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Morton, Lincoln both impressive in Bucs 4-1 win over Blue Jays
The battle for the 5th spot in the rotation gets even more competitive after impressive innings by both Charlie Morton and Brad Lincoln in the 4-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fl. On Thursday afternoon.
Charlie Morton gave up a lead off double to Rajai Davis in the first inning then former Bucco Jose Bautista hit an RBI single to give the Blue Jays an early 1-0 lead. Morton settled down and didn’t allow any more hits or runs over the rest of his outing.
Morton faced 10 batters through three innings, needing just 25 pitches.
“He’s letting the ball work for him now,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said of Morton. “He’s kept the ball down with great regularity. It’s great to see him out there competing and feeling good about himself.”
Brad Lincoln was even more impressive. Lincoln was scheduled to throw two innings but stayed in for a third. Lincoln finished the day facing the minimum nine. No runs, no hits, no walks, one strikeout.
“Brad was very good today,” Hurdle said. “Much better with his command than his first time out. The ball was coming out of his hand a little more crisper. He had some sink to the ball. He pitched very efficiently as well.”
The rest of the pitchers behind Morton and Lincoln were solid as well.
Tyler Yates and Jeff Locke did not allow a hit nor a run during their inning of work.
Caesar Valdez allowed two hits but struck out two and didn’t allow a run during his inning.
Notes:
- Andrew McCutchen batted lead off for the first time this spring. Manager Clint Hurdle is still unsure of whether McCutchen will bat lead off or third this year. Hurdle said spring training is the time to figure it out.
- Brett Cecil struck out the side (McCutchen, Steve Pearce and Matt Diaz) in the first inning. He then went on to strike out four Bucks in a row (Alvarez in 2nd inning) and six of the seven batters he faced (Cedeno in the 3rd).
- Ronny Cedeno 0-for-11 so far this spring.
- Pedro Alvarez hit a two RBI triple in the fifth inning. He is batting .357 so far this spring.
- The Pirates pitchers continue to pick off runners at first base this spring –something they have been working on a lot during Camp Hurdle. Cesar Valdez picked off John Tolisano in the ninth inning.
- Evan Meek will make his spring training debut on Monday against the Tampa Bay Rays (pitching one inning).
Meek will throw a 20 pitch bullpen on Friday.
- Olsen appears to be a week to 10 days away from making his grapefruit league debut as a Bucco.
Olsen is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Saturday. Then throw two rounds of live batting practice on Monday to see if he’s ready to go.
- The Pirates return home (McKechnie Field) on Friday to play the Phillies.
Kevin Correia will get the start for the Bucs followed by Brian Burres, Fernando Nieve, Bryan Morris, Kyle McPherson and Daniel Moskos.
Joe Blanton is scheduled to start for the Phillies.
Spring training day 18: news and notes
- The Pirates travel to Dunedin today to face the Toronto Blue Jays at 1:05.
You can watch the game live for free on MLB.com here
- Injury updates:
Evan Meek is scheduled to throw a bullpen on Friday. Meek has been sidelined with a tight right calf.
Scott Olsen is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Saturday. Olsen has been sidelined with a left hamstring strain.
Joe Beimel will test his arm this am by throwing soft toss at 8:30 am. Beimel’s MRI showed no acute injury on his left forearm.
- Lyle Overbay will be facing his former team (Toronto Blue Jays) for the first time since the Pirates signed him this offseason. Overbay spent five seasons with the Jays.
- The Pirates have been focusing a lot this spring on pick off’s at first base and cutting down on runners stealing bases.
I’ve noticed that most of the pitchers have been throwing to first, trying to keep the runner close and unable to steal –something the Pirates were not so great at last season.
“We have all been working on that stuff a lot down here [at spring training],” Pirates right-handed reliever Chris Resop said of the shorter, quicker delivery to the plate when a runner is on base. “We have to give our catchers a chance. We don’t want to be known as a pitching staff you can run on. Nobody wants that.”
“I think if you look at it, it can get embarrassing,” said left-hander Paul Maholm, who cut down from 15 players stealing off him in 2009 to eight in ’10. “Everyone on the staff, it doesn’t matter if you are a righty or a lefty, you need to do what you can to stop it. You need to just realize that this is something that is important if we want to win ballgames.”
- Pirates President Frank Coonelly chatted with fans on Wednesday. You can read the entire chat transcript here.
If the injury to Joe Beimel is more than what it seems, and Scott Olsen is already not doing all baseball-related activities, are you comfortable with Daniel Moskos and whomever in the lefthanded reliever position?
Coonelly: “We do not believe the injury to Joe will keep him from competing this spring. Scott Olsen is performing baseball activities and has already thrown several bullpens. Scott seems to be well on his way to pitching in games, possibly as early as next week. Daniel Moskos and Tony Watson are two young exciting left hand arms who are in camp and competing for a spot in the bullpen. It’s early, but both have looked strong. Brian Burres is also a veteran lefthander who can pitch out of the pen if he is not in the starting rotation.”
Pirates:
Pitchers: Morton (two or three innings), Lincoln (two), Yates (one), Locke (one or two) and Valdez (one).
Lineup: McCutchen CF, Pearce 1B, Diaz LF, Alvarez DH, Jones RF, Atkins 3B, Cedeno SS, Friday 2B, Jaramillo C
Blue Jays:
Pitchers: Cecil (Three innings) Followed by Rauch, Villanueva, Richmond, Ray
Lineup: Davis CF, Thames LF, Bautista 3B, Lind DH, Rivera RF, Cooper 1B, Mcdonald SS, Budde C, Diaz 2B
Meek to resume action soon
Evan Meek’s side session went well on Tuesday afternoon and he didn’t experience any pain.
Meek should be able to resume action soon.
He’s fired up and he’s ready to get out there,” General Manager Neal Huntington said. “There is no sense not to be conservative at this point in camp. He’s itching and ready to go.”
Meek was sidelined last week with a strained right calf.
Day 16 of Pirates spring training: news and notes
- Joe Beimel’s will resume throwing on Tuesday after feeling pain near his elbow.
“Since [Sunday], it’s becoming less and less to the point where now I really don’t even feel it,” said Beimel, who received treatment on his arm Monday morning. “I don’t really have to build myself back up because I’ve been throwing for quite a while. It shouldn’t be a problem.”
- Evan Meek and Joe Beimel are scheduled to throw bullpen sessions today. Although there is no time table, neither are expected to be out much longer.
- The Bucs will face the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday at McKechenie Field. Ross Ohlendorf will start for the Pirates followed by Tony Watson, Joel Hanrahan, Jose Veras, Mike Crotta and Chris Leroux.
- Scott Olsen threw a bullpen session on Monday and is scheduled to throw another on Wednesday.
“My leg feels fine,” Olsen said. “No pain at all.”
Yankees Lineup:
Gardner lf, Swisher rf, Granderson cf, Posada dh, Chavez 3b, Montero c, Nunez ss, Laird 1b, Pena 2b, Hughes p
Pirates Lineup:
Presley cf, Bowker lf, Diaz rf, Jones dh, Atkins 1b, Marte 3b, Snyder c, Rodriguez 2b, Ciriaco ss, McDonald p
James McDonald will start for the Pirates followed by Aaron Thompson, Daniel McCutchen, Chris Resop, Daniel Moskos and Ramon Aguero .
Day 14 of Pirates spring training: news and notes
- The Pirates will face the Tampa Bay Rays in the home opener at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, Fl. On Sunday.
- The Flags will fly at half staff in honor of Chuck Tanner. There will also be a moment of silence before the game as well.
- Evan Meek threw a 30 pitch bullpen session Sunday and it was reported that he felt great.
Meek will take Monday off from throwing and either pitch live batting practice or to make his Grapefruit League debut on Tuesday.
- Charlie Morton’s debut in Saturday’s game against the Rays went very well.
“(Morton) pitched well,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “He made pitches out of the stretch. He was aggressive. It was a very good outing for him.”
“I am confident, after seeing how they were beating the ball into the ground, that my sinker is definitely a pitch I should be using,” Morton said.
“What we’re concerned about is getting (the fastball) in the strike zone and down,” Morton said. “I would’ve loved to have struck people out today, but I’m glad I got contact and the balls were on the ground. I would much rather go nine innings that strike out 10 people. If I could do both, that’d be awesome.”
- Monday’s games will be a split squad.
- Paul Maholm will be starting for the Pirates at home on Monday against the Baltimore Orioles. He will be followed by Jeff Karstens, who will also pitch two innings. Tyler Yates, Jeff Locke, Mike Crotta, Justin Wilson and Cesar Valdez will all pitch one inning a piece.
- In Port Charlotte, Bryan Morris will start for the Bucs against the Rays, followed by Fernando Nieve. They will both pitch two innings of work. Sean Gallaher, Aaron Thompson, Kyle McPherson will pitch one inning.
Day 12 of Pirates spring training: news and notes
- FSN Pittsburgh will be telecasting four spring training games this year: March 6th (1pm) against the Toronto Blue Jays, March 10th (7pm) against the Baltimore Orioles, March 19th (1pm) against the Boston Red Sox and March 26th (1pm) against the New York Yankees.
- FM News Talk 104.7, the Pirates flagship radio station, will have 12 games this year which includes the home opener against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.
- Joe Beimel won the Pirates bunt tournament on Thursday, beating out Kevin Correia in the final round as the entire team watched. Not only was it was a fun way to bring the team together, but they also learned from it too. Read more.
- Scott Olsen is scheduled to throw another 25 pitch fastball session on Saturday. Afterwards, the Pirates will reevaluate him. Olsen has been sidelined due to a sore left hamstring.
- Evan Meek threw off flat ground on Friday and also threw long toss. It is unknown to when he will return to the mound. Meek has tightness in his right calf.
“There’s no rush with Evan,” Searage said. “I want to make sure he’s 110 percent before I send his butt out there. He’s playing long toss and doing flat ground right now.”
Limited workouts at Pirates camp for Meek
Pirates reliever Evan Meek was limited to baseball workouts on Thursday due to tightness in his right calf.
Meek is listed as day-to-day.
Beimel a different pitcher in second go around
Joe Beimel may be back in Pittsburgh for his second stint in his career, but he insists he is a much different pitcher now.
“I’m way different now than I was before,” Beimel said. “I’m much wiser.”
“When I was here the first time, I don’t think I was very good because now, looking back on it, I don’t know what kind of pitcher I was at the time,” said Beimel, who pitched in 164 games with the Pirates between 2001-03. “I was out there trying to strike guys out, wasn’t throwing strikes. I just watched some of those old tapes and, you know, it really made me sick. … I’m not that pitcher anymore.”
Beimel has previously pitched with the Twins, Rays, Dodgers, Nationals and Rockies during his 10 year career.
Manager Clint Hurdle will be using the lefty as a bridge between the starters and the late innings of the bullpen reserved for Evan Meek and closer Joel Hanrahan.
“I’m very strong against left-handed hitters and I can get right-handers out, too,” said Beimel, who has a career 4.16 ERA. “I think, with me, sometimes I get pigeonholed into being a left-handed specialist. I don’t like that, because you are only working one side of the plate. … I am very confident that I can face both and get both out, and I think that is the opportunity they are going to give me here.”
Pirates ‘pen coming together
The Pirates made several announcements on Wednesday, leaving just a few spots open in the ‘pen during the final six weeks until opening day.
Manager Clint Hurdle named Joel Hanrahan the Bucs closer and Evan Meek as the eighth-inning set up man.
He also announced that Joe Beimel will become the Pirates lefty specialist for the 2011 season. Beimel signed a minor league contract with a non-roster spring training invite. The Pirates will need to remove someone from the 40-man roster in order to make room for the southpaw.
“We didn’t go get him to try him out,” Hurdle said. “We wanted to have a left-handed option that can bridge innings for us toward the back end of the game. He’s going to play a significant role as well.”
The leaves four spots open in the bullpen.
After great success with the Pirates in 2010 (in 19 innings, 22 appearances, Resop posted a 1.89 ERA with 24 strikeouts), Chris Resop will most likely land a job.
Jose Veras seems like another favorite in the ‘pen. In five seasons and 176 appearances, Veras has a career 4.24 ERA (3.75 ERA in 2010 with the Cleveland Indians).
“He was a good get for us,” Hurdle said of Veras, who signed a Minor League deal with the team in January. “[General manager] Neal [Huntington] was very aggressive to go get Veras. He’s got a big arm.”
The Pirates have many options for the remaining spots. Jeff Karstens and Brian Burres could fill in as the long reliever. Whoever doesn’t win the fifth spot in the rotation, Charlie Morton or Scott Olsen, could also fill that role.
Some other options include: Tyler Yates, Kevin Hart, Chris Leroux, Justin Thomas, Sean Gallagher, Jose Ascanio, and Fernanado Nieve.
“I want these guys to have a clean shot,” Hurdle said. “It’s not always about the results in Spring Training, but it’s about the quality of the stuff. I think we’ve got enough educated eyes around here to get a better read on that, rather than just the numbers as they play out.”
Hanrahan named Bucs closer
The Pirates and Manager Clint Hurdle announced on Wednesday afternoon that right-hander Joel Hanrahan will open the season as the Bucs closer.
Hanrahan has 20 career saves, including six last year for the Pirates. He went 4-1 with a 3.62 ERA, striking out 100 in 69.2 innings.
“We had a lot of internal discussion,” Hurdle said. “I don’t think there was a bad choice. But based on some experience that Joel has had in the past, just for the makeup of our ballclub, the continuity that was showed late last season with them piggybacking each other, that’s the way we’re going to start the season.”
“It was a decision they had to make,” Hanrahan said. “I didn’t sit there and talk to my mom, like, ‘I want to be the closer so bad.’ Everybody wants to be the closer. It’s not something you discuss with each other. We were waiting to see what was going to happen.”
“Those last three outs are the most important outs in the game,” Hanrahan said. “You’ve got to go out there with the mindset of, ‘Let’s get it done and go home.’ I’m going to try to take the same approach I had when I pitched in the seventh and eighth innings.”
Evan Meek will be the Pirates primary eighth-inning setup man. He will also be the first choice to close games on days when Hanrahan is unavailable.
“In a perfect world, obviously, I would love to [close],” Meek said. “But more power to him. He’s going to do a great job, and he’s the right guy to be there.
“We both knew that it was going to be between us. They knew that they had two guys who could take care of that. We’re going to have a real strong back end of that bullpen. Whatever role I have, it’s going to be getting him that ball.”
“In a perfect world, obviously, I would love to [close],” Meek said. “But more power to him. He’s going to do a great job, and he’s the right guy to be there.
“We both knew that it was going to be between us. They knew that they had two guys who could take care of that. We’re going to have a real strong back end of that bullpen. Whatever role I have, it’s going to be getting him that ball.”
“They both have the desire to do the best thing for the team,” Hurdle said. “Individually, they’re very complimentary of each other. It was never one against another. They’re going to do what’s best for the ballclub.”
The Pirates also announced that Joe Beimel (who was a spring training non-roster invitee) will become the Pirates lefty specialist for this season.
Hanrahan addressing the media after being named the Pirates closer (photo via @BucsInsider)
Kristy Robinson
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