Time has caught up to the Buc rotation.
Kevin Correia and Paul Maholm are both on the 60-day DL, ending their seasons. Jeff Karstens missed two starts and is due back on the 19th; Brian Burres picked up a pair of starts in his stead. The latest to get a day off because of fatigue is Charlie Morton, who will skip Saturday and be replaced by Jeff Locke. James McDonald is the only pitcher from the original rotation left standing in September.
Maholm and Correia were surprises as both had been workhorses throughout their career. But you could see it coming; Maholm was hit hard in July, though he managed games pretty well. But in August, his ERA jumped to 6.75. Correia's July ERA was 6.08 , and August's was worse at 8.41.
Karstens had a 7.46 ERA in August. After a horrible May, Morton looked as if he had found himself. But in his last three starts, he only lasted 14 innings with a 7.23 ERA. Both were over 150 IP, career highs, and both also had career highs in wins with nine. This year should serve as a springboard for them.
J-Mac has emerged as the Buccos future go-to guy. After being pushed around in April, missing most of spring camp with an injury to his left side, he became the Pirates most consistent arm. In the following months, he never had an ERA higher than 3.93 and was clocked in at 2.86 in May. When he learns to manage his pitch count, McDonald should become a solid middle-of-the-rotation arm that can miss bats.
In the long view, the rotation losing guys is something to be expected. To lose them all at once was brutal, and the August collapse as fatigue took its toll on the team saw the Pirates free-fall out of contention and even a chance to finish at .500.
For the immediate future, the rotation is Brian Burres, Ross Ohlendorf, Jeff Locke, James McDonald, and Brad Lincoln.
And that's not all bad. Paul Maholm is likely to not return. J-Mac, Morton, Karstens, Correia and Lincoln will form next year's nucleus for now, with Locke knocking on the door and Ohlie likely to get a look from the pen.
Altoona's Aaron Thompson and Kyle McPherson should be starting at Indy next season while Justin Wilson and Rudy Owens will try to get back on track. And don't forget about Jose Ascanio, who was thrown into the fire after a long layoff. After a rough start at Indy, he's recovered to K 50 batters in 44 innings while walking just 15 and was stretched out as a starter if the Pirates do choose to bring him back.
The prediction of the Pirate arms falling off in the dog days unfortunately came true. But the silver lining is that next year, there should be a deeper staff, albeit without an ace, and one with some experience. Some freshly scrubbed faces are finally reaching AAA. And in a couple of years, hopefully one of those young guns the FO has horded will fill in the top of the rotation.
It may be a couple of seasons from fruition, but at least the Pirate pitching is beginning to build.
Showing posts with label pirates pitching 2011. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pirates pitching 2011. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Saturday, April 30, 2011
It's Moskos Time
Well, the Bucs finally admitted that Evan Meek's shoulder hasn't been right. The Bucs put him on the 15-day DL to see if some rest will do the trick. The good work of Chris Resop and Jose Veras made the move easier to make.
His replacement? The long-time a comin' number one draft selection (fourth overall) of the 2007 draft, Danny Moskos. The lefty was called up to the show from Indy, where the second time was the charm. In 10-2/3 innings, he gave up two earned runs on nine hits and a walk, with seven K's and a .0938 WHIP.
He had a very so-so spring camp, and was sent down. But his work with the Tribe, especially with his control, merited him a call to the show and a shot at redemption. He looked close last year, when he absolutely dominated at Altoona with 21 saves and a 1.52 ERA, but it didn't translate in AAA, where he was raked.
Moskos' problem was that he got cute; instead of challenging hitters, he became a nibbler. That's what Clint Hurdle and Ray Searage had him work on. Looks like he received the message.
He come to the Pirates with a fastball-slider combo, and throws a change as well. The 25 year old becomes the Bucs' second lefty in the pen, and will start off in lower leverage situations.
He was already on the forty-man roster, so no other shuffling of the roster has to occur.
His replacement? The long-time a comin' number one draft selection (fourth overall) of the 2007 draft, Danny Moskos. The lefty was called up to the show from Indy, where the second time was the charm. In 10-2/3 innings, he gave up two earned runs on nine hits and a walk, with seven K's and a .0938 WHIP.
He had a very so-so spring camp, and was sent down. But his work with the Tribe, especially with his control, merited him a call to the show and a shot at redemption. He looked close last year, when he absolutely dominated at Altoona with 21 saves and a 1.52 ERA, but it didn't translate in AAA, where he was raked.
Moskos' problem was that he got cute; instead of challenging hitters, he became a nibbler. That's what Clint Hurdle and Ray Searage had him work on. Looks like he received the message.
He come to the Pirates with a fastball-slider combo, and throws a change as well. The 25 year old becomes the Bucs' second lefty in the pen, and will start off in lower leverage situations.
He was already on the forty-man roster, so no other shuffling of the roster has to occur.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Pitching Notes
-- Maybe Ohlie isn't a month away, or maybe the Bucco staff thinks Jeff Karstens is their secret weapon. Either way, the beat gang reports that Karstens is going to take Ross Ohlendorf's spot in the rotation again Friday night against Washington.
With an off day on April 25th, the Pirates won't need to go to a fifth starter again until May 2nd, so they probably decided that it wasn't worth the disruption to bring up Brian Burres or Brad Lincoln at this time.
-- Jose Ascanio, Kevin Hart and Donnie Veal, a trio of arms that the Pirates have barely been able to evaluate during their stay in the organization, are working their way off the DL. Ascanio, who has suffered an assortment of nagging-type injuries, is close; he's beginning hid rehab at Indy tonight.
Hart, who had labrum surgery last May, still has a while to go. He's been in Florida, and the MLB staff is going to eyeball him while they're in Miami to see how he's coming along, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review.
Donnie Veal, who had TJ surgery last June, is expected to return to the hill sometime this June.
With an off day on April 25th, the Pirates won't need to go to a fifth starter again until May 2nd, so they probably decided that it wasn't worth the disruption to bring up Brian Burres or Brad Lincoln at this time.
-- Jose Ascanio, Kevin Hart and Donnie Veal, a trio of arms that the Pirates have barely been able to evaluate during their stay in the organization, are working their way off the DL. Ascanio, who has suffered an assortment of nagging-type injuries, is close; he's beginning hid rehab at Indy tonight.
Hart, who had labrum surgery last May, still has a while to go. He's been in Florida, and the MLB staff is going to eyeball him while they're in Miami to see how he's coming along, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review.
Donnie Veal, who had TJ surgery last June, is expected to return to the hill sometime this June.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
The Pitching Picture Clears Up A Bit
OK, the fifth starter is almost certainly going to be Charlie Morton. The beat guys ferreted out that Scott Olsen was going to start the year on the DL (although his only current injury, as far as we know, has been to his pride) and Bad Brad Lincoln, with his juicy pair of remaining options and bruised arm, will probably be left on the outside, looking in from Indy.
Give Morton credit; spring training isn't much of a barometer, but he did excise last year's March ghosts by going 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA in fourteen frames. He whipped the competition fair and square.
And Lincoln reestablished himself as a mid-rotation prospect; he's 1-0 in 10-2/3 frames with a 3.38 ERA. Not much of a sample size for either guy, but both can go into the season feeling good about their camp performance.
The bullpen still has a lot of moving parts; not all that many candidates have dropped out. Joel Hanrahan and Evan Meek had their names written in stone before camp started at the back end, and two of the favorites, Chris Resop (1.93 ERA, 11 Ks in 9-1/3 innings) and Jose Veras (1.80 ERA, 8 Ks in 10 innings) look like they're in.
That leaves three spots open.
Joe Biemel was assumed to be a lock as the lefty, but his elbow has been a problem, and he just got a cortisone shot yesterday, so his status is...well, who knows? Scott Olson was a possible southpaw reliever, but he's headed to the DL. Both were ripped in the very limited work they saw, and it's hard to say if it was injuries or ability that caused their bleak performances.
The other lefties are young Garrett Olson, claimed on waivers but with some MLB experience, and Brian Burres, who has yet to give up an earned run.
Old dependable Jeff Karstens, who has been there and done that, has had a solid spring, and so has Sean Gallagher, although he's going to Indy to get stretched out as a starter. Mike Crotta has come out of nowhere to get on the radar, though he's likely AAA fodder too.
Chris Leroux has probably dropped out of the race; in 7-2/3 frames, he has a 4.70 ERA and only one whiff. Tyler Yates has been a BP pitcher in camp, so you can cross him off the list, too; he's Indy-bound.
There are still several configurations available for Hurdle and the brass, and the main wildcards will be Beimel and Burres (although Jose Ascanio could be another; he's out of options and will throw BP today, but we're still expecting him to hit the DL).
Our shot in the dark would be for Karstens, Beimel and Olson to go north if St. Mary's Joe is good to go; the Bucs still see Burres as an insurance starter. But if Beimel is hors d' combat, Burres should slide into his spot. The FO may say that they'll go with seven righties in the pen, but we suspect that Hurdle will hold out for two lefties.
That will leave Indy with a rotation of Lincoln, Sean Gallagher, Bryan Morris, Rudy Owens and Burres/Olsen/Cesar Valdez, with Justin Wilson and Jeff Locke looking to make a move up. Who ever thought there would be a crowd of Pirate starting pitchers?
Give Morton credit; spring training isn't much of a barometer, but he did excise last year's March ghosts by going 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA in fourteen frames. He whipped the competition fair and square.
And Lincoln reestablished himself as a mid-rotation prospect; he's 1-0 in 10-2/3 frames with a 3.38 ERA. Not much of a sample size for either guy, but both can go into the season feeling good about their camp performance.
The bullpen still has a lot of moving parts; not all that many candidates have dropped out. Joel Hanrahan and Evan Meek had their names written in stone before camp started at the back end, and two of the favorites, Chris Resop (1.93 ERA, 11 Ks in 9-1/3 innings) and Jose Veras (1.80 ERA, 8 Ks in 10 innings) look like they're in.
That leaves three spots open.
Joe Biemel was assumed to be a lock as the lefty, but his elbow has been a problem, and he just got a cortisone shot yesterday, so his status is...well, who knows? Scott Olson was a possible southpaw reliever, but he's headed to the DL. Both were ripped in the very limited work they saw, and it's hard to say if it was injuries or ability that caused their bleak performances.
The other lefties are young Garrett Olson, claimed on waivers but with some MLB experience, and Brian Burres, who has yet to give up an earned run.
Old dependable Jeff Karstens, who has been there and done that, has had a solid spring, and so has Sean Gallagher, although he's going to Indy to get stretched out as a starter. Mike Crotta has come out of nowhere to get on the radar, though he's likely AAA fodder too.
Chris Leroux has probably dropped out of the race; in 7-2/3 frames, he has a 4.70 ERA and only one whiff. Tyler Yates has been a BP pitcher in camp, so you can cross him off the list, too; he's Indy-bound.
There are still several configurations available for Hurdle and the brass, and the main wildcards will be Beimel and Burres (although Jose Ascanio could be another; he's out of options and will throw BP today, but we're still expecting him to hit the DL).
Our shot in the dark would be for Karstens, Beimel and Olson to go north if St. Mary's Joe is good to go; the Bucs still see Burres as an insurance starter. But if Beimel is hors d' combat, Burres should slide into his spot. The FO may say that they'll go with seven righties in the pen, but we suspect that Hurdle will hold out for two lefties.
That will leave Indy with a rotation of Lincoln, Sean Gallagher, Bryan Morris, Rudy Owens and Burres/Olsen/Cesar Valdez, with Justin Wilson and Jeff Locke looking to make a move up. Who ever thought there would be a crowd of Pirate starting pitchers?
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