it's to be seen if that has any effect, especially on the road. Some guys feed off the energy of a boisterous, hostile crowd; some react by becoming overly amped.
He's developed into a stopper - seven of his 10 wins have come after a St. Louis loss, so we don't see nerves as much of a problem. It should help Pittsburgh that Kelly's mostly a fastball guy, using a slider against righties and a change against lefties with a show-me curve. The caveat is that pitchers tend to go offspeed more often than the norm against the dead red Buccos, so his mix may change a bit. Kelly has gone after the Bucs mainly with a fastball/slider combo in the past. Another Pirate plus is that his peripherals (walks, K, strand rate) suggest he's due to regress, although time is running out for that statistical correction.
Some see this as a mismatch on the mound, and it's possible it may be. Frankie has been all that, but both guys have been sharp thorns in the paws of their opponents, and if that holds true, it could develop into an edge-of-the-seat game. What better way to open what has now devolved into a best-of-three series? The game starts at 4:37 and will be aired by TBS and 93.7 The Fan.
And don't worry about the weather. It's predicted to be a summer day for this contest, and tomorrow's rain is supposed to clear out before game time. So it should be Play Ball! for the NLDC at PNC Park.
Pirate lineup: Starling Marte LF, Neil Walker 2b, Andrew McCutchen CF, Justin Morneau 1B, Marlon Byrd RF, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Russ Martin C,Clint Barmes SS and Francisco Liriano P.
Clint and Jordy continue to play musical chairs at short.
Card lineup: Matt Carpenter 2b, Carlos Beltran RF, Matt Holliday LF, Yadier Molina C, David Freese 3b, Matt Adams 1b, Jon Jay CF, Pete Kozma SS and Joe Kelly P.
A little rearranging of the deck chairs by Mike Matheny, but the same cast of characters.
Kelly has been a road warrior, with a 2.07 ERA away from Busch Stadium this year. In three starts at PNC Park, he's 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA. It is his first post-season start, so it's to be seen if that has any effect, especially on the road. Some guys feed off the energy of a boisterous, hostile crowd; some react by becoming overly amped.
He's developed into a stopper - seven of his 10 wins have come after a St. Louis loss, so we don't see nerves as much of a problem. It should help Pittsburgh that Kelly's mostly a fastball guy, using a slider against righties and a change against lefties with a show-me curve. The caveat is that pitchers tend to go offspeed more often than the norm against the dead red Buccos, so his mix may change a bit. Kelly has gone after the Bucs mainly with a fastball/slider combo in the past. Another Pirate plus is that his peripherals (walks, K, strand rate) suggest he's due to regress, although time is running out for that statistical correction.
Some see this as a mismatch on the mound, and it's possible it may be. Frankie has been all that, but both guys have been sharp thorns in the paws of their opponents, and if that holds true, it could develop into an edge-of-the-seat game. What better way to open what has now devolved into a best-of-three series? The game starts at 4:37 and will be aired by TBS and 93.7 The Fan.
And don't worry about the weather. It's predicted to be a summer day for this contest, and tomorrow's rain is supposed to clear out before game time. So it should be Play Ball! for the NLDC at PNC Park.
Pirate lineup: Starling Marte LF, Neil Walker 2b, Andrew McCutchen CF, Justin Morneau 1B, Marlon Byrd RF, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Russ Martin C,Clint Barmes SS and Francisco Liriano P.
Clint and Jordy continue to play musical chairs at short.
Card lineup: Matt Carpenter 2b, Carlos Beltran RF, Matt Holliday LF, Yadier Molina C, David Freese 3b, Matt Adams 1b, Jon Jay CF, Pete Kozma SS and Joe Kelly P.
A little rearranging of the deck chairs by Mike Matheny, but the same cast of characters.
- Justin Morneau takes a five-game postseason hitting streak into today's game, dating back to his last playoff series in 2006 with the Twins.
- Jayson Stark of ESPN writes that the Pirates were smart as well as lucky in signing Francisco Liriano.
- Kevin McClatchy will throw out the first ball today, a pretty classy move by Bob Nutting & Co. While he didn't have the ways nor means to put together much of a club while the owner, McClatchy's efforts resulted in the team staying put and PNC Park being built. The National Anthem will be performed by Moon Township country singer Sarah Marince. You might remember her from singing Eat'n Park's "Place for Smiles" jingle.
- Pittsburgh fans love everything Black and Gold. There was a huge ovation for Cutch ("MVP! MVP!) and several Pirates (Russ Martin, Justin Morneau, Travis Snider, Bryan Morris, Garrett Jones, Tony Sanchez, Gerrit Cole, Tony Watson, Mike McKenry among others) that were taking in the hockey game at Consol last night. And when Marc Andre Fleury was named a star, he skated around the ice waving a Jolly Roger.
- As predicted by several sources, the Pirates announced that RHP Duke Welker is the PTBNL for Justin Morneau, joining Alex Presley.
- Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe suggests that Pittsburgh may be one of clubs that Bronson Arroyo has interest in for 2014 (and beyond; it's thought he's looking for a three-year deal).
Friday, October 4, 2013
Gerrit Cole v Lance Lynn, Lineups, Notes
Gerrit Cole (10-7, 3.22) will be called on to stop the bleeding at Busch Stadium this afternoon as he takes on Lance Lynn (15-10, 3.97). The Pirate rookie hasn't faced the Cards or pitched in the MLB post season before, but went 4-0 with a 1.69 ERA in five September starts to establish his bona fides.
One key will be to see if he comes out of the gates focused and with guns blazing. His first inning ERA is 5.68, and opponents are hitting .359 in the opening round, and after yesterday's romp, it would behoove him not to feed into the Redbirds momentum. Another is how he handles a playoff caliber attack. Cole tossed respectably against both the Dodgers and Athletics, but since the All-Star break, the Rangers are the only post-season club he's met (he beat Yu Darvish 1-0).
Lynn has a 4.50 ERA in his postseason career, giving up seven earned runs in 11 innings for a 5.73 ERA in the playoffs last year. He's 2-1/5.60 in five starts against the Bucs this year, and in his two outings at Busch has given up eight runs in 10-1/3 innings. So the Bucs can get to him, and this would be a good time to do just that. Spoiler alert: Lynn got this start because he has an ERA of 1.09 over his last four starts and went 9-3 with a 2.82 ERA at Busch Stadium this season.
The game begins at 1:07 and will be aired by MLB Network and AM 970 ESPN. The Pirates are also hosting a watch party inside PNC Park for the game. Fans can enter through the Clemente Gate in center field and the Mazeroski Gate in right field starting at noon to watch the game on the scoreboard screen. Concession stands and the team store will be open on the main concourse, along with the Budweiser Bowtie Bar (Mrs. Latos will not be present).
Pirate lineup: Starling Marte LF, Neil Walker 2b, Andrew McCutchen CF, Justin Morneau 1b, Marlon Byrd RF, Pedro Alvarez 3b, Russ Martin C, Jordy Mercer SS and Gerrit Cole P.
Jordy gets his first playoff start.
Card lineup: Matt Carpenter 2b, Carlos Beltran RF, Matt Holliday LF, Matt Adams 1b, Yadier, Molina C, Jon Jay CF, David Freese 3b, Daniel Descalso SS and Lance Lynn P.
Worked yesterday evening; might as well trot 'em out again.
One key will be to see if he comes out of the gates focused and with guns blazing. His first inning ERA is 5.68, and opponents are hitting .359 in the opening round, and after yesterday's romp, it would behoove him not to feed into the Redbirds momentum. Another is how he handles a playoff caliber attack. Cole tossed respectably against both the Dodgers and Athletics, but since the All-Star break, the Rangers are the only post-season club he's met (he beat Yu Darvish 1-0).
Lynn has a 4.50 ERA in his postseason career, giving up seven earned runs in 11 innings for a 5.73 ERA in the playoffs last year. He's 2-1/5.60 in five starts against the Bucs this year, and in his two outings at Busch has given up eight runs in 10-1/3 innings. So the Bucs can get to him, and this would be a good time to do just that. Spoiler alert: Lynn got this start because he has an ERA of 1.09 over his last four starts and went 9-3 with a 2.82 ERA at Busch Stadium this season.
The game begins at 1:07 and will be aired by MLB Network and AM 970 ESPN. The Pirates are also hosting a watch party inside PNC Park for the game. Fans can enter through the Clemente Gate in center field and the Mazeroski Gate in right field starting at noon to watch the game on the scoreboard screen. Concession stands and the team store will be open on the main concourse, along with the Budweiser Bowtie Bar (Mrs. Latos will not be present).
Pirate lineup: Starling Marte LF, Neil Walker 2b, Andrew McCutchen CF, Justin Morneau 1b, Marlon Byrd RF, Pedro Alvarez 3b, Russ Martin C, Jordy Mercer SS and Gerrit Cole P.
Jordy gets his first playoff start.
Card lineup: Matt Carpenter 2b, Carlos Beltran RF, Matt Holliday LF, Matt Adams 1b, Yadier, Molina C, Jon Jay CF, David Freese 3b, Daniel Descalso SS and Lance Lynn P.
Worked yesterday evening; might as well trot 'em out again.
- Looking for a possible hero? Pedro Alvarez has hit nine HR and chased home 34 runs against the Cardinals, the most by any player during the past two seasons.
- Something has to give: Pittsburgh is 4-0 in their last four games following a loss, 8-3 in their last 11 road games, 5-0 in Gerrit Cole’s last five starts and 0-6 in their last six games in St. Louis.
- In the six previous times they won Game One of the NLDS, the Cardinals went on to capture the series (1996, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006). And St. Louis has won the last four games at Busch Stadium against the Pirates by 9-1, 9-2, 5-0 and 12-8 scores.
- The Bucs announced that a limited number of tickets for NLCS will go on sale 10 a.m. Saturday. They'll use a wristband lottery to determine the buyer's order, with the bands distributed at PNC Park Friday from 10-2 and Saturday from 7-9.
- Several sources report that Dusty Baker has been canned by the Reds after losing the Wild Card and the NL Central this year. He won 509 games as Reds manager and made the playoffs three of last four years, but was eliminated in the first round each time.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Wainwright Hot, AJ Not As Bucs Are Battered In St. Louis 9-1
Pretty impressive opening frame.Adam Wainwright's curve looks sick, and he collected a K and a pair of grounders to start the game. AJ was no slouch either, getting three ground outs around a two-out walk of Matt Holliday. The Buc second looked pretty similar to the first - a K and a pair of grounders.
The second wasn't going so swimmingly for Burnett. Yadier Molina sent a ball into center off Clint Barmes mitt, then Jon Jay blooped a single to center. Neil Walker made a nice play on David Freese's ball to get a force at second. The RISP gods (along with TBS, which missed the play) deserted the Redbirds for a minute, just long enough for David Descalso to bang into a 6-3 DP. AJ's not sharp at all, but he's hung up a pair of zeroes so far.
The third was a little different for the Bucs. Wainwright got a strikeout, ground out, and a *tada* line out; Clint Barmes' low bullet was tailing foul, but Freese made a diving stab to glove it on the line, so it's a perfect three frames for the Card ace.
There was no dodging raindrops for AJ. He walked Wainwright on seven pitches, and then fell behind Matt Carpenter 3-1. He got the grounder he wanted, but it went past Walker into right. For the third straight hitter, Burnett was in a 3-1 hole, and Carlos Beltran made him pay dearly by drilling a ball over the fence in right and beyond (443') for a three run homer. Holliday doubled and Matt Adams got plunked. Ray Searage paid a visit, but oddly, there was no action in the Buc bullpen after five straight Cards had reached base.
Yadier Molina walked, and AJ was at 62 pitches. However, that did stir some action in the pen as Jon Jay walked to bring home another run. Freese took a 2-2 and banged it the opposite way up the first base line; two runs scored and then a third when the relay throw got loose, with Freese going all the way to third. Hurdle came out to get him, but he was late again by a couple of batters, and let the game get out of hand by allowing AJ to hang out to dry.
Jeanmar Gomez came on and got the next three guys, freezing Freese, but a 7-0 for Adam Wainwright is about as close to money as Donald Trump is. After two down in the fourth, Cutch bounced a single up the middle and Justin Morneau dropped a flare into right center that found grass. But The Byrd wasn't the word; he chased back-to-back hooks away and in the dirt to K. Jeanmar tossed another effective frame, surrendering just a two out two hopper into right by Adams that barely got by Walker.
Pedro got a heater down the middle, belt high to open the fifth and bombed it off the second deck railing. It didn't impress Wainwright; he picked up another pair of whiff to cruise through the bottom of the order, and now has six punch outs. Gomez walked Jay to open the Card half, followed by a Freese single, a bouncer right over second. Descalso hit one sharply to Walker; he went to second for the force, but Barmes' relay on an easy DP chance kissed the dirt and though playable, it skipped through Morneau, allowing another run to score before Jeanmar closed out the inning.
It was three Pirates up, three ground balls, and three Pirates down in the sixth. With two down, Matt Adams walked. You got it; he came around when Molina singled to right center and the ball was muffed by Cutch, allowing the big first baseman to lumber home and Yadier to get to second. A bouncer ended the inning, get geez...
It was 1-2-3 for Wainwright in the seventh as he ran his K count to nine. Vin Mazzaro worked a clean frame for the Bucs. Adam Wainwright was done for the night after tossing a dominating seven frames, and Carlos Martinez took the ball for the eighth, working a perfect frame. Bryan Morris climbed the hill, and except for a two out fister dropped softly over the infield by Holliday, pitched a solid inning.
Trevor Rosenthal came on in the ninth to get his feet wet in post season play. Smart move by Mike Methany; the rookie used 17 pitches to finish up, giving up only a two out knock to Cutch. Well, we'll see if the Bucs can practice what Clint Hurdle preaches and forget about today, a 180 degree turn from how they played Tuesday, and focus on tomorrow's game, now just a nap and bowl of Cheerios away.
It's always about the pitching, especially in post-season. Adam Wainwright has made thirteen playoff appearances with five starts and is 3-0 with a 2.27 ERA. AJ Burnett pretty much is a BP pitcher at Busch Stadium. His ERA in five career starts there is 15.50 in 18 IP, giving up 37 hits and 31 runs. And if there's a fifth game, he's the guy that's set up to work it - at Busch Stadium. Hopefully, he'll will be on a little shorter leash. And it's key to get ahead of the Card hitters; they work counts deep and go the opposite way, perfect grinders, as their RISP verifies.
Gerrit Cole and Lance Lynn do the honors tomorrow.
The second wasn't going so swimmingly for Burnett. Yadier Molina sent a ball into center off Clint Barmes mitt, then Jon Jay blooped a single to center. Neil Walker made a nice play on David Freese's ball to get a force at second. The RISP gods (along with TBS, which missed the play) deserted the Redbirds for a minute, just long enough for David Descalso to bang into a 6-3 DP. AJ's not sharp at all, but he's hung up a pair of zeroes so far.
The third was a little different for the Bucs. Wainwright got a strikeout, ground out, and a *tada* line out; Clint Barmes' low bullet was tailing foul, but Freese made a diving stab to glove it on the line, so it's a perfect three frames for the Card ace.
There was no dodging raindrops for AJ. He walked Wainwright on seven pitches, and then fell behind Matt Carpenter 3-1. He got the grounder he wanted, but it went past Walker into right. For the third straight hitter, Burnett was in a 3-1 hole, and Carlos Beltran made him pay dearly by drilling a ball over the fence in right and beyond (443') for a three run homer. Holliday doubled and Matt Adams got plunked. Ray Searage paid a visit, but oddly, there was no action in the Buc bullpen after five straight Cards had reached base.
Yadier Molina walked, and AJ was at 62 pitches. However, that did stir some action in the pen as Jon Jay walked to bring home another run. Freese took a 2-2 and banged it the opposite way up the first base line; two runs scored and then a third when the relay throw got loose, with Freese going all the way to third. Hurdle came out to get him, but he was late again by a couple of batters, and let the game get out of hand by allowing AJ to hang out to dry.
Jeanmar Gomez came on and got the next three guys, freezing Freese, but a 7-0 for Adam Wainwright is about as close to money as Donald Trump is. After two down in the fourth, Cutch bounced a single up the middle and Justin Morneau dropped a flare into right center that found grass. But The Byrd wasn't the word; he chased back-to-back hooks away and in the dirt to K. Jeanmar tossed another effective frame, surrendering just a two out two hopper into right by Adams that barely got by Walker.
Pedro got a heater down the middle, belt high to open the fifth and bombed it off the second deck railing. It didn't impress Wainwright; he picked up another pair of whiff to cruise through the bottom of the order, and now has six punch outs. Gomez walked Jay to open the Card half, followed by a Freese single, a bouncer right over second. Descalso hit one sharply to Walker; he went to second for the force, but Barmes' relay on an easy DP chance kissed the dirt and though playable, it skipped through Morneau, allowing another run to score before Jeanmar closed out the inning.
It was three Pirates up, three ground balls, and three Pirates down in the sixth. With two down, Matt Adams walked. You got it; he came around when Molina singled to right center and the ball was muffed by Cutch, allowing the big first baseman to lumber home and Yadier to get to second. A bouncer ended the inning, get geez...
It was 1-2-3 for Wainwright in the seventh as he ran his K count to nine. Vin Mazzaro worked a clean frame for the Bucs. Adam Wainwright was done for the night after tossing a dominating seven frames, and Carlos Martinez took the ball for the eighth, working a perfect frame. Bryan Morris climbed the hill, and except for a two out fister dropped softly over the infield by Holliday, pitched a solid inning.
Trevor Rosenthal came on in the ninth to get his feet wet in post season play. Smart move by Mike Methany; the rookie used 17 pitches to finish up, giving up only a two out knock to Cutch. Well, we'll see if the Bucs can practice what Clint Hurdle preaches and forget about today, a 180 degree turn from how they played Tuesday, and focus on tomorrow's game, now just a nap and bowl of Cheerios away.
It's always about the pitching, especially in post-season. Adam Wainwright has made thirteen playoff appearances with five starts and is 3-0 with a 2.27 ERA. AJ Burnett pretty much is a BP pitcher at Busch Stadium. His ERA in five career starts there is 15.50 in 18 IP, giving up 37 hits and 31 runs. And if there's a fifth game, he's the guy that's set up to work it - at Busch Stadium. Hopefully, he'll will be on a little shorter leash. And it's key to get ahead of the Card hitters; they work counts deep and go the opposite way, perfect grinders, as their RISP verifies.
Gerrit Cole and Lance Lynn do the honors tomorrow.
- Six of the nine Cardinal runners who scored were either walked or HBP.
- The Pirates will host a special watch party inside PNC Park for Game two tomorrow, weather permitting. Rain, thunder, lightning, and the Pirates' play made for an early end to the watch party tonight on Federal Street.
- David Freese has hit safely in all 15 postseason games he's played for St. Louis.
AJ v Adam Wainwright; Lineups, Notes & News
AJ Burnett (10-11, 3.30) and Adam Wainwright (19-9, 2.94) will kick it off. AJ is 3-1 with a 3.67 ERA against the Cardinals in six 2013 starts, and 8-6 with a 4.11 ERA in 17 career starts.Wainwright is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA against the Pirates in three starts this year, and 9-4 with a 4.81 ERA in 22 career games against Pittsburgh, making 18 starts. Both guys are masters of the curve ball and it's their swing-and-miss pitch, so seeing if that's on will tell a lot about what kind of day they'll have in store.
Tonight's game will start at Busch Stadium at the odd time of 5:07, aired on TBS and AM 970 ESPN, where the regular Pirate broadcasters will be hanging out during the playoffs.
Pirate lineup: Starling Marte LF, Neil Walker 2b, Andrew McCutchen CF, Justin Morneau 1b, Marlon Byrd RF, Pedro Alvarez 3b, Russ Martin C, Clint Barmes and AJ Burnett P.
Looks like Barmes is going to get the call at SS during the playoffs, with Clint opting for a veteran defensive presence.
Cards lineup: Matt Carpenter 2b, Carlos Beltran RF, Matt Holliday LF, Matt Adams 1b, Yadier Molina C, Jon Jay CF, David Freese 3b, Daniel Descalso SS and Adam Wainwright P.
Matt Adams, as you may recall, is a fairly local boy from Slippery Rock U. via Phillipsburg in Centre County, and in 296 AB has put up a pretty nice line of .284/17/51. He replaced Allen Craig, the Cardinals’ All-Star first baseman, who will miss the series with a Lisfranc injury to his left foot.
- Home field has been huge in this series. The Cards swept the Bucs in early September at Busch Stadium and were 6-3 under the Arch. The Bucs went 7-3 at PNC Park against the Redbirds.
- The two teams have combined to win 16 World Series, yet will be meeting each other in the postseason for the first time. Both teams are sizzling. The Pirates won six of their last seven this season, while the Cardinals carry a six-game winning streak.
- St. Louis is in the postseason for the third straight October. They won the World Series in 2011, and they went to the NLCS in 2012.
- Cutch, with two walks and two singles, became the first Pirate to reach base on his first four postseason plate appearances.
- How awesome was the PNC Park crowd on Tuesday? Three-of-four Wild Card games over the past two years have been won by road team; Pittsburgh is the only exception.
- Kinda wonder what the NY Yankees, watching this year's playoffs from home, think when they see the battery of AJ Burnett and Russ Martin in the NLDS?
- Clint Hurdle played for St. Louis in 1986. He hit his 32nd and final major league home run as a Cardinal, against the Pirates’ Rick Reuschel at TRS.
- Pittsburgh is 26th among the 30 MLB teams with a $73.6M payroll, Oakland is 27th at $71.1M and Tampa Bay is 28th at $65.6M. Cleveland, which lost to the Rays, was 21st at $88.6M. Don't know that this makes for a good argument regarding parity in the league, though, as three of the four teams in the bottom third of the payroll pool qualified as wild cards.
- Sheesh - poor Ohio. Two wild card games played, and both of the state's playoff entries, Cincinnati and Cleveland, were eliminated.
- Not playoff related, but noteworthy: The Pittsburgh chapter of Rotary International announced that Kent Tekulve was selected to receive of the 2013 Chuck Tanner “Life-Time Achievement Award.” Tekulve and this year’s MLB Manager of the Year, to be named shortly, will be honored at a banquet in November. Past winners have included Jim Leyland, Steve Blass and Sean Casey.
NLDS Rosters, Pitching Match Ups, Block Party on Federal Street
Here's the rosters for the NLDS; the Bucs had to drop a couple of guys (Travis Snyder, Tony Sanchez) to make room for AJ Burnett and Charlie Morton, who weren't needed for the play-in game.
Pittsburgh Roster
Pitchers: AJ Burnett, Francisco Liriano, Charlie Morton, Gerrit Cole, Jason Grilli, Mark Melancon, Tony Watson, Justin Wilson, Vin Mazzaro, Bryan Morris and Jeanmar Gomez. (The only mild surprise was the absence of Kyle Farnsworth, who didn't make either cut.)
Catchers: Russell Martin, and John Buck. (Keeping Buck, a superior offensive player, over Sanchez, a superior defensive players, reinforces that Martin is getting all the starts, as he should.)
Infielders: Justin Morneau, Neil Walker, Clint Barmes, Perdo Alvarez, Jordy Mercer, Gaby Sanchez, Garrett Jones and Josh Harrison.
Outfielders: Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, Marlon Byrd and Jose Tabata.
After you look at this roster, take a peek at Tyler Kepner's story in the NY Times about how the Bucs debated blowing up the 2012 team and rebuilding again.
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St. Louis Roster
Pitchers: Adam Wainwright, Lance Lynn, Joe Kelly, Michael Wacha, Shelby Miller, Trevor Rosenthal, Carlos Martinez, Edward Mujica, Seth Maness, John Axford, Randy Choate and Kevin Siegrist.
Infielders: Matt Adams, David Freese, Daniel Descalso, Matt Adams, Kolten Wong and Pete Kozma.
Catchers: Yadier Molina and Tony Cruz.
Outfielders: Matt Holliday, John Jay, Carlos Beltran, Shane Robinson and Adron Chambers.
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Expected Pitching Matchups
Game #1 - AJ Burnett v Adam Wainwright, 5:07 Thursday (SL)
Game #2 - Gerrit Cole v Lance Lynn, 1:07 Friday (SL)
Game #3 - Francisco Liriano v Joe Kelly, 5:07 Sunday (PGH)
Game #4 - Charlie Morton v Michael Wacha/Shelby Miller, TBD Monday (PGH)*
Game #5 - TBA, TBD Wednesday (SL)*
* if needed; best of five series.
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Block Party
The Pirates announced plans to host a special Postseason Watch Party on Federal Street outside PNC Park today. The Clubhouse Store, food and beverage vendors and local bars and restaurants will be open for business, and officials said that fans are encouraged to bring chairs, but grills and glass bottles are verboten. Federal Street and the Clemente Bridge will close to vehicular traffic at 10 a.m, and there will be limited free parking available after 4 p.m. in the Red Lot Six, located across from the PNC Park Press Entrance on General Robinson Street. Fans are encouraged to ride the FREE "T" from the four Golden Triangle stations to the North Side Station just outside of PNC Park. The only caveat is Weather Permitting.
Pittsburgh Roster
Pitchers: AJ Burnett, Francisco Liriano, Charlie Morton, Gerrit Cole, Jason Grilli, Mark Melancon, Tony Watson, Justin Wilson, Vin Mazzaro, Bryan Morris and Jeanmar Gomez. (The only mild surprise was the absence of Kyle Farnsworth, who didn't make either cut.)
Catchers: Russell Martin, and John Buck. (Keeping Buck, a superior offensive player, over Sanchez, a superior defensive players, reinforces that Martin is getting all the starts, as he should.)
Infielders: Justin Morneau, Neil Walker, Clint Barmes, Perdo Alvarez, Jordy Mercer, Gaby Sanchez, Garrett Jones and Josh Harrison.
Outfielders: Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, Marlon Byrd and Jose Tabata.
After you look at this roster, take a peek at Tyler Kepner's story in the NY Times about how the Bucs debated blowing up the 2012 team and rebuilding again.
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St. Louis Roster
Pitchers: Adam Wainwright, Lance Lynn, Joe Kelly, Michael Wacha, Shelby Miller, Trevor Rosenthal, Carlos Martinez, Edward Mujica, Seth Maness, John Axford, Randy Choate and Kevin Siegrist.
Infielders: Matt Adams, David Freese, Daniel Descalso, Matt Adams, Kolten Wong and Pete Kozma.
Catchers: Yadier Molina and Tony Cruz.
Outfielders: Matt Holliday, John Jay, Carlos Beltran, Shane Robinson and Adron Chambers.
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Expected Pitching Matchups
Game #1 - AJ Burnett v Adam Wainwright, 5:07 Thursday (SL)
Game #2 - Gerrit Cole v Lance Lynn, 1:07 Friday (SL)
Game #3 - Francisco Liriano v Joe Kelly, 5:07 Sunday (PGH)
Game #4 - Charlie Morton v Michael Wacha/Shelby Miller, TBD Monday (PGH)*
Game #5 - TBA, TBD Wednesday (SL)*
* if needed; best of five series.
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Block Party
The Pirates announced plans to host a special Postseason Watch Party on Federal Street outside PNC Park today. The Clubhouse Store, food and beverage vendors and local bars and restaurants will be open for business, and officials said that fans are encouraged to bring chairs, but grills and glass bottles are verboten. Federal Street and the Clemente Bridge will close to vehicular traffic at 10 a.m, and there will be limited free parking available after 4 p.m. in the Red Lot Six, located across from the PNC Park Press Entrance on General Robinson Street. Fans are encouraged to ride the FREE "T" from the four Golden Triangle stations to the North Side Station just outside of PNC Park. The only caveat is Weather Permitting.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
The Morning After...
What's a little "Cway-toe" get ya?
- The Cisco Kid tossed seven innings of four hit ball with a sinus infection. Good thing for the Reds that he wasn't 100%...oh, wait.
- USA Today's Ted Berg wrote "17 Awesome Things About The Pirates."
- Yesterday was Russ Martin's 25th playoff game. He had two homers total in the first 24.
- Jon Heyman of CBS Sports writes on how Russ Martin made the Yankees look bad (could probably add AJ to that list, too.)
- Yesterday was only Francisco Liriano's second post-season start, and his first victory.
- Jayson Stark of ESPN focused on the energy and emotion at the park last night. Gospel singer and proud Pirate mama Petrina McCutchen helped kick start it...
- The Pirates - Reds game drew a 33.7 rating in the Pittsburgh market, which is the highest rating for any baseball game in history in that city, in spite of TBS...
- David Brown of Yahoo's Big league Stew posted "Brandon Phillips - We Choked."
- Tuesday was the 110th anniversary of the first World Series game, when Pittsburgh defeated Boston (although the Americans tooke the series 5-games-to-3). And right now, the teams could have a rematch.
- Again, an omen for future playoffs: RHP Tyler Glasnow was selected by Baseball America as the #2 prospect in the South Atlantic (SALLY) League.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Meet You In St. Louis - Bucs Roll 6-2
Well, Pittsburgh's fourth river reached flood stage this afternoon - a river of black-shirted fans, pouring across the Clemente Bridge and into and around PNC Park. We'll see how the nine guys on the field play, but the tenth man sure showed up.
Frankie was into it; a strike out to open, and two soft grounders afterward carried him through a clean frame on just nine pitches. Johnny Cueto had a pretty routine go of it, too. He walked Cutch with two down, and Morneau lined to right to end the first without a score. Liriano changed it up a bit in the second, getting a sot grounder, K, soft grounder to sit the Reds down.
Marlon Byrd made his first post season at-bat count; he banged a hung 2-1 change into the left field stands to give the Bucs the first score. Pedro lined out to the front of the track in straight center, and with the full house chanting "Cueto," Russ Martin dropped a high heater a couple of rows deep in left to make it 2-0. Clint Barmes lined out to a sliding Choo, and Starling Marte followed with an excuse me check swing single to right. But Todd Frazier stopped the bleeding, going head-over-heels into the camera well to snag Neil Walker's foul pop and end the frame without further damage.
In the third, it was three Reds up, three grounders, and three Reds down. Cutch started things off with a broken bat infield single just past Cueto. Frazier ran down Morneau's soft lob, and then Byrd hit a one hop rocket to Zack Cozart; instead of a DP, it went off his wrist to put Bucs at first and third. Pedro then did a very un-Pirate-like thing; he lofted a ball to medium center, and the sac fly brought in McCutchen without a throw. Martin singled into the SS hole; a diving Cozart knocked the ball down, but did have a play. Pittsburgh left two more on, though, as Barmes hit a chopper to second for the force, and the frame ended 3-0 Buccos.
The long wait didn't help Liriano, who plunked Choo and gave up a knock to Ludwick. He navigated past Votto and Phillips, but Jay Bruce hit a one hopper the opposite way past Pedro into left, with Barmes cheating toward second, and it was 3-1. Frazier got a collective gasp when he hammered a ball barely outside the LF foul pole. But it was just a loud strike, and he K'ed on the next pitch. Still, it was a pair of lefties were on either end of the score, and that's not supposed to happen to The Cisco Kid.
With one down, Marte hit a hooking laser inside third; it caught LF ump Tim Timmons, but still went for a double. And that was it for Cueto; LHP Sean Marshall took the ball. He fell behind Walker 3-0, ran the count full, and then watched The Kid bang one off the wall in left to chase home Marte. Cutch was walked intentionally and Morneau walked unintentionally. That brought out Dusty again, to call on JJ Hoover to face The Byrd. He tried for a second straight at bat to hit into a DP, but this time Phillips bobbled the ball; all the Reds could get was a force out as Walker scored. Pedro bounced out, and it was 5-1 after four.
It was another long wait for Frankie between innings; the game has taken about an hour and 35 minutes so far. Cozart fell behind 1-2 but eventually walked to open the fifth. Hanigan flew out to medium right, and Frankie got Chris Heisey to bang a 3-2 pitch to Pedro; the around the horn DP iced the inning. Alfredo Simon climbed the hill for the Reds. Barmes singled past short with an out and was bunted to second, but Marte hit a high, lazy fly to center to end the frame.
The Reds sent up the top of the order in the sixth. Ludwick doubled to right center with an out, a tailing ball that Cutch almost ran down, and was held to two bases by a great back-up and quick throw by The Byrd. Liriano hitched up his pants and K'ed Votto, then finished off Phillips with a routine roller to second.
Cutch laced a one out single, and that brought Dusty out again; he's wearing a path between the dugout and the mound. Lefty Manny Parra got the call with Morneau up. He dropped a single into left, just in front of Ludwick. But Choo ran down a liner to left center by Byrd and Pedro whiffed. The Bucs have a four run lead, but they've stranded eight runners already; a big hit or two, and they'd be running away instead of allowing Cincy to hang around.
But that's all they're doing so far. Frazier doubled off the bullpen fence in the seventh with an out when Liriano tried to sneak a fast ball past him. But no sweat; a pair of grounders kept the Reds off the board for another frame. Logan Ondrusek took the bump. He tried to blow a 96 MPH heater down the middle past Martin and it didn't work as planned; Russ bombed it into the left field stands. The rest of the inning went routinely, with the Bucs now up 6-1.
Frankie was done. He went seven innings, giving up a run on four hits and a walk, punching out five on 90 pitches. Tony Watson opened the eighth for the Bucs. After an out, he pounded Choo inside with heat, then got cute and left him a breaking pitch up. Choo may or may not have cleared the railing of the Clemente Wall with his long fly - a fan tried to catch the ball at the railing- but the ruling on the field was HR, and it stood as replay was inconclusive. Tony Watson had not allowed a HR to lefty, and Choo had not hit a HR off a lefty this season until now (if he indeed did). Then Ludwick cued a ball just inside the RF line to make it a moot point. Byrd had the carom from the railing measured, but another fan reached out and touched the ball - neither, ahem, made the catch - and it was a ground rule double. A pair of grounders to Morneau at first put out the Reds' fire.
Walker reached off Sam LeCure when Joey Votto dropped his grounder to first. But no damage was inflicted. Cutch flew out short of the track in center and Morneau bounced into a 6-4-3 DP. The crowd rose to its feet for the ninth and Jason Grilli rose to the occasion. He pitched a perfect frame with a K, a fly to short left and a bouncer to second. Raise the Jolly Roger - the Bucs are off to St. Louis after winning a postseason game for the first time since October 13, 1992.
Nothin' to it - score some runs, get great pitching, play tight defense, and welcome to the NLDS.
Frankie was into it; a strike out to open, and two soft grounders afterward carried him through a clean frame on just nine pitches. Johnny Cueto had a pretty routine go of it, too. He walked Cutch with two down, and Morneau lined to right to end the first without a score. Liriano changed it up a bit in the second, getting a sot grounder, K, soft grounder to sit the Reds down.
Marlon Byrd made his first post season at-bat count; he banged a hung 2-1 change into the left field stands to give the Bucs the first score. Pedro lined out to the front of the track in straight center, and with the full house chanting "Cueto," Russ Martin dropped a high heater a couple of rows deep in left to make it 2-0. Clint Barmes lined out to a sliding Choo, and Starling Marte followed with an excuse me check swing single to right. But Todd Frazier stopped the bleeding, going head-over-heels into the camera well to snag Neil Walker's foul pop and end the frame without further damage.
In the third, it was three Reds up, three grounders, and three Reds down. Cutch started things off with a broken bat infield single just past Cueto. Frazier ran down Morneau's soft lob, and then Byrd hit a one hop rocket to Zack Cozart; instead of a DP, it went off his wrist to put Bucs at first and third. Pedro then did a very un-Pirate-like thing; he lofted a ball to medium center, and the sac fly brought in McCutchen without a throw. Martin singled into the SS hole; a diving Cozart knocked the ball down, but did have a play. Pittsburgh left two more on, though, as Barmes hit a chopper to second for the force, and the frame ended 3-0 Buccos.
The long wait didn't help Liriano, who plunked Choo and gave up a knock to Ludwick. He navigated past Votto and Phillips, but Jay Bruce hit a one hopper the opposite way past Pedro into left, with Barmes cheating toward second, and it was 3-1. Frazier got a collective gasp when he hammered a ball barely outside the LF foul pole. But it was just a loud strike, and he K'ed on the next pitch. Still, it was a pair of lefties were on either end of the score, and that's not supposed to happen to The Cisco Kid.
With one down, Marte hit a hooking laser inside third; it caught LF ump Tim Timmons, but still went for a double. And that was it for Cueto; LHP Sean Marshall took the ball. He fell behind Walker 3-0, ran the count full, and then watched The Kid bang one off the wall in left to chase home Marte. Cutch was walked intentionally and Morneau walked unintentionally. That brought out Dusty again, to call on JJ Hoover to face The Byrd. He tried for a second straight at bat to hit into a DP, but this time Phillips bobbled the ball; all the Reds could get was a force out as Walker scored. Pedro bounced out, and it was 5-1 after four.
It was another long wait for Frankie between innings; the game has taken about an hour and 35 minutes so far. Cozart fell behind 1-2 but eventually walked to open the fifth. Hanigan flew out to medium right, and Frankie got Chris Heisey to bang a 3-2 pitch to Pedro; the around the horn DP iced the inning. Alfredo Simon climbed the hill for the Reds. Barmes singled past short with an out and was bunted to second, but Marte hit a high, lazy fly to center to end the frame.
The Reds sent up the top of the order in the sixth. Ludwick doubled to right center with an out, a tailing ball that Cutch almost ran down, and was held to two bases by a great back-up and quick throw by The Byrd. Liriano hitched up his pants and K'ed Votto, then finished off Phillips with a routine roller to second.
Cutch laced a one out single, and that brought Dusty out again; he's wearing a path between the dugout and the mound. Lefty Manny Parra got the call with Morneau up. He dropped a single into left, just in front of Ludwick. But Choo ran down a liner to left center by Byrd and Pedro whiffed. The Bucs have a four run lead, but they've stranded eight runners already; a big hit or two, and they'd be running away instead of allowing Cincy to hang around.
But that's all they're doing so far. Frazier doubled off the bullpen fence in the seventh with an out when Liriano tried to sneak a fast ball past him. But no sweat; a pair of grounders kept the Reds off the board for another frame. Logan Ondrusek took the bump. He tried to blow a 96 MPH heater down the middle past Martin and it didn't work as planned; Russ bombed it into the left field stands. The rest of the inning went routinely, with the Bucs now up 6-1.
Frankie was done. He went seven innings, giving up a run on four hits and a walk, punching out five on 90 pitches. Tony Watson opened the eighth for the Bucs. After an out, he pounded Choo inside with heat, then got cute and left him a breaking pitch up. Choo may or may not have cleared the railing of the Clemente Wall with his long fly - a fan tried to catch the ball at the railing- but the ruling on the field was HR, and it stood as replay was inconclusive. Tony Watson had not allowed a HR to lefty, and Choo had not hit a HR off a lefty this season until now (if he indeed did). Then Ludwick cued a ball just inside the RF line to make it a moot point. Byrd had the carom from the railing measured, but another fan reached out and touched the ball - neither, ahem, made the catch - and it was a ground rule double. A pair of grounders to Morneau at first put out the Reds' fire.
Walker reached off Sam LeCure when Joey Votto dropped his grounder to first. But no damage was inflicted. Cutch flew out short of the track in center and Morneau bounced into a 6-4-3 DP. The crowd rose to its feet for the ninth and Jason Grilli rose to the occasion. He pitched a perfect frame with a K, a fly to short left and a bouncer to second. Raise the Jolly Roger - the Bucs are off to St. Louis after winning a postseason game for the first time since October 13, 1992.
Nothin' to it - score some runs, get great pitching, play tight defense, and welcome to the NLDS.
- Hey guess what? The PNC Park attendance record was set tonight with 40,487 amped fans in the house (except for those in red).
- Russell Martin is first catcher to homer for three different teams in postseason play (2008 Dodgers, 2012 Yankees, 2013 Pirates). He's also the second Buc with a multi-homer playoff game. The other was Bob Robertson, who had three against the Giants in 1971 during Game 3 of NLCS.
- It's no real surprise that the Pirates played long ball tonight. They hit 27 HR vs the Reds in 2013, their highest regular-season total vs Cincinnati in history of the rivalry. It was, though, the first time the Pirates have hit three HRs in a postseason game at home since Game 7 of the 1960 World Series.
- This was the sixth time the Reds and Pirates met in the playoffs. The only teams to meet more often in the post-season were the Dodgers-Yankees (11) & Giants-Yankees (7).
- Since 2010, the Reds have lost seven of nine playoff games.
- NLDS Game 1 vs. St. Louis is Thursday at 5:07 PM on TBS, and Game 2 is Friday at 1:07 PM on the MLB Network. The Pirates and Cardinals will meet in the postseason for the first time ever.
- Not related to this playoff, but possibly to ones down the road: Jamestown Jammer OF'er Harold Ramirez was selected as the top prospect in the New York-Pennsy League by Baseball America. The 19 year old put together a line of .285/5/40 with 23 stolen bases in a league dominated by college players.
Playoff Throwdown: Liriano v Cueto, Lineups, Post Season News & Notes
Francisco Liriano (16-8, 3.02) and Johnny Cueto take the hill to see who gets to live another day in the NL playoffs.
Frankie is 8-1 with a 1.47 ERA at PNC Park, and is 0-1 with a 1.97 ERA against the Reds at home. Cueto is a beast against the Bucs at PNC Park, with an overall 8-2 record and 1.90 ERA line. The Buc killer is a calculated risk - he's only made two starts since spending three months on the DL, although in those two outings, he's gone 12 innings and given up only a run. He will see a different cast of characters: Marlon Byrd hits him fairly well, and Johnny has never faced Justin Morneau.
So there should be a whole lot of pitching going on tonight. The Pirates have Gerrit Cole in reserve just in case, while originally scheduled Cincy starter, Mat Latos, is out with a floating bone chip in his elbow.
The game starts at 8:07 and will be aired by TBS and 93.7 The Fan, with Greg Brown, Tim Neveritt and Bob Walk on the radio side.
Pirate lineup: Starling Marte LF, Neil Walker 2b, Andrew McCutchen CF, Justin Morneau 1b, Marlon Byrd RF, Pedro Alvarez 3b, Russ Martin C, Clint Barmes SS and Francisoc Liriano P.
Same ol', with gloveman Clint at SS.
Reds lineup: Shin-Soo Choo CF, Ryan Ludwick LF, Joey Votto 1b, Brandon Phillips 2b, Jay Bruce RF, Todd Frazier 3b, Zack Cozart SS, Ryan Hanigan C and Johnny Cueto P.
The Reds keep Ludwick in the #2 hole and have Hanigan behind the dish.
Frankie is 8-1 with a 1.47 ERA at PNC Park, and is 0-1 with a 1.97 ERA against the Reds at home. Cueto is a beast against the Bucs at PNC Park, with an overall 8-2 record and 1.90 ERA line. The Buc killer is a calculated risk - he's only made two starts since spending three months on the DL, although in those two outings, he's gone 12 innings and given up only a run. He will see a different cast of characters: Marlon Byrd hits him fairly well, and Johnny has never faced Justin Morneau.
So there should be a whole lot of pitching going on tonight. The Pirates have Gerrit Cole in reserve just in case, while originally scheduled Cincy starter, Mat Latos, is out with a floating bone chip in his elbow.
The game starts at 8:07 and will be aired by TBS and 93.7 The Fan, with Greg Brown, Tim Neveritt and Bob Walk on the radio side.
Pirate lineup: Starling Marte LF, Neil Walker 2b, Andrew McCutchen CF, Justin Morneau 1b, Marlon Byrd RF, Pedro Alvarez 3b, Russ Martin C, Clint Barmes SS and Francisoc Liriano P.
Same ol', with gloveman Clint at SS.
Reds lineup: Shin-Soo Choo CF, Ryan Ludwick LF, Joey Votto 1b, Brandon Phillips 2b, Jay Bruce RF, Todd Frazier 3b, Zack Cozart SS, Ryan Hanigan C and Johnny Cueto P.
The Reds keep Ludwick in the #2 hole and have Hanigan behind the dish.
- Nationally: Mike Bauman of MLB.com on the pressure of the game and what influence it will have the future of the two franchises. Tim Kurkjian of ESPN adds five questions that will be answered and the experts prognosticate.
- Marlon Byrd has played in 1,250 games since breaking into the big leagues in 2002, but Tuesday will mark the first time he will play in a postseason contest.
- .317/.404/.508 is Cutch's slash line of average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, making him only the fourth center fielder ever to have two straight seasons of at least .300/.400/.500. The predecessors were Mickey Mantle (1954-58), Willie Mays (1954-55 and 1957-58) and Ken Griffey Jr. (1993-94), noted Tom Singer of MLB.com..
- Tom Friend of ESPN has the tale of Clint Hurdle's sometime rocky road.
- Gerrit Cole was named the NL Rookie of the Month. In five starts during Sept, Cole went 4-0 w/a 1.69 ERA and fanned a MLB rookie-best 39 during the month while walking 10. His .212 opponents’ batting average ranked second among rookies
- From @BiertempfelTrib The Reds Johnny Cueto encouraged kids in Dominican Republic to watch the game, as both starters (he and Francisco Liriano) are from DR. "Work hard, get to where we are" is his advice.
- The long time rivals have met five times in the playoffs - 1970, 1972, 1975, 1979 and 1990. The Reds are 13-7 against the Pirates in the postseason. Pittsburgh has met the Reds more often than any other team in the playoffs.
- The last time the Pirates hosted a postseason game, there was no NL Central; it didn't form until 1994. The Bucs are still the only team in the division - including the departed Astros - to not win a division title. But before the Central, between 1960 and 1992, the Pirates won three World Series and made the playoffs 10 times.
- It took awhile, but PNC Park can join the other Pirate MLB venues - Exposition Park, Forbes Field, and TRS - as the host of a playoff game. Expo Park was the only Bucco ballyard not to hold an All-Star game, mainly because there weren't any Midsummer Classics until 1933.
- Today's winner will play the Cards on Thursday at 5:07 PM and Friday at 1:07.
Rosters For Wild Card Game
The Pirates' 25 man roster for tonight:
Pitchers: Francisco Liriano, Gerrit Cole, Jason Grilli, Mark Melancon, Tony Watson, Justin Wilson, Vin Mazzaro, Bryan Morris and Jeanmar Gomez. (The only surprise was the absence of Kyle Farnsworth, who may appear in later rosters.)
Catchers: Russell Martin, Tony Sanchez and John Buck.
Infielders: Justin Morneau, Neil Walker, Clint Barmes, Perdo Alvarez, Jordy Mercer, Gaby Sanchez, Garrett Jones and Josh Harrison.
Outfielders: Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, Marlon Byrd, Jose Tabata and Travis Snider.
Remember that this roster is only for tonight. If the Bucs go on to the NLDS, they'll prepare a new list that will include at a minimum AJ Burnett and Charlie Morton, taking two of tonight's bench players' spots.
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The Reds haven't announced their roster yet; the only real question is whether Billy Hamilton would be on it or not, even though Dusty would be nuts to not add him.
EDIT: Here's the Reds roster -
Pitchers: Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, Aroldis Chapman, JJ Hoover, Sam LeCure, Logan Andrusek, Alfredo Simon, Sean Marshall, Manny Parra and Zach Duke.
Catchers: Ryan Hanigan and Devin Mesoraco.
Infielders: Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Zack Cozart, Todd Frazier, Cesar Izturis and Jack Hannahan.
Outfielders: Shin-Soo Choo, Jay Bruce, Ryan Ludwick, Chris Heisey, Derrick Robinson and Billy Hamilton.
Dusty went with 10 pitchers and 15 position players.
Pitchers: Francisco Liriano, Gerrit Cole, Jason Grilli, Mark Melancon, Tony Watson, Justin Wilson, Vin Mazzaro, Bryan Morris and Jeanmar Gomez. (The only surprise was the absence of Kyle Farnsworth, who may appear in later rosters.)
Catchers: Russell Martin, Tony Sanchez and John Buck.
Infielders: Justin Morneau, Neil Walker, Clint Barmes, Perdo Alvarez, Jordy Mercer, Gaby Sanchez, Garrett Jones and Josh Harrison.
Outfielders: Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, Marlon Byrd, Jose Tabata and Travis Snider.
Remember that this roster is only for tonight. If the Bucs go on to the NLDS, they'll prepare a new list that will include at a minimum AJ Burnett and Charlie Morton, taking two of tonight's bench players' spots.
________________________________________________________________
The Reds haven't announced their roster yet; the only real question is whether Billy Hamilton would be on it or not, even though Dusty would be nuts to not add him.
EDIT: Here's the Reds roster -
Pitchers: Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, Aroldis Chapman, JJ Hoover, Sam LeCure, Logan Andrusek, Alfredo Simon, Sean Marshall, Manny Parra and Zach Duke.
Catchers: Ryan Hanigan and Devin Mesoraco.
Infielders: Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Zack Cozart, Todd Frazier, Cesar Izturis and Jack Hannahan.
Outfielders: Shin-Soo Choo, Jay Bruce, Ryan Ludwick, Chris Heisey, Derrick Robinson and Billy Hamilton.
Dusty went with 10 pitchers and 15 position players.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Monday Pre-Game Notes & News
A little pre-playoff news and notes...
- Pedro and Paul Goldschmidt ended up the 2013 co-leaders in the NL with 36 homers. Alvarez: is the first Pirate player lead the league in HR since Willie Stargell in 1973, while Goldschmidt is the first D-Backs player to lead the NL in HR ever.
- Matt Snyder of CBS Sports "Eye on Baseball" looks for the edge, position by position, for the Pirate-Reds game.
- The Pirates don't have to submit their wild card roster until 10AM tomorrow, and won't make it public until then. AJ and Charlie Morton will be off it, and Clint said, per @Tom_Singer that he'd carry nine pitchers - The Cisco Kid, Gerrit Cole and seven relievers. Clint said the guys that have been with the club all year, and per @BrinkPG that means Jason Grilli, Mark Melancin, Tony Watson, Justin Wilson, Vin Mazzaro, Bryan Morros and Jeanmar Gomez. That leaves eight players to start and eight more for the bench.
- Cincy hasn't dropped any clues about their lineup yet, except that Mat Latos and Tony Cingrani are probably not going to be on it; nor do we expect Homer Bailey and Bronson Arroyo. No decision has been released yet on Billy Hamilton's status yet, nor word of how Brandon Phillips' shin is looking after yesterday's foul ball.
- All fans entering the park will receive a Pirates postseason rally towel. The gates open at six, the pregame ceremonies will start at 7:30, and Doug Drabek will throw out the first pitch. The National Anthem will be performed by Petrina McCutchen, mom of Andrew McCutchen.
- Joe West will be behind the plate tomorrow night.
- The wild card winner will face the St. Louis Cardinals, who finished with the best record in the NL.
- Only two teams in the NL finished with more wins than the Buccos 94 - St. Louis with 97 and Atlanta with 96. The other 90 game winners were LA with 92 and Cincinnati with 90, and all five are in the playoffs. In the AL, only Boston with 97 wins and Oakland with 96 have more victories than the Bucs.
- The price of that success? The Pirates will draft 27th next year.
- The players are pushing a twitter campaign for a "PNC Blackout" while the fans are clamoring for a big-screen TV on the North Shore for those w/o tickets. The Pens would have both set up; we'll see how the Pirate marketing guys measure up.
- Bob Nightengale of USA Today has a piece on the Rust Belt teams in the playoffs.
- Ben Badler of Baseball America thinks the Pirates are one of five teams that should be in on Cuban 1b Jose Abreu.
- One-time Bucco Dale Sveum, manager of the Cubs, was fired today.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Playoff Primer
Yep, been a long time since we've been here, and the rules are a little different. Here's what the Bucs are looking at this weekend as far as playoff options:
NL Central title: The odds against first place are overwhelming, with yesterday's loss making them even more infinitesimal. The Pirates need the sad sack Cubs to sweep the Cards at Busch Stadium and in turn have to sweep the Reds at GABP. And all that earns them is a one-game tie breaker. True, the Bucs hold a 10-9 series edge, but that doesn't break a tie for first. It just determines the home team for the title deciding playoff game.
Home team for the play-in game: The Pirate loss makes this simple; whoever wins two games in the weekend series against the Reds at GABP hosts the game. Pittsburgh is a game ahead, but 2-of-3 by the Reds will result in a tie, and Cincy would hold a 10-9 series edge to earn home field advantage.
The series will probably line up with AJ v Homer Bailey, Charlie Morton v Bronson Arroyo, and Gerrit Cole v long-time Pirate killer Johnny Cueto, though the third game will be in pencil, depending on the results of the first two. This, of course, isn't a make-or-break set of games, although home field for the one contest that counts on Tuesday night is big.
Things to look for: With Liriano tossing 103 pitches yesterday, the odds of him working the Red series on short rest are pretty much zero, making him the odds-on favorite to start the play-in game, especially with a Red lineup that includes lefties Shin-Soo Choo, Joey Votto and Jay Bruce. But if the third game is meaningless because one team or another has taken the first two, Clint Hurdle could sit Gerrit Cole and have him as a wild card option, especially if it's a road game. Frankie has a big home-away split of 1.47 ERA at PNC Park and 4.32 elsewhere. And at GABP, he's 0-2 with a 6.10 ERA, though Cole has no track record, having never faced Cincy.
Either way, the Reds moved Mat Latos so that he'll likely start the play-in match. He's 1-1/4.08 versus the Bucs, pitching a little better at PNC than at GABP, the small stat difference probably due to park factors. As with the Pirates and Cole, if the third game is meaningless, Dusty Baker will have Cueto up his sleeve.
NL Central title: The odds against first place are overwhelming, with yesterday's loss making them even more infinitesimal. The Pirates need the sad sack Cubs to sweep the Cards at Busch Stadium and in turn have to sweep the Reds at GABP. And all that earns them is a one-game tie breaker. True, the Bucs hold a 10-9 series edge, but that doesn't break a tie for first. It just determines the home team for the title deciding playoff game.
Home team for the play-in game: The Pirate loss makes this simple; whoever wins two games in the weekend series against the Reds at GABP hosts the game. Pittsburgh is a game ahead, but 2-of-3 by the Reds will result in a tie, and Cincy would hold a 10-9 series edge to earn home field advantage.
The series will probably line up with AJ v Homer Bailey, Charlie Morton v Bronson Arroyo, and Gerrit Cole v long-time Pirate killer Johnny Cueto, though the third game will be in pencil, depending on the results of the first two. This, of course, isn't a make-or-break set of games, although home field for the one contest that counts on Tuesday night is big.
Things to look for: With Liriano tossing 103 pitches yesterday, the odds of him working the Red series on short rest are pretty much zero, making him the odds-on favorite to start the play-in game, especially with a Red lineup that includes lefties Shin-Soo Choo, Joey Votto and Jay Bruce. But if the third game is meaningless because one team or another has taken the first two, Clint Hurdle could sit Gerrit Cole and have him as a wild card option, especially if it's a road game. Frankie has a big home-away split of 1.47 ERA at PNC Park and 4.32 elsewhere. And at GABP, he's 0-2 with a 6.10 ERA, though Cole has no track record, having never faced Cincy.
Either way, the Reds moved Mat Latos so that he'll likely start the play-in match. He's 1-1/4.08 versus the Bucs, pitching a little better at PNC than at GABP, the small stat difference probably due to park factors. As with the Pirates and Cole, if the third game is meaningless, Dusty Baker will have Cueto up his sleeve.
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