Things have officially gotten ugly. When your General Manager trades away most of the current talent on the team, its quite possible to see a swoon or two before the ship is righted. Right now we're in a maelstrom.
Our Buccos have lost 8 in a row, and the majority of those losses can be handed to the bullpen. Dejan Kovacevic wrote about it today in the PG, you can read it for yourself. The bullpen has no talent left (besides Capps). Trading away John Grabow, although done in good faith by Neal Huntingdon, has left the bullpen in shambles. When one of your "reliable" relievers happens to be Jesse Chavez, things aren't good.
As a result, John Russell has suddenly become trigger happy with using his bullpen. Yesterday, he takes a cruising Zach Duke out with one out in the 8th and brings in Matt Capps. Yes, Matt Capps. With one out in the 8th. Matt Capps < Jonathan Papelbon. Matt Capps < Mariano Rivera. He immediately gives up a two-run shot to Skip Schumaker, and then hits Albert Pujols, earning himself an ejection. So now who does Russell bring in? You guessed it: Jesse Chavez. Needless to say, game over.
This incident is just the latest in a disturbing trend for Russell. John has highlighted some in his recaps (taking out Chavez for Hanrahan...its like trading a revolver for rat poison). But I will say that he shouldn't take all the blame. The bottom line is this: there is no talent left in the bullpen. No lead is safe. Sure, Matt Capps is still a capable closer and has had a solid year, but the chances of the bullpen giving him a lead in the 9th inning has gone way way down.
How would you manage the bullpen? If I were in Russell's shoes, I'd have no clue. Its hard to manage when you have no talent to work with. I don't fault him for trying different things. I don't fault him for trying to get everyone innings, they do need the experience. But for those fans thinking this current group of players could somehow turn it around to .500 despite all of the trades, this is your wake up call. It won't happen. Not with this bullpen.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
An Era Ends, A New Era Begins
Once again, trades bring back the other contributor to this blog, but this time I bring a much different attitude and message. I'll be the first to say it: when I last posted on June 3rd (yikes...sorry again John), I was an emotional wreck because of a trade not made with emotions, but with pure business and baseball intentions. I was an idiot for calling it wrong.
It doesn't matter that Andrew McCutcheon has quickly become a Rookie of the Year contender. The trade wasn't made simply to move him up, but rather because Neal Huntingdon truely believed he got a steal from Atlanta for one player. Why did Huntingdon believe this? Because he has a plan. Let me repeat that, just to make sure Dave Littlefield can hear me: HE HAS A PLAN. And not only is he talking the talk, he's walking the walk. He made one thing clear: his goal is to acquire as much talent as possible and put it in the Pirates' system, whether it be through trades (including saying that no one is untouchable) or the draft. He's doing that and your mom's dishes.
Lets recap...since Opening Day, he's traded Nate McLouth, Nyjer Morgan, Sean Burnett, Adam LaRoche, Jack Wilson, Ian Snell, and Freddy Sanchez for Charlie Morton, Jeff Locke, Gorkys Hernandez, Joel Hanrahan, Lastings Milledge, Argenis Diaz, Hunter Strickland, Ronny Cedeno, Jeff Clement, Nathan Adcock, Brett Lorin, Aaron Pribanic, and Tim Alderson. That's seven former players from the Major League roster for thirteen current or future players. On sheer numbers alone, that's good, but not only is quantity important, quality is. Of those thirteen, eight (Morton, Locke, Hernandez, Milledge, Clement, Adcock, Lorin, Alderson) have the potential to be impact players every day. Morton (who has already shown us how good his raw stuff is), Locke, Adcock, Lorin, and Alderson are all above average pitching prospects, immediately doubling the amount the Pirates have in their system (Ross The Boss Ohlendorf, Brad Lincoln, Bryan Morris, Rudy Owens, and Brian Leach). Clement was the 3rd overall pick in 2005 and has great power. Milledge is still a top prospect despite his off-the-field issues. And Hernandez is a five-tool center fielder in the Andrew McCutcheon mold. I think we got the quantity and quality both covered.
Now, lets look at who was traded, and lets remember also that we're not breaking up the 1927 Yankees here. As good as some of these players are, and as much as we like them, they still haven't brought the end to our losing streak. Of the seven that were traded, you can only argue that one player, Nate McLouth, was both performing to his potential and still ahead of his prime. Nyjer, Jack, and Freddy were all having decent years, but Nyjer is an unproven 29 year-old and Jack and Freddy are on the other side of their primes (and their contracts were way too expensive). The others, Burnett, LaRoche, and Snell, never reached their potential, and any return for them in a trade would be a gift. Yes, some of these players were among the most popular on the team, and personally as a fan, I was sad to see Nate, Nyjer, Jack and Freddy go. But the return in each trade has been anywhere between a complete steal and acceptable; gone are the days of Aramis Ramirez for Bobby Hill.
As a fan, its hard to still not be cynical. Seventeen straight losing seasons does that to you. Trading away literally all of the popular players in the last two seasons does that to you. I can promise you the only fans left are the true ones. Just go to any game that isn't a fireworks night and you'll know what I mean. But despite all that, and the fact that I currently have Oasis ringing through my ears, I am not cynical. I said it at the beginning of the season, and Neal Huntingdon has reaffirmed it all year: this team is heading in a good direction. Huntingdon has a plan and he's sticking to it, and he's actually executing it pretty well. He's had two great drafts (Side note: For all of you hating on the Tony Sanchez pick right now, you'll love him in two years when all of Ryan Doumit's injuries catch up to him. Sanchez is straight from the Pudge Rodriguez mold, mark my words.) and his trades have added loads of talent into a Minor League system that was bare bones when he inherited it. Will all of these prospects pan out into great Major League players? Of course not, but Neal Huntingdon knows that, which is why he won't stop adding talent. You can never have too many prospects.
So as of this moment, I'm actually very excited about our Buccos. McCutcheon (from now on known as Cutch) is a star, and now my new number 1 candidate for a shirt/jersey. The Garrett Jones Experience is the new darling of the team, a 28 year old rookie with disgusting power (he's the left handed bat Adam LaRoche should have been). The starting pitching is still holding its own (Charlie Morton's fastball should have its own blog). And maybe John Russell isn't such a bad manager after all.
So once again, this season just proves that being a Pirate fan is never uneventful. If I don't write again for another two months, its nice to know I'm in a much better frame of mind this time.
And yes, John and I are still friends.
It doesn't matter that Andrew McCutcheon has quickly become a Rookie of the Year contender. The trade wasn't made simply to move him up, but rather because Neal Huntingdon truely believed he got a steal from Atlanta for one player. Why did Huntingdon believe this? Because he has a plan. Let me repeat that, just to make sure Dave Littlefield can hear me: HE HAS A PLAN. And not only is he talking the talk, he's walking the walk. He made one thing clear: his goal is to acquire as much talent as possible and put it in the Pirates' system, whether it be through trades (including saying that no one is untouchable) or the draft. He's doing that and your mom's dishes.
Lets recap...since Opening Day, he's traded Nate McLouth, Nyjer Morgan, Sean Burnett, Adam LaRoche, Jack Wilson, Ian Snell, and Freddy Sanchez for Charlie Morton, Jeff Locke, Gorkys Hernandez, Joel Hanrahan, Lastings Milledge, Argenis Diaz, Hunter Strickland, Ronny Cedeno, Jeff Clement, Nathan Adcock, Brett Lorin, Aaron Pribanic, and Tim Alderson. That's seven former players from the Major League roster for thirteen current or future players. On sheer numbers alone, that's good, but not only is quantity important, quality is. Of those thirteen, eight (Morton, Locke, Hernandez, Milledge, Clement, Adcock, Lorin, Alderson) have the potential to be impact players every day. Morton (who has already shown us how good his raw stuff is), Locke, Adcock, Lorin, and Alderson are all above average pitching prospects, immediately doubling the amount the Pirates have in their system (Ross The Boss Ohlendorf, Brad Lincoln, Bryan Morris, Rudy Owens, and Brian Leach). Clement was the 3rd overall pick in 2005 and has great power. Milledge is still a top prospect despite his off-the-field issues. And Hernandez is a five-tool center fielder in the Andrew McCutcheon mold. I think we got the quantity and quality both covered.
Now, lets look at who was traded, and lets remember also that we're not breaking up the 1927 Yankees here. As good as some of these players are, and as much as we like them, they still haven't brought the end to our losing streak. Of the seven that were traded, you can only argue that one player, Nate McLouth, was both performing to his potential and still ahead of his prime. Nyjer, Jack, and Freddy were all having decent years, but Nyjer is an unproven 29 year-old and Jack and Freddy are on the other side of their primes (and their contracts were way too expensive). The others, Burnett, LaRoche, and Snell, never reached their potential, and any return for them in a trade would be a gift. Yes, some of these players were among the most popular on the team, and personally as a fan, I was sad to see Nate, Nyjer, Jack and Freddy go. But the return in each trade has been anywhere between a complete steal and acceptable; gone are the days of Aramis Ramirez for Bobby Hill.
As a fan, its hard to still not be cynical. Seventeen straight losing seasons does that to you. Trading away literally all of the popular players in the last two seasons does that to you. I can promise you the only fans left are the true ones. Just go to any game that isn't a fireworks night and you'll know what I mean. But despite all that, and the fact that I currently have Oasis ringing through my ears, I am not cynical. I said it at the beginning of the season, and Neal Huntingdon has reaffirmed it all year: this team is heading in a good direction. Huntingdon has a plan and he's sticking to it, and he's actually executing it pretty well. He's had two great drafts (Side note: For all of you hating on the Tony Sanchez pick right now, you'll love him in two years when all of Ryan Doumit's injuries catch up to him. Sanchez is straight from the Pudge Rodriguez mold, mark my words.) and his trades have added loads of talent into a Minor League system that was bare bones when he inherited it. Will all of these prospects pan out into great Major League players? Of course not, but Neal Huntingdon knows that, which is why he won't stop adding talent. You can never have too many prospects.
So as of this moment, I'm actually very excited about our Buccos. McCutcheon (from now on known as Cutch) is a star, and now my new number 1 candidate for a shirt/jersey. The Garrett Jones Experience is the new darling of the team, a 28 year old rookie with disgusting power (he's the left handed bat Adam LaRoche should have been). The starting pitching is still holding its own (Charlie Morton's fastball should have its own blog). And maybe John Russell isn't such a bad manager after all.
So once again, this season just proves that being a Pirate fan is never uneventful. If I don't write again for another two months, its nice to know I'm in a much better frame of mind this time.
And yes, John and I are still friends.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Pirates Trade Nate McLouth
First things first, I'm back. I'm not dead. And John is still somehow my friend although I've left him hung out to dry on the blogging end (read my first post...I told you anything could happen). But this is what it took to bring me back: The Pirates today traded Nate McLouth to the Braves for three Minor Leaguers: OF Gorkys Hernandez, LHP Jeff Locke, and RHP Charlie Morton.
If you want to read the stats and get the scoop on those three, go to a real website. I'm not going to copy them. The real purpose of this trade was to bring up Andrew McCutcheon, whom management has deemed ready to be an every day outfielder (and apparently, the every day centerfielder).
The question isn't whether or not McCutcheon is ready. He may not be an All-Star right away, but if he's not ready now, he'll never be. The question is whether or not it was smart to get rid of McLouth at this time, and I'll give you the simple answer: NO.
Neal Huntingdon has always been about acquiring talent any way he can, and certainly this move was done with that in mind. But even he said it was the hardest decision he's had to make in his time as general manager. There might be a good reason for that, because it doesn't make sense to me.
McLouth was a cornerstone of the new group of Pirates. He was a young All-Star, Gold Glove-winning centerfielder who was signed to an extension this past offseason, at a bargain price for the Pirates. He was the anchor of the outfield, the one guy in the outfield that at the beginning of the season wasn't a question mark. I know no one is untouchable, but this leaves the outfield in shambles, with no solid solution in sight.
So McCutcheon is here now. Ok great, who else has proven themselves to be an every day player in the outfield? No one. Nyjer has been great, sure, but he's also almost 30 and he's making his living right now on a great half-season. If it wasn't for his great start to the season he'd already be gone. Brandon Moss is more inconsistent than the weather right now, and he has no power whatsoever. Craig Monroe is too old and has that Derek Bell/Kevin Young lazy streak about him that scares me to death. Eric Hinske is good in a platoon at best. And Delwyn Young? Eh, never mind.
My point is this: You don't trade away a solid long-term part of your future unless you can get the jackpot in return, and I am not for one moment convinced that is what we got. Out of all the big trades Neal Huntingdon has made, this is the one I do not understand. I understand the Bay/Nady trades. They were older, moving out of their prime (in Nady's case, certainly not in Bay's), and about to earn a lot of money (in Bay's case, especially now). The Pirates needed more talent, and they moved the right people to get it. I know McLouth had the most trade value of any current Pirate, but he was not in the same point in his career as Bay/Nady. Now, because this move was made, Huntingdon better be the most confident in this deal over any other, because with this deal he has the most to lose. These prospects better produce the most out of any others, or this deal won't look good.
Instead of Morgan-McLouth-McCutcheon, its Morgan-McCutcheon-your mom. Good luck.
PS: I wrote this from the baseball perspective. You don't want the fans' perspective. As a fan, this sucks. That's all I'll say.
If you want to read the stats and get the scoop on those three, go to a real website. I'm not going to copy them. The real purpose of this trade was to bring up Andrew McCutcheon, whom management has deemed ready to be an every day outfielder (and apparently, the every day centerfielder).
The question isn't whether or not McCutcheon is ready. He may not be an All-Star right away, but if he's not ready now, he'll never be. The question is whether or not it was smart to get rid of McLouth at this time, and I'll give you the simple answer: NO.
Neal Huntingdon has always been about acquiring talent any way he can, and certainly this move was done with that in mind. But even he said it was the hardest decision he's had to make in his time as general manager. There might be a good reason for that, because it doesn't make sense to me.
McLouth was a cornerstone of the new group of Pirates. He was a young All-Star, Gold Glove-winning centerfielder who was signed to an extension this past offseason, at a bargain price for the Pirates. He was the anchor of the outfield, the one guy in the outfield that at the beginning of the season wasn't a question mark. I know no one is untouchable, but this leaves the outfield in shambles, with no solid solution in sight.
So McCutcheon is here now. Ok great, who else has proven themselves to be an every day player in the outfield? No one. Nyjer has been great, sure, but he's also almost 30 and he's making his living right now on a great half-season. If it wasn't for his great start to the season he'd already be gone. Brandon Moss is more inconsistent than the weather right now, and he has no power whatsoever. Craig Monroe is too old and has that Derek Bell/Kevin Young lazy streak about him that scares me to death. Eric Hinske is good in a platoon at best. And Delwyn Young? Eh, never mind.
My point is this: You don't trade away a solid long-term part of your future unless you can get the jackpot in return, and I am not for one moment convinced that is what we got. Out of all the big trades Neal Huntingdon has made, this is the one I do not understand. I understand the Bay/Nady trades. They were older, moving out of their prime (in Nady's case, certainly not in Bay's), and about to earn a lot of money (in Bay's case, especially now). The Pirates needed more talent, and they moved the right people to get it. I know McLouth had the most trade value of any current Pirate, but he was not in the same point in his career as Bay/Nady. Now, because this move was made, Huntingdon better be the most confident in this deal over any other, because with this deal he has the most to lose. These prospects better produce the most out of any others, or this deal won't look good.
Instead of Morgan-McLouth-McCutcheon, its Morgan-McCutcheon-your mom. Good luck.
PS: I wrote this from the baseball perspective. You don't want the fans' perspective. As a fan, this sucks. That's all I'll say.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Wasted Gem (12-13)
LOSS 7-4
At 12-13, the Pirates are now starting to show many signs of being an inconsistent team. The starting pitchers still have the best ERA in the Majors, despite Jeff Karstens being mediocre at best. But that is one of the few bright spots at this point. The bullpen is shaky, and the lineup, which clearly misses Ryan Doumit's bat in the middle, will put up 8 runs one night and get 2 hits the next, often times cancelling out a great start by Zach Duke or Paul Maholm. Tonight, the bullpen was the culprit. After Paul Maholm left with a 3-2 lead in the 8th, John Grabow gave up a run to tie it, and after Jason Jaramillo's double gave the Pirates the lead back, Matt Capps blew the save by giving up a 3-run homer to Rickie Weeks and allowing 4 runs total in the top of the 9th.
The Pirates take on the Brewers again tonight at 7:05 to end their quick series before going back on the road for six games. Former Pirate Jeff Suppan will go for the Brewers against Ian Snell.
At 12-13, the Pirates are now starting to show many signs of being an inconsistent team. The starting pitchers still have the best ERA in the Majors, despite Jeff Karstens being mediocre at best. But that is one of the few bright spots at this point. The bullpen is shaky, and the lineup, which clearly misses Ryan Doumit's bat in the middle, will put up 8 runs one night and get 2 hits the next, often times cancelling out a great start by Zach Duke or Paul Maholm. Tonight, the bullpen was the culprit. After Paul Maholm left with a 3-2 lead in the 8th, John Grabow gave up a run to tie it, and after Jason Jaramillo's double gave the Pirates the lead back, Matt Capps blew the save by giving up a 3-run homer to Rickie Weeks and allowing 4 runs total in the top of the 9th.
The Pirates take on the Brewers again tonight at 7:05 to end their quick series before going back on the road for six games. Former Pirate Jeff Suppan will go for the Brewers against Ian Snell.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Game 11 - Afternoon Delight (6-5)
WIN 10-0
Count me as one who completely forgot the Pirates were playing this afternoon, but the Pirates certainly showed up and brought the lumber. Craig Monroe hit two 3-run homers to captain the Pirates to a 10-0 win over the Atlanta Braves (5-6). Ian Snell threw seven shutout innings, giving up four hits, three walks and striking out three. He has officially recovered from his horrible first start, lowering his ERA to 4.24. Ryan Doumit had three doubles and Andy LaRoche was 3-4 with two doubles and an RBI. Monroe hit his pair of 3-run homers in back-to-back innings off Braves starter Jo-Jo Reyes and Buddy Carlyle.
The Pirates have moved back over .500 to 6-5 on the season. They are now 3-2 at home, 2-0 against the Braves, and win their first series this season with the win today.
Three stars:
#1 Craig Monroe (1)
#2 Andy LaRoche (1)
#3 Ian Snell (1)
The Pirates and Braves finish off the series tomorrow at 1:35. Zach Duke will face Javier Vasquez.
Count me as one who completely forgot the Pirates were playing this afternoon, but the Pirates certainly showed up and brought the lumber. Craig Monroe hit two 3-run homers to captain the Pirates to a 10-0 win over the Atlanta Braves (5-6). Ian Snell threw seven shutout innings, giving up four hits, three walks and striking out three. He has officially recovered from his horrible first start, lowering his ERA to 4.24. Ryan Doumit had three doubles and Andy LaRoche was 3-4 with two doubles and an RBI. Monroe hit his pair of 3-run homers in back-to-back innings off Braves starter Jo-Jo Reyes and Buddy Carlyle.
The Pirates have moved back over .500 to 6-5 on the season. They are now 3-2 at home, 2-0 against the Braves, and win their first series this season with the win today.
Three stars:
#1 Craig Monroe (1)
#2 Andy LaRoche (1)
#3 Ian Snell (1)
The Pirates and Braves finish off the series tomorrow at 1:35. Zach Duke will face Javier Vasquez.
Game 10 - Back In Black (5-5)
WIN 3-0
On a night when many more people cared what happened with the Penguins (understandably so), the Pirates got a rare win in a pitchers duel, thanks to timely hitting and pitching. Even though he didn't have his best stuff, Paul Maholm showed great poise in throwing seven shutout innings and got insurance runs from a Nate McLouth 2-run homer as the Pirates won 3-0 over Jair Jurrjens and the Braves. Maholm kept putting up zeros despite struggling with his command, giving up four hits, walking three, hitting two batters, and balking once. He improved to 2-0 and lowered his ERA to 0.87. McLouth and Freddy Sanchez had two hits each. The win was a big one for the Pirates, and especially Paul Maholm. Many times over the last few seasons, the Pirates have been on the losing end of pitchers duels (I'm reminded of Oliver Perez in '04 and Tom Gorzelanny in '07), so for Paul to have a night like this really establishes him as the ace and the stopper of this staff.
Game recap -
The Pirates unveiled their new black alternate jerseys tonight...not as bad as I thought they would be. The Braves best scoring chance came in the 2nd: Maholm hit Brian McCann then gave up singles to Jeff Francouer and Martin Prado to load the bases with no outs. But Casey Kotchman popped out and Jordan Schafer bounced into a 1-2-3 double play to end the inning with no damage. The next half inning, Brandon Moss tripled with one out for the Pirates and Andy LaRoche grounded out to drive him in. Maholm preserved that 1-0 lead threw the 7th, stifling potential Atlanta rallies in the 5th, 6th, and 7th. After Grabow got through the 8th, Sanchez singled off former Pirate Mike Gonzalez (here comes the boom) and McLouth followed with a homer to the Clemente seats in right, providing some much needed insurance runs. Matt Capps pitched a perfect 9th for his 3rd save of the season.
With the win the Pirates climb back up to .500 at 5-5. They are now 2-2 at home and 1-0 against the Braves. John and I are now 2-0 at Pirate games this year, and my Altoona Curve hat is also 2-0 (I'm wearing it to games until we lose).
Three Stars:
#1 Paul Maholm (3 in 3 starts...huge)
#2 Nate McLouth (2)
#3 Matt Capps (1)
Not so much:
#1 Nyjer Morgan (1)
#2 Ryan Doumit (3)
The Pirates and Braves (5-5) tee it up again tomorrow afternoon at 12:35, where Ian Snell will face Jo-Jo Reyes, who the Braves called up to make a spot start. Its Ryan Doumit bobblehead day.
On a night when many more people cared what happened with the Penguins (understandably so), the Pirates got a rare win in a pitchers duel, thanks to timely hitting and pitching. Even though he didn't have his best stuff, Paul Maholm showed great poise in throwing seven shutout innings and got insurance runs from a Nate McLouth 2-run homer as the Pirates won 3-0 over Jair Jurrjens and the Braves. Maholm kept putting up zeros despite struggling with his command, giving up four hits, walking three, hitting two batters, and balking once. He improved to 2-0 and lowered his ERA to 0.87. McLouth and Freddy Sanchez had two hits each. The win was a big one for the Pirates, and especially Paul Maholm. Many times over the last few seasons, the Pirates have been on the losing end of pitchers duels (I'm reminded of Oliver Perez in '04 and Tom Gorzelanny in '07), so for Paul to have a night like this really establishes him as the ace and the stopper of this staff.
Game recap -
The Pirates unveiled their new black alternate jerseys tonight...not as bad as I thought they would be. The Braves best scoring chance came in the 2nd: Maholm hit Brian McCann then gave up singles to Jeff Francouer and Martin Prado to load the bases with no outs. But Casey Kotchman popped out and Jordan Schafer bounced into a 1-2-3 double play to end the inning with no damage. The next half inning, Brandon Moss tripled with one out for the Pirates and Andy LaRoche grounded out to drive him in. Maholm preserved that 1-0 lead threw the 7th, stifling potential Atlanta rallies in the 5th, 6th, and 7th. After Grabow got through the 8th, Sanchez singled off former Pirate Mike Gonzalez (here comes the boom) and McLouth followed with a homer to the Clemente seats in right, providing some much needed insurance runs. Matt Capps pitched a perfect 9th for his 3rd save of the season.
With the win the Pirates climb back up to .500 at 5-5. They are now 2-2 at home and 1-0 against the Braves. John and I are now 2-0 at Pirate games this year, and my Altoona Curve hat is also 2-0 (I'm wearing it to games until we lose).
Three Stars:
#1 Paul Maholm (3 in 3 starts...huge)
#2 Nate McLouth (2)
#3 Matt Capps (1)
Not so much:
#1 Nyjer Morgan (1)
#2 Ryan Doumit (3)
The Pirates and Braves (5-5) tee it up again tomorrow afternoon at 12:35, where Ian Snell will face Jo-Jo Reyes, who the Braves called up to make a spot start. Its Ryan Doumit bobblehead day.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Game 5 - Queen Me
PIRATES WIN 10-2
Anytime the Pirates visit Great American Ballpark, the home runs start flying. Whether they come from the Pirates or the Reds is the question. Today, they came from the Pirates, specifically Nate McLouth, Ryan Doumit, and Adam LaRoche, on the way to a 10-2 victory. Doumit's home run came in the 9th inning with the bases loaded, giving him his first career Grand Slam to cap off a 3-5 day. Paul Maholm continued his good work with seven strong innings, giving up only one run on three hits, with three strikeouts. The win assures the Pirates of at least a .500 record when they play the home opener Monday.
Game recap:
The Bucs got to Reds starter Johnny Cueto early, as Nyjer Morgan led off the game with a single and promptly stole second, setting up Nate McLouth's homer. It was only the second hit of McLouth's season so far, both of which were home runs, but McLouth would go 2-3 with two walks and two runs scored today. Maholm cruised early, retiring the first eleven batters and making Joey Votto look silly. In the top of the 4th, Jack Wilson doubled off the top of the left field wall, scoring Brandon Moss (who had just doubled). Then, with the defense playing in, Nyjer Morgan put one over Willy Taveras' head deep in center for a triple that scored Wilson and put the Pirates up 4-0. That's all the scoring Maholm would need, who cruised through 7 innings, only giving up a run in the 7th when Jay Bruce grounded out and Brandon Phillips scored. The Pirates blew the game open in the 9th and left no doubt. Doumit's Grand Slam came off former Pirate Mike Lincoln, after Lincoln had given up three walks and a single in the inning. Adam LaRoche followed Doumit with a solo homer of his own just for good measure, and just to prove that he could actually hit the ball in April. The Reds got a run off of rookie Jesse Chavez in the 9th, but the outcome was already decided. Cincinnati sucks.
Pirates improve to 3-2 on the season, 3-2 on the road, 3-2 in the division, and 1-0 against Cincinnati.
The three stars (in honor of John):
#1 Paul Maholm (2)
#2 Ryan Doumit (1)
#3 Nate McLouth (1)
Not so much:
#1 Andy LaRoche (3)
The Pirates will go for the short series sweep tomorrow afternoon at 1:10, where Ian Snell will look to bounce back from a bad first start. The Reds will counter with their ace Aaron Harang.
Anytime the Pirates visit Great American Ballpark, the home runs start flying. Whether they come from the Pirates or the Reds is the question. Today, they came from the Pirates, specifically Nate McLouth, Ryan Doumit, and Adam LaRoche, on the way to a 10-2 victory. Doumit's home run came in the 9th inning with the bases loaded, giving him his first career Grand Slam to cap off a 3-5 day. Paul Maholm continued his good work with seven strong innings, giving up only one run on three hits, with three strikeouts. The win assures the Pirates of at least a .500 record when they play the home opener Monday.
Game recap:
The Bucs got to Reds starter Johnny Cueto early, as Nyjer Morgan led off the game with a single and promptly stole second, setting up Nate McLouth's homer. It was only the second hit of McLouth's season so far, both of which were home runs, but McLouth would go 2-3 with two walks and two runs scored today. Maholm cruised early, retiring the first eleven batters and making Joey Votto look silly. In the top of the 4th, Jack Wilson doubled off the top of the left field wall, scoring Brandon Moss (who had just doubled). Then, with the defense playing in, Nyjer Morgan put one over Willy Taveras' head deep in center for a triple that scored Wilson and put the Pirates up 4-0. That's all the scoring Maholm would need, who cruised through 7 innings, only giving up a run in the 7th when Jay Bruce grounded out and Brandon Phillips scored. The Pirates blew the game open in the 9th and left no doubt. Doumit's Grand Slam came off former Pirate Mike Lincoln, after Lincoln had given up three walks and a single in the inning. Adam LaRoche followed Doumit with a solo homer of his own just for good measure, and just to prove that he could actually hit the ball in April. The Reds got a run off of rookie Jesse Chavez in the 9th, but the outcome was already decided. Cincinnati sucks.
Pirates improve to 3-2 on the season, 3-2 on the road, 3-2 in the division, and 1-0 against Cincinnati.
The three stars (in honor of John):
#1 Paul Maholm (2)
#2 Ryan Doumit (1)
#3 Nate McLouth (1)
Not so much:
#1 Andy LaRoche (3)
The Pirates will go for the short series sweep tomorrow afternoon at 1:10, where Ian Snell will look to bounce back from a bad first start. The Reds will counter with their ace Aaron Harang.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Easter Goodies
When we started this blog, I mentioned that I wasn't sure how often we'd be able to post, or how often we'd be able to watch games, or how often we'd care, or something like that. Four games into the season (last night's rainout notwithstanding), not much has changed, except the fact that John has been money in the bank. We keep discussing via text whether or not we can actually do recaps for all 162 games...John has taken over. At this point, he'll do recaps even on days there isn't a game. Money in the bank.
So I guess that leaves my role as the person who chimes in on random things every once in a blue moon or so, which I'm totally fine with. I will be honest and say I've watched about 5 innings of the season so far. But I did listen to the game Thursday afternoon at work, and my excitement that I talked about in my previous post is definitely still there.
All that being said, just wanted to comment on a few things...
- First of all, a reminder that there are things much more important than a Pirates blog...our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to the families and friends of Pittsburgh Police officers Eric Kelly, Paul Sciullo II, and Stephen Mayhle, who were shot and killed in the line of duty last Saturday, and also of Los Angeles Angels rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart, who was killed along with two others by a drunk driver just hours after making his first start of the season.
There's really not much else that can be said. Both events are so sad and tragic, and both really put things into perspective. Nick Adenhart was my age....the three officers were doing their duty....their families are in our prayers.
- Overall, I'm impressed by the starting rotation so far. Yes, it's only four games into the season, but I will accept three good outings out of four any time. We can nitpick all we want (Ohlendorf's fastball didn't have good velocity, for example), but the final results have been there: 2 or less earned runs given up in three out of four starts. It's no secret that the Pirates won't go anywhere this season if their starters don't produce, especially given the presumably weak bullpen. Only time will tell the starters can keep up a good pace, but it's at least nice to see them get off to a good start. The second turn through the rotation starts today...
- Can anyone figure out the mystery that is Andy LaRoche? He raked the ball and showed significant improvement on defense in Spring Training, but then as soon as the big lights came on, he freezed up. He committed three errors in the first two games, including the now infamous dropped pop-up on Tuesday, and looked completely lost at the plate. It was so bad John Russell immediately benched him for two games for Ramon Vasquez, who happened to get the only hit off Chris Carpenter Thursday. Is it too early to think that Andy LaRoche just can't cut it in the Majors? Can we make that conclusion yet? Surely he will have more chances to get comfortable (he should be back in the lineup today), but with Ramon Vasquez on the bench and Neil Walker in AAA (whom Neal Huntingdon called the best defensive third baseman in the system), you have to believe the leash won't be that long.
- Apparently the Pirates have been hit by a flu bug. Ian Snell and Adam LaRoche, among others, have been affected in the last week. If the flu is what made Snell pitch so bad Tuesday, then that's easier to "forgive," but something tells me that wasn't the only reason.
- I have a goal this year: I'm going to try to wear a different Pirates related hat to every game I go to this year. This includes all variations of Pirates hats (batting practice, All-Star Game, alternates, etc.), Minor League affiliates past and present (Altoona Curve, Lynchburg Hillcats, Augusta Green Jackets, Carolina Mudcats, etc.), and any historical hats (Pittsburgh Crawfords, etc.).
Enjoy your Easter weekend, everyone. Bucs are on in half an hour. Peace.
So I guess that leaves my role as the person who chimes in on random things every once in a blue moon or so, which I'm totally fine with. I will be honest and say I've watched about 5 innings of the season so far. But I did listen to the game Thursday afternoon at work, and my excitement that I talked about in my previous post is definitely still there.
All that being said, just wanted to comment on a few things...
- First of all, a reminder that there are things much more important than a Pirates blog...our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to the families and friends of Pittsburgh Police officers Eric Kelly, Paul Sciullo II, and Stephen Mayhle, who were shot and killed in the line of duty last Saturday, and also of Los Angeles Angels rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart, who was killed along with two others by a drunk driver just hours after making his first start of the season.
There's really not much else that can be said. Both events are so sad and tragic, and both really put things into perspective. Nick Adenhart was my age....the three officers were doing their duty....their families are in our prayers.
- Overall, I'm impressed by the starting rotation so far. Yes, it's only four games into the season, but I will accept three good outings out of four any time. We can nitpick all we want (Ohlendorf's fastball didn't have good velocity, for example), but the final results have been there: 2 or less earned runs given up in three out of four starts. It's no secret that the Pirates won't go anywhere this season if their starters don't produce, especially given the presumably weak bullpen. Only time will tell the starters can keep up a good pace, but it's at least nice to see them get off to a good start. The second turn through the rotation starts today...
- Can anyone figure out the mystery that is Andy LaRoche? He raked the ball and showed significant improvement on defense in Spring Training, but then as soon as the big lights came on, he freezed up. He committed three errors in the first two games, including the now infamous dropped pop-up on Tuesday, and looked completely lost at the plate. It was so bad John Russell immediately benched him for two games for Ramon Vasquez, who happened to get the only hit off Chris Carpenter Thursday. Is it too early to think that Andy LaRoche just can't cut it in the Majors? Can we make that conclusion yet? Surely he will have more chances to get comfortable (he should be back in the lineup today), but with Ramon Vasquez on the bench and Neil Walker in AAA (whom Neal Huntingdon called the best defensive third baseman in the system), you have to believe the leash won't be that long.
- Apparently the Pirates have been hit by a flu bug. Ian Snell and Adam LaRoche, among others, have been affected in the last week. If the flu is what made Snell pitch so bad Tuesday, then that's easier to "forgive," but something tells me that wasn't the only reason.
- I have a goal this year: I'm going to try to wear a different Pirates related hat to every game I go to this year. This includes all variations of Pirates hats (batting practice, All-Star Game, alternates, etc.), Minor League affiliates past and present (Altoona Curve, Lynchburg Hillcats, Augusta Green Jackets, Carolina Mudcats, etc.), and any historical hats (Pittsburgh Crawfords, etc.).
Enjoy your Easter weekend, everyone. Bucs are on in half an hour. Peace.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
This Is Next Year
There are days when we love being alive. There are also days where we love being Pirate fans. Rarely do those things fall on the same day, but yesterday was one of those days. For the third straight year, the Pirates managed to pull victory from the jaws of defeat on Opening Day. It was a game the Pirates should have won, were supposed to lose, then somehow won, if that makes any sense. In other words, it had all the makings of a typical Pirate game: blown oppurtunities with men in scoring position, throwing errors, and bad relief pitching, and eventually, losin - wait...no they actually won this one.
Sometimes things aren't typical. Yesterday wasn't a typical game. The Pirates will lose more games than they'll win this year. If you predict otherwise, get real. But something tells me this season won't be a typical one. Sure, the record might not be much different (for the record, I predict 70-92), but things have changed around here. For the first time in a long time, a bright future doesn't seem too far away. We will talk about the likes of McCutchen, Alvarez and Tabata much more in future posts - the horse will be beaten to death many times over I assure you - but I will make this point: when the guys already in the show are pumped about the young guys in camp that will be there soon, you know something good is coming. This team was visibly excited about how well those guys performed, and even if the excitement doesn't carry the team the whole season, at least its there, and that hasn't happened in a long time.
As fans, we can be excited about Pedro Alvarez instead of wondering why we paid Joe Randa $7 million to play third.
Which leads us to this blog. For the first time in my life, I bought a Pirates ticket plan. Twelve games for the price of ten. Maybe that doesn't seem like much to you, and you could care less, but I'm writing the blog so get over yourself. I was born and raised to love the Pirates. My dad took me to games before I even knew what was going on. I went to 20 games in 1992, including Wakefield's shutout in the NLCS. I was 6. When Barry Bonds threw the ball up the first base line and the Braves went to the World Series (MUCH more on this in another post), I cried and cried, then didn't go to school the next day. Since then, it has been one frustrating season after another. I don't have to go through the replay for you, but there was a time when Trey Beamon, Ron Wright, and Midre Cummings were the future of the Pirates. Who are they, you ask? Exactly.
The last season and a half was the breaking point for me. In the second half of 2007, I went to about 6 games. We lost each game by scores like 10-1, 15-3, 12-0, 11-1, etc. Aggravating is terming it lightly; my friends were worried my head would explode during the game. The worst part was the Bucs' ineptitude was predictable. I could smell a Zach Duke base hit-walk-home run combo coming from miles away, as could the rest of the 13,000 in attendence. Last season was the least interested I have ever been in the Pirates. I knew there was no chance of there being a winning team; the group they had was only going to go so far. The only hope I had was that the likes of Bay, Nady, Wilson, Marte, Grabow, etc. would be traded to bring in some younger talent, but that hope meant starting over. That hope meant rebuilding, and I wasn't ready for that yet. The only fun game last year was the Lynyrd Skynyrd concert. Instead of cheering for Matt Capps to close the game out, we cheered "Free Bird" because we all wanted to see Skynyrd that badly.
But this year, when John suggested we get mini-plans, and then start a blog, I said yes. Why? Because this is next year. The light at the end of the tunnel is getting a little bit brighter. Even if we do have another sub-.500 season, even if we do set the professional franchise record of 17 consecutive losing seasons, the hope can never die. We must always believe in next year. We must always believe that no matter how long the wait, the wait will absolutely be worth it. So as for me, not only do I want to see the beginning of the future, I want to write about it, and I want to share it with everyone who has been waiting with me for 16 years, everyone that knows Pittsburgh was a great baseball town before it was a great football and hockey town, and knows it can be a great baseball town again.
One game down, 161 to go. Come along with us.
Raise The Jolly Roger.
Sometimes things aren't typical. Yesterday wasn't a typical game. The Pirates will lose more games than they'll win this year. If you predict otherwise, get real. But something tells me this season won't be a typical one. Sure, the record might not be much different (for the record, I predict 70-92), but things have changed around here. For the first time in a long time, a bright future doesn't seem too far away. We will talk about the likes of McCutchen, Alvarez and Tabata much more in future posts - the horse will be beaten to death many times over I assure you - but I will make this point: when the guys already in the show are pumped about the young guys in camp that will be there soon, you know something good is coming. This team was visibly excited about how well those guys performed, and even if the excitement doesn't carry the team the whole season, at least its there, and that hasn't happened in a long time.
As fans, we can be excited about Pedro Alvarez instead of wondering why we paid Joe Randa $7 million to play third.
Which leads us to this blog. For the first time in my life, I bought a Pirates ticket plan. Twelve games for the price of ten. Maybe that doesn't seem like much to you, and you could care less, but I'm writing the blog so get over yourself. I was born and raised to love the Pirates. My dad took me to games before I even knew what was going on. I went to 20 games in 1992, including Wakefield's shutout in the NLCS. I was 6. When Barry Bonds threw the ball up the first base line and the Braves went to the World Series (MUCH more on this in another post), I cried and cried, then didn't go to school the next day. Since then, it has been one frustrating season after another. I don't have to go through the replay for you, but there was a time when Trey Beamon, Ron Wright, and Midre Cummings were the future of the Pirates. Who are they, you ask? Exactly.
The last season and a half was the breaking point for me. In the second half of 2007, I went to about 6 games. We lost each game by scores like 10-1, 15-3, 12-0, 11-1, etc. Aggravating is terming it lightly; my friends were worried my head would explode during the game. The worst part was the Bucs' ineptitude was predictable. I could smell a Zach Duke base hit-walk-home run combo coming from miles away, as could the rest of the 13,000 in attendence. Last season was the least interested I have ever been in the Pirates. I knew there was no chance of there being a winning team; the group they had was only going to go so far. The only hope I had was that the likes of Bay, Nady, Wilson, Marte, Grabow, etc. would be traded to bring in some younger talent, but that hope meant starting over. That hope meant rebuilding, and I wasn't ready for that yet. The only fun game last year was the Lynyrd Skynyrd concert. Instead of cheering for Matt Capps to close the game out, we cheered "Free Bird" because we all wanted to see Skynyrd that badly.
But this year, when John suggested we get mini-plans, and then start a blog, I said yes. Why? Because this is next year. The light at the end of the tunnel is getting a little bit brighter. Even if we do have another sub-.500 season, even if we do set the professional franchise record of 17 consecutive losing seasons, the hope can never die. We must always believe in next year. We must always believe that no matter how long the wait, the wait will absolutely be worth it. So as for me, not only do I want to see the beginning of the future, I want to write about it, and I want to share it with everyone who has been waiting with me for 16 years, everyone that knows Pittsburgh was a great baseball town before it was a great football and hockey town, and knows it can be a great baseball town again.
One game down, 161 to go. Come along with us.
Raise The Jolly Roger.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Finally...
Today, ladies and gentlemen, is one of the best days of the year, and, in my opinion, it should be a national holiday. Yes, it's Opening Day! Derek Lowe pitched a gem last night to officially open the season, but today is the day the real action begins. And there's only one thing Opening Day means....well, it means I gotta go to work. More to come tonight...
Friday, April 3, 2009
In The Beginning
So here we are: two days before Opening Day 2009 and we decide to start a blog. Where it goes from here? We don't know. Do we really care? I guess not. I can only speak for myself; this was John's idea.
But, either way, we're here. Five years after going to our first Opening Day as Duquesne students, and 16 years after the last winning season, we're somehow still Pirates fans and we care enough to write about it. So with that, Raise The Jolly Roger and lets get this ship rollin...
But, either way, we're here. Five years after going to our first Opening Day as Duquesne students, and 16 years after the last winning season, we're somehow still Pirates fans and we care enough to write about it. So with that, Raise The Jolly Roger and lets get this ship rollin...
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