The Pirates won another series today by defeating the Cubs again. The Pirates sit 4 under .500 and 5 games back on the slumping Cards. Only the Reds and Cards are above the Pirates in the central.
But today was more of the same for the Pirate offense. Score first in the first inning and then go to sleep. They got three thanks to some walks and then McCutchen and Church got busy. Malholm pitched great except for one inning when he put runners on second and third with no one out. He almost got out of that inning. But, 2 runs later the Pirates still had a lead. Carrasco and Hanrahan had clean innings. In the Top of the 9th Clement hit a home run the opposite way. It was the first Carlos Marmol had given up all year. Clement had a two hit day, but his first one was a single with not much on it. Still, that counts as a good day for Jeff. The homerun turned out to be huge because Octavio "Doh"tel walked a batter on four straight and then gave up a triple with one out. Then he turned on the juice and struck the next two guys out.
The really bad news is that according to Jennifer Langosh Sterling Marte has a hand injury that probably will require surgery. Marte was excellent and a top 10 prospect for the Pirates. This is not good. Not good at all. The Pirates are deep in the outfield, but Marte was the best with a higher ceiling than even Tabata.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
Pirates offensive explosion or sign of trouble
The Pirates won today against the Cubs and won big. Just 5 below .500. The big news today is that McCutchen and Jones each got 5 hits. Both had a homerun. And in that lies the problem. Jones had a 3 run shot. McCutchen had a solo shot. Jones hit a single earlier to score McCutchen. The Pirates lose big without them. The Pirates have to depend on these two, but they cannot lean this much on them. Both getting a homer and five hits is pretty unlikely to be a regular things. The Pirates gave up six runs, so the rest of the team needs to pick it up.
No hits for Iwamura. No hits for Cedano. Pearce still hitting under .200. Two many holes in the line up. Way too many.
Expect to see Walker by the end of May, and Clement down in the AAA. Not long after that will see Tabata up and a platoon system set up with Pearce playing against lefties and Jones in the outfiedl, and Jones at first against righties and Tabata playing outfield. My thoughts.
No hits for Iwamura. No hits for Cedano. Pearce still hitting under .200. Two many holes in the line up. Way too many.
Expect to see Walker by the end of May, and Clement down in the AAA. Not long after that will see Tabata up and a platoon system set up with Pearce playing against lefties and Jones in the outfiedl, and Jones at first against righties and Tabata playing outfield. My thoughts.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Karstens delivers again
So Jeff Karstens just blanked the Cards through 6 innings. That would make it his second quality start. Brian Burres put up his second quality start earlier as well, also a shut out. Now the debate is who to send back to the minors for Ohlendorf. I have the obvious answer. Charlie Morton. Morton now has two quality starts, but has twice as many starts as the other two guys, and his best start was against the hapless Cubs, not the power laden Cardinals. Karstens also put an end to a major Pittsburgh skid earlier showing he can throw under pressure, something Morton has proven by now that he cannot. The Pirates should wait to make a move until after the next Morton start. I bet it is a bomb. If it is, drop him to the minors. Keep the two who give you the best chance to win.
It is of note that Pearce finally got his first hit since being called up. He does this often to the Pirates. He is super hot in AAA, goes 0-12 or something like that to in the majors, and just as he is about to be sent back down, gets a clutch hit for an RBI buying him another 3 or 4 games where he will not get a hit.
The bullpen also was wonderful again. Octavio "Doh"tel even looked solid. A great sign for the Buccos. We need the big series win tomorrow.
It is of note that Pearce finally got his first hit since being called up. He does this often to the Pirates. He is super hot in AAA, goes 0-12 or something like that to in the majors, and just as he is about to be sent back down, gets a clutch hit for an RBI buying him another 3 or 4 games where he will not get a hit.
The bullpen also was wonderful again. Octavio "Doh"tel even looked solid. A great sign for the Buccos. We need the big series win tomorrow.
What we learned in the loss - May 7
The Pirates lost to Chris Carpenter and the Cardinals breaking up the win streak. Zack Duke pitched well, earning a quality start and not getting a decision at all.
What we learned was that the Pirates can compete against one of the best pitchers in the NL, the best team in the Central, and we learned that the Pirates still make the mental mistakes that keep them a losing team.
The Pirates were down 3-2, but had first and third with no one out, and Garret Jones at the plate. Jones grounded to the pitcher, and he caught LaRoche in a rundown at third and home. McCutchen did what he was supposed to do and go all the way to third insuring that someone would still be on third. It does mean that McCutchen is out when the tag is applied as LaRoche has the right to the bag. The ump clearly points to McCutchen and signals him out. Andy then walks off the bag, gets tagged as well, and now there are two outs and Jones on second. What makes it worse is that the Pirates still managed to get a run on a wild pitch later in the inning to tie it. The Pirates should have won that game. They blew it on a mental error. They made two fielding errors as well.
Meek took the loss as Yadir Malina, the one who got the strange double play, came up with a clutch hit and the Pirates lose in the top of the ninth.
Our offense is starting to click with Jones hitting when guys are on, McCutchen getting on all the time, Andy playing very well, and Milledge starting to get into a hot streak. It is a shame these mental lapses rob games from us.
What we learned was that the Pirates can compete against one of the best pitchers in the NL, the best team in the Central, and we learned that the Pirates still make the mental mistakes that keep them a losing team.
The Pirates were down 3-2, but had first and third with no one out, and Garret Jones at the plate. Jones grounded to the pitcher, and he caught LaRoche in a rundown at third and home. McCutchen did what he was supposed to do and go all the way to third insuring that someone would still be on third. It does mean that McCutchen is out when the tag is applied as LaRoche has the right to the bag. The ump clearly points to McCutchen and signals him out. Andy then walks off the bag, gets tagged as well, and now there are two outs and Jones on second. What makes it worse is that the Pirates still managed to get a run on a wild pitch later in the inning to tie it. The Pirates should have won that game. They blew it on a mental error. They made two fielding errors as well.
Meek took the loss as Yadir Malina, the one who got the strange double play, came up with a clutch hit and the Pirates lose in the top of the ninth.
Our offense is starting to click with Jones hitting when guys are on, McCutchen getting on all the time, Andy playing very well, and Milledge starting to get into a hot streak. It is a shame these mental lapses rob games from us.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
A win for Charlie - May 5
Charlie Morton pitches a win! Overall that was a nice game. Six innings and only two runs. Still, he did show in that fourth that he struggles getting people out when he is in a jam. But he did well, and that should be celebrated.
He was helped by Garrett Jones finding his stroke for some big hits. Andrew McCutchen hit well as always and surprisingly Bobby Crosby hit well. Pearce got the start, but does what he always does in the majors: nothing. He did show some good defense. But he will not hit at the big league level. I would rather they have called up Neil Walker.
Pirates get the series win, and now need to complete the sweep at home.
He was helped by Garrett Jones finding his stroke for some big hits. Andrew McCutchen hit well as always and surprisingly Bobby Crosby hit well. Pearce got the start, but does what he always does in the majors: nothing. He did show some good defense. But he will not hit at the big league level. I would rather they have called up Neil Walker.
Pirates get the series win, and now need to complete the sweep at home.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Minor League Look
The Minor Leagues took center stage today, and the outcomes were not good for the teams, but more encouraging for the top prospects.
First, Altoona, Bradenton, and West Virginia all lost, but Indy won. 1-3.
Second, Bradenton should have won, but they blew it. The final score was 1-0 so it is hard to blame pitcher Nathan Adcock. He pitched well. The bottom of the first saw Quincy Latimore strike out with runners on second and third. The sixth inning ended on Robbie Grossman getting thrown out stealing. The seventh started with Marte and Sanchez getting back to back singles (which would have scored Grossman in the sixth), but that threat ending because Marte got picked off of second. The ninth inning ended with Grossman standing on second while Tony Sanchez struck out. A game where the Mauraders could have won it. Grossmann, Marte, and Sanchez all got hits.
Third, Pedro Alvarez appears to be finding his stride in Indy. He is slowly getting better. In today's win he walked in the first, singled in the third (but was thrown out at home on a hit by Pearce), doubled in two runs in the fifth, grounded out in the seventh, and was hit by a pitch in the ninth. A good solid day for the top prospect.
Fourth, Tim Alderson went five innings, but allowed five runs, not all earned. However the good news in this is that he did not get the loss, and that he struck out 8. 7 of those 8 were swinging. Jim Negyrch continues his good play with a pinch hit RBI double. Daniel Moskos walked one, struck out one, and retired one more. He did not allow any runs. D'Arnaud got a hit and scored a run. Mercer had no hits, but got an RBI and a walk.
So not a bad night for some prospects. Alderson did give up a lot of runs, but that is more strike outs than he has had all season long.
First, Altoona, Bradenton, and West Virginia all lost, but Indy won. 1-3.
Second, Bradenton should have won, but they blew it. The final score was 1-0 so it is hard to blame pitcher Nathan Adcock. He pitched well. The bottom of the first saw Quincy Latimore strike out with runners on second and third. The sixth inning ended on Robbie Grossman getting thrown out stealing. The seventh started with Marte and Sanchez getting back to back singles (which would have scored Grossman in the sixth), but that threat ending because Marte got picked off of second. The ninth inning ended with Grossman standing on second while Tony Sanchez struck out. A game where the Mauraders could have won it. Grossmann, Marte, and Sanchez all got hits.
Third, Pedro Alvarez appears to be finding his stride in Indy. He is slowly getting better. In today's win he walked in the first, singled in the third (but was thrown out at home on a hit by Pearce), doubled in two runs in the fifth, grounded out in the seventh, and was hit by a pitch in the ninth. A good solid day for the top prospect.
Fourth, Tim Alderson went five innings, but allowed five runs, not all earned. However the good news in this is that he did not get the loss, and that he struck out 8. 7 of those 8 were swinging. Jim Negyrch continues his good play with a pinch hit RBI double. Daniel Moskos walked one, struck out one, and retired one more. He did not allow any runs. D'Arnaud got a hit and scored a run. Mercer had no hits, but got an RBI and a walk.
So not a bad night for some prospects. Alderson did give up a lot of runs, but that is more strike outs than he has had all season long.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Pirates embarassed in LA
The Pirates won game one, but then dropped the next three. Charlie Morton lost, but did not get destroyed. Duke lost, and Karstens lost today. Karstens gave up six runs in five innings, but was not as bad as it could have been, and was inches away from a better result. A third inning run scored when it just was fair down the first base line. Milledge was close to a diving snag that would have saved other runs, but missing it, let it get past him. Still Karstens took the loss. The offense was almost all Garret Jones, which is the lone positive to take out of this. He hit two doubles today, getting RBIs both times. If Jones's bat is back, adn Doumit continues to be hot as he was all week, then the Pirates can have an offense against the Cubs that ought to score. The Dodgers pitching is much better than the Cubs.
In better news in the Minor Leagues Altoona beat Stephen Strassborg. Jordy Mercer went 1 for 2 and gathered another RBI. Mercer is having an excellent year.
Also Michael Crotta, who was called up to Triple A not long ago, pitched great, got a win, and only gave up three runs in seven innings. Only two of those runs were earned. Jose Tabata raised his average to .330. This kid cannot get to the majors fast enough. There is currently a place for him to start everyday. I hope the Pirates are trying to market either Church or Milledge. Tabata is too good to sit.
In better news in the Minor Leagues Altoona beat Stephen Strassborg. Jordy Mercer went 1 for 2 and gathered another RBI. Mercer is having an excellent year.
Also Michael Crotta, who was called up to Triple A not long ago, pitched great, got a win, and only gave up three runs in seven innings. Only two of those runs were earned. Jose Tabata raised his average to .330. This kid cannot get to the majors fast enough. There is currently a place for him to start everyday. I hope the Pirates are trying to market either Church or Milledge. Tabata is too good to sit.
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