Not a heck of a lot to dissect tonight. Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, and Ryan Ludwick, the 3-4-5 hitters for St. Louis, humiliated the Pirate pitching. They went a collective 9-for-14 with 2 doubles, four homers, nine RBIs and eight runs scored to led the Cards to a 14-7 win at PNC in front of 15,258.
Too bad the Pirate pitching took this evening to throw BP. For a brief, shining moment, it looked like a little home cooking would snap Pittsburgh out of its doldrums. They scored a half dozen times in the fifth off of Adam Wainwright, and handed Kevin Hart a 6-5 lead.
He got the first two guys out, but walked Skip Schumaker and gave up a knock to Colby Rasmus, and up strode Sir Albert. JR called for Denny Bautista; Pujols was 0-for-7 lifetime against him.
Make that 1-for-8 now. He yanked a little belt high curve into the left field seats to regain the Redbird edge, and that was the fat lady's cue.
Even with the 7-2 record during the last home stand, the Bucs are 8-22 in the past few weeks. That's a .267 winning percentage, or 43-119 over a full season. And that ain't good.
--Remember the Card fan that took a tumble over the railing the last time the Redbirds were in town, the one that Albert Pujols and Perry Hill tended to until he was taken to the hospital with his kid? Well, he's back for this series, too.
And Todd Frankel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has a follow up on him, and it's a pretty cool story. You should give it a read.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Off Day Ramble
-- Why the 18-50 road record? Well, the last at-bat is worth something. And a team that's built to play at PNC, with a soft infield, short porch in right, and a cavernous left field, has much less success at opposing launchpads than they do at home. No doubt there's a comfort level involved, too, being in familiar surroundings and the same time zone, and a psychological edge.
But ultimately, it's performance that makes the record what it is, and Pittsburgh just can't walk and chew gum on the road.
At home, the pitching staff has a 3.67 ERA; it's 5.51 on the road. They've given up 110 more runs on 88 more hits, with 67 of those hits going for extra bases.
At bat, they've scored 47 fewer runs, hitting .236 with a slugging percentage of .360 on the road, and .274 with a .435 slugging percentage at PNC, fueled by 19 more homers. The Bucs have hit 21 fewer long balls away.
The slugging percentage is the key stat. Opponents pound the ball at a .486 slugging clip away from PNC, and .398 on the North Shore. There's a 40 home-run difference between being at PNC and being away (opp/+19; Pitt/-21), and while not the only reason their record is so abysmal, it sure explains a lot of it.
If Pittsburgh won on the road at the league rate of 44-45%, their record now would be 65-67 instead of 53-79. A few less watermelons served up by the staff and a little pop in their lineup would help them become road warriors instead of road kill.
-- Perry Hill told Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette that he turned down the Bucs offer to return next season because he was promised that "the infielders with whom he would work would be kept around" and weren't.
Frank Coonelly countered in his weekly chat on MLB.com that " no promises were made to Perry or any other member of the Major League staff that any individual player or any group of players would be deemed as untouchable."
GW's take? Except for Andy LaRoche, Perry's April infield has been traded away. Now he's looking to coach up two third basemen, two first basemen, Ronny Cedeno, Delwyn Young, Ramon Vazquez, and Luis Cruz, and he can see the process repeating next year. He's surely frustrated.
Now we're not quite sure why this was a surprise to him; Jack Splat, Freddy Sanchez, and Adam LaRoche were all long shots for returning to Pittsburgh in 2010. Maybe the process got to Hill, or maybe he was really convinced that his DP combo would live to play another day for the Buccos.
But at any rate, they're not. The Pirates are asking him to be a glorified minor-league infield coach, and he's balking. He left Florida for a couple of years to tend to his home fires - and he had three Gold Gloves there. There's no reason for him to not return to Texas again.
GW doesn't think this is a case about the benjamins - although their liberal use has been known to wield a little influence - but about burnout and ego. It'll be interesting to see if the suits can bring him back; it'll take money plus. Pittsburgh's organization is stronger with him. He truly does have a golden touch at teaching the game.
-- Since he was acquired in July from Pittsburgh, John Grabow hasn't allowed a run in his first 16 appearances as a Cub, a franchise record to start a Cubs career. He's allowed just 3 hits in 13 innings of work (although he's walked nine).
-- Adam LaRoche is digging his return gig to Atlanta. He's hitting .365 with 8 HR and 20 RBI in 29 games with a slugging average of .625 and an OPS of 1.071.
-- Jen Langosch of MLB.com has a feature on the growing pains of Pirate prospect Gorkys Hernandez.
-- The Athletics claimed 25 year-old RHP Jon Meloan off waivers from the Pirates. Oakland is Meloan's fourth club this year, going from the Indians to the Rays to the Pirates. He compiled a 4.57 ERA with 60 strikeouts and 28 walks in 65 innings in AAA this season.
-- BTW, RHP Todd Redmond, who was traded to the Braves for Tyler Yates in 2008, is on the World Cup team with Pedro and Brad Lincoln. The 24 year-old was 9-6 with a 4.41 ERA at AAA Gwinnett.
But ultimately, it's performance that makes the record what it is, and Pittsburgh just can't walk and chew gum on the road.
At home, the pitching staff has a 3.67 ERA; it's 5.51 on the road. They've given up 110 more runs on 88 more hits, with 67 of those hits going for extra bases.
At bat, they've scored 47 fewer runs, hitting .236 with a slugging percentage of .360 on the road, and .274 with a .435 slugging percentage at PNC, fueled by 19 more homers. The Bucs have hit 21 fewer long balls away.
The slugging percentage is the key stat. Opponents pound the ball at a .486 slugging clip away from PNC, and .398 on the North Shore. There's a 40 home-run difference between being at PNC and being away (opp/+19; Pitt/-21), and while not the only reason their record is so abysmal, it sure explains a lot of it.
If Pittsburgh won on the road at the league rate of 44-45%, their record now would be 65-67 instead of 53-79. A few less watermelons served up by the staff and a little pop in their lineup would help them become road warriors instead of road kill.
-- Perry Hill told Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette that he turned down the Bucs offer to return next season because he was promised that "the infielders with whom he would work would be kept around" and weren't.
Frank Coonelly countered in his weekly chat on MLB.com that " no promises were made to Perry or any other member of the Major League staff that any individual player or any group of players would be deemed as untouchable."
GW's take? Except for Andy LaRoche, Perry's April infield has been traded away. Now he's looking to coach up two third basemen, two first basemen, Ronny Cedeno, Delwyn Young, Ramon Vazquez, and Luis Cruz, and he can see the process repeating next year. He's surely frustrated.
Now we're not quite sure why this was a surprise to him; Jack Splat, Freddy Sanchez, and Adam LaRoche were all long shots for returning to Pittsburgh in 2010. Maybe the process got to Hill, or maybe he was really convinced that his DP combo would live to play another day for the Buccos.
But at any rate, they're not. The Pirates are asking him to be a glorified minor-league infield coach, and he's balking. He left Florida for a couple of years to tend to his home fires - and he had three Gold Gloves there. There's no reason for him to not return to Texas again.
GW doesn't think this is a case about the benjamins - although their liberal use has been known to wield a little influence - but about burnout and ego. It'll be interesting to see if the suits can bring him back; it'll take money plus. Pittsburgh's organization is stronger with him. He truly does have a golden touch at teaching the game.
-- Since he was acquired in July from Pittsburgh, John Grabow hasn't allowed a run in his first 16 appearances as a Cub, a franchise record to start a Cubs career. He's allowed just 3 hits in 13 innings of work (although he's walked nine).
-- Adam LaRoche is digging his return gig to Atlanta. He's hitting .365 with 8 HR and 20 RBI in 29 games with a slugging average of .625 and an OPS of 1.071.
-- Jen Langosch of MLB.com has a feature on the growing pains of Pirate prospect Gorkys Hernandez.
-- The Athletics claimed 25 year-old RHP Jon Meloan off waivers from the Pirates. Oakland is Meloan's fourth club this year, going from the Indians to the Rays to the Pirates. He compiled a 4.57 ERA with 60 strikeouts and 28 walks in 65 innings in AAA this season.
-- BTW, RHP Todd Redmond, who was traded to the Braves for Tyler Yates in 2008, is on the World Cup team with Pedro and Brad Lincoln. The 24 year-old was 9-6 with a 4.41 ERA at AAA Gwinnett.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
The NL's Homecoming Team
Hey, when your top six hitters go 13-for-23, it should be a good day at the plate. Unless, of course, the thirteen happens to be strikeouts. It's not a very lucky number in that case.
But that's what the Buccos did, and the result was Pittsburgh's seventh loss in a row, 5-3. At least Garrett Jones took the pressure off when he hit the franchise's 10,000 dinger - a solo shot, what else?
There's not much to say, other than the pitching, hitting, and fielding combined to be not quite enough again. And that's why they're 18-50 on the road, and 5-1/2 games out of fifth place in the Central Division, the position they held just a week or so ago.
The Pirates are back home Friday against the Cards, and they'll need some PNC magic to get back on the winning trail. The probable pitching matchups, compliments of MLB. com, are here.
-- Pine-Richland's Neil Walker got the start today at third. He went 0-for-4 with two swinging Ks, and was fed a pretty steady diet of fastballs. Walker made two nice plays in the field, but a throw after knocking down a ball pulled Garrett Jones off the sack, and eventually led to a pair of unearned runs.
-- The Bucs plan to keep Daniel McCutchen in the rotation. They'll use a six-man mix for the next couple of go-rounds, and then reassess the innings of Ross Ohlendorf and Kevin Hart. They'll likely drop them and add Virgil Vasquez for the last couple of weeks of the season.
But that's what the Buccos did, and the result was Pittsburgh's seventh loss in a row, 5-3. At least Garrett Jones took the pressure off when he hit the franchise's 10,000 dinger - a solo shot, what else?
There's not much to say, other than the pitching, hitting, and fielding combined to be not quite enough again. And that's why they're 18-50 on the road, and 5-1/2 games out of fifth place in the Central Division, the position they held just a week or so ago.
The Pirates are back home Friday against the Cards, and they'll need some PNC magic to get back on the winning trail. The probable pitching matchups, compliments of MLB. com, are here.
-- Pine-Richland's Neil Walker got the start today at third. He went 0-for-4 with two swinging Ks, and was fed a pretty steady diet of fastballs. Walker made two nice plays in the field, but a throw after knocking down a ball pulled Garrett Jones off the sack, and eventually led to a pair of unearned runs.
-- The Bucs plan to keep Daniel McCutchen in the rotation. They'll use a six-man mix for the next couple of go-rounds, and then reassess the innings of Ross Ohlendorf and Kevin Hart. They'll likely drop them and add Virgil Vasquez for the last couple of weeks of the season.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Morton Mauled
Charlie Morton came to Pittsburgh with a reputation for being soft. Well, he's not soft; we've seen him pitch out of jams a million times. The trouble is that he always seems to be in a jam.
He had no command of his stuff at all, elevating his heater and leaving it over the dish while missing the plate with his breaking stuff. Against a lineup loaded with AAA players, he was ahead of only 10 of the 26 batters he faced. In five frames, Morton gave up six runs on nine hits and four walks, and it was 4-0 after an inning.
And like Jesse Chavez yesterday, Chris Bootcheck came on in the sixth to douse any ember of hope the Pirates had, giving up three runs. Virgil Vasquez followed; two more runs scored in the seventh.
The Pirate hitters remain their own worst enemy at the plate. In the first, Andrew McCutchen walked - and got picked off badly before the next batter even took a pitch. So the two singles that followed netted nada for the Pirates.
In the fourth, Pittsburgh scored twice and had the bases loaded with one out after McCutchen walked. Delwyn Young swung at the first pitch, low and inside, missing it by a foot. The next pitch was up and away; he chopped it off the pitcher to second for the inning-ending 1-4-6-3 DP.
In the ninth, the bases were juiced with nobody out and Garrett Jones up; he bounced into a DP.
Hey, scoring five runs is an OK night's work. But leaving as many easy runs on the bases as you plate contributes just as much as the pitching woes. The Pirates had ten hits and drew seven walks, but three DPs and a pick-off kept them out of a big inning or two.
Add the pitching and hitting together, and the Bucs absorbed an 11-5 licking, their sixth loss in a row after a 7-2 home stand.
He had no command of his stuff at all, elevating his heater and leaving it over the dish while missing the plate with his breaking stuff. Against a lineup loaded with AAA players, he was ahead of only 10 of the 26 batters he faced. In five frames, Morton gave up six runs on nine hits and four walks, and it was 4-0 after an inning.
And like Jesse Chavez yesterday, Chris Bootcheck came on in the sixth to douse any ember of hope the Pirates had, giving up three runs. Virgil Vasquez followed; two more runs scored in the seventh.
The Pirate hitters remain their own worst enemy at the plate. In the first, Andrew McCutchen walked - and got picked off badly before the next batter even took a pitch. So the two singles that followed netted nada for the Pirates.
In the fourth, Pittsburgh scored twice and had the bases loaded with one out after McCutchen walked. Delwyn Young swung at the first pitch, low and inside, missing it by a foot. The next pitch was up and away; he chopped it off the pitcher to second for the inning-ending 1-4-6-3 DP.
In the ninth, the bases were juiced with nobody out and Garrett Jones up; he bounced into a DP.
Hey, scoring five runs is an OK night's work. But leaving as many easy runs on the bases as you plate contributes just as much as the pitching woes. The Pirates had ten hits and drew seven walks, but three DPs and a pick-off kept them out of a big inning or two.
Add the pitching and hitting together, and the Bucs absorbed an 11-5 licking, their sixth loss in a row after a 7-2 home stand.
Bucco Bits
-- Remember when Lumber and Lightning going mana-a-mano against the Big Red Machine was can't-miss baseball? Well, The two smallest crowds in Great American Ball Park's history saw the Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates yesterday.
Cincy had 1,500-2,000 fans on hand for the first game (announced sale 13,051) and the second drew the smallest gate in the ballpark's seven-year history when only 9,087 people showed up for the game (that was the announced attendance; far fewer were there).
Great American seats 42,000.
-- Joe Starkey of the Tribune-Review has some questions about the Pirate's evaluation skills and the contracts they lead to.
-- Jeff Karstens is pitching rehab at Indy, and Donnie Veal is getting his innings at Altoona. Both should be back soon.
-- The Bucs called up 3B Neil Walker and RHP Virgil Vasquez. Walker has been red hot lately, with 29 RBI in August (overall - .264/14/69), and Vasquez will likely work out of the pen and later rejoin the rotation when the Pirate inning limits on Ross Ohlendorf and Kevin Hart kick in. He went 2-5 with a 6.09 ERA in Pittsburgh and was was 7-4 with a 3.93 ERA at Indy.
-- Indy OF Brian Myrow was named the International League’s Batter of the Week for August 24-30 after he led the IL with a .600 batting average (15-for-25), 15 hits, 13 RBI and a .677 on-base percentage, while also finishing second with three home runs, a .960 slugging percentage and eight runs scored.
The 32 year-old is hitting .308/15/59 this season.
-- 3B Pedro Alvarez's Altoona year is over, as he's off to join Team US in the World Cup. He hit .333/13/40 in 60 games, with 34 walks and 59 strikeouts in 222 at-bats.
Indy RHP Brad Lincoln will join him. Lincoln was 6-2 with a 4.70 ERA in AAA, with 42 strike-outs and 10 walks in 61-1/3 frames.
-- Although Rudy Owens was promoted to Lynchburg in August, he was named the South Atlantic League's Most Outstanding Pitcher for his stint at West Virginia.
Owens posted a 10-1 record with a 1.70 ERA in 19 starts for the Power. The left-hander was named a mid-season All-Star in the South Atlantic League and earned the league's Pitcher-of-the-Week award twice.
In Baseball America's annual "Best Tools" issue, Sally League managers selected Owens as the circuit's Best Pitching Prospect. He also possessed the league's best changeup and control, according to the magazine's survey.
-- West Virginia's Kyle Morgan earned Player-of-the-Week honors in the Sally League. The first baseman went 10-for-21 with 10 runs scored, three doubles, three homers and seven RBIs.
Morgan was the Pirates' 36th-round draft pick in 2008. He's hit .301 with 25 RBIs in 36 games with the Power after starting the year at short-season State College.
-- Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette began his series on the minor league teams and their top guns. He starts with the Bradenton Pirates of the Gulf Coast Rookie League, with Gift, the Indian Million Dollar arms, and some other up-and-coming prospects.
-- After several highly publicized beanings this year, a new helmet that's supposed to absorb 100 MPH heat has been handed out to the teams. It will be a mandatory piece of equipment in the minors next season, according to the Associated Press.
Cincy had 1,500-2,000 fans on hand for the first game (announced sale 13,051) and the second drew the smallest gate in the ballpark's seven-year history when only 9,087 people showed up for the game (that was the announced attendance; far fewer were there).
Great American seats 42,000.
-- Joe Starkey of the Tribune-Review has some questions about the Pirate's evaluation skills and the contracts they lead to.
-- Jeff Karstens is pitching rehab at Indy, and Donnie Veal is getting his innings at Altoona. Both should be back soon.
-- The Bucs called up 3B Neil Walker and RHP Virgil Vasquez. Walker has been red hot lately, with 29 RBI in August (overall - .264/14/69), and Vasquez will likely work out of the pen and later rejoin the rotation when the Pirate inning limits on Ross Ohlendorf and Kevin Hart kick in. He went 2-5 with a 6.09 ERA in Pittsburgh and was was 7-4 with a 3.93 ERA at Indy.
-- Indy OF Brian Myrow was named the International League’s Batter of the Week for August 24-30 after he led the IL with a .600 batting average (15-for-25), 15 hits, 13 RBI and a .677 on-base percentage, while also finishing second with three home runs, a .960 slugging percentage and eight runs scored.
The 32 year-old is hitting .308/15/59 this season.
-- 3B Pedro Alvarez's Altoona year is over, as he's off to join Team US in the World Cup. He hit .333/13/40 in 60 games, with 34 walks and 59 strikeouts in 222 at-bats.
Indy RHP Brad Lincoln will join him. Lincoln was 6-2 with a 4.70 ERA in AAA, with 42 strike-outs and 10 walks in 61-1/3 frames.
-- Although Rudy Owens was promoted to Lynchburg in August, he was named the South Atlantic League's Most Outstanding Pitcher for his stint at West Virginia.
Owens posted a 10-1 record with a 1.70 ERA in 19 starts for the Power. The left-hander was named a mid-season All-Star in the South Atlantic League and earned the league's Pitcher-of-the-Week award twice.
In Baseball America's annual "Best Tools" issue, Sally League managers selected Owens as the circuit's Best Pitching Prospect. He also possessed the league's best changeup and control, according to the magazine's survey.
-- West Virginia's Kyle Morgan earned Player-of-the-Week honors in the Sally League. The first baseman went 10-for-21 with 10 runs scored, three doubles, three homers and seven RBIs.
Morgan was the Pirates' 36th-round draft pick in 2008. He's hit .301 with 25 RBIs in 36 games with the Power after starting the year at short-season State College.
-- Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette began his series on the minor league teams and their top guns. He starts with the Bradenton Pirates of the Gulf Coast Rookie League, with Gift, the Indian Million Dollar arms, and some other up-and-coming prospects.
-- After several highly publicized beanings this year, a new helmet that's supposed to absorb 100 MPH heat has been handed out to the teams. It will be a mandatory piece of equipment in the minors next season, according to the Associated Press.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Second Verse, Same As The First
No need to bore you with the details. The Reds were up 3-0 after an inning, and though the Bucs put together one good inning to cut the score to 4-3, it was for naught as they went down 6-3, losing both ends of a twin bill to the Reds.
Paul Maholm's streak of strong pitching ended - hey, Pittsburgh's on the road, remember? - as he went five innings, giving up four runs on nine hits and three walks. Jesse Chavez, loser of the first game, put the finishing touches on the nightcap, too, giving up a two-run dinger in the eighth.
The stats tell the story of Pittsburgh's wayward tourists. The team ERA at PNC Park is 3.67; they hit .274 and average 4.6 runs/game at home. On the road, their pitching disintegrates. The ERA is 5.44. The hitters struggle, too, batting .242 and scoring 3.7 runs/game. They're 18-48 away from the Allegheny, a .272 winning percentage.
Well, at least they weren't as bad this August as last, when they went 7-21. The Bucs finish the dog days 9-19 this season. It's not much of a silver lining.
Paul Maholm's streak of strong pitching ended - hey, Pittsburgh's on the road, remember? - as he went five innings, giving up four runs on nine hits and three walks. Jesse Chavez, loser of the first game, put the finishing touches on the nightcap, too, giving up a two-run dinger in the eighth.
The stats tell the story of Pittsburgh's wayward tourists. The team ERA at PNC Park is 3.67; they hit .274 and average 4.6 runs/game at home. On the road, their pitching disintegrates. The ERA is 5.44. The hitters struggle, too, batting .242 and scoring 3.7 runs/game. They're 18-48 away from the Allegheny, a .272 winning percentage.
Well, at least they weren't as bad this August as last, when they went 7-21. The Bucs finish the dog days 9-19 this season. It's not much of a silver lining.
Game One...More of the Same
There's no place like home. That's not only true for Dorothy and Toto, but for JR and his Bucs, too. They dropped their fourth road game in a row, 4-3, to the Reds this afternoon.
RHP Daniel McCutchen made his first Pirate start, and after shedding some early inning butterflies, giving up three runs in his first three innings in the bigs, he settled down nicely and got ten of the next dozen batters. He worked six innings and allowed five hits, walked a pair, and struck out five.
The Pirates scored twice in the second with two away, when a walk and hit batter scored on hits by Jason Jaramillo and Daniel McCutchen. But that was all they'd get off of warhorse Kip Wells, who went six against his old teammates. He gave up just two hits (although he walked four) during his stint.
The Bucs tied it in the seventh, and looked like they had something cooking. Ronny Cedeno led off with a triple and came home on Jaramillo's single. Ramon Vazquez stepped in for McCutchen, and lined a shot towards right.
But instead of two on, no outs, and the top of the order up, the ball zipped into first baseman Joey Votto's mitt. He doubled Jaramillo off first, and that was it.
Joel Hanrahan threw two scoreless frames, but Jesse Chavez couldn't match him in the ninth. It appeared that he would work his way out of a two on, two out jam, but he uncorked a wild pitch, a slider away that went through Jaramillo's wickets, and the winning run trotted home.
And so the road blues continue.
-- McCutchen's place on the USA World Cup team was taken by Indy teammate Brad Lincoln, a much better choice for the assignment. McCutch was ready for some MLB action now; Lincoln might get a shot sometime next year, and could use the international competition as a springboard.
-- To make room for McCutchen, Brian Bixler was shipped back to Indy and RHP John Meloan, just claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay on August 12th, was DFA'd off the 40-man roster.
-- And just out of curiosity, if Andy LaRoche doesn't get red hot in the next week, why exactly is it that the suits won't be able to find any at-bats for 3B Neil Walker?
LaRoche's line is .246/7/46 in 426 at-bats; Brandon Moss' is .242/6/30 in 302 at-bats. Moss has been a part-timer for quite a while; LaRoche surely isn't outperforming him by much, so why the love?
RHP Daniel McCutchen made his first Pirate start, and after shedding some early inning butterflies, giving up three runs in his first three innings in the bigs, he settled down nicely and got ten of the next dozen batters. He worked six innings and allowed five hits, walked a pair, and struck out five.
The Pirates scored twice in the second with two away, when a walk and hit batter scored on hits by Jason Jaramillo and Daniel McCutchen. But that was all they'd get off of warhorse Kip Wells, who went six against his old teammates. He gave up just two hits (although he walked four) during his stint.
The Bucs tied it in the seventh, and looked like they had something cooking. Ronny Cedeno led off with a triple and came home on Jaramillo's single. Ramon Vazquez stepped in for McCutchen, and lined a shot towards right.
But instead of two on, no outs, and the top of the order up, the ball zipped into first baseman Joey Votto's mitt. He doubled Jaramillo off first, and that was it.
Joel Hanrahan threw two scoreless frames, but Jesse Chavez couldn't match him in the ninth. It appeared that he would work his way out of a two on, two out jam, but he uncorked a wild pitch, a slider away that went through Jaramillo's wickets, and the winning run trotted home.
And so the road blues continue.
-- McCutchen's place on the USA World Cup team was taken by Indy teammate Brad Lincoln, a much better choice for the assignment. McCutch was ready for some MLB action now; Lincoln might get a shot sometime next year, and could use the international competition as a springboard.
-- To make room for McCutchen, Brian Bixler was shipped back to Indy and RHP John Meloan, just claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay on August 12th, was DFA'd off the 40-man roster.
-- And just out of curiosity, if Andy LaRoche doesn't get red hot in the next week, why exactly is it that the suits won't be able to find any at-bats for 3B Neil Walker?
LaRoche's line is .246/7/46 in 426 at-bats; Brandon Moss' is .242/6/30 in 302 at-bats. Moss has been a part-timer for quite a while; LaRoche surely isn't outperforming him by much, so why the love?
Sunday, August 30, 2009
The Last Ninety Feet...
Twenty-one losses in a row at Miller Park. The sad part is that so many of them aren't beatings at the hands of the Brewers, but self-inflicted losses, like today.
At some point, the Pirates will figure out that with a runner on third and less than two outs that a run should score. For the eighth straight time they failed to do so, this time in the second inning.
With runners at second and third and nobody out, Andy LaRoche popped out behind the plate on the first pitch. Kenny Macha walked Ronny Cedeno, and Ohlendorf bounced into a DP. It had nothing to do with the Big O's at-bat; LaRoche killed the inning, just like Garrett Jones did in the first frame yesterday.
The team doesn't have enough firepower to pass up easy runs. It's obviously a matter of approach, and they best find one that works. Swinging aggressively and aimlessly sure isn't getting the job done.
In the first four innings, the Bucs had the leadoff runner on three times, and stranded six - and that's with two double plays. They hit into four twin killings in Suppan's six innings. Work soft and away against the Buc batters, and Pittsburgh will bounce out all night.
After trading home runs, the Brew Crew took the lead in the fifth, in an inning that mirrored the Pirate's second. A pop up that fell behind the mound and spun away from Ronny Cedeno (where were you, Ollie?), a two-hop double that ricocheted off the tip of Andy LaRoche's glove, and an intentional walk loaded the bases for pitcher Jeff Suppan.
It was the same situation as Pittsburgh had earlier: bases juiced, one out, and the pitcher up. But the results were decidedly different.
Suppan walked on a 3-2 pitch, and never took the bat off of his shoulders. Suppan was taking every pitch; Kenny Macha didn't want him to hit into a DP like his counterpart did. Then a two-out bloop single, after being ahead 0-2 on the count, plated another pair in an inning that would have been long over with a play or a strike.
So, just like yesterday, the Pirates fail to break out early, and it cost them the game. They're not going to win late; in the three game series, the Milwaukee bullpen has shut out Pittsburgh over a stretch of ten innings.
The Pirates continue on the road, going to Cincy for a day-night double header tomorrow. Here's the probable pitchers from MLB.com (Daniel McCuchen will pitch the first game; they have it listed as TBA. Let's hope he doesn't know how badly the team plays on the road.)
-- The Bucs got their A team on the field today. Ronny Cedeno tested his achy finger out at short, and Ryan Doumit was let out of the doghouse and went back behind the dish.
-- The Pirates regained their senses and called up RHP Daniel McCutchen, who will arrive tomorrow. He was lights out at Indy, going 13-6 with a 3.47 ERA. The other McCutch was slated to pitch for the US World Cup team, which was a nice honor in itself.
But the Bucs need an arm now, with a couple of doubleheaders - one tomorrow, in fact, at Cincy - on tap and spot starts coming up when Ross Ohlendorf and Kevin Hart reach their inning limits later in September. McCutchen was the obvious choice to fill that bill.
The Pirates will have to take a guy off the MLB roster, probably for a day, and cut someone loose from the 40-man to make room for McCutchen. No moves have been announced yet.
-- Jeff Clement, who had a hot start at Indy after coming over in the Jack Splat trade, has a strained oblique. That will delay, if not prevent, his September arrival. He was hitting a combined .274-21-90 in AAA, but just .221 at Indy.
At some point, the Pirates will figure out that with a runner on third and less than two outs that a run should score. For the eighth straight time they failed to do so, this time in the second inning.
With runners at second and third and nobody out, Andy LaRoche popped out behind the plate on the first pitch. Kenny Macha walked Ronny Cedeno, and Ohlendorf bounced into a DP. It had nothing to do with the Big O's at-bat; LaRoche killed the inning, just like Garrett Jones did in the first frame yesterday.
The team doesn't have enough firepower to pass up easy runs. It's obviously a matter of approach, and they best find one that works. Swinging aggressively and aimlessly sure isn't getting the job done.
In the first four innings, the Bucs had the leadoff runner on three times, and stranded six - and that's with two double plays. They hit into four twin killings in Suppan's six innings. Work soft and away against the Buc batters, and Pittsburgh will bounce out all night.
After trading home runs, the Brew Crew took the lead in the fifth, in an inning that mirrored the Pirate's second. A pop up that fell behind the mound and spun away from Ronny Cedeno (where were you, Ollie?), a two-hop double that ricocheted off the tip of Andy LaRoche's glove, and an intentional walk loaded the bases for pitcher Jeff Suppan.
It was the same situation as Pittsburgh had earlier: bases juiced, one out, and the pitcher up. But the results were decidedly different.
Suppan walked on a 3-2 pitch, and never took the bat off of his shoulders. Suppan was taking every pitch; Kenny Macha didn't want him to hit into a DP like his counterpart did. Then a two-out bloop single, after being ahead 0-2 on the count, plated another pair in an inning that would have been long over with a play or a strike.
So, just like yesterday, the Pirates fail to break out early, and it cost them the game. They're not going to win late; in the three game series, the Milwaukee bullpen has shut out Pittsburgh over a stretch of ten innings.
The Pirates continue on the road, going to Cincy for a day-night double header tomorrow. Here's the probable pitchers from MLB.com (Daniel McCuchen will pitch the first game; they have it listed as TBA. Let's hope he doesn't know how badly the team plays on the road.)
-- The Bucs got their A team on the field today. Ronny Cedeno tested his achy finger out at short, and Ryan Doumit was let out of the doghouse and went back behind the dish.
-- The Pirates regained their senses and called up RHP Daniel McCutchen, who will arrive tomorrow. He was lights out at Indy, going 13-6 with a 3.47 ERA. The other McCutch was slated to pitch for the US World Cup team, which was a nice honor in itself.
But the Bucs need an arm now, with a couple of doubleheaders - one tomorrow, in fact, at Cincy - on tap and spot starts coming up when Ross Ohlendorf and Kevin Hart reach their inning limits later in September. McCutchen was the obvious choice to fill that bill.
The Pirates will have to take a guy off the MLB roster, probably for a day, and cut someone loose from the 40-man to make room for McCutchen. No moves have been announced yet.
-- Jeff Clement, who had a hot start at Indy after coming over in the Jack Splat trade, has a strained oblique. That will delay, if not prevent, his September arrival. He was hitting a combined .274-21-90 in AAA, but just .221 at Indy.
A Question Of Leadership?
One thing that's bubbled up in the Ryan Doumit affair has been a question of leadership. In Jen Langosch's MLB.com article, Neal Huntington explains
Leadership is a combination of experience, confidence, and personal connections. And the Pirates, as constructed, are pretty low on all three counts.
Let's start with the most obvious qualifier, experience. Among the everyday players, not one has been a full-time starter longer than two years - Ryan Doumit, Andy LaRoche, Ramon Vazquez (whose last starting season was 2003), and Ronny Cedeno, who started in 2006 and chunks of 2009, are the only grizzled, two-year starters in the clubhouse.
The service time approximations tell the story. Vazquez has seven years, Doumit and Cedeno four, and Lastings Milledge is in his third season. Three guys have two years under their belt (LaRoche, Delwyn Young, and Brandon Moss), while the other seven are rookies among the fourteen who have seen some time in the show this season.
The 2009 pitching staff isn't much grayer. The old man is Tyler Yates, who's in his fifth big league season. Paul Maholm and Zach Duke are in their fourth year, and Matt Capps, Jeff Karstens, Denny Bautista and Chris Bootcheck are three-year guys. Six hurlers are in their second season, and five more are first-year men by service time.
So out of the 32 guys currently in the system that have played this year, two have five years or more under their belt while twenty-one are in their first or second year. And one of the five year guys has been on the DL all season, and the other is a role player. Not much experience to draw on there, hey?
Personal connections? Hey, these guys are lucky if they know each other's names. Twenty two of the thirty two guys that have pulled on a Bucco jersey this season have been in the organization for two years or less. Seven have come through the Pirate system, and up to a couple of days ago, Doumit was the only one that started regularly.
The confidence to lead is another can of worms entirely. You can count on your nose the number of players assured to start 2010 where they ended 2009, that being Andrew McCutchen. Oh, some are odds-on favorites to retain their spots, but guys fighting for their careers tend to look out for their own interests first, and that's how it should be.
So is there a leadership vacuum? Well, maybe if you consider Doug Mientkiewicz to be your prototypical leader. We don't see it that way.
When the ballyard is filled in the morning with guys like Delwyn Young taking infield, Lastings Milledge taking outfield, Garret Jones in the cage, Ross Ohlendorf working on mechanics, and Andrew McCutchen providing energy and saying all the right things, we think the team's on a pretty even keel, which is a great tribute to JR and his staff.
After all, the point is to work hard, act professionally, and hustle. You shouldn't need a cheerleader to do that.
Now we do think that the team could use a graybeard or two to provide a shoulder to cry on and some direction. But that ain't gonna happen for at least a couple of more years down the road. Hey, McCutchen is just 22. By the time he's 25, no one will have any questions about who's leading the team; he'll carry Pops torch.
"I think, given the moves, we are looking for some guys to step forward and candidly need guys to step forward. As you look at Paul [Maholm], Zach [Duke] and Ryan, they are in that group of players who are entering their fourth year and fifth year of service - we do need some leadership to come from somewhere. We have players who are getting to that point in their career where they need to step up."We think that's a pretty disingenuous statement.
Leadership is a combination of experience, confidence, and personal connections. And the Pirates, as constructed, are pretty low on all three counts.
Let's start with the most obvious qualifier, experience. Among the everyday players, not one has been a full-time starter longer than two years - Ryan Doumit, Andy LaRoche, Ramon Vazquez (whose last starting season was 2003), and Ronny Cedeno, who started in 2006 and chunks of 2009, are the only grizzled, two-year starters in the clubhouse.
The service time approximations tell the story. Vazquez has seven years, Doumit and Cedeno four, and Lastings Milledge is in his third season. Three guys have two years under their belt (LaRoche, Delwyn Young, and Brandon Moss), while the other seven are rookies among the fourteen who have seen some time in the show this season.
The 2009 pitching staff isn't much grayer. The old man is Tyler Yates, who's in his fifth big league season. Paul Maholm and Zach Duke are in their fourth year, and Matt Capps, Jeff Karstens, Denny Bautista and Chris Bootcheck are three-year guys. Six hurlers are in their second season, and five more are first-year men by service time.
So out of the 32 guys currently in the system that have played this year, two have five years or more under their belt while twenty-one are in their first or second year. And one of the five year guys has been on the DL all season, and the other is a role player. Not much experience to draw on there, hey?
Personal connections? Hey, these guys are lucky if they know each other's names. Twenty two of the thirty two guys that have pulled on a Bucco jersey this season have been in the organization for two years or less. Seven have come through the Pirate system, and up to a couple of days ago, Doumit was the only one that started regularly.
The confidence to lead is another can of worms entirely. You can count on your nose the number of players assured to start 2010 where they ended 2009, that being Andrew McCutchen. Oh, some are odds-on favorites to retain their spots, but guys fighting for their careers tend to look out for their own interests first, and that's how it should be.
So is there a leadership vacuum? Well, maybe if you consider Doug Mientkiewicz to be your prototypical leader. We don't see it that way.
When the ballyard is filled in the morning with guys like Delwyn Young taking infield, Lastings Milledge taking outfield, Garret Jones in the cage, Ross Ohlendorf working on mechanics, and Andrew McCutchen providing energy and saying all the right things, we think the team's on a pretty even keel, which is a great tribute to JR and his staff.
After all, the point is to work hard, act professionally, and hustle. You shouldn't need a cheerleader to do that.
Now we do think that the team could use a graybeard or two to provide a shoulder to cry on and some direction. But that ain't gonna happen for at least a couple of more years down the road. Hey, McCutchen is just 22. By the time he's 25, no one will have any questions about who's leading the team; he'll carry Pops torch.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Road Kill
Ya know, Pittsburgh just doesn't react well to hopping a plane and leaving the cozy confines of the North Shore. Maybe they get air sickness or jet lag or airline food poisoning or just plain homesick; who knows? We vote for piling into a van.
But there really can be no other excuse for a team to go 35-29 at PNC, a 55% winning record, and 18-45 on the road, a 28% success rate. After looking quite competent at home, the wheels fall off when they bat first.
Take tonight, for example. The offense was held to three runs, and never really mounted a threat against Yovani Gallardo, other than a two-out, two-run homer by Andy LaRoche. And they rolled over like puppies once again to the Brew Brew bullpen.
Kevin Hart's pitching line looks OK - he went six innings and gave up six hits while striking out four. But throw in a pair of walks, two beaned batters, and a wild pitch, and the damage came to five runs.
In the third, with two outs and a run in, he gave up a bloop single to Craig Counsell with two outs to put runners at first and second. Then he plunked Ryan Braun on an 0-2 pitch, starting more whining over that bruisin'. Up stepped Prince Fielder, who he walked on five pitches.
Now we understand you don't want to challenge the big guy in that circumstance. But that's why you bear down before he gets up in a position to hurt you.
Another run scored in the fifth, when Delwyn Young threw a ball away. It was followed by a ground ball single and run-scoring DP.
Then, after getting the first two outs in the sixth, three straight hits by the bottom of the order and a wild pitch brought two more runs home. Admittedly, one was a routine roller to Brian Bixler, who returned to form by throwing the ball too high to first. (He also struck out three times in three at-bats) But a pitcher, like a hockey goalie, has to be able to weather the storm.
We'll admit freely that Hart had some bad luck and worse fielding to contend with, but he hurt himself with his lack of command during the evening. Putting four guys on base with walks/hit batsmen and uncorking a wild pitch was his undoing, not dink singles and a leaky infield.
Phil Dumatrait and Steve Jackson each worked an inning; each gave up a run. No surprise there, home or away.
So that's the Pirate road experience; forget how to hit, field, and pitch. Hey, it's time to hire a voodoo guy as a coach. Maybe he can light some candles or dig up a corpse or something to turn the Pirate's gray uniformed zombies back to ballplayers.
-- Ronny Cedeno sat again. He pinch hit for Bixler in the ninth, and smacked a double. How bad can his finger be? He's 3-for-4 off the bench since his injury.
-- Luis Cruz probably got the day off at short because of the lump on his noggin caused when a Garrett Jones hit drilled him during batting practice yesterday.
-- Ryan Doumit moped his way into another day on the pine. He ain't talking, and neither are the suits, although they do allow that players have to let the past go and get with the program. Sure sounds like a subtle hint to us.
But there really can be no other excuse for a team to go 35-29 at PNC, a 55% winning record, and 18-45 on the road, a 28% success rate. After looking quite competent at home, the wheels fall off when they bat first.
Take tonight, for example. The offense was held to three runs, and never really mounted a threat against Yovani Gallardo, other than a two-out, two-run homer by Andy LaRoche. And they rolled over like puppies once again to the Brew Brew bullpen.
Kevin Hart's pitching line looks OK - he went six innings and gave up six hits while striking out four. But throw in a pair of walks, two beaned batters, and a wild pitch, and the damage came to five runs.
In the third, with two outs and a run in, he gave up a bloop single to Craig Counsell with two outs to put runners at first and second. Then he plunked Ryan Braun on an 0-2 pitch, starting more whining over that bruisin'. Up stepped Prince Fielder, who he walked on five pitches.
Now we understand you don't want to challenge the big guy in that circumstance. But that's why you bear down before he gets up in a position to hurt you.
Another run scored in the fifth, when Delwyn Young threw a ball away. It was followed by a ground ball single and run-scoring DP.
Then, after getting the first two outs in the sixth, three straight hits by the bottom of the order and a wild pitch brought two more runs home. Admittedly, one was a routine roller to Brian Bixler, who returned to form by throwing the ball too high to first. (He also struck out three times in three at-bats) But a pitcher, like a hockey goalie, has to be able to weather the storm.
We'll admit freely that Hart had some bad luck and worse fielding to contend with, but he hurt himself with his lack of command during the evening. Putting four guys on base with walks/hit batsmen and uncorking a wild pitch was his undoing, not dink singles and a leaky infield.
Phil Dumatrait and Steve Jackson each worked an inning; each gave up a run. No surprise there, home or away.
So that's the Pirate road experience; forget how to hit, field, and pitch. Hey, it's time to hire a voodoo guy as a coach. Maybe he can light some candles or dig up a corpse or something to turn the Pirate's gray uniformed zombies back to ballplayers.
-- Ronny Cedeno sat again. He pinch hit for Bixler in the ninth, and smacked a double. How bad can his finger be? He's 3-for-4 off the bench since his injury.
-- Luis Cruz probably got the day off at short because of the lump on his noggin caused when a Garrett Jones hit drilled him during batting practice yesterday.
-- Ryan Doumit moped his way into another day on the pine. He ain't talking, and neither are the suits, although they do allow that players have to let the past go and get with the program. Sure sounds like a subtle hint to us.
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