Pirates Trade McLouth!!!!!!!!!

Wow! I did not see this coming. I am seriously at a loss for words. Here's ESPN's summary of the deal.

I can't even process this deal right now. I know Charlie Morton is supposed to be a pretty solid pitcher and Gorkys Hernandez looks like a speedy singles hitter. Morton has been pitching in AAA this year and Hernandez has been in AA. The other player acquired, pitcher Jeffrey Locke, I know nothing about. Looking at his stats it seems like he's a pretty good strike out pitcher, currently in High A.

The other news here is that Andrew McCutchen is being called up. I expected the day Cutch gets the call would be a happier day. I guess not.

Johan Is No Match For The Bucs

How strange does that sound? Well, tonight it happened. After Johan Santana retired the first 10 batters, 9 of the 15 hitters he faced the rest of the way reached base as the Pirates overcame a one run deficit to win 3 to 1. Zach Duke pitched very well once again, scattering 8 singles over 7 innings.

Another aspect of this game that I found particularly interesting was the lineup John Russell employed. Against probably the best left-handed pitcher in the game, Russell used what could best be described as his standard lineup when facing a righty. And if you had to set a Pirates' lineup based on the best overall talent, it would be this lineup. What's unusual is that Russell generally plays the lefty-righty matchups religiously. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of playing these matchups so much. And it's especially important in regards to someone like Brandon Moss, who has been protected from left handed starters in recent weeks, despite the fact that he's been hitting much better since a rough start to the season. If Moss is going to be a key component of this team, now and in the future, he has to learn to hit lefties. Tonight was a step in the right direction.

Pirates Rally To Top Mets

The Pirates overcame a five run deficit to win the opener of this 4 game series against the Mets tonight. Down 5-0 early, the Bucs picked up 3 in the fourth to keep the game close. After some nice work by the bullpen, the Pirates entered the 8th still down 5-3. Three Mets' pitchers and ten Pirates' batters later, the Bucs led 8-5. Most of the damage was done against JJ Putz, who allowed 4 singles and an intentional walk without recording an out. Great resiliency and clutch hitting by the Pirates tonight. This was certainly a feel good win, which was much needed coming off three straight lost series. It's Zach Duke against Johan Santana tomorrow.

I do have to mention tonight's starter. Ian Snell struggled yet again, allowing 5 runs and 6 hits in 6 innings. Snell walked 5 and struck out just two. He did retire 10 of the last 12 batters he faced, after the Mets had already scored 5 runs through 3 innings. Many fans are calling for Snell to be optioned to AAA, or traded, or released, or worse. Granted, Snell has not pitched well, overall, this year or last year. But he should not be released, obviously. And trading him now, when his value is minuscule, would be foolish. A stint in the minor leagues might be the answer. Or maybe he can work it out with Joe Kerrigan where he is now. But Snell is still just 28 years old, and he has very good stuff and a competitive spirit, though sometimes in a misguided manner. The Pirates should exhaust all possibilities with Snell before they even think about moving him. There is not nearly enough pitching talent in the system to cast someone off so easily. I'm still a fan of Ian Snell. I've been following him for quite some time (since the Oquendo days) and I really want him to succeed. It just may take some time though.

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.