It's finally winter, and I finally have some time to update the site. Duckworth and I have been talking about some changes we'd like to make to the site, involving a possible weekly podcast as well as some other ideas being thrown...err kicked (it's football season) around.
Let's go over what has happened since the last post, all the way back in August:
8/3/08 - Freddy Sanchez returns to Pirates - Sanchez returns strong for the last 2 months of the season, the Pirates hope someone will trade fresh meat for him this offseason. The same can also be said for Adam LaRoche and Matt Capps.
8/6/08 - Jeff Karstens nearly no-hits the Diamondbacks - Some thought Karstens was Jesus in a uniform. We thought better. We were right.
8/8/08 - Phil Dumatrait has shoulder surgery - So much for him...maybe.
8/13/08 - Bucs option Jose Bautista to AAA - In a move I didn't like, Bautista was sent down. A platoon with LaRoche probably would've worked out better. In a move I did like, the Pirates would then trade Bautista to Toronto.
8/13/08 - Bucs ink 5th rounder Justin Wilson - Not that he's going to turn out any good (is there any doubt TJ is in his future?), but at least the guy is a proven winner and can gut it out from the left side.
8/14/08 - Bucs sign 6th rounder Robbie Grossman - Never enough talent. Even in the outfield.
8/16/08 - Pedro Alvarez joins the fold - Note the date on this one.
8/22/08 - Pirates option Steve Pearce to AAA - Precarious at best, there was no reason to do this. Then again, there was no reason not to give him playing time with the Pirates either.
8/23/08 - Tom Gorzelanny returns to Pirates - He may be the biggest question mark of 2009. Oliver Perez part 2?!
8/25/08 - Robinzon Diaz is PTBNL - A backup to the backup to the backup (that would be Raul Chavez and Ronny Paulino, and hopefully this year, no backup).
8/28/08 - Pirates, Scott Boras battle over Pedro Alvarez deal - The day of infamy. Probably never before have their been so many scenarios and what-ifs running through Pirate fans' heads.
9/2/08 - Bucs bolster roster with 10 call-ups - Nowhere among them were Andrew McCutchen and Jose Tabata, but some useful faces emerged, including Ross Ohlendorf and Luis Cruz.
9/20/08 - Jim Negrych, Jeff Sues earn Bucs' minor honors - Talk about unlikely, this probably shows more than anything why the Pirates needed to trade Xavier Nady and Jason Bay.
9/21/08 - Jack Wilson's pinch-hit highlights home finale - Hopefully we'll never be put in the position again where a no-hit, decent-field shortstop avoids the disabled list for a standing ovation at the home finale. Pitiful (no offense, Jack).
9/22/08 - Pedro Alvarez, Pirates agree to deal - At long last.
9/23/08 - MRI reveals knee issue for Pirates' Brandon Moss - This would turn out to be serious, and should have a large bearing on spring training.
9/29/08 - Pirates make immediate changes - Firing pitching coach Jeff Andrews may not have been necessary, but Joe Kerrigan is a step in a better direction. Hopefully the Bucs can rehire Andrews for AAA, he's not the problem.
10/1/08 - Voice of the Pirates turns off his mic - I'm not a huge Lanny Frattare fan, but you have to respect a man that has given 100% through all of this.
11/5/08 - Nate McLouth snares first Gold Glove Award - And most certainly his last.
11/7/08 - Chris Duffy leaves Bucs - This on the other hand, will undoubtedly be his last.
11/21/08 - John Van Benschoten parts ways with Bucs - Amicable? YES! I do, however, think Van Benschoten has a future in the bigs, unlike Bryan Bullington.
11/24/08 - Pirates sign two pitchers from India - Hmm...why the hell not?!
And here we are, ready for the Winter Meetings. Bye, bye Jack!
Showing posts with label Jose Bautista. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jose Bautista. Show all posts
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
Pirates at Baltimore Orioles (Series Review)
Record after Series: Pit (34-36) Bal (34-34)
Game 1 (L 9 - 6) Tough one to lose (you'll hear that again). Top of the order killed us in this one, as Freddy Sanchez and Nate McLouth went a combined 0 for 9. With the way Sanchez is playing right now, there's no reason to bat him leadoff, even though I must concede it did work earlier in the season. Doug Mientkiewicz and Jason Michaels, two members of the Pirate's unusually strong bench, came up huge in this one. Michaels delivered a clutch Home Run to keep us in it, though the 2008 White Flag-to-be Franquelis Osoria, would render it useless. Thanks Luke Scott. In other notes, Phil Dumatrait couldn't throw a ball over home plate after the 3rd inning and just about lost the game. Sean Burnett didn't do much better. An assist also goes to the Bucco offense, who went something like 5 innings without a hit after putting Brian Burres on the ropes early on.
Game 2 (L 8 - 7) Tough one to lose (common theme here, eh Lanny Frattare?). Top of the lineup does marginally better for itself in this one, 1 for 8 total, with a Sanchez homer. The Pirates also get long balls from Xavier Nady, Adam LaRoche and Jose Bautista. LaRoche and Bautista were the unlikely (unlucky) almost-heroes here. Not much else nice to say about this one, especially from the pitching perspective. The bullpen fails again, though this time it's John Grabow and Matt Capps, both of whom gave up hugely deflating home runs.
Game 3 (W 5 - 4) A feel-good win if there ever was one, lightning actually struck thrice in this one, but Capps, thankfully, was able to wiggle his way out of it. This was a showcase for Jason Bay, as he went 2-3 with 2 walks, a double and a stolen base. Orioles starter Daniel Cabrera, despite his best efforts to injure every Pirate position player in the starting lineup with a fastball to the neck, somehow made it through 6 innings in this one, with Paul Maholm mostly cruising on the other side. Maholm pitched well, the only blemishes being a couple of home runs. The Pirate bullpen held up relatively well in this one, despite Capps' best efforts to screw it up again, and the Bucs were able to putt it out.
Series Record: 8-10-5. The Bucs lose the series, their 10th loss this year.
1 Big Point: Most glaring in this series, I thought, was the Pirate pitchers being unable to throw strikes. Not just in clutch situations, not when they were ahead of the count, just anytime. The walks are killing this team, and it's plausible that the Pirates would be above-.500 with better control. Several of this team's pitchers have lackluster control, and when you compound that with a low strikeout rate, the recipe for losing baseball games is nearly complete, without even figuring in the offense.
Next Up: at Chicago White Sox (38-31)
Game 1 (L 9 - 6) Tough one to lose (you'll hear that again). Top of the order killed us in this one, as Freddy Sanchez and Nate McLouth went a combined 0 for 9. With the way Sanchez is playing right now, there's no reason to bat him leadoff, even though I must concede it did work earlier in the season. Doug Mientkiewicz and Jason Michaels, two members of the Pirate's unusually strong bench, came up huge in this one. Michaels delivered a clutch Home Run to keep us in it, though the 2008 White Flag-to-be Franquelis Osoria, would render it useless. Thanks Luke Scott. In other notes, Phil Dumatrait couldn't throw a ball over home plate after the 3rd inning and just about lost the game. Sean Burnett didn't do much better. An assist also goes to the Bucco offense, who went something like 5 innings without a hit after putting Brian Burres on the ropes early on.
Game 2 (L 8 - 7) Tough one to lose (common theme here, eh Lanny Frattare?). Top of the lineup does marginally better for itself in this one, 1 for 8 total, with a Sanchez homer. The Pirates also get long balls from Xavier Nady, Adam LaRoche and Jose Bautista. LaRoche and Bautista were the unlikely (unlucky) almost-heroes here. Not much else nice to say about this one, especially from the pitching perspective. The bullpen fails again, though this time it's John Grabow and Matt Capps, both of whom gave up hugely deflating home runs.
Game 3 (W 5 - 4) A feel-good win if there ever was one, lightning actually struck thrice in this one, but Capps, thankfully, was able to wiggle his way out of it. This was a showcase for Jason Bay, as he went 2-3 with 2 walks, a double and a stolen base. Orioles starter Daniel Cabrera, despite his best efforts to injure every Pirate position player in the starting lineup with a fastball to the neck, somehow made it through 6 innings in this one, with Paul Maholm mostly cruising on the other side. Maholm pitched well, the only blemishes being a couple of home runs. The Pirate bullpen held up relatively well in this one, despite Capps' best efforts to screw it up again, and the Bucs were able to putt it out.
Series Record: 8-10-5. The Bucs lose the series, their 10th loss this year.
1 Big Point: Most glaring in this series, I thought, was the Pirate pitchers being unable to throw strikes. Not just in clutch situations, not when they were ahead of the count, just anytime. The walks are killing this team, and it's plausible that the Pirates would be above-.500 with better control. Several of this team's pitchers have lackluster control, and when you compound that with a low strikeout rate, the recipe for losing baseball games is nearly complete, without even figuring in the offense.
Next Up: at Chicago White Sox (38-31)
Monday, June 9, 2008
Game Review 6/8 W 6-4
The Pirates take their first game of the four game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. I'll be honest, I'd be real happy with a split of this series. The Pirates have to be going through a four game stretch against opposing starting pitchers like they haven't gone through this year. Possibly like they won't go through again this year either. Just look at the stats for Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, Doug Davis and Randy Johnson.
Mark Reynolds has to drive the D'Backs fans crazy. The guy is more streaky than a pet-store window. Hopefully they get out of town while he's just getting hot. I'm not sure what the big fuss about Chris Young is. He hits some home runs and is young, but he looks to have a lot of holes in his swing. For the first time in a long time, I can say I like our outfield better than theirs.
I also think they've rushed Max Scherzer. The guy's gonne be crazy good, but this isn't the year. Especially not with their starting rotation. They probably won't need a long man very often, so you have to wonder if he wouldn't be better off getting a regular turn in AAA. Seems to me he's got some control issues to work out.
Every time I think about the Pirates lineup I get excited for Andrew McCutchen. Come to think about it, there's not much that doesn't make me excited about Cutch. Assuming he can hold down hitting leadoff, we can move Freddy Sanchez to the second spot, and Jack Wilson will FINALLY have no reason to show his face batting second. In all honesty, I think that gives us a huge advantage over what we have now. Even putting McLouth second in the order would be a huge step up from Sanchez/Wilson, McLouth/Sanchez or McLouth/Wilson.
I also wonder what management is going to do with Adam LaRoche. I was much in favor of trading for him from the Braves, even at the expense of a guy like Mike Gonzalez, however I can now understand why Atlanta made this trade. I would be curious to find out if LaRoche had this same early season slump problem in the minor leagues. I'd imagine LaRoche's trade value has dropped significantly in his time with the Pirates, since this is now turning into an annual problem.
While I may be getting ahead of myself here, the Pirates seem to be falling in love with veterans again. Doug Mientiewicz is a fine first baseman, but offensively he lacks quite a bit of what Jose Bautista has. It now seems as though the Bucs learned their lesson, and can stick with Jose Bautista for a while. I predict a similar outcome with Ronny Paulino. Raul Chavez is nothing more than a AAAA player. I mean, the guy hit .221 last year in AAA and .255 the year before in AA. And now, all of the sudden, because he has a decent arm and "handles pitchers extraordinarily well" he is better than Ronny Paulino? Has Paulino played poorly enough to get sent to the minor leagues?
Most fans (and apparently management too) say yes. I disagree. If you look at Paulino's stats from the last week he was with the club, here's what he hit: .357 with 2 home runs and 5 RBI in 14 AB's. So what happened? Paulino promptly went down and has hit .700 in 10 AB's with 2 doubles and 2 HR's since his demotion. I'm not suggesting he would have done this in the majors, but it sure would be nice to have that bat on the bench right about now. Especially since Chavez really hasn't been all that great defensively, consider in roughly 10 games he's had 2 passed balls, 2 wild pitches and an error. Paulino's stats are these: 30 games, 1 passed ball, 8 wild pitches and an error. The only place Chavez looks better is on wild pitches, which are on the pitcher, and not the catcher! It's also been proven that CERA (catcher's ERA) is not indicative of anything, so there goes that idea. Paulino may be lazy, he may not be playing to his capability, and he may not be a good catcher. But he is a better option than Raul Chavez.
Mark Reynolds has to drive the D'Backs fans crazy. The guy is more streaky than a pet-store window. Hopefully they get out of town while he's just getting hot. I'm not sure what the big fuss about Chris Young is. He hits some home runs and is young, but he looks to have a lot of holes in his swing. For the first time in a long time, I can say I like our outfield better than theirs.
I also think they've rushed Max Scherzer. The guy's gonne be crazy good, but this isn't the year. Especially not with their starting rotation. They probably won't need a long man very often, so you have to wonder if he wouldn't be better off getting a regular turn in AAA. Seems to me he's got some control issues to work out.
Every time I think about the Pirates lineup I get excited for Andrew McCutchen. Come to think about it, there's not much that doesn't make me excited about Cutch. Assuming he can hold down hitting leadoff, we can move Freddy Sanchez to the second spot, and Jack Wilson will FINALLY have no reason to show his face batting second. In all honesty, I think that gives us a huge advantage over what we have now. Even putting McLouth second in the order would be a huge step up from Sanchez/Wilson, McLouth/Sanchez or McLouth/Wilson.
I also wonder what management is going to do with Adam LaRoche. I was much in favor of trading for him from the Braves, even at the expense of a guy like Mike Gonzalez, however I can now understand why Atlanta made this trade. I would be curious to find out if LaRoche had this same early season slump problem in the minor leagues. I'd imagine LaRoche's trade value has dropped significantly in his time with the Pirates, since this is now turning into an annual problem.
While I may be getting ahead of myself here, the Pirates seem to be falling in love with veterans again. Doug Mientiewicz is a fine first baseman, but offensively he lacks quite a bit of what Jose Bautista has. It now seems as though the Bucs learned their lesson, and can stick with Jose Bautista for a while. I predict a similar outcome with Ronny Paulino. Raul Chavez is nothing more than a AAAA player. I mean, the guy hit .221 last year in AAA and .255 the year before in AA. And now, all of the sudden, because he has a decent arm and "handles pitchers extraordinarily well" he is better than Ronny Paulino? Has Paulino played poorly enough to get sent to the minor leagues?
Most fans (and apparently management too) say yes. I disagree. If you look at Paulino's stats from the last week he was with the club, here's what he hit: .357 with 2 home runs and 5 RBI in 14 AB's. So what happened? Paulino promptly went down and has hit .700 in 10 AB's with 2 doubles and 2 HR's since his demotion. I'm not suggesting he would have done this in the majors, but it sure would be nice to have that bat on the bench right about now. Especially since Chavez really hasn't been all that great defensively, consider in roughly 10 games he's had 2 passed balls, 2 wild pitches and an error. Paulino's stats are these: 30 games, 1 passed ball, 8 wild pitches and an error. The only place Chavez looks better is on wild pitches, which are on the pitcher, and not the catcher! It's also been proven that CERA (catcher's ERA) is not indicative of anything, so there goes that idea. Paulino may be lazy, he may not be playing to his capability, and he may not be a good catcher. But he is a better option than Raul Chavez.
Monday, May 19, 2008
My 25 cents.
With the year just over a quarter of the way complete, let's take a look at how the 2008 Pirates figure to end the season. As always, take these projections with a grain of salt (especially Nate McLouth's and Adam LaRoche's).
R. Doumit .350-20-60 in 412 AB
A. LaRoche .207-20-80 in 580 AB
F. Sanchez .260-4-84 in 692 AB
J. Bautista .228-16-68 in 508 AB
B. Bixler .171-0-8 in 304 AB
J. Bay .258-27-72 in 604 AB
N. McLouth .306-48-144 in 692 AB
X. Nady .309-20-144 in 648 AB
Nobody but Jose Bautista looks to be spot on in all 4 categories. I'd love for Ryan Doumit's average to stay close to .350, but otherwise I'd say 20 hr's is not out of reach for him. LaRoche's average figures to creep up, but the rest of his stats look ok. Freddy Sanchez has some work to do, though I was pleasantly surprised about his RBI totals. Brian Bixler we know won't be around much longer, much to Paul Meyer's chagrin for some odd reason. Bay looks on track, save maybe for his RBI totals, which should be higher by the end of the year than 72 I hope. McLouth will fall to earth at some point, bringing his numbers down a bit, and I don't expect Xavier Nady's average or RBI totals to be close to where they are now.
Based on career averages, let's project where the Pirates players are more likely to end up. All I'm doing is taking career norms and multiplying by 3/4, then I'll add those numbers to what the player did in their first quarter of the year.
R. Doumit .273 - 18 - 64 in 463 AB
A. LaRoche .253 - 24 - 86 in 550 AB
F. Sanchez .292 - 6 - 74 in 613 AB
J. Wilson .264 - 7 - 42 in 467 AB
J. Bautista .237 - 15 - 61 in 511 AB
J. Bay .275 - 32 - 93 in 585 AB
N. McLouth .276 - 26 - 74 in 500 AB
X. Nady .284 - 19 - 92 in 556 AB
As you can see, these are relatively realistic. The biggest determining factor, besides injuries, will be whether or not the Pirates decide to trade Nady. If they do, his batting average could stay near .300 (traditionally Nady has fared well in platoons), but the RBI total will come way down. A Nady trade could positively affect McLouth because he would figure to drop a few spots in the order to third. A speedy Andrew McCutchen getting on-base in front of Sanchez and McLouth will only help RBI chances. Add in Nate the Great's ability to hit in clutch situations and you may have a recipe for a 100 RBI season from a player that spends half the year in the leadoff spot.
Tomorrow we'll take a look at the pitchers.
R. Doumit .350-20-60 in 412 AB
A. LaRoche .207-20-80 in 580 AB
F. Sanchez .260-4-84 in 692 AB
J. Bautista .228-16-68 in 508 AB
B. Bixler .171-0-8 in 304 AB
J. Bay .258-27-72 in 604 AB
N. McLouth .306-48-144 in 692 AB
X. Nady .309-20-144 in 648 AB
Nobody but Jose Bautista looks to be spot on in all 4 categories. I'd love for Ryan Doumit's average to stay close to .350, but otherwise I'd say 20 hr's is not out of reach for him. LaRoche's average figures to creep up, but the rest of his stats look ok. Freddy Sanchez has some work to do, though I was pleasantly surprised about his RBI totals. Brian Bixler we know won't be around much longer, much to Paul Meyer's chagrin for some odd reason. Bay looks on track, save maybe for his RBI totals, which should be higher by the end of the year than 72 I hope. McLouth will fall to earth at some point, bringing his numbers down a bit, and I don't expect Xavier Nady's average or RBI totals to be close to where they are now.
Based on career averages, let's project where the Pirates players are more likely to end up. All I'm doing is taking career norms and multiplying by 3/4, then I'll add those numbers to what the player did in their first quarter of the year.
R. Doumit .273 - 18 - 64 in 463 AB
A. LaRoche .253 - 24 - 86 in 550 AB
F. Sanchez .292 - 6 - 74 in 613 AB
J. Wilson .264 - 7 - 42 in 467 AB
J. Bautista .237 - 15 - 61 in 511 AB
J. Bay .275 - 32 - 93 in 585 AB
N. McLouth .276 - 26 - 74 in 500 AB
X. Nady .284 - 19 - 92 in 556 AB
As you can see, these are relatively realistic. The biggest determining factor, besides injuries, will be whether or not the Pirates decide to trade Nady. If they do, his batting average could stay near .300 (traditionally Nady has fared well in platoons), but the RBI total will come way down. A Nady trade could positively affect McLouth because he would figure to drop a few spots in the order to third. A speedy Andrew McCutchen getting on-base in front of Sanchez and McLouth will only help RBI chances. Add in Nate the Great's ability to hit in clutch situations and you may have a recipe for a 100 RBI season from a player that spends half the year in the leadoff spot.
Tomorrow we'll take a look at the pitchers.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
The Month that Was: April '08
Ahh April. It's the time of hope all across the country. The winter weather is starting to subside and all major league baseball teams are essentially tied for first place. As Pirates fans, we had no idea that our team had already peaked on the last day of March with the heroics of Xavier Nady. Now as I sit here looking at a 13-19 record, I am reminded of a month ago when hope was the word of the day when describing the 2008 version of our baseball club. Some of you may ask "Duckworth, why now? It's May 7th. Even you have paid your rent by now. Why so late on the inaugural monthly review?" Well, we didn't think to start a blog until yesterday and I had a day off which happened to fall on Cinco de Mayo and Buck Night so I said screw it and drank too much. You're lucky I do this at all.
By the first of April, we had worked ourselves up into frenzy about the upcoming baseball season. I have no idea why I continue to ignore all of the clues. There were no significant moves in the off-season, the new regime was preaching patience and rebuilding, and our new manager is our former 3rd base coach that was actually fired by the team at one point in time. Still, when they started talking "accountability" and acquiring power arms I couldn't help but take notice. Eventually, it became like every other season. I would talk about their chances and start playing the "what if" game. By the time I was sitting on the couch eagerly awaiting the first pitch on opening day I was certain that we had four 20 game winners and an unstoppable powerhouse lineup. Who cares? This is what opening day is all about. Would you have listened to a Rockies fan on April 1, 2007 if he/she said that the season will end in Denver that year? No. So why not us?
It didn't take long for reality to set in. I think it happened right around the 12th inning of the home opener when Evan Meek turned into the right-handed, no-bat Rick Ankiel. I watched in horror as my beloved Buccos dropped winnable games. Worst of all, I watched Mash Morris pitch the team out of games before Nate McLouth even had the chance to lead off.
That said I would be lying if I said that there was nothing to enjoy about April. Xavier Nady is playing like a man who plans to be in the pennant race this year… with or without the Pirates. Nate McLouth surpassed the expectations placed on him after a decent spring and has provided the Pirates with the most stable CF option since Kenny Lofton’s brief tenure. Have you notice we seem to win more games with Ryan Doumit behind the plate than Ronny Paulino? Not a coincidence. Even “Erratic Evan” Meek had some outings that weren’t abysmal.
That list makes me want to believe that our failure franchise may me turning the corner. Unfortunately, I only allot myself three instances of misguided optimism a season and we still have our inevitable dominant late May stretch and the draft with a new regime ahead of us so I don’t think I’ll be cashing in one of those chips right now. There are many holes on this team. Only two guys on the bench (Mientkiewicz and Paulino) have any right being in the majors, Gorzo seems destined for an appointment with Dr. Andrews, Ian Snell has been okay but nowhere close to expectations and Maholm, Dumatrait and Duke can range from capable to Morris-esque on any given night.
Keys to Improvement:
-Adam Laroche needs to leave his annual April swoon in April. I loved the homerun tonight and hopefully he can keep it up.
-Better starting pitching. Duke and Maholm have shown flashes this year but need to stop hitting their Josh Fogg self destruct switch so often.
-The return of Jack Wilson. Jack, if you ever read this, we’re sorry. Pirates’ fans have been torn on you for years. I even suggested at the beginning of the season that you should be traded if you have another decent year. I was wrong. We all were wrong. You don’t even have to hit when you come back. I guess we all just took the unbelievable glove work of #2 for granted.
-Freddy and Bautista turning it around. No one is worried about Freddy. The man can straight up hit and is extremely underrated on defense. As for Bautista, I hope he can bottle what he did against the Nationals. He can be great and I think he really works at his craft. Hopefully it will all come around for him.
-Fan cynicism. Hey, I’m as guilty as anyone. When I attended the Matt Morris’ swan song/Gorzo’s obscene bobblehead game I had a girl in front of me that continued to give me the finger and tell me to stop complaining about the state of our team. Granted, she was from Philadelphia and was wearing black nail polish which means she has no valid opinion but maybe she was right. I was kicking back, drinking beers and watching baseball with my homies. Life could be a hell of a lot worse.
By the first of April, we had worked ourselves up into frenzy about the upcoming baseball season. I have no idea why I continue to ignore all of the clues. There were no significant moves in the off-season, the new regime was preaching patience and rebuilding, and our new manager is our former 3rd base coach that was actually fired by the team at one point in time. Still, when they started talking "accountability" and acquiring power arms I couldn't help but take notice. Eventually, it became like every other season. I would talk about their chances and start playing the "what if" game. By the time I was sitting on the couch eagerly awaiting the first pitch on opening day I was certain that we had four 20 game winners and an unstoppable powerhouse lineup. Who cares? This is what opening day is all about. Would you have listened to a Rockies fan on April 1, 2007 if he/she said that the season will end in Denver that year? No. So why not us?
It didn't take long for reality to set in. I think it happened right around the 12th inning of the home opener when Evan Meek turned into the right-handed, no-bat Rick Ankiel. I watched in horror as my beloved Buccos dropped winnable games. Worst of all, I watched Mash Morris pitch the team out of games before Nate McLouth even had the chance to lead off.
That said I would be lying if I said that there was nothing to enjoy about April. Xavier Nady is playing like a man who plans to be in the pennant race this year… with or without the Pirates. Nate McLouth surpassed the expectations placed on him after a decent spring and has provided the Pirates with the most stable CF option since Kenny Lofton’s brief tenure. Have you notice we seem to win more games with Ryan Doumit behind the plate than Ronny Paulino? Not a coincidence. Even “Erratic Evan” Meek had some outings that weren’t abysmal.
That list makes me want to believe that our failure franchise may me turning the corner. Unfortunately, I only allot myself three instances of misguided optimism a season and we still have our inevitable dominant late May stretch and the draft with a new regime ahead of us so I don’t think I’ll be cashing in one of those chips right now. There are many holes on this team. Only two guys on the bench (Mientkiewicz and Paulino) have any right being in the majors, Gorzo seems destined for an appointment with Dr. Andrews, Ian Snell has been okay but nowhere close to expectations and Maholm, Dumatrait and Duke can range from capable to Morris-esque on any given night.
Keys to Improvement:
-Adam Laroche needs to leave his annual April swoon in April. I loved the homerun tonight and hopefully he can keep it up.
-Better starting pitching. Duke and Maholm have shown flashes this year but need to stop hitting their Josh Fogg self destruct switch so often.
-The return of Jack Wilson. Jack, if you ever read this, we’re sorry. Pirates’ fans have been torn on you for years. I even suggested at the beginning of the season that you should be traded if you have another decent year. I was wrong. We all were wrong. You don’t even have to hit when you come back. I guess we all just took the unbelievable glove work of #2 for granted.
-Freddy and Bautista turning it around. No one is worried about Freddy. The man can straight up hit and is extremely underrated on defense. As for Bautista, I hope he can bottle what he did against the Nationals. He can be great and I think he really works at his craft. Hopefully it will all come around for him.
-Fan cynicism. Hey, I’m as guilty as anyone. When I attended the Matt Morris’ swan song/Gorzo’s obscene bobblehead game I had a girl in front of me that continued to give me the finger and tell me to stop complaining about the state of our team. Granted, she was from Philadelphia and was wearing black nail polish which means she has no valid opinion but maybe she was right. I was kicking back, drinking beers and watching baseball with my homies. Life could be a hell of a lot worse.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
"Consistency is the Key"
It was the summer of 1997, I remember it like it was yesterday. I stepped foot onto my first high school football practice. We all gathered into a big circle as Coach Tim Krysiak began his opening season speech about the upcoming year. "Consistency is the key," he said to us. That year we pulled out a strong 0-10 showing. We went on to win 5 games total the following two years before I quit. I'm sure I'm not alone.
Every year, like that 15 yr old kid in us, we line up our vehicles in the parking lot awaiting the first pitch of the new year. Then, like in practice, we tune in our TV's endless nights hoping for change. What exactly are John Russell and the Pirates orginization doing much different from my favorite Coach K?
I value the hard work Sean Burnett has put into this orginization after multiple surgeries. I also have to give a nod to John Van Ben. for his triumphant return, but lets be honest with each other. Are we really excited about the fact that two top draft picks, be it from different years, have made it to the majors once again? Or are we excited about thier level of play since thier return?
Looking into a bullpen once filled with Rule 5 draft pick Evan Meek and this years white flag Franquelis Osoria, it feels like Thomas Ian Nicholas is trotting onto the field when thier numbers are called. I dunno whether to celebrate or cry while my PTSD from the last 15 years succombs my brain. Thier play has been average at best, but like every Pirate pitcher in years past, we'll wait and pray to a God who I swear thinks we don't exist.
Meanwhile, lets focus on the batting order. While I agree with Russell's decision to drop McLouth in the order tonight, he didn't drop him far enough. Now batting for your Pittsburgh Pirates, number 38 Jason Bay. While 6 home runs in the month of April is admirable, we're still left with the fact he's posted 11 RBI's this season and I don't care how many times he walks. If he wants to be a sissy and never swing at the ball unless the bases are empty, then why is he in the 3 hole?
Doumit steps in next. It sucks he can't catch everyday, enough said. Nady's 2 RBI's put him ahead in the NL RBI lead by one. Well done. What a 5 hitter is supposed to do. Adam Laroche...well he hit another dong tonight. Just enough to keep you hoping for the opening year slump to end, but I'm not sold. He's still batting below the Mendoza line while Bautista, after the series of his career, was batting behind the Pirate killer. It makes my head hurt.
Duke's stellar outing proves what we all know through basic baseball knowledge. Keep your team in the game and your offense will try and win one for you. I guess it was Duke's turn to earn his job for another month. I swear they must draw straws in the locker room every week.
I haven't given up yet. But after losing 3 of 4 to our nations capital, if we don't pull out a series and we're already down by one when Barry Zito is scheduled for his return to the rotation tommorrow night I might have to check myself into a psychiatric ward. Worse yet go to the horse track and gamble a lot of money because I suck. I will inevitably lose all the money I take with me and that might numb the pain of being a Pirates Fan.
Every year, like that 15 yr old kid in us, we line up our vehicles in the parking lot awaiting the first pitch of the new year. Then, like in practice, we tune in our TV's endless nights hoping for change. What exactly are John Russell and the Pirates orginization doing much different from my favorite Coach K?
I value the hard work Sean Burnett has put into this orginization after multiple surgeries. I also have to give a nod to John Van Ben. for his triumphant return, but lets be honest with each other. Are we really excited about the fact that two top draft picks, be it from different years, have made it to the majors once again? Or are we excited about thier level of play since thier return?
Looking into a bullpen once filled with Rule 5 draft pick Evan Meek and this years white flag Franquelis Osoria, it feels like Thomas Ian Nicholas is trotting onto the field when thier numbers are called. I dunno whether to celebrate or cry while my PTSD from the last 15 years succombs my brain. Thier play has been average at best, but like every Pirate pitcher in years past, we'll wait and pray to a God who I swear thinks we don't exist.
Meanwhile, lets focus on the batting order. While I agree with Russell's decision to drop McLouth in the order tonight, he didn't drop him far enough. Now batting for your Pittsburgh Pirates, number 38 Jason Bay. While 6 home runs in the month of April is admirable, we're still left with the fact he's posted 11 RBI's this season and I don't care how many times he walks. If he wants to be a sissy and never swing at the ball unless the bases are empty, then why is he in the 3 hole?
Doumit steps in next. It sucks he can't catch everyday, enough said. Nady's 2 RBI's put him ahead in the NL RBI lead by one. Well done. What a 5 hitter is supposed to do. Adam Laroche...well he hit another dong tonight. Just enough to keep you hoping for the opening year slump to end, but I'm not sold. He's still batting below the Mendoza line while Bautista, after the series of his career, was batting behind the Pirate killer. It makes my head hurt.
Duke's stellar outing proves what we all know through basic baseball knowledge. Keep your team in the game and your offense will try and win one for you. I guess it was Duke's turn to earn his job for another month. I swear they must draw straws in the locker room every week.
I haven't given up yet. But after losing 3 of 4 to our nations capital, if we don't pull out a series and we're already down by one when Barry Zito is scheduled for his return to the rotation tommorrow night I might have to check myself into a psychiatric ward. Worse yet go to the horse track and gamble a lot of money because I suck. I will inevitably lose all the money I take with me and that might numb the pain of being a Pirates Fan.
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