The Bucs vs. the O's at McKechnie Field; the game starts at 7:05.
Lineup: Jose Tabata LF, Matt Diaz RF, Neil Walker 2B, Lyle Overbay 1B, Garrett Atkins 3B, Ronny Cedeno SS, Gorkys Hernandez CF, Jason Jaramillo C and Paul Maholm P.
Pitchers: Paul Maholm, Joel Hanrahan, Evan Meek, Chris Resop, Jeff Karstens and Tony Watson.
Paul Maholm takes the mound against Baltimore's Brad Bergesen. The game will be televised on Fox Sports - Pittsburgh.
-- Joe Biemel and Scott Olsen are throwing live BP, which means they're close to coming back. Jose Ascanio is throwing bullpen sessions, which means he still has a ways to go, and Kevin Hart is just throwing long toss; he appears destined for the DL.
-- John Bowker (wrist), Josh Rodriguez (quad) and Brian Friday (hand) are all listed as "day-to-day."
-- The Pirates' Clint Hurdle continues to bat his pitchers during the spring to get them ready for the season; it also gives him a better idea of how the team will perform under NL game conditions. But don't read much into it. With starters going just four frames, it usually means giving up one at-bat; it's just early mental prep for the starter.
-- Matt Eddy of Baseball America tweeted that Eric Krebs retired. The 25 year-old RHP was Pirate property until 2009, when he was the PTBNL in the Delwyn Young deal. He never pitched above the AA level.
In the same tweet, he reported that Jordan Newton, a 24 year-old C at High A Bradenton who was signed from the Indy Leagues last season after Tony Sanchez and Eric Fryer went down, also hung 'em up.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
AJ Johnson
A neat little story about former Bucco draft pick AJ Johnson and the fraternity of baseball, by Jen Langosch of MLB.com. A baseball family extends beyond the field and jersey.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Pirates Bats Fall Short Again In 4-2 Loss
Well, the shouting was just about over by the time Kevin Correia and Bartolo Colon worked their opening frames; it was 3-2 Yankees. Charlie Morton gave up a solo shot, and that was all she wrote: New York 4, Pittsburgh 2.
Correia had another shaky outing, giving up three runs on six hits in four innings. He struck out four and walked three. Morton did OK again, giving up just the one run in his three frames on two hits and collecting 2 Ks. Jose Veras pitched a scoreless inning, though he was touched for two hits.
The Buc runs came on a Steve Pearce sac fly and a Chris Snyder single in the second. The Pirates collected nine hits, but were 1-for-8 RISP and struck out 16 times (Chris d'Arnaud whiffed three times; four other Bucs went down on strikes twice.) Andrew McCutchen and Matt Diaz had two hits each.
Josh Fields and Matt Diaz stole bases; McCutch got caught. Andrew Lambo picked up his second outfield assist of the spring, gunning a runner at third.
Pittsburgh will host the Baltimore Orioles at 7:05 PM tomorrow in the spring's only night game at McKechnie Field. The game will be aired on FSN. Paul Maholm is scheduled to throw four frames, with Joel Hanrahan, Evan Meek, Chris Resop, Jeff Karstens and Tony Watson also penciled in to throw an inning.
Correia had another shaky outing, giving up three runs on six hits in four innings. He struck out four and walked three. Morton did OK again, giving up just the one run in his three frames on two hits and collecting 2 Ks. Jose Veras pitched a scoreless inning, though he was touched for two hits.
The Buc runs came on a Steve Pearce sac fly and a Chris Snyder single in the second. The Pirates collected nine hits, but were 1-for-8 RISP and struck out 16 times (Chris d'Arnaud whiffed three times; four other Bucs went down on strikes twice.) Andrew McCutchen and Matt Diaz had two hits each.
Josh Fields and Matt Diaz stole bases; McCutch got caught. Andrew Lambo picked up his second outfield assist of the spring, gunning a runner at third.
Pittsburgh will host the Baltimore Orioles at 7:05 PM tomorrow in the spring's only night game at McKechnie Field. The game will be aired on FSN. Paul Maholm is scheduled to throw four frames, with Joel Hanrahan, Evan Meek, Chris Resop, Jeff Karstens and Tony Watson also penciled in to throw an inning.
Turn the Page...
-- RHP Brendan Donnelly, released at the deadline last year by the Bucs, has retired reports MLB.com. He had a 5.58 ERA for the Pirates. For his career, Donnelly compiled a 32-10 record, 3.22 ERA with 369 strikeouts in 385-1/3 innings.
-- Former West Virginia QB Pat White retired from baseball, according to ESPN. He signed a minor-league contract with KC last year after a stint with the Miami Dolphins. He had been drafted twice, by the Yankees and Angels, but stuck with football.
-- Bad start for the NL Central. The Cards have lost Adam Wainwright, the Astros Jason Castro, and the Brewers now have Zack Grienke on ice with cracked ribs and he'll likely miss the start of the season.
-- Former West Virginia QB Pat White retired from baseball, according to ESPN. He signed a minor-league contract with KC last year after a stint with the Miami Dolphins. He had been drafted twice, by the Yankees and Angels, but stuck with football.
-- Bad start for the NL Central. The Cards have lost Adam Wainwright, the Astros Jason Castro, and the Brewers now have Zack Grienke on ice with cracked ribs and he'll likely miss the start of the season.
Tonight's Scorecards
The Bucco lineup against the Bronx Bombers:
The Lineup: Andrew McCutchen CF, Chase d’Arnaud 2B, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Matt Diaz LF, Garrett Jones RF, Steve Pearce 1B, Chris Snyder C, Pedro Ciriaco SS and Kevin Correia P.
The Pitchers: Kevin Correia, Charlie Morton, Aaron Thompson, Tony Watson and Justin Thomas.
Game time is 7:05 in Tampa. Corriea will start against the Yankees' Bartolo Colon, and the game will be broadcast on FM Newstalk 104.7 and the Pirates Radio Network. Coverage begins at 7:00 PM.
-- Hurdle isn't afraid to shake and bake the spring lineup. McCutch is leading off, Pedro is batting third, and Matt Diaz is clean-up. We like that he's giving Steve Pearce and Pedro Ciriaco some quality time against the real Yankees, too, instead of bringing them in at the end against the NY rag-tags.
He also has Morton penciled in early so he'll go against the MLB lineup.
The Lineup: Andrew McCutchen CF, Chase d’Arnaud 2B, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Matt Diaz LF, Garrett Jones RF, Steve Pearce 1B, Chris Snyder C, Pedro Ciriaco SS and Kevin Correia P.
The Pitchers: Kevin Correia, Charlie Morton, Aaron Thompson, Tony Watson and Justin Thomas.
Game time is 7:05 in Tampa. Corriea will start against the Yankees' Bartolo Colon, and the game will be broadcast on FM Newstalk 104.7 and the Pirates Radio Network. Coverage begins at 7:00 PM.
-- Hurdle isn't afraid to shake and bake the spring lineup. McCutch is leading off, Pedro is batting third, and Matt Diaz is clean-up. We like that he's giving Steve Pearce and Pedro Ciriaco some quality time against the real Yankees, too, instead of bringing them in at the end against the NY rag-tags.
He also has Morton penciled in early so he'll go against the MLB lineup.
Hey, More Profiles
-- James McDonald (Ron Musselman, Post-Gazette)
--Lyle Overbay (Ken Fidlin, Toronto Sun)
-- Matt Diaz (Ron Musselman, Post-Gazette)
-- Chris Snyder (Ron Musselman, Post-Gazette)
-- Daniel McCutchen (Karen Price, Tribune-Review)
-- Tony Sanchez (Karen Price, Tribune-Review)
-- Nick Leyva (John Lembo, Bradenton.com)
--Lyle Overbay (Ken Fidlin, Toronto Sun)
-- Matt Diaz (Ron Musselman, Post-Gazette)
-- Chris Snyder (Ron Musselman, Post-Gazette)
-- Daniel McCutchen (Karen Price, Tribune-Review)
-- Tony Sanchez (Karen Price, Tribune-Review)
-- Nick Leyva (John Lembo, Bradenton.com)
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Bucs Put Up Three Spot In Ninth; Top Twins 5-2; B Team Loses
Ah, just like the good ol' days when the Buccos were the Kardiac Kids. Keyed by Andrew Lambo's two-run single in the ninth, the Pirates topped the Twins 5-2 today. The Pirates broke out of their hitting slump for a frame, collecting four of their eight hits in the ninth.
Lyle Overbay homered, and Ronny Cedeno had two hits (although he took himself off the bases by being thrown out at third stealing - twice, and both times with two outs. Curious timing.), and Pedro Ciriaco and Ryan Doumit chipped in with sac-fly RBI. The Bucs bent but didn't fold against the Twin Cities.
Minnesota pounded out out eleven hits, but a 1-for-12 RISP and pair of DPs helped limit the damage. They got both their runs off Rudy Owens; Brian Burres, Sean Gallagher and Chris Leroux were unscored on, as was Fernando Nieve, who put up a goose egg for the win but gave up four hits in his two innings of work.
Carl Pavano pitched four scoreless frames against Pittsburgh; Jeff Manship was the victim of the ninth-inning rally.
In the morning affair held on the Twin's back field, the Bucco's dropped a 4-2 "B" game decision. Andy Marte homered and Steve Pearce made a nice play at third to bail Brad Lincoln out of a bases-juiced jam; Bad Brad went two scoreless innings and saw a couple of the Twins' big boys.
Justin Morneau played in the "B" game, his first of any kind since a July concussion. Delmon Young, returning from turf toe, played too.
-- Scott Olsen threw 30 pitches during live BP; another live performance is scheduled for Thursday. If his leg holds up, he should be ready to go by the weekend.
-- In the "B" game, 2B prospect Brian Friday was hit in the hand by a pitch. The X-Rays were negative and he's day-to-day; we'll wait and see how it turns out. Friday seems to get one nagging injury every season.
Lyle Overbay homered, and Ronny Cedeno had two hits (although he took himself off the bases by being thrown out at third stealing - twice, and both times with two outs. Curious timing.), and Pedro Ciriaco and Ryan Doumit chipped in with sac-fly RBI. The Bucs bent but didn't fold against the Twin Cities.
Minnesota pounded out out eleven hits, but a 1-for-12 RISP and pair of DPs helped limit the damage. They got both their runs off Rudy Owens; Brian Burres, Sean Gallagher and Chris Leroux were unscored on, as was Fernando Nieve, who put up a goose egg for the win but gave up four hits in his two innings of work.
Carl Pavano pitched four scoreless frames against Pittsburgh; Jeff Manship was the victim of the ninth-inning rally.
In the morning affair held on the Twin's back field, the Bucco's dropped a 4-2 "B" game decision. Andy Marte homered and Steve Pearce made a nice play at third to bail Brad Lincoln out of a bases-juiced jam; Bad Brad went two scoreless innings and saw a couple of the Twins' big boys.
Justin Morneau played in the "B" game, his first of any kind since a July concussion. Delmon Young, returning from turf toe, played too.
-- Scott Olsen threw 30 pitches during live BP; another live performance is scheduled for Thursday. If his leg holds up, he should be ready to go by the weekend.
-- In the "B" game, 2B prospect Brian Friday was hit in the hand by a pitch. The X-Rays were negative and he's day-to-day; we'll wait and see how it turns out. Friday seems to get one nagging injury every season.
Twins Twice
The Pirates play the Twins twice in Fort Myers today, with a B game scheduled for the morning.
Lineup "A" Game: Andrew McCutchen CF, Jose Tabata LF, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Lyle Overbay 1B, Neil Walker 2B, Garrett Jones RF, Ronny Cedeno SS, Ryan Doumit C and Brian Burres P.
Pitchers "A" Game: Brian Burres, Sean Gallagher, Fernando Nieve, Chris Leroux, Jeff Locke and Daniel McCutchen.
Lineup "B" Game: Corey Wimberly SS, Alex Presley LF, Steve Pearce 3B, Andrew Lambo RF, Andy Marte 1B, Gorkys Hernandez CF, Jason Jaramillo DH, Brian Friday 2B and Wyatt Toregas C.
Pitchers "B" Game: Brad Lincoln, Bryan Morris, Kyle McPherson, Justin Wilson and Ramon Aguero.
The Pirates will play their "B" game at 10:05 AM, three hours before the scheduled 1:05 PM "A" game.
Lineup "A" Game: Andrew McCutchen CF, Jose Tabata LF, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Lyle Overbay 1B, Neil Walker 2B, Garrett Jones RF, Ronny Cedeno SS, Ryan Doumit C and Brian Burres P.
Pitchers "A" Game: Brian Burres, Sean Gallagher, Fernando Nieve, Chris Leroux, Jeff Locke and Daniel McCutchen.
Lineup "B" Game: Corey Wimberly SS, Alex Presley LF, Steve Pearce 3B, Andrew Lambo RF, Andy Marte 1B, Gorkys Hernandez CF, Jason Jaramillo DH, Brian Friday 2B and Wyatt Toregas C.
Pitchers "B" Game: Brad Lincoln, Bryan Morris, Kyle McPherson, Justin Wilson and Ramon Aguero.
The Pirates will play their "B" game at 10:05 AM, three hours before the scheduled 1:05 PM "A" game.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Camp Battles
Going into camp, there wasn't much mystery as to the core of the team. The position players were set, four of the five rotation spots were filled, and the back end of the bullpen was in place.
Even though they were just looking to fill in at the fringes, the FO did bring in some competition for the spots from outside the organization, mostly young and with some pedigree if not much in the way of MLB production, a departure from their vet career-backup philosophy of the past.
It appears that the final pitching spots may go down to the wire; nobody has really jumped up and grabbed a stranglehold on them yet.
Charlie Morton and Brad Lincoln have shown signs that they may be capable of taking the fifth turn while Scott Olsen has yet to throw a spring pitch in anger, although he may be back by the weekend. Our sole insight so far is that Morton is the only one out of options, so we'd wager it's his job to lose.
There's no chance for a break-out hotshot like Rudy Owens or Justin Wilson heading north in April. If the aforementioned three all bomb, Hurdle will hand the ball to old dependables Brian Burres and Jeff Karstens and let the pups hone their craft in the minors for at least a while.
As for the bullpen, the posse of candidates vying to provide a bridge to Evan Meek and Joel Hanrahan have yet to give us a reason to believe. Of course, none of them have worked much yet, either. The one minor-league guy who has taken advantage of the opportunity so far is Mike Crotta; in four appearances covering six frames, he has yet to yield a run.
But the bench spots feature some interesting arm-wrestling matches. For the corner infielders, the Pirates have Steve Pearce, back from surgery and taking balls at third base, and brought in Josh Fields, Andy Marte and Garrett Atkins, all guys who can go long.
Atkins is getting the longest look in the field and the majority of swings, and has a prior relationship with Hurdle from their Colorado days. Of the other three, only Marte is hitting the ball. But - and this is a big but - none of that trio has over eight at-bats so far.
This one has all the earmarks of going down to the wire. None are hindered by option problems. The three newcomers signed minor-league contracts, and Pearce has one option remaining.
The middle infielder slot looks like a duel between Josh Rodriguez and Pedro Ciriaco. Corey Wimberly, with his plus speed and ability to step into the OF for McCutch or Jose Tabata, has been fighting the ball in the infield and at the plate in the early sledding. He's running out of time to convince the brass that he's their man.
In the first couple of weeks, both Rodriguez and Ciriaco have gotten on base enough - their OBP is over .380 - and Ciriaco has the better glove and more speed. Rodriguez is considered closer to MLB-ready, but hasn't shown a lot of leather at short yet. He's projected as a second baseman.
When it comes to rug cutting time, Josh is a Rule 5 player and has to be returned to Cleveland if he doesn't make the big team, while Pedro has an option. And it may come down to that. To make the evaluation a little trickier, Rodriguez has quad problems and will be on ice for a few days.
The last bench spot is a poser; it could be an outfielder or a third catcher. Ryan Doumit is the linchpin here. John Bowker and Alex Presley are the OF candidates. Bowker has the better bat and some pop as a corner OF'er, but Presley can step into center or left if needed.
The catchers vying for the third spot behind Chris Snyder and Doumit are Jason Jaramillo and Dusty Brown, both good glove, questionable stick guys.
There are a lot of moving parts to this decision. Doumit can be a fifth OF'er if needed, but Bowker and Presley are better bets as pinch-hitters than the backstop guys and better gloves than Dewey.
If they keep a third catcher, Doumit can pinch hit; if they don't, Bowker could be the lefty off the bench. Of the group, Presley has the best wheels and can play anywhere in the pasture.
Bowker is the only guy without options; Brown signed a minor-league deal while Jaramillo and Presley have options left. This may be one decision that's mostly out of the players' hands and dependent on Doumit's role, if he lasts through the spring.
Even though they were just looking to fill in at the fringes, the FO did bring in some competition for the spots from outside the organization, mostly young and with some pedigree if not much in the way of MLB production, a departure from their vet career-backup philosophy of the past.
It appears that the final pitching spots may go down to the wire; nobody has really jumped up and grabbed a stranglehold on them yet.
Charlie Morton and Brad Lincoln have shown signs that they may be capable of taking the fifth turn while Scott Olsen has yet to throw a spring pitch in anger, although he may be back by the weekend. Our sole insight so far is that Morton is the only one out of options, so we'd wager it's his job to lose.
There's no chance for a break-out hotshot like Rudy Owens or Justin Wilson heading north in April. If the aforementioned three all bomb, Hurdle will hand the ball to old dependables Brian Burres and Jeff Karstens and let the pups hone their craft in the minors for at least a while.
As for the bullpen, the posse of candidates vying to provide a bridge to Evan Meek and Joel Hanrahan have yet to give us a reason to believe. Of course, none of them have worked much yet, either. The one minor-league guy who has taken advantage of the opportunity so far is Mike Crotta; in four appearances covering six frames, he has yet to yield a run.
But the bench spots feature some interesting arm-wrestling matches. For the corner infielders, the Pirates have Steve Pearce, back from surgery and taking balls at third base, and brought in Josh Fields, Andy Marte and Garrett Atkins, all guys who can go long.
Atkins is getting the longest look in the field and the majority of swings, and has a prior relationship with Hurdle from their Colorado days. Of the other three, only Marte is hitting the ball. But - and this is a big but - none of that trio has over eight at-bats so far.
This one has all the earmarks of going down to the wire. None are hindered by option problems. The three newcomers signed minor-league contracts, and Pearce has one option remaining.
The middle infielder slot looks like a duel between Josh Rodriguez and Pedro Ciriaco. Corey Wimberly, with his plus speed and ability to step into the OF for McCutch or Jose Tabata, has been fighting the ball in the infield and at the plate in the early sledding. He's running out of time to convince the brass that he's their man.
In the first couple of weeks, both Rodriguez and Ciriaco have gotten on base enough - their OBP is over .380 - and Ciriaco has the better glove and more speed. Rodriguez is considered closer to MLB-ready, but hasn't shown a lot of leather at short yet. He's projected as a second baseman.
When it comes to rug cutting time, Josh is a Rule 5 player and has to be returned to Cleveland if he doesn't make the big team, while Pedro has an option. And it may come down to that. To make the evaluation a little trickier, Rodriguez has quad problems and will be on ice for a few days.
The last bench spot is a poser; it could be an outfielder or a third catcher. Ryan Doumit is the linchpin here. John Bowker and Alex Presley are the OF candidates. Bowker has the better bat and some pop as a corner OF'er, but Presley can step into center or left if needed.
The catchers vying for the third spot behind Chris Snyder and Doumit are Jason Jaramillo and Dusty Brown, both good glove, questionable stick guys.
There are a lot of moving parts to this decision. Doumit can be a fifth OF'er if needed, but Bowker and Presley are better bets as pinch-hitters than the backstop guys and better gloves than Dewey.
If they keep a third catcher, Doumit can pinch hit; if they don't, Bowker could be the lefty off the bench. Of the group, Presley has the best wheels and can play anywhere in the pasture.
Bowker is the only guy without options; Brown signed a minor-league deal while Jaramillo and Presley have options left. This may be one decision that's mostly out of the players' hands and dependent on Doumit's role, if he lasts through the spring.
Rays Drop Bucs 4-2
Matt Diaz, who stranded five runners yesterday, showed what the Pirates hoped for today by mashing a two-run homer.
Unfortunately, the other Bucco bats were in the deep freeze for the second straight game and the squad dropped a 4-2 decision to Tampa Bay this afternoon. David Price and company held Pittsburgh to six hits on the heels of yesterday's four hit performance.
The Pirates also shot themselves in the foot by being thrown out stealing twice in three attempts; Ronny Cedeno was the only successful larcenist. Chris Snyder evened things up by gunning two of the three Rays who tried to swipe a base on his watch. Hurdle's runnin' Buccos have stolen 16 bases in 21 attempts, a 76% success rate.
Ohlie did OK, going three innings and giving up a run on three hits with a walk and two Ks while mixing some off-speed stuff into the repertoire. Evan Meek had a solid return, too, pitching a scoreless frame, as did Mike Crotta.
Tyler Yates gave up a pair in his 2/3 of an inning on the hill, and Jose Veras was touched for the other run in his frame; both hurt their own cause by issuing a pair of walks apiece. Danny Moskos went 1-1/3 scoreless innings, despite surrendering a walk and three hits.
The Pirates (5-7) visit the Twins tomorrow. Brian Burres starts against Minnesota's Carl Pavano, who the Pirates were flirting with in the off-season. The Twins and Pirates will first play a "B" game, with Brad Lincoln starting and Steve Pearce playing third base.
-- OF John Bowker has some soreness in his left wrist; it's not considered to be anything serious and he should return to action in a couple of days.
-- Rule 5 IF Josh Rodriguez reported some tightness in his right quad; he may miss up to week of play. That can't help his quest to land a roster spot.
Unfortunately, the other Bucco bats were in the deep freeze for the second straight game and the squad dropped a 4-2 decision to Tampa Bay this afternoon. David Price and company held Pittsburgh to six hits on the heels of yesterday's four hit performance.
The Pirates also shot themselves in the foot by being thrown out stealing twice in three attempts; Ronny Cedeno was the only successful larcenist. Chris Snyder evened things up by gunning two of the three Rays who tried to swipe a base on his watch. Hurdle's runnin' Buccos have stolen 16 bases in 21 attempts, a 76% success rate.
Ohlie did OK, going three innings and giving up a run on three hits with a walk and two Ks while mixing some off-speed stuff into the repertoire. Evan Meek had a solid return, too, pitching a scoreless frame, as did Mike Crotta.
Tyler Yates gave up a pair in his 2/3 of an inning on the hill, and Jose Veras was touched for the other run in his frame; both hurt their own cause by issuing a pair of walks apiece. Danny Moskos went 1-1/3 scoreless innings, despite surrendering a walk and three hits.
The Pirates (5-7) visit the Twins tomorrow. Brian Burres starts against Minnesota's Carl Pavano, who the Pirates were flirting with in the off-season. The Twins and Pirates will first play a "B" game, with Brad Lincoln starting and Steve Pearce playing third base.
-- OF John Bowker has some soreness in his left wrist; it's not considered to be anything serious and he should return to action in a couple of days.
-- Rule 5 IF Josh Rodriguez reported some tightness in his right quad; he may miss up to week of play. That can't help his quest to land a roster spot.
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