July 2010
Injuries a plenty
It seems like every time I turn the channel to watch a different game, there is a new injury. I’ve already posted about Bay, Strasburg, Haren, Burnett, Coghlan, Hernandez. Well, it seems like I missed a few more (all within the last day or two. It’s crazy!)
- The Phillies placed Shane Victorino on the 15-day DL with a strained left abdominal muscle. He had an MRI exam this morning, which revealed the severity of the injury. Philly fans shouldn’t fret as it is the beginning of the” Domonic Brown Era “. Brown was named the top prospect in baseball by Baseball America. Domonic hit a combined .327 with 20 home runs and 68 RBIs in 93 games this season with Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
- Rockie’s Closer, Huston Street was hit in the lower right abdomen by a line drive during batting practice yesterday. Street was transported by ambulance to the hospital. He spent Tuesday night “at home resting comfortably” and was diagnosed with an abdominal contusion. Street is currently listed as “day to day”.
“I think his body actually kind of went into shock, because he actually said he wasn’t in much pain,” Dugger said. “The thing that was kind of alarming is that he said he had ringing in the ears. We don’t know. Sometimes it’s just a sign of shock. He could have held his breath and gotten this natural response.”
“I saw the whole thing,” said Stewart. “They’re playing catch out there, and I knew the ball was heading their way. I was just hoping it wouldn’t hit anybody.
“I want to say I might have even hit ‘Streeter’ before, like in the leg, in BP. But I can’t say for sure. It’s just a freak thing. You hardly ever see someone get hit in BP. They’re out there playing catch and supposed to be looking over between pitches, so I don’t know what happened there.
- What are the odds of two brothers, from two different teams, getting injured on the exact same day? Well, it happened. Bj and Justin Upton both left their games early due to injuries.
B.J. Upton left in the first inning with a left ankle sprain after running down a ball in center field. He is listed as day-to-day.
Justin Upton left in the fifth inning for precautionary reasons with right hip tightness. He did not require an MRI and is listed as day-to-day.
- Andre Ethier wasn’t injured, but was out of the lineup due to a sour stomach. But that didn’t keep him from playing later in the game. He came up to bat in the seventh with the bases loaded and hit a two-run pinch-hit single.
- Steven Strasburg update: MRI revealed inflammation, but nothing serious, no structual damage.
You know what is even more strange? Mid post, watching MLB Tonight, Angels starter Joel Pineiro was pulled during pre game warmup.
- Joel Pineiro was pulled from his start this afternoon with discomfort on his side. Scott Shields will make his first start since 2003.
I hope I don’t have to keep updating on the injuries. STAY SAFE BOYS!
Around the Ballparks:
- Nationals fans booed when Miguel Batista took the mound in Strasburg’s spot yesterday. His line: 5IP, 3H, 0ER, 6K – 83 pitches
“Imagine you go there to see miss universe and you end up having miss Iowa, you might get those kind of boos.” – Batista on fan reaction to Strasburg being scratched.
- Josh Tomlin dominated in hhis ML Debut VS the Yankees -MLB
It was Tomlin’s first career start and first career win.
Starter to defeat defending Champion in MLB Debut: (last five occurrences)
CLE- Josh Tomlin 2010 VS NYY
BAL- Jake Arrieta 2010 VS NYY
ATL- Kyle Davies 2005 VS BOS
TEX- Brian Sikorski 2000 VS NYY
CLE- Paul Rigdon 2000 VS NYY
- The Brewers were pummeled by the Reds yesterday, 12-4. Gallardo went just 2.2 IP, 10H, 5ER, 3K.
- Ryan Howard (Season Splits)
April/May June/July
Games 50 50
AVG .282 .323
HR 8 15
RBI 33 48 (Most in NL during this span)
Pirates get a W on the Road, Beat the Rockies 4-2
The Pirates beat the Rockies, 4-2, and get a win on the road!
They are 11-38 on the road this season, losing 24 of the past 26 games on the road.
The Buccos took advantage of a struggling Rockies team. On their recent 11 game roadtrip:
- Record 2-9
- Record in one-run games 1-5
- Runs per game 3.18
- Batting Avg .209
- Batting Avg with RISP .192
- Opp Avg .252
- ERA 4.76
Zach Duke pitched six solid innings giving up three hits, two runs, while striking out four and walking two. It was Duke’s second win in a row, his third quality start since coming off the DL. The only two runs Zach gave up came in the fifth inning when he gave up back-to-back Home Runs to Hawpe and Barmes.
“The sinker was down, the changeup was down,” Duke said. “That was the main thing.”.
“Each start, he’s getting a little sharper,” Russell said. “You can see that when he’s down in the zone like he was tonight.”
“I wouldn’t say I feel stronger or better. I would say I feel like myself again,” Duke said. “It just means that I’m not trying to do too much. I just think about executing pitches rather than thinking about how to make the pitch better.”
In the seventh, Meek gave up a leadoff double to Miguel Olivo but escaped with three groundouts.
“I just had to get my command back,” Meek said.
Joel Hanrahan came in and pitched a scoreless inning, Hanny has only been scored upon three times since June 1st (22 appearences) and had his sixth straight scoreless inning since the All-Star Break.
Octavio Dotel put up a zero as well and picked up his 21 save of the season. (quite possibly for the last time as a Pirate) Tick..Tick..Tick..Here’s a video of his entrance music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klcFJ-knID0&feature=youtu.be
“When you play on the road, that’s what you need to do,” manager John Russell said. “Zach did a good job, our bullpen did what they usually do for us, we caught the ball, Neil had a really big hit … it was a very solid win for us.”
“It’s great to do this, especially at the beginning of the trip,” Walker said. “We’ve been looking for something to get us started on the road and, hopefully, this is it.”
“The best part is that it was a clean game,” reliever Evan Meek said. “That’s what it takes to win on the road, and we had that from Zach on out.”
The Pirates set the tone in the first. McCutchen led off with a double and Tabata brought him home with an RBI Single. Jose then scored on a WP by De La Rosa. The Pirates got two runs in the first.
In the sixth inning, Jones hit a RBI double, his 21st 2B of the season, which scored Tabata and gave the Bucs a 3-2 lead. GFJ leads the team with 57 RBI.
Neil Walker hit a Solo-HR in the eight inning, giving the Pirates a 4-2 lead. Neil snapped his 0-for-11 streak and went 3-for-4 on the night.
“I was able to get extended a little bit,” Walker said. “It was a good night for all of us, not just for me.”
Jim Tracy, a former Pirates Manager, was asked what he thought about the the new Bucs.
“What do I see? It’s very interesting young talent, no doubt about that,” he replied. “There are some real dynamics to the top of their order. There’s a very, very good-looking third baseman who just showed up with them.”
“What would be interesting, as far as I’m concerned, is the collectiveness moving forward and the capability of holding it together for an extended period,” Tracy continued. “So, then, they can become very familiar with one another. That will be the key to seeing if it has a chance to come to complete fruition. That’s what I see.”
It was Troy Tulowitzki’s first game back since being placed on the DL on June 18th. (He missed 32 games with a broken wrist) Tulu is a big part of the Rockies offense batting .306 with nine HR and a .502 SLG. It was not a good night for him as he went 0-for-4 with a strikeout and an error.
“My error didn’t help at all,” said Tulowitzki, who came off the disabled list prior to the game. “We’re just doing enough to lose.”
The Pirates recalled Steven Jackson from Triple-A Indy, and purchased the contract of Wil Ledezma.
Ledezma has spent his career with six different teams. (DET, ATL, SD, ARI, WSH, PIT)
He has been up and down a lot over the years, he has a ML Career record of 15-22 with a 5.17 ERA , 1.58 WHIP, 255/183 K per BB, and has allowed 42 HR in 370.2 IP.
This season in AAA though he has been Meek-like. 0-1, 0.94 ERA, 9 SV in 38 IP. He limited the hitters to a .156 AVG (20-for-128) and is coming off 20 consecutive scoreless innings.
“I think I’ve got better command,” Ledezma said. “I’m mixing all my pitches right now better than before. Everything is good. In Indy, I [had] a role. I think that helped me, too, when they told me I had a role.”
Steven Jackson’s stay is expected to be a short one, more than likely until Friday. Unless the Pirates aquire a starter before the trade deadline at 4PM on Saturday, they will need someone to take Brad Lincoln’s spot in the rotation. Daniel McCutchen has made three starts since being sent down to Triple-A allowing three earned runs in eight innings.
The Rockies have now lost seven straight games. De La Rosa gets the loss falling to 3-3 on the season. His line: 7IP, 6H, 2ER, 8K, 2BB.
Other Pirates News:
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Righty Jose Acosta of the Pirates’ VSL team will miss the remainder of the season after receiving a 50-game suspension. Acosta tested positive for Stanozolol, which is a banned performance-enhancing substance.
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The Pirates signed Independent Leaguer, Travis Chick from the Camden Riversharks. He has reported to Triple-A Indy. Chick has been used primarily as a starter, but he’ll begin in the bullpen for now. He went 5-4 with a 4.40 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 14 games this season.
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Pirates Notebook: McLouth’s fall precipitous -Post-Gazette
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Pirates put OF prospect Gorkys Hernandez on DL at Double-A Altoona with broken right ring finger. Gorkys was injured Sunday when he was hit by a pitch.
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The Pirates sent second baseman Shelby Ford down to High-A Bradenton. He was batting just .242 this season for Altoona.
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After getting lit up lately & skipped over his last start, Bryan Morris is back: 5 IP, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 Ks, 6 GB outs, 0 flyouts.
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(Via Hot Stove) Before getting Alberto Callaspo from the Royals, the Angels checked on the Pirates’ Garrett Jones, but talks died when Pittsburgh asked for infielder Maicer Izturis.
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@Dejan_Kovacevic from Pittsburgh Post Gazette said: Mentioned this yesterday in chat: Pirates say Angels never contacted them about Garrett Jones.
I wanted to save these stats for further down in my post. To say the Pirates have been horrible on the road is an understatement. I didn’t want to take away from the positive, the great job they did today with these depressing stats. So here they are now, read over them quickly and lets move on.
The Road Woes for the Buccos -Away from Home this season (Stats entering Tues)
NL RANK
- Record 11-38 LAST
- Batting AVG .235 13TH
- Total Runs 148 LAST
- Home Runs 37 14TH
- OBP .292 LAST
- SLG .359 15TH
- ERA 5.68 LAST
Today’s Pitching Matchup:
Ross Ohlendorf 1-8, 4.39 ERA
I just couldn’t help myself. He’s dressed up here for rookie hazing.
VS
Aaron Cook 4-6, 4.78 ERA
Ohlendorf tossed his fourth quality start in his past five outings, fanning six Brewers over six frames Thursday. His only mistake was a Prince Fielder solo homer, and it was the difference in a 3-2 loss.
Cook was hit hard by the Phillies his last start, giving up five runs on nine hits while walking three in 4 1/3 innings. He has a 5.67 ERA in eight career games (five starts) against the Pirates.
Around the Ballparks:
“The X-rays didn’t show anything. They looked pretty clear so it’s just a matter of getting the soreness and swelling out of there,” Haren said Tuesday before the Angels’ lost to the Red Sox 4-2.
“I got out there and threw from about 150-200 feet today and felt pretty good … so as of now I’d like to think I’ll be good to go on Saturday.” -ESPN
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(Via @jcrasnick) One scout said he won’t be surprised if Nationals trade Adam Dunn, then try to re-sign him this winter if the price drops
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Lackey victorious in return to Anahiem -MLB
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(Via @BaseballGuys) Jason Bay diagnosed with mild concussion from wall-smash in LA. Will be observed over next 48 to 72 hours. Felt symptoms manifest on Sunday
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Stephen Strasburg was scratched from yesterday’s start against the Braves after experiencing shoulder stiffness during his warmups in the bullpen. He is listed as day-to-day.
Around the Ballparks
Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that Matt Garza from the Tampa Bay Rays threw a No-hitter in last night’s game against the Tigers.
Not only was it his first career no-no, it was also the first No-Hitter in Rays franchise history.
“It’s the first no-hitter I’ve ever had,” Garza said. “It’s great I was the first one to do it [in Rays history]. It’s a young franchise and I have a feeling they’re going to have many more to come. But I can’t put enough emphasis on it how big the win was. We are trying to win the [American League] East, we’re not just trying to win a couple games — we’re trying to win the East and make it known. It was a great way to start the homestand.”
Since 1998, the Rays have been on the other end of four no-hitters. Derek Lowe (2002), Mark Buehrle (2009), Dallas Braden and Edwin Jackson (both in 2010) all had no-no’s, with Buehrle and Braden pitching perfect games; Braden and Jackson no-hit the Rays this season.
“It’s nice to finally be on the other side,” Carl Crawford said. “We’ve been in two of them [this season] and now it’s nice to be on the winning side this time.”
Garza’s no-hitter made the Rays the first Major League team to be no-hit and throw a no-hitter in one season since 1991, when the Orioles, White Sox and Expos did it.
Garza threw 120 pitches, 80 for strikes, struck out six and walked one. He faced 27 batters.
“In the ninth inning, I ran out there and I just told myself, ‘Well, we can go about this two ways — I can try not to get contact and get in trouble, or I can go at these guys,’” Garza said. “And if it happens, it happens, and if it doesn’t, I have a guy who can come in the ninth inning and shut the door for me. But the most important thing tonight was the win.”
- The Last five to face 27 batters in a no-hitter (and not throw a perfect game):
- M. Garza 2010 VS Tigers
- M. Buehrle 2007 VS Rangers
- T. Mulholland 1990 VS Giants
- S. Koufax 1964 VS Phillies
- W. Spahn 1961 VS Giants
Garza before the game, was 0-4 with a 5.85 ERA against the Tigers.
“Other than going to the World Series, this is probably the coolest thing I’ve been involved with,” B.J. Upton said. “He’s pitched well all year. He’s scuffled a little bit the last month, but you know what? Good for him. I’m happy for him. Like I said, that’s probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever been involved with.”
Lost in the crazyness of Garza’s no-no was the fact that Detroit starter Max Scherzer held the Rays hitless through 5.2 innings. The Rays loaded the bases with one out on two walks and a catcher’s interference call. Carlos Pena struck out to bring up Matt Joyce.
Joyce worked the count full before hitting a grand slam off the right field foul pole to give the Rays a 4-0 lead. The last player to break up a no-hit bid (five innings or more) with a grand slam was Philadelphia’s Dickie Thon against the Mets’ Frank Viola on July 23, 1990.
It was the fifth No-hitter already this season. The last time there were at least five in a season was in 1991 (7)
The five No-Hitters this season:
- Garza (TB) July 26 VS DET
- Jackson (ARI) June 25 VS TB
- Halladay (PHI) May 29 VS FLA *was a perfect game
- Braden (OAK) May 9 VS TB * was a perfect game
- Jimenez (COL) April 17 VS ATL
- Most Home Runs per game (by ballpark this season)
TOR- Rogers Centre 2.74
NYY- Yankee Stadium 2.72
MIL- Miller Park 2.59
ARI- Chase Field 2.58
CIN- Great American 2.51
- Lowest team batting average (MLB) this season:
Mariners .235
Astros .239
Pirates .242
Blue Jays .247
Indians .248
- Joe Mauer went five-for-five, HR, and had seven RBI in yesterday’s game against the Royals (They won 19-0). In MLB History, there have only been three catchers with five or more hits and seven or more RBI in a single game.
“It’s a funny game,” Mauer said. “Tonight obviously I felt good and just tried to hold on to that feeling as long as I can. I’ve felt it [this season] but I haven’t really been able to hold on to that feeling for a long time. Tonight was good and hopefully it’s there tomorrow.”
H/RBI OPP
Joe Mauer 2010 5/7 @ KC
Victor Martinez 2004 5/7 @ SEA
Walker Cooper 1949 6/10 @CHC
Also during the the Twins/Royals game:
They tallied season highs in extra-base hits (11) and runs and tied their season high in hits with 20. The 19 runs are the most the Twins have ever scored in a game against Kansas City, and the 18-run margin of victory is also a franchise record against these Royals.
Rookie third baseman Danny Valencia tallied a career-high four hits, going 4-for-4 on the night, and became the first ever player in Twins history to hit a grand slam for his first Major League home run.
“What better way to start it off?” Valencia said with a big smile. “Not just hit a home run, but a grand slam, and off a guy who’s an accomplished big leaguer and won the Cy Young. It was great. It was surreal.”
- Dan Haren made his Angels debut yesterday against the Red Sox. He was pulled in the fifth inning after he was hit in the forearm with a comebacker. He was diagnosed wtih a right arm contusion and will be re-examined today. He went 4.2 IP, 7H, 2ER, 8K -74.2% Strikes
“It’s a little sore but nothing throbbing,” Haren said. “There’s nothing that I’m worried about. Hopefully I’ll get a decent night’s rest and wake up and it won’t be so bad. I’ll get some treatment and I’ll be out there soon.”
“Sometimes these things heal quickly,” Scioscia said. “It doesn’t seem like it got much of the bone and just some soft tissue. But we’ll let Dr. Yocum and the medical staff make that decision to see what the extent might be.”
- The Pirates recalled RHP Steven Jackson and selected the contract of LHP Wil Ledezma from Triple-A Indianapolis this morning. The Club starts a six game trip tonight in Colorado.
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Cubs Geovany Soto bruised his left foot and left the game in the middle of the sixth inning against the Astros on last night.
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The Pirates starting Pitcher, Paul Maholm tweeted this picture yesterday. I couldn’t help but post it because its so breathtaking.
@Maholm28: “Relaxing day in the Rockies. Unbelievable scenery”
- Curtis Granderson has been hot in his last six games. He is batting .429 with three HR, four RBI and scored seven runs. The Yankees are 5-1 during that span.
- David Ortiz joins Ted Williams (16), Dwight Evans/Jim Rice (11), Manny Ramirez/Carl Yastrzemski (8) with eight 20 HR Red Sox seasons.
- (via @JeffFletcherAOL) Pablo Sandoval is scheduled to return to the SFGiants in time for Tuesday’s game, but Bochy said he probably won’t start him.
- Felix Hernandez lost his 7th game of the season last night. In the 7 losses, the Mariners have given him only 7 runs of support.
- Matt Wieters had his first career multi-HR game yesterday, but the Orioles still lost to the Blue Jays 9-5.
- Pirates Jeff Locke’s line last night for Double-A Altoona: 6 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 0 BB, 9 K.
- The only two teams to have never thrown a no-hitter in history: the Mets (established in 1962) or the Padres (1969)
- Buster Posey in the month of July: .459/.500/.788, 7 HR, 13 EBH in 85 ABs.
- Monday was Jim Leyland’s 54th career ejection, tying him with Bill Rigney for 13th place on the all-time list.
- Aramis Ramirez in his last 25-games is batting .347 with 10HR, 25RBI and a slugging pct of .723. He has raised his AVG from .165 to .230 during this span.
News and Notes
Dan Haren will make his first start tonight for the Angels against the Red Sox. A California native, Haren will have plenty of friends and family there to watch in the stands for his Angels debut.
“Being able to be near family and going to a ballclub that is dedicated to winning — for not just this year but a lot of years — I am very excited for the chance to go there and win,” Haren said on Sunday.
The Halos rotation will be bumped back a day. Jered Weaver will start on Tuesday night against the Red Sox, followed by Joel Pineiro on Wednesday afternoon. Ervin Santana will open a series against the Rangers on Friday night. -MLB.com
- Mets (11 game road trip) entering Sunday:
2-10, .194 team avg
runs/game 2.3
strikeouts/game 7.9
They have dropped from four games back to 7 1/2 games back in the NL East during this road trip.
- Astros Wandy Rodriguez (Season Splits)
Last six starts: 5-1, 2.31 ERA, .201 opp avg
Previous 14 Starts: 3-10, 6.09 ERA, 3.17 opp avg
- Robinson Cano hit his 1,000th career hit yesterday against the Royals.
- The Giants longest hitting streak by rookie:
McCovey- 22 games (Aug 15,1959 to Sept 10,1959)
Posey- 18 games (July 4, 2010 to Present)
Cepeda- 17 games (July 15, 1958 to Aug 1, 1958)
- (Via @ScotDMcCauley) It seems Pirates moves will wait so I’ll wait on introducing new player. He’s not on roster, but LHP Corey Hamman is back w/Eveland to DL.
- (Via @DyalanHernandez) Dodgers minor league OF Prentice Redman, who is currently serving a 50-gm suspension, has been hit with an additional 100-gm suspension…Redman tested positive for an amphetamine for the second time.\
- (via @baseballguys) Tom Gorzelanny has allowed 3 or fewer R in 12 of his 14 starts. He’s gone 4-0 w a 2.83 ERA since he replaced Zambrano in rotation.
- Pirates Minor Leagues: West Virginia’s Phillip Irwin was named Sally League Pitcher of the Week and State College’s Tyler Waldron was named NYPL Pitcher of the Week today
- Can the Dodgers afford to keep Russell Martin? That and more on July’s news and notes -FoxSports
- If Octavio Dotel is traded by Saturday’s non-waiver deadline, Evan Meek and Joel Hanrahan likely would share the job until one of them emerged as the no-doubt choice. The Pirates had a scout in Philadelphia this past weekend, watching the Rockies-Phillies series. Colorado is hunting for bullpen help -TribLive
- Fielder’s future to be decided by Saturday Night. Brewers have three options regarding slugging first baseman -MLB
- The Phillies completed a four-game sweet of the Rockies today. It was Phillies first four-game sweep over the Rockies, ever.
- Carlos Zambrano apologizes to Cubs fans (VIDEO) -ESPN
- Reds third baseman Scott Rolen is back in the starting lineup tonight against Milwaukee after missing nine games with a strained right hamstring.
- Dodgers Reliever Ronald Belisario, who has been on MLB’s restricted list since July 7, has resumed workouts at Dodger Stadium, though no timetable has been set for his return to the active roster.
- Ty Wigginton’s sususpension has been cut to two games. He was originally suspended for three games after his tirade following a call at first base against the Twins. He will miss tonights game against the Blue Jays.
- Clayton Kershaw was penalized five games for throwing at Aaron Rowland. MLB consulted with the players’ union, the Dodgers and left the suspension intact. His penalty will start with Tuesday night’s game at PetCo Park.
I’m on camera a lot during the Pirate games (since my seat is right behind the dugout) and lately a lot people told me that they can see me. After watching the replay of yesterdays game I took notes on what not to do. Haha. You never really care or pay attention when you think no one is watching. Anyway, I took a few snap shots.
That’s me standing in the white sundress after Brad Lincoln hit a RBI single to score Ronny Cedeno.
People always ask me why I go to games by myself. Well, there are a few reasons. Not a lot of my friends really like baseball (or they didn’t want to purchase season tickets with me) and I would honestly rather not sit next to someone who wants to chat about other things. When I’m at the game I like to sink into the game and chat with like minded fans around me. Hense what I’m doing in this picture. A fan a few rows back was yelling “Come on guys! They aren’t that much of a better team then us” Which I got a huge chuckle out of. They are first in the NL, we are last. (He obviously doesn’t follow baseball regularly.)
The Pirates have an off day today. Here are tomorrow’s Pitching Matchups:
Zack Duke 4-9, 5.22 ERA
VS
Jorge De La Rosa 3-2 5.65 ERA
Duke gave the Bucs his second consecutive strong start since returning from the DL with a strained flexor pronator, going six innings and giving up just three runs on six hits for his first win since out-dueling Roy Halladay on May 18 and giving a taxed bullpen a rest
After giving up 10 hits and 14 runs (11 earned) in his first two starts after returning from a left middle finger injury, De La Rosa found his form against the Marlins on Thursday. De La Rosa gave up two runs on three hits and struck out eight in six innings
Pirates swept by the Padres
Pirates lose, Pirates lose, 6-3. The Pirates were swept for the 12th time this season. They are just 12-51 when they score three runs or less.
Brad Lincoln made his ninth career start yesterday. He went 6.1IP, 8H, 6R, 6ER, 3K, 2BB, 2HR -103 Pitches (LP 1-4)
Lincoln continued to struggle with his fastball and threw everything up in the zone. The Padres took advantage of it.
After having a 2-0 lead into the third, it quickly unraveled. Pitcher, Matt LeBlanc singled, followed by Jerry Hariston JR. Denorifa hit a two-run double, then Gonzalez lifted one into the right field porch for a two-run Home Run. Torrealba walked, then stole second, then Venable hit a RBI-Single. Nine men came to the plate, five hits, five runs and a walk were issued by Lincoln throwing 40 pitches.
“I’ve got to be able to shut innings down and keep the runs to a minimum,” Lincoln said. “I let that inning get away from me and it hurt us.”
After the game Brad Lincoln was optioned to Triple-A Indy. In his Nine Major League Starts he was 1-4, 6.57 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and a .311 Opp Avg. In 50.2 IP he allowed 64 hits, 39 Runs, 37 ER, 9HR, 14BB, 21K.
“Just being able to be up here and face Major League hitters and be around the guys in the clubhouse and learn and know what it takes to compete up here,” Lincoln said, “I’ve learned a lot since I’ve been here. I just haven’t been able to show the results.”
“I’m thinking too much out there. I just need to go someplace else and get that taken care of,” Lincoln said. “For me, it’s probably the best move. … I’ll be back.”
Huntington added: “We feel like there have been some mechanical changes that have taken place over time at the major league level that have caused some of the velocity reduction. We think we can get him … back where he was mechanically and back where he was mentality-wise” in Indianapolis”
Ronny Cedeno and Jose Tabata both had two hits and continued to be hot since the All-Star Break. Cedeno went two-for-three with a Homerun (5) a walk, and two RBI. He is hitting .421 in the second half while Tabata has hit .386.
In Tabata’s last 12 games (entering Sunday) .380 AVG, 6 2B, 6BB, 8RBI.
John Russell: “He’s got a quiet approach, sees the ball well and that leads to patience and that leads to working the count and that’s why he’s able to hit at the top of the order. With his speed and the way he does things, he drives the ball and uses the whole field. For his age he’s a very accomplished hitter and we knew that in Spring Training when we watched him. That this guy’s a little bit further along then most young hitters. It makes his very valuable.”
“I wouldn’t say disappointing — record-wise, yes, but our guys showed themselves as a team that we can score some runs, and we can swing the bats, so we’re going to take that as a positive out of this,” Pirates manager John Russell said of the homestand. “Obviously, we’re not excited about the record, but I think some guys grew a little bit on this homestand, and that’s the most important thing for our young players now, is to continue to grow and continue to believe that they are making some strides. And we saw some of that.”
“We still saw that we still have some room for development,” Russell said of the past 10 games. “Would we like to win more games? Obviously, can’t take that away, but we’re seeing some growth.”
LeBlanc went 6IP, 8H, 3ER, 2K, 0BB. (WP 5-8) and Heath Bell picked up his 29th save.
Brendan Donnelly was designated for assignment following the game. In 38 games, Donnelly was 3-1 with a 5.58 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, .234 OPP AVG. In 30.2 IP he gave up 26 hits and 21 runs, including six homeruns and 21 walks.
“They’re moving forward, and that’s fine,” said Donnelly, 38, who pitched in six of nine games after the All-Star break and called himself “just exhausted, overused” by that brief outing Thursday. “I don’t know what their definition of ‘moving forward’ is, but we’ll see.”
”I think I’ve been released a few times in my career, and you usually see it coming, you have a hunch, and I didn’t see this one coming,” Donnelly said. “I feel like I’ve been throwing the ball good the last month. The other night, I was just exhausted, overuse, but like I said, I didn’t see it coming. I thought I was doing what they wanted me to do. I know I was doing in the clubhouse with the guys, with the younger guys, with [Evan] Meek and [Joel] Hanrahan and whatnot. They asked me to work on them from day one in Spring Training. They have a world of talent. I like to think I helped them a little bit learn how to be successful at this level, so granted, my job here is done.”
The Players were all pretty upset to see Brendan go, as he was a big part of the team giving the young guys a veteran to look up to and learn from.
“He definitely was a … real leader, took charge,” first baseman Garrett Jones said. “It’s their decision. You just go along with it. But we’re going to miss him. A great guy in the clubhouse. A warrior out on the field. A good guy to have on your side.”
He was the only leader … that would step up and say stuff and not care [about teammates' feelings],” Meek added. “Any time you make a trade or get rid of a leader in your clubhouse, it’s not going to be popular. There’s a business side to the game, obviously.”
Paul Maholm and Joel Hanrahan tweeted about the loss of Donnelly:
@Maholm28: Also sad to see Donnelly go he was a great teammate and leader. True professional
@Hanrahan4457: Tough weekend for us and even tougher after the game, Donnelly is an awesome person and helped our whole team and myself alot, great leader
Donnelly remained optimistic that another team would pick him up.
“I hope so,” he said. “Neal said he was trying to trade me and didn’t have any takers. I have some considerable incentives in my contract that were just about to kick in, so it doesn’t really make sense for another team to trade for me when, if this happens, I become really cheap for another team. Hopefully, they can go on the games that I’ve had and know that I’m healthy, and that I’ve been there and done it, and I’m ready to go now.”
The Pirates have not annouced who will fill the two spots on the 25 man roster.
@RobBiertempfel: Expect Pirates to call up Wil Ledezma, Justin Thomas for pen. Then send Thomas back down and recall Daniel McCutchen for rotation.
Although the Pirates finished the 10 game homestand 4-6, there were some positives.
- In the Pirates last 9 games (Stats entering Sunday):
Record: 4-5
Runs/Game: 6.3 (The Pirates averaged only 3.2 runs before the All-Star Break)
Hits/Game: 10.9
Average: .305
Doubles: 25
Slg Pct: .464
ERA: 4.22
Walks/9IP: 2.7
Strikeouts/9IP: 7.0
Opp Avg: .241
- Delywn Young (Who filled in for McCutchen for five games):
Hits/At-Bats: 7/16
Avg: .438
HR: 2
RBI: 7
Runs: 7
BB: 4
Slg: .875
Minor League Update:
- Prospect Watch: Hitters
(Indy) Alex Pressley- .348 AVG, 9HR, 58RBI, .538 SLG
(Curve) Josh Harrison- .309 AVG, 2HR, 56 RBI, 27 SB
(Spikes) Matthew Curry- .392 AVG, 3HR, 18 RBI, .620 SLG
(GCL) Exicardo Cayonez- .323 AVG, 15 RBI, 5 SB
(GCL) Eric Avila- 3.09 AVG, 18 RBI, .518 SLG
- Prospect Watch: Pitchers
(Curve) Jeff Locke- 10-3, 3.24 ERA, 91K/16BB
(Marauders) Nate Baker- 7-6, 3.02 ERA, .099 WHIP
(Power) Phillip Irwin- 5-1, 2.44 ERA, 1.00 WHIP
(Power) Quinton Miller 1-1, 2.19 ERA, .193 OPP AVG
(Spikes) Tyler Waldron 2-2, 2.73 ERA, 21K/5BB
Around the Ballparks:
- Don’t Blame Paul Maholm- PiratesProspects
- Pirate fans still complain about the Nate McLouth trade. Well fans, here is what we are missing out on: McLouth is 6-for-65 (.092) w/ 1 RBI, .183 OBP in 23 g. Since 7/9/09, .205 w/ 9 HR, 35 RBI, 13 SB, .646 OPS
- Cubs John Grabow has yet to throw off the mound. Says sprained left knee taking longer than expected. Won’t be back next week.
- The Nationals allowed a season-high 5 unearned runs in their 8-3 loss to the Brewers yesterday.
- The Reds were shut out by the Astros yesterday, 4-0. It was an MLB-high 12th time this year the Reds have been held scoreless.
- Diamndbacks traded Haren to Angels for Joe Saunders, Patrick Corbin, Rafael Rodriguez and a player to be named later. -MLB
- The Marlins had their 4th walkoff win of the week today. They are the 6th team since 2000 to have 4 walkoff wins in one week.
- The Padres move to 19 games above .500 for 1st time since 1998. (The Last time SD played in the World Series. Coincidence?)
- Twins second baseman Orlando Hudson landed on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday because of a strained right oblique muscle.
- (Via @BaseballGuys)From John Lewis of SABR: July 2nd, Pedro Alvarez had a .443 OPS. 14 games later his OPS was .834.
- (via @ScottDMcCauley) Jeff Clement will be away from the Indians for the next couple of days. Personal reasons & will rejoin the team Wednesday in Syracuse.
Mistakes cost the bucs, Padres beat the bucs 9-2
“Don’t sweat the small stuff”. Well, in the Pirates case, maybe they should have. Many miscues cost the bucs as they lose for the third straight game to the Padres, 9-2, in front of a sell out crowd of 36,967.
After pitching five strong innings, striking out five batters, Karstens pitched a three-run sixth. After a leadoff single by Jerry Harriston Jr., he reached second on a error by Alvarez, Gonzalez and Headley both hit for RBI Singles making the game 3-2. After intentionally walking Will Venable, Hundley hit a sac fly giving the Padres a 4-2 lead.
Karstens threw 96 pitches over six innings, he was charged with 2ER.
I feel like I’m so close to getting over that hump,” said Karstens, who fell to 2-6 and has not recorded a win since June 19, a span of six games after Saturday’s loss. “There’s a few things that haven’t really gone my way, but it’s just part of baseball. And what can I say? They gave me a 2-1 lead and I let it slip away.”
Things got much worse for the Pirates in the eighth. Garrett Jones was issued an error on a ground ball from Headley. Sean Gallagher then allowed two more men to reach after Headley, loading the bases with no outs. Gallagher then balked in a run, Padres 5-2.
The game was delayed for almost 45 minutes due to rain. D.J. Carrasco came in to replace Gallagher and gave up two hits, scoring four more runs, a total of eight men came to the plate.
The two rough innings, two errors and balk overshadowed Jose Tabata’s big night at the plate. He went 3 for 5, including an opposite field solo Home Run, his second of the year, and a double. He was a triple away from the cycle. Tabata batting .388 — 19 for 49 — over the past dozen games.
Delywn Young scored the only other run on the night, a solo homerun. Four of Young’s five homeruns this season have came off pretty phoenominal arms; Roy Halladay, Steven Strasburg, Brian Wilson, and Matt Latos. In Delwyn’s six straight starts, since replacing Andrew McCutchen, Young is batting .412, driving in seven runs, and has hit two homers.
We kept the game close,” Russell said “They took the lead or tied it up, and D.Y. hit the home run. I thought that was big. Unfortunately, we gave them three the next inning. Can’t take away that last part of the game, but it was a pretty well played game. I think our hitters hung in there pretty well.”
The Padres are now 22-9 all-time at PNC Park and improve to 27-20 on the road this season, which is the most road wins in the National League.
Matt Latos improved to 11-4 on the season, his ERA at 2.48, opponents batting just .198 against him. His road starts have been even better for this young arm. He is 7-1 with a 1.36 ERA, 66 Strikeouts per 16 Walks and opponents batting .161 against him.
He was good,” Russell said. “Threw hard up to 96 mph, changed speeds, mixed the breaking ball and changeup”.
“The kid kept the ball down, threw hard,” Young said. “I was pretty impressed, and I think we all were.”
Today’s Pitching Matchup:
In the series finale Brad Lincoln take the mound for the Bucs. He is 1-3 with an 6.29 ERA. His last outing – the shortest of his career – lasted just two and one thirds, giving up seven runs.
The Padres send Wade LeBlanc who is 4-8 this season with a 3.28 ERA. He struggles away from PETCO Park, going 2-4 in seven starts, an ERA at 4.78.
Other Pirates News:
- Opp AVG (MLB Leaders) Last 10 games- Entering Sat
Neil Walker PIT .485
Chris Denorfia SD .471
Starlin Castro CHC .471
Rusty Ryal ARI .467
Delwyn Young PIT .467
- Rudy Owens 7IP, 7H, 1R (unearned) 8K, 0BB
- Tyler Waldron 6IP, 5H, 0ER, 0K, 0BB
- 1B Matt Curry, a Pirates 2010 draftee, continues to rake at St. College. 2/3, 2B, BB today. OPS ~ 1.100 for the season. (via @RoccoDemaro)
- Brandon Moss says he needs to prove he should rejoin the Pirates. 24 hits/18RBI last 15 games. Wants another shot, but “must be earned” (via @scottDMcCauley)
- During an in game interview last night, McCutchen said he will probally return to the lineup for today’s game against the Padres.
- D.J. Carrasco a possible starter for the Pirates? He thinks he could help the team out if he was given the oppurtunity. Read the article here.
- Bad start for Tim Alderson. 4 IP, 3 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, 3 HR
- Jeremy Powell started for Dana Eveland yesterday. Eveland has some elbow tenderness and could miss another start.
- Pirates prospect, Phillip Irwin (WV Power) pitched 7 hitless innings. -MILB
Around The Ballparks:
- Miguel Cabrera has been hot for the Tigers. In his last 23 gmaes he is batting .416 with 16 XBH, and 26 RBI. The rest of the team, not so much. In the last 10 games they are 2-8 with a .239 AVG, with just 4 HR.
- Entering 2010, Roy Oswalt was 23-1 lifetime vs. the Reds with a 2.58 ERA. His two starts vs. Cin this season: 0-2, 6.75 ERA.
- The Reds beat the Astros last night, 7-0. Johnny Cueto went 8IP, 4H, 0ER, 6K- 122 pitches. In his last 6 starts he is 4-0 with a 0.88 ERA in 41 innings, allowing just 32 hits.
- Giants Eugenio Velez was hit in the head by a foul ball while in the dugout last night. He was rushed to the hospital. But there is Good news on Velez. CT scan negative, no skull fractures. He is alert and talking, Bochy said. Velez never lost consciousness, was diagnosed with a concussion.
- Ubaldo Jimenez threw 65 pitches, giving up 3 hits, 6 earned runs and issued six walks over two innings. The Rockies lost 10-2. In July his ERA has shot to 7.59 (it was 0.79 in April, 0.78 in May)
- NYM lost to LAD yesterday in 13 innings via James Loney’s 1st career walkoff HR, giving the Mets 12 walkoff losses this season – most in MLB. To see an interview with Loney after the walk off click here
- Yesterday versus the Marlins, Brooks Conrad became the fifth player ever to hit two pinch-hit grand slams in a single season.
- Troy Tulowitzki will continue his minor league rehab through the weekend, and then the Rockies will re-evaluate.
- Dodgers Catcher Brad Asmus says he’ll retire after the season -ESPN
- Rough day for Tigers, Maglio Ordonez will be out 6-8 weeks with a right ankle fracture and They also lost second baseman Carlos Guillen on Saturday with a right calf strain.
- Pablo Sandoval to miss a couple of games on leave -MLB
- Mets 12 walk-off losses are their most in a season since 1989 and 2 shy of their franchise record.
- Jeremy Affeldt goes on the DL with a strain in his left oblique. Joe Martinez is joining the Giants to take his place in the bullpen.
- The right oblique issue that started with Angel Pagan and then Jose Reyes is catching. Rod Barajas left Saturday’s game in the sixth inning with a strain to that muscle.
- Twins Justin Morneau making slow, steady progess. -MLB
- Hunter Pence joined twitter. It’s seriously him. If you don’t believe me, check out this video of him chatting about it. (@HunterPence9)
Blown Call at HP, rough 4th, Bucs lose 5-3 to the Padres
In an instant, everything can change. The Bucs learned it the hard way last night as they lost to the Padres, 5-3.
In the first inning, with runners on first and third, Garrett Jones hit a grounder to first-baseman Adrian Gonzalez. He threw to home to try to get Jose Tabata at the plate. After a few seconds of waiting for the call by home plate umpire Bill Welke, Torrealba tagged Tabata and he signaled for the out. The replays clearly showed that Jose made a great play by touching home plate and avoiding the tag. John Rusell came out to argue the call, but it stood, no run. That ended the first inning for the Pirates, the momentum shifted.
It’s hard to really blame a loss on one call that happened in the first, but it definitly was a factor in what could have been an entirely different game.
“He didn’t see Jose’s hand go in there,” Russell said of Welke. “I think he’d know if he had to look at it on replay. But he didn’t see the hand go in there … and it did.”
Said Tabata, through his interpreter, first-base coach Carlos Garcia: “I was kind of surprised when he didn’t call anything at the beginning, because I know for sure my hand touched the plate. And I was kind of surprised that he saw that play the way he did, but I’m pretty sure he just told me that he didn’t see me touch the plate, and that’s why he didn’t make any call.”
Could’ve helped obviously,” Russell said of the run that wasn’t. “It’s a tie game. We score the three runs, we tie it up, [and] it might have changed the outcome a little bit. You hate for something like that to happen, because it is a run, and plays that cost you runs, they hurt, especially in a close game.”
The Pirates managed to only get six hits and two earned runs off Correia through six innings. (Correia’s ERA is 5.09, the worst of the staff of Padres starters. That tells you how good the arms have been.)
Paul Maholm, coming off arguably one of the best starts of his career, pitched six innings, giving up nine hits, four runs with two walks and two strikeouts. If it wasn’t for the rough second inning, Paul would have pitched a pretty good game. (He gave up four runs, four hits, faced eight batters and threw 28 pitches in the second.)
I really can’t say they hit a ball hard,” Maholm said of the second. “They found holes, broken-bat double — just the kind of inning that happens. But I felt good. I still felt like I could go out and throw my pitches when I wanted to, and try to keep us in the game. That was the biggest thing, is make sure it didn’t get any bigger.”
The Pirates cut the lead to two runs in the fourth inning when Pedro Alvarez single advanced two runners into scoring position thanks to a throwing error by Everth Cabrera. Lastings Milledge singled home both runners making the score, 4-2.
In the fifth inning, Tabata hit an RBI ground out to bring the game within one run.
Brendan Donnelly came in to pitch in the seventh inning. Throwing 13 pitches, 12 of them balls, he walked the bases loaded with no outs.
D.J. Carrasco came into the jam and continued to prove what a great asset he is to the Pirates. The Padres only managed to get one run, a Will Venable Sac Fly.
Heath Bell recorded his major-league leading 28th save of the season.
The Bucs have a challanging series on their hands, not only are the Padres first in the National League but a big part of that has been their stellar pitching this season. Entering Friday’s game the Padres leads MLB in Bullpen ERA (2.87), and second in Starting Pitching ERA (3.30) and rank third in Strikeouts (750).
Today’s Pitching Matchup:
Matt Latos 10-4, 2.45 ERA
VS
Jeff Karstens 2-5, 4.84 ERA
Latos just coming off the disabled list (strained left oblique) will start against the Pirates. He leads the Padres with 10 victories and will be making his first start since July 8th. Matt, who has proved to have one of the strongest arms in the NL in the first half of the season, has even impressed veteran Heath Bell.
“He’s showing what we all think he can do,” Bell said. “He’s not just a young kid with great, unbelievable stuff that doesn’t know what he’s doing. Every outing he’s learning.
“I told him, ‘You have the potential to be a No. 1. You have the potential, when we lose a few games, to be that stopper, that ace that we know we can ride.’ … With Mat, we have a chance to win every single outing.”
Karstens retired the first 12 batters he faced on 29 pitches his last outing. Although he did give up two long balls to both Fielder and Weeks he did mange to throw 53 of his 66 pitches for strikes. Jeff hasn’t picked up a win since June 19th, but has allowed just three runs or less in three of his five starts since.
I just felt I had a really good rhythm throwing strikes,” Karstens said. “And then, when I got ahead, I was expanding the zone a little bit, making them chase. Just doing what I’ve been doing while I’ve been here.”
Other Pirates News:
- To say Neil Walker has been hot is an understatement. In the Brewers series he went 11 for 17, with 4 2B, and 5 RB. Raised his AVG from .289 to .320, 51 points in the 2nd half alone. He’s been great since being called up on May 25th.
“What he went through, I think really made him a stronger player,” Russell said. “Fighting his way, struggling a little bit in Triple-A and finding it toward the end of the season last year. Came in, he knew Pedro [Alvarez] was going to play third, so I think it challenged him in another direction. We challenged him to play other positions and challenged him to try to find a spot that he could settle in.”
- Pirates promote 33rd round draft pick Justin Ennis (LHP) to Single-A West Virginia.
- Joel Hanrahan’s miserable six-run seventh inning against the Brewers three months ago is not a distant memory, not even close.
“I wouldn’t say that I put that outing behind me, I’d say I use it more as motivation,” Hanrahan said. “These guys, they’re coming up there trying to take food off your plate at all times, and you’ve got to go out there and take it personally and go out there and try to do your job, I guess. But I use that as motivation because, you can ask [Octavio] Dotel and [Brendan] Donnelly, we’ve all had games like that against Milwaukee, and we use that as motivation and try to work on it and try to get our numbers down as much as possible.”
Hanrahan has done just that, giving up just 10 earned runs in 37 2/3 innings (38 appearances) since, lowering his ERA from 15.75 to 3.67. Take away that April 22 outing, which came in a Pirates’ 20-0 loss, and Hanrahan’s ERA is 2.43.
The 28-year-old right-hander struck out two in the ninth Thursday against the Brewers and has now tossed four scoreless innings in four appearances since the All-Star break, striking out six, walking none and allowing just two hits.
With the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline fast approaching, Pirates manager John Russell has repeatedly said he likes what he has in his bullpen. Hanrahan isn’t oblivious to the chatter, but his mindset remains the same.
“This time of the year, obviously, there’s a lot of trade talks going on with everybody, and people joke about it and everything, and you got outside people coming in, like family members, asking questions,” Hanrahan said. “It’s nice not to see your name in there and then it is also flattering to see your name in trade rumors, too — that teams are interested in you and other teams feel like you can help them in the playoff race. That’s always fun, too, but it’s one of those things you can’t worry about. You just go out there and pitch.”
Around the Ballparks:
- Corey Hart’s x-ray on right wrist came up negative, his MRBI showed just a thumb bruise. Doesn’t appear to be DL, but he may be out few days
Ned Colletti says Dodgers are serious buyers–With the trade deadline nearing, general manager says he has been on the phone and actively trying to improve the team. -LATimes
In yesterday’s Mariners/Red Sox game, Chone Figgins got into a fight, not with the Sox but his own Manager, Don Wakamatsu. After he got pulled in the fifth inning for not hustling, they exchanged words and it got pretty heated. You can watch the video here if you missed it.
The long comeback of Rockies Pitcher Taylor Bucholz is almost complete. After undergoing Tommy John in 2008, he is set to be activated today before the game vs the Phillies.
Jim Leyland not excited to trade away Tigers’ prospects -freep.com
Roy Halladay- 8 scoreless innings last night is the 7th time Halladay has pitched 7+ innings & allowed 0 ER, most in majors.
Phillies have posted consecutive shutouts for 2nd time this season. Last time they had 2 such streaks in a season was 1986.
Joe Mauer: 1st HR since July 6. All 5 HR this season have come on road. Mauer hit his 5th HR in his 13th game last season.
Orlando Hudson diagnosed with strained right oblique, which tends to linger and send player to the DL.
The Nationals exercise team option and will Jim Riggleman as the manager for 2011.
The A’s sign catcher Kurt Suzuki to a four-year, $16.25 M extension.
Pedroia thinks he won’t need to make a minor league rehab stint. “The Red Sox need me more than the PawSox.” (via @ESPNJoeyMac)
Choo activated from the DL. Aaron Laffey onto 15-day DL with left shoulder fatigue.
Largest win pct improvement (NL) entering thurs:
2009 2010 Dif.
Padres .463 .591 .128
Mets .432 .516 .084
Reds .481 .552 .071
Nationals .364 .432 .068
Braves .531 .585 .054
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10 + Wins and ERA under 2.00 thru 20 starts:
2010- Josh Johnson 10W, 1.61 ERA
2000- Pedro Martinez 14W, 1.40 ERA
1998 Greg Maddux 12W, 1.57 ERA
1997- Pedro Martinez 12W, 1.80 ERA
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San Diego Padres Pitching Staff-MLB Rank(Entering Fri):
ERA- 3.30 (2nd)
Pen’ ERA- 2.87 (1st)
Shutouts- 12 (2nd)
Opp AVG- .239 (2nd)
Strikeouts- 750 (3rd)
Road ERA- 3.75 (3rd)
Here are some pictures I took from the game last night.
Heath Bell about to record his ML leading 28th Save.
Paul Maholm facing Adrian Gonzalez in the 1st inning.
Matt Latos during BP.
Bucs fall to the Brewers, 3-2 in an emotionally high game.
The Pirates, Brewers rivalry has been going on for quite some time now. Going into this home stand I had a feeling it was going to be an emotional one. It was a mostly quiet game through six innings with the pitching duel between Ross Ohlendorf and Yovani Gallardo.
In the seventh Inning Evan Meek gave up a two-run Homerun to Rickie Weeks, giving the Brewers a three run lead. Then it got ugly pretty fast.
Todd Coffey, who came in for relief, threw three balls to Jose Tabata then quickly threw a fastball behind him. Home plate umpire Mike Muchlinski warned Coffey as well as both dugouts. Tabata was walked.
Was there intent behind the pitch?
“Absolutely,” manager John Russell said.
“In this series, I knew we hit some of their players,” began Evan Meek, who yielded his second homer in 24 outings, a critical, two-run blast in the seventh by Weeks. “But none of those was intentional. I can understand the last game, retaliation [for a 15-3 Pirates romp Wednesday]. I get that. But they had it with Delwyn Young. They threw at him with another pitch. Then they hit him. It should’ve been over then. They made their point. Personally, I think it’s unnecessary. … There’s no reason to throw at Tabata.”
After the warnings were given out Prince Fielder then complained to First Base Umpire Marvin Hudson. (Fielder was hit in the the previous two games)
The fans erupted from the stands and let loose booing and chanting to both Fielder and Coffey.
Rewind to the fifth, Ohlendorf plunked Weeks then the Brewers returned the favor in the bottom half of the inning when Gallardo hit Dewlyn Young.
You would think it would all be over. They both retaliated. Wrong.
Delwyn Young singled, and Neil Walker hit a two-RBI double, taking advantage of the situation. The Pirates cut the lead to just one run.
“You let the bat do the talking,” said Walker, after his sixth straight multi-hit game. “I’m sure they didn’t expect to have two runs scored on them with two outs after putting Tabata on first.”
In the eight inning, Javier Lopez came into the game. After a leadoff walk to Fielder, who then moved to second base on a single, with Escobar at the plate. He hit the ball to left sending Prince home. The throw by Lastings Milledge was there in plenty of time but that didn’t stop him from trying to pummel Erik Kratz. Elbows up, Fielder slammed into Kratz’s mask, but it was Erik who not only stood his ground but knocked Prince down, ball in hand.
“Emotions were running high,” Kratz said. “It was that kind of game. If it was a 6-1 game, maybe he doesn’t do that. But if he knocks the ball out of my glove, it’s a great play because they are up another run. It’s a good hard play.
“If he was catching and I was coming in, I’m not going to hit him in the stomach or hit him in the chest,” he added. “I’m trying to knock the ball out and hit him as hard as I can. That’s just the game. He played it hard.”
The crowd at PNC Park went crazy with emotions running high. There were boo’s and cheers and chanting. I’ve never been at a game where the fans were so into it.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, still down by one run, The Pirates came to bat and attempted to win in walk-off fashion. Cedeno struck out, Church grounded to second and Tabata struck out to end the game.
The Pirates lost 3-2, and split the series with the Brewers at two a piece
It was pretty intense,” Braun said, who went 0 for 5 with three strikeouts on the night. “It was nice to feel like we played a meaningful game. That was probably the best atmosphere of any game I’ve played here [in Pittsburgh] in my four years.”
Ross Ohlendorf pitched Six innings giving up six hits, giving up just one run, one walk, and struck out six. He got the loss and drops to 1-8 on the season.
Gallardo got his first win since coming off the DL. (oblique strain)
The Pirates and Brewers meet again one more time this season, Aug. 27-29 in Milwaukee.
Today’s Pitching Matchup:
Kevin Correia (6-6, 5.22 ERA) VS Paul Maholm (6-7, 4.03 ERA)
Correia picked up his sixth win on Sunday against the Diamondbacks, giving up three runs on six hits over six innings and tied his career high with nine strikeouts.
Maholm gave the Bucs their first complete game of the season and the fourth of his career in his last start, allowing just three hits in the 9-0 victory against the Astros.
- Ryan Doumit was placed on the 15-day DL. Jason Jaramillo was recalled.
Doumit took a foul ball off his mask on Monday night and felt groggy afterward. Manager John Russell started Kratz on Tuesday, and Doumit returned behind the plate Wenesday. In the first inning Rickie Weeks ran over him in a home-plate collision.
“Ultimately, Ryan didn’t want to go on the disabled list,” Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said. “It was our decision in his best interest, in the team’s best interest, in the organization’s best interest to just go ahead and give Ryan 15 days of rest. He’s been dinged a few times this year.”
Russell continued: “We need to get Ryan healthy. Make sure he gets over this completely.”
Doumit is expected to rest through the weekend and resume light physical exertion early next week.
Huntington said the Pirates expect Doumit to go on a rehabilitation assignment to one of their minor league teams near the end of the two weeks.
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The Pirates expect Andrew McCutchen back in the lineup by Saturday or Sunday. He has been taking Batting pratice and doing some light activity. (AC Joint)
“He’s going to do a little more,” Russell said before McCutchen participated in batting practice. “Swing the bat a little bit, see how it feels. Play a little catch. He’s getting better. See how he progresses through this, and go from there.”
- In a pregame ceremony on Thursday, the 2010 WPIAL Class AAAA baseball champion Pine-Richland Rams retired 2004 graduate and current Pirates rookie Neil Walker‘s No. 24 jersey.
Walker hit .657 with 13 HR and 42 RBIs as a senior while helping the Rams win the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) championship.
Other Pirates News:
- Six consecutive multi-hit games for Pirates Neil Walker. He’s 2/3, 2B (15), BB tonight. AVG up to .320.
- Charlie Morton VS Lehigh Valley: 6IP, 7H, 3ER, 4K, 3BB
- Nate Baker VS Duneoin: 5IP, 3H, 1ER, 4K, 4BB
- Adalberto Santos VS Auburn 2 for 4, Triple (3), RBI
- The Pirates officially sold rights to pitchers Hayden Penn (Chiba Lotte) & Vinnie Chulk (Hiroshima Toyo Carps) for cash considerations.
Around the Ballparks:
- Josh Beckett to return to the mound, but expect a little rust -projosoxblog
- The Mets designate Fernando Nieve for assignment.
- Rob Bradford tweeted: Scouts at Pawsox/Mike Lowell rehab game tonight Blue Jays, Orioles, Tigers (2), and Royals. They were playing Detroit’s affiliate.
- Resist temptation to trade Beckham -ChicagoTribune
- John Lackey’s had a not hitter going through 7 2/3 IP. That tied the Red Sox longest no-hit bid of the season (Daisuke Matsuzaka May 22 at the Phillies)
- Red Sox Daniel Nava sent to AAA as Hermida comes of the DL. He responds by going 2-3 HR, 3RBI 2BB.
- Cliff Lee is the 1st pitcher with at least 7 straight starts with 8 IP and fewer than 2 BB since Greg Maddux in 1994.
- Human Growth Hormone Blood tests to begin on Minor League Baseball Players -Bloomberg
- The Phillies fire hitting coach Milt Thompson. Greg Gross takes his place.
- Carl Pavano has won 7 straight decisions, a career-best, surpassing the 6 straight he won in 2004.
- Alex Rodriguez hit his 599th HR vs the Royals on Thursday night. He also hit his 499th HR vs the Royals on July 25, 2007.
- Ronny Paulino’s GW single was the first walkoff hit by a Marlins catcher since Paul Lo Duca on 8/6/2004 against the Brewers.
- The Nationals (last night) scored 1 run in the 1st, 2 runs in the 2nd and 3 runs in the 3rd, the first team this season to do this.
- The Braves beat the Padres 8-0, their biggest shutout win over SD since July 4, 1980 when they won 9-0.
- Derek Jeter hit his 2nd career inside the park HR, other was 8-2-96, at KC off Jeff Mongtomery.
- OF David DeJesus suffered a sprained right thumb by slamming into wall on Derek Jeter’s inside-the-park homer.
- Cardinals are 1st team with 1 hit or less in a game of 11+ innings since 1962 Angels (2-1 loss at Yankee Stadium in 12 innings)
- The Angels acquire INF Alberto Callaspo from Royals for P Sean O’Sullivan and Minor League P Will Smith.
- Dodgers- Monasterios replacing McDonald in the rotation. Taschner will take over as lefty specialist.
- Jamie Moyer’s career could be in jeopardy -ThePhilliesZone
El Torro does it again! Pirates pummel the Brewers 15-3
I think I’m taking up a new religion. PEDROISM.
This guy is just ridicolous. They weren’t kidding when they said he was the best prospect since Barry Bonds. I know its still early, but he is going to be a phoenomial player. If you haven’t seen him live yet, get down to PNC Park. The sound of the ball coming off his bat sends chills down your spine. He is so much fun to watch. Actually, the Pirates have been so much fun to watch since the All-Star Break. “Who are these guys?!” I ask myself that everyday.
- Pedro Alvarez is the first Pirate to hit 2 + HR in back to back games since Jason Thompson in 1984 and just the fifth Pirate to do so since 1960.
- In the month of July, Pedro: 16 games, 69 PA: .339/.406/.742 = 1.148 OPS
- Pedro has hit 4 HR in 2 games with 8 RBI.
- The Pirates plate 15 runs for the first time since scoring 15 runs on Sept 17, 2008 VS the Dodgers.
- Calvary update (via @roccodemaro) Last 5 games: (Tabata, Walker, Alvarez) 31 for 67, 9 2B, 4 HR, 5BB, .463/.500/.776 = 1.276 OPS
- The five RBI by Alvarez tuesday night and five RBI by Delywn Young last night is the first time since 1976 that Pirates teammates have had at least five RBI in two straight games.
I’ve always believed that hitting is contagious,” Alvarez said, “and I think we’re a perfect example of that in the last few days, and we just need to keep it going.”
Very fun, obviously,” Alvarez said. “To go out there and play some good baseball, come out winning, it’s what we want to do. And it makes it much better when you have a good day. Then at the end of the day you can share a victory with your teammates.”
Pedro may be spotlighted, but he wasn’t the only superstar last night.
DY went 3 for 4 with a three run HR, BB and five RBI.
I wish every night was a career night,” Young said. “But anytime you get in there you want to keep up with the Walkers and the Joneses and everybody else who came up. So not that it’s pressure, it’s just trying to do the best that we can.”
Tabata went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a BB.
Walker 2 for 5 with an RBI, raising his AVG to .314
Cedeno went 2 for 5 with an RBI and might I ad but down a BEAUTIFUL suicide squeeze scoring Pedro. You don’t see very many of those from the Pirates. I melted like pine tar.
Zack Duke was great last night. 6IP, 6H, 3R, 2ER, 2BB, 3K -102 Pitches, 65 for Strikes.
“It was big,” Pirates manager John Russell said of Duke’s start. “Our bullpen again was taxed a little bit. But to come out, we got the lead and really added on, and for him to go out and consistently get us back in the dugout was big for him. Our bullpen needed it.”
Even though the game was a blow out, I must say Gallagher pitched pretty well. Two scoreless innings, Giving up just 1 hit and struck out one.
Randy Wolf is the first pitcher to allow 12 runs to the Pirates in one game since Bill Sherdel of the 1929 Cardinals.
“I saw that I got my butt kicked,” Wolf said. “There’s really not too much to say about that. When you give up 12 runs, you’re not executing your pitches.”
Ryan Doumit was replaced by Erik Kratz in the 4th inning after colliding with Rickie Weeks on a play at home plate in the first.
Not only did Doumit miss the throw from right by DY, he got slammed pretty hard and was experiencing concussion like symptoms. He was taken to the hospital for further tests.
Other Pirates News:
- The Pirates are not looking to give Joel Hanrahan away too easily. -PittsburghPostGazette
- DJ Carrasco (Career split stats)
As a starter (23 games):
5-8, 5.01 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 56/58 K/BB, 125.2 IP
As a reliever (200 games):
17-10, 4.11 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 208/113 K/BB, 289.1 IP
- 5 Hit, 2 HR games by Rookie teammates (Since 1957)
2010 – Neil Walker, Pedro Alvarez
2007 – David Murphy, Jared Saltalmacchia
2006 – Dan Uggla, Cody Ross
- Danny Moskos had a rough outting yesterday for AAA Indy. 0.1 IP, 4R, 3BB, 2H.
Around the Ballparks:
- Buster Posey (15 game hitting streak) .441 AVG, 6HR, 19 RBI, 14 runs scored. It is the longest hitting streak for a Rookie in 2010. Its also the longest hitting streak for any Giants Rookie since 1984.
- Dodgers called up Jack Taschner and optioned AJ Ellis to AAA Albuquerque.
- Ryan Howard hit his 244th career HR last night. He is now fourth on the Phillies all time list:
Schmidt (548), Ennis (259), Burrell (251), Howard (244), Klein (243)
- Strasburg went 5.2 IP last night VS the Reds. He allowed 3R on 7H, struck out 7 and walked one. His ERA in 2.32
- Nationals Starting Rotation (this season)
Strasburg- 9 Starts, 75 K
Hernandez 19 Starts, 65 K
Stammen 16 Starts, 46 K
Atilano 16 Starts, 40 K
Martin 8 Starts, 28 K
-Lannan (Currently in the minors) 14 games, 24 K
The Nationals are 6-3 when Strasburg is on the mound and 8-20 when he is not.
- Joe Torre says never on Future -ESPN
- The Astros made a few changes to the Roster yesterday. Casey Daigle cleared waivers and has accepted his minor league assignment. He will report to AAA today. They designated Gary Majewski for Assignment. The Astros claimed IF Anderson Hernandez (MIN) and P Nelson Figueroa (PHI) from waivers and designated P Trinidad for assignment.
- Umpires made a mistake removing Broxton -FOXSPORTS
- Many interested in managing the Cubs -MLBTradeRumors
- Oswalt could throw wrench in Deal -ESPN
- Billingsleys gem ends Dodgers Slide -MLB
Today’s Pitching Matchup:
Yovani Gallardo 8-4, 2.58 ERA
Gallardo is coming off the DL after straining his left oblique against the Cardinals on July 4. He is 2-0 against the Pirates this season and struck out 10 over five scoreless innings at Pittsburgh on April 21.
VS
Ross Ohlendorf 1-7, 4.62 ERA
Ohlendorf’s last start was entirely forgettable as he lasted a career-low 1 1/3 innings. Other than an easy 15-pitch first, there were few positives. Ohlendorf’s lost his fastball command, had suspect control and struggled to find a good tempo in the 46-pitch effort.
Bucs win 11-9 in a very Bizarre game
Last night’s game against the Brewers was possibly one of the most absurd games I think I’ve ever seen.
The Pirates sent 13 men to the plate in the first inning against Dave Bush. They scored 9 runs, 7 hits, the Brewers commited 3 errors.
Pedro Alvarez hit his First Career Grand Slam.
PE-DRO! PE-DRO!
“I was worried about putting a good piece on them and then in my head, blowing them out,” said Alvarez, speaking both to the grand slam and the second-inning solo shot that gave him his first career multi-homer game. “I want to be that guy that when we need someone to step up, steps up.”
- Pedro is the first Pirates with two HR in the first two innings of a game since Jeff King hit two HR in the second inning (1995 at SF)
- The Last time the Pirates scored at leaast 9 runs in the first inning was June 8, 1989 at Philly.
- Both of the Pirates Grand Slams this season have come against the Brewers. (Alvarez last night and Doumit 04/27)
You would think with a 9 run first inning it would be a laughable game. Nope.
Brad Lincoln pitched his shortest outing of his career. 2.1 IP, 9H, 7R, 7ER, 1K, 1HR.
“The game should never have gotten to the point that it did, and I take that all on my shoulders,” said Lincoln, who sports a 6.29 ERA. “When you get a team down like that, hold them. Keep them down. I guess you could say I got comfortable out there, and that’s not the way to go about things.”
It snowballed on him,” Russell said. “[It's] just a learning experience. We’ll continue to build, continue to push forward with him.”
In just two innings 17 runs were scored.
Pedro hit a Solo HR in the 2nd inning. It was his first career multi HR game.
DJ Carrasco came into the game and pitched very well. 2.2 IP, 1H, 1BB, 5K.
Donnelly gave up a 2 Run homer in the 6th inning to bring the game within 1 run. (10-9)
John Russell got tossed after arguing about a very late called foul ball. He was cleary in the wrong, but nonetheless I live to see JR with expression and showing he cares about the team.
Erik Kratz threw out Escobar, trying to steal second base. (Sorry, but no way Doumit would have done that)
Neil Walker went 5 for 5 on the night. He is the first Pirates Rookie to have a 5 hit game since July 23,1991 (John Wehner, also another Pittsburger)
“It’s awesome. John’s my man. I love John,” Walker said of the current Pirates TV broadcaster. “It’s a special day and certainly something I’m going to remember forever, really.”
Meek (1 IP, 0H, 1K) and Hanrahan (1 IP, 1H, 2K) were nasty as always. And Dotel came in for his 20th save of the season. (1 IP, 1H, 3K)
The Pirates bullpen combined for 6.2 IP, 5H, 2ER, 11K
“We got a talented bunch of guys, we’ve talked about it when we called them up, that they would have a lot of talent,” Russell said. “They’re going to go through some tough times. They’re also going to have a lot of fun and do some pretty good things. Just look at what we have here now. They’re young, but they’re very talented players and they’re able to do very good things, and it gets a little contagious.”
Other Pirates News:
- Pirates have a .331 team avg since All-Star Break (3rd in MLB)
- Ronny Cedeno -2010 Season Splits:
APR MAY JUNE JULY
AB 77 88 58 32
AVG .208 .295 .121 .428
2B 3 5 0 8
RUNS 6 5 1 6
- Neil Walker on the year: .311/.345/.457
- Pirates getting calls on reliever Joel Hanrahan, but the Price remains very high, sources say (via @jonmorosi)
- The Calvary last night (sans Lincoln): 8/14, 2B, 2HR, BB. Over last four games: 24/53, 7 SB, 2HR, 4 BB = .453, .491, .698 = 1.189 OPS (via @roccodemaro)
- Andrew McCutchen (ranks among centerfielders)
AVG: .289 -6th
OBP: .364 -4th
SB: 21 -T 5th
Runs: 55 -5th
Assits: 4 -T 8th
- Atleast five teams have inquired about trade for Pirates reliever DJ Carrasco (via @RobBiertempfel)
- AAA Indy put outfielder Bryan Myrow on the DL and activated infielder Brian Friday.
- AA Altoona put infielder Shelby Ford (sprained right ankle) on the DL.
- The Pirates sign 8 latin American Players -BucsBits
- The Dodgers are interested in Paul Maholm -MLBTradeRumors
Today’s Pitching Matchup:
Randy Wolf 7-8, 4.56 ERA
Wolf is 5-4 on the road this season and has won his last three decisions. He is 1-1 at PNC Park and has two no decisions at home VS the Pirates this season.
VS.
Zach Duke 3-9, 5.38 ERA
Duke’s last start off the DL was a good one, 78 Pitches, 53 for Strikes, 5 IP, 5H, 2R, 2ER, 5K. He should be free to go as deep as he can from here on out.
Around the Ballparks:
- Charlie Manuel said Jamie Moyer definitely is heading to the DL. Described injury as similar to JA Happs injury. (via @toddzolecki)
- Tommy Hunter became the first starting pitcher to start a season 7-0 in Rangers francise history.
- Rays Carl Crawford day to day with testicular contusion (ouch!)
- Manny Ramirez is back on the DL for the third time this season (strained right calf). Joe Torre called it “a significant strain” and said Ramirez could be out about three weeks.
- Carlos Zambrano is expected to pitch thursday for Triple-A Iowa.
- Nick Swisher hit his 150th career HR last night against the Angels.
- The Yankees placed Andy Pettitte on the DL and recalled Jonathan Albaladejo from AAA Scranton.
- “Sweet Lou” Piniella annouced he will retired at the end of the season. -MLB.com
- Matt Holliday (Since June 18th, 27 games):
.370AVG, 11HR, 31 RBI, .790 SLG%
- I thought the Pirates game was crazy last night. Well, it wasn’t the only strange game. If you missed the Giants/Dodger game catch all the highlights here: MLB.com
Kristy Robinson
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