Hey, it took fourteen innings, five hours and a few minutes, and lasted from Friday night to Saturday morning, but the Pirates put their first home win to bed in the wee hours, taking a 4-3 victory from the Rox.
Good thing it was over before last call, because the Pirate bullpen of Jeff Karstens, Mike Crotta, Jose Veras, Joel Hanrahan, Chris Resop and Garrett Olson deserved a nightcap.
They went 11-2/3 innings of shutout baseball while giving up just six hits in relief of Ross Ohlendorf, who served up a first-inning, three-run shot to Jason Giambi and left the game in the third with a sore shoulder, aching in the same area that shut him down last season.
And they did it without Evan Meek, who was held out because his shoulder was tight.
Jose Tabata was the hero, doubling in Josh Rodriguez, who had walked with two away, to win the game and hitting a solo shot in the fifth. The clutch rap came after Jim Tracy and Clint Hurdle wore out their thinking caps.
Tracy could have walked Tabata to get to Greg Olson, the on-deck batter because of a double switch; Hurdle sent the in-the-hole hitter, McCutch, to the on-deck circle rather than Olson in an effort to befuddle the Rox manager.
Clint claimed it was just so McCutch could coach J-Rod if there was a play at the plate. Heck, we don't even know if that's MLB legal (it probably is), but it worked.
We suspect the ploy didn't have much to do with the brainstorming; Tracy didn't want to walk the potential game-winning runner to second and likely suspected that Meek would work the next inning, sore arm or not. Still, a little smoke and mirrors action keeps things interesting.
Matt Diaz and Jason Jaramillo had the other RBI.
Another hero, for his leather rather than his stick, was Pedro. With the bases loaded and two away in the tenth, he dove to glove a smash up the line that was ticketed for the corner by Ty Wigginton and threw him out while on one knee.
The Pirates pitchers had to work. Karstens, Veras and Hanny were strong, notching nine Ks in their 5-1/3 innings of work.
But Crotta left a pair of runners aboard in his frame, Resop worked out of a couple of jams, walking three and giving up a pair of knocks in two frames, and Olson wriggled out of a bases-loaded pickle in the fourteenth. Colorado stranded 14 and were 1-for-15 with RISP.
The Pirates should sleep well, and get after it again tonight when Charlie Morton takes on rookie Greg Reynolds, filling Ubaldo Jimenez's spot.
-- The Pirates struck out 15 Rockies; every pitcher but Crotta registered a K. That goes a long way toward explaining the Rox terrible RISP performance; that's a full five innings of wasted at-bats.
-- The 11-1/3 scoreless innings by the Pirates bullpen was the longest by the club in a game since 1900, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
-- Pirate fans kept the faith on Buck night, despite the opening day beat-down and miserable weather; 29,192 showed up for the game. And hey, for the Buck Night ticket holders, where else can you get into a park and pay just 7 cents per inning?
-- Ohlie will be reevaluated today. If he misses a start, Jeff Karstens, who was stretched out to take J-Macs rotation spot if needed, will probably claim Ohlendorf's next turn. But if it's something that the staff thinks may linger, the Bucs will put him on the DL and call up an Indy arm. Ditto for Evan Meek, although his issue isn't considered serious.
At this point of the year, it's wise to choose a cautious approach. Between the chilly weather and the time remaining in the 2011 baseball marathon, taking a couple of weeks off now rather than risking a longer term injury is the better road to take.
-- Chris Snyder and Joe Beimel both had successful outings at Bradenton; their return to the roster is fast approaching.
-- Ramon Aguero, just released by the Bucs, was claimed by Texas and sent to their AAA club.
-- Manny Ramirez retired yesterday. He was rumored to be in hot water with drugs again, and was looking at a 100-game suspension. As Neil Young would lament "I've seen the needle and the damage done..."
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
Pre Game Stuff
If the rain stops long enough, Ross Ohlendorf will go against Jorge De La Rosa, the first lefty starter the Pirates will face in 2011, at 7:05 tonight. There's no TV; the Pens trumped the Bucs.
Lineup: Jose Tabata LF, Neil Walker 2B, Andrew McCutchen CF, Lyle Overbay 1B, Matt Diaz RF, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Jason Jaramillo C, Ronny Cedeno SS, Ross Ohlendorf P.
-- SI ran an article this week that picked the best hitters against specific pitches, using something they call PTLW. Andrew McCutchen was ranked as the second best curve-ball hitter in the NL, behind Scot Rolen, and fifth in all of MLB.
-- Jen Langosch of MLB.com reports that Tyler Yates has been diagnosed with a torn flexor tendon in his elbow after missing last year thanks to TJ surgery. He'll be shut down for six weeks, and then be reexamined.
-- Indy lost its opener yesterday 4-3; Brian Burres took the loss. The Tribe stranded a runner at third, runners on second and third, and runners on the corners in the last three innings. Gorkys Hernandez walked twice and tripled in a pair.
-- Ditto for Altoona, which lost 3-2. Bryan Morris gave up a two-run homer in his start; Mike Dubee took the loss in relief.
-- Indy announcer Scott McCauley tracked down 25 Indy players that have switched jerseys with other AAA teams in the recent past.
Lineup: Jose Tabata LF, Neil Walker 2B, Andrew McCutchen CF, Lyle Overbay 1B, Matt Diaz RF, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Jason Jaramillo C, Ronny Cedeno SS, Ross Ohlendorf P.
-- SI ran an article this week that picked the best hitters against specific pitches, using something they call PTLW. Andrew McCutchen was ranked as the second best curve-ball hitter in the NL, behind Scot Rolen, and fifth in all of MLB.
-- Jen Langosch of MLB.com reports that Tyler Yates has been diagnosed with a torn flexor tendon in his elbow after missing last year thanks to TJ surgery. He'll be shut down for six weeks, and then be reexamined.
-- Indy lost its opener yesterday 4-3; Brian Burres took the loss. The Tribe stranded a runner at third, runners on second and third, and runners on the corners in the last three innings. Gorkys Hernandez walked twice and tripled in a pair.
-- Ditto for Altoona, which lost 3-2. Bryan Morris gave up a two-run homer in his start; Mike Dubee took the loss in relief.
-- Indy announcer Scott McCauley tracked down 25 Indy players that have switched jerseys with other AAA teams in the recent past.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Bucs Blasted
Hey, you could it feel it building: a young team with a couple of wins under their belt, a beautiful spring day with 39,219 fans on hand for the home opener - the second largest crowd in Pirate history - and the team's longest tenured hurler on the hill. The stage was set for the Pirates to create a little buzz around the City.
Well, that they did, but not exactly the kind they hoped to generate. The Rockies pummeled the Pirates 7-1. Dexter Fowler started the game off with a single, and it went downhill after that.
A DP ball spanked to Neil Walker was short-hopped into left field on the feed, scoring Fowler and allowing Carlos Gonzalez to chug into third. He eventually came in, and it was 2-0 before the fans got to settle in.
It looked like it would develop into a battle when Jose Tabata and Walker started the frame with singles to put runners on the corner. A McCutch grounder made it 2-1, and it stayed in hand until the sixth. Paul Maholm was giving up warning-track outs but only one more run on Troy Tulowitzki's bomb while Esmil Rogers was mowing down Bucs like they were April weeds.
But in the sixth, the Rox banged four knocks out and built the lead to 5-1. Maholm got the hook after compiling a line of 5-2/3 innings, five runs (three earned) on eight hits with a K. Chris Resop got the final out of the frame, but could only get one more in the seventh, giving up three hits and two runs before Garrett Olson sat Colorado down.
Rogers went 7-1/3, giving up four hits and a run, striking out a career high seven batters. Two Rox relievers put the Bucs away without a hit.
Oh well, let's hope the Pirates put this one in their rear-view mirror and give the faithful a better show tomorrow when right-hander Ross Ohlendorf faces Rockies lefty Jorge De La Rosa.
-- Bench coach Jeff Banister, who has been with the Pirates for over 25 years, was presented with the 2011 Pride of the Pirates award.
-- Between today and Saturday, Class A Bradenton will have Chris Snyder, Joe Beimel and Brad Lincoln join the roster for rehab duty. Don't let the designation concern you; it's the top warm-weather club in the organization and the logical choice for an April workout.
-- Ben Badler of Baseball America had this to say about two top Pirate prospects: "Love (Starling) Marte's tools but I'd like to see a better approach at the plate from him before people get too excited. Among non-Top 10 Pirates prospects, I really like Diego Moreno. Never going to be a starter, but a power arm that misses that many bats with his fastball/slider package has value at the back of the bullpen."
-- Lastings Milledge was DFA'ed by the White Sox. Too bad; he hustled and worked hard while he was here, but just couldn't overcome his lack of baseball A-B-Cs. And at the age of 26, he's not likely to ever pick them up.
Well, that they did, but not exactly the kind they hoped to generate. The Rockies pummeled the Pirates 7-1. Dexter Fowler started the game off with a single, and it went downhill after that.
A DP ball spanked to Neil Walker was short-hopped into left field on the feed, scoring Fowler and allowing Carlos Gonzalez to chug into third. He eventually came in, and it was 2-0 before the fans got to settle in.
It looked like it would develop into a battle when Jose Tabata and Walker started the frame with singles to put runners on the corner. A McCutch grounder made it 2-1, and it stayed in hand until the sixth. Paul Maholm was giving up warning-track outs but only one more run on Troy Tulowitzki's bomb while Esmil Rogers was mowing down Bucs like they were April weeds.
But in the sixth, the Rox banged four knocks out and built the lead to 5-1. Maholm got the hook after compiling a line of 5-2/3 innings, five runs (three earned) on eight hits with a K. Chris Resop got the final out of the frame, but could only get one more in the seventh, giving up three hits and two runs before Garrett Olson sat Colorado down.
Rogers went 7-1/3, giving up four hits and a run, striking out a career high seven batters. Two Rox relievers put the Bucs away without a hit.
Oh well, let's hope the Pirates put this one in their rear-view mirror and give the faithful a better show tomorrow when right-hander Ross Ohlendorf faces Rockies lefty Jorge De La Rosa.
-- Bench coach Jeff Banister, who has been with the Pirates for over 25 years, was presented with the 2011 Pride of the Pirates award.
-- Between today and Saturday, Class A Bradenton will have Chris Snyder, Joe Beimel and Brad Lincoln join the roster for rehab duty. Don't let the designation concern you; it's the top warm-weather club in the organization and the logical choice for an April workout.
-- Ben Badler of Baseball America had this to say about two top Pirate prospects: "Love (Starling) Marte's tools but I'd like to see a better approach at the plate from him before people get too excited. Among non-Top 10 Pirates prospects, I really like Diego Moreno. Never going to be a starter, but a power arm that misses that many bats with his fastball/slider package has value at the back of the bullpen."
-- Lastings Milledge was DFA'ed by the White Sox. Too bad; he hustled and worked hard while he was here, but just couldn't overcome his lack of baseball A-B-Cs. And at the age of 26, he's not likely to ever pick them up.
The Opening Day Lineup
The Pirates will open against the Colorado Rockies today at 1:35 PM when Paul Maholm takes on Esmil Rogers. The game will be televised on Root Sports, and the gates open at 11:30.
The lineup: Jose Tabata LF, Neil Walker 2B, Andrew McCutchen CF, Lyle Overbay 1B, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Ryan Doumit C, Garrett Jones RF, Ronny Cedeno SS, Paul Maholm P.
The Rox have been pretty hot, too, and bring a 3-1 slate to Pittsburgh (which is 4-2) along with old manager Jim Tracy. Colorado, of course, is Hurdle's former club, so there should be all kind of sidebar stories about those past relationships.
Indy and Altoona are opening their seasons today; Brian Burres will go for the Tribe and Bryan Morris for the Curve.
The lineup: Jose Tabata LF, Neil Walker 2B, Andrew McCutchen CF, Lyle Overbay 1B, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Ryan Doumit C, Garrett Jones RF, Ronny Cedeno SS, Paul Maholm P.
The Rox have been pretty hot, too, and bring a 3-1 slate to Pittsburgh (which is 4-2) along with old manager Jim Tracy. Colorado, of course, is Hurdle's former club, so there should be all kind of sidebar stories about those past relationships.
Indy and Altoona are opening their seasons today; Brian Burres will go for the Tribe and Bryan Morris for the Curve.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Larry Shephard, Ex-Bucco Skipper, Dies
Larry Shepard, manager for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1968 to 1969, died today. He was 92.
As a player, Shepard was a right-handed pitcher who never made the show. He toiled in the minors from 1941-1958, with a break for the service during World War II. The righty wasn't too bad a hurler, finishing his minor-league career with a record of 179-84.
After the war, he led the 1948 Class D Far West League with 22 wins for the Medford Dodgers and the Pioneer League in 1949-1950 with the Class C Billings Mustangs, going 21-6 and 22-6. And he did it as a player-manager, helping himself immensely by notching 89 wins over those four seasons in the bushes.
He worked his way to the Pacific Coast league's Hollywood Stars in 1952-53, specializing as a relief pitcher and giving up his manager's role. But he was too gray to get a shot at in the bigs, and left the Dodgers' organization to hook up with the Pirates.
As a minor-league skipper, he won the 1956 Western League title with the Lincoln Chiefs, still pitching along with running a club. He finally became a full-time field boss, and from 1958 through 1966, he managed at the AAA level for Pittsburgh with the Salt Lake City Bees and Columbus Jets, adding three more three first-place finishes to his resume.
In 1967, Shepard finally got into the majors when he was named pitching coach of the Phillies. It was a quick stop.
In 1968, he became the Bucco manager, replacing Danny Murtaugh, who had replaced Harry "The Hat" Walker in midseason of 1967. But the Bucs, who had high hopes for the team, floundered and finished 80-82.
He did better in '69 with an 84-73 slate, but the year took its toll. Shepard lost 25 pounds and missed three days because of chest pains. The stress test came to an end when he was axed for Alex Grammas after a double-header loss to the Phils. (Grammas held the job for five games; Murtaugh reclaimed the reins in 1970.)
It's too bad that he couldn't stick around. The Bucs were in the midst of a youth movement, and guys like Al Oliver, Richie Hebner, Bob Robertson, Manny Sanguillen, Steve Blass, Dock Ellis and Bob Moose were getting ready for showtime, and would lead the team to a World Championship in 1971.
Shepard would be a thorn in Pittsburgh's side during the decade, though. He quickly became the pitching coach of Sparky Anderson's Big Red Machine, holding the post from 70-78. It helped ease the disappointment of losing that 1971 Pirate World series ring when the Reds won the World Series in 1975 and 1976, eliminating the Bucs both years.
He finished out his career in 1979 as the Giants pitching coach.
As a player, Shepard was a right-handed pitcher who never made the show. He toiled in the minors from 1941-1958, with a break for the service during World War II. The righty wasn't too bad a hurler, finishing his minor-league career with a record of 179-84.
After the war, he led the 1948 Class D Far West League with 22 wins for the Medford Dodgers and the Pioneer League in 1949-1950 with the Class C Billings Mustangs, going 21-6 and 22-6. And he did it as a player-manager, helping himself immensely by notching 89 wins over those four seasons in the bushes.
He worked his way to the Pacific Coast league's Hollywood Stars in 1952-53, specializing as a relief pitcher and giving up his manager's role. But he was too gray to get a shot at in the bigs, and left the Dodgers' organization to hook up with the Pirates.
As a minor-league skipper, he won the 1956 Western League title with the Lincoln Chiefs, still pitching along with running a club. He finally became a full-time field boss, and from 1958 through 1966, he managed at the AAA level for Pittsburgh with the Salt Lake City Bees and Columbus Jets, adding three more three first-place finishes to his resume.
In 1967, Shepard finally got into the majors when he was named pitching coach of the Phillies. It was a quick stop.
In 1968, he became the Bucco manager, replacing Danny Murtaugh, who had replaced Harry "The Hat" Walker in midseason of 1967. But the Bucs, who had high hopes for the team, floundered and finished 80-82.
He did better in '69 with an 84-73 slate, but the year took its toll. Shepard lost 25 pounds and missed three days because of chest pains. The stress test came to an end when he was axed for Alex Grammas after a double-header loss to the Phils. (Grammas held the job for five games; Murtaugh reclaimed the reins in 1970.)
It's too bad that he couldn't stick around. The Bucs were in the midst of a youth movement, and guys like Al Oliver, Richie Hebner, Bob Robertson, Manny Sanguillen, Steve Blass, Dock Ellis and Bob Moose were getting ready for showtime, and would lead the team to a World Championship in 1971.
Shepard would be a thorn in Pittsburgh's side during the decade, though. He quickly became the pitching coach of Sparky Anderson's Big Red Machine, holding the post from 70-78. It helped ease the disappointment of losing that 1971 Pirate World series ring when the Reds won the World Series in 1975 and 1976, eliminating the Bucs both years.
He finished out his career in 1979 as the Giants pitching coach.
BA's Jim Callis On The Pirates' Pups
Jim Callis of Baseball America had his prospects' chat today, and touched on a couple of young Buccos:
About Jameson Taillon - "Sounds like the Pirates are doing with Taillon what the Rockies did with Tyler Matzek last year. Unless he just comes out and destroys SAL competition, I bet Taillon spends the year in low Class A."
About Chase d'Arnaud - "Could see him (MLB) ready in 2012, but I'm not sure he's a shortstop."
About Pedro/Anthony Rendon "Alvarez is going to wind up at 1B in the next few years regardless of whom the Pirates draft. If they take Rendon, he moves sooner because Rendon won't need a lot of time in the minors."
About Luis Heredia - "He's only 16, so (it will take him) at least four years (to reach the majors)."
About Jameson Taillon - "Sounds like the Pirates are doing with Taillon what the Rockies did with Tyler Matzek last year. Unless he just comes out and destroys SAL competition, I bet Taillon spends the year in low Class A."
About Chase d'Arnaud - "Could see him (MLB) ready in 2012, but I'm not sure he's a shortstop."
About Pedro/Anthony Rendon "Alvarez is going to wind up at 1B in the next few years regardless of whom the Pirates draft. If they take Rendon, he moves sooner because Rendon won't need a lot of time in the minors."
About Luis Heredia - "He's only 16, so (it will take him) at least four years (to reach the majors)."
Correia Sharp, Buccos Win 3-1
Kevin Correia tossed seven scoreless innings and the Bucs rolled to a 3-1 win over the Cards, taking their second straight road series, a feat last done in August of 2007. And he had to be that sharp; Chris Carpenter, his mound opponent, was 11-1 against Pittsburgh going into today's match.
KC gave up five hits, walked a pair and K'ed three in his seven frames, throwing 89 pitches. He only had one scary moment during the outing. In the fifth, with a runner aboard and two away, he walked Ryan Theriot. The next hitter, Colby Rasmus, almost made him pay when he drove one deep to right.
But Garrett Jones was equal to the task; he got on his horse and with his back against the wall, hauled in Rasmus' blast. And that was the game's defining play.
The Bucs banged out eleven hits, but were 2-for-12 with RISP and stranded eleven. But the three runs they put up were enough this afternoon.
Pittsburgh drew first blood when Lyle Overbay scooted home on Dewey's fourth inning double. They added to the lead in the next frame when Neil Walker curled his second homer of the season just inside the right field pole.
Back-to-back two-out, ground rule doubles by McCutch and Overbay in the ninth added to the cushion. The vet first-sacker's clutch hit came at the end of a ten-pitch at-bat.
Evan Meek got back on the bike and pitched a clean eighth, getting a whiff and a warning-track fly out from Pujols. The Cards nicked Hanny for a run in their last at-bat when Lance Berkman came home on Yadier Molina's two-out double - and that's a pair of long-time Bucco killers - but it was too little, too late.
Now the Pirates steam into town for their opener against the Rockies with a 4-2 slate and a bit of a swagger. Paul Maholm will lock horns with Esmil Rogers.
-- The Bucs won't see Ubaldo Jimenez. The Rox put him on the 15-day DL with a cut thumb.
-- C Chris Snyder, RHPs Brad Lincoln and Jose Ascanio, and LHP Joe Beimel played in an intrasquad game on Tuesday, and are all still day-to-day. Snyder can come off the DL on the 9th, Beimel will rehab at Class A Bradenton when he's ready, Lincoln will report to Indy when he can go, and Ascanio, who is out of options, is anyone's guess for the future.
Scott Olson threw a bullpen session; he doesn't appear to be close to game-ready yet.
KC gave up five hits, walked a pair and K'ed three in his seven frames, throwing 89 pitches. He only had one scary moment during the outing. In the fifth, with a runner aboard and two away, he walked Ryan Theriot. The next hitter, Colby Rasmus, almost made him pay when he drove one deep to right.
But Garrett Jones was equal to the task; he got on his horse and with his back against the wall, hauled in Rasmus' blast. And that was the game's defining play.
The Bucs banged out eleven hits, but were 2-for-12 with RISP and stranded eleven. But the three runs they put up were enough this afternoon.
Pittsburgh drew first blood when Lyle Overbay scooted home on Dewey's fourth inning double. They added to the lead in the next frame when Neil Walker curled his second homer of the season just inside the right field pole.
Back-to-back two-out, ground rule doubles by McCutch and Overbay in the ninth added to the cushion. The vet first-sacker's clutch hit came at the end of a ten-pitch at-bat.
Evan Meek got back on the bike and pitched a clean eighth, getting a whiff and a warning-track fly out from Pujols. The Cards nicked Hanny for a run in their last at-bat when Lance Berkman came home on Yadier Molina's two-out double - and that's a pair of long-time Bucco killers - but it was too little, too late.
Now the Pirates steam into town for their opener against the Rockies with a 4-2 slate and a bit of a swagger. Paul Maholm will lock horns with Esmil Rogers.
-- The Bucs won't see Ubaldo Jimenez. The Rox put him on the 15-day DL with a cut thumb.
-- C Chris Snyder, RHPs Brad Lincoln and Jose Ascanio, and LHP Joe Beimel played in an intrasquad game on Tuesday, and are all still day-to-day. Snyder can come off the DL on the 9th, Beimel will rehab at Class A Bradenton when he's ready, Lincoln will report to Indy when he can go, and Ascanio, who is out of options, is anyone's guess for the future.
Scott Olson threw a bullpen session; he doesn't appear to be close to game-ready yet.
Lineup & Stuff
Get away day from St. Louis; game time 1:45 PM. The pitchers will be Kevin Correia and Chris Carpenter. The game will be shown on Root Sports, with coverage beginning at 1 PM.
Lineup: Jose Tabata LF, Neil Walker 2B, Andrew McCutchen CF, Lyle Overbay 1B, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Ryan Doumit C, Garrett Jones RF, Josh Rodriguez SS and Kevin Correia P.
-- J-Rod is in today's lineup; he was the last guy on the 25-man roster to hit the field when he pinch-ran yesterday; this will be his first MLB start.
-- Pittsburgh released RHP Craig Hansen, who has been recovering from a nerve condition. He was part of the Jay Bay deal; Bryan Morris is the only player left from that trade. The rest were all released, so it basically ended up as a straight Bay-for-Morris swap.
-- The Pirates formalized the Indy roster; no surprises (especially as all the other rosters had been announced). Brad Lincoln isn't on it yet, and the roster will change when Chris Snyder and Joe Beimel are ready for duty and players need sent down.
Lineup: Jose Tabata LF, Neil Walker 2B, Andrew McCutchen CF, Lyle Overbay 1B, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Ryan Doumit C, Garrett Jones RF, Josh Rodriguez SS and Kevin Correia P.
-- J-Rod is in today's lineup; he was the last guy on the 25-man roster to hit the field when he pinch-ran yesterday; this will be his first MLB start.
-- Pittsburgh released RHP Craig Hansen, who has been recovering from a nerve condition. He was part of the Jay Bay deal; Bryan Morris is the only player left from that trade. The rest were all released, so it basically ended up as a straight Bay-for-Morris swap.
-- The Pirates formalized the Indy roster; no surprises (especially as all the other rosters had been announced). Brad Lincoln isn't on it yet, and the roster will change when Chris Snyder and Joe Beimel are ready for duty and players need sent down.
Buc Bats Baffled, Lose To Cards & Pujols 3-2
Hey, the Pirates got about as much as could be expected from J-Mac; he carried them into the fifth and left with the score 2-2. It wasn't a particularly auspicious return, but after missing three weeks with a muscle pull, he kept the team hanging around.
His final line was 4-2/3 innings, giving up two runs on four hits and four walks with four K's. McDonald threw 87 pitches, and started the fifth with a 2-1 lead and hoping to get out of it still eligible for the W. But he repeated his MO from 2010; too many pitches, especially on a night when he couldn't get his hook over the dish.
The Bucs drew first - and their only blood - in the first frame, when Jose Tabata led off with a hustle double and came home two outs later after Lyle Overbay knocked one into the Card bullpen 420' away. And that would be it; the Pirates had but six singles left in the lumber over the final eight innings.
The Cards nickled and dimed the Bucs, scoring single runs in the fourth, fifth, and seventh innings. Sir Albert continued to kill Pittsburgh; a sac fly brought home one run and a seeing eye single that was a step away from being a DP brought home the game-winner. Allen Craig drove in the first run, singling home Lance Berkman, another guy who feasts on Pirate pitching.
Garrett Olson took the loss; his biggest mistake was walking Ryan Theriot, who scored. Both he and later reliever Chris Resop were victimized by hit-'em-where-they-ain't knocks to bring home Theriot.
The team is falling into bad habits early in the season. Don't let the record fool ya; it's more a reflection of how weak the Central is this season than how strong the Bucs are.
The pitchers walk too many guys (they issued six more free passes, and lead the NL with 22 walks in 43 frames, 4.6/nine innings) and their WHIP is 1.488. Worse, they work from behind in the count too much. It's the double whammy of too many runners and too many pitches.
The hitters do the opposite; they look at too many first pitch fastballs and start off in the hole, a throwback to JR days.
The challenge for Clint Hurdle and his staff is to get the players to buy into their more aggressive tactics; ie, for the pitchers to allow balls to get in play instead of nibbling off the plate, and for the hitters to be ready to swing as soon as they step into the box instead of working the count.
They have other problems that are harder to fix; the fielding and speed are below par. The mental miscues - calling for balls, throwing to the right base, etc - can be addressed; the physical errors have to lived with.
Hey, the coaching staffs of 2010 and 2011 aren't just different personalities; they're different tacticians, too. Right now, the players seem caught between the old and the new.
-- The Pirates signed LHP Dan Meyer and RHP Tim Wood to minor league contracts and have assigned them to Indy.
Meyer was released by Philly; he has parts of five seasons in with Atlanta, Oakland and Florida with a career 3-9 record and 5.46 ERA. He was converted to the bullpen in 2009. Wood pitched two years with Florida and was released by the Nats. His career line is 1-1 with a 4.32 ERA.
-- Scott McCauley, the voice of Indy, tweeted that the Tribe's rotation will be Brian Burres, Sean Gallagher, Justin Wilson, Daniel McCutchen and Rudy Owens. McCutchen, we assume, is the placeholder for Brad Lincoln until his sore arm recovers.
-- Bryon Morris will be the Altoona Curve's Opening Day pitcher tomorrow when they visit Erie.
His final line was 4-2/3 innings, giving up two runs on four hits and four walks with four K's. McDonald threw 87 pitches, and started the fifth with a 2-1 lead and hoping to get out of it still eligible for the W. But he repeated his MO from 2010; too many pitches, especially on a night when he couldn't get his hook over the dish.
The Bucs drew first - and their only blood - in the first frame, when Jose Tabata led off with a hustle double and came home two outs later after Lyle Overbay knocked one into the Card bullpen 420' away. And that would be it; the Pirates had but six singles left in the lumber over the final eight innings.
The Cards nickled and dimed the Bucs, scoring single runs in the fourth, fifth, and seventh innings. Sir Albert continued to kill Pittsburgh; a sac fly brought home one run and a seeing eye single that was a step away from being a DP brought home the game-winner. Allen Craig drove in the first run, singling home Lance Berkman, another guy who feasts on Pirate pitching.
Garrett Olson took the loss; his biggest mistake was walking Ryan Theriot, who scored. Both he and later reliever Chris Resop were victimized by hit-'em-where-they-ain't knocks to bring home Theriot.
The team is falling into bad habits early in the season. Don't let the record fool ya; it's more a reflection of how weak the Central is this season than how strong the Bucs are.
The pitchers walk too many guys (they issued six more free passes, and lead the NL with 22 walks in 43 frames, 4.6/nine innings) and their WHIP is 1.488. Worse, they work from behind in the count too much. It's the double whammy of too many runners and too many pitches.
The hitters do the opposite; they look at too many first pitch fastballs and start off in the hole, a throwback to JR days.
The challenge for Clint Hurdle and his staff is to get the players to buy into their more aggressive tactics; ie, for the pitchers to allow balls to get in play instead of nibbling off the plate, and for the hitters to be ready to swing as soon as they step into the box instead of working the count.
They have other problems that are harder to fix; the fielding and speed are below par. The mental miscues - calling for balls, throwing to the right base, etc - can be addressed; the physical errors have to lived with.
Hey, the coaching staffs of 2010 and 2011 aren't just different personalities; they're different tacticians, too. Right now, the players seem caught between the old and the new.
-- The Pirates signed LHP Dan Meyer and RHP Tim Wood to minor league contracts and have assigned them to Indy.
Meyer was released by Philly; he has parts of five seasons in with Atlanta, Oakland and Florida with a career 3-9 record and 5.46 ERA. He was converted to the bullpen in 2009. Wood pitched two years with Florida and was released by the Nats. His career line is 1-1 with a 4.32 ERA.
-- Scott McCauley, the voice of Indy, tweeted that the Tribe's rotation will be Brian Burres, Sean Gallagher, Justin Wilson, Daniel McCutchen and Rudy Owens. McCutchen, we assume, is the placeholder for Brad Lincoln until his sore arm recovers.
-- Bryon Morris will be the Altoona Curve's Opening Day pitcher tomorrow when they visit Erie.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Opening Day Tanner Tribute, Bradenton Roster Announced
-- For the faithful with tickets to Opening Day on Thursday, you'll get to see lots of love for Chuck Tanner before the first pitch.
The Pirates will show a pre-game video honoring the ol' skipper, and a season-long tribute exhibit for Tanner at PNC will be unveiled. Tanner's family members and some of his old players - John Candelaria, Phil Garner, Grant Jackson, Bruce Kison, Jim Rooker, Manny Sanguillen, Dave Parker and Kent Tekulve - will be on the field.
The first pitch will be thrown out by son Bruce Tanner to Manny Sanguillen, who was a member of the 1979 World Series Champions and was actually traded to Oakland to get Tanner in 1976.
A color guard of local troops will show the red, white and blue, Master Sergeant Ron Heitzenrater of the United States Air Force will be honored after five overseas tours and 36 years in uniform, and "God Bless America" will be sung by Air Force Captain Sarah Micklo.
The festivities will also include "The Star Spangled Banner" being done by OAR member and Youngstown native Jerry DePizzo, the winner of the "Pride of the Pirates" award will be presented, and everyone attending gets a magnetic Bucco schedule.
The gates open at 11:30 Thursday. The 1:35 PM game against the Rockies will be shown on Root Sports if you couldn't score a ticket or a hooky day from work. And if you're wondering, it's supposed to be 62 and cloudy with a chance of showers.
-- The High-A roster at Bradenton was formalized. The biggest name is Joe Biemel, who will work his way back into game shape in Florida. Other prospects are Robby Grossman, Jarek Cunningham, Calvin Anderson and Elevys Gonzalez among the position players and Nate Baker, Hunter Strickland, Quinton Miller, Eliecer Navarro and Jhonathon Ramos will toil from the hill.
The Pirates will show a pre-game video honoring the ol' skipper, and a season-long tribute exhibit for Tanner at PNC will be unveiled. Tanner's family members and some of his old players - John Candelaria, Phil Garner, Grant Jackson, Bruce Kison, Jim Rooker, Manny Sanguillen, Dave Parker and Kent Tekulve - will be on the field.
The first pitch will be thrown out by son Bruce Tanner to Manny Sanguillen, who was a member of the 1979 World Series Champions and was actually traded to Oakland to get Tanner in 1976.
A color guard of local troops will show the red, white and blue, Master Sergeant Ron Heitzenrater of the United States Air Force will be honored after five overseas tours and 36 years in uniform, and "God Bless America" will be sung by Air Force Captain Sarah Micklo.
The festivities will also include "The Star Spangled Banner" being done by OAR member and Youngstown native Jerry DePizzo, the winner of the "Pride of the Pirates" award will be presented, and everyone attending gets a magnetic Bucco schedule.
The gates open at 11:30 Thursday. The 1:35 PM game against the Rockies will be shown on Root Sports if you couldn't score a ticket or a hooky day from work. And if you're wondering, it's supposed to be 62 and cloudy with a chance of showers.
-- The High-A roster at Bradenton was formalized. The biggest name is Joe Biemel, who will work his way back into game shape in Florida. Other prospects are Robby Grossman, Jarek Cunningham, Calvin Anderson and Elevys Gonzalez among the position players and Nate Baker, Hunter Strickland, Quinton Miller, Eliecer Navarro and Jhonathon Ramos will toil from the hill.
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