Yeah, the Cubs said today that everyone outside of Jeff Samardzija is available for trade; including Starlin Castro. Theo Epstein countered that by saying that he's actually not available. This whole thing is getting confusing.
What I was going to write before Epstein made those statements was this:
Sure, the Cubs said that - but it doesn't mean it's really true. The fact is that if some team is going to offer you a ridiculous haul for a player, you're going to think about it - regardless. By saying that Castro was somewhat available, they opened a door for maybe getting a jackpot of a deal that no team would turn down. If some team offers you their two top prospects (like the Pirates offering Cole and Taillon), some would argue that the Cubs would be silly to not seriously consider the deal. Others would say that Castro is immovable, being a 22 year old stud shortstop already - why give up a sure thing for a question mark. I understand both schools of thought. The Cubs are in a rough spot and they are doing the right thing by dangling him out there just to see if they can get a monster return.
Like yeah, you love that 50 inch plasma screen in your basement, and you don't want to get rid of it. But why not put an offer on Craigslist out there to trade it for a similar TV and a sick mini fridge to go with it? Chances are no one is going to give you the deal, but you aren't hurting yourself by asking it. I myself have put my own autograph on EBay and asked $50 for it. No one in there right mind is going to do that, but it didn't cost me to post it, so it's a win/win situation right?
That said, I don't think the Cubs would take anything less from the Pirates then both Cole and Taillon. They understand what they have in Castro, and it's a great piece to build around.
Epstein says nobody is entirely untouchable, but they would have to be completely blown away to even think about moving Castro. That sounds about right. It's the same way with the Pirates and Andrew McCutchen. They are in no way even thinking about trading him - but if the Angels offered us Mike Trout and Mark Trumbo for him, you'd certainly have to think about doing it.
If Castro was available, I would absolutely give up any two prospects in the system for him, providing ONE of them isn't Cole or Taillon. I wouldn't give up both, but I would give up one of them and then any other player in the minor league system. The Cubs would never take that deal though, so it's irrelevant.
The Pirates need to find a shortstop for the future at some point - and it's not going to be Starlin Castro.
Where Does the Pirates "Big Three" Stack Up?
Comments
The Pirates have watched their top three starting pitchers have fantastic starts to the 2012 season. Through two months, James McDonald, Erik Bedard, and A.J. Burnett stack up among the best three man rotations in the league. Together, those three have an ERA of 2.90, a K/9 of 8.4, and a BB/9 of 3.
A tweeter asked me to find out how they compare to the rest of the National League's top three starters. I'm a giver, so I did it. I collected information for ERA, strikeouts, and walks. I totaled each team's big three together and got numbers, and then I ranked them. Here are the results:
ERA:
K/9:
BB/9:
The Pirates are fourth in ERA, fifth in K/9, and eleventh in BB/9.
The clear winner here in the Washington Nationals. Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, and Stephen Strasburg have been beyond phenomenal. They are far and away the best one-two-three punch this year. Yeah, even better than Roy Halladay - Cliff Lee - Cole Hamels.
The Dodgers are a solid second there. Their top three are Clayton Kershaw, Chris Capuano, and Ted Lilly. They have only seen Lilly pitch 48.2 innings this year though as he started late, and he has started to regress a bit after a hot start. I would be hesitant to actually say they are the second best, in fact I would probably take the Pirates starting three over them. The Giants are solid with Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, and Ryan Vogelsong. They also have Tim Lincecum who just isn't pitching well for some reason, but at any minute could be come an ace.
If I had to re-rank this moving forward, the only team I would for sure take over the Pirates right now is the Nationals. You would also be inclined to take the Phillies, except Roy Halladay is about to miss 6-8 weeks, which takes them out of the running. I would probably take the Giants over the Pirates as well, and there would be a good amount of other teams that I would have to consider. The truth is that the Pirates have some question marks too. Erik Bedard still has the health questions, and A.J. Burnett's success is very surprising. Nobody expected him to be this dominant, so there is a big possibility that he could regress quite a bit down the line.
Regardless, the Pirates have a top five three man rotation, and it has propelled them to a .500 record after 50 games. When one of these three guys takes the hill, the Pirates are 17-10. Their continued success plus the addition of some actual offense could make this an interesting summer for the Pirates.
A tweeter asked me to find out how they compare to the rest of the National League's top three starters. I'm a giver, so I did it. I collected information for ERA, strikeouts, and walks. I totaled each team's big three together and got numbers, and then I ranked them. Here are the results:
The clear winner here in the Washington Nationals. Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, and Stephen Strasburg have been beyond phenomenal. They are far and away the best one-two-three punch this year. Yeah, even better than Roy Halladay - Cliff Lee - Cole Hamels.
The Dodgers are a solid second there. Their top three are Clayton Kershaw, Chris Capuano, and Ted Lilly. They have only seen Lilly pitch 48.2 innings this year though as he started late, and he has started to regress a bit after a hot start. I would be hesitant to actually say they are the second best, in fact I would probably take the Pirates starting three over them. The Giants are solid with Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, and Ryan Vogelsong. They also have Tim Lincecum who just isn't pitching well for some reason, but at any minute could be come an ace.
If I had to re-rank this moving forward, the only team I would for sure take over the Pirates right now is the Nationals. You would also be inclined to take the Phillies, except Roy Halladay is about to miss 6-8 weeks, which takes them out of the running. I would probably take the Giants over the Pirates as well, and there would be a good amount of other teams that I would have to consider. The truth is that the Pirates have some question marks too. Erik Bedard still has the health questions, and A.J. Burnett's success is very surprising. Nobody expected him to be this dominant, so there is a big possibility that he could regress quite a bit down the line.
Regardless, the Pirates have a top five three man rotation, and it has propelled them to a .500 record after 50 games. When one of these three guys takes the hill, the Pirates are 17-10. Their continued success plus the addition of some actual offense could make this an interesting summer for the Pirates.
5/30 A.J. Burnett Pitch F/X
Comments| Pitch Type | Veloc | H-Break | V-Break | Count | Strike% |
| 4-Seam | 91.8 | -4.69 | 7.06 | 65 | 69.23% |
| Sinker | 90.9 | -7.81 | 6.43 | 6 | 50.00% |
| Change | 88.3 | -6.67 | 2.79 | 7 | 28.57% |
| K-Curve | 81.0 | 5.42 | -6.10 | 25 | 60.00% |
5/30 Recap | Pirates 2 Reds 1
CommentsThe offense was quiet all night except for the in the sixth inning, when Matt Hague hit a two run double to the right center field gap that scored Neil Walker (who walked) and Garrett Jones (who singled). That’s all the Pirates would need as Jason Grilli pitched a scoreless eighth and Joel Hanrahan got his 13th save of the season to clinch a 6-3 home stand a winning series over the division rival Cincinnati Reds.
Huge win for the Pirates how head to Milwaukee with an even record. They also finished up a winning month of May, going 15-13.
Reds (28-21) vs. Pirates (24-25), Game 50
CommentsCincinnati Reds (28-21) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (24-25)
May 30, 2012
Johnny Cueto vs. A.J. Burnett
Game Notes:
What's Wrong With Charlie Morton's Sinker?
Comments
Wrote a post on RumBunter where I looked at the pitch f/x from Charlie Morton's sinker from 2011 and from this year and compared them. Here's the data; you can click the page link at the bottom to see my conclusions from the data.
Clipped from: rumbunter.com (share this clip)
Clipped from: rumbunter.com (share this clip)5/29 Charlie Morton Pitch F/X
Comments| Pitch Type | Veloc | H-Break | V-Break | Count | Strike% |
| 4-Seam | 88.2 | -2.32 | 3.74 | 2 | 0.00% |
| Change | 82.8 | -4.05 | -2.63 | 4 | 75.00% |
| Curve | 76.7 | 7.55 | -6.86 | 10 | 60.00% |
| Cutter | 85.2 | 0.01 | 1.80 | 40 | 60.00% |
| 2-Seam | 90.3 | -8.42 | 2.38 | 40 | 72.50% |
5/29 Recap | CIN 8 PIT 1
CommentsCharlie Morton could build off his strong start last time out, giving up four runs and only lasting four innings. The Reds were all over him in the game, pounding six hard hits and not striking out once. The bullpen came in and did a good job with the exception of Jared Hughes who had his first poor outing, giving up three runs on five hits in one inning. It was a good night to have one of those though.
The offense went back to being nonexistent, allowing Homer Bailey to throw his second career complete game (the other one being in PNC Park as well). He threw just 103 pitches to get through it. He allowed one run off the bat of Casey McGehee who pinch hit and drove in Matt Hague who singled earlier in the inning. The other two hits went to Rod Barajas and Andrew McCutchen, who tripled in the first inning.
Back under .500 again and the question is if they can find a way to beat Johnny Cueto tomorrow and get back to it before they hit the road.
Tuesday 5/29 Minor League Roundup
CommentsJeff Clement hit his fifth home run and third in two days as the Indians beat the Bulls. Starling Marte was 1/3 with an intentional walk, and more hits were added by Anderson Hernandez, Brandon Boggs, Eric Fryer, and Brian Friday. Rudy Owens lowered his ERA to 2.29 with 6.2 innings allowing just one run. He struck out seven and walked one. Bryan Morris pitched two scoreless innings and Tim Wood got the save by facing one batter and striking him out.
AA Altoona | Altoona 6 Richmond 1
THe Curve broke out the bats as five different players had multi-hit games. Tony Sanchez, Matt Curry, Jarek Cunningham, and Miles Durham all had at least two hits (Durham was the lone one with three). Sanchez doubled twice and nobody homered. Brandon Cumpton pitched seven innings and gave up just one run. He struck out three and walked three.
A West Virginia | West Virginia 7 Lakewood 3
Gregory Polanco had three hits including a triple, Alen Hanson added a triple of his own and is hitting .337 this year. Chris Lashmet had two hits and the Power got their pitching staff more than enough for the win. Robby Rowland made his Pirates system debut and gave up two runs and four hits in six innings of work. He didn't walk anyone and struck out three. Orlando Castro pitched a scoreless inning and Clario Perez gave up a harmless run in two innings of work.
A Bradenton | Bradenton 5 Fort Myers 4
Gerrit Cole made another strong start as he inches closer and closer towards a promotion. He went six innings and gave up six hits allowing two runs (one earned), striking out four, and walking two. He has a 2.47 ERA on the year and has been great lately. Gift Ngoepe doubled, Drew Maggie doubled and singles, Mel Rojas tripled, and Carlos Paulino doubled in a seven hit Marauders performance. The farm system ran the sweep today with all four teams winning.
Mixing it Up: Roster Moves
Comments
The Pirates are 48 games into the season and seem to have made some decisions about what this team is going to look like for the near future.
In the last week they have cut ties with Nate McLouth and sent Yamaico Navarro down to bring up Matt Hague and Jordy Mercer, two guys that have had good success in the minor leagues. At the beginning of the year Clint Hurdle alluded to a 50 game rule, where he normally gives the original guys on the roster about 50 games before he decides to move on. That was true with McLouth even before we got to 50 games, and it seems that Clint Barmes is nearing the end of his time as the starting shortstop. He's been benched a lot recently for Josh Harrison, and now there is another shortstop in the clubhouse putting pressure on him.
Mercer is a guy that should get a look as a big league shortstop. The system is extremely thin with middle infielders, so there's a lot of weight on Mercer's shoulders to become a big league starter. It's far from a sure thing, he's never been super impressive with his offense or defense, but the Pirates don't have a choice but to give him a chance. That chance is now. Time will tell how the Pirates will use him, but you would think he'd be in the lineup pretty much everyday at shortstop with Harrison playing some right field and even spelling Neil Walker and Pedro Alvarez from time to time. They aren't going to straight up cut Barmes for at least a bit longer, but I don't see him getting many starts anymore - which can only be a positive thing for a struggling offense.
Neil Huntington has decided that it's time to start mixing things up and seeing what he has in some of the farm hands. He had seen enough of McLouth and looks like he's seen about enough of Barmes as well. He realizes that this team has a chance to compete in a week division, and he wants to give the offense as many new looks as possible to try and find something that works.
We'll see if Mercer can handle it. Again, he hasn't killed the ball in his minor league career (.266/.323/.401) and his defense is a bit suspect, so you shouldn't be writing him in as the starter for next year. He's going to have to work hard and show us something before we get too confident in him, but it's nice to see a new name up here. Basically anything is giving us hope right now.
In the last week they have cut ties with Nate McLouth and sent Yamaico Navarro down to bring up Matt Hague and Jordy Mercer, two guys that have had good success in the minor leagues. At the beginning of the year Clint Hurdle alluded to a 50 game rule, where he normally gives the original guys on the roster about 50 games before he decides to move on. That was true with McLouth even before we got to 50 games, and it seems that Clint Barmes is nearing the end of his time as the starting shortstop. He's been benched a lot recently for Josh Harrison, and now there is another shortstop in the clubhouse putting pressure on him.
Mercer is a guy that should get a look as a big league shortstop. The system is extremely thin with middle infielders, so there's a lot of weight on Mercer's shoulders to become a big league starter. It's far from a sure thing, he's never been super impressive with his offense or defense, but the Pirates don't have a choice but to give him a chance. That chance is now. Time will tell how the Pirates will use him, but you would think he'd be in the lineup pretty much everyday at shortstop with Harrison playing some right field and even spelling Neil Walker and Pedro Alvarez from time to time. They aren't going to straight up cut Barmes for at least a bit longer, but I don't see him getting many starts anymore - which can only be a positive thing for a struggling offense.
Neil Huntington has decided that it's time to start mixing things up and seeing what he has in some of the farm hands. He had seen enough of McLouth and looks like he's seen about enough of Barmes as well. He realizes that this team has a chance to compete in a week division, and he wants to give the offense as many new looks as possible to try and find something that works.
We'll see if Mercer can handle it. Again, he hasn't killed the ball in his minor league career (.266/.323/.401) and his defense is a bit suspect, so you shouldn't be writing him in as the starter for next year. He's going to have to work hard and show us something before we get too confident in him, but it's nice to see a new name up here. Basically anything is giving us hope right now.
Reds (27-21) vs. Pirates (24-24), Game 49
CommentsCincinnati Reds (27-21) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (24-24)
May 29, 2012
Homer Bailey (3-3, 4.19) vs. Charlie Morton (2-5, 4.27)
Game Notes:
Monday 5/28 Minor League Roundup
CommentsThe Indians continued with the hot offense in their series opener against the Bulls today. Starling Marte and Alex Presley both hit their second home run in as many days. Jeff Clement, who has quietly provided a great deal of offense for the tribe this year, hit two home runs. Jordy Mercer also continues to hit well, going 2-4 with a double. Daniel Cabrera got the start for Indianapolis, giving up four runs across 4.1 innings. Duke Welker didn't allow any runs in his second appearance with the team.
AA Altoona | Bowie 4 Altoona 0
The Curve did not bring their bats to the ballpark tonight, getting only two hits against the Baysox. Neither of those hits came off of Bowie starter Oliver Drake who was pulled after six no-hit innings. On the mound for Altoona, Phil Irwin also pitched six innings, allowing three earned runs on nine hits.
A West Virginia | West Virginia 4 Lakewood 3
Zack Dodson took the hill today for the Power, only allowing one earned and one unearned run across 4.2 innings. He walked three and struck out four. Alen Hanson had a 1-3 night with a strikeout and a walk. The biggest offensive start was Kirk Singer, going 3-3 with two RBIs. All nine of the Power hits were singles.
A Bradenton | Did Not Play
5/28 James McDonald Pitch F/X
Comments| Pitch Type | Veloc | H-Break | V-Break | Count | Strike% |
| 4-Seam | 91.0 | -3.02 | 11.14 | 55 | 70.91% |
| Change | 79.1 | -6.81 | 6.67 | 1 | 0.00% |
| Slider | 78.3 | 2.28 | 1.24 | 23 | 52.17% |
| Curve | 75.7 | 5.31 | -6.49 | 19 | 63.16% |
| 2-Seam | 90.6 | -6.61 | 8.67 | 5 | 40.00% |
5/28 Recap | Pirates 4 Reds 1
Comments
James McDonald continued his tremendous 2012 season with another great start this afternoon. James pitched eight innings of shut out ball, only allowing five hits, while striking out five. His ERA stands at 2.20 and he is top five in the National League in strikeouts and has clearly been the best Pirates starting pitcher thus far. Tony Watson was not able to preserve the shutout and was pulled from the game with two outs in the ninth, which lead to Joel Hanrahan picking up his twelfth save.
Everyone in the Pirates starting lineup registered a hit, with the exception of Clint Barmes and James McDonald. Pedro Alvarez had two doubles and a RBI and Neil Walker picked up two hits and a RBI as well. Rod Barajas and Garrett Jones each contributed RBI singles and it resulted in the Pirates picking up their fourth straight win.
The Pirates have put together their longest winning streak of the season, and are back up to .500 with a record of 24-24. They have two chances left to win the series with night games on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Everyone in the Pirates starting lineup registered a hit, with the exception of Clint Barmes and James McDonald. Pedro Alvarez had two doubles and a RBI and Neil Walker picked up two hits and a RBI as well. Rod Barajas and Garrett Jones each contributed RBI singles and it resulted in the Pirates picking up their fourth straight win.
The Pirates have put together their longest winning streak of the season, and are back up to .500 with a record of 24-24. They have two chances left to win the series with night games on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Reds (27-20) vs. Pirates (23-24), Game 48
CommentsCincinnati Reds (27-20) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (23-24)
May 28, 2012
Bronson Arroyo vs. James McDonald
Game Notes:
Monday 5/28 | News, Notes, and Links
Comments- The Pirates have won three games in a row after a big time win over the Cubs yesterday. [Recap]
- Juan Cruz has been put on the restricted list as he has to head back to the Dominican for a personal issue. The Pirates have placed Doug Slaten on the 40-man roster and called him up to Pittsburgh to take Cruz's place. The lefty has given up just one run all season in AAA. He's thrown 25.1 innings with an ERA of 0.36, we'll see if he can keep that going in the big leagues.
- Starling Marte hit a grand slam in his two hit game yesterday. Alex Presley and Jordy Mercer also homered. Here's the full minor league roundup.
- I did another Pirates count analysis update yesterday - That's here.
- Pirates will try to continue their winning ways and get to .500 today as they play an afternoon game with the Reds in the heat. James McDonald is on the bump against Bronson Arroyo, first pitch at 1:35.
- Tim Neverett doesn't seem to have a lot of different home run calls, especially when Pedro Alvarez goes deep. Check out the sound clip below.
How to Make Sports More Fun
Comments
Sports are one of the most entertaining aspects of life. If you're on this site, chances are you're a baseball fan. There's also a good chance that you're a sports fan in general. While watching and cheering for your team is a great way to enjoy life a bit more, there are ways to make watching sports even more fun.
It's called betting, and it requires some serious responsibility. There are all kinds of sports betting sites out there for you to utilize to try and enjoy sports a bit more and make some extra cash. Again, you have to be responsible enough to know what to bet and know when to stop, but if you do this correctly you can have a lot of fun with it.
Before you dive in, you have to know which sites are best to use. The link above is a great option. It offers great reviews and ranks the top sites so your experience is as positive as possible.
Go for it. YOLO, right? Just don't bet on the Pirates, that's not in your best interest.
It's called betting, and it requires some serious responsibility. There are all kinds of sports betting sites out there for you to utilize to try and enjoy sports a bit more and make some extra cash. Again, you have to be responsible enough to know what to bet and know when to stop, but if you do this correctly you can have a lot of fun with it.
Before you dive in, you have to know which sites are best to use. The link above is a great option. It offers great reviews and ranks the top sites so your experience is as positive as possible.
Go for it. YOLO, right? Just don't bet on the Pirates, that's not in your best interest.
"El Toro Strikes"
Comments
Pedro Alvarez has eight home runs. Tim Neverett has made home run calls for all eight of them. He has said the same words in seven of those eight. It's weird. Check it out.
More about Gregg Ritchie
Comments
I've been beating this hitting coach thing to death lately (first post here and second post here), but I came up with more thoughts tonight.
Dejan Kovacevic details some things in this column that got me thinking.
Kovacevic points out that Ritchie got his job by being promoted from the minor league levels. That's fine. I can understand Neil Huntington and company wanting to reward their employees in promoting them if they feel it's a good move for the team, but to not even interview anybody else is suspicious. I'm not so much talking about that here though.
Minor league hitting coach and major league hitting coach are not the same job. The Pirates have a lot of young players at the major league level, so the job isn't as immensely different here as other places, but it's still a different job.
Minor leaguers need developing. They need to be taught things. Major leaguers often don't. They need more tweaks and confidence. Results are expected at the big league level and when you don't get them, you start to fight a serious mental battle. There's a huge responsibility on the big league hitting coach to keep the guys mentally capable of performing, Ritchie told me that himself. I'm not saying Ritchie isn't qualified to be in the major leagues, but I am saying that it doesn't make a lot of sense to move your coaches up through the system like they're players. They are different jobs, and different people are better suited for each type of job.
Maybe Ritchie is the right man for the job, maybe not. I have said before that I don't think the hitting coach has much bearing at all on results, but at this point you have to wonder if what he's doing is beneficial or not. He was promoted to a different kind of job, and it's possible that it's not where he is best suited to work.
Dejan Kovacevic details some things in this column that got me thinking.
Kovacevic points out that Ritchie got his job by being promoted from the minor league levels. That's fine. I can understand Neil Huntington and company wanting to reward their employees in promoting them if they feel it's a good move for the team, but to not even interview anybody else is suspicious. I'm not so much talking about that here though.
Minor league hitting coach and major league hitting coach are not the same job. The Pirates have a lot of young players at the major league level, so the job isn't as immensely different here as other places, but it's still a different job.
Minor leaguers need developing. They need to be taught things. Major leaguers often don't. They need more tweaks and confidence. Results are expected at the big league level and when you don't get them, you start to fight a serious mental battle. There's a huge responsibility on the big league hitting coach to keep the guys mentally capable of performing, Ritchie told me that himself. I'm not saying Ritchie isn't qualified to be in the major leagues, but I am saying that it doesn't make a lot of sense to move your coaches up through the system like they're players. They are different jobs, and different people are better suited for each type of job.
Maybe Ritchie is the right man for the job, maybe not. I have said before that I don't think the hitting coach has much bearing at all on results, but at this point you have to wonder if what he's doing is beneficial or not. He was promoted to a different kind of job, and it's possible that it's not where he is best suited to work.
Pirates Count Analysis Update
Comments
Ran another count analysis check. What I do here is find out what percentage of the Pirates plate appearances they end up in favorable counts against unfavorable ones. So there are four things shown here. What percentage of the Pirates counts go to two strikes, what percentage end with the count being favorable for the hitter, what percentage end with the count being favorable for the pitcher, and what percentage end in the count being even. I compare the Pirates data with the better offenses in the league. For this one I picked the Cardinals, Reds, and Dodgers. The Cardinals and Dodgers are the two best teams in terms of batting average in the National League, and the Reds are coming into town so I figured I'd throw them in there too. Here's the data:
Pirates:
Reds:
Cardinals:
Dodgers:
The Pirates end at bats with a favorable count just 29% of the time. That's significantly behind these there competent offensive teams. It's no surprise that pitchers go right at the Pirates, just because they have basically nobody in the lineup that makes you worried outside of Andrew McCutchen. It's tough to hit from behind in the count and the Pirates are in those situations more than anybody else. They need to do what they can to get into more favorable counts. That probably means start hitting at least a little bit so the pitchers just don't come with strike one and two right away.
At least today's offensive showing was encouraging. They'll see what they can do against the Reds for the next three days.
| Total PA | 1,626 |
| 2 Strike | 837 (51%) |
| Batter Ahead | 474 (29%) |
| Counn Even | 566 (35%) |
| Pitcher Ahead | 586 (36%) |
| Total PA | 1,731 |
| 2 Strike | 863 (50%) |
| Batter Ahead | 570 (33%) |
| Counn Even | 573 (33%) |
| Pitcher Ahead | 588 (34%) |
| Total PA | 1,841 |
| 2 Strike | 887 (48%) |
| Batter Ahead | 623 (34%) |
| Counn Even | 621 (34%) |
| Pitcher Ahead | 597 (32%) |
| Total PA | 1,742 |
| 2 Strike | 844 (48%) |
| Batter Ahead | 611 (35%) |
| Counn Even | 557 (32%) |
| Pitcher Ahead | 574 (33%) |
At least today's offensive showing was encouraging. They'll see what they can do against the Reds for the next three days.
Sunday 5/27 Minor League Roundup
CommentsThe Indians exploded for seven runs in the 9th inning and got a decisive win over the Louisville Bats. Starling Marte went 2/5 and hit a grand slam. Alex Presley and Jordy Mercer also added home runs. There's a good chance we'll see all three of those guys in the big leagues this year. Jeff Larish, Jeff Clement, Anderson Hernandez, and Mercer all had two hit games. Jeff Locke went 6.1 innings and gave up three earned runs on four hits. He struck out 11 and continues to impress.
AA Altoona | Bowie 4 Altoona 2
Tony Sanchez had a two hit game including a double and an RBI but couldn't do enough at the plate to help his team win as the Curve dropped another game to the Bowie Baysox. Matt McSwain made a pretty good start going seven innings and giving up just four runs (three earned). Logan Kensing pitched a scoreless inning but the Curve couldn't give them enough run support to win the game.
A West Virginia | Did Not Play
A Bradenton | Jupiter 5 Bradenton 3
Jameson Taillon couldn't get out of the fourth inning and gave up five runs on three hits including a home run. He walked three and struck out five. Jason Townsend, Jhonathan Ramos, and Quinton Miller did a good job in relief, not allowing any runs. The offense didn't provide many runs. Andy Vasquez had two hits, Dan Grovatt had three, and Alex Dickerson added a single of his own. The team had nine hits on the day but couldn't bunch them together getting only three runs.
5/27 Erik Bedard Pitch F/X
Comments| Pitch Type | Veloc | H-Break | V-Break | Count | Strike% |
| 4-Seam | 88.3 | 4.53 | 7.48 | 10 | 50.00% |
| Change | 78.0 | 4.49 | 3.94 | 14 | 57.14% |
| Curve | 75.9 | -4.10 | -7.73 | 24 | 79.17% |
| Cutter | 87.8 | 0.37 | 4.52 | 1 | 0.00% |
| 2-Seam | 88.4 | 8.65 | 6.99 | 41 | 51.22% |
5/27 Recap | Pirates 10 Cubs 4
CommentsIt all started in the first inning when Pedro Alvarez hit a three run bomb to start the scoring off. They were held in check until the fifth when Andrew McCutchen hit a solo homer to extend the lead to four. Then things got out of control int he sixth as the Pirates scored six runs to hit double digits for the first time since July 3rd of last year. Garrett Jones hit a two run homer to start the sixth inning rally off. Gorkys Hernandez drove in two with his first big league hit, Alvarez got another RBI with a sacrifice fly, and Neil Walker had an RBI single to bring home the 10th run.
Erik Bedard pitched six innings and didn’t allow a run. He threw a lot of pitches (90) and didn’t come out for the seventh. The offense finally gave one of their starters an easy decision and the Pirates swept the Cubs. Chris Resop gave up three runs in the eighth and Juan Cruz gave up a run on a couple of hits in the ninth; it was a good day for the bullpen to finally give up some runs.
The Reds are in town tomorrow through Wednesday, which presents a bit more of a challenge. The Bucs will try to reach a season high winning streak of four tomorrow at 1:35.
Saturday 5/26 Minor League Roundup
CommentsJeff Karstens made a rehab start for the Indians and pitched well early on before giving up a five spot in the fifth inning. Only three of the runs were earned, but it was enough to kill any chance the Indians had at winning tonight. Former Pirate Sean Gallagher was the winning pitcher, he went 7 innings and gave up just two runs. Starling Marte wasn't in the lineup, but Jordy Mercer continued his strong season with a 2/3 night. Brandon Boggs tripled and singled and brought in a run.
AA Altoona | Bowie 9 Altoona 6
Robbie Grossman, Brock Holt, and Elevys Gonzalez all had two hits. Quincy Latimore hit a three run homer, but the pitching didn't show up for the Curve tonight. Nathan Baker gave up four runs in three innings and Kyle Cofield gave up another three in 1.2 innings. Jeff Inman and Victor Black also gave up runs and Bowie left a winner.
A West Virginia | Kannapolis 5 West Virginia 3
Alen Hanson had four hits and two RBI. Carlos Mesa and Kirk Singer added two hits each but the Power couldn't score enough runs to win the game. Ryan Hafner gave up three runs in 4.2 innings and Zachary Fuesser gave up two runs in 4.1 innings, getting the loss.
A Bradenton | Jupiter 9 Bradenton 2
Bradenton completed the bad day for the Pirates farm system. The Pirates were the only team to win. Benji Gonzalez had two hits, and the rest of the team had just five as the Marauders lost 9-2. Hunter Strickland got hit around giving up seven hits in six innings and allowing three runs. Casey Sadler was the goat here giving up six runs (five earned) in two innings of work.
5/26 Kevin Correia Pitch F/X
Comments| Pitch Type | Veloc | H-Break | V-Break | Count | Strike% |
| 4-Seam | 89.8 | -2.47 | 9.52 | 26 | 69.23% |
| Change | 86.1 | -7.62 | 6.94 | 5 | 80.00% |
| Slider | 87.3 | 2.47 | 6.61 | 20 | 60.00% |
| Curve | 76.6 | 8.50 | -4.42 | 16 | 68.75% |
| Cutter | 88.7 | 1.03 | 9.39 | 3 | 33.33% |
| 2-Seam | 89.6 | -6.07 | 8.58 | 4 | 75.00% |
5/26 Recap | Pirates 3 Cubs 2
CommentsThe Pirates looked like they were going to get to Paul Maholm early on by sending eight men to the plate in the second inning, but they could get just one run as Clint Barmes grounded out with the bases loaded to end the inning. Pedro Alvarez had an RBI single and Neil Walker drove in the other run with a sacrifice fly.
Kevin Correia made the start for the Bucs and surrendered just two runs in 6.1 innings of work. After that, Tony Watson got an out but walked a man before Brad Lincoln would come in and strike out a batter to end the threat. Lincoln would pitched another 1-2-3 inning before passing the ball to Joel Hanrahan who had a two strikeout 1-2-3 ninth inning, he would get the victory after the walk-off hit by pitch.
Not your everyday way to win a ballgame, but the Pirates will take it. They’ll go for their first sweep of the year tomorrow.
Is Gregg Ritchie to Blame for the Pirates Struggles?
Comments
First I talked to Kevin Orie, former Major League player for the Chicago Cubs and Florida Marlins. Orie basically agreed with me, noting that the coach functions are basically another set of eyes that is there to correct minor things that he sees going wrong. It's a player by player thing. The coach has to know what each player has to do to be at his best, and he needs to step in and correct them when they are getting away from that. Orie said that most big leaguers don't need a bunch of coaching, since they have been basically fully developed by the time they get to this level, but they do rely on the coach to help them see their swing from a different perspective.
After that I talked to the man himself, Gregg Ritchie. I left the Pirates specifically out of it, and just asked him the gist of what his job is.
"You're there for the guys. You're there to help them do what they've gotta do - to take the next step and help them be the best they can be" said Ritchie.
He also stressed the importance of the mental side of hitting.
"It's generally a lot of mental [things], it all starts with a a thought, with a mentality, a belief that you can hit, that's number one. All of us believing in each other - that's number one. The mechanical side is secondary to the mental thought".
The players won't say it, but there just has to be some serious lacks of confidence in the clubhouse. How can a team that's the worst offensive team in the league by far be mentally positive and ready to go every game? It doesn't seem possible in the slightest. Is there anything Ritchie and Hurdle can do? I would argue no. You have to see success before you get real confidence, and there's not a whole lot the coaching staff can do to get them to that point.
Ritchie went on to say that he agrees that his job is largely being another set of eyes to see things that players don't, as Orie mentioned. He did note that he Pirates have a lot of young guys up here that might need more help than a big league veteran might. It's different for every player, but he largely doesn't try to make big changes with guys.
So does this answer the original question at all? No, not really. I do still hold to my belief that you can't put blame on the manager or the hitting coach for their guys struggling. The Pirates don't have a lot of offensive talent. Outside of Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez (at times), they don't wow you. Those guys are going to struggle at times. Is a .217 team batting average acceptable? No. Should the Pirates be trying to do everything (logically) that they can to fix it? Yes. Is firing Gregg Ritchie going to help the problem? The jury's still out on that one, but my answer is no.
Cubs (15-30) vs. Pirates (21-24), Game 46
CommentsChicago Cubs (15-30) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (21-24)
May 26, 2012
Paul Maholm (4-3, 4.73) vs. Kevin Correia (1-5, 4.50)
Game Notes:
Friday 5/25 Minor League Roundup
CommentsAlex Presley was 3/4 and was just a home run shy of the cycle. Jeff Larish and Brian Friday had two hits. Starling Marte was 0/3 with an RBI. Justin Wilson was effectively wild, walking five and striking out six while giving up just one run in 5.1 innings. Duke Welker, who was just promoted to AAA, finished the sixth inning for Wilson and struck out one of the two batters he faced. Bryan Morris pitched three shutout innings to get the save. He gave up two hits and struck out two.
AA Altoona | Altoona 5 Bowiea 3
Robbie Grossman doubled twice and drove in a run while scoring two runs and the Curve took care of business. Tim Alderson pitched 4.2 innings and walked four while striking out two and allowing three runs (two earned). Mike Colla and Kris Harvey pitched 4.1 innings of scoreless relief to get their squad a victory.
A West Virginia | West Virginia 3 Kannapolis 2 (Game 1)
Willy Garcia had two of the Power's five hits and drove in a run. Gregory Polanco had a solo home run in support of Matt Benedict, who pitched seven innings and gave up just two runs. Rinku Singh pitched two scoreless innings of relief.
A West Virginia | Kannapolis 12 West Virginia 5(Game 2)
Game two didn't go as well for West Virginia as they gave up twelve runs. Mike Jefferson allowed three runs, Orlando Castro allowed three, Emmanuel De Leon allowed five, and Chris Lashmet allowed one in the last inning of the game. Willy Garcia had two hits in this one as well. Dan Gamache joined Garcia with a pair of hits and Alen Hanson added a single and a walk.
A Bradenton | Jupiter 7 Bradenton 5
The Marauders got eight hits, three from Alex Dickerson including a double and 3 RBI. Gift Ngoepe had two hits. Eliecer Navarro gave up seven earned ins in 4 innings and the Marauders never had much of a chance. Jhonathan Ramos, Logan Kensing, and Zach Foster pitched four scoreless innings of relief.
5/25 A.J. Burnett Pitch F/X
Comments| Pitch Type | Veloc | H-Break | V-Break | Count | Strike% |
| 4-Seam | 92.5 | -4.75 | 7.63 | 62 | 66.13% |
| Sinker | 92.6 | -8.18 | 5.82 | 8 | 50.00% |
| Change | 87.8 | -5.50 | 3.15 | 4 | 25.00% |
| K-Curve | 80.8 | 6.40 | -4.63 | 31 | 61.29% |
5/25 Recap | Pirates 1 Cubs 0
CommentsAJ Burnett had a solid start for the Pirates and the bullpen shut down the Cubs in the late innings for a win to start the series. Burnett only pitched 5.1 innings but allowed no runs and struck out six. The bullpen was at it again for the Pirates tonight. Jared Hughes (4), Jason Grilli (11), and Juan Cruz (8) all picked up holds and Joel Hanrahan converted another save. Hanrahan gave the Pirates a scare putting the tying run at third with one out but struck out David Dejesus and Starlin Castro to end it.
The offense did not produce much, and should be thankful the pitching staff was superb. Rod Barajas had two hits, including an RBI single that scored Pedro Alvarez from second. The recently recalled Matt Hague had a hit and Neil Walker, Pedro Alvarez, Josh Harrison, and Clint Barmes contributed hits as well. Harrison's hit extended his hit streak to ten games.
Former Bucco and the most winningest pitcher of all time at PNC Park Paul Maholm makes his return tomorrow night to face Kevin Correia.
Cubs (15-29) vs. Pirates (20-24), Game 45
CommentsChicago Cubs (15-29) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (20-24)
May 25, 2012
Ryan Dempster (0-2, 2.28) vs. A.J. Burnett (2-2, 4.78)
Game Notes:
Episode 12 - Pirates Roundtable Podcast
Comments
Episode 12. Brian from Raise The Jolly Roger and Jim from Northside Notch joined me as we were without Cory from Three Rivers Blog.
- Offensive Struggles
- What to do to fix them
- Bullpen talk
- Little bit of draft talk
- Some Internet problems
and more! Check it out! Search Pirates Roundtable Podcast on iTunes to subscribe and download.
Wednesday 5/23 Minor League Roundup
CommentsAA Altoona | Harrisburg 5 Altoona 3 (Game 1)
Kelson Brown, Brock Holt, Miles Durham, and Quincy Latimore all had two hit games but could only scratch together free runs. There was just one extra base hit all game (a double for Latimore). Phil Irwin started and gave up five runs (four earned) on seven hits while striking out seven and the Curve lost the first game of their double header.
AA Altoona | Harrisburg 3 Altoona 2 (Game 1)
Jeremy Farrell and Quincy Latimore had two hit days. Latimore doubled and homered and seems to be heating up after a slow start to the year. Brock Holt drove in the other run of the game for the Curve. Brandon Cumpton went six innings and gave up three runs on five hits while striking out five, but the Curve couldn't get him the offense needed to get a split of the double header and the Curve dropped both games to the Senators.
A West Virginia | Lexington 4 West Virginia 0
The Power got four hits and didn't score a run. The hits were from Willy Garcia, Junior Sosa, Dan Gamache, and Chris Lashmet. Alen Hanson was 0/2 with a couple of walks. Robby Rowland made the start and pitched just four innings giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out three. Rinku Singh also pitched a scoreless inning and improved his ERA to 2.22 on the year; what a story that would be if he ever made it to the big leagues.
A Bradenton | Bradenton 6 Lakeland 1
Gerrit Cole went five innings and didn't allow a run on four hits. He struck out just three and walked two. He has his ERA down to 2.60 on the season and looks to be promoted before too long. The Marauders got six runs on just four hits, coming from Drew Maggi, Alex Dickerson, Evan Chambers, and Andy Vasquez. Maggi had two RBI and the Marauders took care of business.
Off Day Perspective
Comments
You love the Pittsburgh Pirates. I love the Pittsburgh Pirates, it's a special bond that joins thousands of strangers together. There are ups and down every year, unfortunately there are far more downs than ups.
Which is why it's important in my eyes to enjoy an off day like today. Watching the Pirates play this year has been gruesome. Probably 40 of their 44 games have had some serious stress causing happenings. It's mentally exhausting.
To my memory the team has had one game in which you were pretty confident they'd win the whole time. There hasn't been a game yet that they have opened up a big lead early on and kept it for the whole game; that's tough to deal with.
The team just played 16 straight games without a day off, and they performed okay in those games (they were 8-8 despite struggling to do anything on offense). You get excited to watch every single game and then they reward you by playing close frustrating games in which they should be able to win more than half of, but they don't.
So take advantage of these days off.try not to think about sports, especially the Pirates. Spend some time with your friends and family, do something fun; something that you know won't leave you going to bed upset.
Baseball is just a game. It seems more important to us because we've been waiting so long to have a competitive base team in this city, but the overall importance of the sport still pales in comparison to other things in life. Focus on what's important and forget about strikeouts and earned runs for awhile.
Which is why it's important in my eyes to enjoy an off day like today. Watching the Pirates play this year has been gruesome. Probably 40 of their 44 games have had some serious stress causing happenings. It's mentally exhausting.
To my memory the team has had one game in which you were pretty confident they'd win the whole time. There hasn't been a game yet that they have opened up a big lead early on and kept it for the whole game; that's tough to deal with.
The team just played 16 straight games without a day off, and they performed okay in those games (they were 8-8 despite struggling to do anything on offense). You get excited to watch every single game and then they reward you by playing close frustrating games in which they should be able to win more than half of, but they don't.
So take advantage of these days off.try not to think about sports, especially the Pirates. Spend some time with your friends and family, do something fun; something that you know won't leave you going to bed upset.
Baseball is just a game. It seems more important to us because we've been waiting so long to have a competitive base team in this city, but the overall importance of the sport still pales in comparison to other things in life. Focus on what's important and forget about strikeouts and earned runs for awhile.
Baseball and Poker: Two Games of the Same Breed
Comments
Baseball has long been considered to be the national pastime. In the last decade, a different game has been capturing the imaginations of many players around the world and that is the game of poker. Both games have similarities with the World Series of Poker crowning poker's champion much like the baseball World Series crowns their champion. The biggest similarity between the two games is that they appear to be utterly boring to the casual fan.
As all baseball fans know, many games start out a relatively slow pace with batters coming up in order and being sent down in the same order. Sometimes there might be a walk or a single, but a majority of innings will not have a lot of action.
Then suddenly you hear a massive crack of the bat and the pitcher makes the quick turn that lets everyone know that the ball was well hit. Fans are now on their feet cheering like mad as they watch the ball sail over the fence and their player rounding the bases. Fans high five and are now pumped as their team has just taken the lead.
Poker is much the same way. In many situations a player gets a hand and folds to a raise. This process is continued over and over again until either the right hand or the right situation arises. Suddenly, there is an all-in and a call by a player and fans watching the action are now on their feet screaming for their favorite player's hand to either hold or for that player to catch their needed card. As the hands run out, the fans and players either experience the joy of victory or the agony of defeat.
As Pokerlistings and other poker news sites have reported, poker has begun to grow a following in all walks of life, including former baseball players. The fact that the game has thrills and excitement similar to that of baseball may be one reason former players take up the game. Of course, the Million available in prize money may be another. One thing is for certain and that is the game is definitely not as boring as it appears.
As all baseball fans know, many games start out a relatively slow pace with batters coming up in order and being sent down in the same order. Sometimes there might be a walk or a single, but a majority of innings will not have a lot of action.
Then suddenly you hear a massive crack of the bat and the pitcher makes the quick turn that lets everyone know that the ball was well hit. Fans are now on their feet cheering like mad as they watch the ball sail over the fence and their player rounding the bases. Fans high five and are now pumped as their team has just taken the lead.
Poker is much the same way. In many situations a player gets a hand and folds to a raise. This process is continued over and over again until either the right hand or the right situation arises. Suddenly, there is an all-in and a call by a player and fans watching the action are now on their feet screaming for their favorite player's hand to either hold or for that player to catch their needed card. As the hands run out, the fans and players either experience the joy of victory or the agony of defeat.
As Pokerlistings and other poker news sites have reported, poker has begun to grow a following in all walks of life, including former baseball players. The fact that the game has thrills and excitement similar to that of baseball may be one reason former players take up the game. Of course, the Million available in prize money may be another. One thing is for certain and that is the game is definitely not as boring as it appears.
The Hitting Coach Question, Part 1
Comments
There are a hundred statistics to tell you that the Pirates offense is horrible, that's not what we're here for. Let's just skip all that jazz.
A lot of people have decided to blame Pirates hitting coach Gregg Ritchie for some of the scoring woes. From the beginning I have thought that such claims were ridiculous. Here's my thinking - which I'm not saying is right or wrong. I mean, obviously I'm not going to say it's wrong, because I think it's right, but I'm not as stubborn about this as I am about other things.
To get to the major leagues, you have to be a pretty damn good hitter in terms of mechanics and approach. If you weren't nearly perfect in those types of things you would never get promoted. There are guys that are forced to the big leagues because of need or general lack of depth, so I'm more talking about everyday starters here. Big league hitters have been doing just that all of their life - hitting. They have taken countless hours of instruction, and have been coached by some of the best coaches in the world. There is nothing left to teach a hitter at the big league level. I'm convinced of that.
So how can you blame a hitting coach for a major league lineup not performing well? What is he supposed to do? Teach them how to hit? A major league hitting coach would be foolish to try and change something big about a hitter, because if it makes them worse that guy is getting fired faster than he can tie both cleats. These guys don't need to change much of anything after they get to the major leagues, they already have what they need.
A hitting coach has a number of responsibilities. I'm certainly not saying they don't do anything. They need to study opposing pitcher films and get his guys ready to face them, he needs to watch closely in batting practice and games and make sure that his hitters are staying true to their mechanics. Those are the two biggest things, I would think.
I asked former big leaguer (and Pirates pre and post game host on 93.7 The Fan) Kevin Orie about the roll of a hitting coach the other night. Orie told me that a hitting coach is "another set of eyes". Big league players know what to do and what not to do - they just might not notice things about their own swing at times. A hitting coach needs to be able to catch those little things and stop them before the hitter starts slumping too badly. That's not from my mouth - it's from a former Major League hitter's mouth.
While some hitting coaches are certainly better than others - I'm not willing to say that there's a huge difference in the best and the worst. Major leaguers know what to do and any coach at that level will be able to pick out what's wrong. There are rare examples that argue otherwise, such as the transformation of Jose Bautista, but you don't see those stories often.
The Pirates are the worst offensive team in the league, and it makes sense that people are trying to find somebody to blame for it. A lot of that has been targeted at Gregg Ritchie, but I just don't see how that's logical. He can only do so much with what he's been given, and it's a fact that he hasn't been given much in terms of talent. You could put the best hitting coach in the history of the world on that bench and the Pirates would still struggle to score three runs a game.
I'm going to do my best to talk to Gregg Ritchie and maybe even Clint Hurdle about these things in the coming days, so stayed tuned for that.
A lot of people have decided to blame Pirates hitting coach Gregg Ritchie for some of the scoring woes. From the beginning I have thought that such claims were ridiculous. Here's my thinking - which I'm not saying is right or wrong. I mean, obviously I'm not going to say it's wrong, because I think it's right, but I'm not as stubborn about this as I am about other things.
To get to the major leagues, you have to be a pretty damn good hitter in terms of mechanics and approach. If you weren't nearly perfect in those types of things you would never get promoted. There are guys that are forced to the big leagues because of need or general lack of depth, so I'm more talking about everyday starters here. Big league hitters have been doing just that all of their life - hitting. They have taken countless hours of instruction, and have been coached by some of the best coaches in the world. There is nothing left to teach a hitter at the big league level. I'm convinced of that.
So how can you blame a hitting coach for a major league lineup not performing well? What is he supposed to do? Teach them how to hit? A major league hitting coach would be foolish to try and change something big about a hitter, because if it makes them worse that guy is getting fired faster than he can tie both cleats. These guys don't need to change much of anything after they get to the major leagues, they already have what they need.
A hitting coach has a number of responsibilities. I'm certainly not saying they don't do anything. They need to study opposing pitcher films and get his guys ready to face them, he needs to watch closely in batting practice and games and make sure that his hitters are staying true to their mechanics. Those are the two biggest things, I would think.
I asked former big leaguer (and Pirates pre and post game host on 93.7 The Fan) Kevin Orie about the roll of a hitting coach the other night. Orie told me that a hitting coach is "another set of eyes". Big league players know what to do and what not to do - they just might not notice things about their own swing at times. A hitting coach needs to be able to catch those little things and stop them before the hitter starts slumping too badly. That's not from my mouth - it's from a former Major League hitter's mouth.
While some hitting coaches are certainly better than others - I'm not willing to say that there's a huge difference in the best and the worst. Major leaguers know what to do and any coach at that level will be able to pick out what's wrong. There are rare examples that argue otherwise, such as the transformation of Jose Bautista, but you don't see those stories often.
The Pirates are the worst offensive team in the league, and it makes sense that people are trying to find somebody to blame for it. A lot of that has been targeted at Gregg Ritchie, but I just don't see how that's logical. He can only do so much with what he's been given, and it's a fact that he hasn't been given much in terms of talent. You could put the best hitting coach in the history of the world on that bench and the Pirates would still struggle to score three runs a game.
I'm going to do my best to talk to Gregg Ritchie and maybe even Clint Hurdle about these things in the coming days, so stayed tuned for that.
5/23 Charlie Morton Pitch F/X
Comments| Pitch Type | Veloc | H-Break | V-Break | Count | Strike% |
| 4-Seam | 88.6 | -4.00 | 6.63 | 2 | 100.00% |
| Change | 83.2 | -3.72 | -0.53 | 14 | 50.00% |
| Slider | 80.7 | 2.91 | 1.40 | 2 | 100.00% |
| Curve | 76.3 | 6.35 | -4.45 | 12 | 66.67% |
| Cutter | 85.3 | -0.49 | 3.99 | 14 | 85.71% |
| 2-Seam | 89.2 | -8.56 | 3.24 | 53 | 66.04% |
5/23 Recap | Mets 3 Pirates 1
CommentsThe Bucs got a decent start from Charlie Morton, who went seven innings and gave up just three runs. He retired his last seven but was hit hard early on in the start, giving up eight hits in his first five innings. Jason Grilli came back from the bereavement list and struck out three batters in a row in the 8th before Brad Lincoln pitched a 1-2-3 9th.
There was very little offense to speak of. Josh Harrison doubled in the 6th and scored on an Andrew McCutchen single. Another threat presented itself in the 8th but Cutch struck out with two runners in scoring position and the Pirates went down 1-2-3 in the 9th and lost their second straight game.
Tough loss for the Pirates, and the offensive woes just continue to stand out. Off day tomorrow before playing the last place Cubs over the weekend.
Pirates (20-23) vs. Mets (23-20), Game 44
CommentsNew York Mets (23-20) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (20-23)
May 23, 2012
Jonathon Niese (2-2, 4.85) vs. Charles Morton (2-4, 4.35)
Game Notes:
5/22 James McDonald Pitch F/X
Comments| Pitch Type | Veloc | H-Break | V-Break | Count | Strike% |
| 4-Seam | 92.1 | -3.72 | 10.80 | 47 | 65.96% |
| Change | 82.1 | -6.92 | 8.67 | 6 | 66.67% |
| Slider | 79.6 | 1.95 | 0.78 | 15 | 60.00% |
| Curve | 76.8 | 5.30 | -7.01 | 18 | 77.78% |
| 2-Seam | 91.9 | -6.66 | 8.84 | 18 | 72.22% |
5/22 Recap | Mets 3 Pirates 2
CommentsThe Pirates fell to the Mets tonight 3-2. James McDonald and RA Dickey both had fantastic outings but JMac was unable to get the victory due to the lack of offense brought to the plate by the Pirates.
McDonald's final line was seven innings pitched, one run on four hits, while striking out eight. He looked dominant once again but was unfortunately not helped out by his offense. Juan Cruz picked up his first loss of the season and didn't get any help from the offense. He allowed two runs in the eighth inning, the same inning Andrew McCutchen misplayed a ball in centerfield and Pedro Alvarez had an error at third base. Chris Resop had a scoreless outing.
The Pirates got on the board in the sixth inning after Josh Harrison scored on a sacrifice fly by McCutchen. Harrison kept his hot bat alive with a double and triple. Jose Tabata scored as well in the eighth on a dropped ball in the outfield by Mets second basemen Daniel Murphy. Cutch was credited with an RBI on the play, but the ruling of the hit could have gone either way. Frank Francisco set the Pirates down one-two-three in the ninth to preserve a win for the Mets, and end another one-run game for the Pirates.
The rubber match of the series is tomorrow at 12:35 PM.
Mets (22-20) vs. Pirates (20-22)
CommentsNew York Mets (22-20) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (20-22)
May 22, 2012
R.A. Dickey (5-1, 3.75) vs. James McDonald (3-2, 2.68)
Game Notes:
Monday 5/21 Minor League Roundup
CommentsThe Indians brought their bats tonight against the Bisons. Starling Marte finally had a good game, going 2-4 with a triple and an RBI. Jordy Mercer and Anderson Hernandez both also collected two hits a piece. Alex Presley hit a three run homer in the fourth inning of the game. Daniel Cabrera got the start for the Indians and cruised through six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. Evan Meek had a rough outing, allowing two runs, one earned, in an inning.
AA Altoona | Altoona 4 Harrisburg 2
The Curve won their seventh straight game today against Harrisburg. Brock Holt and Matt Curry both had productive nights, both getting two hits. Curry's hits were both doubles. Jeff Karstens got the rehab start today, making good work on 37 pitches in three innings. Karstens didn't allow any runs in two hits. Duke Welker allowed one run in two innings of relief.
A West Virginia | West Virginia 4 Lexington 3
Junior Sosa had an awesome night for the Power, going 3-3 and was just a home run shy of the cycle. Gregory Polanco also had a nice night, going 2-4 with two RBIs. Alen Hanson was not in the starting lineup but did pinch run later in the game. On the mound, Ryan Hafner threw four solid innings, allowing three runs (two earned), on seven hits.
A Bradenton | Lakeland 9 Bradenton 8
The Marauders were the only team in the system to lose a game today. Ryan Strickland made a great start, throwing five shuout innings. The real trouble came from Josh Poytress, who allowed three runs, and Zach Foster, who allowed five. Justin Howard had the best night for Bradenton, going 3-5. Benji Gonzalez and Wes Freeman both had 2-4 nights. Gonzalez collected two RBIs
5/21 Erik Bedard Pitch F/X
Comments| Pitch Type | Veloc | H-Break | V-Break | Count | Strike% |
| 4-Seam | 89.6 | 5.01 | 8.80 | 28 | 50.00% |
| Change | 76.4 | 5.04 | 5.07 | 10 | 50.00% |
| Curve | 76.4 | -6.17 | -8.96 | 22 | 63.64 |
| Cutter | 88.6 | 1.35 | 5.97 | 4 | 50.00% |
| 2-Seam | 88.9 | 9.85 | 6.19 | 33 | 57.58% |
5/21 Recap | Pirates 5 Mets 4
CommentsErik Bedard made the start and didn’t do a great job. He gave up those four runs in the second and threw a ton of pitches, but he made it through five innings and limited the damage after the rough second. He struck out four in his five innings of work.
The offense would battle back. They played two runs in the fourth on back to back to back doubles from Josh Harrison, Andrew McCutchen, and Pedro Alvarez. A questionable bunt call from Neil Walker put a damper on things and the Pirates would strand Alvarez. Two more runs were contributed by Michael McKenry, who hit a two run homer in the seventh. The winning run came in the eighth after a routine foul ball of Walker’s bat was dropped in centerfield, going for a three base error. Clint Barmes would hit a sacrifice fly to plate the winning run.
Joel Hanrahan closed it out, while the combination of Chris Resop, Tony Watson, and Jared Hughes pitched three scoreless innings.
Huge win for the Bucs, proving that they have at least a little bit of fire power in those bats. It’s especially nice to win a game that was started by a Johan Santana.
The Pirates Might Be Better Off Not Contending This Year
Comments
Well that blog post title isn't something you hear every day, right? I have some reasons for saying what I say though, trust me.
There has been a ton of talk about how the Pirates need to make a trade to improve the offense. A lot of ridiculous trade proposals and much complaining has risen because of it. I've been on the record of saying that a May trade for a starting position player is really unfeasible right now. The Pirates would have to give up far too much to improve the offense externally, which is why the Pirates are not going to do it. They just aren't.
Since we got that out of the way, let's get to what I was talking about in the post title.
It boils down to this. The extra wild card spot is going to lead to more trade deadline buyers than in previous years. More teams will be in contention and they will be looking to add to their squad to make a playoff push. That means the sellers will get more for what they sell.
Also, the Pirates have more to sell than they have in a long time. Erik Bedard, A.J. Burnett, and Joel Hanrahan are all obvious sell candidates. Those are three super arms that could bring back a big time return. Mix that in with what I talked about in the last paragraph and the Pirates could seriously improve this team by trading those three guys. They wouldn't be breaking up the core of the team and they could set themselves very well for next year. They'll still have to buy a free agent or two in the offseason but I could see them getting a pretty nice big league hitter in return for those guys.
This team is set up to really contend in the coming years anyway. Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, and Josh Bell aren't coming this year, and the only one with a chance to get here next year in Cole (probably). It looks like the Pirates are going to have a very strong team in 2014, and anything they can do now to strengthen that team even more would be great.
Losing pieces now to help a team this year doesn't seem like a great idea in the grand scheme of things. Even if they would improve the offense right now they probably wouldn't be a legitimate playoff contender. So why not continue to build the team for the future? They could have an incredible looking roster in 2014 if they take advantage of the trade market this July.
If the Pirates stay in contention and are buyers at the trade deadline, great. It'll be an exciting summer and who knows, maybe we could break the streak. But if not, it's going to be fun to see what we can do at the deadline to try and make those 2013 and 2014 teams look really good. It's a win-win, and you don't hear that often around here.
There has been a ton of talk about how the Pirates need to make a trade to improve the offense. A lot of ridiculous trade proposals and much complaining has risen because of it. I've been on the record of saying that a May trade for a starting position player is really unfeasible right now. The Pirates would have to give up far too much to improve the offense externally, which is why the Pirates are not going to do it. They just aren't.
Since we got that out of the way, let's get to what I was talking about in the post title.
It boils down to this. The extra wild card spot is going to lead to more trade deadline buyers than in previous years. More teams will be in contention and they will be looking to add to their squad to make a playoff push. That means the sellers will get more for what they sell.
Also, the Pirates have more to sell than they have in a long time. Erik Bedard, A.J. Burnett, and Joel Hanrahan are all obvious sell candidates. Those are three super arms that could bring back a big time return. Mix that in with what I talked about in the last paragraph and the Pirates could seriously improve this team by trading those three guys. They wouldn't be breaking up the core of the team and they could set themselves very well for next year. They'll still have to buy a free agent or two in the offseason but I could see them getting a pretty nice big league hitter in return for those guys.
This team is set up to really contend in the coming years anyway. Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, and Josh Bell aren't coming this year, and the only one with a chance to get here next year in Cole (probably). It looks like the Pirates are going to have a very strong team in 2014, and anything they can do now to strengthen that team even more would be great.
Losing pieces now to help a team this year doesn't seem like a great idea in the grand scheme of things. Even if they would improve the offense right now they probably wouldn't be a legitimate playoff contender. So why not continue to build the team for the future? They could have an incredible looking roster in 2014 if they take advantage of the trade market this July.
If the Pirates stay in contention and are buyers at the trade deadline, great. It'll be an exciting summer and who knows, maybe we could break the streak. But if not, it's going to be fun to see what we can do at the deadline to try and make those 2013 and 2014 teams look really good. It's a win-win, and you don't hear that often around here.
Mets (22-19) vs. Pirates (19-22), Game 42
CommentsNew York Mets (22-19) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (19-22)
May 21, 2012
Johan Santana (1-2, 2.89) vs. Erik Bedard (2-5, 3.07) (
Game Notes:
Pirates Batters Whiffing at an Incredible Rate
Comments
I busted out a spreadsheet this morning in hopes of finding out the average number of times of the Pirates strike out per inning, and the average number of strikeouts per nine innings the Pirates opponent's starting pitchers have recorded this year. Here's what I found:
Opponent's Starter Average ERA: 3.57
Opponent's Starter Average K/9: 7.6
Total Innings Pirates Have Hit in: 367
Total Pirates Batters Strikeouts: 345
Pirates Average Strikeouts Per Inning: 0.94
The Pirates are averaging 2.9 runs per game. The second lowest total in the entire league belongs to the Padres at 3.2. The National League average is 4.08 - 1.2 runs higher than what the Pirates put up. If you take the Pirates pathetic number out of the equation that average goes up to 4.16.
Swings and misses are a common site. The Pirates are on track to strike out 1,371 times this year. The Major League record for team strikeouts in a season is 1,529 by the 2010 Arizona Diamondbacks. They aren't in jeopardy of breaking any record, but they'd be closer then you'd like them to be.
Opponent's Starter Average ERA: 3.57
Opponent's Starter Average K/9: 7.6
Total Innings Pirates Have Hit in: 367
Total Pirates Batters Strikeouts: 345
Pirates Average Strikeouts Per Inning: 0.94
The Pirates are averaging 2.9 runs per game. The second lowest total in the entire league belongs to the Padres at 3.2. The National League average is 4.08 - 1.2 runs higher than what the Pirates put up. If you take the Pirates pathetic number out of the equation that average goes up to 4.16.
Swings and misses are a common site. The Pirates are on track to strike out 1,371 times this year. The Major League record for team strikeouts in a season is 1,529 by the 2010 Arizona Diamondbacks. They aren't in jeopardy of breaking any record, but they'd be closer then you'd like them to be.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)