The Pirates host the Tampa Bay Rays at McKechnie Field at 1:05 today; Ohlie will start against David Price.
Lineup: Jose Tabata LF, Ronny Cedeno SS, Neil Walker 2B, Matt Diaz RF, Garrett Atkins 3B, Lyle Overbay 1B, Chris Snyder C, Gorkys Hernandez CF and Ross Ohlendorf P.
Pitchers: Ross Ohlendorf (3 innings), Evan Meek, Jose Veras, Tyler Yates, Michael Crotta and Daniel Moskos.
-- Ronny Cedeno is back after missing a couple of days with a bruised finger.
-- Evan Meek will make his first appearance of the spring today after recovering from calf tightness.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Blue J's Baffle Buc Bats
Yep, pitching is what wins games, as today once again proved. Toronto's Ricky Romero was on top of his game, going four innings and giving up one hit, two walks and whiffing six. During the day, 13 Pirates struck out against five Blue Jay pitchers.
J-Mac wasn't. He had trouble locating his hook, and the result was a 29-pitch opening frame. McDonald went 2-2/3 innings, giving up four runs (two earned) on four hits, a walk and a pair of Ks. Joel Hanrahan, Aaron Thompson, Justin Wilson and Jeffrey Locke pitched well; Justin Thomas, Chris Resop and Daniel McCutchen weren't sharp in their outings today.
Offensively, Pedro had two of the Pirates four hits, and neither was exactly spanked. Joey Bats came back to haunt his old club, banging out three hits - two were doubles - scoring twice and bringing a run home.
The result was a wire-to-wire victory for Toronto by a 5-0 count.
The Bucs will host Tampa Bay tomorrow. Ross Ohlendorf will start against David Price.
-- The d'Arnaud brothers, Chase and Travis, played against each other in the late stages of the game. Both struck out swinging at off-speed pitches; we guess poppa d'Arnaud only threw heaters in the backyard.
-- Pedro Ciriaco is in the hunt for the back-up middle infielder after being practically an afterthought going into camp. It's early and the spring, but he's hitting .385. Josh Rodriguez is also handling the stick well, batting .285, while Corey Wimberly is still hunting for his first knock of the spring and not looking all that steady at shortstop.
-- Evan Meek is ready to go after rehabbing his calf; he's supposed to work against the Rays tomorrow.
J-Mac wasn't. He had trouble locating his hook, and the result was a 29-pitch opening frame. McDonald went 2-2/3 innings, giving up four runs (two earned) on four hits, a walk and a pair of Ks. Joel Hanrahan, Aaron Thompson, Justin Wilson and Jeffrey Locke pitched well; Justin Thomas, Chris Resop and Daniel McCutchen weren't sharp in their outings today.
Offensively, Pedro had two of the Pirates four hits, and neither was exactly spanked. Joey Bats came back to haunt his old club, banging out three hits - two were doubles - scoring twice and bringing a run home.
The result was a wire-to-wire victory for Toronto by a 5-0 count.
The Bucs will host Tampa Bay tomorrow. Ross Ohlendorf will start against David Price.
-- The d'Arnaud brothers, Chase and Travis, played against each other in the late stages of the game. Both struck out swinging at off-speed pitches; we guess poppa d'Arnaud only threw heaters in the backyard.
-- Pedro Ciriaco is in the hunt for the back-up middle infielder after being practically an afterthought going into camp. It's early and the spring, but he's hitting .385. Josh Rodriguez is also handling the stick well, batting .285, while Corey Wimberly is still hunting for his first knock of the spring and not looking all that steady at shortstop.
-- Evan Meek is ready to go after rehabbing his calf; he's supposed to work against the Rays tomorrow.
Today's Pirate Lineup
Lineup: Corey Wimberly SS, Pedro Ciriaco 2B, Andrew McCutchen CF, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Matt Diaz LF, Steve Pearce RF, Josh Fields 1B, Dusty Brown C and J-Mac P.
Pitchers: James McDonald, Joel Hanrahan, Aaron Thompson, Daniel McCutchen, Chris Resop, Justin Thomas and Jeffrey Locke.
The game is at McKechnie Field against the Blue Jays, who will start Ricky Romero. It will be carried on TV by FSN; the pregame is at 12:30 PM, the first pitch comes at 1:05 PM. The game will be replayed on the MLB Network tonight at 11 PM.
-- Steve Pearce is getting his first OF start of the spring, keeping in tune with Hurdle's mixing and matching of the bench guys. Corey Wimberly has been in the OF, Josh Fields at first and third, and Pedro Ciriaco has played both middle spots. Josh Rodriguez, who is better suited to second base, has been getting a long look at short in camp. We like the emphasis on youth and versatility; the Pirate bench has been a rest home for faded vets way too long.
-- It's the first Pirate game this camp without a DH hitting for the pitcher, a sure sign the season is just around the bend.
Pitchers: James McDonald, Joel Hanrahan, Aaron Thompson, Daniel McCutchen, Chris Resop, Justin Thomas and Jeffrey Locke.
The game is at McKechnie Field against the Blue Jays, who will start Ricky Romero. It will be carried on TV by FSN; the pregame is at 12:30 PM, the first pitch comes at 1:05 PM. The game will be replayed on the MLB Network tonight at 11 PM.
-- Steve Pearce is getting his first OF start of the spring, keeping in tune with Hurdle's mixing and matching of the bench guys. Corey Wimberly has been in the OF, Josh Fields at first and third, and Pedro Ciriaco has played both middle spots. Josh Rodriguez, who is better suited to second base, has been getting a long look at short in camp. We like the emphasis on youth and versatility; the Pirate bench has been a rest home for faded vets way too long.
-- It's the first Pirate game this camp without a DH hitting for the pitcher, a sure sign the season is just around the bend.
Yes, More Profiles!
-- Pedro Alvarez (Colin Dunlap, Post-Gazette)
-- Garrett Jones (Karen Price, Tribune-Review)
-- Josh Rodriguez (Jen Langosch, MLB.com)
-- Dan Moskos (Ron Musselman, Post-Gazette)
-- Tony Sanchez (Kristy Robinson, Hands Off My Pirates Booty)
-- Lastings Milledge (Jerry Crasnick, ESPN)
-- Garrett Jones (Karen Price, Tribune-Review)
-- Josh Rodriguez (Jen Langosch, MLB.com)
-- Dan Moskos (Ron Musselman, Post-Gazette)
-- Tony Sanchez (Kristy Robinson, Hands Off My Pirates Booty)
-- Lastings Milledge (Jerry Crasnick, ESPN)
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Bucs Manufacture 4-3 Win Over Phils
Hey, the game winner was a two run long ball by Neil Walker in the sixth, but the two runs manufactured before his blow were the key.
The Pirates hit paydirt in the fourth, when Lyle Overbay doubled, moved to third on a groundout and scored on Garrett Jones' sacrifice fly. In the fifth, John Bowker doubled, moved to third and came home on Andrew McCutchen's groundout.
Not to shrug off Walker's blast to right; it came on an 0-2 pitch, and that shows some pretty good pitch recognition (also some pretty crappy pitching by JC Ramirez, who gave up all four runs).
It was a game where the Bucs did some little things well. They stole four bases (Corey Wimberly had two; Jose Tabata and Pedro Ciriaco the others) and turned 3 DPs behind the staff. On the other hand, an 0-11 RISP shows a lot of work ahead, though two of the outs did result in runs.
The Buc pitchers weren't overwhelming, but solid and never let the Phillies put up a big frame.
The Pirates play Toronto tomorrow at McKechnie Field. James McDonald will throw three innings and be followed by Joel Hanrahan, Chris Resop, Aaron Thompson and Daniel McCutchen; Justin Wilson, Jeff Locke and Justin Thomas are also available.
-- The Phils suffered a blow when uber-prospect Domonic Brown, projected to be Philadelphia's starting RF'er, fractured the hamate bone of his right hand taking a swing against the Buccos. The injury will require surgery and is expected to sideline him for the rest of spring training and the early part of the season. And the hamate injury is one that's supposed to hamper a players power for at least a season. Ouch!
The Pirates hit paydirt in the fourth, when Lyle Overbay doubled, moved to third on a groundout and scored on Garrett Jones' sacrifice fly. In the fifth, John Bowker doubled, moved to third and came home on Andrew McCutchen's groundout.
Not to shrug off Walker's blast to right; it came on an 0-2 pitch, and that shows some pretty good pitch recognition (also some pretty crappy pitching by JC Ramirez, who gave up all four runs).
It was a game where the Bucs did some little things well. They stole four bases (Corey Wimberly had two; Jose Tabata and Pedro Ciriaco the others) and turned 3 DPs behind the staff. On the other hand, an 0-11 RISP shows a lot of work ahead, though two of the outs did result in runs.
The Buc pitchers weren't overwhelming, but solid and never let the Phillies put up a big frame.
The Pirates play Toronto tomorrow at McKechnie Field. James McDonald will throw three innings and be followed by Joel Hanrahan, Chris Resop, Aaron Thompson and Daniel McCutchen; Justin Wilson, Jeff Locke and Justin Thomas are also available.
-- The Phils suffered a blow when uber-prospect Domonic Brown, projected to be Philadelphia's starting RF'er, fractured the hamate bone of his right hand taking a swing against the Buccos. The injury will require surgery and is expected to sideline him for the rest of spring training and the early part of the season. And the hamate injury is one that's supposed to hamper a players power for at least a season. Ouch!
Get Your Scorecard
Today's Lineup against the Phils @ Clearwater:
Lineup: Andrew McCutchen CF, Jose Tabata LF, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Lyle Overbay 1B, Neil Walker 2B, Garrett Jones DH, Ryan Doumit C, John Bowker RF and Ronny Cedeno SS.
Pitchers: Paul Maholm, Jeff Karstens, Mike Crotta, Sean Gallagher, Chris Leroux and Rudy Owens.
-- Cesar Valdez, Donnie Veal, Eric Fryer and Tony Sanchez have been reassigned to minor league camp. They're the first cuts of camp.
Lineup: Andrew McCutchen CF, Jose Tabata LF, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Lyle Overbay 1B, Neil Walker 2B, Garrett Jones DH, Ryan Doumit C, John Bowker RF and Ronny Cedeno SS.
Pitchers: Paul Maholm, Jeff Karstens, Mike Crotta, Sean Gallagher, Chris Leroux and Rudy Owens.
-- Cesar Valdez, Donnie Veal, Eric Fryer and Tony Sanchez have been reassigned to minor league camp. They're the first cuts of camp.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Phils 7 Bucs 4
For awhile there, it looked like Kevin Correia wasn't gonna get anyone out. The first four Phils singled, two runs were in, and it looked bleak (Correia was giving up hits on balls stroked to the opposite side that were placed where the Bucs weren't; he looked scarily like a RH Zach Duke).
But KC found his rhythm, got a foul pop and two K's to end the inning, and cruised from there, retiring nine of the last ten hitters he faced and running up five whiffs.
The Bucs got four consecutive knocks in their half of the frame, but only one run as Neil Walker was gunned going from first to third, a point of emphasis this year (taking the extra base, that is, not the getting gunned part!) Lyle Overbay notched the RBI.
Pittsburgh went ahead in the sixth 3-2 when a Walker base on balls and doubles by Tony Sanchez and Andy Marte combined to bring home a pair. But Fernando Nieve took care of that quickly.
Ryan Howard, the first batter he faced, went deep to the opposite field, and the Phillies touched him up for five hits and four runs in just an 1-1/3 of work. Marte singled home one more and Bryan Morris gave up a tally in the ninth on a homer to make the final 7-4.
Tomorrow they'll do it again, this time in Clearwater. Paul Maholm will start for the Pirates against Roy Halladay of the Phillies. Jeff Karstens, Sean Gallagher and Chris Leroux are slated to follow.
-- Matt Diaz stole a sack as the go-go Bucs now have eleven steals in Grapefruit League play, tops in the circuit. They've been caught three times.
-- Michael Dubee, Buc minor-leaguer, tossed 2/3 of an inning today, giving up a hit and claiming a K. The Phils pitching coach kept a close eye on him - that would be his dad, Rich Dubee.
-- Brandon Moss and Delwyn Young played against their old teammates. Moss was in left and went 1-for-2 with a run; Young was at second and had an 0-for-3 afternoon.
-- Add Ronny Cedeno to the list of the walking wounded. He has a bruised finger, and is day-to-day until he can grip a bat again, although he is taking infield practice.
-- Evan Meek threw BP this morning at Pirate City and is penciled in to make his Grapefruit League debut on Monday.
-- Tim Williams of Pirates Prospects posted a point-counterpoint argument over the respective merits of taking 3B Anthony Rendon or RHP Gerritt Cole with the first pick of the draft.
But KC found his rhythm, got a foul pop and two K's to end the inning, and cruised from there, retiring nine of the last ten hitters he faced and running up five whiffs.
The Bucs got four consecutive knocks in their half of the frame, but only one run as Neil Walker was gunned going from first to third, a point of emphasis this year (taking the extra base, that is, not the getting gunned part!) Lyle Overbay notched the RBI.
Pittsburgh went ahead in the sixth 3-2 when a Walker base on balls and doubles by Tony Sanchez and Andy Marte combined to bring home a pair. But Fernando Nieve took care of that quickly.
Ryan Howard, the first batter he faced, went deep to the opposite field, and the Phillies touched him up for five hits and four runs in just an 1-1/3 of work. Marte singled home one more and Bryan Morris gave up a tally in the ninth on a homer to make the final 7-4.
Tomorrow they'll do it again, this time in Clearwater. Paul Maholm will start for the Pirates against Roy Halladay of the Phillies. Jeff Karstens, Sean Gallagher and Chris Leroux are slated to follow.
-- Matt Diaz stole a sack as the go-go Bucs now have eleven steals in Grapefruit League play, tops in the circuit. They've been caught three times.
-- Michael Dubee, Buc minor-leaguer, tossed 2/3 of an inning today, giving up a hit and claiming a K. The Phils pitching coach kept a close eye on him - that would be his dad, Rich Dubee.
-- Brandon Moss and Delwyn Young played against their old teammates. Moss was in left and went 1-for-2 with a run; Young was at second and had an 0-for-3 afternoon.
-- Add Ronny Cedeno to the list of the walking wounded. He has a bruised finger, and is day-to-day until he can grip a bat again, although he is taking infield practice.
-- Evan Meek threw BP this morning at Pirate City and is penciled in to make his Grapefruit League debut on Monday.
-- Tim Williams of Pirates Prospects posted a point-counterpoint argument over the respective merits of taking 3B Anthony Rendon or RHP Gerritt Cole with the first pick of the draft.
Today's Lineup
Lineup: Jose Tabata LF, Ronny Cedeno SS, Neil Walker 2B, Lyle Overbay 1B, Matt Diaz DH, Garrett Jones RF, Andy Marte 3B, Chris Snyder C and Gorkys Hernandez CF.
Pitching: Kevin Correia, Brian Burres, Fernando Nieve, Bryan Morris, Kyle McPherson and Daniel Moskos.
The Phils will start Joe Blanton.
Pitching: Kevin Correia, Brian Burres, Fernando Nieve, Bryan Morris, Kyle McPherson and Daniel Moskos.
The Phils will start Joe Blanton.
Pirate Profiles Proliferate
-- Joel Hanhrahan (Colin Dunlap, Post-Gazette)
-- Lyle Overbay (Jen Langosch, MLB.com)
-- Lyle Overbay (Jason Dill, Bradenton.com)
-- Neil Walker (Jen Langosch, MLB.com)
-- Andrew Lambo (Rob Biertempfel, Tribune-Review)
-- Brad Lincoln (Rob Biertempfel, Tribune-Review)
-- Lyle Overbay (Jen Langosch, MLB.com)
-- Lyle Overbay (Jason Dill, Bradenton.com)
-- Neil Walker (Jen Langosch, MLB.com)
-- Andrew Lambo (Rob Biertempfel, Tribune-Review)
-- Brad Lincoln (Rob Biertempfel, Tribune-Review)
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