Operation Shut Down
The Battlin Bucs
Welcome Back To Real Pirates Baseball
Fellow Blogger Shout-Out
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Over the last couple years I have become pretty good internet-friends with some of my fellow Pirates bloggers. I have even met a couple of these guys in person. They're all really cool dudes who love the Pirates and are good at what they do, you should check them out, if you haven't already. They're all on twitter too, so find them there.
Also, there has been a surge of new Pirates blog being born in the last few weeks. Give these three a look:
Operation Shut Down
The Battlin Bucs
Welcome Back To Real Pirates Baseball
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The Battlin Bucs
Welcome Back To Real Pirates Baseball
Gorkys Hernandez Should Be Traded
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Probably the biggest topic in Pittsburgh sports this month has been what the Pirates should do at the trade deadline. Should they trade away prospects to get a big name player to solidify the lineup and increase our playoff chances? Should we only go after a player that we can lose mainly cash for? Or should we ride out this magical season and see what this team can do without any additions? Big questions.
I'm not really super firm in any of these stances, honestly I'll probably be okay with whatever happens, just because I am on such a high from these 3.5 months of winning. One thing I am sure of though, is that if a trade is made, Gorkys Hernandez should be one of the players leaving our system.
The Pirates got Hernandez in the Nate McLouth deal that also brought in Charlie Morton and Jeff Locke. He is a great defensive centerfielder with good speed and offensive upside. Gorkys has played in 3 All-Star Futures Games (2007, 2008, 2010), has made the Midwest League All-Star team twice (2007, 2008), and has even won an MVP award in the Midwest league (2007). He was a top prospect for the Tigers before being moved to the Braves, where he remained a top level prospect before his trade to Pittsburgh. There were pretty big hopes for him after that trade, but since the he's trailed off quite a bit.
In 2008, Hernandez hit .265/.348/.387 with 5 homers and 20 stolen bases. He put together a very impressive first half of the season in 2009 with the Braves AA team, hitting .316/.361/.387, but struggled in the 2nd half of the year with the Altoona Curve, the Pirates AA affiliate. Hernandez hit .262/.312/.340 to finish out that year. His final 2009 line was .282/.331/.358 with 3 HR and 19 steals. 2010 was another disappointing year as he hit .266/.333/.334 with 2 HR and stole 17 bases while striking out 95 times in 368 at bats. With Andrew McCutchen turning into a superstar at the big league level and Jose Tabata developing fast, the future looked very cloudy for Hernandez in the Pirates organization.
Coming into this year, Hernandez had very low trade value and really no where to go. Despite those factors, he was promoted to AAA Indianapolis and has had a successful year, hitting .296/.347/.405 with 17 steals. He's lowered his strikeout rate and has continued to play very good defense against the better competition. At the age of 23, Gorkys has raised his stock quite a bit in these last 3 months.
One thing that isn't changing is Hernandez's future with the Pirates. There just isn't any room for a speed outfielder with no power with the major league club, and there won't be for a long time. Andrew McCutchen will be locked sooner or later and Jose Tabata is still expected to be a long-term player for this team. Starling Marte has continued to improve and looks like a possible option to be an every day right fielder someday, not to mention what we've seen from Alex Presley so far this year. It's a logjam in the outfield for the Pirates, and the last thing we need is another speed guy that can't hit the ball over the fence.
The longer the Pirates keep Gorkys in the system, the more his trade value sinks. Age is crucial with these low and mid level prospects, and there's quite a big difference between a 23 year old AA player and a 25 year old player. The time to deal Gorkys is now. Take advantage of his age and his good 2011 season, flaunt that speed and defensive prowess and find a buyer for him. The Pirates need help at the big league level, and they are going to have give up cash and some prospects to get it. Hernandez is the perfect guy to lose. He has no future with the team and won't have this much trade value for long. Pull the trigger. We won't miss you, Gorkys.
I'm not really super firm in any of these stances, honestly I'll probably be okay with whatever happens, just because I am on such a high from these 3.5 months of winning. One thing I am sure of though, is that if a trade is made, Gorkys Hernandez should be one of the players leaving our system.
The Pirates got Hernandez in the Nate McLouth deal that also brought in Charlie Morton and Jeff Locke. He is a great defensive centerfielder with good speed and offensive upside. Gorkys has played in 3 All-Star Futures Games (2007, 2008, 2010), has made the Midwest League All-Star team twice (2007, 2008), and has even won an MVP award in the Midwest league (2007). He was a top prospect for the Tigers before being moved to the Braves, where he remained a top level prospect before his trade to Pittsburgh. There were pretty big hopes for him after that trade, but since the he's trailed off quite a bit.
In 2008, Hernandez hit .265/.348/.387 with 5 homers and 20 stolen bases. He put together a very impressive first half of the season in 2009 with the Braves AA team, hitting .316/.361/.387, but struggled in the 2nd half of the year with the Altoona Curve, the Pirates AA affiliate. Hernandez hit .262/.312/.340 to finish out that year. His final 2009 line was .282/.331/.358 with 3 HR and 19 steals. 2010 was another disappointing year as he hit .266/.333/.334 with 2 HR and stole 17 bases while striking out 95 times in 368 at bats. With Andrew McCutchen turning into a superstar at the big league level and Jose Tabata developing fast, the future looked very cloudy for Hernandez in the Pirates organization.
Coming into this year, Hernandez had very low trade value and really no where to go. Despite those factors, he was promoted to AAA Indianapolis and has had a successful year, hitting .296/.347/.405 with 17 steals. He's lowered his strikeout rate and has continued to play very good defense against the better competition. At the age of 23, Gorkys has raised his stock quite a bit in these last 3 months.
One thing that isn't changing is Hernandez's future with the Pirates. There just isn't any room for a speed outfielder with no power with the major league club, and there won't be for a long time. Andrew McCutchen will be locked sooner or later and Jose Tabata is still expected to be a long-term player for this team. Starling Marte has continued to improve and looks like a possible option to be an every day right fielder someday, not to mention what we've seen from Alex Presley so far this year. It's a logjam in the outfield for the Pirates, and the last thing we need is another speed guy that can't hit the ball over the fence.
The longer the Pirates keep Gorkys in the system, the more his trade value sinks. Age is crucial with these low and mid level prospects, and there's quite a big difference between a 23 year old AA player and a 25 year old player. The time to deal Gorkys is now. Take advantage of his age and his good 2011 season, flaunt that speed and defensive prowess and find a buyer for him. The Pirates need help at the big league level, and they are going to have give up cash and some prospects to get it. Hernandez is the perfect guy to lose. He has no future with the team and won't have this much trade value for long. Pull the trigger. We won't miss you, Gorkys.
Cardinals vs. Pirates, Game 99
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St. Louis Cardinals (53-47) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (51-47)
1:35 at PNC Park
Kyle Lohse (8-7, 3.45) vs. Charlie Morton (8-5, 3.62)
Lineups:
| Cardinals Lineup: 1. Ryan Theriot (R) SS 2. Jon Jay (L) LF 3. Albert Pujols (R) 1B 4. Lance Berkman (S) RF 5. Colby Rasmus (L) CF 6. Skip Schumaker (L) 2B 7. Gerald Laird (R) C 8. Daniel Descalso (L) 3B 9. Kyle Lohse (R) P |
Pirates Lineup: 1. Chase d'Arnaud (R) 3B 2. Matt Diaz (R) LF 3. Neil Walker (S) 2B 4. Andrew McCutchen (R) CF 5. Lyle Overbay (L) 1B 6. Garrett Jones (L) RF 7. Ronny Cedeno (R) SS 8. Eric Fryer (R) C 9. Charlie Morton (R) P |
Andrew McCutchen: 5/12 (.417), 2 2B, 1 HR, 1 K
Garrett Jones: 3/10 (.333), 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 BB
Neil Walker: 4/9 (.444), 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 BB, 2 K
Lyle Overbay: 3/9 (.333), 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 K
Matt Diaz: 1/7 (.143), 1 2B, 2 K
Current Cardinals vs. Morton:
Albert Pujols: 4/13 (.308), 1 2B, 3 BB, 1 K
Skip Schumaker: 7/14 (.500), 1 2B, 2 BB
Ryan Theriot: 5/12 (.417), 1 BB, 2 K
Colby Rasmus: 5/11 (.455), 1 BB, 1 K
Lance Berkman: 5/7 (.714), 3 2B, 2 HR, 4 BB, 1 K
Matt Holliday: 4/9 (.444), 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 K
Yadier Molina: 4/8 (.500), 1 2B, 1 HR
Game Notes:
- Alex Presley is still out of the lineup with a left thumb contusion, Chase d'Arnaud is in the lead off spot for the 2nd straight night, he had 2 hits and stole a base from the 1-hole Saturday night.
- Kyle Lohse has struggled recently, going 0-3 with a 7.64 ERA in 3 starters against the Rays, Diamondbacks, and Mets.
- The Pirates get a slight break with Matt Holliday and Yadier Molina being out of the lineup for the Cardinals. Molina homered in each of the first 2 games of this series. Gerald Laird makes the start at catcher and Colby Rasmus will be in center, shifting Jon Jay to left to fill in for Holliday.
- Today will be the 13th sell out of the season for the Pirates, they are 7-5 in sold out games after their loss last night.
- With a win and a Brewers loss, the Pirates will be back in a tie for first place.
Gameday:
Correia Says His Stuff Is As Good As It's Been All Year
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Kevin Correia did not have a great start Saturday night against the St. Louis Cardinals. That sentence right there is a pretty big understatement.
The Pirates unlikely all-star starter gave up 7 earned runs in 4.2 innings of work, which raised his season ERA to 4.38. Correia hasn't been good since winning his 11th game of the year back on July 3rd. Since then he has a 9.41 ERA and has given up 23 hits in 3 starts (14.1 innings).
This rough patch doesn't seem to have taken much of a toll on Correia's confidence, which is certainly a good thing, but a little weird. Check out this quote:
So is he telling the truth? It's hard to tell really, depends on what your definition of "stuff" is. I can tell you this though. His average velocity tonight on the fastball was almost 2 miles per hour higher than his season average, his slider was also 2 mph faster, and his pitches all moved more, especially his slider. In that regard, Correia's tale seems true.
So what happened to Correia? The first thing I'd say is that the opposing lineup had a lot to do with it. The Cardinals have a really solid 1-8 and their big bats all have had incredible success in PNC Park, for whatever reason. Correia hasn't faced the best offenses this year, which could be making him look better than he really is. He's faced the Cubs three times, the Mets twice, the Nationals twice, and the Astros once. He did shut out these Cardinals for 7 innings in the first week of the season, and has also beat the Reds, Tigers, and Blue Jays at various points during this season.
I wrote this post during the all-star break taking a look at what we should probably be expecting from the rotation in the second half, and I had mainly good things to say about Correia. His BABIP is still well below .300 and his strand rate isn't alarming either. My biggest concern with KC all year has been the fly balls he gives up. At the beginning of the year he was getting a lot of ground balls which helped a lot, but recently he's been regressing back to the fly ball pitcher he always has been. If you give up a lot of fly balls, some of them are going to go over the fence and hurt you in a big way. That happened Saturday night, as his biggest mistake was a pitch left up and right down the middle to Lance Berkman, who crushed it over the center field fence for a 3-run jack. Later in the inning, Yadier Molina hit one of the most ridiculous home runs I've seen, one that barely got a piece of the outside of the foul pole for the second round-tripper of the inning. When Correia gives up a big number, it's almost always going to involve a home run or two, as it did tonight.
The key with Correia is keeping the ball on the ground as much as possible. He got away with some of those deep fly balls at Petco Park, but now he has less margin for error playing in the NL Central. The home run ball hurt him tonight and could turn into a big issue for his going forward.
So yes, his stuff was better tonight than it usually is, but that doesn't really matter when you leave balls right over the heart of the plate against a really good lineup, as he did tonight. Even his outs were ugly. I can't tell you how many outs he got on line drives, honestly he's lucky to have just given up 7 runs. It was a very ugly start tonight, but Correia seems confident and not too worried about it. I don't expect him to completely fall apart in the second half, although I think 4.00-4.30 is realistically where you should expect his ERA to settle by the end of the year.
The Pirates unlikely all-star starter gave up 7 earned runs in 4.2 innings of work, which raised his season ERA to 4.38. Correia hasn't been good since winning his 11th game of the year back on July 3rd. Since then he has a 9.41 ERA and has given up 23 hits in 3 starts (14.1 innings).
This rough patch doesn't seem to have taken much of a toll on Correia's confidence, which is certainly a good thing, but a little weird. Check out this quote:
So is he telling the truth? It's hard to tell really, depends on what your definition of "stuff" is. I can tell you this though. His average velocity tonight on the fastball was almost 2 miles per hour higher than his season average, his slider was also 2 mph faster, and his pitches all moved more, especially his slider. In that regard, Correia's tale seems true.
So what happened to Correia? The first thing I'd say is that the opposing lineup had a lot to do with it. The Cardinals have a really solid 1-8 and their big bats all have had incredible success in PNC Park, for whatever reason. Correia hasn't faced the best offenses this year, which could be making him look better than he really is. He's faced the Cubs three times, the Mets twice, the Nationals twice, and the Astros once. He did shut out these Cardinals for 7 innings in the first week of the season, and has also beat the Reds, Tigers, and Blue Jays at various points during this season.
I wrote this post during the all-star break taking a look at what we should probably be expecting from the rotation in the second half, and I had mainly good things to say about Correia. His BABIP is still well below .300 and his strand rate isn't alarming either. My biggest concern with KC all year has been the fly balls he gives up. At the beginning of the year he was getting a lot of ground balls which helped a lot, but recently he's been regressing back to the fly ball pitcher he always has been. If you give up a lot of fly balls, some of them are going to go over the fence and hurt you in a big way. That happened Saturday night, as his biggest mistake was a pitch left up and right down the middle to Lance Berkman, who crushed it over the center field fence for a 3-run jack. Later in the inning, Yadier Molina hit one of the most ridiculous home runs I've seen, one that barely got a piece of the outside of the foul pole for the second round-tripper of the inning. When Correia gives up a big number, it's almost always going to involve a home run or two, as it did tonight.
The key with Correia is keeping the ball on the ground as much as possible. He got away with some of those deep fly balls at Petco Park, but now he has less margin for error playing in the NL Central. The home run ball hurt him tonight and could turn into a big issue for his going forward.
So yes, his stuff was better tonight than it usually is, but that doesn't really matter when you leave balls right over the heart of the plate against a really good lineup, as he did tonight. Even his outs were ugly. I can't tell you how many outs he got on line drives, honestly he's lucky to have just given up 7 runs. It was a very ugly start tonight, but Correia seems confident and not too worried about it. I don't expect him to completely fall apart in the second half, although I think 4.00-4.30 is realistically where you should expect his ERA to settle by the end of the year.
Cardinals vs. Pirates, Saturday Night, Tons of Coverage
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At the game early today doing some serious pre-game stuff.Follow my tweets here for even more information and some laughs. Seriously, I'm awesome at tweeting.
St. Louis Cardinals (52-47) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (51-46)
7:05 at PNC Park
Jaime Garcia (9-4, 3.11) vs. Kevin Correia (11-7, 4.04)
Lineups:
Game Notes:
Current Pirates vs. Garcia:
Matt Diaz: 1/3 (.333), 2 K
Garrett Jones: 0/3 (.000), 2 K
Andrew McCutchen: 2/3 (.667), 2 2B
Lyle Overbay: 0/2 (.000)
Xavier Paul: 0/1 (.000)
Current Cardinals vs. Correia:
Matt Holliday: 7/27 (.259), 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 3 K
Albert Pujols: 5/15 (.333), 1 2B, 5 BB, 4 K
Yadier Molina: 2/12 (.167), 2 BB, 1 K
Skip Schumaker: 6/13 (.462), 2 2B, 2 BB, 2 K
Ryan Theriot: 5/11 (.455), 3 BB
Lance Berkman: 2/9 (.222), 2 2B, 4 BB, 1 K
Colby Rasmus: 1/7 (.143), 1 HR, 2 BB
St. Louis Cardinals (52-47) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (51-46)
7:05 at PNC Park
Jaime Garcia (9-4, 3.11) vs. Kevin Correia (11-7, 4.04)
Lineups:
| Cardinals Lineup: 1. Skip Schumaker (L) 2B 2. Jon Jay (L) CF 3. Albert Pujols (R) 1B 4. Matt Holliday (R) LF 5. Lance Berkman (S) RF 6. David Freese (R) 3B 7. Yadier Molina (R) C 8. Daniel Descalso (L) SS 9. Jaime Garcia (L) P |
Pirates Lineup: 1. Chase d'Arnaud (R) 3B 2. Ronny Cedeno (R) SS 3. Neil Walker (S) 2B 4. Andrew McCutchen (R) CF 5. Steve Pearce (R) RF 6. Matt Diaz (R) LF 7. Brandon Wood (R) 1B 8. Michael McKenry (R) C 9. Kevin Correia (R) P |
- Alex Presley has been scratched from the lineup to a left thumb contusion. He jammed it in the game last night and had it bother him earlier today. No x-rays have been taken yet, and it seems he was scratched right before taking some swings at batting practice before walking off the field with a trainer. Quotes from Presley himself here.
- Chase d'Arnaud, who wasn't in the original lineup, is now leading off and playing third base, which moves Brandon Wood to first. d'Arnaud was given the day off originally to work on some things in light of his recent struggles.
- Ronny Cedeno hitting 2nd tonight because of his favorable splits against left-handed pitchers, says Clint Hurdle.
- The Pirates have lost back-to-back games for the first since losing four straight from June 17th through June 20th.
- Jason Grilli became the 45th different player used by the Pirates this year. They are on good pace to break their record in that category of 51, which they set last year.
- The Pirates have more wins than anybody in the division since June 1st (26).
- Daniel McCutchen has made 7 straight scoreless appearances and has surrendered runs just once in his last 14 games.
Current Pirates vs. Garcia:
Matt Diaz: 1/3 (.333), 2 K
Garrett Jones: 0/3 (.000), 2 K
Andrew McCutchen: 2/3 (.667), 2 2B
Lyle Overbay: 0/2 (.000)
Xavier Paul: 0/1 (.000)
Current Cardinals vs. Correia:
Matt Holliday: 7/27 (.259), 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 3 K
Albert Pujols: 5/15 (.333), 1 2B, 5 BB, 4 K
Yadier Molina: 2/12 (.167), 2 BB, 1 K
Skip Schumaker: 6/13 (.462), 2 2B, 2 BB, 2 K
Ryan Theriot: 5/11 (.455), 3 BB
Lance Berkman: 2/9 (.222), 2 2B, 4 BB, 1 K
Colby Rasmus: 1/7 (.143), 1 HR, 2 BB
Update on Presley's Thumb
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Alex Presley was scratched from tonight's lineup to a left thumb contusion. When asked some questions about it, he didn't have much to say. Here's a quote from the man himself:
“I got jammed last night, “it felt okay last night, but today I’m not able to handle the bat the way I’m used to.” When asked if the thumb stiffened up over night, Presley replied, "I don’t want to get into what it feels like. It doesn’t feel right.” No x-rays have been taken and he really didn't have much else to say.
Doesn't seem like a big deal to me, especially since the injury occured last night and he was in the original lineup today, but something to keep an eye on. Chase d'Arnaud will hit lead off in his place, which moves Brandon Wood from third to first, Steven Pearce from first to right, and Matt Diaz from right to left.
“I got jammed last night, “it felt okay last night, but today I’m not able to handle the bat the way I’m used to.” When asked if the thumb stiffened up over night, Presley replied, "I don’t want to get into what it feels like. It doesn’t feel right.” No x-rays have been taken and he really didn't have much else to say.
Doesn't seem like a big deal to me, especially since the injury occured last night and he was in the original lineup today, but something to keep an eye on. Chase d'Arnaud will hit lead off in his place, which moves Brandon Wood from third to first, Steven Pearce from first to right, and Matt Diaz from right to left.
Pedro Alvarez Update
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Clint Hurdle spoke briefly on Pedro Alvarez's situation today. There wasn't anything surprising said, but one quote stood out to me. Hurdle said that there was a big concern about promoting Pedro to the big leagues before he's ready... again. Yes, he used the word "again". Who knows if he really thinks that his promotion last year was premature, he wasn't here and had nothing to do with it, but it was an interesting word choice.
Also, Hurdle said they "unplugged the timeline" from Pedro to alleviate some of the pressure that he's facing about getting back to the big leagues. They want him to focus on both the physical and mental side of the game and be fully ready before he is promoted. There is nothing wrong with the way Pedro has been preparing, Hurdle says he just needs to trust his preparation and have confidence in the work he has put in, and then he will start seeing results on the field.
He did not mention any time table on when he could return, they are just consistently encouraging him to trust in the rehab he's been doing and they believe he'll make an impact on the big league club this year.
Also, Hurdle said they "unplugged the timeline" from Pedro to alleviate some of the pressure that he's facing about getting back to the big leagues. They want him to focus on both the physical and mental side of the game and be fully ready before he is promoted. There is nothing wrong with the way Pedro has been preparing, Hurdle says he just needs to trust his preparation and have confidence in the work he has put in, and then he will start seeing results on the field.
He did not mention any time table on when he could return, they are just consistently encouraging him to trust in the rehab he's been doing and they believe he'll make an impact on the big league club this year.
Contributors Wanted
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The Pittsburgh Pirates have had lots of success in 2011. Subsequently, so has The "Mc" Effect. It's been a great summer of covering and watching the Pirates, and it's time for me to step my game up a little bit.
I'm looking for another writer for the blog. If you're a consistent reader of mine, you know that I really don't like to do recaps/previews of games and stuff. I just don't really have the time for them and I'd rather spend my time writing things that you can't get at every other Pirates site. However, I think it would help the site and be better for the readers if I did have recaps/previews up for all the games. I really don't have the time to do it myself, so I'm asking for another writer, or maybe two.
If you are interested, please e-mail Jon2Anderson@comcast.net with a sample of your writing, and just some basic information about yourself. My biggest concern is grammar and writing skill. I will be asking you to write recaps and previews as often as you can and it's a bonus if you can do more in depth writing too. Having deep baseball knowledge isn't a must, but it's a big plus. I would definitely like to have 2-3 posts up here a day, and have at least one of them be something you couldn't read elsewhere.
I will collect "applications" for a week or less then contact whomever I choose. Thanks for caring, Pittsburgh!
I'm looking for another writer for the blog. If you're a consistent reader of mine, you know that I really don't like to do recaps/previews of games and stuff. I just don't really have the time for them and I'd rather spend my time writing things that you can't get at every other Pirates site. However, I think it would help the site and be better for the readers if I did have recaps/previews up for all the games. I really don't have the time to do it myself, so I'm asking for another writer, or maybe two.
If you are interested, please e-mail Jon2Anderson@comcast.net with a sample of your writing, and just some basic information about yourself. My biggest concern is grammar and writing skill. I will be asking you to write recaps and previews as often as you can and it's a bonus if you can do more in depth writing too. Having deep baseball knowledge isn't a must, but it's a big plus. I would definitely like to have 2-3 posts up here a day, and have at least one of them be something you couldn't read elsewhere.
I will collect "applications" for a week or less then contact whomever I choose. Thanks for caring, Pittsburgh!
Cardinals vs. Pirates, Series Preview
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Big series this weekend with the Cardinals. Here's what's up:
Probable Starters:
Chris Carpenter (5-7, 3.69) vs. Paul Maholm (6-9, 3.06)
Jaime Garcia (9-4, 3.11) vs. Kevin Correia (11-7, 4.04)
Kyle Lohse (8-7, 3.45) vs. Charlie Morton (8-5, 3.62)
The Pirates played a 3-game set with these Cardinals at the beginning of the season, and left St. Louis with 2 wins. In the first game, Charlie Morton defeated Kyle Lohse and the Pirates won 4-3 with the help of an Andrew McCutchen 2-run homer). The Pirates dropped game 2 by the score of 3-2 as James McDonald couldn't make it out of the 5th inning and the only offense the Pirates got was Lyle Overbay's first homer of the year that brought in 2. The rubber match was won by the visiting team, as Kevin Correia won his 2nd game in as many starts by going 7 shut out innings. He defeated Chris Carpenter who gave u only 2 runs in 6 innings, but Neil Walker's home run and a couple RBI's from Overbay and Ryan Doumit were more than enough for the Pirates to walk away with a series win.
Since the break, the Pirates are 4-2, scoring 3.17 runs per game and surrendering 2.33 runs per game. The pitching has been outstanding but the offense has struggled quite a bit, especially in their last 3 games when they scored just 4 runs against the Reds.
The Cardinals are 2-4 since the break after dropping 2 of 3 to the Reds and Mets. They are scoring 3.83 runs per game and allowing 3.67 runs per game.
Albert Pujols has absolutely destroyed the Pirates in his career. He has a career .372 average against the Pirates with 45 homers and 136 RBI in 159 games. In PNC Park, he's hitting .387 with 26 dingers. So, if he played the Pirates every game, he would win the MVP award and the triple crown every year. The somewhat good news is that he is having one of the worst seasons you will ever see from him. Prince Albert is hitting .272/.345/.505, it's ridiculous to say that that line is bad, but it's just not up to snuff for this guy. This month he's hitting .233/.277/.535 with 4 homers and 12 RBI. The Pirates seem to be getting him at the right time, but I'm not sure if it even matters with a player of this level. If Pujols hits 4 homers this series and sweeps the Pirates by himself, I won't be surprised.
Neil Walker has been carrying the offensive load for the Pirates this month, and is basically doing it all by himself. He is hitting a ridiculous .407/.429/.559 this month with 4 doubles, a triple, and a homer. That's in the absence of Andrew McCutchen's usual performance, as he has just 2 hits in his last 5 games and his hitting .179 since the all-star break. This would be a great series for him to get going.
Batters vs. Pitcher:
Current Pirates vs. Carpenter:
Lyle Overbay: 6/15 (.400), 3 2B, 1 BB, 1 K
Andrew McCutchen: 3/14 (.214), 1 2B
Garrett Jones: 4/12 (.333), 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 K
Neil Walker: 3/7 (.429), 1 HR, 2 K
Matt Diaz: 1/2 (.500)
Current Cardinals vs. Maholm:
Albert Pujols: 19/33 (.576), 6 2B, 1 HR, 6 BB, 1 K
Lance Berkman: 5/31 (.161), 4 BB, 3 K
Ryan Theriot: 11/29 (.379), 5 2B, 4 BB, 2 K
Yadier Molina: 5/24 (.208), 4 BB, 2 K
Matt Holliday: 3/19 (.158), 2 BB, 3 K
Colby Rasmus: 0/6 (.000), 1 K
Current Pirates vs. Garcia:
Matt Diaz: 1/3 (.333), 2 K
Garrett Jones: 0/3 (.000), 2 K
Andrew McCutchen: 2/3 (.667), 2 2B
Lyle Overbay: 0/2 (.000)
Xavier Paul: 0/1 (.000)
Current Cardinals vs. Correia:
Matt Holliday: 7/27 (.259), 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 3 K
Albert Pujols: 5/15 (.333), 1 2B, 5 BB, 4 K
Yadier Molina: 2/12 (.167), 2 BB, 1 K
Skip Schumaker: 6/13 (.462), 2 2B, 2 BB, 2 K
Ryan Theriot: 5/11 (.455), 3 BB
Lance Berkman: 2/9 (.222), 2 2B, 4 BB, 1 K
Colby Rasmus: 1/7 (.143), 1 HR, 2 BB
Current Pirates vs. Lohse:
Andrew McCutchen: 5/12 (.417), 2 2B, 1 HR, 1 K
Garrett Jones: 3/10 (.333), 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 BB
Neil Walker: 4/9 (.444), 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 BB, 2 K
Lyle Overbay: 3/9 (.333), 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 K
Matt Diaz: 1/7 (.143), 1 2B, 2 K
Current Cardinals vs. Morton:
Albert Pujols: 4/13 (.308), 1 2B, 3 BB, 1 K
Skip Schumaker: 7/14 (.500), 1 2B, 2 BB
Ryan Theriot: 5/12 (.417), 1 BB, 2 K
Colby Rasmus: 5/11 (.455), 1 BB, 1 K
Lance Berkman: 5/7 (.714), 3 2B, 2 HR, 4 BB, 1 K
Matt Holliday: 4/9 (.444), 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 K
Yadier Molina: 4/8 (.500), 1 2B, 1 HR
Again, a huge series for the Pirates. Let's hope the hot pitching keeps up and the offense starts turning a corner. Let's Go Bucs.
Chris Carpenter (5-7, 3.69) vs. Paul Maholm (6-9, 3.06)
Jaime Garcia (9-4, 3.11) vs. Kevin Correia (11-7, 4.04)
Kyle Lohse (8-7, 3.45) vs. Charlie Morton (8-5, 3.62)
Since the break, the Pirates are 4-2, scoring 3.17 runs per game and surrendering 2.33 runs per game. The pitching has been outstanding but the offense has struggled quite a bit, especially in their last 3 games when they scored just 4 runs against the Reds.
The Cardinals are 2-4 since the break after dropping 2 of 3 to the Reds and Mets. They are scoring 3.83 runs per game and allowing 3.67 runs per game.
Albert Pujols has absolutely destroyed the Pirates in his career. He has a career .372 average against the Pirates with 45 homers and 136 RBI in 159 games. In PNC Park, he's hitting .387 with 26 dingers. So, if he played the Pirates every game, he would win the MVP award and the triple crown every year. The somewhat good news is that he is having one of the worst seasons you will ever see from him. Prince Albert is hitting .272/.345/.505, it's ridiculous to say that that line is bad, but it's just not up to snuff for this guy. This month he's hitting .233/.277/.535 with 4 homers and 12 RBI. The Pirates seem to be getting him at the right time, but I'm not sure if it even matters with a player of this level. If Pujols hits 4 homers this series and sweeps the Pirates by himself, I won't be surprised.
Neil Walker has been carrying the offensive load for the Pirates this month, and is basically doing it all by himself. He is hitting a ridiculous .407/.429/.559 this month with 4 doubles, a triple, and a homer. That's in the absence of Andrew McCutchen's usual performance, as he has just 2 hits in his last 5 games and his hitting .179 since the all-star break. This would be a great series for him to get going.
Batters vs. Pitcher:
Current Pirates vs. Carpenter:
Lyle Overbay: 6/15 (.400), 3 2B, 1 BB, 1 K
Andrew McCutchen: 3/14 (.214), 1 2B
Garrett Jones: 4/12 (.333), 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 K
Neil Walker: 3/7 (.429), 1 HR, 2 K
Matt Diaz: 1/2 (.500)
Current Cardinals vs. Maholm:
Albert Pujols: 19/33 (.576), 6 2B, 1 HR, 6 BB, 1 K
Lance Berkman: 5/31 (.161), 4 BB, 3 K
Ryan Theriot: 11/29 (.379), 5 2B, 4 BB, 2 K
Yadier Molina: 5/24 (.208), 4 BB, 2 K
Matt Holliday: 3/19 (.158), 2 BB, 3 K
Colby Rasmus: 0/6 (.000), 1 K
Current Pirates vs. Garcia:
Matt Diaz: 1/3 (.333), 2 K
Garrett Jones: 0/3 (.000), 2 K
Andrew McCutchen: 2/3 (.667), 2 2B
Lyle Overbay: 0/2 (.000)
Xavier Paul: 0/1 (.000)
Current Cardinals vs. Correia:
Matt Holliday: 7/27 (.259), 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 3 K
Albert Pujols: 5/15 (.333), 1 2B, 5 BB, 4 K
Yadier Molina: 2/12 (.167), 2 BB, 1 K
Skip Schumaker: 6/13 (.462), 2 2B, 2 BB, 2 K
Ryan Theriot: 5/11 (.455), 3 BB
Lance Berkman: 2/9 (.222), 2 2B, 4 BB, 1 K
Colby Rasmus: 1/7 (.143), 1 HR, 2 BB
Current Pirates vs. Lohse:
Andrew McCutchen: 5/12 (.417), 2 2B, 1 HR, 1 K
Garrett Jones: 3/10 (.333), 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 BB
Neil Walker: 4/9 (.444), 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 BB, 2 K
Lyle Overbay: 3/9 (.333), 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 K
Matt Diaz: 1/7 (.143), 1 2B, 2 K
Current Cardinals vs. Morton:
Albert Pujols: 4/13 (.308), 1 2B, 3 BB, 1 K
Skip Schumaker: 7/14 (.500), 1 2B, 2 BB
Ryan Theriot: 5/12 (.417), 1 BB, 2 K
Colby Rasmus: 5/11 (.455), 1 BB, 1 K
Lance Berkman: 5/7 (.714), 3 2B, 2 HR, 4 BB, 1 K
Matt Holliday: 4/9 (.444), 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 K
Yadier Molina: 4/8 (.500), 1 2B, 1 HR
Again, a huge series for the Pirates. Let's hope the hot pitching keeps up and the offense starts turning a corner. Let's Go Bucs.
The James McDonald Efficiency Post
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Probably my favorite part of the Pittsburgh Pirates 2010 season was the addition of James McDonald. The first reason I loved it is because it gave my blog name even more prominence, the second reason I loved it was because J-Mac was phenomenal in his time with the Pirates after the trade. Now we're more than halfway done with the 2011 season, and it's time to check up on my favorite McPitcher.
I was very high on James McDonald before this season began. My expectation was for him to lead the rotation and really be the only successful hurler on the team. While McDonald hasn't been terrible this year, it seems that my prediction was pretty much backwards. Not many people would argue that he has been the Pirates worst starter so far this year. Let's take a look at the numbers he's posted this year before we get into some more in depth stuff.
6-4, 19 GS, 4.15 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 9.3 H/9, 4.5 BB/9, 7.4 K/9, 1.63 K/BB
Those numbers aren't bad, but would look a lot better if he would have had a better go of things in his first 4 starts. McDonald had a 10.13 ERA in his first 4 outings, giving up 21 earned runs in 18.2 innings pitched. Since then, he has a 2.85 ERA in 85.1 innings, much more McDonald-like.
The biggest and most well known issue with McDonald this year has been pitch efficiency. He has thrown less than 6 innings in 8 out of his 19 outings, and has failed to complete 5 innings 6 times. He's thrown 17 pitches per inning, a far cry from the rest of the rotation (Jeff Karstens is throwing less than 14 pitches an inning).
One thing you have to remember about McDonald is that he more of a strikeout pitcher than the rest of the pitchers in this rotation, which means he'll pretty much automatically throw more pitches than the other guys. However, McDonald 7.4 K/9 ratio is more than a run less than his 2010 figure (8.5). Hearing these things would suggest that McDonald is struggling with control this year. Let's check that out. Here are his pitch results from the previous 2 seasons with the Pirates (his stint with the Dodgers in 2010 not included):
2010:
2011:
You can see here that McDonald's strike percentage with the 4-seam fastball has been basically the same as last year. However, this year the pitch f/x has registered a 2-seam fastball in McDonald's repertoire, and he has thrown that for a strike less often at 62%. The control of the curveball seems lacking as well at 53.6% compared to last year's 56.6%. Falling behind in counts has lessened his ability to use the changeup to fool hitters, and he is throwing it almost 5% less often this year and getting whiff's on it 3% less.
I attended McDonald's start against Boston on June 26th and his start against the Nationals in D.C. on July 2nd, and it seemed to me that he was figuring it out. He went 6 innings against Boston throwing 101 pitches, and went 6.1 innings in D.C. throwing 97 pitches. That's not super efficient, but it was definitely a step forward for McDonald. So let's look at pitch results again, but this time let's split his season after his start on June 21st.
Pre-June 22nd:
Post-June 22nd:
You can see from there that his strike percentages have gone up significantly across the board. Granted, that second graphic entails only 4 starts, but he has been very good in all 4 of them. His season strike percentage is 61.3%. It was 60% on the dot in his first 15 starts, and 65.9% in his last 4, so there is significant improvement there.
Not surprisingly, McDonald's walk ratio is up from last year, he is walking 4.5 batters per 9 compared to 3.64 from a year ago. He has also been less fortunate at stranding runners, at his LOB% sits at 77.5 in 2011, up from 71.7 in 2010. The home run ball has been another thing hurting him quite a bit, as he's surrendered 1.13 home runs per 9 compared to 0.50 last year. In his last 4 starts (24.1 IP), he's walked 10 batters (3.7 BB/9), struck out 23 (8.5 K/9), and given up 2 home runs (0.7 HR/9), so he's shown improvement in all those areas.
So here's my conclusion. McDonald's struggles this year have mainly been because of his inability to throw strikes at a good enough rate. In his last 4 starts, he has really improved upon that and has the good results to show for it. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I think James McDonald will be this team's best pitcher for the rest of the way out. If October comes and the Pirates make the playoffs, James McDonald will be the one towing the rubber for the Pirates in game 1 of their divisional series. Then we can tack another one up to The "Mc" Effect. Let's Go Bucs.
I was very high on James McDonald before this season began. My expectation was for him to lead the rotation and really be the only successful hurler on the team. While McDonald hasn't been terrible this year, it seems that my prediction was pretty much backwards. Not many people would argue that he has been the Pirates worst starter so far this year. Let's take a look at the numbers he's posted this year before we get into some more in depth stuff.
Those numbers aren't bad, but would look a lot better if he would have had a better go of things in his first 4 starts. McDonald had a 10.13 ERA in his first 4 outings, giving up 21 earned runs in 18.2 innings pitched. Since then, he has a 2.85 ERA in 85.1 innings, much more McDonald-like.
The biggest and most well known issue with McDonald this year has been pitch efficiency. He has thrown less than 6 innings in 8 out of his 19 outings, and has failed to complete 5 innings 6 times. He's thrown 17 pitches per inning, a far cry from the rest of the rotation (Jeff Karstens is throwing less than 14 pitches an inning).
One thing you have to remember about McDonald is that he more of a strikeout pitcher than the rest of the pitchers in this rotation, which means he'll pretty much automatically throw more pitches than the other guys. However, McDonald 7.4 K/9 ratio is more than a run less than his 2010 figure (8.5). Hearing these things would suggest that McDonald is struggling with control this year. Let's check that out. Here are his pitch results from the previous 2 seasons with the Pirates (his stint with the Dodgers in 2010 not included):
2011:
You can see here that McDonald's strike percentage with the 4-seam fastball has been basically the same as last year. However, this year the pitch f/x has registered a 2-seam fastball in McDonald's repertoire, and he has thrown that for a strike less often at 62%. The control of the curveball seems lacking as well at 53.6% compared to last year's 56.6%. Falling behind in counts has lessened his ability to use the changeup to fool hitters, and he is throwing it almost 5% less often this year and getting whiff's on it 3% less.
I attended McDonald's start against Boston on June 26th and his start against the Nationals in D.C. on July 2nd, and it seemed to me that he was figuring it out. He went 6 innings against Boston throwing 101 pitches, and went 6.1 innings in D.C. throwing 97 pitches. That's not super efficient, but it was definitely a step forward for McDonald. So let's look at pitch results again, but this time let's split his season after his start on June 21st.
Post-June 22nd:
You can see from there that his strike percentages have gone up significantly across the board. Granted, that second graphic entails only 4 starts, but he has been very good in all 4 of them. His season strike percentage is 61.3%. It was 60% on the dot in his first 15 starts, and 65.9% in his last 4, so there is significant improvement there.
Not surprisingly, McDonald's walk ratio is up from last year, he is walking 4.5 batters per 9 compared to 3.64 from a year ago. He has also been less fortunate at stranding runners, at his LOB% sits at 77.5 in 2011, up from 71.7 in 2010. The home run ball has been another thing hurting him quite a bit, as he's surrendered 1.13 home runs per 9 compared to 0.50 last year. In his last 4 starts (24.1 IP), he's walked 10 batters (3.7 BB/9), struck out 23 (8.5 K/9), and given up 2 home runs (0.7 HR/9), so he's shown improvement in all those areas.
So here's my conclusion. McDonald's struggles this year have mainly been because of his inability to throw strikes at a good enough rate. In his last 4 starts, he has really improved upon that and has the good results to show for it. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I think James McDonald will be this team's best pitcher for the rest of the way out. If October comes and the Pirates make the playoffs, James McDonald will be the one towing the rubber for the Pirates in game 1 of their divisional series. Then we can tack another one up to The "Mc" Effect. Let's Go Bucs.
Getting No Run Support Is A Real Pain-Yuh
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The Pittsburgh Pirates just took 2 of 3 games from the Cincinnati Reds, which was a very nice way to start a tough stretch of games. However, the offense struggled mightily in these 3 games and totaled only 4 runs on 15 hits.
Collecting 5 hits a game is not going to get it done. That is especially true when you have no serious home run threats in the lineup. You could get away with a 5-hit game when one of those hits is a 3-run home run, but that's just not happening with this lineup. That is specifically why the Pirates should add a power bat this month, and that is the number one need, in my opinion.
The possible trade target names we have heard are Hunter Pence, Andre Ethier, Carlos Beltran, and Carlos Pena.
You have all heard the reports and rumors elsewhere I'm sure, so this will be brief.
My guy is Carlos Pena. That is who I want the Pirates to acquire for their stretch run, and I'd like it to happen as soon as possible. The problem is that it most likely wouldn't be possible to get him too early, as the Cubs have no reason to not hold off until the deadline to try and get the best possible offer. The Cubs are out of contention and would be foolish to not dump Pena, because of his 1 year, 10 million dollar deal. They will lose him after this season, and it would not be in their best interest to try and re-sign him, so they have to get something for him rather than nothing.
The Pirates could probably acquire Pena without losing any serious prospects, but would have to take on a good amount of his salary, which they are prepared to do (at least it seems so).
So what are the baseball reasons that I want the Pirates to get Pena? Well here's one, Since May 1st, he has hit 20 home runs. He hit those bombs in 242 at bats, which is a home run every 12 at-bats. That's quite a ratio. If he were to hit at that pace for an entire season, he would hit over 40 home runs. So there's the perspective. In the last 4 complete seasons, Pena has hit 28, 39, 31, and 40 home runs chronologically from 2007 through 2010. He has serious power.
Pena got off to a really slow start, and still has an unimpressive .230 batting average, which is 10 points lower than his career average, but the .487 slugging percentage is something you can't look past. Pena would help offense in a huge way, especially playing in PNC Park with the short porch in right field. That, teamed with the fact that the Pirates can get him without losing much besides money, is why I really want the Pirates to go get Pena.
I understand that Pedro Alvarez is coming back, but at this point I don't think Pirate fans really expect him to get back to his late 2010 ways this year, although it will help the team incredibly if he does. The bad signs we have seen from his all year make it even more important for the Pirates to get a power bat to help this team's playoff chances.
Collecting 5 hits a game is not going to get it done. That is especially true when you have no serious home run threats in the lineup. You could get away with a 5-hit game when one of those hits is a 3-run home run, but that's just not happening with this lineup. That is specifically why the Pirates should add a power bat this month, and that is the number one need, in my opinion.
The possible trade target names we have heard are Hunter Pence, Andre Ethier, Carlos Beltran, and Carlos Pena.
You have all heard the reports and rumors elsewhere I'm sure, so this will be brief.
My guy is Carlos Pena. That is who I want the Pirates to acquire for their stretch run, and I'd like it to happen as soon as possible. The problem is that it most likely wouldn't be possible to get him too early, as the Cubs have no reason to not hold off until the deadline to try and get the best possible offer. The Cubs are out of contention and would be foolish to not dump Pena, because of his 1 year, 10 million dollar deal. They will lose him after this season, and it would not be in their best interest to try and re-sign him, so they have to get something for him rather than nothing.
The Pirates could probably acquire Pena without losing any serious prospects, but would have to take on a good amount of his salary, which they are prepared to do (at least it seems so).
So what are the baseball reasons that I want the Pirates to get Pena? Well here's one, Since May 1st, he has hit 20 home runs. He hit those bombs in 242 at bats, which is a home run every 12 at-bats. That's quite a ratio. If he were to hit at that pace for an entire season, he would hit over 40 home runs. So there's the perspective. In the last 4 complete seasons, Pena has hit 28, 39, 31, and 40 home runs chronologically from 2007 through 2010. He has serious power.
Pena got off to a really slow start, and still has an unimpressive .230 batting average, which is 10 points lower than his career average, but the .487 slugging percentage is something you can't look past. Pena would help offense in a huge way, especially playing in PNC Park with the short porch in right field. That, teamed with the fact that the Pirates can get him without losing much besides money, is why I really want the Pirates to go get Pena.
I understand that Pedro Alvarez is coming back, but at this point I don't think Pirate fans really expect him to get back to his late 2010 ways this year, although it will help the team incredibly if he does. The bad signs we have seen from his all year make it even more important for the Pirates to get a power bat to help this team's playoff chances.
Reds vs. Pirates, Game 96
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Cincinnati Reds (47-50) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (51-44)
12:35 at PNC Park
Johnny Cueto (5-3, 2.01) vs. Jeff Karstens (8-4, 2.34)
Lineups:
| Reds Lineup: 1. Chris Heisey (R) CF 2. Edgar Renteria (R) SS 3. Joey Votto (L) 1B 4. Scott Rolen (R) 3B 5. Jay Bruce (L) RF 6. Ramon Hernandez (R) C 7. Jonny Gomes (R) LF 8. Miguel Cairo (R) 2B 9. Johnny Cueto (R) P |
Pirates Lineup: 1. Alex Presley (L) LF 2. Chase d'Arnaud (R) SS 3. Neil Walker (S) 2B 4. Andrew McCutchen (R) CF 5. Lyle Overbay (L) 1B 6. Garrett Jones (L) RF 7. Brandon Wood (R) 3B 8. Michael McKenry (R) C 9. Jeff Karstens (R) P |
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Quick Second Half Numbers Update
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Pirates are hitting .224 since the break and the starting pitchers have an ERA of 1.72, let's go Bucs!
Reds vs. Pirates, Game 95
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Cincinnati Reds (47-49) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (50-44)
7:05 at PNC Park
Mike Leake (8-4, 4.28) vs. James McDonald (5-4, 4.42)
Lineups:
| Reds Lineup: 1. Drew Stubbs (R) CF 2. Zack Cozart (R) SS 3. Joey Votto (L) 1B 4. Brandon Phillips (R) 2B 5. Miguel Cairo (R) 3B 6. Chris Heisey (R) RF 7. Fred Lewis (L) LF 8. Ryan Hanigan (R) C 9. Mike Leake (R) P |
Pirates Lineup: 1. Alex Presley (L) LF 2. Josh Harrison (R) 3B 3. Neil Walker (S) 2B 4. Andrew McCutchen (R) CF 5. Garrett Jones (L) RF 6. Lyle Overbay (L) 1B 7. Brandon Wood (R) SS 8. Michael McKenry (R) C 9. James McDonald (L) P |
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