-- Garrett Jones injured his shoulder diving for a ball, and will be out of action until Tuesday at best. He doesn't believe it needs surgery, just rest.
-- Add Lastings Milledge to the injury list. He strained a muscle, possibly an oblique, in NY and may be out for the rest of the year. Guess that explains his sudden drop off the Pirate planet. He said he's planning on playing winter ball this offseason. Good idea, we think.
-- James McDonald's string of 17 straight scoreless innings is the longest such stretch since Zach Duke tossed 22 straight scoreless innings in July of 2005.
-- Ken Rosenthal in his Full Count Fox Sports vid says that MLB execs expect the team to make changes, and not just between the lines. JR and Neil Huntington are on the hot seat, with Russell's feet being closer to the fire.
-- The Dodgers have traded Octavio Dotel to the Rockies for a PTBNL. So in effect they gave us J-Mac and Andrew Lambo for six weeks of Dotel. And you think our FO is out of it?
-- In Jim Callis' Baseball America chat feature, he said that he expects the Pirates to select the most talented ball player - Anthony Rendon - in the 2011 draft, and that their farm system, even with the extra emphasis of the past three years, is still just "middle of the pack."
-- Cole White, who the Pirates drafted from the USMA in 2008 and then lost when West Point changed its release policy, is the feature of a Baseball America article that's behind a subscriber wall.
-- The Pirates quietly released LHP Neal Cotts this week, after activating him from the DL. They signed him this winter after TJ surgery, expecting him to be ready in August.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Home Sweet Home
OK, BB. Brian Burres had a nice easy first frame - a pop out, Chris Young single, and nice, neat 4-6-3 DP. The Bucs faced Ian Kennedy for the first time; with two away, Neil Walker broke out of his mini-funk and pounded his eleventh long fly over the Clemente Wall; welcome home, Pittsburgh.
Burres kept on with a 1-2-3 second; ditto for the Bucs. Pedro clanked a ball by Rusty Ryal to start the third; Gerardo Parra (yes, the eight hitter, grrr!) doubled him home when Bowker let the single past him. Kennedy bunted Parra to third, and Stephen Drew singled him in with a grounder to right. A boot and the bottom of the order put the D-Backs up 2-1. Pittsburgh went down in order.
BB regained his mojo in the fourth, putting down Arizona. Walker singled, and was quickly erased on a Jones' 4-6-3 DP. Pedro followed with another single, and Bowker flew out to end the frame.
Arizona went down in order in the fifth; that's eight in a row for Burres. Ronny Cedeno blooped a one-out single and went to second on a passed ball; Burres K'ed. Funny, JR will have a top of the order guy bunt with a runner on second, but not the pitcher. It became a moot point when JT doubled into the RF corner to tie the game.
Drew doubled to start the sixth, ending BB's streak. Young reached on a bunt pushed along the first base side to put runners on the corners with nobody out. Burres got a big K on Kelly Johnson. Then Young got picked off first and Adam LaRoche K'ed; nice job of managing an unmanageable situation. The Bucs couldn't build on the momentum and went down quietly.
With one away, Miguel Montero took a pretty good 0-2 curve that may have just caught the outside black and nearly knocked it out of the yard, settling for a double. A swinging bunt moved him to third. Parra doubled him in when he poked at a slider six inches off the plate and perfectly placed a soft flare into left over Pedro; no luck for BB this inning.
Burres went seven innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on seven hits with 3 K's after 103 pitches. He didn't have his best control tonight, falling behind often, but hung tough and kept the Bucs in the game and put together a third straight strong start. Burres has gone from an afterthought to position himself as next year's Jeff Karstens.
Kennedy left for a pinch hitter, and Blaine Boyer came on in the seventh. Dewey smacked his lucky thirteenth homer, a drive into right center over the 375' mark with one away, and got Burres off the hook. Joel Hanrahan came on for the eighth.
Drew welcomed him with his third hit, a ground ball single into right. Young went after the next pitch, and banged into an around-the-horn DP. Johnson K'ed. Hanrahan threw nothing but heat in the inning, eschewing his new toy, the slider.
Aaron Heilman took the ball in the eighth. JT bunted for a leadoff base hit; Presley dropped one to move Tabata to second. Walker flew out to left, leaving it up to Jones, who struck out swinging.
Hanny stayed on (only the third time this season he's gone multiple innings), and walked LaRoche; Justin Upton came on to run for him. He stole second - c'mon, you didn't think Dewey could gun him, did you?
After nineteen straight heaters, Hanrahan threw a slider, and struck out Tony Abreu swinging. Montero drew a ten-pitch walk in a grinding at-bat. That brought his pitch count up to 30 pitches, and JR summoned Evan Meek.
EM struck out pinch hitter Brandon Allen and Parra grounded out to end the top of the ninth. Pirate killer Mike Hampton took over for the D-Backs. Pedro grounded out, and McCutch pinch hit for Bowker. Esmerling Vasquz came in to face him.
After falling behind 0-2, McCutch drew a walk. Dewey got a four-pitch pass; that's eight straight balls that Vasquez has tossed. Cedeno went 2-0, and swung through a borderline heater with the green light. He made no mistkae on the next pitch, dropping a soft liner into right center to score a sliding McCutch and give the Bucs the 4-3 win.
The Bucs got decent pitching today, and except for a rocky third, played a clean game. The trick is to repeat it over the final two weeks of the season.
In a double feature, J-Mac and the Zambelli's take on Barry Enright tomorrow night.
-- McCutch got the day off with a stomach virus; JT manned center, surrounded by Alex Presley in left and John Bowker in right.
-- Ross Ohlendorf started throwing today. Ohlie, out with a shoulder sprain, will pitch side sessions for the rest of the season. It hasn't been decided if Ohlendorf will continue throwing after the campaign or if he will be shut down until 2011.
-- Adam LaRoche is back in town with Arizona. His slash line is .261/23/91; Garrett Jones' is .249/20/77. In Wins Above Replacement value, LaRoche is 1.4 and Jones is rated 0.3. Jones, it should be noted, comes at a price tag that's more than $4M cheaper than LaRoche's in 2010; that's a lot to pay for one more win.
-- Altoona beat the Trenton Thunder tonight behind the strong pitching of Justin Wilson (7 IP, 5 hits, no runs) and clutch hitting of Josh Harrison, Anthony Norman and Andrew Lambo to take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-five championship series. Trenton loaded the bases with one out in the ninth against Mike Dubee, but Daniel Moskos came on and struck out the next two batters.
The Curve and Thunder were the division winners during the regular season, and advanced to the ELCS after winning divisional playoffs.
-- Joe Torre announced that his Dodger gig will come to an end after the season; no plans yet for the future. Don Mattingly, Torre’s hitting coach in Los Angeles and a member of his staff in New York, will become the Dodgers manager in 2011.
Burres kept on with a 1-2-3 second; ditto for the Bucs. Pedro clanked a ball by Rusty Ryal to start the third; Gerardo Parra (yes, the eight hitter, grrr!) doubled him home when Bowker let the single past him. Kennedy bunted Parra to third, and Stephen Drew singled him in with a grounder to right. A boot and the bottom of the order put the D-Backs up 2-1. Pittsburgh went down in order.
BB regained his mojo in the fourth, putting down Arizona. Walker singled, and was quickly erased on a Jones' 4-6-3 DP. Pedro followed with another single, and Bowker flew out to end the frame.
Arizona went down in order in the fifth; that's eight in a row for Burres. Ronny Cedeno blooped a one-out single and went to second on a passed ball; Burres K'ed. Funny, JR will have a top of the order guy bunt with a runner on second, but not the pitcher. It became a moot point when JT doubled into the RF corner to tie the game.
Drew doubled to start the sixth, ending BB's streak. Young reached on a bunt pushed along the first base side to put runners on the corners with nobody out. Burres got a big K on Kelly Johnson. Then Young got picked off first and Adam LaRoche K'ed; nice job of managing an unmanageable situation. The Bucs couldn't build on the momentum and went down quietly.
With one away, Miguel Montero took a pretty good 0-2 curve that may have just caught the outside black and nearly knocked it out of the yard, settling for a double. A swinging bunt moved him to third. Parra doubled him in when he poked at a slider six inches off the plate and perfectly placed a soft flare into left over Pedro; no luck for BB this inning.
Burres went seven innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on seven hits with 3 K's after 103 pitches. He didn't have his best control tonight, falling behind often, but hung tough and kept the Bucs in the game and put together a third straight strong start. Burres has gone from an afterthought to position himself as next year's Jeff Karstens.
Kennedy left for a pinch hitter, and Blaine Boyer came on in the seventh. Dewey smacked his lucky thirteenth homer, a drive into right center over the 375' mark with one away, and got Burres off the hook. Joel Hanrahan came on for the eighth.
Drew welcomed him with his third hit, a ground ball single into right. Young went after the next pitch, and banged into an around-the-horn DP. Johnson K'ed. Hanrahan threw nothing but heat in the inning, eschewing his new toy, the slider.
Aaron Heilman took the ball in the eighth. JT bunted for a leadoff base hit; Presley dropped one to move Tabata to second. Walker flew out to left, leaving it up to Jones, who struck out swinging.
Hanny stayed on (only the third time this season he's gone multiple innings), and walked LaRoche; Justin Upton came on to run for him. He stole second - c'mon, you didn't think Dewey could gun him, did you?
After nineteen straight heaters, Hanrahan threw a slider, and struck out Tony Abreu swinging. Montero drew a ten-pitch walk in a grinding at-bat. That brought his pitch count up to 30 pitches, and JR summoned Evan Meek.
EM struck out pinch hitter Brandon Allen and Parra grounded out to end the top of the ninth. Pirate killer Mike Hampton took over for the D-Backs. Pedro grounded out, and McCutch pinch hit for Bowker. Esmerling Vasquz came in to face him.
After falling behind 0-2, McCutch drew a walk. Dewey got a four-pitch pass; that's eight straight balls that Vasquez has tossed. Cedeno went 2-0, and swung through a borderline heater with the green light. He made no mistkae on the next pitch, dropping a soft liner into right center to score a sliding McCutch and give the Bucs the 4-3 win.
The Bucs got decent pitching today, and except for a rocky third, played a clean game. The trick is to repeat it over the final two weeks of the season.
In a double feature, J-Mac and the Zambelli's take on Barry Enright tomorrow night.
-- McCutch got the day off with a stomach virus; JT manned center, surrounded by Alex Presley in left and John Bowker in right.
-- Ross Ohlendorf started throwing today. Ohlie, out with a shoulder sprain, will pitch side sessions for the rest of the season. It hasn't been decided if Ohlendorf will continue throwing after the campaign or if he will be shut down until 2011.
-- Adam LaRoche is back in town with Arizona. His slash line is .261/23/91; Garrett Jones' is .249/20/77. In Wins Above Replacement value, LaRoche is 1.4 and Jones is rated 0.3. Jones, it should be noted, comes at a price tag that's more than $4M cheaper than LaRoche's in 2010; that's a lot to pay for one more win.
-- Altoona beat the Trenton Thunder tonight behind the strong pitching of Justin Wilson (7 IP, 5 hits, no runs) and clutch hitting of Josh Harrison, Anthony Norman and Andrew Lambo to take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-five championship series. Trenton loaded the bases with one out in the ninth against Mike Dubee, but Daniel Moskos came on and struck out the next two batters.
The Curve and Thunder were the division winners during the regular season, and advanced to the ELCS after winning divisional playoffs.
-- Joe Torre announced that his Dodger gig will come to an end after the season; no plans yet for the future. Don Mattingly, Torre’s hitting coach in Los Angeles and a member of his staff in New York, will become the Dodgers manager in 2011.
Friday Notes
-- DJ Carrasco told Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette that "...the guys don't take it seriously enough that they're losing all the time. That's something that needs to be worked on internally from the players themselves, to have a pride issue of getting beat up every day..."
Nice to know the fans take defeat harder than the team.
-- Speaking of defeat, the current model of the Pirates have tied the 1985 team for the most modern-era road losses with 59. And they still have seven road games left on the schedule after their last nine-game home stand, starting tonight, ends.
-- David Golebiewski of Fangraphs looks at Zach Duke, and says that despite the numbers, he's the same pitcher he's always been.
-- Game #3 of the Altoona-Trenton Eastern League Championship was rained out last night; it resumes today at Trenton with the teams tied 1-1 in the five game set.
-- Jim Callis of Baseball America on Tim Alderson "Whatever the reason, Alderson isn't the same pitcher he was in 2008, or even when the Pirates acquired him in mid-2009. Unless he finds a solution, it's difficult to envision him making it to the majors."
-- Who might the Pirates be looking at in the 2011 draft? Well, 3B Anthony Rendon of Rice for sure, but they could also be considering RHP Gerrit Cole from UCLA, LHP Matt Purke of TCU, or OF George Springer of UConn for that top spot.
Nice to know the fans take defeat harder than the team.
-- Speaking of defeat, the current model of the Pirates have tied the 1985 team for the most modern-era road losses with 59. And they still have seven road games left on the schedule after their last nine-game home stand, starting tonight, ends.
-- David Golebiewski of Fangraphs looks at Zach Duke, and says that despite the numbers, he's the same pitcher he's always been.
-- Game #3 of the Altoona-Trenton Eastern League Championship was rained out last night; it resumes today at Trenton with the teams tied 1-1 in the five game set.
-- Jim Callis of Baseball America on Tim Alderson "Whatever the reason, Alderson isn't the same pitcher he was in 2008, or even when the Pirates acquired him in mid-2009. Unless he finds a solution, it's difficult to envision him making it to the majors."
-- Who might the Pirates be looking at in the 2011 draft? Well, 3B Anthony Rendon of Rice for sure, but they could also be considering RHP Gerrit Cole from UCLA, LHP Matt Purke of TCU, or OF George Springer of UConn for that top spot.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
New York City Blues
Apparently it wasn't raining as much in the Big Apple as it was here; despite dire predictions, the games between Charlie Morton and Mike Pelfrey kicked off just ten minutes late.
All the action in the first consisted of a two-out NY single. In the second, Pittsburgh, showing no long-term nightmares from last night, got on the board when Pedro doubled and John Bowker blooped a single to bring him home. Morton walked a couple of guys in the Met half, though one was the eight guy who he probably decided not to mess with as Pelfrey was on deck; the Mets had walked Snyder in the top half to get to Charlie.
The Pirates went down in order in the third; ditto for the Metropolitans.
The Pirates looked like they were cookin' in the fourth; Garrett Jones singled and Pedro walked to open the frame. Bowker hit a shot to right center that Angel Pagan tracked down; El Toro, off to the races, was doubled off first. Fundamentals are still are a foreign concept to this club.
Ronny Cedeno tripled home Jones, Snyder drew another intention walk, and Morton flew out fairly deep to right, short of the track at the 383' mark. Pirate feet are scarred with self-inflicted shots.
And as usual, the bottom of the opposing order sprang to life against Bucco pitching. Lucas Duda, batting .032, doubled home Ike Davis and Josh Thole, who had both singled after an out. Mendoza line candidate (.202) Ruben Tejada walked; Pelfrey bunted them up a base. He got Jose Reyes to fly out. The Mets were sitting on Morton's fastball; he couldn't get his off-speed stuff over.
The Bucs went down 1-2-3. McCutch, we've noticed, is getting worked over inside by opposing pitchers; handling tight stuff is going to be his next adjustment.
Jesus Feliciano walked to open the NY half; Pagan followed with a bunt single. A 6-4-3 DP ball off David Wright's bat saved the inning for Morton. He's kept the Mets from a game-breaking frame so far without his best stuff, which is a good sign. But it's taken him 92 pitches to navigate five innings; that's not such a good sign.
Jones opened the sixth with a walk. Pedro drove a splitter to the 408' mark; Pagan caught up to it, and Jones moved on the second. Bowker lined out to right, and Cedeno bounced out softly. All four Pirates started off 0-2 against Pelfrey; maybe a bit more aggressiveness in is order tonight.
Wil Ledezema came on for Pittsburgh; JR decided to get Morton out while he still had a tolerable outing under his belt to build on. He went five, giving up two runs on five hits with four walks and a K.
Ledezema faced two batters, getting a ground out and giving up a double to Duda; the kid will end up ROY if he sees Pirate pitching much more. Ledezema seems to be on a very tight leash; Sean Gallagher took the hill. Tejada flew out, but Pelfrey smacked one to short that ticked off Cedeno's glove, and it was 3-2. Watching this team is like having a season pass to Groundhog Day.
Alex Presley pinch hit for Snyder; he bunted for a base hit (paying attention, McCutch and JT?). Dewey took a bat, and flew out. McCutch singled to left, putting some speed on first and second. JT tapped back to the hill, moving up the runners. But the Pittsburgh Kid went down swinging for the second time, endind the threat.
It's the seventh, so it's Chris Resop time. He walked Feliciano on a 3-2 pitch. Pagan tried to bunt him over, but rolled the ball to Resop, who got the force at second. Didn't make much dif; Pagan stole second (Baseball Reference stat: Dewey has thrown out 8 of 85 base stealers) and for good measure was balked to third.
Wright walked; Davis hit a sac fly followed by a Thole single to put runners on the corners. Duda had cashed in his luck and flew out to right.
Pedro Feliciano took the mound in the eighth and worked a clean inning. Steve Jackson took the ball for Pittsburgh. After an out, Chris Carter greeted him with a single, and in came a pinch runner. Reyes walked on five pitches; even the called strike was well off the dish.
A grounder moved the runners up, and Justin Thomas came in against the switch-hitting Pagan. He doubled both runs in on the first pitch. Wright was intentionally walked to get to the lefty Davis, who grounded out.
Bobby Parnell come on to close for the Mets, and got Pittsburgh to go down quietly to ice a 6-2 victory.
GW has been covering the Bucs since 2008, and it's a chore this season. The new guys have been here since June, yet the team still plays with the fundamentals of a beer league softball squad. JR is either too stubborn to change his ways or has bought into auditioning pitchers; in a 2-2 game, he brought in five relievers; one had an ERA under 6. Evan Meek and Joel Hanrahan don't even warm up.
The Pirates don't play well enough nor are they managed well enough to win.
Brian Burres matches up against Ian Kennedy in tomorrow night's season finale.
-- The Pirates are 0-7 at Citi Field.
-- RHP Brian Bass cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to AAA Indy.
-- Nyjer Morgan's two suspensions have been reduced from fifteen games to eight. The Nats have 16 games left. He can return on September 25th against the Braves.
All the action in the first consisted of a two-out NY single. In the second, Pittsburgh, showing no long-term nightmares from last night, got on the board when Pedro doubled and John Bowker blooped a single to bring him home. Morton walked a couple of guys in the Met half, though one was the eight guy who he probably decided not to mess with as Pelfrey was on deck; the Mets had walked Snyder in the top half to get to Charlie.
The Pirates went down in order in the third; ditto for the Metropolitans.
The Pirates looked like they were cookin' in the fourth; Garrett Jones singled and Pedro walked to open the frame. Bowker hit a shot to right center that Angel Pagan tracked down; El Toro, off to the races, was doubled off first. Fundamentals are still are a foreign concept to this club.
Ronny Cedeno tripled home Jones, Snyder drew another intention walk, and Morton flew out fairly deep to right, short of the track at the 383' mark. Pirate feet are scarred with self-inflicted shots.
And as usual, the bottom of the opposing order sprang to life against Bucco pitching. Lucas Duda, batting .032, doubled home Ike Davis and Josh Thole, who had both singled after an out. Mendoza line candidate (.202) Ruben Tejada walked; Pelfrey bunted them up a base. He got Jose Reyes to fly out. The Mets were sitting on Morton's fastball; he couldn't get his off-speed stuff over.
The Bucs went down 1-2-3. McCutch, we've noticed, is getting worked over inside by opposing pitchers; handling tight stuff is going to be his next adjustment.
Jesus Feliciano walked to open the NY half; Pagan followed with a bunt single. A 6-4-3 DP ball off David Wright's bat saved the inning for Morton. He's kept the Mets from a game-breaking frame so far without his best stuff, which is a good sign. But it's taken him 92 pitches to navigate five innings; that's not such a good sign.
Jones opened the sixth with a walk. Pedro drove a splitter to the 408' mark; Pagan caught up to it, and Jones moved on the second. Bowker lined out to right, and Cedeno bounced out softly. All four Pirates started off 0-2 against Pelfrey; maybe a bit more aggressiveness in is order tonight.
Wil Ledezema came on for Pittsburgh; JR decided to get Morton out while he still had a tolerable outing under his belt to build on. He went five, giving up two runs on five hits with four walks and a K.
Ledezema faced two batters, getting a ground out and giving up a double to Duda; the kid will end up ROY if he sees Pirate pitching much more. Ledezema seems to be on a very tight leash; Sean Gallagher took the hill. Tejada flew out, but Pelfrey smacked one to short that ticked off Cedeno's glove, and it was 3-2. Watching this team is like having a season pass to Groundhog Day.
Alex Presley pinch hit for Snyder; he bunted for a base hit (paying attention, McCutch and JT?). Dewey took a bat, and flew out. McCutch singled to left, putting some speed on first and second. JT tapped back to the hill, moving up the runners. But the Pittsburgh Kid went down swinging for the second time, endind the threat.
It's the seventh, so it's Chris Resop time. He walked Feliciano on a 3-2 pitch. Pagan tried to bunt him over, but rolled the ball to Resop, who got the force at second. Didn't make much dif; Pagan stole second (Baseball Reference stat: Dewey has thrown out 8 of 85 base stealers) and for good measure was balked to third.
Wright walked; Davis hit a sac fly followed by a Thole single to put runners on the corners. Duda had cashed in his luck and flew out to right.
Pedro Feliciano took the mound in the eighth and worked a clean inning. Steve Jackson took the ball for Pittsburgh. After an out, Chris Carter greeted him with a single, and in came a pinch runner. Reyes walked on five pitches; even the called strike was well off the dish.
A grounder moved the runners up, and Justin Thomas came in against the switch-hitting Pagan. He doubled both runs in on the first pitch. Wright was intentionally walked to get to the lefty Davis, who grounded out.
Bobby Parnell come on to close for the Mets, and got Pittsburgh to go down quietly to ice a 6-2 victory.
GW has been covering the Bucs since 2008, and it's a chore this season. The new guys have been here since June, yet the team still plays with the fundamentals of a beer league softball squad. JR is either too stubborn to change his ways or has bought into auditioning pitchers; in a 2-2 game, he brought in five relievers; one had an ERA under 6. Evan Meek and Joel Hanrahan don't even warm up.
The Pirates don't play well enough nor are they managed well enough to win.
Brian Burres matches up against Ian Kennedy in tomorrow night's season finale.
-- The Pirates are 0-7 at Citi Field.
-- RHP Brian Bass cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to AAA Indy.
-- Nyjer Morgan's two suspensions have been reduced from fifteen games to eight. The Nats have 16 games left. He can return on September 25th against the Braves.
Thursday Takes
-- The Bucs announced that the Zachster will remain in the rotation. They really didn't have any options other then Brad Lincoln or Chris Resop; one is getting a makeover and the other has been effective as a setup guy. Now that he's in, maybe the infielders will make a play or two for him.
-- Brad Lincoln has been with the team, but is still on the shelf. Ray Searage has been working with him to undo the mechanical (and mental) changes Joe Kerrigan made to Bad Brad. JR expects him to be ready to go when the Bucs get home Friday.
-- Jeff Clement has opted for surgery on his bum knee, and depending on the severity of the damage, it may cost him spring training.
-- We'd like to see JR rethink his bullpen rotation. He has his main back-end guys, Evan Meek and Joel Hanrahan, sit for long stretches when the Bucs go through a tough stretch, and then they're rusty when called out with a game on the line. It's not just the current pair; he did the same for Octavio Dotel and Matt Capps, too.
If you have guns, fire them. This waiting-for-a-lead-that-may-never-come theory works sometimes, but usually just freezes the best arms in the relief corp.
-- Today is the 35th anniversary of the Pirates shellacking the Cubs 22-0 as Rennie Stennett collected seven straight hits. Chris Jaffe of The Hardball Times had a recap of all the fun and festivities of that day.
-- Brad Lincoln has been with the team, but is still on the shelf. Ray Searage has been working with him to undo the mechanical (and mental) changes Joe Kerrigan made to Bad Brad. JR expects him to be ready to go when the Bucs get home Friday.
-- Jeff Clement has opted for surgery on his bum knee, and depending on the severity of the damage, it may cost him spring training.
-- We'd like to see JR rethink his bullpen rotation. He has his main back-end guys, Evan Meek and Joel Hanrahan, sit for long stretches when the Bucs go through a tough stretch, and then they're rusty when called out with a game on the line. It's not just the current pair; he did the same for Octavio Dotel and Matt Capps, too.
If you have guns, fire them. This waiting-for-a-lead-that-may-never-come theory works sometimes, but usually just freezes the best arms in the relief corp.
-- Today is the 35th anniversary of the Pirates shellacking the Cubs 22-0 as Rennie Stennett collected seven straight hits. Chris Jaffe of The Hardball Times had a recap of all the fun and festivities of that day.
A Suggestion Or Three
Ol' bud and collaborator Wil Pellas gave GW a call the other night, and we discussed the usual - can a team really be this bad? And can it be fixed?
Well, we came up a with a couple of quick patches (you're welcome, Mr. Huntington) that might help out before next's season's opening bell.
First, rearrange the infield. Hey, Zach Duke and Paul Maholm haven't been the sharpest tools in the pitching kit, but if lack of support was a baseball tort, they'd be getting their teammates paychecks.
Don't wait until a couple of seasons down the road to put Pedro at first; do it in 2011; no more Jeff Clement or John Bowker, please. Yah, yah, waste of an arm, we know, but if you can't catch the ball, a rifle doesn't do you much good. Steve Pearce can give him a blow against some lefties and be a defensive sub for the late innings. This will have a much-needed domino effect on the right side.
Neil Walker moves to third. He's done yeoman's work at second, especially considering he came to the big club with fewer than two dozen games at the position, but he's not very instinctive, has trouble digging out balls and his footwork isn't very graceful.
Put him at the hot corner, where he's comfortable and competent. We kinda like Pedro Ciriaco to take the second base spot internally; he's got some wheels, a good glove, and can probably hit .250 or so. If not, there are a zillion middle infield vets who pop up every year in the winter and can do the job; grab one.
And no, we're not tossing Garrett Jones out with the wash. Jones and Lastings Milledge show distinct righty/lefty splits with their strokes; they should be a decent platoon in right offensively, and no worse than in the field than the grab bag being trotted out there now by JR.
Catching? You're on your own there, front office. Chris Snyder isn't the answer, Dewey's concussions remove him from full-time consideration, JJ and Eric Kratz flopped with the twigs...pray that Tony Sanchez stays healthy and gets here by June 2012. There should be a Raul Chavez sort of player available on the market who can give you forty games without much drop off.
The most obvious hole in this rearrangement is that Milledge and Pearce aren't middle of the order hitters; lefties would see a definite Punch-and-Judy lineup. And we don't think keeping Dewey around will alleviate that problem; he's flat out terrible as a right handed hitter (.186, 2 HR's).
A right handed hitter with a little pop would help that, particularly as a first baseman/corner outfielder. But the pickings are slim with this year's free agent class and within the Pirate organization; that may be a shortcoming the team will have to live with. Take a peek at the waiver wire; Chad Huffman of the Yankees just popped up on the list.
As Wil notes about the musical chairs, "...it maximizes the assets we have on hand, as opposed to various free-agent, pipe-dream scenarios. I don't see how they can keep running Pedro out there at third. He's a first baseman, period.
Walker at third won't be an elite offensive player, but he'll be good enough, and his defense will be a significant upgrade. Meanwhile Pearce can at least sort-of hit lefties and he's a superior defensive 1B, and can spell both Pedro and Jones here and there."
This lineup does give the pitching a chance of seeing some plays made behind it, and puts both Pedro and Walker in what should be their long-term positions sooner rather than later. We think it's worth a try.
Well, we came up a with a couple of quick patches (you're welcome, Mr. Huntington) that might help out before next's season's opening bell.
First, rearrange the infield. Hey, Zach Duke and Paul Maholm haven't been the sharpest tools in the pitching kit, but if lack of support was a baseball tort, they'd be getting their teammates paychecks.
Don't wait until a couple of seasons down the road to put Pedro at first; do it in 2011; no more Jeff Clement or John Bowker, please. Yah, yah, waste of an arm, we know, but if you can't catch the ball, a rifle doesn't do you much good. Steve Pearce can give him a blow against some lefties and be a defensive sub for the late innings. This will have a much-needed domino effect on the right side.
Neil Walker moves to third. He's done yeoman's work at second, especially considering he came to the big club with fewer than two dozen games at the position, but he's not very instinctive, has trouble digging out balls and his footwork isn't very graceful.
Put him at the hot corner, where he's comfortable and competent. We kinda like Pedro Ciriaco to take the second base spot internally; he's got some wheels, a good glove, and can probably hit .250 or so. If not, there are a zillion middle infield vets who pop up every year in the winter and can do the job; grab one.
And no, we're not tossing Garrett Jones out with the wash. Jones and Lastings Milledge show distinct righty/lefty splits with their strokes; they should be a decent platoon in right offensively, and no worse than in the field than the grab bag being trotted out there now by JR.
Catching? You're on your own there, front office. Chris Snyder isn't the answer, Dewey's concussions remove him from full-time consideration, JJ and Eric Kratz flopped with the twigs...pray that Tony Sanchez stays healthy and gets here by June 2012. There should be a Raul Chavez sort of player available on the market who can give you forty games without much drop off.
The most obvious hole in this rearrangement is that Milledge and Pearce aren't middle of the order hitters; lefties would see a definite Punch-and-Judy lineup. And we don't think keeping Dewey around will alleviate that problem; he's flat out terrible as a right handed hitter (.186, 2 HR's).
A right handed hitter with a little pop would help that, particularly as a first baseman/corner outfielder. But the pickings are slim with this year's free agent class and within the Pirate organization; that may be a shortcoming the team will have to live with. Take a peek at the waiver wire; Chad Huffman of the Yankees just popped up on the list.
As Wil notes about the musical chairs, "...it maximizes the assets we have on hand, as opposed to various free-agent, pipe-dream scenarios. I don't see how they can keep running Pedro out there at third. He's a first baseman, period.
Walker at third won't be an elite offensive player, but he'll be good enough, and his defense will be a significant upgrade. Meanwhile Pearce can at least sort-of hit lefties and he's a superior defensive 1B, and can spell both Pedro and Jones here and there."
This lineup does give the pitching a chance of seeing some plays made behind it, and puts both Pedro and Walker in what should be their long-term positions sooner rather than later. We think it's worth a try.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Get Well Soon, Anthony Rendon
OK, Paul Maholm vs Jenrry Mejia. For two innings, it was a usual Bucco-Met affair, scoreless and boring. In the third, the Mets tried to jumpstart Pittsburgh; an error put Ronny Cedeno aboard, and Maholm walked with one out.
Mejia injured his shoulder to boot; Raul Valdes had to come in cold to face the top of the order. He walked McCutch to juice the sacks. Valdes went 2-0 on Jose Tabata, and hung a changeup. JT didn't catch much of it, but enough to send a sac fly into medium right.
Neil Walker continued the saga of the hapless Bucco hitters; he drilled a curve on a rope, but right at David Wright. The Pirates were up 1-0 and have more runs than hits. NY went down in order; two of the three batters tried to bunt their way on; that tells us something either about Maholm's stuff or Pedro's rep.
Garrett Jones rolled a single into right, and in an eight pitch at-bat, Pedro saw seven heaters and send the last one screaming into the Mets right field notch for a three-bagger. John Bowker doubled into straightaway center, and the Bucs were finally out of their funk.
Well, not entirely. Ronny Cedeno tried to bunt the first offering (please tell us for a hit, not a sac!) and ended up popping out to the mound. Chris Snyder walked, and Maholm did his job, moving them both up a station. Valdes tried to work McCutch inside; he fought off a heater and softly dumped it into right to bring home two more. 5-0 Pittsburgh; praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.
The Mets lined back-to-back one out singles. Ike Davis hit a hard grounder to second; it ticked off Walker's glove as he tried to backhand it and died in short right, scoring one and putting runners at second and third. Nick Evans walked to load them. Pinch hitter Mike Hessman (batting for C Henry Blanco; the Mets are still trying to win games) lined a single to bring put up another tally.
Ruben Tejada hit one to El Toro; he came home and Snyder missed the catch, allowing two runs to score. It's becoming routine with him, and the Pirate horror show continued unabated when Cedeno misplayed the next ball to make it 5-5. But not for long; Angel Pagan lined a single to center, and it was 7-5 Mets. Carlos Beltran kept it going with another single, and that brought on Chan Ho Park.
Hey, Maholm wasn't sharp; that's a given. But when you give the other team five, six, seven outs an inning, bad things will happen, even if Bob Gibson's pitching.
If Maholm and Duke had a team that could catch the ball behind them that their seasons wouldn't be such nightmares; their peripheral stats (walks, K's, ground balls, line drives) aren't much out of line with their career norms.
Anyway, Park walked the bases loaded, but he got Davis on a long fly to the track in right to end the frame. Seven runs in: two were earned.
Pat Misch came on for the Mets; he got Pittsburgh 1-2-3 in the fifth; Park returned the favor. The Bucs got the first two runners on in the sixth, bringing on Elmer Dessens, but a botched bunt (Snyder, who Adam LaRoche would lap around the bases, looked like he tried to bunt for a base hit!) and a couple of quick outs took that threat off the board. D-Mac took the hill, and gave up a Reyes dinger.
Pedro Feliciano retired them in order in the seventh, McCutchen did likewise.
With two outs in the eighth, Cedeno singled, bring on Bobby Parnell. JR brought Dewey in to hit for Snyder. He cracked a double, scoring RC to make it 8-6.
Chris Leroux worked the eighth, giving up a walk. Hisanori Takahashi climbed the hill; McCutch greeted him with a bomb, his fourteenth. It was the last hurrah; JT and Jones struck out swinging around Walker's fly out. Met's win, 8-7, riding five unearned runs to the victory.
Charlie Morton takes on Ian Kennedy tomorrow night in the series finale.
-- With Chris Leroux's appearance in Tuesday's game, the Pirates have now used 51 different players this season. His appearance also broke the team record for most pitchers used with 27.
-- Here's a suggestion if the Bucs yank the Zachster from the rotation. There aren't many candidates left standing with Charlie Morton and Brian Burres already working every five days and Brad Lincoln ironing out some issues; give Chris Resop a couple of starts.
-- Altoona evened its series against Trenton tonight, winning 6-4 behind Jordy Mercer's pair of homers. Jeff Locke pitched well (7IP, 1 ER, 6H, 2W, 8K), and Daniel Moskos got the save.
The Curve dropped the first game of the best-of-five Eastern League Championship Series on Monday, 3-2, in 10 innings. The series will finish in Trenton.
Mejia injured his shoulder to boot; Raul Valdes had to come in cold to face the top of the order. He walked McCutch to juice the sacks. Valdes went 2-0 on Jose Tabata, and hung a changeup. JT didn't catch much of it, but enough to send a sac fly into medium right.
Neil Walker continued the saga of the hapless Bucco hitters; he drilled a curve on a rope, but right at David Wright. The Pirates were up 1-0 and have more runs than hits. NY went down in order; two of the three batters tried to bunt their way on; that tells us something either about Maholm's stuff or Pedro's rep.
Garrett Jones rolled a single into right, and in an eight pitch at-bat, Pedro saw seven heaters and send the last one screaming into the Mets right field notch for a three-bagger. John Bowker doubled into straightaway center, and the Bucs were finally out of their funk.
Well, not entirely. Ronny Cedeno tried to bunt the first offering (please tell us for a hit, not a sac!) and ended up popping out to the mound. Chris Snyder walked, and Maholm did his job, moving them both up a station. Valdes tried to work McCutch inside; he fought off a heater and softly dumped it into right to bring home two more. 5-0 Pittsburgh; praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.
The Mets lined back-to-back one out singles. Ike Davis hit a hard grounder to second; it ticked off Walker's glove as he tried to backhand it and died in short right, scoring one and putting runners at second and third. Nick Evans walked to load them. Pinch hitter Mike Hessman (batting for C Henry Blanco; the Mets are still trying to win games) lined a single to bring put up another tally.
Ruben Tejada hit one to El Toro; he came home and Snyder missed the catch, allowing two runs to score. It's becoming routine with him, and the Pirate horror show continued unabated when Cedeno misplayed the next ball to make it 5-5. But not for long; Angel Pagan lined a single to center, and it was 7-5 Mets. Carlos Beltran kept it going with another single, and that brought on Chan Ho Park.
Hey, Maholm wasn't sharp; that's a given. But when you give the other team five, six, seven outs an inning, bad things will happen, even if Bob Gibson's pitching.
If Maholm and Duke had a team that could catch the ball behind them that their seasons wouldn't be such nightmares; their peripheral stats (walks, K's, ground balls, line drives) aren't much out of line with their career norms.
Anyway, Park walked the bases loaded, but he got Davis on a long fly to the track in right to end the frame. Seven runs in: two were earned.
Pat Misch came on for the Mets; he got Pittsburgh 1-2-3 in the fifth; Park returned the favor. The Bucs got the first two runners on in the sixth, bringing on Elmer Dessens, but a botched bunt (Snyder, who Adam LaRoche would lap around the bases, looked like he tried to bunt for a base hit!) and a couple of quick outs took that threat off the board. D-Mac took the hill, and gave up a Reyes dinger.
Pedro Feliciano retired them in order in the seventh, McCutchen did likewise.
With two outs in the eighth, Cedeno singled, bring on Bobby Parnell. JR brought Dewey in to hit for Snyder. He cracked a double, scoring RC to make it 8-6.
Chris Leroux worked the eighth, giving up a walk. Hisanori Takahashi climbed the hill; McCutch greeted him with a bomb, his fourteenth. It was the last hurrah; JT and Jones struck out swinging around Walker's fly out. Met's win, 8-7, riding five unearned runs to the victory.
Charlie Morton takes on Ian Kennedy tomorrow night in the series finale.
-- With Chris Leroux's appearance in Tuesday's game, the Pirates have now used 51 different players this season. His appearance also broke the team record for most pitchers used with 27.
-- Here's a suggestion if the Bucs yank the Zachster from the rotation. There aren't many candidates left standing with Charlie Morton and Brian Burres already working every five days and Brad Lincoln ironing out some issues; give Chris Resop a couple of starts.
-- Altoona evened its series against Trenton tonight, winning 6-4 behind Jordy Mercer's pair of homers. Jeff Locke pitched well (7IP, 1 ER, 6H, 2W, 8K), and Daniel Moskos got the save.
The Curve dropped the first game of the best-of-five Eastern League Championship Series on Monday, 3-2, in 10 innings. The series will finish in Trenton.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Duke Destroyed, Bucs Knuckle Under
The Pirates have shown the ability to be baffled by power pitchers, finesse pitchers, and arms in between. So how would they fare against a knuckle-baller like RA Dickey?
McCutch started off with a soft roller to third that he legged out for a single. Jose Tabata got him to second with another ground out. Neil Walker squared up a knuckler, but drilled it right to Carlos Beltran. A wild pitch moved McCutchen to third, but Garrett Jones rolled out to first, and it was the same ol' in the first, no matter what the pitch.
Same ol' for Zach Duke, too. He gave up a seeing-eye leadoff groundball knock to Jose Reyes, and after a couple of pickoff tosses, wild pitched him to second, from where Angel Pagan singled him home on a dink to center; McCutch ho-hummed the ball, allowing the Reyes the extra base. Beltran got aboard when Walker, trying to start a DP, muffed the ball. Duke toughed it out, as David Wright bounced one up the middle that Ronny Cedeno turned into a 6-3 DP and Ike Davis whiffed.
Lotta action in the inning for just a run.
Dewey drew a one out walk; Cedeno hit into a 4-6-3 DP. Nick Evans, last nights hero, started the Met half with a line drive single to left. Henry Blanco K'ed, and Ruben Tejeda followed by dropping an 0-2 curve into center to put runners on the corners. The Zachster got Dickey swinging, but Reyes walked on five pitches to juice the sacks.
Pagan made him pay by lining a double to right; Dewey fumbled the ball and all three runners came across, though Pagan was nailed at third.
McCutch was walked with two outs, and JT ended the frame by bouncing back to the mound. McCutch has been aboard twice with a RH knuckleballer on the hill, and surprisingly, to us, hasn't tried to swipe second. When he learns to be aggressive running and lay down a bunt or two, he'll be a strong guy at the top of the order. Until then, he's still a work in progress offensively, with tools yet unused.
Meanwhile, Beltran took a heater over the wall; it's 5-0 and the clock is quickly ticking on Duke's night - and career in Pittsburgh. He got two more outs, and Evans pounded another heater over the fence. And we thought Charlie Morton had problems!
Jones smacked a one-out single; he seems to be the first Buc to figure out that Dickey goes to his 84 MPH fastball when he falls behind. Pedro bounced into a 4-6-3 DP; it's another of those many long nights early on for Pittsburgh.
Tejada led off with an infield single; four innings, four leadoff hits. He was bunted to second, and Reyes singled him home.
We're not exactly sure what JR was thinking, with all those warm bodies in the pen; he must of thrown in the towel after the second inning. He finally made his move, bringing in Joe Martinez. Duke went 3-1/3 innings, giving up eight runs on nine hits with a walk and three K's.
Pagan greeted Martinez with his third hit, a grounder into right. Beltran doubled two more home; it's games like this that you wish baseball used a clock instead of 27 outs. He got Wright to pop out, walked Davis, and whiffed Evans. The Steelers gave up nine points in four quarters; the Bucs gave up nine points in four innings.
The Bucco batters went down in order, as Dickey struck out the side swinging. Daniel McCutchen came on for the Bucs. He got Blanco to ground out; maybe keeping the first hitter off base is an omen. Maybe not; he fell behind Tejada 3-1 and gave up a double off the left field wall.
Dickey hit a comebacker that deflected off D-Mac's glove ; it put runners on the corners. He got Reyes and Pagan on medium flies; it was good sign, after all.
The Bucs went down 1-2-3; Dickey must be channeling Phil Niekro. Steve Jackson took his turn on the hill, and Argenis Diaz (SS), Alex Presley (CF), Andy LaRoche (2B) and Brandon Moss (RF) joined the fray. Hey, it worked - three up, three down as Wright was thrown out trying to stretch a single by JT.
And to make a long story short, the game stayed 9-0 until the ninth. Pedro Ciriaco tripled to start the inning, and scored on a John Bowker ground out; Dickey pitched a complete game five-hitter, and the Bucs limped back to the dressing room. And people wonder why Pittsburgh can't wait for the Steelers, Panthers, and Pens seasons to start.
Paul Maholm faces Jenrry Majia tomorrow night.
-- In the last eight starts, Pirate starters have put together six quality starts; the exceptions were Zach Duke's two outings. He's lasted 4-1/3 frames total in his last two appearances and was charged with twelve runs.
-- The Pirates broke a streak of 32 straight scoreless innings against opposing starters when they scored in the ninth.
-- The Pirates released their 2011 schedule. Opening Day will be Friday, April 1st at Wrigley Field in Chicago; the home opener will be Thursday, April 7th against the Rox at 1:35.
The home interleague games are against Detroit on May 20th-22nd, Baltimore on June 20th-22nd and Boston on June 24th-26th. They visit Cleveland and Toronto.
-- The Mets' Dickey is one of two active MLB knuckleballers; Tim Wakefield of Boston is the other.
McCutch started off with a soft roller to third that he legged out for a single. Jose Tabata got him to second with another ground out. Neil Walker squared up a knuckler, but drilled it right to Carlos Beltran. A wild pitch moved McCutchen to third, but Garrett Jones rolled out to first, and it was the same ol' in the first, no matter what the pitch.
Same ol' for Zach Duke, too. He gave up a seeing-eye leadoff groundball knock to Jose Reyes, and after a couple of pickoff tosses, wild pitched him to second, from where Angel Pagan singled him home on a dink to center; McCutch ho-hummed the ball, allowing the Reyes the extra base. Beltran got aboard when Walker, trying to start a DP, muffed the ball. Duke toughed it out, as David Wright bounced one up the middle that Ronny Cedeno turned into a 6-3 DP and Ike Davis whiffed.
Lotta action in the inning for just a run.
Dewey drew a one out walk; Cedeno hit into a 4-6-3 DP. Nick Evans, last nights hero, started the Met half with a line drive single to left. Henry Blanco K'ed, and Ruben Tejeda followed by dropping an 0-2 curve into center to put runners on the corners. The Zachster got Dickey swinging, but Reyes walked on five pitches to juice the sacks.
Pagan made him pay by lining a double to right; Dewey fumbled the ball and all three runners came across, though Pagan was nailed at third.
McCutch was walked with two outs, and JT ended the frame by bouncing back to the mound. McCutch has been aboard twice with a RH knuckleballer on the hill, and surprisingly, to us, hasn't tried to swipe second. When he learns to be aggressive running and lay down a bunt or two, he'll be a strong guy at the top of the order. Until then, he's still a work in progress offensively, with tools yet unused.
Meanwhile, Beltran took a heater over the wall; it's 5-0 and the clock is quickly ticking on Duke's night - and career in Pittsburgh. He got two more outs, and Evans pounded another heater over the fence. And we thought Charlie Morton had problems!
Jones smacked a one-out single; he seems to be the first Buc to figure out that Dickey goes to his 84 MPH fastball when he falls behind. Pedro bounced into a 4-6-3 DP; it's another of those many long nights early on for Pittsburgh.
Tejada led off with an infield single; four innings, four leadoff hits. He was bunted to second, and Reyes singled him home.
We're not exactly sure what JR was thinking, with all those warm bodies in the pen; he must of thrown in the towel after the second inning. He finally made his move, bringing in Joe Martinez. Duke went 3-1/3 innings, giving up eight runs on nine hits with a walk and three K's.
Pagan greeted Martinez with his third hit, a grounder into right. Beltran doubled two more home; it's games like this that you wish baseball used a clock instead of 27 outs. He got Wright to pop out, walked Davis, and whiffed Evans. The Steelers gave up nine points in four quarters; the Bucs gave up nine points in four innings.
The Bucco batters went down in order, as Dickey struck out the side swinging. Daniel McCutchen came on for the Bucs. He got Blanco to ground out; maybe keeping the first hitter off base is an omen. Maybe not; he fell behind Tejada 3-1 and gave up a double off the left field wall.
Dickey hit a comebacker that deflected off D-Mac's glove ; it put runners on the corners. He got Reyes and Pagan on medium flies; it was good sign, after all.
The Bucs went down 1-2-3; Dickey must be channeling Phil Niekro. Steve Jackson took his turn on the hill, and Argenis Diaz (SS), Alex Presley (CF), Andy LaRoche (2B) and Brandon Moss (RF) joined the fray. Hey, it worked - three up, three down as Wright was thrown out trying to stretch a single by JT.
And to make a long story short, the game stayed 9-0 until the ninth. Pedro Ciriaco tripled to start the inning, and scored on a John Bowker ground out; Dickey pitched a complete game five-hitter, and the Bucs limped back to the dressing room. And people wonder why Pittsburgh can't wait for the Steelers, Panthers, and Pens seasons to start.
Paul Maholm faces Jenrry Majia tomorrow night.
-- In the last eight starts, Pirate starters have put together six quality starts; the exceptions were Zach Duke's two outings. He's lasted 4-1/3 frames total in his last two appearances and was charged with twelve runs.
-- The Pirates broke a streak of 32 straight scoreless innings against opposing starters when they scored in the ninth.
-- The Pirates released their 2011 schedule. Opening Day will be Friday, April 1st at Wrigley Field in Chicago; the home opener will be Thursday, April 7th against the Rox at 1:35.
The home interleague games are against Detroit on May 20th-22nd, Baltimore on June 20th-22nd and Boston on June 24th-26th. They visit Cleveland and Toronto.
-- The Mets' Dickey is one of two active MLB knuckleballers; Tim Wakefield of Boston is the other.
Monday, September 13, 2010
No Late Rally Tonight
The game got of to a late start; rain delayed it 45 minutes. Must have been a good storm; even the Jets kickoff was pushed back.
Dillon Gee relied on his 90 MPH fastball in the first. It was good enough to handle McCutch and JT; with two outs, Neil Walker drew a base on balls and Garrett Jones singled him to third. He pounded Pedro inside with his fastball and got him swinging on a changeup away.
Jose Reyes singled to start the Mets off; James McDonald promptly picked him off and cruised through the first.
Again, the Pirates waited until two were away to get into the flow when Chris Snyder singled. J-Mac ended the inning with a swinging bunt roller to third.
David Wright lined a single to left to open the Met second. Ike Davis took a fastball deep the opposite way, but Tabata had enough room to collect the first out. Josh Thole walked, and McDonald shut them down after that.
McCutch flew out deep to straightaway center, JT struck out swinging, missing a pair of belt high 89 MPH fastballs, and Walker lined out to right.
Gee became the third straight Met to start the frame with a knock; he doubled to left, and Reyes bunted him to third. Angel Pagan hit a medium fly to left, freezing the runner, and Carlos Beltran fanned on a changeup. J-Mac continued his stroll through the New York raindrops.
Jones started the fourth by going the opposite way and rolling a ground ball double into left, followed by a Pedro walk. John Bowker hit a short fly to center; he's getting every opportunity to prove himself, but...
Ronny Cedeno moved the runners up a station when he pulled a down and away curve softly to third. With two away, Gee intentionally walked Snyder and got McDonald on a foul pop. The Pirates had stranded six, four in scoring position, in four frames. It didn't seem to bother J-Mac; he put away NY in order.
With one out, Tabata bounced a ball over third for a double, followed by a walk to the Pittsburgh Kid. Jones caught a heater, but it ended up a long fly out to center, deep enough to get JT to third. Pedro bounced a curve to second, and the Bucs went down again. J-Mac handled the bottom of the Met lineup handily, striking out a pair.
Cedeno got a one-out single in the sixth, and never budged off the base. Pagan worked a one out walk in the Met half, and J-Mac's velocity seemed to drop a couple of ticks. But Snyder caught Pagan stealing, and Beltran flew out to right; McDonald was sitting on just 71 pitches after six frames.
Gee was done. He went six innings, giving up five hits, four walks, and striking out three. Gee didn't shut the Bucs with Volquez or Cueto velocity, stuff or command; he left plenty of balls over the plate, though he did have nice separation of speed with his junk, which helped keep the Pirates off balance. It was plenty enough to quiet the Bucco bats.
Elmer Dessens took the hill. Every pitch but one was an 88-89 MPH heater; he got the Bucs 1-2-3. With one away, Davis doubled into right center on a 3-2 pitch. After a visit from Ray Searage, J-Mac came back from a 3-0 count to get Josh Tholes on a grounder to short and retired Lucas Duda on a fly to left.
Pedro Feliciano came on to work the eighth, and got the Bucs in order. With one out, outfielder Jesus Feliciano, who came on an inning earlier during a double switch, lined a single into center. Reyes grounded to Jones, moving the runner to second. J-Mac got a first pitch fly to right center from Angel Pagan, and his night was done. And it was a good one.
He struggled through the last three innings, but gave Pittsburgh eight shutout frames, with five hits, two walks, and four K's to his credit after 100 pitches. His fastball command was sharp even though his velocity dipped; the Mets basically laid off his soft stuff until they had two strikes.
James McDonald now has a 3.48 ERA in his eight starts for Pittsburgh, and has thrown 17 consecutive scoreless innings, the third longest active streak in MLB.
Hisanori Takahashi came on to pitch the ninth. Snyder drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch. Alex Presley pinch ran for him, and Andy LaRoche picked up a bat to replace J-Mac, with Dewey already coming in and DY on the bench. Presley was caught stealing and LaRoche K'ed. Chris Resop took the ball, and got the Met 3-4-5 hitters 1-2-3.
Takahashi stayed in; McCutch opened the tenth with a double to left. JT tried to bunt him over; McCutch was nailed at third. JR loves to bunt with a runner on second and nobody out; why give up the out and take the bat out of Tabata's hands? We know the Mets did it earlier in the game - is it any wonder it's scoreless?
Walker took a hack at ball four and popped to short; Jones hit a ball on the nose, but right at Davis. Chan Ho Park came on for Pittsburgh. After an out, a defensive sub, Ruben Tejada, doubled to left. Pinch hitter Nick Evans took a curve for a strike; he drilled the next one into left to end the game, Tejada beating JT's off-line throw.
JR didn't lose this game; the Pirate bats were to blame. But he had a couple of opportunities to manage them into winning situations, and didn't. When you drop a 1-0, extra inning game and your best pinch hitters and relievers don't see the light of day, and you take the bat out of a .307 hitter's hands with the lead run at second, you're not putting your team in a position to win.
It doesn't make any difference whether it's September or not; the club already has the first pick in next year's draft virtually locked up. The team needs to learn how to win, and that starts with the manager.
Zach Duke takes the hill against RA Dickey tomorrow night.
-- Neil Walker's hitting streak ended at 18 games. He went 0-for-3 with two walks.
-- Yesterday's 3-1 win in Cincy marked the 13th time that the Pirates won a game in their last at-bat. That's 27% of their 48 victories; good thing the kids don't quit.
-- Citi Field reminds GW of PNC Park in its field layout, except its Notch is in right center instead of left center.
Dillon Gee relied on his 90 MPH fastball in the first. It was good enough to handle McCutch and JT; with two outs, Neil Walker drew a base on balls and Garrett Jones singled him to third. He pounded Pedro inside with his fastball and got him swinging on a changeup away.
Jose Reyes singled to start the Mets off; James McDonald promptly picked him off and cruised through the first.
Again, the Pirates waited until two were away to get into the flow when Chris Snyder singled. J-Mac ended the inning with a swinging bunt roller to third.
David Wright lined a single to left to open the Met second. Ike Davis took a fastball deep the opposite way, but Tabata had enough room to collect the first out. Josh Thole walked, and McDonald shut them down after that.
McCutch flew out deep to straightaway center, JT struck out swinging, missing a pair of belt high 89 MPH fastballs, and Walker lined out to right.
Gee became the third straight Met to start the frame with a knock; he doubled to left, and Reyes bunted him to third. Angel Pagan hit a medium fly to left, freezing the runner, and Carlos Beltran fanned on a changeup. J-Mac continued his stroll through the New York raindrops.
Jones started the fourth by going the opposite way and rolling a ground ball double into left, followed by a Pedro walk. John Bowker hit a short fly to center; he's getting every opportunity to prove himself, but...
Ronny Cedeno moved the runners up a station when he pulled a down and away curve softly to third. With two away, Gee intentionally walked Snyder and got McDonald on a foul pop. The Pirates had stranded six, four in scoring position, in four frames. It didn't seem to bother J-Mac; he put away NY in order.
With one out, Tabata bounced a ball over third for a double, followed by a walk to the Pittsburgh Kid. Jones caught a heater, but it ended up a long fly out to center, deep enough to get JT to third. Pedro bounced a curve to second, and the Bucs went down again. J-Mac handled the bottom of the Met lineup handily, striking out a pair.
Cedeno got a one-out single in the sixth, and never budged off the base. Pagan worked a one out walk in the Met half, and J-Mac's velocity seemed to drop a couple of ticks. But Snyder caught Pagan stealing, and Beltran flew out to right; McDonald was sitting on just 71 pitches after six frames.
Gee was done. He went six innings, giving up five hits, four walks, and striking out three. Gee didn't shut the Bucs with Volquez or Cueto velocity, stuff or command; he left plenty of balls over the plate, though he did have nice separation of speed with his junk, which helped keep the Pirates off balance. It was plenty enough to quiet the Bucco bats.
Elmer Dessens took the hill. Every pitch but one was an 88-89 MPH heater; he got the Bucs 1-2-3. With one away, Davis doubled into right center on a 3-2 pitch. After a visit from Ray Searage, J-Mac came back from a 3-0 count to get Josh Tholes on a grounder to short and retired Lucas Duda on a fly to left.
Pedro Feliciano came on to work the eighth, and got the Bucs in order. With one out, outfielder Jesus Feliciano, who came on an inning earlier during a double switch, lined a single into center. Reyes grounded to Jones, moving the runner to second. J-Mac got a first pitch fly to right center from Angel Pagan, and his night was done. And it was a good one.
He struggled through the last three innings, but gave Pittsburgh eight shutout frames, with five hits, two walks, and four K's to his credit after 100 pitches. His fastball command was sharp even though his velocity dipped; the Mets basically laid off his soft stuff until they had two strikes.
James McDonald now has a 3.48 ERA in his eight starts for Pittsburgh, and has thrown 17 consecutive scoreless innings, the third longest active streak in MLB.
Hisanori Takahashi came on to pitch the ninth. Snyder drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch. Alex Presley pinch ran for him, and Andy LaRoche picked up a bat to replace J-Mac, with Dewey already coming in and DY on the bench. Presley was caught stealing and LaRoche K'ed. Chris Resop took the ball, and got the Met 3-4-5 hitters 1-2-3.
Takahashi stayed in; McCutch opened the tenth with a double to left. JT tried to bunt him over; McCutch was nailed at third. JR loves to bunt with a runner on second and nobody out; why give up the out and take the bat out of Tabata's hands? We know the Mets did it earlier in the game - is it any wonder it's scoreless?
Walker took a hack at ball four and popped to short; Jones hit a ball on the nose, but right at Davis. Chan Ho Park came on for Pittsburgh. After an out, a defensive sub, Ruben Tejada, doubled to left. Pinch hitter Nick Evans took a curve for a strike; he drilled the next one into left to end the game, Tejada beating JT's off-line throw.
JR didn't lose this game; the Pirate bats were to blame. But he had a couple of opportunities to manage them into winning situations, and didn't. When you drop a 1-0, extra inning game and your best pinch hitters and relievers don't see the light of day, and you take the bat out of a .307 hitter's hands with the lead run at second, you're not putting your team in a position to win.
It doesn't make any difference whether it's September or not; the club already has the first pick in next year's draft virtually locked up. The team needs to learn how to win, and that starts with the manager.
Zach Duke takes the hill against RA Dickey tomorrow night.
-- Neil Walker's hitting streak ended at 18 games. He went 0-for-3 with two walks.
-- Yesterday's 3-1 win in Cincy marked the 13th time that the Pirates won a game in their last at-bat. That's 27% of their 48 victories; good thing the kids don't quit.
-- Citi Field reminds GW of PNC Park in its field layout, except its Notch is in right center instead of left center.
McCutch's Mitt and the Monday Wash
-- There's been a lot of debate about Andrew McCutchen's fielding this year; the Sabremetric folk rank him as the second coming of Richie Zisk. The difference is that Pirate strategists have him playing a little deeper and shaded more toward the right center gap than they did in 2009 with Jose Tabata now the regular left fielder.
It makes sense by giving them better overall coverage by protecting the right fielder. The only hole is the left field line, and the braintrust is counting on JT's wheels to cover that gap.
The alignment protects against extra base knocks better, but limits McCutch's ability to snag the little flares and also gives the LF'er more chances on balls that were his last season. Both of those work against McCutchen in UZR stats as they affect both his perceived range and putout totals.
Is he a gold glover? Not now; he often has a little hesitation in his initial read. But his routes are usually direct, his throwing has improved over last year, and he still outruns balls. McCutch may be giving up some personal stats in the Pirate defensive scheme, but his leather is the least of Pittsburgh's problems.
-- The Pirates claimed RHP Chris Leroux off waivers from the Marlins and DFA'ed RHP Brian Bass. Leroux, 26, appeared in 17 games for Florida this year. In 18 innings of work for the Marlins, he had a 7.00 ERA, 1.94 WHIP, struck out 18 and walked 11. He posted a 6.28 ERA in three minor league stops this year, but his strikeout (7.2 K/9) and walk (2.5 BB/9) numbers were good.
A seventh-round selection by Florida in the 2005 draft, he throws a mid-nineties fastball, hard slider and change, and is a ground-ball pitcher; his control is his biggest issue. A Montreal native, Leroux appeared in two games for Team Canada during the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He's 6'6" and has a power arm, and the Pirates are always on the lookout for those physical attributes.
He's been included in Baseball America's top 20 Marlin prospects for the past three years, and projects as a set-up man, ala Chris Resop, in the pen. Leroux has one option remaining after the season, so can be sent to Indy next year if he sticks on the 40-man roster.
-- Recent top gun signees Luis Heredia, Jameson Taillon and Stetson Allie will hit Pirate City this week to participate in the Instructional League.
-- If you're wondering who in the heck Met starter Dillon Gee is, he's the guy who replaced Johan Santana in the NY rotation. In his major league debut Tuesday against the Nats, Gee took a no-hitter into the sixth, ending up with a seven inning, one-run, two hit outing and a victory.
Before his call-up, Gee had a 13-8 record and 4.96 ERA in AAA, with 165 K in 161 IP - and 23 HR's surrendered.
-- The Oakland Athletics inked free-agent Akinori Iwamura, recently released by the Bucs. The 31-year-old hit .182 in 193 plate appearances for the Pirates this season and had a .264/3/16 line at Indy. Oakland said they made the move because the club is unsure of when Kevin Kouzmanoff will be able to return to action at third this year.
It makes sense by giving them better overall coverage by protecting the right fielder. The only hole is the left field line, and the braintrust is counting on JT's wheels to cover that gap.
The alignment protects against extra base knocks better, but limits McCutch's ability to snag the little flares and also gives the LF'er more chances on balls that were his last season. Both of those work against McCutchen in UZR stats as they affect both his perceived range and putout totals.
Is he a gold glover? Not now; he often has a little hesitation in his initial read. But his routes are usually direct, his throwing has improved over last year, and he still outruns balls. McCutch may be giving up some personal stats in the Pirate defensive scheme, but his leather is the least of Pittsburgh's problems.
-- The Pirates claimed RHP Chris Leroux off waivers from the Marlins and DFA'ed RHP Brian Bass. Leroux, 26, appeared in 17 games for Florida this year. In 18 innings of work for the Marlins, he had a 7.00 ERA, 1.94 WHIP, struck out 18 and walked 11. He posted a 6.28 ERA in three minor league stops this year, but his strikeout (7.2 K/9) and walk (2.5 BB/9) numbers were good.
A seventh-round selection by Florida in the 2005 draft, he throws a mid-nineties fastball, hard slider and change, and is a ground-ball pitcher; his control is his biggest issue. A Montreal native, Leroux appeared in two games for Team Canada during the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He's 6'6" and has a power arm, and the Pirates are always on the lookout for those physical attributes.
He's been included in Baseball America's top 20 Marlin prospects for the past three years, and projects as a set-up man, ala Chris Resop, in the pen. Leroux has one option remaining after the season, so can be sent to Indy next year if he sticks on the 40-man roster.
-- Recent top gun signees Luis Heredia, Jameson Taillon and Stetson Allie will hit Pirate City this week to participate in the Instructional League.
-- If you're wondering who in the heck Met starter Dillon Gee is, he's the guy who replaced Johan Santana in the NY rotation. In his major league debut Tuesday against the Nats, Gee took a no-hitter into the sixth, ending up with a seven inning, one-run, two hit outing and a victory.
Before his call-up, Gee had a 13-8 record and 4.96 ERA in AAA, with 165 K in 161 IP - and 23 HR's surrendered.
-- The Oakland Athletics inked free-agent Akinori Iwamura, recently released by the Bucs. The 31-year-old hit .182 in 193 plate appearances for the Pirates this season and had a .264/3/16 line at Indy. Oakland said they made the move because the club is unsure of when Kevin Kouzmanoff will be able to return to action at third this year.
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