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Pre-game news and notes 4/8: Rockies @ Pirates; Yates suffers another set back
The Pittsburgh Pirates (4-3) will face the Colorado Rockies (4-1) tonight at 7:05 PM/ET for the second of a four game series.
Right-hander Ross Ohlendorf will face Left-hander Jorge De LaRosa.
Ohlendorf is making his second start of the season tonight. He picked a no-decision against the Chicago Cubs on April 3rd. He allowed four runs on eight hits over six innings with four walks and three strikeouts.
De La Rosa will also be making his second start of the season. He picked up the win against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday after pitching 5.1 shutout innings allowing just three hits with one walk and five strikeouts.
- Tonight marks the first time this season the Pirates have faced a starting lefty. The Bucs went 13-10 at PNC Park last season against a left-hander.
- Jose Tabata has had at least one hit in each of the first seven games. His seven game hitting streak in the longest in the majors.
- Neil Walker has hit safely in six of the first seven games this year. He also is tied in the National League with the most RBI –8.
- Rookie Mike Crotta has yet to surrender a hit or a run over his three appearances.
- Troy Tulowitki’s home run off Paul Maholm yesterday was just the second homer allowed by the Bucs pitching staff this season. That is tied with the San Francisco Giants for the fewest in the National League.
- Tonight is buc night at PNC Park. Although all the $1 tickets are sold out, you can still fill up on all popcorn, Pepsi and hot dogs for just one buck each.
News:
- Right-hand pitcher Tyler Yates is facing yet another setback. Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports that Yates has been diagnosed with a torn flexor tendon in his right elbow. The diagnosis came after a visit with Dr. James Andrews.
Yates had Tommy John Surgery back in 2009 and was pitching in his first spring this year since the recovery.
Langosch also reports that the Pirates will provide an update after being reexamined in six weeks.
- The Pirates, through the first five games of the season, have a team total of 50 strikeouts –the most in major league baseball.
Manager Clint Hurdle told Root Sports on Wednesday, “We’ve been doing too much of that. You know, you add fly balls and strikeouts together in account of soft outs. Tonight we had 17 soft outs. You get 27 in a game. It’s hard to score a lot of runs when you’re playing with 10 outs. The guys are aware of it. Just got to go a better job with two strikes. I think some of our problem is we’re still not aggressive enough in the count early. Taking a lot of pitches getting two strikes.”
- The Bucs will face their NL rivals, the Milwaukee Brewers, for a three game series that starts on Tuesday. Over the past several seasons there have been players plunked, words said and high emotions.
Andrew McCutchen told Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune, We know it’s going to be a battle. They’re thinking they can step all over us. We’re going to wake them up and tell them, ‘Hey, we’re not that team anymore.’
“We want to be that team that wakes everyone up. Then the next time they play us, they’ll know, ‘We’ve got to have our big-boy pants on.’ It’s up to us to do that.”
Rockies:
Dexter Fowler CF, Jonathan Herrera 2B, Carlos Gonzalez LF, Troy Tulowitzki SS, Todd Helton 1B, Jason Giambi 1B Seth Smith RF, Ty Wigginton 3B, Chris Iannetta C, Jorge de la Rosa LHP
*Helton was a late scratch.
Pirates:
Jose Tabata LF, Neil Walker 2B, Andrew McCutchen CF, Lyle Overbay 1B, Matt Diaz RF, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Jason Jaramillo C, Ronny Cedeno SS, Ross Ohlendorf RHP
Bucco news and notes: 2/3
- MLB Trade rumors believes 2011 is a make or break year for catcher Ryan Doumit. The 29-year-old went from the Pirates everyday catcher in 2008 to a bench, backup catcher role that he is likely to see this season. The Bucs have publicly made it known they were shopping Doumit, but no trade has been made. Since putting up .318 during the 2008 season, Doumit’s has been struggling at both hitting (.250, .251 average’s in 2009 and 2010) and fielding (.987, .990 fielding percentage’s with nine past balls last season and only 12% caught stealing).
MLBTR believes Doumit is a “defensive liability” as an everyday catcher and thinks he is better suited in the American League where he can serve as a backup and occasion designated hitter role.
- During President Frank Coonelly’s live chat on Wednesday, he was asked ‘what is the plan for Jameson Taillon? Will the injury to Stephen Strasburg last year have any impact on his movement through the Minors?’
“No final decision has been made with respect to where Jameson will begin his professional career, but, given what we’ve seen to date, I would expect that Jameson will begin in Charleston, West Virginia, with the Power. The mayor of Charleston attended our caravan stop on Monday and encouraged a commitment that both Taillon and Allie begin their careers in Charleston, but I was only comfortable indicating that was the most likely scenario.”
- The fans are not the only ones itching for the season to begin. Pirates catching prospect Tony Sanchez (TSanchez26) had this to say on Wednesday: “cannot wait to start mashing fastballs again.”
- MLB Network will be airing their ‘Top 10 second baseman right now’ Thursday at 8 PM/ET and Pirates fans should be looking for the Pittsburgh Kid. Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review said, “Neil Walker is youngest player voted onto MLB Network’s list of Top 10 second basemen.’
When I asked Biertempfel if he had any idea where in the list he would be ranked, he told me, “Neil Walker is ranked somewhere 6-10, along with Kinsler, Weeks, Brian Roberts and Kelly Johnson.”
Two Buccos make top 100 prospect list
As I pointed out on Wednesday, ESPN’s Keith Law ranked the Pirates system No. 21 out of the 30 major league clubs.
On Thursday, Law delivered his Top 100 list, and two Buccos made the list.
Pitcher Jameson Taillon was named No. 30, and catcher Tony Sanchez was named No. 63.
Law mentions Taillon’s tendency to overthrow and the need for a changeup as the critiques in his write-up.
“[Sanchez has] above-average raw power and would have a chance to hit for average at the same time, making him a fringe All-Star at that position. He’s an extremely hard worker who ended up at Boston College without a scholarship but improved his body to the point where he not only made the team, but became its best player. I wouldn’t bet against him at this point.”-Keith Law on ESPN Insider Top 100 Prospects
Law’s Top 10 in the Pirates minor league system:
1) Jameson Taillon, RHP (30)
2) Tony Sanchez, C (63)
3) Luis Heredia, RHP
4) Stetson Allie, RHP
5) Rudy Owens, LHP
6) Jeff Locke, LHP
7) Justin Wilson, LHP
8) Bryan Morris, RHP
9) Starling Marte, OF
10) Zach Von Rosenberg, RHP
Law on the Pirates minor league system: “This system consists of a few high-end prospects, including three teenage power arms, followed by a dropoff. The big investment in prep arms in 2009 hasn’t yielded any major prospects yet, although it’s early.”
Law’s thoughts on Luis Heredia, who just missed the list: “will sit in the low 90s (mph) already with a good feel for the fastball. He’s very well-developed physically for a 16-year-old, with a big frame and the potential to get heavy, which is more of a long-term concern.”
- The Tampa Bay Rays have eight players in the top 100. The Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals each have six. The Houston Astros have only one player and The Milwaukee Brewers have zero, zilch (YIKES!). Every other team has at least two in the top 100.
Hurdle big reason Overbay signed with the Bucs
First baseman Lyle Overbay’s decision to come to Pittsburgh this season had a lot to do with Manager Clint Hurdle.
“I’ve got three boys,” Overbay said of his sons who are 7, 6 and 2. “And Clint Hurdle is a man who is, in a sense, raising boys here in this clubhouse. He is an inspirational person and I’d like to coach someday and that is the kind of man I want to surround myself with.”
“Things are changing here and I want to be part of something special,” Overbay said.
Overbay made his major league debut in 2001 with Arizona and spent three years with the Diamondbacks. He then spent two seasons with the Brewers and the last five with the Blue Jays.
“I was with Milwaukee when we lost just as much and my second year there [in 2005], we turned it around. It was like we had won the World Series [finishing 81-81]. That same kind of stepping stone can be done here, things are changing, confidence is here, people here are not accepting losing. It doesn’t take long around these guys to realize it.”
Overbay attended the Bucs mini camp held this week where one of the things that was discussed was trust.
“I want to know where I am and be part of the solution and help,” Overbay said. “One of the questions Clint asked me, and he asked everyone was, ‘Do you trust me?’
“You have to trust him because he’s honest. He tells you where you stand with him. I’m a grown man and if he says something that I might not like, he’s not out there to hurt me, he’s out there to make me better. I understand that and that’s a big part of what is going to be the atmosphere around here — you have to trust Clint.”
Fans were not happy that the Pirates didn’t sign a bigger name free-agent first baseman (like Derek Lee) but instead signed Overbay. Hurdle addressed which players the Pirates acquire:
“At this point in time, people need to realize something,” he said. “We need to identify players who are out there, but who also want to come here, and then we have to go recruit those guys.
“There are a lot of people who say, ‘Well, you should have gone out and tried to get this guy or that guy.’ Well, you know what, maybe that guy never even wanted to come to Pittsburgh. And it is not about another million dollars or another 3 million dollars, there are some guys who are never coming to Pittsburgh. That’s the reality of where we are right now. And the reality is we aren’t going to get them until we start winning.”
Jorge De La Rosa Pirates top target
The Pirates main focus this off season is pitching and their top target? Left-handed pitcher Jorge de la Rosa.
De La Rosa, 29, went 8-7 with a 4.22 ERA in 20 starts for the Colorado Rockies during the 2010 season.
The Pirates will have to fight for the lefty as The Rockies, Washington Nationals, New York Yankees, and Milwaukee Brewers are reportably interested in him as well.
In six seasons pitching in the National League, De La Rosa is 38-31 with a 4.80 ERA. He does average 8.7 strike outs per nine innings but the downside is his innings pitched per year. In 2009 De la rosa threw 185 innings but his second highest is just 130.
He will also come with a hefty price tag. De La Rosa has said he wants at least a four-year contract at 11 million per year.
According to Troy Kenck of the Denver Post:
“Teams are expected to begin meeting with De La Rosa’s reps today. Washington, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Rockies, Yankees among those with interest.”
Pirates are no longer considering Sveum
Dale Sveum is no longer in the running for the Bucs Manager position as he was informed by the Pirates’ club.
On Saturday, Sveum told Milwaukee’s 1250-AM WSSP that he will be back as the Brewers’ hitting coach for the 2011 season.
Of the seven interviewed, four are no longer being considered. Bo Porter, Carlos Tosca and Jeff Banister remain candidates for the Pirates managerial job.
General Manager Neal Huntington is reportably conducting more interviews for the position.
Macha no longer being considered as Pirates skipper
The Pirates are no longer considering Ken Macha as their potential manager according to Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
Ken Macha said General Manager Neal Huntington told him he was no longer under consideration.
“They need to get a young guy in there,” said Macha.
“It would have been nice. I live here in Pittsburgh, I was a Pirate at one time. It would have been nice to be at home and manage my hometown team.”
Of the seven candidates interviewed, Macha is the third name to be taken off the list. Eric Wedge was hired by the Mariners as skipper and John Gibbons is remaining bench coach with the Royals. Bo Porter, Jeff Banister, Dale Sveum and Carlos Tosca are the only remaining candidates that were interviewed for the position.
Despite not being hired by the Pirates, Macha wishes the pirates well and even has an idea for what kind of manager the Bucs need.
“I hope they get it turned around,” he said.
For that to happen, Macha said, the team needs a manager whose philosophy pervades the entire organization.
“Tony La Russa is a stickler on details,” he said as an example. “You’re going to play good defense. You’re going to hustle every ball out. He likes guys that can hit home runs.”
Sveum interviews with the Pirates
Current Brewers hitting coach, Dale Sveum interviewed with the Pirates on Wednesday for the open managerial position.
Sveum, 46, was drafted in the first round (25th pick) of the 1982 draft and spent 12 seasons in the majors with seven different teams (Pirates 1996-97, 99). Unfortunately, his career was ended early due to an career-threatening collision in 1998 and never fully recovered. Sveum had a career .236 average with 69 home runs and 340 RBI.
From 2001-2003 Sveum managed the Pirates’ Double-A Altoona Curve and was named Top Managerial Prospect in the Eastern League by Baseball America. (213-211)
Sveum was the third base coach for the Boston Red Sox from 2004-05. He has spent the last five years as part of the Brewers coaching staff that included bench coach, third base coach, and hitting coach. Sveum was named the Brewers interim manager after Ned Yost was fired and during those 12 games they went 7-5, winning the National League Wild Card.
Pirates interview Macha, Banister
On Tuesday, the Pirates interviewed Ken Macha and Jeff Banister for the managerial job –the fourth and fifth candidates since John Russell was relieved on October 4th.
(The interview panel includes General Manager Neal Huntington, President Frank Coonelly, as well as farm and scouting directors)
Macha has strong ties with Pittsburgh; he was born in Monroeville, PA and is a current resident of the steel city. Macha also went to the University of Pittsburgh and was selected by the Bucs in the 6th round of the 1972 draft. The third baseman is a career .258 hitter with one home run and 35 RBI during his six years in the majors.
Macha was fired from Managing the Brewers at the end of the 2010 season after serving as the skipper since 2008 (Milwaukee finished below .500 in both ’09 and ’10). He also managed the Oakland Athletics from 2003-2006. In his six years combined as manager, his record is 525-447.
Banister has spent the past 25 years in the Pirates organization. During that span he was a minor league coach from 1994-1999, from 99-02 Banister served as the Pirates major league field coordinator, and was the minor league field coordinator from 2002-2010. He was named interim bench coach after the Pirates fired Gary Varsho this past August.
Drafted by the Pirates in the 25th round of the 1986 draft, Banister made one only major league appearance –in 1991, as a pinch-hitter.
It is clear that Banister wants to remain with the Pirates:
“That’s an obvious yes,” Banister said. “There’s a lot of guys I know very well who’ve come up through our system that are there. They’ve developed, they continue to develop. They’re not finished by any stretch of the imagination. I’d love to continue that if Neal, [president] Frank [Coonelly] and [owner] Bob [Nutting] allow that to happen.
“My passion is for this organization and where I think we can go and where I think we are going. It’s unfinished for me. I grew up in this uniform and there are a lot of things I think we can and will do. I’m sure some people think we are a ways away. I see it every day, and I know we’re not that far away. There’s a really strong nucleus of talented athletes that take the field every day. There is some finishing that needs to go along with their Major League experience before they truly know what it takes to win on an every-day basis. Hopefully, I’m part of that, in whatever capacity that is.”
Now that we have seen five candidates interview for the manager job (Wedge, Porter, Gibbons, Macha and Banister) I was curious what the Pirates’ fans thought of potentially one of these guys being the new Pirates manager. So I jumped on twitter and asked the questions: What do you think of Ken Macha as the new Manager and of the five that interviewed who would you like see get the job? Here are some of the responses I got:
@Laclips: I want van slyke
Unfortunately, President Frank Coonelly denied the rumor of Van Slyke interviewing with the Bucs. I would love to see him as a base coach though.
@ClevelandROC (on Macha) he was a loser in both oakland and milwaukee…and apparently, players don’t relate to him at all. you need that with a young team. They need someone much more dynamic. They need someone who will inspire the younger players and help them grow. i hope they go after some like boston pitching coach john farrell. he has a lot of experience with young pitchers…
Farrell has not been interviewed as of yet by the Pirates but according to the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette he is a potential candidate.
@PiratesProspects (on Macha) He’s not good at dealing with young players.
@pghsportstavern theres better candidates out there especially for young players than ken macha. i like wedge’s work with younger rebuilding teams.
@damntheman44 Bannister cause he knows the players well and has served in many roles in player development.
@3rdboss I heart Ken Macha. The question should be why would Macha want to manage the Pirates?? I’d love to see Macha.
My take would be that since he grew up in Pittsburgh he would probably enjoy managing the team he watched as a little boy. (He also interviewed as manager in 2006). I would also think a manager would enjoy takig pride in helping turn the franchise around.
@tonyframpton If I were Neal, Wedge. But I’d like to interview F. Gonzalez first.
@djpeck21 Of those interviewed? Wedge. Love what he did with young CLE team. Runner-up: Porter/Bannister tie. Want no part of Gibbons/Macha.
And of course..It wouldn’t be right if we didn’t have a negative comment against the Pirates:
@ej6687 Yeah, if they hire Ken Macha, I think I’ll just pass on watching next season…..
I personally don’t think a “good” manager makes much of a difference as far as wins and losses go, talent plays a much bigger role. So if watching the young guys like McCutchen, Alvarez, Walker, Tabata (and many more in the minors and on their way)doesn’t draw your attention, I’m not sure what will.
Another Possible candidate? Pirates’ beat writer Jenifer Langosh blogged about Giants’ bench coach Ron Wotus’ interest in managing the Bucs.
Pirates’ potential Managerial Candidates
Now that it has been confirmed (by Pirates’ President Frank Coonelly) that Andy Van Slyke has not been interviewed for the open manager position, there has been some other reports of potential candidates.
The Pittsburgh-Post Gazette is reporting these potential candidates:
· Baltimore Orioles coach and interim manager Juan Samuel –He told the Baltimore Sun that he is likely to interview soon with the Pirates’ and Brewers’.
· Ted Simmons –who was the Pirates’ General Manager from 1992-1993 and served as the Padres bench coach said:
“I made myself clear, I would hope to manage in the 2011 season. I would go and manage anywhere”
· John Farrell, the Red Sox pitching coach said:
“No official contact has been made — [and] any further comment regarding their position should come from the Pirates themselves.”
· Ken Macha, who will not return to the Brewers as Manager in 2011 said:
“The last time this job was open, I was home [and out of work in 2007]. My policy is, I’m not really going to politick in the paper. Let it all play out at their end. I respect what they’re going to do.” There was contact between he and the Pirates in ’05, but not ’07.
· Phil Garner, who was the member of the 1979 Pirates’ World Championship team and has also managed the Brewers, Tigers and most recently the Astros (2004-07) said on MLB Network radio that the Pirates have not called him but:
“I’d like to sit down with the owner and the GM and say, ‘OK, boys, how’s that [current approach] working for us? Let’s do something totally different. And I mean different training.’ I’ve got some ideas I don’t even want to talk about, because I don’t want anybody else to hear them.”
Kristy Robinson
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