Saturday, July 30, 2011

All Quiet on the Trade Front

Everything seems to be pretty quiet as far as the Pirates are concerned on the trade front. Some of the other teams int he division, the Brewers and Cardinals appear to be active, but the Buccos are not quite just yet. There of course is still time left, but the window is closing.

I can only hope that if a trade is not done, that the team finds a way to extricate Lyle Overbay from the lineup. If that be internal or external, either way is fine with me.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

David Ross???


It went to extras again tonight, but this time there was no marathon of a game. Instead of 19 innings, this one ended in just 10. Unlike the game before, the game tonight just seemed to be a sluggish one by the Bucs. I don't know exactly what, but there were many things that just did not seem right when this one got under way.

One I am sure that there was some depression from the game before. Losing a close one like that could definitely take some wind out of the corsair's sails.

Jair Jurrjens did a number on the Pirates, as he was able to get the inept offense to scatter 6 hits over his 7 innings. Aside from the lone run, a Garrett Jones home run, he was very effective. Paul Maholm matched Jurrjens in every way, and he needed to as the bullpen was tired from the night before.

The real story was Davide Ross single handedly beating the Pirates. Ross threw out two base runners, which is a rare thing for the Pirates to have base runners. On top of the defensive prowess, Ross also drove in the two runs for the Braves.

Throw in Prado throwing out Pedro Alvarez at the plate and you can say that Pirates ran themselves out of this one. A team that has to work so hard to get base runners, really cannot run into a lot of outs.

All is not lost, they can still bounce back tomorrow and take a split with Atlanta, which almost seems absurd conisdering the long extra inning game. A split on the road would be big, especially going into Philadelphia for the weekend.

Not Using Hanrahan

In the wake of the 19 inning affair, I found that some in the national media were on Clint Hurdle for not using Joel Hanrahan in the game. The argument is that he is the best pitcher in the bullpen and could have overpowered Procter in the 19th.

I do not see where that makes any sense. Say you bring in Hanrahan in the 19th to pitch. Hurdle is only going to let him go at most 2 innings. What happens when the Pirates inept offense fails to do anything in those two innings? It had been more than a handful of innings since they had scored a run in that game, what would make you think they could do it within the next two.

The game was McCutchen's until he tired, then a starter probably would have been summoned, but not bringing in Hanrahan is something I can live with. If you bring him in, you are seemingly wasting him unless you feel that you have some runs around the corner. Hurdle, and rightfully so, thought that the offense might be struggling a bit and was going with the long man. I would have done the same.

Draft Review: Juan “Hommy” Rosado

Juan “Hommy” Rosado 
6’0 210
1st Base
LSU-Eunice JC
Drafted: 34th Round (#1022)
Commitment: None- Finished Freshman year at Eunice.

Louisiana seems to year in and year out produce some of the best junior college talent in the country and this year was no different. Originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 11th round of the 2010 draft, Rosado opted to go from high school power Barbe HS in Lake Charles LA to LSU-Eunice JC rather than signing with the Rockies.
Strengths: POWER… From both the 2010 and 2011 scouting reports that I’ve seen, everyone seems to rave about his tremendous bat speed and power. He set a state homerun record with 26 back in 2010.
Area for Improvment: At 6’0 and 210 pounds, he’s not the prototypical size that major league teams seem to look for in their 1st basemen though there isn’t much he can do about that. There are some reports that talk about him as a catcher but his athleticism is considered “less than ideal” so he may not have the ability to stick there either.
Overview: Despite what shortcomings he may have in his game, his bat is his calling card. The Pirates announced him at 1st so that’s where he’ll be given his first shot if he signs. My personal thought is that the Bucs system is really lacking on impact bats so he is the type of player that they need to take a chance with and worry about finding a home for later.
Chance of Signing: It’s really had to guess when it comes to a player taken this late in the draft but the Pirates in recent years have shown that they are willing to take that chance on JC players late. I’m still going to go on the conservative side with my prediction only because if he didn’t sign as an 11th rounder, what is it going to take to get him to sign in the 34th? I’ll say there’s a 25% chance they can get a deal done with him but I’ll be keeping my eyes open on any rumors that float around associated with him.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Speed Kills


The Pirates of this year's vintage are a much more mobile group than in year's past. There are quite a few players that can move around the bases and take advantage of miscues from the other team. In years past it was strictly station to station with many of the Pirates' offensive players.

In the game on Sunday the speed of this year's team helped them take a win away from the Cardinals and salvage something from what was looking like a disastrous series. It was a disaster in many ways, if you looked at the lineups the past two days, one would have to think that they were watching a AAA club and not one at the top of a major league division.

I have to wonder then why did Xavier Paul enter the game later and not start? Granted throwing him in there when he did, gave the Pirates the win. Paul is one of the few players that would have been as aggressive as he was in the 10th. Why did Matt Diaz start instead of Paul? Granted Diaz went 2 for 4 the night before, but it is not as though he is a guy that has been dependable all season. Putting him left field, that expansive left, could create quite the circus. Would Paul not be a better fit, especially with a righty in Lohse taking the start?

Additionally I hope that the lineups we trot out to play the Braves do not really resemble this one all that much. I don't think that this team can afford not having Alex Presley in there right now and having Chase d'Arnaud, today withstanding, hitting in such an important spot at the top of the order.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Ross Coming Back Soon


It seems so long ago that Ross Ohlendorf took the mound for the Pirates that sometimes I almost forgot all about him. Many had hoped that he would take a huge step forward this season and be a strong part of the Pirates rotation. Instead he struggled early and got hurt early. Luckily for the Pirates, Jeff Karstens stepped in and is having a career year, pitching better than what we could have hoped from Ohlendorf.

With Ross set to make a start in Altoona this weekend, he is not that far from Pittsburgh geographically and figuratively. When he does come back, how do they use him? Put him in the rotation? Who comes out of it? Do they go to six men? Does he go to the bullpen? If so how is he used?

I don't see how you could pull a guy out of the rotation to insert Ross. They have all pitched well all season and it would not be fair to the pitchers involved. The team could go unconventional and go with a six man staff, having Ohlendorf give others a day off, while saving their arms for the drive to the finish line.

Perhaps he will go to the bullpen and be another back end arm. Many have predicted that was were he would end up eventually and perhaps that is correct. Lasting into games always seems to be an issue with Ross and perhaps he could be that 7th inning guy or the longer arm in the pen.

No matter what happens when he comes back, it will be an interesting predicament that it will put Neal Huntington and Clint Hurdle in. How do you use him and where?

Weekly Minor League Report

Team of the Week: Altoona Curve
Hitter of the Week: Robbie Grossman, Bradenton
Pitcher of the Week: Kyle McPherson, Altoona

Indianapolis: 4-3 For theWeek

Player R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO Note
Hague  2 6 3 0 0 1 3 4 Still hitting
Harrison  0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Brown, D  1 4 1 0 1 2 2 3
Marte, A  1 1 0 0 1 1 1 2
Wimberly  2 3 1 0 0 0 2 1
Toregas  0 1 0 0 0 2 0 3
Bowker  4 9 2 0 1 2 4 3 On Fire
Hernandez, Go  2 8 2 0 0 1 0 7 Trade Bait?
Jaramillo  0 2 0 0 0 2 1 0 Rehabbing
Durham  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
Rodriguez  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Norman  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Ciriaco  1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0
Mercer  3 3 0 0 1 1 1 6 A HR
Perez, M  0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
Alvarez  4 11 0 0 2 5 4 7 Red Hot
Pearce  4 7 2 0 2 5 0 7 Hitting Well
Cedeno  2 4 1 1 0 1 1 5 Coming Back

Player IP H R ER BB SO W L S Note
Lincoln 12 13 4 4 3 6 Hit around
Thomas, J 4.1 2 0 0 2 2 1
Crotta 0.1 2 3 3 1 0 Not good
Burres 3.1 4 2 2 0 2
Moskos 5 1 0 0 1 4 Nice week
Owens 7 4 2 2 4 2 Tough ND
Ascanio 3.1 5 3 3 1 3 1 1
Olson 5 4 4 4 3 3
Wood 3 1 1 1 1 0 2 2 saves
Wilson 9.2 9 6 5 6 4 Mixed results
Gallagher, S 3.2 1 1 1 4 2 1
Hughes 3.1 2 1 1 3 3 1
Jackson 2.2 2 2 2 3 0 1 1

Altoona: 5-3 For theWeek 

Player R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO Note
Marte  6 7 0 1 0 1 1 11 Lots of K's
Chalk  2 5 1 0 0 2 4 1
Watts  1 6 1 0 0 1 1 1 Nice week
Holt, Br  6 6 2 0 0 1 5 5 Solid
Sanchez, T  3 6 1 0 1 6 4 5 Great week
Picart  2 6 0 1 0 4 3 6
Curry  5 11 4 1 1 6 2 7 On Fire
Scott  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Lambo  3 5 2 0 0 5 2 4 Settling down
Rodriguez  2 3 0 0 0 1 1 1
Sanchez, Y  2 2 0 0 1 3 1 4

Player IP H R ER BB SO W L S Note
Dubee 4 2 0 0 0 2 1 Strong work
Alderson 3.1 2 1 1 3 4 Coming along
Claggett 1.4 3 2 2 2 2 1
Locke 5 2 3 2 3 3 So so
Colla 4.2 6 5 5 4 3 1
Pribanic 12 15 6 5 3 1 1 Knocked around
Krol 3.1 1 0 0 0 2 1 2 Solid
Thompson 3 5 4 4 1 2 1
McSwain 3.2 2 0 0 1 1
Morris 3 3 1 1 3 3
McPherson 12 5 1 1 1 12 2 Ton's of K's, Great week
Irwin 4.1 11 9 8 1 5 1

Bradenton: 4-3 For the Week 

Player R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO Note
Grossman  8 10 2 1 2 8 7 10 Strong week, 2 HR
Cunningham  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Chambers  6 10 1 1 3 6 5 8 Strong Week 3 HR
Rubinstein  1 4 0 0 0 1 0 4
Gonzalez, E  5 11 2 1 0 5 1 7 Lots of hits
Gonzalez, B  3 5 1 0 0 1 4 5
Baker, A  3 6 0 0 1 3 4 5 Adds HR
Cabrera  0 4 2 0 0 3 0 4
Santos  6 13 3 1 1 6 3 4 Great week
Brown, K  2 2 0 0 0 1 1 3
Paulino  4 9 2 1 0 1 2 4 Solid
Marquez  0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0
Tabata  1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 Rehab
Doumit  0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 Rehab

Player IP H R ER BB SO W L S Note
Leach 5.1 3 4 4 4 6
Moreno 3 1 0 0 0 4 Nice work
Erickson 4 1 0 0 2 2 Strong
Welker 1.2 0 0 0 0 1
Lorin 5 1 1 1 0 3 1 Good start
Foster 2.3 2 0 0 1 3
Sinkbeil 8.1 13 8 8 4 5 2 Not good
Beckman 4.1 4 1 1 1 3 1
Baker, N 5 7 5 3 3 1 1
Ramos, J 10.2 10 1 1 2 5 2 2 solid wins
Cox, T 2 1 0 0 1 3
Cumpton 5.2 8 4 4 0 4
Ohlendorf 4 8 4 4 1 3 Rehab

West Virginia: 4-2 For the Week


Player R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO Note
Maggi  1 4 3 0 0 4 1 2 4 RBI
Howard  4 5 2 0 0 1 4 3
Grovatt  3 5 0 0 0 1 1 3
Noris  5 7 2 0 1 6 1 4 Strong week
Mort  4 4 2 0 0 3 2 5
Emsley-Pai  3 0 0 0 0 0 4 1
Rojas, M  0 3 0 0 0 2 2 3
Vasquez  2 9 1 1 0 2 0 7 Lot of K's
Avila  1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
Diaz  0 3 2 0 0 2 0 2
White  4 3 0 0 1 2 4 7
Lyles  6 7 1 0 0 5 2 3

Player IP H R ER BB SO W L S Note
Navarro 5 5 1 1 0 6 1 Strong start
Cain 4.1 6 2 2 1 4
Decker 1.2 6 5 4 1 1 2
Von Rosenberg 6 1 0 0 0 5 Turning around???
Fuesser 7 5 1 1 0 4 Great work
Sadler 3.2 1 1 1 1 4 1
Waldron 2.2 5 5 5 3 2
Pounders 4.1 1 0 0 1 4 Strong
Townsend 4.1 5 1 1 0 6 1 Nice work
Taillon 10 13 7 7 2 11 Roughed up a bit
Black, V 1.2 4 3 3 3 3 1
Stevenson 2 2 1 1 2 2
Ennis 3 4 1 0 0 2 1
Singh, R 3 1 0 0 0 2 1

State College: 3-4 For the Week

Player R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO Note
Gourley  1 3 0 0 0 1 0 5
Trent  1 6 3 1 0 1 3 3 Nice week
Mesa  3 7 3 0 1 1 0 4 Solid
Gonzalez, S  3 5 2 0 0 2 1 3
Freeman  0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3
Skirving  0 1 0 0 0 1 1 5
Lewis, T  2 4 1 0 0 1 3 4
Bencsko  1 3 0 0 0 0 1 5
Fuselier  2 6 0 0 0 0 1 1 Good
Lashmet  3 10 2 0 0 4 1 4 Strong
Singer, K  2 2 0 0 0 1 4 6
Ponce, A  1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1
Dickerson  0 3 1 0 0 1 0 3 Debuting

Player IP H R ER BB SO W L S Note
Dodson 4 4 5 2 2 0 1
Fienemann 2.1 3 2 2 2 2 1 1
Kingham 10 8 1 1 1 4 1 Strong week
Payne 1.2 0 0 0 1 1 1
Montero, Jo 0.2 3 5 5 2 1 Not good
Hafner 5 3 2 2 1 2 1
Kleis 3 5 2 2 3 2
Brito, Je 4.3 8 4 3 2 4
Benedict 7.4 18 14 10 3 3 2 Knocked around
Allie 3 0 0 0 2 3 Great work
Archibald 1 2 0 0 0 0
De Leon, E 1.2 0 0 0 0 1
Jefferson 5.1 5 2 2 2 4 OK
Poytress 3 2 1 1 1 1
Cooper 4 3 1 0 1 4 Better week
Castro 4 1 0 0 1 2 1 Strong

Bradenton: 5-1 For the Week

Player R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO Note
Hanson  3 3 1 1 0 2 3 6
Carvajal  2 4 1 0 0 3 1 0
Garcia, W  3 5 3 0 1 3 1 2
Polanco, G  4 3 0 0 2 3 2 8
Barrios, Y  2 5 0 0 0 2 0 7 Lot of K's
Osuna  4 7 1 0 0 2 3 6 Strong week
Lakind  2 1 0 0 1 2 2 3 HR
Schwind  2 6 2 0 1 5 2 1 Strong week
Sosa  2 4 0 0 0 0 2 1
Aponte, F  2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
Nivar, G  4 4 0 0 0 3 1 2
Urena, Lu  3 4 2 0 0 3 2 6
Child  1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Hornback  1 2 1 0 0 1 1 1
Bishop  2 2 0 0 0 2 1 3
Jaramillo  4 2 1 0 0 1 2 1 Rehab
Cayones  1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 Not much better
Ngoepe  0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
Clement  1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 Wow, still here?

Player IP H R ER BB SO W L S Note
Neverauskas 5 3 0 0 1 1 Scoreless
Campos 3.1 2 0 0 0 1
Weidman, B 5 3 2 2 1 5 Nice K total
Pevny 7.2 5 0 0 2 1 2 Strong work
Trepagnier 7.2 6 3 3 1 4
Lee 5 4 1 1 1 3 1
Heredia 4.1 3 3 3 3 8 OK, nice K's
Kilcrease 2 1 0 0 0 2
Mateo 2 3 3 3 3 1
Parsons 4 3 0 0 1 4
Mendez 3 5 3 2 1 2 1 1
Hernandez, J 3.2 7 8 8 3 1 1 Knocked around
Almonte, B 2.1 3 4 3 2 1
Jagoditsh 0 1 4 4 2 0 Knocked around
Sanchez, I 5 3 0 0 1 1 1 Solid
Lodge 5 4 1 1 1 2