Doumit on the Mend

Cather Ryan Doumit is making great progress in his recovery from a fractured right wrist. Here's the Post-Gazette piece. So, he'll start throwing this weekend and then gradually resume other baseball activities. He is currently on schedule to return to the Pirates in mid June, about 2 weeks ahead of schedule from when the initial diagnosis was made. This is, of course, great news for the Bucs. Though Jason Jaramillo and Robinzon Diaz filled in nicely, it will be nice to have the menacing Doumit back in the middle of the lineup.

Speaking of Jaramillo and Diaz, it's been very refreshing to see that the Pirates have 2 capable backup catchers available. Both of these two rookies played quite well, so well that if (when?) Doumit goes down again, I won't be too worried about the drop off. As for which one is optioned when Doumit does return, I would guess Diaz. Though Diaz is a better hitter, his shortcomings behind the plate swing this decision to Jaramillo. Plus, Jaramillo proved he's no slouch with the bat.

The Curious Case of Benching Sanchez

In yesterday's 5-2 loss to the Cubs, manager John Russell opted to give a couple of starters the day off. One of which was Freddy Sanchez, who had 8 hits in 9 at bats the previous two games. Russell said that he wanted to give Sanchez a day off, and with Thursday's off day, here was a chance for two consecutive days without playing, which could be important since on Friday the Pirates start a stretch of 17 games without an off day. However, the chance for a winning road trip, a winning series against the Cubs, and a crucial win over a division rival should take priority. Granted, the Pirates will probably not make the playoffs this year, or even have a winning record, but you never know.

There has been talk (amongst fans and bloggers and such) that Sanchez being benched periodically is due to a clause in his contract that calls for his 2010 option year to kick in if he reaches 635 plate appearances, or 600 along with an All-Star appearance. Pirates' President Frank Coonelly thinks it's offensive to even speculate that the Pirates would intentionally prevent that from happening by not playing Sanchez. I think it's doubtful that that's what's happening here, but it's perfectly reasonable to broach the subject. I think the current management teams knows what they're doing, and they've given us no reason to doubt them too much, but how can a Pirate fan not be suspicious after so many years of questionable moves by the organization in general?

Back to the day off, Sanchez's last day off was May 10, against the Mets. This came 3 days after his previous day off. It was, of course, these two days off that led to the Coonelly tirade mentioned above. Now, since that May 10th game, Sanchez had played in 15 games, without a day off, so the timing of this off day is not too suspicious. And coupling it with Thursday's off day is not out of the ordinary at all. Manager's frequently use a scheduled off day to give a player 2 day's rest. However, I do think the benching had a little more to it than just resting the team's best hitter.

2009 might be a rebuilding year to some degree, or at least a figure-out-what-we've-got year. I'm sure the team isn't sure if they want Sanchez to return next year. Since this year will most likely be a losing season, and 2010 might not be much better, management has to figure out if it's worth keeping a player like Sanchez around for this entire season, as well as the next. And since that's the case, the Pirates need to see what other options they have at second. So in steps Delwyn Young, for what I believe is his third start at second this year. Young, however, did very little to put Sanchez's job in jeopardy, watching a third strike three times, popping out on the first pitch with a runner at third and no outs, and botching a throw on what should have been an inning-ending double play, thus allowing the Cubs' second run to score. Another possible replacement for Sanchez could be Shelby Ford, currently playing for AAA Indianapolis. Ford is stinking up the place though, hitting .186, with 6 extra base hits in 32 games. He also has struck out 26 times, with only 2 walks. So, I'm hoping the Pirates' management will see that the team does not currently possess a suitable replacement for Sanchez, should he depart at some point.

Back to the conspiracy theory: If the Pirates really do not want Sanchez back next year, with his $8.5 million salary, they would trade him at the deadline. Letting him walk after the season would garner the Bucs a draft pick, or two possibly, but they could get a lot more in a trade, provided that Sanchez keeps hitting like he is. Here's where Coonelly and company win: if Sanchez hits, they play him, save a day off every 2 weeks or so, and then trade him in July or keep him and his option. If he doesn't hit, they can get away with benching him more often, seeing what the trade market brings, and if the offers aren't good enough, they possibly let him walk after the season if he doesn't meet the PA requirements, or keep him. For the record, Sanchez currently has 197 plate appearances through the Pirates' first 47 games. At that pace, Sanchez will end the season with 679, easily surpassing the option threshold.

As for the financial aspects, with Adam LaRoche and John Grabow almost certain to be gone next year, and with Jack Wilson likely to be, the Pirates' payroll should remain fairly similar to this years' total, even with Sanchez earning $8.5 million. Unless the Pirates are planning to reduce their payroll by a noticeable margin, they should certainly be able to afford Sanchez.

As for where I stand, I am a huge fan of Freddy Sanchez. I understand that it's possible at some point that his salary could exceed his worth, but with no replacement second baseman around, at least until 2011 if Jim Negyrch (AA stats: .301, 21 walks, 9 strike outs) proves to be worthy, keeping Sanchez seems like a must.

I Think Freddy's Slump Is Over

In tonight's 10-8 win over the Cubs, Freddy Sanchez became the first Pirate since Wally Backman in 1990 to have 6 hits in a single game. Sanchez singled 4 times, doubled, homered, scored 4 runs, drove in 3 and even stole a base. The Pirates totaled 18 hits, 7 of them for extra bases. After coming from behind to defeat the White Sox on Sunday, and in doing so snapping a 5 game losing streak against the Sox, it is especially nice to see the team get a win against the Cubs in the series opener. These Cubs, along with the Brewers, and all American League teams for that matter, have had the Bucs' number the past few years. The win tonight also clinched a .500 record on this 10 game road trip, the Pirates' longest of the season. A split or better in the remaining two games would give the Bucs an impressive winning trip.

There was some bad news, however. Closer Matt Capps left the game in the 9th after taking a Geovany Soto line drive off his right hand. No word yet on the severity. Losing Capps for an extended period would certainly be costly for the Bucs, especially after he has seemed to regain his form of late.

Up next, Ian Snell versus Sean Marshall on Tuesday, followed by Zach Duke against Carlos Zambrano on Wednesday. A nice gauge as to Duke's improvement this season will be in how he fares against Alfonso Soriano. Soriano is hitting .560 in his career against Duke, with 3 doubles and 2 home runs, in 25 at bats.

Even Under My Watchful Eye, the Pirates Lose

Tonight's Pirates/White Sox game was televised on WGN and I can't say that I've seen too many White Sox games before and I may not care to again. Not because the Pirates can do nothing against them. Well, not just because of that. What I really can't stand is their horrible announcers. Well, one of them at least. I didn't really pay attention to their names while I was watching, but I think Ken Harrelson is the guy. He does the play-by-play but he sounds like a color commentator. He's obnoxious and annoying and the general feel for the broadcast is amateurish. Plus, though this is no fault of the announcers, though maybe the broadcast team in general, I could hear heckling like never before during a televised game. Seriously, it went on, very audibly, for the first four innings, and then occasionally thereafter. It was mostly harmless, like "Hey Wilson, your helmet's on backwards!" or "Andy LaRoche, you suck!" which was said while Adam LaRoche was batting. However, I did hear a heckle of Jason Jaramillo that sounded a bit racist. To be fair, I'm not a huge fan of WGN's Cubs coverage either, but at least Bob Brenley and whoever else they have are fairly professional.

As for the game, well, a fellow named Clayton Richard completely dominated the Bucs tonight. He was one of the players in the potential Jake Peavy deal that fell through. Richard did look very sharp out there; it wasn't just the Pirate hitters' incompetence, though there was a bit of that. On the plus side, Ross Ohlendorf pitched pretty well, nearly throwing a complete game. Ohlendorf was especially sharp early on, but then got beat a bit, as the game wore on, by leaving too many pitches up. There were actually a handful of balls hit very well off him that fortunately found their way into the gloves of Pirate defenders, though a fastball that stayed up to Alexei Ramirez and a hanging curve to Jermaine Dye both ended up in the seats. Still, it was nice to see another solid start. Andy LaRoche looked very good today, making a number of fine plays at third, singling twice, drawing a walk and stealing a base. And we did reach that point in the ninth, with Andy due up and 2 outs. I was very worried that John Russell would send up good ol' Ramon Vazquez to hit for him. Fortunately, Andy was allowed to hit and, in perhaps a "This is what happens when you don't pinch-hit for me" moment, he roped a single to left. Of course he was stranded and the Bucs lost 4-0, their third consecutive defeat. Perhaps their fortunes look better tomorrow, when they have a clear disadvantage in the pitching match up: Jeff Karstens vs. Mark Buehrle. Because having a better starter sure doesn't seem to matter.

The One Quarter Mark (roughly)

So, the Pirates sit at 19-23, just over one fourth of the way through the season, following last night's 2-0 loss to Gavin Floyd and the White Sox. Anyway, yesterday I planned to write something ominous about how the Pirates have won 7 of 10 games, and 3 consecutive series, and were headed to their second stop on a road trip, a stop with bad memories for the team. Rewind a bit, back to late April. On Monday, April 27, the Pirates had won 7 of their last 9, and three consecutive series. They were about to make the second stop on a road trip, at a place where the Pirates have no luck recently. Well, that first place was Milwaukee, and that game began the Bucs' worst stretch of the year, losing 12 of their next 13. Last night, the Bucs lost to the Sox, of course, and these are the same White Sox who trounced the Pirates last June by a combined score of 37 to 15 in a sweep. You see, I worried that even comparing the current Pirates to the late April Pirates would alert the baseball gods to this apparent cycle and condemn the Pirates to return to their patented sorry ways.

Well, though the Pirates did lose last night, I'm happy that Zach Duke continued to pitch well, tossing the complete game. This a day after Ian Snell was decent, though very inefficient with his pitch count, against the Nationals. Though both of these games featured very poor hitting by Pittsburgh, not so much the leaving men on kind, more like the not even getting them on to start with kind. And apparently, according to the Post-Gazette, John Russell was not happy about this.

Also, the Pirates completed their trade with the Dodgers for Delwyn Young yesterday. All it took was sending the Dodgers AA reliever Eric Krebs and a crisp $1 bill. Actually, I'm not sure if the dollar had to be crisp. And in this situation, where the deal called for 2 players to be named later or 1 and cash, and the 1 and cash was chosen by Los Angeles, how does the $1 get to LA? Do the Pirates just wire it? Maybe LA sets up a direct deposit account with the Pirates. Or do the Bucs give it to Krebs with instructions to make sure Frank McCourt receives it? By the way, this McCourt is the Dodgers owner and not the writer of Angela's Ashes, but if anyone knows the value of $1, it's the second McCourt.

Lately much has been made of John Russell pinch hitting for Andy LaRoche late in the game. First off, I'm not sure there's much benefit to this strategically, aside from maybe having a left-handed hitter face a right-handed pitcher, which doesn't always mean a lot. Since the first 2 weeks of the season, LaRoche has been a much better, and more consistent, hitter than Ramon Vazquez. And, if LaRoche is meant, or at least hoped, to be such an integral part of the Pirates' future, I don't know why you would want to send him a vote of no confidence. I did a little research and came up with some stats: Ramon Vazquez, as a pinch hitter in general, is 2 for 9, plus some walks. Pinch hitting for Andy LaRoche, he is 0 for 3. Anyone else pinch hitting for LaRoche, 0 for 1. This does not include when a player, usually Vazquez, is brought in on a double switch, or just given the start over LaRoche. So, based on the results, Vazquez hitting for LaRoche seems like a bad idea. Just in case, I checked out the batter-vs-pitcher stats for the last couple of situations where Vazquez hit for LaRoche:

May 21, vs. Joel Hanrahan. Coming in, Andy LaRoche: 1 for 1. Ramon Vazquez: 1 for 2
May 15, vs. Huston Street. Coming in, Andy LaRoche: N/A. Ramon Vazquez: 0 for 1

Neither case provides an obvious advantage in pinch-hitting Vazquez for Laroche. Maybe Russell's a little too in love with lefty-righty match ups.

Last month I posted Adam Laroche's current statistics, along with where he was at at the same point in 2008 and 2007. Now that his early hot streak is clearly over, it's only fair that I give a little updated comparison:

Through 42 games,
2009: .227, 7 HR, 20 RBI, .777 OPS
2008: .191, 4 HR, 16 RBI, .606 OPS
2007: .204, 4 HR, 20 RBI, .674 OPS

It's starting to look like things are evening out. Unfortunately.

Pirates Win 4th Straight, Barely Climb Out of Cellar

With last night's ugly, ten-inning victory over the hapless Nationals, the Pirates picked up their fourth win in a row, and sixth win in their last 8 games. The win, coupled with the Astros loss to Milwaukee, moved the Pirates into fifth place, albeit by only percentage points. I make a point of this because there's no telling how long the Pirates will be ahead of anyone in the standings. It's a good feeling, too. And, in what may actually be somewhat of a pitcher's duel, the Pirates can win their third consecutive series, and fifth straight game, with a win today. Paul Maholm starts for Pittsburgh against John Lannan. Though these two are arguably the best starters on their respective teams, their career numbers against one another are not pretty. Maholm vs. Washington: 0-2, 6.12 ERA. Lannan vs. Pittsburgh: 0-2, 7.00 ERA. So, maybe that pitching duel's off.

Also, I'd like to take a quick look at the Bucs' offense. Most people, myself included, felt that this year's offense would be noticeably worse than the pre-trading-deadline offense of 2008. With Jason Bay and Xavier Nady being replaced by Nyjer Morgan and Brandon Moss, that made perfect sense. Well, thus far in 2009, through all 39 games, the Pirates have scored 182 runs. Through 39 games in 2008, the Pirates scored 185. The difference is negligible. But can the Pirates of 2009 sustain this level of offensive fortitude? Certainly if they keep playing the Nationals and Rockies. But, seriously, as a team, they can. If you look over their individual hitting statistics for the season, no one is clearly outperforming their own capabilities, and I'm including Morgan here, since it's no shock that he can hit .300 and steal bases, though his gradually increasing walk total is a pleasant improvement. If anything, some players are performing below their own standards: Adam LaRoche we know will pick it up later this year, but Eric Hinske is homerless in 59 at bats and Ramon Vazquez is hitting just over .200. And don't forget, Ryan Doumit will return around the All-Star Break.

So, yes, the offense can keep it up. That I'm not too worried about. And the starting pitching, that's sustainable too, as Maholm hasn't gotten it going yet, and I still think Snell will find some consistency. What troubles me is the bullpen. Can they keep it up? It's entirely possible, which is a horrifying prospect.

The Long and Not Too Winding Road

The Pirates embark today on their longest road trip of the season. Longest in terms of games scheduled, but quite short in terms of mileage. (The team actually finishes up the first half with a 9 game, 10 day trip to Miami, Houston and Philadelphia, which may end up seeming like the longest trip.) They play 4 in Washington beginning today and then head to Chicago for the final 6 games of the trip, 3 each against the White Sox and Cubs. A very odd scheduling quirk here.

This comes after some complaining has been done in recent years by the Pirates' management and fans about the team's schedule being created solely to make life more difficult for the Pirates, with multiple long trips to the West Coast, and such. I never believed the Pirates were the unfair victims of preferential scheduling, but looking over this year's, there do seem to be some minor improvements over recent seasons. In 2008, the Pirates played 5 series on the road against NL West teams, including one stretch with 3 in San Francisco bookended by 3 in Cincinnati and 4 in Houston, without a day off, and another with 3 in Phoenix after 3 in Chicago and just prior to three more in Philadelphia. Rough stretches for sure.

As for 2009, the Pirates have already played at San Diego, which was the first leg of a 2 city road trip, with days off at the beginning and end. In June, the Pirates play at Denver as part of a 6 game trip which begins in Minnesota. Also, that trip is bookended by days off as well. Late July sees the team travel to both Phoenix and San Francisco on the same trip, which concludes with a day off. The Pirates play at Colorado again in August, part of a 6 game trip and begins with a day off and ends at Chicago. The Pirates' penultimate road trip of the season takes them to Houston and Los Angeles, and, once again, it is bookended by off days. Clearly, this year's schedule gives the Pirates nothing to complain about.

As for the games themselves, I am very hopeful that the Bucs can keep this offense going against a very bad pitching staff in Washington. The trip ends with a couple of weak spots for the Pirates. They have had quite a bit of trouble with the Cubs in recent years, and inter-league play has just destroyed the team. With 10 games, we'll see the entire rotation twice through, and I'd bet that each position player gets at least one start over this stretch. The Bucs will get the first taste of the DH this weekend in Chicago. 2 lefty's are scheduled for the White Sox, so Craig Monroe might get himself a pair of starts. It should be fun. Well, it might be fun.

Busy Morning for the Bucs

The Pirates try to win their second successive series today against the Rockies. Zach Duke is on the hill for the Bucs, against Ubaldo Jimenez for the Rockies. Just looking at the batter vs. pitcher stats on ESPN, the LaRoche boys are a combined 7 for 12 against Jimenez. And a number of Rockies have had success against Duke, most notably Matt Murton (10 for 25).

Anyway, the Pirates have also placed reliever Tyler Yates on the 15-Day DL this morning and recalled Tom Gorzelanny. Here's the PBC Blog piece on it. So, apparently Gorzelanny will pitch out of the bullpen, which finally gives Pittsburgh a long reliever. Gorzelanny had been pitching okay in Indy. In 40 2/3 innings, 40 hits (only 2 homers), 16 walks and 36 strike outs. Nothing spectacular, but decent. Yates, of course, has been struggling a bit this year and it looks like right elbow inflammation is at least partially to blame. Gorzelanny in the 'pen is interesting. I doubt the Pirates would pull Karstens from the rotation too quickly, since he has been pitching pretty well, but having Gorzelanny around might make it easier to make that switch, if and when the times comes.

Also today, the Bucs made a couple of small trades. They acquired outfielder Jeff Corsaletti from Boston and pitcher Randy Newson from Cleveland. Both were acquired for players to be named later and both are to be assigned to AA Altoona.

Doing a little research, I see that Coraletti is 26 years old and bats left-handed. Splitting time between AA and AAA last year, he hit .285 with 14 homers and 65 RBIs, with a pretty respectable BB:K ratio of 71:93. He's even stolen some bases in the minors. Though at that age, and having not yet seen the majors, I doubt the upside is too high.

Newsom is a 27 year old right-hander. He's been a reliever his entire pro career, reaching the AAA level this year and last. In his minor league career, in 275 innings, he has an ERA of 3.17, with 115 walks and 166 strike outs. Not especially impressive numbers. Both of these acquisitions were, most likely, just organizational moves aimed at increasing the overall talent in the system. Neither players will likely have an impact in the Majors.

5/16/09 Pirates vs. Rockies: LIVE!

7:01 PM: Here we go folks. Since I didn't figure out a legitimate live blog technique, there will have to be a lot of refreshing to get the full experience. Someday I'll do this the right way.

First a little Bucs' news: The team made a trade today with the Yankees, acquiring minor league starter Eric Hacker for Romulo Sanchez. Also, Nyjer Morgan will be out for a couple games with a sore hamstring.

7:07 PM: Here's ESPN's live box score for the game.

7:09 PM: I know it's early, but Snell's looking pretty sharp.

7:11 PM: I spoke too soon. Now Snell's getting squeezed a bit.

7:15 PM: 2 on, 2 out. Hopefully Snell can bear down and get out of this. I'd hate to see a 2 out walk turn into some 1st inning runs for the Rocks.

7:18 PM: I'm jinxing him, apparently. 2 run double for Spilborghs.

7:21 PM: I excited to see Delwyn Young. I haven't seen him yet with Pitt.

7:24 PM: C'mon, Nate. My fantasy team needs you too.

7: 28 PM: Nice little bit on the charity baseball thing with Freddy. He seems like a good guy. Someday we'll be friends.

7:29 PM: Homer for Barmes, on a hanger. Snell's stuff looks decent tonight, aside from the hanger, so I hope this is one of his starts that begins ugly and only gets prettier.

7: 33 PM: Ian finishes the 2nd strong, but 46 pitches through 2 doesn't bode well. How tall is Fowler? 6'7"?

7:35 PM: Hit for Adam. For some reason cleanup hitters kill Cook. Hitting like .600 against him.

7: 36PM: Hit for Moss. All the sudden he's good. I like that.

7:37PM: 3 straight hits and the Pirates are on the board. Nice to see big Adam chugging around 3rd. 3-1 Rocks.

7:40 PM: Bases juiced. It's Jack Wilson time! (no double play, please)

7:41 PM: Slow ground out, 1 run scores, everyone else advances. 3-2 CO.

7: 45PM: DELWYN! 2 run, 2 out hit gives the Bucs the lead. This is the clutch hitting absent from the last 2 games, and the dozen or so games prior to Tuesday.

7:47PM: I guess the rain is picking up, and here comes the tarp. Announcers say it shouldn't last long. I hope that's the case, what with the Bucs putting a nice rally together. 2 outs, Young on first, Sanchez due up, whenever the game resumes.

8:03 PM: When you only get to watch maybe 10 Pirate games a year, "bonus" coverage of the Orioles and Royals just doesn't cut it. Maybe if Greinke was pitching it would be ok.

8:25 PM: The weather forcasts shows that the rain will pass, I'm just not sure how quickly. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

8:37 PM: This rain delay has given me the opportunity to make a roster move on my fantasy team. Placed Frank Francisco on the DL and added Scott Downs. Oh, the excitement.

9:16 PM: Game should resume soon. I've spent the delay catching up on last night's The Soup ("Take it."). I wonder is PNC has a mound indoors, you know, to keep the pitchers loose. I'd hate to see the bullpen have to absorb 7 innings tonight. That might mean Donnie Veal, which is almost as bad as Matt Capps. Oooh.

9:24 PM: First play after the delay and the Bucs get a borderline call in their favor on Young's steal.

9:28 PM: Snell is out. Sean Burnett is in. Maybe he can go 3 innings.

9:32 PM: Not a good start for Burnett: leadoff walk, single to Helton. 1st and 3rd, no outs. And now Hawpe's up.

9:33 PM: Sac fly, 4-4. And Helton advanced to 2nd. The ball carried really well. We could be in for some fireworks the rest of this game.

9:36 PM: Another break for the Pirates as Helton ran into an out at third. Now, 2 outs and a runner on first.

9:43 PM: Oliver Onion build a bear? What the?

9:46 PM: Belisle is bit concerned with Nate at 1st. Perhaps enough so to groove a fastball to Moss?

9:48 PM: McLouth steals second, now let's see if Moss can bring him in...nope. Ground out, McLouth to third.

9:51 PM: I'm getting sick of this Speed Stick commercial. What's my pit type? Itchy? Hairy? Sweaty? Lonely? Grumpy? That's too personal a question.

9:53 PM: Apparently bobbleheads of specific players debuted in 1960. Who knew? Also, Jack Wilson is a stud.

10:02 PM: Clemente, Mays, Mantle and Maris were the first 4 bobbleheads. Interesting.

10:05 PM: Burnett gets a very rare at bat and grounds out. Looks like he's going 3+ tonight.

10:08 PM: Leadoff double for Tulo. Helton and Hawpe up next. Can Burnett bear down and get some outs? Well, Helton just grounded out, Tulo to third. One out.

10:09 PM: Infield is in, the Bucs don't wont to allow a run here since their odds of scoring the rest of the night is slim, if recent history is any indication. Hawpe just grounded out, runner held at third. Now, 2 outs. Very nice.

10:11 PM: Line out to center, three outs. Nice pitching by Burnett, keeping that leadoff double from hurting. Maybe this will be a momentum builder. I'm too optimistic. And again with the freaking pit ad!

10:15 PM: Turns out this is Delwyn's first time batting lead off in pro ball. At least as far as he can remember.

10:16 PM: It's my new BFF! Best Friend Freddy!

10:17 PM: The Miracle League field is awesome. It's designed for kids with disabilities, with a synthetic turf so kids in wheelchairs and walkers and play.

10:19 PM: Home Run for McLouth!! On his bobblehead night too! 5-4 Bucs!

10:20 PM: Way to kill the high LaRoche. He just struck out on a pitch that I believe was just below his left foot. Like, directly below. And, again with the pits. I might have to write a strongly worded letter to the MLB Net. Though I think they only have three different commercials total here. The Pit, Ken Burns and themselves.

10:22 PM: Hannah wins the pierogi race. Well done.

10:24 PM: Evan Meek is pitching now. And Iannetta just threw his bat about 20 rows into the crowd on a swing. It looks like no one was hurt.

10:26 PM: Easy play, but Jack Wilson rushes his throw and pulls LaRoche off first. E-6.

10:31 PM: How often will Adam LaRoche outrun Dexter Fowler? Well, I guess if Adam has a 50 foot head start.

10:32 PM: New pitcher, Jason Grilli, and Moss greets his first offering by drilling it into the notch. Moss is like 9 for his last 15. Sweet. Now, a wild pitch. Moss to third.

10:35 PM: The Bay Boys (named for Jason Bay trade) are getting things done tonight. Andy Laroche just singled in Moss. 6-4 Bucs. Still no outs.

10:37 PM: The Pirates look like a real team right now. Hit and run single by Jaramillo, LaRoche to third. No outs. Jack Wilson time!

10:41PM: Sac fly for Wilson, 7-4 Bucs. And apparently Jason Grilli and Jim Leyland are not friends. Pitching change now.

10:44 PM: In ex-Buc news, Jason Bay just homered for Boston. He must have heard that Moss and LaRoche are having good games and he needs to make sure that it is known that he is superior to both of them combined. Also, our good friend Jose Bautista had the game winning hit for Toronto today.

10:46 PM: Blass is talking about Matt Capps. That's making me nervous.

10:52 PM: I always get excited when I see that commercial with Tim Lincecum in a Pirates hat. I know it was when he was like 9 years old, but the Pirates could use a 9 year old Lincecum in their rotation.

10:54 PM: Jesse Chavez is now pitching, top of the 7th. Who would have though back in spring training that Chavez would be the most reliable reliever the Bucs have. I was just trying to remember which trade the Bucs got him in. I was thinking the Sean Casey one maybe, but the announcers just said it was the Kip Wells deal. I would call that a good trade for Pittsburgh.

10:57 PM: Chavez just made Helton look foolish on a wicked change up. . Now a fly out to center ends the Rockies half of the 7th.

11:02 PM: Really nice to see Adam drill a double off a lefty. Now Moss is up and...fly out to center. Boo.

11:13 PM: Andy LaRoche called out on a close pitch to end the 7th. He argued some but wasn't tossed. It was close, too close to take with 2 strikes. Grabow in now.

11:17 PM: Pretty quick 8th for Grabow. They just showed footage of Kerrigan working with a partially blindfolded Capps on his delivery. Perhaps Capps will use the blindfold in the 9th tonight.

11:21 PM: First Burnett, now Grabow with an at bat. Exciting day for the bullpen.

11:22 PM: Really nice sacrifice bunt for Grabow. I'm impressed.

11:23 PM: Capps coming in. Here comes twubble.

11:27 PM: Leadoff walk. Capps looks to be having a little trouble with location. Shocking.

11:28 PM: 6-4-3 double play. What a relief. Seriously.

11:30 PM: Ground out to short, Pirates win 7-4! Save for Capps, win for Burnett, nice all around game. Clutch hitting, great job by the bullpen pitching 7 innings after the rain delay. Zach Duke pitching tomorrow, going for the series win, and once again needing to eat up some innings.

If anyone was out there tonight, thanks for dropping by for my first ever live-ish blog. Have a good night.

Who's Ready for a Live Blog?

Thanks to my new favorite channel, the MLB Network, the Pirates' game on Saturday against the Colorado Rockies will be on TV here in Indiana. And I'm taking this opportunity to do a little live blogging experiment. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:05 pm Eastern, so don't be late. Just in case any of you might possibly have something better to do on a Saturday night (but really, what's better than a Pirates/Rockies game?), the complete transcript will be available afterward. Actually, realistically, the actual live blog will probably just be a regular entry that I continuously update, unless I can figure a more fancy professional way to do it. Anyway, I'm excited about it.

The game itself features Ian Snell pitching for the Bucs against Aaron Cook for the Rockies. Cook's a good pitcher, but he doesn't have great numbers against the Pirates in his career (4.83 ERA in 31 2/3 innings), though Snell's are not much better (4.78 ERA in 26 1/3). Snell does have a little history with the Rockies though, with the infamous "I will kill that dude" sign-stealing incident from 2 years ago. I'm pretty sure enough time has passed that that won't be an issue at all, however.

As for this Rockies series in general, it begins a stretch of 7 games against teams that might just be worse than the Pirates (3 vs. Colorado, 4 at Washington). It presents a nice opportunity for the Pirates to build on their series win against the Cardinals. With Nyjer Morgan and Freddy Sanchez apparently slump-proof, and with Adam LaRoche and Brandon Moss starting to hit, the Bucs' offense appears to be getting things going again, if you consider yesterday's abysmal hitting with men on base an aberration. So, hopefully the team can pull off a couple more series wins before their first taste of Inter-League play begins next Friday (followed by their first games against the Cubs, another crux of the Bucs).

Off the Schneid

A tale of two games:

Game A: A home game. Brandon Moss hits an RBI triple off the center field wall. Andy LaRoche homers. The Paul Maholm pitches superbly. Matt Capps tries to close it out in the 9th.

Game B: A home game. Brandon Moss hits his first homer. Adam LaRoche homers. Zach Duke pitches wonderfully. Matt Capps finishes it off in the 9th.

Game B was last night against the Cardinals. The Pirates won 7-1, ending their 8 game losing streak. A very well played game, completely dominated by the home team. Game A took place just 8 days prior. From a superficial perspective, many of the same things happened in this game that happened in last night's, but each was to a lesser degree. And, of course, Game A was played against the Brewers. What a difference a week makes, and what a difference the opponent makes.

Another interesting note about last night's game is that it was the Pirates' first win in a series opening game since April 20, against the Marlins. Actually, the Pirates had won the first game of each series up until that point, and they've lost the first game of every series since, prior to last night's game. This does not necessarily mean the Bucs are about to embark on some epic winning streak, it just means that last night may have marked a return to their winning and, more refreshingly, competent style of baseball that they began the season with.

Ross Ohlendorf takes the hill tonight, against Joel Pineiro for the Cards, looking to give the Bucs their first series win since late April in San Diego. On Thursday, Jeff Karstens faces Mitchell Boggs, hopefully going for the sweep. It should be a good series.

Jack Wilson Returns

Prior to tonight's home game against the St. Louis Cardinals, shortstop Jack Wilson should be activated from the disabled list, and fill-in Brian Bixler will be returned to Indianapolis, where he belongs. Now, it's no secret the Pirates have been struggling horribly the past 2 weeks, losing 8 games in a row, and 12 of their past 13. And, though I don't think Jack Wilson alone could have prevented this losing streak, I feel that the Pirates would have perhaps won another game or two in this span, or at least, not looked quite so bad, if Wilson had been here. To be fair, I should add that the Wilson was placed on the DL prior to the game in San Diego on April 26. The Pirates won that game, so, technically, they lost 12 of 14 with him gone.

Speaking just of the team's record, with Jack Wilson on the disabled list this year, the Pirates are 2-12. In 2008, Wilson also missed time due to injury. While he was on the DL last year, the Pirates went 22-24, which is actually a better winning percentage than they're accustomed to. However, the primary fill-in for Wilson the past two seasons has been Brian Bixler. Though Bixler has performed well in AAA, the Majors does not seem like his cup of tea.

Covering parts of the last three seasons, Bixler has hit a combined .280 with 12 home runs and 95 RBIs in 988 plate appearances for the AAA Indianapolis Indians. Decent, but unspectacular statistics. Bixler has stolen 53 bases in this time, but his strike outs-to-walks ratio is a poor 2.74:1. With the decent average and the speed and some extra-base-hits, it would appear that Bixler is performing very well in AAA, and perhaps that performance would translate to the Bigs. Unfortunately, that has not been the case.

In these past couple of weeks, where Wilson was injured and the Pirates turned a solid start to the year into the usual sad routine, Bixler made 8 starts at shortstop for the Bucs. In those 8 games, Bixler hit .200, with 1 walk and 18 strike outs. Among his 5 hits, he did manage 3 doubles, and he did drive in 3 runs. But striking out in 18 of your 25 at bats? Absolutely horrid.

In 2008, Bixler was just as bad. Though he only struck out 36 times in 108 at bats (by the way, that's still a pace of 200 K's for a 600 at bat season, which is Mark Reynolds territory), Bixler hit just .157 with 3 extra-base hits and 2 RBIs. Aside from his 2004 campaign, Jack Wilson has never really been thought of as an offensive shortstop. However, compared to his backup, Wilson is a regular Luke Appling.

Now, much has been made of the fact that Wilson's contract runs out after this season (he does have an option at around $8.5 million that the Pirates will absolutely NOT pick up). Wilson has stated that he would like to remain in Pittsburgh, even at a lower salary, for at least one more year. Just how low? I don't know. I've said it before, if Wilson will take something in the $3-4 million range, he would be well worth it.

Though Wilson's not the long term answer at short, he is the best option for this year and next. Bixler has proven, thus far, that he's not capable. There are a number of other intriguing shortstops in the lower levels of the minors (AA: Brian Friday, High A: Jordy Mercer, Low A: Chase D'Arnaud, Injured/Out for Year: Jarek Cunningham) but only Friday would have a legitimate chance of being major league ready at some point in 2010, though if he were to have to wait a little longer in AAA, or share time in the Bigs with Wilson, I doubt his growth would be too stunted.

I get the rebuilding, or whatever you want to call it, and I'm all for that. I would have no problem with saying so long to Wilson, and letting Bixler flounder around out there for a full year if I thought he would get it figured out and become a competent shortstop. However, I don't see Bixler reaching that level and he's probably looking at an uninteresting, and somewhat disheartening, career in the mystical in-between world of 4A.

Karstens Pitches Well (!), but Moss and Offense Fail Again

The much maligned Jeff Karstens pitched a very solid game tonight in New York only to be let down by his bullpen and offense, in a 7-3 loss. The Dynamic Duo of Tyler Yates and Sean Burnett combined to allow 5 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks in the 8th before being bailed out by Donnie Veal, of all people. And, once again, the Pirates' offense did very little in this one, leaving 9 runners on base and failing to get the clutch hit. The dreariness continues.

Brandon Moss continued to make a case for a trip to Indianapolis with another 0 for 4 game. Moss is 3 for 22 this month and is hitting only .185 on the year. Now with AAA pitcher Jimmy Barthmaier scheduled for Tommy John surgery, and a trip to the 60-Day DL, a 40-man roster spot will soon open up. I can't help but think this could mean Andrew McCutchen could be coming up. However, if we are to believe management, McCutchen's call-up will be based on when he's ready, not on any other factors. Still, I think a move of some sort could be coming. I'm pretty sure Moss still has a minor league option, so he could be sent down for a bit to get himself straightened out. Maybe the more likely replacement would be Steve Pearce, who, by the way, hit his 6th homer tonight for Indy. Or possibly Jeff Salazar, who is not on the 40-man, but now could be added. Although, Moss could just see some more time on the bench, with capable outfielder options in Craig Monroe, Delwyn Young and Eric Hinske currently on the active roster. I'm not sure if the bench is the best spot for Moss though. Or for the team, for that matter. Maybe a little roster shuffle could help motivate the hitters. And with Jack Wilson due back on Tuesday, perhaps two moves might do the trick.

Correction: Moss is, in fact, out of minor league options. So, scrap all that I wrote above here. I made a miscalculation.

Malaise

A close loss to the Cardinals, one in which many a runner was left on base, should upset a Pirate fan like me. For some reason, it doesn't. Maybe it's nice to lose to a team other than Milwaukee. To lose a game that does not extend some dreadful streak (though, to be fair, versus St. Louis: it's 2 and counting). The Pirates usually lose to the Cardinals, but the Bucs always beat them occasionally, so losing the first of two can't be shocking, or especially disappointing. It's business as usual again, with no Brewers games on the schedule until after the All-Star Break. There will be wins. There will be losses. Probably more of the latter. But no games against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Pirates' one bane. Except for Inter-League Play, of which the Bucs play 15 games between now and the next series with the Brewers, and which the Pirates are 63 and 103, the worst in the Majors, since its inception in 1997. Oh.

On the bright side, I'm actually kind of excited about the Bucs' lineup for today's game in St. Louis:

1. McLouth, CF
2. Young, 2B
3. Monroe, LF
4. Hinske, 1B
5. Moss, RF
6. Andy LaRoche, 3B
7. Diaz, C
8. Bixler, SS
9. Ohlendorf, P

The team has lost 8 of 9, so it's really time to give some guys a day off and get some other players involved. I like seeing McLouth back at lead off, for today, anyway, not permanently. And I like seeing Delwyn Young getting some more playing time. I worry about having 2 pitchers hitting at the end of the lineup, but hopefully the top 7 can create some runs.

Heartbreaking

If I were a Brewers fan, Monday night's game in Pittsburgh would have been such a thrilling contest. Our best hitter was not even in the stadium when the game began, yet he appeared on the field at the most opportune time, delivering a pinch-hit double to tie the game in the 8th. But, oh no! Our bullpen gives the opponents the lead right back and we have to face the Pirates' closer in the 9th. But then, we score 4 runs and win! Our 16th consecutive victory over the Pirates, even. What a game!

Unfortunately, I am a Pittsburgh Pirate fan, and last night's game was horrendous. So many things were going right in this one. Paul Maholm out pitched Yovani Gallardo, who completely baffled the Bucs last week in Milwaukee. Brandon Moss drove an RBI triple off the center field wall in the second, give him a whopping 3 RBIs on the year. Andy LaRoche hits his first homer of the year, and the Pirates' first home run since big bro Adam hit a pair just over a week ago in San Diego. Everything was going so well until the 8th. After one out, Maholm walked JJ Hardy. With Rickie Weeks due up, John Russell called on the eratic Tyler Yates to relieve Maholm. Even though Yates would eventually strike Weeks out, I found it unnecessary to pull Maholm at this point. He was pitching well, the Bucs had a 2 run lead and he had only thrown 98 pitches. Though that's not exactly a low total, Russell allowed Ian Snell to throw 130 last week in an even closer game. Anyway, so Weeks strikes out and Russell brings in John Grabow to go after Prince Fielder. Grabow has been struggling, but I felt confident he could get Fielder. However, the big guy singled to center and then Grabow walked Mike Cameron, bringing up Chris Duffy. But wait. Ryan Braun, who was in Milwaukee earlier in the day to have an MRI, is called on to pinch hit. This isn't quite Kirk Gibson dramatic, but close enough. So Braun then dumps a 2 run double into shallow right and the game is tied. Gut-wrenching. Heartbreaking. Pathetic. Whatever you want to call it. So, even though the Pirates took the lead back in the bottom of the 8th, it was no surprise that this one ended up being a loss, as Matt Capps allowed 4 runs in the 9th. Horrible, horrible game.

This past week, culminating in last night's loss, has sucked all the excitement and optimism out of the season, at least for right now. ESPN, who ranked the Bucs 7th in their Power Rankings 8 days ago, have dropped them back where they belong this week: 19th. Tonight the Pirates try to avoid their 17th consecutive loss to the Brewers. As we all know, the Pirates are also trying to avoid their 17th consecutive losing season this year. Will tonight's game be a sign of things to come?

Also, it appears that the aforementioned Mr. Capps is suffering from minor discomfort in his right elbow, possibly brought on by guilt. He is expected to rest for a few days. I get the feeling that the pain is at least partially related to his performances the past two games he's pitched. Perhaps rust, perhaps overcompensation. But I don't feel the loss of Capps will hurt the Bucs too much for the next few days.

Watching Karstens Pitch = Torture

I know he's had some success in the Majors, even with the Pirates, but in today's game against the Reds, Jeff Karstens was almost unbearable to watch. Granted, many a Pirate has had a worse pitching line (5 innings, 6 hits, 5 runs, 4 walks, 1 strike out), but few have been as methodically and deliberately bad. I cringed with every pitch he threw, knowing that he had nothing that any Reds hitter couldn't at least put in play, if not drive hard. And, of course, his one strike out was of opposing pitcher Johnny Cueto, he of 4 career hits and an OPS that would make even Brandon Moss blush. I know that Karstens is better, or at least more capable, than previous number five starters the Bucs have sent out there; the names Morris, Van Benschoten and Vogelsong immediately come to mind. I was just hoping for more today, since this was only the Pirates' second televised game of the year here in Indiana. The other was also a loss, though far less dreary (Harang shutting out the Pirates 2-0, while Snell pitched pretty well).

Aside from Karstens, the Bucs' offense did next to nothing today, in the 5-0 loss. Though, to be fair, much of that had to do with Cueto, who pitched brilliantly. After getting roughed up by the Bucs a few weeks ago in Cincinnati (and in my presence), he held the Pirates to 4 singles and a walk in 8 innings, striking out 9. He mixed speeds and locations well, and the Pirate hitters were constantly off balance. Aside from not being able to adjust to Cueto's pitching, the only blatant blemish for the offense today was Nyjer Morgan breaking for second way too early and getting thrown out by an alert Cueto. This is the second time I've seen this happen in the two televised games I've watched this year, and I find it a little distressing. I've always been a Nyjer supporter, and I'm incredibly pleased with his performance this year, but getting picked off like that is very aggravating.

Oh, I suppose another area of concern for the offense is the play of Brian Bixler. Though he did have a clutch hit last weekend in San Diego, he still looks as over matched as he did last year, when he struggled with a .157 average and 36 strike outs in 108 at bats, while primarily filling in for Jack Wilson. Speaking of which, it's looking more and more like it's a bit too soon to anoint Bixler as Wilson's heir. Jack's no slugger, but he can put the ball in play and provide solid to spectacular defense. If his asking price for 2010 is low enough, I think the Bucs' management should seriously consider keeping him around another year.

Another bonus today (for me) was seeing Evan Meek pitch. I hadn't seen him yet this year and I'm not too sure I saw him at all last year. Meek pitched the 6th, 7th and 8th to help minimize the usage of the Bucs' pen in this fairly one-sided affair. And Meek looked pretty good out there, though compared to Karstens fumbling his way through 5 excruciating innings, Meek was a regular Greg Maddux. Also, Jesse Chavez saw some action in this one, pitching a scoreless ninth. Chavez has been a very pleasant surprise, out pitching most all Pirate relievers. He's probably getting closer to supplanting Tyler Yates as the top right handed set up man, which at this point, I fully support.

Up next is a quick little two game series against the Brewers. As everyone knows, the Pirates have lost an obscene number of consecutive games to the Brewers overall (plus an equally obscene number at Miller Park, though these 2 are in Pittsburgh). The match ups for this pair of games are Paul Maholm against Yovani Gallardo on Monday and Ian Snell versus Jeff Suppan on Tuesday. I have nothing too insightful to add here. Clearly the Pirates need some wins in general if they are to stay competitive early in the season here. Also, it would be a huge relief to the team, and us fans, to break this Brewer streak.

Pirates Score, And Win!

Though it's been less than a week, tonight's Pirates' win over Cincinnati feels like the first victory in such a long time. It felt excruciating to watch, even on Game Cast. Grabow allowing the run in the 8th and Matt Capps, out of action for 8 days, giving up hit after hit in the 9th before finally getting the bases loaded strike out to end it. Speaking of Capps, I'm not a fan of not using your closer for such a long time. Granted, the six consecutive games he did not pitch in were either losses or blowout wins. But still, you want your closer to be sharp when you need him and I think it's important to make sure he gets work, even in non-traditional situations. This past week marks the second time this season that Capps has been on the bench for a full week. And the rust certainly showed tonight.

Anyway, regardless of how ugly the win was, a win is a win and the Bucs definitely needed this one. And now, the Pirates are tied for second once again, with a chance to win this series against the Reds. I'm never excited when Jeff Karstens is the starting pitcher, but he could be due for a decent game tomorrow. Johnny Cueto is pitching for the Reds and the Bucs have already beaten him this year, so it could happen. Hopefully, with this messy win, the Pirates can put their mini-slump behind them and start playing some good baseball again. With the hated Brewers in town for two starting Monday, it would be nice to have some positive momentum heading in to that series.

Minor League Recap: April

Indianapolis Indians (AAA): Of course, it's all about Andrew McCutchen. He has gotten off to a pretty solid start this year, hitting .282, with 11 extra-base-hits, 17 runs scored and 4 steals. He will be in Pittsburgh this year. It's just a matter of when. I'm guessing not until there's not enough games left in the season to make him eligible to be a Super-2 player in arbitration in 3 years. It sounds petty, but whatever.

Other potential Pirates of the future include Brian Bixler (currently filling in for Jack Wilson) hitting .327 with 8 RBIs for the Indians. Shelby Ford is hitting .208 with a homer and 4 RBIs, and no walks. (What happened to the Pirate fans that were calling for Freddy Sanchez to get traded so Ford could take over?) Steve Pearce is hitting .246 with 3 homers and 14 RBIs, but I bet he's looking at a major league career as a 4th or 5th outfielder/first baseman at this point. And Neil Walker is only hitting .205, though he does have 3 homers and 12 RBIs.

Pitching wise, Tom Gorzelanny is doing pretty well, aside from the walks (11 in 22 innings) which has not helped his 4.91 ERA. I'm still hoping he can get things straightened out some day. Daniel McCutchen has done pretty well (3.74 ERA), though he's also a bit high on the walks (10 in 21 2/3). I'm not sure if the team has high hopes for Virgil Vasquez, but at least he can throw strikes (4 walks in 22 2/3).

Altoona Curve (AA): The most notable player for the Curve, Jose Tabata, is out 4 to 6 weeks with a hamstring injury. With his mysterious wife stealing babies and now this (plus Tabata's .250 BA with no home runs prior to the injury), it's been a rough year for him.

Second baseman Jim Negrych is off to a hot start, hitting .373, with twice as many walks as strike outs. A couple of notable pitchers are in Altoona are '06 1st round pick Brad Lincoln and '07 first rounder Danny Moskos. Lincoln has a 4.26 ERA in 19 innings, but his 16:6 strike out to walk ratio is impressive. Moskos has a 5.94 ERA in 16 2/3 innings, with 8 walks and 8 strike outs.

Lynchburg Hillcats (High A): Pedro Alvarez has been a little inconsistent so far. He's had a number of clutch hits, but also some serious droughts. His average is currently .219, but he has drawn 15 walks already. He's also struck out 22 times and committed 7 errors at third. His 4 homers and 20 RBIs are nice though.

Jordy Mercer (SS) has done pretty well so far. He's hitting .246 with 2 homers and 13 RBIs, but he also has 7 doubles and 2 steals. He's probably not much more advanced than Chase D'Arnaud (at Low A) but they may always be playing a level apart so both can play short.

West Virginia Power (Low A): Speaking of Chase, he's hitting quite well so far, with an average of .355, with 2 homers, 12 RBIs and 4 steals. Young Robbie Grossman is getting some hits, but the 25 strike outs in 69 at bats doesn't look too hot. Another '08 draftee, Calvin Anderson is hitting quite well. His average is .318 and he's hit 3 homers to go along with 13 RBIs.

One Month In

Here we are, one month into the 2009 season, and the Pirates are 11-10, tied with Cincinnati for third in the NL Central. Before the season began, I would have been pretty pleased if you told me that's where Pittsburgh will be on May 1, but after the sweep in Milwaukee to close out the April schedule, 11-10 almost seems disappointing. But all things considered, I am happy about the way the team has played, and even the games against the Brewers were close. I'm not sure the Bucs can keep up this pace for the full season, but they could remain in the middle of the division, provided some other teams continue to struggle. And with Nate McLouth scheduled to return to the lineup tonight against the Reds, I'm hopeful that the team can put the Milwaukee series behind it.

There's been a lot to like about the team as a whole this season. The Pirates currently lead the majors in ERA, with a mark of 3.41. Of course, last year the team was 28th, and since most of the staff this year was here last year, at least some credit must be given to new pitching coach Joe Kerrigan.

The Pirates defense has shown considerable improvement this year too. Bucs Dugout offers some details on the Pirates' first place Defensive Efficiency ranking from Baseball Prospectus. I am a fan of the newer wave of defensive statistics, I just don't know enough about them to add anything here. For the old-schoolers, the Pirates currently rank 9th in the MLB in fielding percentage, so any way you slice it, the Bucs are definitely improved in that department.

As for the offense, the team batting average of .264, currently ranks 15 (last year, .258, 22nd) and the Pirates have scored 4.81 runs per game this year, versus 4.54 in '08. Last year's team, of course, had Jason Bay and Xavier Nady for nearly 4 months and this year's has been missing Ryan Doumit for 9 games and Nate McLouth for the past 6. Clearly, as a unit, the offense has been more productive from top to bottom. And because a decent amount of this has been done without two of the Bucs' top hitters, I'm a little optimistic that it can continue. The pitching? Not at the level it has, but better than last year, easily. The defense? Maybe.

My April Awards:
Offensive Player: Freddy Sanchez
Starting Pitcher: Zach Duke
Relief Pitcher: John Grabow