Aregnis Diaz and Pedro Circiaco were brought in expressly to challenge for Ronny Cedeno's job. We doubt either will do it; it's Cedeno's position to lose, not theirs to win.
But both are on the forty-man roster, both are now on the active roster, and both are looking for the kind of September that could give them the edge when camp breaks in April.
Argenis Diaz came to Pittsburgh with Hunter Strickland in July of 2009, when the Bucs sent soon-to-be-free-agent Adam LaRoche to Boston. The 5'11" 165 pound shortstop comes with a rep as a good glove, bad stick guy.
The 23 year old Guatire, Venezuela native was signed as a free agent by the Sox in 2003, then spent two years in the VSL and another in the GCL. He made his A debut in 2007 at Greenville of the Sally League. In A ball, he hit .279 and .281, good enough to bump him to AA in mid-2008.
For the duration of 2008 and all of 2009, he plied his trade at Portland in the Eastern League where it was easy for Bucco scouts to eyeball him (same league as Altoona, different dvision.) He hit .288 and .253 in his AA seasons.
Bad trend with his lumber; it became even more pronounced in 2009, when he spent his first full Pirate year at Indy and hit at a sickly .233 rate. Diaz was hitting .248 this year when he got the call to the 'Burgh to tale the place of Bobby Crosby as the jack-of-all-trades infielder.
Then again, Pittsburgh didn't get him especially for his maple. Diaz was considered the best defensive player in the Red Sox' farm system. He has great range, good hands and a strong arm, if someone slow afoot, akin to Jack Wilson.
The Sox Prospects scouting report said "Diaz is an elite defensive shortstop, and if he improves his concentration on routine plays, he could compete for a gold glove in the bigs. He has plus range, excellent footing, an impressive glove, and an outstanding arm. Makes impossible plays in the field."
It noted two sources of concern with his fielding - he would take the edge off a great play by making a poor throw when he wouldn't set, and he sometimes seems to blank out on routine plays. But every report we've seen claims his glove is gold, so neither flaw seems to be major.
The right handed batter is purely a slap hitter with virtually no power and somewhat streaky at the plate. His discipline isn't the greatest, and good off speed stuff baffles him.
Diaz's walk rate is 6% (58 walks in 922 plate appearances) in AA/AAA ball, with a .281 OBP in AAA. He is an accomplished bunter, for whatever good that does an eight hole hitter.
And he's pretty much stuck to that script with his Pittsburgh cup of coffee, hitting .250.
The Pirates acquired shortstop Pedro Ciriaco and Chris Snyder from Arizona for Bobby Crosby, Ryan Church, and D.J. Carrasco. Ciriaco is a 24 year old (he'll turn 25 on September 27th) Dominican from San Pedro de Macoris with a little lesser pedigree with the mitt than Diaz but a little bit better results with the bat.
The 5'11" 160 pound Reno Aces' shortstop was selected to represent the World Team in the 2010 XM All-Star Futures Game.
His arm and defensive ability are above average and his speed rates a 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale. Unfortunately, he is a free-swinger with little plate patience (28 walks in 999 plate appearances in AA/AAA, a 3% rate) who sometimes struggles to get on base.
That negates his base-running & swiping skills: as noted by many, you can't steal first. But he is exciting when he gets aboard; he had 38 steals in AA and 19 this season in AAA.
Ciriaco does show a little gap power; he's hit two dozen doubles or more two out of his last three seasons. He's interesting because of his potential upside. He batted .281 at Indy and .265 overall in AAA this year, and hit 24 doubles, eight triples, and six homers. But his AAA/AA OBP is .283, just a hair better than Diaz.
He does have upside, meaning he has some tools to work with. But both guys would really bolster their cause by improving their eye at the plate; they already have the prerequisite gloves.
The Pirates have a handful of upper level prospects to push Diaz and Ciriaco. Brian Friday (Indy), Jordy Mercer (Altoona), Chase d'Arnaud (Altoona), and Brock Holt (Bradenton) are all trying to make a name for themselves as middle infielders, too.
All are recent top-ten picks of the Pirates, and except for Friday, they're all still a minimum of a couple of seasons away from the show.
Hey, the Pirates knew that short was a spot they had to batten down after moving Wilson and watching the pained efforts of Brian Bixler. So they went outside the system and brought in a pair of superior glove guys in Diaz and Ciriaco who went right on the 40-man roster as insurance policies and potential successors to Ronny Cedeno.
We don't think either will challenge RC, unless he melts down this month (and he has the potential, though he's been fairly steady since the break). But this September may be the opportunity for Argenis Diaz or Pedro Circiaco to step ahead of the oncoming rush of middle infield talent and break camp with the team in 2011.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Bucs Blank Bravos
For four innings, James McDonald and Tim Hudson put on a pitching clinic. Hudson held the Bucs hitless; J-Mac gave up a walk and single - and one of those runners was caught stealing.
In the fifth, a double and a two-out intentional walk put McDonald in a little hot water, but he had Hudson up and skipped away free, getting him to pop out. The Bucs got their first two hits off Hudson, with Jones and Dewey singling, but a DP in the middle put Pittsburgh to bed without denting the scoreboard.
In the sixth, J-Mac flirted with danger again, loading the bases with one out. And again, he came up aces, getting Derrek Lee to smack into an around the horn DP. McCutch drilled a two-out double, but it remained scoreless after six.
McDonald pitched a clean seventh, his last frame. His line ended up seven innings, giving up five hits, three walks (two intentional) and three K's while delivering 109 pitches. And it wouldn't go unrewarded.
Pittsburgh erupted in their half, chasing Hudson. Jones and Pedro doubled with one out, and Dewey was intentionally walked. Ronny Cedeno delivered a dagger in the form of a two-run triple to right center.
Snyder struck out, and Bobby Cox brought on lefty Eric Flaherty to face pinch hitter Delwyn Young. DY welcomed the change; he crushed his seventh homer of the year into left, and the Pirates had broken it open, 5-0.
Evan Meek took over in the eighth, and got three ground outs. Michael Dunn took the hill for the Braves, and escaped a Neil Walker two-bagger to toss a scoreless frame.
After a rain delay, JR brought in Joel Hanrahan to work the ninth, a mild surprise with such a big cushion, but the middle of the Brave order was due up; better safe than sorry. And safe it was, after JH walked one and struck out three to close the door.
Excellent fielding, great pitching, and clutch hitting. It was a beautiful game all around tonight; 'nuff said.
Zach Duke will go against Derek Lowe tomorrow night.
-- Neil Walker kept his fourteen game hitting skein alive the hard way. He got his only knock in the eighth, driving a two-strike fastball to the Notch for a double. The kicker: it was during a rainstorm, with thunder cracking all around the field. The tarps came out after the inning.
-- The Bucco suits sorted out the pitching logjam a bit. They announced that Brian Burres will stick in the rotation, and Brad Lincoln will work from the pen.
-- Andy LaRoche is the Pirate nominee for MLB's Roberto Clemente award, given to the player who "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team."
His charity work in the Pittsburgh area, primarily with Down syndrome children, earned LaRoche the Pirates' nomination.
-- Oops! We were wrong about the minor league play-off schedule; Altoona starts tomorrow, but Bradenton played game one today.
They won 5-0 as Aaron Pribanic held Charlotte to six hits over seven innings. Like tonight's MLB game, it was scoreless going into the seventh, when the Marauders scored four times, keyed by forgotten prospect Shelby Ford's two-run double. Kyle McPherson shut the door on the Stone Crabs over the final two frames to ice the win.
In the fifth, a double and a two-out intentional walk put McDonald in a little hot water, but he had Hudson up and skipped away free, getting him to pop out. The Bucs got their first two hits off Hudson, with Jones and Dewey singling, but a DP in the middle put Pittsburgh to bed without denting the scoreboard.
In the sixth, J-Mac flirted with danger again, loading the bases with one out. And again, he came up aces, getting Derrek Lee to smack into an around the horn DP. McCutch drilled a two-out double, but it remained scoreless after six.
McDonald pitched a clean seventh, his last frame. His line ended up seven innings, giving up five hits, three walks (two intentional) and three K's while delivering 109 pitches. And it wouldn't go unrewarded.
Pittsburgh erupted in their half, chasing Hudson. Jones and Pedro doubled with one out, and Dewey was intentionally walked. Ronny Cedeno delivered a dagger in the form of a two-run triple to right center.
Snyder struck out, and Bobby Cox brought on lefty Eric Flaherty to face pinch hitter Delwyn Young. DY welcomed the change; he crushed his seventh homer of the year into left, and the Pirates had broken it open, 5-0.
Evan Meek took over in the eighth, and got three ground outs. Michael Dunn took the hill for the Braves, and escaped a Neil Walker two-bagger to toss a scoreless frame.
After a rain delay, JR brought in Joel Hanrahan to work the ninth, a mild surprise with such a big cushion, but the middle of the Brave order was due up; better safe than sorry. And safe it was, after JH walked one and struck out three to close the door.
Excellent fielding, great pitching, and clutch hitting. It was a beautiful game all around tonight; 'nuff said.
Zach Duke will go against Derek Lowe tomorrow night.
-- Neil Walker kept his fourteen game hitting skein alive the hard way. He got his only knock in the eighth, driving a two-strike fastball to the Notch for a double. The kicker: it was during a rainstorm, with thunder cracking all around the field. The tarps came out after the inning.
-- The Bucco suits sorted out the pitching logjam a bit. They announced that Brian Burres will stick in the rotation, and Brad Lincoln will work from the pen.
-- Andy LaRoche is the Pirate nominee for MLB's Roberto Clemente award, given to the player who "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team."
His charity work in the Pittsburgh area, primarily with Down syndrome children, earned LaRoche the Pirates' nomination.
-- Oops! We were wrong about the minor league play-off schedule; Altoona starts tomorrow, but Bradenton played game one today.
They won 5-0 as Aaron Pribanic held Charlotte to six hits over seven innings. Like tonight's MLB game, it was scoreless going into the seventh, when the Marauders scored four times, keyed by forgotten prospect Shelby Ford's two-run double. Kyle McPherson shut the door on the Stone Crabs over the final two frames to ice the win.
Pre Game Jots & Minor Matters
-- In the last four days, the Pirates have started four different right fielders: Lastings Milledge, John Bowker, Ryan Doumit, and Delwyn Young. Hey, no problem - they just called up another, Brandon Moss, along with Alex Presley, who can play all three OF spots. Besides that group, Garrett Jones and the departed Ryan Church also have played in the Clemente pasture.
-- Speaking of a logjam of players, the Pirates are tied with the 2008 club's franchise record for most pitchers used in a season with 26. The team has used 47 different players overall in 2010, two less than the Pittsburgh record of 49 set in 1987 and tied in 2001.
-- Consistency? As Dejan Kovacevic noted in today's PG, Neil Walker has been with the big club since May 25th, and has yet to go more than three straight games without a hit. The Bucco evaluators that had him slotted as a utility guy sure missed the mark with The Pittsburgh Kid. Maybe that's part of the Pirates' problem.
-- How many come-from-behind wins are there in MLB? Not many. Even Pittsburgh is 38-1 when leading after eight innings; they're 3-82 when trailing.
-- RHP Chris Resop, released by Atlanta, got a strong endorsement from Bobby Cox. It seems Resop had a drop-dead date in his contract to be placed on the active roster, and a pulled oblique, not his performance, is what cost him his Braves' gig.
-- If you're wondering, Pirate attendance this year averages 20,115, a 3% increase from 2009's average of 19,480.
-- Altoona and Bradenton start their playoffs on Wednesday at home. The Curve face the Harrisburg Senators at Blair County park while the Marauders take on the Charlotte Stone Crabs at McKechnie Field.
-- OF Brandon Moss (.266/22/96) was named the 2010 Indy Indians MVP. Alex Presley (Rookie of the Year; .294/6/38), Jeremy Powell (Most Valuable Starting Pitcher; 11-9, 4.92), Erik Kratz (Slugger of the Year; .274/9/41) and Jean Machi (Henry Smock Relief Pitcher of the Year; 5-5-23, 3.92) took the other trophies home.
-- Altoona Curve Manager Matt Walbeck has been named the 2010 Eastern League Manager of the Year. It is the second time in Walbeck’s career that he has been named the E.L. Manager of the Year. He earned his first title with Erie in 2007 and was also named the best manager in Minor League Baseball by Baseball America the same year.
After the 2006 season, the former big league catcher was named the Midwest League Manager of the Year with West Michigan. Looks like Pittsburgh has another internal candidate to look at if JR gets his walking papers.
-- Altoona honored catcher Hector Gimenez (.305/16/72) as the Curve's MVP, LHP Rudy Owens (12-6, 2.46) as Pitcher of the Year, and closer Daniel Moskos (3-1-21, 1.52) was the Fireman of the Year. 1B Matt Hague (.295/18/86) won the Iron Man Award and IF Josh Harrison (.300/4/75) was named the team's Unsung Hero.
-- Short-season State College awarded OF Adalberto Santos (.319/3/35) the Spikes' MVP and RHP Kevin Decker (8-1, 3.75) was named the Pitcher of the Year. OF Cole White (.250/3/19) and IF Chase Lyles (.241/6/33) shared the Spikes Leadership Award.
-- Speaking of a logjam of players, the Pirates are tied with the 2008 club's franchise record for most pitchers used in a season with 26. The team has used 47 different players overall in 2010, two less than the Pittsburgh record of 49 set in 1987 and tied in 2001.
-- Consistency? As Dejan Kovacevic noted in today's PG, Neil Walker has been with the big club since May 25th, and has yet to go more than three straight games without a hit. The Bucco evaluators that had him slotted as a utility guy sure missed the mark with The Pittsburgh Kid. Maybe that's part of the Pirates' problem.
-- How many come-from-behind wins are there in MLB? Not many. Even Pittsburgh is 38-1 when leading after eight innings; they're 3-82 when trailing.
-- RHP Chris Resop, released by Atlanta, got a strong endorsement from Bobby Cox. It seems Resop had a drop-dead date in his contract to be placed on the active roster, and a pulled oblique, not his performance, is what cost him his Braves' gig.
-- If you're wondering, Pirate attendance this year averages 20,115, a 3% increase from 2009's average of 19,480.
-- Altoona and Bradenton start their playoffs on Wednesday at home. The Curve face the Harrisburg Senators at Blair County park while the Marauders take on the Charlotte Stone Crabs at McKechnie Field.
-- OF Brandon Moss (.266/22/96) was named the 2010 Indy Indians MVP. Alex Presley (Rookie of the Year; .294/6/38), Jeremy Powell (Most Valuable Starting Pitcher; 11-9, 4.92), Erik Kratz (Slugger of the Year; .274/9/41) and Jean Machi (Henry Smock Relief Pitcher of the Year; 5-5-23, 3.92) took the other trophies home.
-- Altoona Curve Manager Matt Walbeck has been named the 2010 Eastern League Manager of the Year. It is the second time in Walbeck’s career that he has been named the E.L. Manager of the Year. He earned his first title with Erie in 2007 and was also named the best manager in Minor League Baseball by Baseball America the same year.
After the 2006 season, the former big league catcher was named the Midwest League Manager of the Year with West Michigan. Looks like Pittsburgh has another internal candidate to look at if JR gets his walking papers.
-- Altoona honored catcher Hector Gimenez (.305/16/72) as the Curve's MVP, LHP Rudy Owens (12-6, 2.46) as Pitcher of the Year, and closer Daniel Moskos (3-1-21, 1.52) was the Fireman of the Year. 1B Matt Hague (.295/18/86) won the Iron Man Award and IF Josh Harrison (.300/4/75) was named the team's Unsung Hero.
-- Short-season State College awarded OF Adalberto Santos (.319/3/35) the Spikes' MVP and RHP Kevin Decker (8-1, 3.75) was named the Pitcher of the Year. OF Cole White (.250/3/19) and IF Chase Lyles (.241/6/33) shared the Spikes Leadership Award.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Here They All Come
The Pirates have called up OF's Brandon Moss (.266/22/96) and Alex Presley (.294/6/38), SS Pedro Ciriaco (.281/0/6), C Jason Jaramillo (.239/1/13), RHP's Brad Lincoln (7-5, 4.12), Brian Bass (4-4, 3.26) and Steven Jackson (4-0, 3.51), and LHP Justin Thomas (5-0, 2.48) from Indy to complete their September roster.
Presley, Moss, Bass and Jackson had to be added to the 40-man roster. To make room for those four, RHP Ross Ohlendorf and 1B Jeff Clement were placed on the 60-day DL. The Bucs also DFA'ed 2B/3B Aki Iwamura and C Erik Kratz, both who fizzled with the big club.
Adding Moss and Presley were pleasant surprises; we may see a different right fielder every night now. It also gives us a possible window to peek through concerning what the suits think of John Bowker in his brief audition.
As far as the pitching, we would have brought up Thomas for sure, Lincoln maybe, and have no clue why Bass and Jackson were added to the 40-man, unless they expect a lot of mop-up in the coming couple of dozen games.
We're assuming that the brass are going to shut down Jeff Karstens for the rest of the year. If Charlie Morton and Brian Burres take the place of Karstens and Ross Ohlendorf, that makes Bass, Joe Martinez, and Sean Gallagher the long men.
We're curious to see what they do with Lincoln; he's been rocked since his neck injury, and been on a strict pitch count, to boot.
The Pirates are now carrying 17 healthy pitchers on the roster.
Presley, Moss, Bass and Jackson had to be added to the 40-man roster. To make room for those four, RHP Ross Ohlendorf and 1B Jeff Clement were placed on the 60-day DL. The Bucs also DFA'ed 2B/3B Aki Iwamura and C Erik Kratz, both who fizzled with the big club.
Adding Moss and Presley were pleasant surprises; we may see a different right fielder every night now. It also gives us a possible window to peek through concerning what the suits think of John Bowker in his brief audition.
As far as the pitching, we would have brought up Thomas for sure, Lincoln maybe, and have no clue why Bass and Jackson were added to the 40-man, unless they expect a lot of mop-up in the coming couple of dozen games.
We're assuming that the brass are going to shut down Jeff Karstens for the rest of the year. If Charlie Morton and Brian Burres take the place of Karstens and Ross Ohlendorf, that makes Bass, Joe Martinez, and Sean Gallagher the long men.
We're curious to see what they do with Lincoln; he's been rocked since his neck injury, and been on a strict pitch count, to boot.
The Pirates are now carrying 17 healthy pitchers on the roster.
Burres and Walker Too Much For Atlanta
Geez, already. After getting a bounce out, Brian Burres got wunderkind Jason Heyward to hit a foul over third; Ronny Cedeno dropped it. Four pitches, and the first Bucco error. But BB picked up his teammate and K'ed the rook; no damage by the Braves in the opening frame.
The Brave's self-inflicted some damage on themselves with a walk and an error in the Pirate first. McCutch drew a leadoff base on balls on five pitches from Tommy Hanson, stole second, and went to third when the wide throw ticked off a mitt and died in short center. The Braves played the infield back, Jose Tabata hit a routine grounder to short, and it was 1-0.
Atlanta set up shop quickly in the second, with back-to-back singles and a plunked batter to start the frame. Burres wriggled out of it nicely, though, giving up just a run on a sac fly.
The Bucs hit the ball on the nose in the second, but to no avail. Pedro flied out a step short of the left center 383' mark, Dewey lined a single into right, DY lined out to center, and Cedeno flew out deep to straightaway center. A lot of smoke, but not much fire.
The Braves put Heyward aboard with one out, when his looper into left fell in front of JT, who had a late break and not much energy coming in on the ball; we're wondering if he has some leg tightness. But that was it for Atlanta in the third.
The Pirates went down in order. But interestingly, McCutch tried to bunt his way on. About time; it certainly appears he's going to stay at leadoff, and if he can make third basemen play him in, holes will open, adding to his arsenal.
BB pitched a clean fourth, aided by Cedeno's outstanding grab of a quail blooped into center by Alex Gonzalez. Pittsburgh made some two-out noise when El Toro doubled into left center and Dewey walked, but DY popped a soft fly to left to end the inning. Both sides went down in order in the fifth.
Burres was almost too sharp for his own good in the sixth. With two outs, he sawed off Derrek Lee and Matt Diaz, but both dropped little jam shot singles into the outfield. JR strode to the mound, with Chan Ho Park loose in the pen, but after a brief chat allowed BB one more batter - and he got him.
The Pirates rewarded him in a hurry. JT reached out and rolled a curve up the middle; The Pittsburgh Kid then launched his tenth homer into center, landing in the batter's eye. Now it was Burres' game to win. He went six innings, giving up a run on five hits with 3 K's and squarely put himself in line to take Jeff Karsten's spot in the rotation.
Chris Resop, who the Pirates claimed from Atlanta, came on. With one out, Nate McLouth rolled a single into right; with two outs, he stole second. Resop lost it briefly, walking the bases full and bringing up the dangerous Martin Prada. He was jammed, and hit a check swing roller toward third while falling backward. Pedro came in and beat him him by a step at first on a very nice effort and stronger throw.
The Bucs went down 1-2-3 against Kyle Farnsworth, and Evan Meek took the hill. He walked Lee to open the frame, and an out later Alex Gonzalez rolled a check swing grounder 50' for an infield single. Pinch hitter Brian McCann hit a DP ball to second, but Walker lost it while trying to make the turn to second, and settled for the out at first.
Second and third for Nate. But the old Bucco didn't come back to haunt his former club; he bounced out to Jones. No wonder Bobby Cox is retiring.
Peter Moylan took over in the eighth, and got Pittsburgh on three grounders. Joel Hanrahan was on in the ninth, looking for his fourth save. And Hanny got it, giving up only a two-out, two-strike single to Heywood.
Nice to be the spoiler for a day. The Buc offense did just enough, and they made some plays in the field. Even though they were outhit 8-4, most of the Brave knocks were of seeing-eye variety, and the bullpen stood tall when it had to, stranding six runners over the last three innings.
The pitchers, especially Burres, worked the ball inside today, causing a number of broken bats, check swing rollers, and soft pops. It would be nice to see that become a habit.
James McDonald will face off against Tim Hudson tomorrow night.
-- Neil Walker now has a thirteen game hitting streak. Not too shabby for a guy called up to be a bench player.
-- Delwyn Young got the ride on JR's right field carousal today. Dewey is catching and John Bowker is sitting with righty Tommy Hanson on the hill.
-- Evan Meek says he's ready to go; JR said tomorrow is more likely. Guess Meek knew best.
-- Nate the Great is back for Atlanta; McLouth made his first major league start since July 24th on Sunday. He was demoted to AAA Gwinnett on July 27th and returned to the Braves on August 31st, so he's auditioning for a spot on the playoff roster. McLouth is starting in center today and batting eighth; he's hitting .168.
-- GM Neal Huntington said that the organization will wait until after the minor league season to decide which three pitchers the organization will send to the Arizona Fall League. We're guessing that they're going to total up the innings worked, and will weigh how deep Bradenton and Altoona go in their playoff runs.
-- The Padres have lost ten in a row to pare their Western Division lead to a game over the Giants. The G-Men haven't exactly been charging after them; they're 5-5 in the same span.
The Brave's self-inflicted some damage on themselves with a walk and an error in the Pirate first. McCutch drew a leadoff base on balls on five pitches from Tommy Hanson, stole second, and went to third when the wide throw ticked off a mitt and died in short center. The Braves played the infield back, Jose Tabata hit a routine grounder to short, and it was 1-0.
Atlanta set up shop quickly in the second, with back-to-back singles and a plunked batter to start the frame. Burres wriggled out of it nicely, though, giving up just a run on a sac fly.
The Bucs hit the ball on the nose in the second, but to no avail. Pedro flied out a step short of the left center 383' mark, Dewey lined a single into right, DY lined out to center, and Cedeno flew out deep to straightaway center. A lot of smoke, but not much fire.
The Braves put Heyward aboard with one out, when his looper into left fell in front of JT, who had a late break and not much energy coming in on the ball; we're wondering if he has some leg tightness. But that was it for Atlanta in the third.
The Pirates went down in order. But interestingly, McCutch tried to bunt his way on. About time; it certainly appears he's going to stay at leadoff, and if he can make third basemen play him in, holes will open, adding to his arsenal.
BB pitched a clean fourth, aided by Cedeno's outstanding grab of a quail blooped into center by Alex Gonzalez. Pittsburgh made some two-out noise when El Toro doubled into left center and Dewey walked, but DY popped a soft fly to left to end the inning. Both sides went down in order in the fifth.
Burres was almost too sharp for his own good in the sixth. With two outs, he sawed off Derrek Lee and Matt Diaz, but both dropped little jam shot singles into the outfield. JR strode to the mound, with Chan Ho Park loose in the pen, but after a brief chat allowed BB one more batter - and he got him.
The Pirates rewarded him in a hurry. JT reached out and rolled a curve up the middle; The Pittsburgh Kid then launched his tenth homer into center, landing in the batter's eye. Now it was Burres' game to win. He went six innings, giving up a run on five hits with 3 K's and squarely put himself in line to take Jeff Karsten's spot in the rotation.
Chris Resop, who the Pirates claimed from Atlanta, came on. With one out, Nate McLouth rolled a single into right; with two outs, he stole second. Resop lost it briefly, walking the bases full and bringing up the dangerous Martin Prada. He was jammed, and hit a check swing roller toward third while falling backward. Pedro came in and beat him him by a step at first on a very nice effort and stronger throw.
The Bucs went down 1-2-3 against Kyle Farnsworth, and Evan Meek took the hill. He walked Lee to open the frame, and an out later Alex Gonzalez rolled a check swing grounder 50' for an infield single. Pinch hitter Brian McCann hit a DP ball to second, but Walker lost it while trying to make the turn to second, and settled for the out at first.
Second and third for Nate. But the old Bucco didn't come back to haunt his former club; he bounced out to Jones. No wonder Bobby Cox is retiring.
Peter Moylan took over in the eighth, and got Pittsburgh on three grounders. Joel Hanrahan was on in the ninth, looking for his fourth save. And Hanny got it, giving up only a two-out, two-strike single to Heywood.
Nice to be the spoiler for a day. The Buc offense did just enough, and they made some plays in the field. Even though they were outhit 8-4, most of the Brave knocks were of seeing-eye variety, and the bullpen stood tall when it had to, stranding six runners over the last three innings.
The pitchers, especially Burres, worked the ball inside today, causing a number of broken bats, check swing rollers, and soft pops. It would be nice to see that become a habit.
James McDonald will face off against Tim Hudson tomorrow night.
-- Neil Walker now has a thirteen game hitting streak. Not too shabby for a guy called up to be a bench player.
-- Delwyn Young got the ride on JR's right field carousal today. Dewey is catching and John Bowker is sitting with righty Tommy Hanson on the hill.
-- Evan Meek says he's ready to go; JR said tomorrow is more likely. Guess Meek knew best.
-- Nate the Great is back for Atlanta; McLouth made his first major league start since July 24th on Sunday. He was demoted to AAA Gwinnett on July 27th and returned to the Braves on August 31st, so he's auditioning for a spot on the playoff roster. McLouth is starting in center today and batting eighth; he's hitting .168.
-- GM Neal Huntington said that the organization will wait until after the minor league season to decide which three pitchers the organization will send to the Arizona Fall League. We're guessing that they're going to total up the innings worked, and will weigh how deep Bradenton and Altoona go in their playoff runs.
-- The Padres have lost ten in a row to pare their Western Division lead to a game over the Giants. The G-Men haven't exactly been charging after them; they're 5-5 in the same span.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Maz Honored; Team Embarrassed
Hey, Charlie Morton looked OK in the first inning. He gave up a manufactured run when Nymo started off slapping an opposite way grounder into left, went to second when Morton's pick-off throw went awry (CM was charged with the error, though it looked like the ball just clanged off the end of Garrett Jones' mitt), a bunt, and a grounder to short.
The Bucs got Jose Tabata aboard when he got plunked in the hand, and lost him just as quickly when he broke on the pitch and was doubled up after Neil Walker's bloop was run down in right. Just imagine the outcry if it were Lastings Milledge running instead of JT. Anyway, one inning, two blunders by the Bucs.
Morton threw a nice second, too, giving up just a two-out walk. The Pirates got their first kncok against Jason Maquis when Dewey lined a two-out single; he went to second when Ronny Cedeno's one hopper spun out of Marquis' glove. He got out of it when Chris Snyder hit one on the nose, but right at left fielder Roger Bernadino.
The Bucs dodged a bullet in the third when with one out, Nyjer Morgan walked. He stole second, but overslid the bag, as he often did in his Pittsburgh days, and Cedeno slapped the ball on him. Ian Desmond followed with a double to the notch, but Morton escaped any damage.
Zimmerman saved the Nats from giving up a big inning when with one out, he dove to glove a ball ticketed by McCutch for the left field corner and threw him out. Tabata singled and Walker doubled after that, but were stranded when Jones grounded out. Both teams had uncashed opportunities, and that's why they're both in last.
The wheels came off in the fourth. Adam Dunn homered to start the inning, followed by a pair of soft, opposite field singles. Adam Kennedy hit a potential DP ball to Jones; he let it go off his glove. Wilson Ramos hit a hard, short-hop at Cedeno. If he comes up with the difficult play, it's two, but it skipped by his mitt into left.
The pitcher hit into a force at home; Jones' mechanical set-up to throw home cost them any chance of a DP. Nymo struck out, and it looked like Morton would wriggle out just giving up a pair. But it wasn't to be. Ian Desmond bounced one that Walker made a nice play on in the outfield grass, but his throw couldn't get the speedy Desmond.
Zimmerman rolled an 0-2 pitch into center just past the diving Cedeno, and it was 6-0. Morton headed to the showers as Daniel McCutchen came on. Dunn ripped one toward the Notch, but McCutch ran it down at the track
A quiet inning turned into a nightmare because the Pirates couldn't come up with a big play in the field, even with repeated chances.
Pedro got one back when he crushed his eleventh homer into center. Cedeno doubled with one away, his fifth straight game with a two-bagger, and was left at second. Joe Martinez, freshly called up from Indy, took over in the fifth.
Martinez gave up a two-out single to Adam Kennedy, who was tossed trying to steal by Snyder; the Bucs got a two-out single by Walker.
The sixth started off easily enough, but with two away, Nymo walked. Pedro booted an easy two hopper, and Zimmerman singled a run home. Dunn smashed a hard-hit one hopper straight at Jones; he turned his glove and had it clang off to allow another score. It was ruled a hit, but it was a ball that should have been caught.
Pittsburgh went down 1-2-3. Martinez got the Nats in order on six pitches in the seventh. Tyler Clippard took the ball from Marquis in the Bucco half, and gave up a two-out infield single to McCutch. Wil Ledezema took the hill in the eighth, walked the first hitter and struck out two of the next three. The Bucs went down quietly again, though Walker collected another single, his third knock of the day.
Chris Resop worked the ninth, surrendering a walk. The Pirates loaded the bases with two away in their at-bat for the red-hot Walker, but he hit a soft hopper to second off the handle to end it.
The Pirates scored one run on eleven hits; the Nats scored eight runs on eleven hits. Washington made the plays they should have, and Pittsburgh didn't. Fundamentals, my dear Watson, fundamentals.
Brian Burres takes the mound against Tommy Hanson tomorrow afternoon.
-- Today's game opened when Billy Maz tossed a strike to Neil Walker for the ceremonial pre-game first pitch, in a passing of the torch moment. Prior to that, Maz had a tearful moment - no surprise there - when his statue was unveiled.
-- Jeff Karstens will miss tomorrow's start; his shoulder is still "cranky."
-- Neil Walker extended his career-high hitting streak to 12 games today.
-- RHP Joe Martinez got called up from Indy, and he will pitch out of the bullpen for the big club.
-- The suits are still debating what to do with Brandon Moss, with Thrilledge, Ryan Doumit, and John Bowkser already looking for at-bats in RF. Moss is out of options and can become a free agent if he doesn't end up on the 40-man roster. Another non-rostered Indian that will likely be left in the cold is break-out player Alex Presley.
-- RHP Craig Hansen has been promoted from Bradenton to Altoona. He was a part of the Jay Bay deal, and was shut down for the better part of two seasons with nerve damage in his neck.
The Bucs got Jose Tabata aboard when he got plunked in the hand, and lost him just as quickly when he broke on the pitch and was doubled up after Neil Walker's bloop was run down in right. Just imagine the outcry if it were Lastings Milledge running instead of JT. Anyway, one inning, two blunders by the Bucs.
Morton threw a nice second, too, giving up just a two-out walk. The Pirates got their first kncok against Jason Maquis when Dewey lined a two-out single; he went to second when Ronny Cedeno's one hopper spun out of Marquis' glove. He got out of it when Chris Snyder hit one on the nose, but right at left fielder Roger Bernadino.
The Bucs dodged a bullet in the third when with one out, Nyjer Morgan walked. He stole second, but overslid the bag, as he often did in his Pittsburgh days, and Cedeno slapped the ball on him. Ian Desmond followed with a double to the notch, but Morton escaped any damage.
Zimmerman saved the Nats from giving up a big inning when with one out, he dove to glove a ball ticketed by McCutch for the left field corner and threw him out. Tabata singled and Walker doubled after that, but were stranded when Jones grounded out. Both teams had uncashed opportunities, and that's why they're both in last.
The wheels came off in the fourth. Adam Dunn homered to start the inning, followed by a pair of soft, opposite field singles. Adam Kennedy hit a potential DP ball to Jones; he let it go off his glove. Wilson Ramos hit a hard, short-hop at Cedeno. If he comes up with the difficult play, it's two, but it skipped by his mitt into left.
The pitcher hit into a force at home; Jones' mechanical set-up to throw home cost them any chance of a DP. Nymo struck out, and it looked like Morton would wriggle out just giving up a pair. But it wasn't to be. Ian Desmond bounced one that Walker made a nice play on in the outfield grass, but his throw couldn't get the speedy Desmond.
Zimmerman rolled an 0-2 pitch into center just past the diving Cedeno, and it was 6-0. Morton headed to the showers as Daniel McCutchen came on. Dunn ripped one toward the Notch, but McCutch ran it down at the track
A quiet inning turned into a nightmare because the Pirates couldn't come up with a big play in the field, even with repeated chances.
Pedro got one back when he crushed his eleventh homer into center. Cedeno doubled with one away, his fifth straight game with a two-bagger, and was left at second. Joe Martinez, freshly called up from Indy, took over in the fifth.
Martinez gave up a two-out single to Adam Kennedy, who was tossed trying to steal by Snyder; the Bucs got a two-out single by Walker.
The sixth started off easily enough, but with two away, Nymo walked. Pedro booted an easy two hopper, and Zimmerman singled a run home. Dunn smashed a hard-hit one hopper straight at Jones; he turned his glove and had it clang off to allow another score. It was ruled a hit, but it was a ball that should have been caught.
Pittsburgh went down 1-2-3. Martinez got the Nats in order on six pitches in the seventh. Tyler Clippard took the ball from Marquis in the Bucco half, and gave up a two-out infield single to McCutch. Wil Ledezema took the hill in the eighth, walked the first hitter and struck out two of the next three. The Bucs went down quietly again, though Walker collected another single, his third knock of the day.
Chris Resop worked the ninth, surrendering a walk. The Pirates loaded the bases with two away in their at-bat for the red-hot Walker, but he hit a soft hopper to second off the handle to end it.
The Pirates scored one run on eleven hits; the Nats scored eight runs on eleven hits. Washington made the plays they should have, and Pittsburgh didn't. Fundamentals, my dear Watson, fundamentals.
Brian Burres takes the mound against Tommy Hanson tomorrow afternoon.
-- Today's game opened when Billy Maz tossed a strike to Neil Walker for the ceremonial pre-game first pitch, in a passing of the torch moment. Prior to that, Maz had a tearful moment - no surprise there - when his statue was unveiled.
-- Jeff Karstens will miss tomorrow's start; his shoulder is still "cranky."
-- Neil Walker extended his career-high hitting streak to 12 games today.
-- RHP Joe Martinez got called up from Indy, and he will pitch out of the bullpen for the big club.
-- The suits are still debating what to do with Brandon Moss, with Thrilledge, Ryan Doumit, and John Bowkser already looking for at-bats in RF. Moss is out of options and can become a free agent if he doesn't end up on the 40-man roster. Another non-rostered Indian that will likely be left in the cold is break-out player Alex Presley.
-- RHP Craig Hansen has been promoted from Bradenton to Altoona. He was a part of the Jay Bay deal, and was shut down for the better part of two seasons with nerve damage in his neck.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Sad Sad Story
Well, Paul Maholm and John Lannan got things off on the right foot; both threw routine scoreless opening frames. PM mowed down the Nats in the second, while Lannan had to put up with consecutive two-out errors by SS Ian Desmond before getting Chris Snyder on a soft liner to second.
Pedro repaid the favor in the third when a hopper to third clanged of his mitt for a two base boot. Maholm was equal to the task; he hasn't allowed a ball out of the infield so far.
The Bucs got a McCutch walk in the third, and that was it. After three, neither pitcher has allowed a hit; Maholm has three K's; Lannan five.
Trouble brewed in the fourth. Ryan Zimmerman got a broken-bat flare single to lead off the frame, on a ball that fooled Jose Tabata, who was off angle and barely missed making a sliding catch; the broken bat probably caused him to think it was hit more solidly.
Mike Morse walked, and Roger Bernardino dropped a bunt single. Pudge hit a fly to deep right; Thrilledge got turned around and allowed it to get over his head. One run scored easily, but the second was dead at home - except Snyder dropped a perfect relay. The Keystone Kops are in action on the field again.
The infield came in with runners on second and third, and Danny Espinosa lined a soft single over Neil Walker, a ball that's probably caught with the infield in normal position. With Nats on the corners, McCutch made a nice running catch of a ball hit to the Notch, but another run scored. A bunt moved Espinosa to second, and Nyjer Morgan singled to left to bring him in. That quickly, it was 5-0.
The Pirates at least rolled a couple of base hits against Lannan in the fourth, stranding runners at second and third. A single and a Pudge dinger the opposite way over the Clemente Wall ended PM's night.
He went 4-1/3 innings, giving up eight hits and seven runs with two walks and three K's. The Pirates had been warming up Daniel McCutchen earlier, but JR waved in Sean Gallagher. The pitcher leads off next inning; we doubt that Gallagher works more than this frame. And he did get out of it and headed for the showers.
The Pirates got on the board when McCutch hit his thirteenth bomb to left just inside the pole; a two out double by Walker, extending his hitting streak to eleven games, went for naught.
D-Mac, the only reliever not to work last night, got in hot water immediately when he walked the pitcher and gave up back-to-back hits to start the sixth. He escaped with just one run when the infield in worked and caught Nymo trying to score from third (and no, he didn't try to slam Snyder; even hockey goons respect 245 pounds). If you're running out of fingers, it's now 8-1.
The Bucs stranded another runner at second in their half. Daniel McCutchen gave up back-to-back leadoff singles in the seventh - not a very quick starter today - but used a 1-6-3 DP to get out of the inning. The Pirates went down quietly, with McCutch reaching via an error. They've committed three, but haven't paid for one.
Chan Ho Park took the horsehide in the eighth. Two ground ball singles turned into another tally. Doug Slaten took over for Lannan, who went seven giving up a run on five hits and a walk with seven K's while throwing 109 pitches.
The Bucs had two on with one out when Ronny Cedeno doubled into left; one run scored but Thrilledge was thrown out at home, down by seven runs. He was waved around by Tony Beasley, and it was a nice throw, but geez! The play wasn't close. Even the coaches don't seem to have passed baseball 101.
Wil Ledezema took the hill in the ninth and rolled through the Nats. Joel Peralto came on to finish up for the Nats. He got them handily, yielding only a two-out, two-strike single to JT.
Not much to say; these guys are just not fundamentally ready to compete every night. Losing ways become as ingrained as winning traditions; let's hope it's not sunk too deeply into the kids yet.
It's sunk in with the fans: the attendance of 30,263 was several thousand shy of the usual SkyBlast promotion crowd; even fireworks and a band can't bring them in. Eventually, you have to offer the customers a good product.
Charlie Morton takes on Jason Marquis tomorrow afternoon.
-- Dewey climbed to number five on the all-time PNC Park home run list when he launched his 34th at the home yard last night. Ahead of him are Jay Bay (61), Craig Wilson (47), Brian Giles (45), and Aramis Ramirez (38).
-- Alan Robinson of the Associated Press has a good read on Neil Walker and his family connection to Roberto Clemente.
-- We failed to mention that Maz's statue dedication is a double celebration - he turns 74 tomorrow.
-- Baseball America's final 2010 Prospect Hot Sheet lists a couple of Bucco farmhands, one hot and the other...well, not.
RHP Phillip Irwin is listed as "Man Among Boys" and OF John Lambo is found under the heading "Not So Hot Sheet."
-- High A Bradenton has joined Altoona in the post-season ranks, as they qualified for the Florida State League playoffs last night by backing into the Southern Division title even though losing 5-3.
-- 3B Eric Avila was selected to the Gulf Coast League postseason all-star team. 3B Diego Goris and DH/C Samuel Gonzalez were named to the Dominican Summer League postseason all-star team.
-- If you're curious, with 27 games left to play, the Pirates are 4-1/2 games up on the Orioles in the Anthony Rendon sweepstakes next June.
-- Stephen Strasburg underwent successful Tommy John surgery Friday in Los Angeles. Successful or not, it could keep him out of the starting rotation until the 2012 season.
Pedro repaid the favor in the third when a hopper to third clanged of his mitt for a two base boot. Maholm was equal to the task; he hasn't allowed a ball out of the infield so far.
The Bucs got a McCutch walk in the third, and that was it. After three, neither pitcher has allowed a hit; Maholm has three K's; Lannan five.
Trouble brewed in the fourth. Ryan Zimmerman got a broken-bat flare single to lead off the frame, on a ball that fooled Jose Tabata, who was off angle and barely missed making a sliding catch; the broken bat probably caused him to think it was hit more solidly.
Mike Morse walked, and Roger Bernardino dropped a bunt single. Pudge hit a fly to deep right; Thrilledge got turned around and allowed it to get over his head. One run scored easily, but the second was dead at home - except Snyder dropped a perfect relay. The Keystone Kops are in action on the field again.
The infield came in with runners on second and third, and Danny Espinosa lined a soft single over Neil Walker, a ball that's probably caught with the infield in normal position. With Nats on the corners, McCutch made a nice running catch of a ball hit to the Notch, but another run scored. A bunt moved Espinosa to second, and Nyjer Morgan singled to left to bring him in. That quickly, it was 5-0.
The Pirates at least rolled a couple of base hits against Lannan in the fourth, stranding runners at second and third. A single and a Pudge dinger the opposite way over the Clemente Wall ended PM's night.
He went 4-1/3 innings, giving up eight hits and seven runs with two walks and three K's. The Pirates had been warming up Daniel McCutchen earlier, but JR waved in Sean Gallagher. The pitcher leads off next inning; we doubt that Gallagher works more than this frame. And he did get out of it and headed for the showers.
The Pirates got on the board when McCutch hit his thirteenth bomb to left just inside the pole; a two out double by Walker, extending his hitting streak to eleven games, went for naught.
D-Mac, the only reliever not to work last night, got in hot water immediately when he walked the pitcher and gave up back-to-back hits to start the sixth. He escaped with just one run when the infield in worked and caught Nymo trying to score from third (and no, he didn't try to slam Snyder; even hockey goons respect 245 pounds). If you're running out of fingers, it's now 8-1.
The Bucs stranded another runner at second in their half. Daniel McCutchen gave up back-to-back leadoff singles in the seventh - not a very quick starter today - but used a 1-6-3 DP to get out of the inning. The Pirates went down quietly, with McCutch reaching via an error. They've committed three, but haven't paid for one.
Chan Ho Park took the horsehide in the eighth. Two ground ball singles turned into another tally. Doug Slaten took over for Lannan, who went seven giving up a run on five hits and a walk with seven K's while throwing 109 pitches.
The Bucs had two on with one out when Ronny Cedeno doubled into left; one run scored but Thrilledge was thrown out at home, down by seven runs. He was waved around by Tony Beasley, and it was a nice throw, but geez! The play wasn't close. Even the coaches don't seem to have passed baseball 101.
Wil Ledezema took the hill in the ninth and rolled through the Nats. Joel Peralto came on to finish up for the Nats. He got them handily, yielding only a two-out, two-strike single to JT.
Not much to say; these guys are just not fundamentally ready to compete every night. Losing ways become as ingrained as winning traditions; let's hope it's not sunk too deeply into the kids yet.
It's sunk in with the fans: the attendance of 30,263 was several thousand shy of the usual SkyBlast promotion crowd; even fireworks and a band can't bring them in. Eventually, you have to offer the customers a good product.
Charlie Morton takes on Jason Marquis tomorrow afternoon.
-- Dewey climbed to number five on the all-time PNC Park home run list when he launched his 34th at the home yard last night. Ahead of him are Jay Bay (61), Craig Wilson (47), Brian Giles (45), and Aramis Ramirez (38).
-- Alan Robinson of the Associated Press has a good read on Neil Walker and his family connection to Roberto Clemente.
-- We failed to mention that Maz's statue dedication is a double celebration - he turns 74 tomorrow.
-- Baseball America's final 2010 Prospect Hot Sheet lists a couple of Bucco farmhands, one hot and the other...well, not.
RHP Phillip Irwin is listed as "Man Among Boys" and OF John Lambo is found under the heading "Not So Hot Sheet."
-- High A Bradenton has joined Altoona in the post-season ranks, as they qualified for the Florida State League playoffs last night by backing into the Southern Division title even though losing 5-3.
-- 3B Eric Avila was selected to the Gulf Coast League postseason all-star team. 3B Diego Goris and DH/C Samuel Gonzalez were named to the Dominican Summer League postseason all-star team.
-- If you're curious, with 27 games left to play, the Pirates are 4-1/2 games up on the Orioles in the Anthony Rendon sweepstakes next June.
-- Stephen Strasburg underwent successful Tommy John surgery Friday in Los Angeles. Successful or not, it could keep him out of the starting rotation until the 2012 season.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Bucs Outpunch Nats
OK - Zach Duke got through the first without Nyjer Morgan having a meltdown after he lined out to McCutch. A two out Ryan Zimmerman double was left stranded, and the Pirate faithful who bypassed the Clarks and the Ribfest at Heinz Field breathed a sigh of relief.
Livian Hernadez had no drama in the first, either, as he 1-2-3'ed the Bucs. The Zachster matched him in the second. Pedro broke the ice for Pittsburgh with a one-out walk in Pittsburgh's half; he went no further.
The Nats drew first blood in the third when Danny Espinosa - the eight hitter, grrr! - hit his first MLB homer to right. With two away, a double by Ian Stewart that eluded McCutch's stab when his mitt caught on a padded pillar on the wall, and a walk to Zimmerman were stranded when Adam Dunn K'ed.
Ronny Cedeno led off with a double to right, and a Duke bunt followed by an Andrew McCutchen sac fly to right tied the score. The Pirates had some two-out thunder in their sticks. Jose Tabata singled past Adam Dunn, and Walker drew a base on balls. Garrett Jones took a curve away to the opposite field toward the Notch, and the double drove both runners home to claim a 3-1 lead.
Pedro booted a ball to start the fourth, but a 4-6-3 took care of that, followed by a generously called punch out; ump Lance Barksdale was inconsistent tonight, both ways. The Bucs added on when Dewey lifted a fastball over the middle - the first ball Hernandez has thrown down Broadway tonight - into the right center stands, his twelfth of the season.
Duke threw a clean fifth; he's given up three hits with a walk and five K's so far while throwing 79 pitches.
The Pirates broke it open in their at-bat. With one out, JT and The Pittsburgh Kid drilled knocks; back-to-back doubles by Jones, hit off the top of the wall in center, and El Toro, a rope to right, made it 7-1. Hernandez was sent to the shower; Miguel Batista came on, and gave up a RBI single to Dewey before putting out the Bucs fire.
Duke couldn't handle success. A walk, two singles, and another walk brought in both a run and Sean Gallagher to face a bases juiced, no out jam. He looked like he might get away with just another run when he fed a 5-3 DP ball to Pudge, but a broken-bat single and a ringing double cut the gap to 8-5.
Another disappointing outing for Duke (5IP, 4R, 5H, 3BB, 5K) and more inherited runners circling the bases against Gallagher, who had allowed about half (48%) of the previous runners in through August.
Tyler Clippard took over in the sixth and retired the Pirates in order. Wil Ledezema took the hill for the seventh. He retired Nymo on a fly, and then got the hook from JR with righties Desmond and Zimmerman coming up.
Chan Ho Park took over, whom we suppose is now the Bucs' new ROOGY. It worked; he got a K and pop-out. Pittsburgh is the only team in baseball with bridgemen by committee.
Clippard got Walker and Jones, then walked Alvarez. The Nats brought in Sean Burnett; we're surprised that he didn't start the inning with two lefties due up. He gave up an infield single to Ryan Doumit when Desmond couldn't get the soft bouncer up the middle out of his mitt cleanly. Thrilledge pinch hit for John Bowker, and tapped back to the mound.
LOOGY Brian Burres came in with Dunn at bat. He walked him, the only batter he was slated to face, and Chris Resop took the ball. CR K'ed the first two hitters, then walked the next to bring the tying run in the person of Espinosa to the dish. He fell behind him 3-1, but came back to get him swinging. JR, just in case, had Joel Hanrahan warming up.
Cedeno singled to center to start the eighth. DY, pinch hitting, reached out for a curve and rolled it Zimmerman for a 5-4-3 DP, followed by a McCutch come-backer. It was Hanrahan time.
And it was vintage Hanrahan. He struck out two batters and notched his third save. It was surely a sweet one against the team that gave up on him.
The Pirate batters showed great plate discipline against Hernandez, who lives at the edges of the strike zone, and hit balls where they were pitched. They weren't so choosy against the bullpen. But it's a start, and if they can develop that eye for all nine innings, it'll be a big step in turning around their batting fortunes.
The pitchers? Well, they better learn to be aggressive with the lead; the walks almost came back to bite them. And there were still the obligatory fielding gaffes and bonehead baserunning, but eight runs on the board make up for a multitude of sins.
Paul Maholm and John Lannan take the hill tomorrow night.
-- With one more hit, Neil Walker will become the first Pirate switch-hitter to have 100 knocks since Johnny Ray in 1984. Before that, it hadn't been done since 1943 by Jim Russell. Walker extended his personal-best hitting streak to ten games tonight.
-- Walker (99) and Jose Tabata (92) should become the first Pirate rookies to team up for 100+ hits since 1997, when Jose Guillen and Tony Womack went over the century mark.
-- John Bowker got his first Bucco start tonight in right field. The LH was the Giants' starter in RF on opening day.
-- Sunday is a big day for the Bucs - the Billy Maz statue on Bill Mazeroski Way outside PNC Park will be dedicated at 12:45 PM, with Bob Nutting, Bob Friend, and Steve Blass doing the speechifying.
-- While on a rehab stint for a balky knee with AAA Indy, Jeff Clement pulled his left oblique muscle. That probably puts the cap on his 2010 season.
-- Nyjer Morgan must be channeling the Penguins' Brooks Orpik; the old icer is hitting everything he sees. Sometimes that's not so good - while he's appealing a seven day suspension for throwing a baseball at a fan, he just got eight more added for starting a bench-clearing fracas.
Livian Hernadez had no drama in the first, either, as he 1-2-3'ed the Bucs. The Zachster matched him in the second. Pedro broke the ice for Pittsburgh with a one-out walk in Pittsburgh's half; he went no further.
The Nats drew first blood in the third when Danny Espinosa - the eight hitter, grrr! - hit his first MLB homer to right. With two away, a double by Ian Stewart that eluded McCutch's stab when his mitt caught on a padded pillar on the wall, and a walk to Zimmerman were stranded when Adam Dunn K'ed.
Ronny Cedeno led off with a double to right, and a Duke bunt followed by an Andrew McCutchen sac fly to right tied the score. The Pirates had some two-out thunder in their sticks. Jose Tabata singled past Adam Dunn, and Walker drew a base on balls. Garrett Jones took a curve away to the opposite field toward the Notch, and the double drove both runners home to claim a 3-1 lead.
Pedro booted a ball to start the fourth, but a 4-6-3 took care of that, followed by a generously called punch out; ump Lance Barksdale was inconsistent tonight, both ways. The Bucs added on when Dewey lifted a fastball over the middle - the first ball Hernandez has thrown down Broadway tonight - into the right center stands, his twelfth of the season.
Duke threw a clean fifth; he's given up three hits with a walk and five K's so far while throwing 79 pitches.
The Pirates broke it open in their at-bat. With one out, JT and The Pittsburgh Kid drilled knocks; back-to-back doubles by Jones, hit off the top of the wall in center, and El Toro, a rope to right, made it 7-1. Hernandez was sent to the shower; Miguel Batista came on, and gave up a RBI single to Dewey before putting out the Bucs fire.
Duke couldn't handle success. A walk, two singles, and another walk brought in both a run and Sean Gallagher to face a bases juiced, no out jam. He looked like he might get away with just another run when he fed a 5-3 DP ball to Pudge, but a broken-bat single and a ringing double cut the gap to 8-5.
Another disappointing outing for Duke (5IP, 4R, 5H, 3BB, 5K) and more inherited runners circling the bases against Gallagher, who had allowed about half (48%) of the previous runners in through August.
Tyler Clippard took over in the sixth and retired the Pirates in order. Wil Ledezema took the hill for the seventh. He retired Nymo on a fly, and then got the hook from JR with righties Desmond and Zimmerman coming up.
Chan Ho Park took over, whom we suppose is now the Bucs' new ROOGY. It worked; he got a K and pop-out. Pittsburgh is the only team in baseball with bridgemen by committee.
Clippard got Walker and Jones, then walked Alvarez. The Nats brought in Sean Burnett; we're surprised that he didn't start the inning with two lefties due up. He gave up an infield single to Ryan Doumit when Desmond couldn't get the soft bouncer up the middle out of his mitt cleanly. Thrilledge pinch hit for John Bowker, and tapped back to the mound.
LOOGY Brian Burres came in with Dunn at bat. He walked him, the only batter he was slated to face, and Chris Resop took the ball. CR K'ed the first two hitters, then walked the next to bring the tying run in the person of Espinosa to the dish. He fell behind him 3-1, but came back to get him swinging. JR, just in case, had Joel Hanrahan warming up.
Cedeno singled to center to start the eighth. DY, pinch hitting, reached out for a curve and rolled it Zimmerman for a 5-4-3 DP, followed by a McCutch come-backer. It was Hanrahan time.
And it was vintage Hanrahan. He struck out two batters and notched his third save. It was surely a sweet one against the team that gave up on him.
The Pirate batters showed great plate discipline against Hernandez, who lives at the edges of the strike zone, and hit balls where they were pitched. They weren't so choosy against the bullpen. But it's a start, and if they can develop that eye for all nine innings, it'll be a big step in turning around their batting fortunes.
The pitchers? Well, they better learn to be aggressive with the lead; the walks almost came back to bite them. And there were still the obligatory fielding gaffes and bonehead baserunning, but eight runs on the board make up for a multitude of sins.
Paul Maholm and John Lannan take the hill tomorrow night.
-- With one more hit, Neil Walker will become the first Pirate switch-hitter to have 100 knocks since Johnny Ray in 1984. Before that, it hadn't been done since 1943 by Jim Russell. Walker extended his personal-best hitting streak to ten games tonight.
-- Walker (99) and Jose Tabata (92) should become the first Pirate rookies to team up for 100+ hits since 1997, when Jose Guillen and Tony Womack went over the century mark.
-- John Bowker got his first Bucco start tonight in right field. The LH was the Giants' starter in RF on opening day.
-- Sunday is a big day for the Bucs - the Billy Maz statue on Bill Mazeroski Way outside PNC Park will be dedicated at 12:45 PM, with Bob Nutting, Bob Friend, and Steve Blass doing the speechifying.
-- While on a rehab stint for a balky knee with AAA Indy, Jeff Clement pulled his left oblique muscle. That probably puts the cap on his 2010 season.
-- Nyjer Morgan must be channeling the Penguins' Brooks Orpik; the old icer is hitting everything he sees. Sometimes that's not so good - while he's appealing a seven day suspension for throwing a baseball at a fan, he just got eight more added for starting a bench-clearing fracas.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Pellas on the Pirates: Making Peace With Neal Huntington ---or--- How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Tampa Bay North
I’ve sat down several times to write a pithy piece about the appalling trainwreck that is your 2010 Pittsburgh Pirates, but every time I got started, the words just trailed off into the ether.
That’s because unlike the (rapidly dwindling?) legion of Neal Huntington apologists, I expect a “major league” baseball team to make at least a show of trying to win a few games every year instead of deliberately tanking entire, multiple seasons on the premise that that’s all okay “because we’re rebuilding”, doncha know.
Unfortunately it’s become crystal clear that while current team ownership and management certainly has its priorities, winning in the here and now is definitely not among them. All of which does not make Huntington or his apologists right to blow off season after season on the hoped-for premise that someday, it’ll all be made right and no one will care. What it does do is force me and fans like me to re-evaluate how we perceive and follow the Pirates.
As a General Manager, Huntington makes a good Farm Director. Which, according to his apologists, is exactly the point. The Pirates, such fans continually remind me, were totally broken when “Opie”(seriously, he looks just like him) took over. Dave Littlefield’s approach didn’t work, nor did Cam Bonifay’s before him.
Littlefield may have seen to it that the Pirates were consistently somewhere in or not far from the realm of mediocrity, but his farm system was a disaster and there was no hope of contending. Bonifay tried to retain a couple of productive stars in Jason Kendall and Brian Giles, only to see the team’s finances ruined for...well, ever since.
Thus, only a complete and total teardown-and-rebuild of the entire organization, top to bottom, had any hope of producing another winner in Pittsburgh. Only the kind of consistently outstanding minor league systems we see in Tampa Bay, in Miami, in San Diego, and perhaps in Oakland and Minnesota had any chance at all of turning the team around.
Believe it or not, to this point in the discussion I largely agree with the other side. It’s when we go past this point that we part company. That’s because I don’t believe it’s ever “okay” to all but completely ignore the product that’s being put on the field at the (allegedly) major league level.
Not when your team plays in the elite professional organization in the entire industry, worldwide. Not when wins and losses and statistics can all be distorted, even pennant races affected, simply because you can’t be bothered to put even a mildly competent, sort-of professional team on the diamond for 162 games. And not when you charge paying customers admission in order that they might witness the carnage firsthand.
I don’t care how dysfunctional or “unfair” the economics of major league baseball are, or are purported to be. Them’s the rules. I don’t care that no free agent of real consequence would be caught dead in Pittsburgh even if ownership had the will and the cash flow to outbid other teams for their services. I don’t care that the Pirates are, in fact, making a real and legitimate effort to produce a consistently productive farm system. Well, that’s not true. I do care about that. I just don’t think a “major league” GM’s job description begins and ends in the bushes, even though Neal Huntington’s evidently does.
But wait, the apologists will protest. Didn’t he sign some very useful guys for the bullpen this past offseason, and didn’t he get a productive hitter in Garrett Jones off the junkheap, and didn’t he make a great trade with the Yankees? The answer to all of those questions is, yes he did.
Unfortunately, those deals are just about the complete extent of all the major-league-productive-right-now moves Huntington has made to date. That is, they’re about the only thing he’s done that has helped the team on the field at PNC even a little during the entire time he’s been the GM of the Pirates. (Jose Tabata and Pedro Alvarez have, of course, made the big club this season as the first wave of homegrown kids under Huntington’s watch. But they’re still too few, too young, and too inconsistent to really affect things without considerable reinforcements.)
To be sure, other moves were attempted. A few of them, anyway. But for reasons I will never comprehend, when it came to trades and signings that were supposed to help bridge the gap until the kids arrived, a veritable M*A*S*H unit of already-hamburgerized players was brought to Pittsburgh, apparently with little or no due diligence on the part of the front office.
Aki Iwamura, Jose Ascanio, Ryan Church and Jeff Clement were all certainly hurt before they ever put on a Pirates uniform. Andy LaRoche probably was. Same with Kevin Hart and Bobby Crosby. Charlie Morton, maybe, though his problems run far deeper than his supposedly sore shoulder earlier this season. Think the Pirates win more games if even half of those guys are physically sound and able to contribute over the past two seasons? I do.
Nor does the list stop there. Most of the current regime’s trades have been veterans for prospects; this was in keeping with the aim of rebuilding the farm system as fast as possible and so at least the approach was consistent. But does anyone else wonder if Tim Alderson’s sudden drop in velocity after he came over in the Freddy Sanchez deal might have been due to a pre-existing injury? Were any other prized prospects hurt when we got them?
Granted, almost anyone who has ever played organized sports knows that you’re rarely 100%; from Little League to the big leagues, playing hurt is part of it. Injured, or sort-of injured, players change teams all the time. But the Pirates had limited resources on hand when Huntington took over, and he could not afford to miss with many of his veterans going out, kids coming in trades.
This indisputable fact should have made the team more thorough in its medical diligence, not less. Yet somehow, multiple already-hurt players came in, and they made up almost the entire complement of the guys who were supposed to help in the here and now as opposed to Someday Over The Rainbow.
The fact is that Huntington missed badly with both Sanchez and Jason Bay, and the kindest thing you can say about most of his other trades is that the jury is still out.
Add the resulting dearth of talent caused by these moves to the wholesale exodus of the on-hand veterans, then mix in the horrendous (and to my mind, inexcusable) regression of virtually the entire starting staff in every season since the current front office has been in charge, and the results are entirely predictable: this team is bad beyond belief, it has only gotten worse over the past three years, and there is little or no reason to conclude it will be significantly better any time soon.
So, the picture is bleak and the outlook is grim, at least for the near term. Further down the road, there is certainly some talent in the Pirates’ minor league system, and there is enough talent to form the core of a significantly better team.
Huntington has, in fact, succeeded to some extent in his makeover down on the farm, and team owner Bob Nutting has certainly not been shy about paying large bonuses to sign top amateur talent. Unfortunately there’s still not yet enough talent to weather any significant storm.
For example, while there are four promising starting pitchers currently toiling at Double-A Altoona, none of them figure to make the Don Robinson 1978 leap, when he jumped up from Double-A to the Pirates and became the Sporting News Rookie Pitcher of the Year. One of the kid hurlers, Brian Morris, is the last realistic shot for getting anything significant out of the Bay deal. But there are doubts about his mechanics, and he’s already had a sore elbow this season after going down with Tommy John surgery while in the Dodgers’ system.
The other three pitchers, Justin Wilson, Rudy Owens, and Jeff Locke, are all more or less Paul Maholm clones and project as middle-of-the-rotation types in the bigs. There are few if any other hurlers anywhere in the system above Class A who figure to help the Pirates anytime soon. So, if any of these four go down or don’t make it, let alone two or more of them, it is difficult to see where the team will acquire any starting pitching.
In fact, it’s difficult to see where the team will acquire any talent, other than from its own farm system. Sure, there’ll be the occasional adroit junkyard signing---like the aforementioned Garrett Jones and a few others---but by and large this front office has cast its lot entirely with its kids.
That, in turn, is what Tampa Bay and the (Miami) Florida Marlins have done. Kids, kids, kids, and more kids, period. Maybe you make a deal for an established veteran to help you if you’re ever close enough to sniff the playoffs, but that’s it. Otherwise, it’s sink or swim with your own homegrown talent and very little else.
To bring things full circle, believe it or not I have no problem with a team that wants to be smart with its finances, and that chooses to invest the bulk of its resources in acquiring and developing most of its players from within. Most winning organizations have been built primarily (though please note, with rare exceptions not entirely) with homegrown talent, including the Pirates during the glory years of former General Manager Joe L. Brown.
Where I have a problem is with a front office that apparently can’t be bothered with the here and now---even a little bit---while it is doing the hard work of rebuilding. Something about that rubs me 180 degrees the wrong way. But it is clearly the path this team has chosen.
In short, the Pirates want to be Tampa Bay North, which is a fine and dandy notion in principle, but exceedingly difficult to carry out in practice. To be sure---putting aside my considerable disgust and disagreement with the current state of affairs for the moment---it is possible to win with such a strategy; the Marlins have two World Series titles and Tampa Bay is headed back to the playoffs after losing the Series to the Phillies in 2008.
The Pirates clearly believe in the Tampa Bay – Florida Marlins model, and they clearly mean to follow the same blueprint. Very well: the die is cast, the gauntlet thrown down. Like it or not, that’s the plan. But it remains to be seen if the “Best Management Team In Sports” is up to the task of building the “Pittsburgh Rays” before they’re run out of town on a rail. So far, clearly, they’re not.
That’s because unlike the (rapidly dwindling?) legion of Neal Huntington apologists, I expect a “major league” baseball team to make at least a show of trying to win a few games every year instead of deliberately tanking entire, multiple seasons on the premise that that’s all okay “because we’re rebuilding”, doncha know.
Unfortunately it’s become crystal clear that while current team ownership and management certainly has its priorities, winning in the here and now is definitely not among them. All of which does not make Huntington or his apologists right to blow off season after season on the hoped-for premise that someday, it’ll all be made right and no one will care. What it does do is force me and fans like me to re-evaluate how we perceive and follow the Pirates.
As a General Manager, Huntington makes a good Farm Director. Which, according to his apologists, is exactly the point. The Pirates, such fans continually remind me, were totally broken when “Opie”(seriously, he looks just like him) took over. Dave Littlefield’s approach didn’t work, nor did Cam Bonifay’s before him.
Littlefield may have seen to it that the Pirates were consistently somewhere in or not far from the realm of mediocrity, but his farm system was a disaster and there was no hope of contending. Bonifay tried to retain a couple of productive stars in Jason Kendall and Brian Giles, only to see the team’s finances ruined for...well, ever since.
Thus, only a complete and total teardown-and-rebuild of the entire organization, top to bottom, had any hope of producing another winner in Pittsburgh. Only the kind of consistently outstanding minor league systems we see in Tampa Bay, in Miami, in San Diego, and perhaps in Oakland and Minnesota had any chance at all of turning the team around.
Believe it or not, to this point in the discussion I largely agree with the other side. It’s when we go past this point that we part company. That’s because I don’t believe it’s ever “okay” to all but completely ignore the product that’s being put on the field at the (allegedly) major league level.
Not when your team plays in the elite professional organization in the entire industry, worldwide. Not when wins and losses and statistics can all be distorted, even pennant races affected, simply because you can’t be bothered to put even a mildly competent, sort-of professional team on the diamond for 162 games. And not when you charge paying customers admission in order that they might witness the carnage firsthand.
I don’t care how dysfunctional or “unfair” the economics of major league baseball are, or are purported to be. Them’s the rules. I don’t care that no free agent of real consequence would be caught dead in Pittsburgh even if ownership had the will and the cash flow to outbid other teams for their services. I don’t care that the Pirates are, in fact, making a real and legitimate effort to produce a consistently productive farm system. Well, that’s not true. I do care about that. I just don’t think a “major league” GM’s job description begins and ends in the bushes, even though Neal Huntington’s evidently does.
But wait, the apologists will protest. Didn’t he sign some very useful guys for the bullpen this past offseason, and didn’t he get a productive hitter in Garrett Jones off the junkheap, and didn’t he make a great trade with the Yankees? The answer to all of those questions is, yes he did.
Unfortunately, those deals are just about the complete extent of all the major-league-productive-right-now moves Huntington has made to date. That is, they’re about the only thing he’s done that has helped the team on the field at PNC even a little during the entire time he’s been the GM of the Pirates. (Jose Tabata and Pedro Alvarez have, of course, made the big club this season as the first wave of homegrown kids under Huntington’s watch. But they’re still too few, too young, and too inconsistent to really affect things without considerable reinforcements.)
To be sure, other moves were attempted. A few of them, anyway. But for reasons I will never comprehend, when it came to trades and signings that were supposed to help bridge the gap until the kids arrived, a veritable M*A*S*H unit of already-hamburgerized players was brought to Pittsburgh, apparently with little or no due diligence on the part of the front office.
Aki Iwamura, Jose Ascanio, Ryan Church and Jeff Clement were all certainly hurt before they ever put on a Pirates uniform. Andy LaRoche probably was. Same with Kevin Hart and Bobby Crosby. Charlie Morton, maybe, though his problems run far deeper than his supposedly sore shoulder earlier this season. Think the Pirates win more games if even half of those guys are physically sound and able to contribute over the past two seasons? I do.
Nor does the list stop there. Most of the current regime’s trades have been veterans for prospects; this was in keeping with the aim of rebuilding the farm system as fast as possible and so at least the approach was consistent. But does anyone else wonder if Tim Alderson’s sudden drop in velocity after he came over in the Freddy Sanchez deal might have been due to a pre-existing injury? Were any other prized prospects hurt when we got them?
Granted, almost anyone who has ever played organized sports knows that you’re rarely 100%; from Little League to the big leagues, playing hurt is part of it. Injured, or sort-of injured, players change teams all the time. But the Pirates had limited resources on hand when Huntington took over, and he could not afford to miss with many of his veterans going out, kids coming in trades.
This indisputable fact should have made the team more thorough in its medical diligence, not less. Yet somehow, multiple already-hurt players came in, and they made up almost the entire complement of the guys who were supposed to help in the here and now as opposed to Someday Over The Rainbow.
The fact is that Huntington missed badly with both Sanchez and Jason Bay, and the kindest thing you can say about most of his other trades is that the jury is still out.
Add the resulting dearth of talent caused by these moves to the wholesale exodus of the on-hand veterans, then mix in the horrendous (and to my mind, inexcusable) regression of virtually the entire starting staff in every season since the current front office has been in charge, and the results are entirely predictable: this team is bad beyond belief, it has only gotten worse over the past three years, and there is little or no reason to conclude it will be significantly better any time soon.
So, the picture is bleak and the outlook is grim, at least for the near term. Further down the road, there is certainly some talent in the Pirates’ minor league system, and there is enough talent to form the core of a significantly better team.
Huntington has, in fact, succeeded to some extent in his makeover down on the farm, and team owner Bob Nutting has certainly not been shy about paying large bonuses to sign top amateur talent. Unfortunately there’s still not yet enough talent to weather any significant storm.
For example, while there are four promising starting pitchers currently toiling at Double-A Altoona, none of them figure to make the Don Robinson 1978 leap, when he jumped up from Double-A to the Pirates and became the Sporting News Rookie Pitcher of the Year. One of the kid hurlers, Brian Morris, is the last realistic shot for getting anything significant out of the Bay deal. But there are doubts about his mechanics, and he’s already had a sore elbow this season after going down with Tommy John surgery while in the Dodgers’ system.
The other three pitchers, Justin Wilson, Rudy Owens, and Jeff Locke, are all more or less Paul Maholm clones and project as middle-of-the-rotation types in the bigs. There are few if any other hurlers anywhere in the system above Class A who figure to help the Pirates anytime soon. So, if any of these four go down or don’t make it, let alone two or more of them, it is difficult to see where the team will acquire any starting pitching.
In fact, it’s difficult to see where the team will acquire any talent, other than from its own farm system. Sure, there’ll be the occasional adroit junkyard signing---like the aforementioned Garrett Jones and a few others---but by and large this front office has cast its lot entirely with its kids.
That, in turn, is what Tampa Bay and the (Miami) Florida Marlins have done. Kids, kids, kids, and more kids, period. Maybe you make a deal for an established veteran to help you if you’re ever close enough to sniff the playoffs, but that’s it. Otherwise, it’s sink or swim with your own homegrown talent and very little else.
To bring things full circle, believe it or not I have no problem with a team that wants to be smart with its finances, and that chooses to invest the bulk of its resources in acquiring and developing most of its players from within. Most winning organizations have been built primarily (though please note, with rare exceptions not entirely) with homegrown talent, including the Pirates during the glory years of former General Manager Joe L. Brown.
Where I have a problem is with a front office that apparently can’t be bothered with the here and now---even a little bit---while it is doing the hard work of rebuilding. Something about that rubs me 180 degrees the wrong way. But it is clearly the path this team has chosen.
In short, the Pirates want to be Tampa Bay North, which is a fine and dandy notion in principle, but exceedingly difficult to carry out in practice. To be sure---putting aside my considerable disgust and disagreement with the current state of affairs for the moment---it is possible to win with such a strategy; the Marlins have two World Series titles and Tampa Bay is headed back to the playoffs after losing the Series to the Phillies in 2008.
The Pirates clearly believe in the Tampa Bay – Florida Marlins model, and they clearly mean to follow the same blueprint. Very well: the die is cast, the gauntlet thrown down. Like it or not, that’s the plan. But it remains to be seen if the “Best Management Team In Sports” is up to the task of building the “Pittsburgh Rays” before they’re run out of town on a rail. So far, clearly, they’re not.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Cubs Stop Buc Streak At One
The Bucs had lots of opportunity early, but all they had to show for it was a Neil Walker solo shot in the third. Their big chance was in the fifth, when they loaded the bases with one out, but a Walker bouncer and a Garrett Jones K could only bring home a run.
The Cubs scored first in the second inning off J-Mac when - you guessed it - the 7-8 hitters, with two away, singled and doubled. Chicago added a pair in the third as a single and two doubles did the damage.
James McDonald's line: 5 IP, 3 R, 8 H, 2 BB, 6 K, and 2 WP. He threw 98 pitches, 59 for strikes. He needs to get more efficient; his command doesn't come near matching his stuff yet.
The Cubbies iced it in the seventh when Daniel McCutchen hit the first batter. Wil Ledezema came on and gave up a double and single for a run, and Chan Ho Park gave up another single to give the Cubs a 5-2 lead.
Pittsburgh had another opp in the eighth, when an error and a couple of walks plated a run and left the bases juiced, but Jose Tabata K'ed. 5-3 is how it ended.
Pretty much the same 'ol - the starter couldn't go deep, the bullpen couldn't keep the game in hand, the hitters went 0-for-9 with RISP, and struck out a dozen times, offsetting the eight walks they drew. Of course, six hits, three of them off the bat of the Pittsburgh Kid, isn't going to fatten anyone's RBI totals.
The Pirates are off tomorrow.
-- Tom Gorzelanny lasted 2-2/3 innings against his old running mates. He took a liner to the hand, ala Evan Meek, in the third from the bat of Jose Tabata.
-- The Pirates called OF John Bowker (.318/18/46) up from Indy. He's played a little at the gateway sack, but is yet another LH 1B/OF added to an already crowded mix. He pinch hit today, and fit right in - after fouling off some close ones, he looked at strike three.
-- RHP Zach Von Rosenburg, one of the Pirates top high school signees last year, was shipped to the GCL from State College. It doesn't appear to be a baseball-related move. Though he's 1-6, his ERA is 3.23 and his peripheries, except for K's (39 in 60 IP) are good.
It's just a matter of getting guys moved around at the end of the minor league season, causing a logjam at State College. ZVR is probably done for the year and on his way to the Instructional League, though he could be easily recalled if they want him to get in one more start before the season ends.
-- State College OF Andury Acevedo was suspended for what the Pirates' farm director Kyle Stark described as "disrespecting a staff member." Hey, we thought only bloggers could do that!
The Cubs scored first in the second inning off J-Mac when - you guessed it - the 7-8 hitters, with two away, singled and doubled. Chicago added a pair in the third as a single and two doubles did the damage.
James McDonald's line: 5 IP, 3 R, 8 H, 2 BB, 6 K, and 2 WP. He threw 98 pitches, 59 for strikes. He needs to get more efficient; his command doesn't come near matching his stuff yet.
The Cubbies iced it in the seventh when Daniel McCutchen hit the first batter. Wil Ledezema came on and gave up a double and single for a run, and Chan Ho Park gave up another single to give the Cubs a 5-2 lead.
Pittsburgh had another opp in the eighth, when an error and a couple of walks plated a run and left the bases juiced, but Jose Tabata K'ed. 5-3 is how it ended.
Pretty much the same 'ol - the starter couldn't go deep, the bullpen couldn't keep the game in hand, the hitters went 0-for-9 with RISP, and struck out a dozen times, offsetting the eight walks they drew. Of course, six hits, three of them off the bat of the Pittsburgh Kid, isn't going to fatten anyone's RBI totals.
The Pirates are off tomorrow.
-- Tom Gorzelanny lasted 2-2/3 innings against his old running mates. He took a liner to the hand, ala Evan Meek, in the third from the bat of Jose Tabata.
-- The Pirates called OF John Bowker (.318/18/46) up from Indy. He's played a little at the gateway sack, but is yet another LH 1B/OF added to an already crowded mix. He pinch hit today, and fit right in - after fouling off some close ones, he looked at strike three.
-- RHP Zach Von Rosenburg, one of the Pirates top high school signees last year, was shipped to the GCL from State College. It doesn't appear to be a baseball-related move. Though he's 1-6, his ERA is 3.23 and his peripheries, except for K's (39 in 60 IP) are good.
It's just a matter of getting guys moved around at the end of the minor league season, causing a logjam at State College. ZVR is probably done for the year and on his way to the Instructional League, though he could be easily recalled if they want him to get in one more start before the season ends.
-- State College OF Andury Acevedo was suspended for what the Pirates' farm director Kyle Stark described as "disrespecting a staff member." Hey, we thought only bloggers could do that!
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