Results tagged ‘ jose tabata ’
Four run 3rd hurts Correia in Bucs 6-3 loss to Nats
Fresh off a complete game win against the Brewers, the Washington Nationals rallied off right-hander Kevin Correia for a four run 3rd to beat the Bucs, 6-3 at PNC Park on Easter Sunday.
Andrew McCutchen leadoff the 1st with a double (his forth of the season) off the right field wall. McCutchen advanced to third on a ground out by Jose Tabata and scored on a RBI single by Neil Walker to left to take a 1-0 lead.
Correia threw a 1-2-3 1st inning. After allowing back-to-back singles in the 2nd, with one out he escaped out of the jam by getting two ground outs.
Unfortunately for Correia, he was unable to escape the 3rd inning cleanly. Back-to-back singles by Jason Marquis and Danny Espinosa with a six pitch walk to Rick Ankiel loaded the bases with no outs.
Jayson Werth grounded to Pedro Alvarez at third base, who threw home to get the force out. Adam LaRoche grounded to first base, scoring Espinosa and trying the game at 1.
It didn’t stay tied for long, as Michael Morse took a fastball into the left field seats for a three-run homer, giving the Nats a 4-1 lead.
Correia told Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com, It was just one of those that got away at the wrong time. I was trying to throw a fastball in and it didn’t move like I wanted it to. That guy is dangerous, and I know that. You can’t miss over the plate. It just wasn’t what I was expecting out of the pitch.”
Correia allowed another hit before getting Jerry Hariston (the eighth man to come to the plate) to ground out and end the inning.
Garrett Jones drew a leadoff walk and Pedro Alvarez doubled in the 4th. Chris Snyder hit a sac fly and Ronny Cedeno singled. The two runs brought the Bucs within one run.
Former Bucco Adam LaRoche homered off Coreia in 5th to give the Nationals a 5-3 advantage.
Correia was charged with five runs on 11 hits with one walk and two strikeouts over 4.2 innings (84 pitches).
The score remained the same until the 8th when the Nationals tacked on another run, a RBI double by Laynce Nix.
McCutchen told Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com, “We felt like we were in the game the whole time today. We just weren’t able to get those few extra runs.”
The Pirates drop to 9-12 on the season. They will face the Nationals on Monday for the rubber match of the series.
Bucs five run 1st, Karstens solid in 7-2 win over Nats
The Pittsburgh Pirates rallied off of veteran right-hander Livan Hernandez for a five run first inning in the 7-2 victory at PNC Park on Saturday.
Andrew McCutchen and Jose Tabata started the inning off with back-to-back hits, Tabata’s a double, to quickly put two runners on, with no outs. Lyle Overbay hit a RBI single and Garrett Jones hit a RBI double off the right field wall, his first double of the season as well as his first hit at PNC Park this year. Ryan Doumit hit a RBI single, giving the Bucs a 3-0 lead. Pedro Alvarez grounded out to second base, scoring Garrett Jones. Ronny Cedeno singled to tack on the fifth run of the inning before Pitcher Jeff Karstens struck out to end the frame.
Nine men came to the plate and five runs scored on six hits off Hernandez in the 1st.
The Nationals cut the lead 5-1, with a leadoff double by former Bucco Adam LaRoche and a RBI single by Michael Morse in the 2nd inning.
McCutchen drew a six pitch walk in the bottom of the 2nd inning. He swiped second base and advanced to third on the error throw. Tabata hit a sac fly up against the right field wall to give the Bucs a 6-1 lead.
McCutchen told Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune, A lot of times, when I hit third, I just didn’t have any opportunity (to steal). Being the leadoff guy, you’ll have little more of an opportunity to steal bases in certain situations. It helps out.”
Jayson Werth hit a solo-home run in the 4th inning off Jeff Karstens (the second home run he has given up this season).
McCutchen and Tabata drew back-to-back walks in the 6th inning, and Overbay hit an RBI single to tack on another run for the Bucs.
Hernandez, who was making his 450th consecutive start since debuting with the Florida Marlins in 1996, was charged with seven runs (four earned) over six innings with four walks and two strikeouts.
Right-hander Jeff Karstens was solid in his second spot start in place of Ross Ohlendorf (right shoulder posterior strain). Over six-plus innings, Karstens allowed just two runs on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts (85 pitches). He picked up his second win on the season.
Karstens was pulled after giving up back-to-back hits in the 7th inning. Reliever Chris Resop entered the game with runners on the corners with no outs. The righty struck out the first two batters and got pinch hitter Matt Stairs to line out to third to end the inning, unscathed.
With the 7-2 win, the Pirates picked up their second home victory at PNC Park this season. They were 1-5 during the previous homestand.
Morton struggles, Bucs shutout 6-0 again
The Florida Marlins shutout the Pirates, 6-0 for the second straight night at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Fla. On Wednesday. It marked the first time this season the Pirates have lost two in a row on the road.
The Bucs combined for just five hits and have not scored in 18 innings.
Manager Clint Hurdle told David Villavicencio of MLB.com, “You’ve got to do things to put yourself in a position to have success. We haven’t scored a run in 18 innings, and they’ve gotten on top of us early in both games.”
Coming off a compete game five hitter against the Cincinnati Reds, Right-hander Charlie Morton struggled over five innings of work (91 pitches). He allowed six runs on 10 hits with three walks and six strikeouts.
With two outs in the 2nd inning, Morton allowed back-to-back singles to John Buck and Emilio Bonifacio and a four pitch walk to pitcher Ricky Nolasco to load the bases.
Chris Coghlan hit a slow grounder to second baseman Neil Walker but double-clutched, not knowing who was covering the bag. By the time he threw to first, Coghlan was safe and two-runs scored.
Neil Walker told Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune, “It was a mayhem-type play. It’s a shame because it was not hard-hit. Just some miscommunication. I should’ve just thrown the ball and assumed someone was going to catch it.”
Hurdle told David Villavicencio of MLB.com, “That put us in a bad situation, and the play that followed is the one that got us. That really dug the hole deeper.”
Jose Tabata, who was playing in center field in place of Andrew McCutchen, booted the ball hit by Omar Infante, allowing Nolasco to score.
Hanley Ramirez singled to right field to tack on another run and take a 4-0 lead.
Things didn’t get better for Morton in the 3rd inning. With Gregg Dobbs and Mike Stanton (who drew a walk) on second and third, Bonifacio hit a RBI single. Coghlan singled to right, giving the Marlins a 6-0 lead.
Morton told David Villavicencio of MLB.com, “They were just hitting my sinker. It wasn’t sinking. It wasn’t as effective as it has been and I didn’t make the adjustment. Instead of maybe mixing it up more I tried to force the issue and just throw sinkers.”
Nolasco held the Pirates to just four hits –the lone extra-base hit coming off the bat of pitcher Charlie Morton– over seven innings with one walk and eight strikeouts.
The Pirates were shutout, 6-0, for the second straight game. It also marked the first time this season the Bucs lost back-to-back games on the road.
The Pirates have struck out 22 times in the past 18 innings and have not scored a run over that span.
Pre-game News and Notes: Pirates @ Marlins 4/19
The Pittsburgh Pirates (8-8) will open up a three-game series against the Florida Marlins (8-6) tonight at7:05 PM ET in Miami, Fla.
Left-hander Paul Maholm (0-2, 2.33 ERA) will face righty Josh Johnson (2-0, 1.35 ERA)
Maholm has had three strong starts for the Pirates, but has had little run support during his outings. Maholm has allowed just five runs over 19.1 innings this season. During his last start against the Brewers, Maholm allowed two runs to score in the first but then tossed six scoreless frames after. He allowed four hits with three walks and six strikeouts over seven innings. Maholm is 3-4 with a 4.89 ERA in seven career starts against the Marlins.
Johnson had a no-hitter going until giving up a hit to the Braves Freddie Freeman with one out in the 8th inning. He’s allowed just three earned runs in three starts this season (20 innings).
News and Notes:
- Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan has not been comfortable throwing his slider this season, but despite that, he has still managed to pick up five saves.
Hanrahan told Kevin Goheen of MLB.com, “If something’s not working, you still have to figure out a way to get guys out. Sometimes you just make things up when you’re out there. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but for me, it comes back to believing in it and trusting in it.”
Hanrahan has allowed three runs on 11 hits with two walks and eight strikeouts over nine innings (eight appearances) this season.
- Kevin Correia’s complete game on Monday’s 9-3 win to the Cincinnati Reds was the second of his career. His other complete game came on September 25, 2009 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
- It also marked the second complete game by a Bucs starter in the past four games (Charlie Morton, the other). The Pirates had just one complete game in 2010 (Paul Maholm). According to the Elias Sports Bureau, this is the first season for the Pirates to have more than one complete game win in April since 1992 –the last year the Pirates had a winning record.
- Seven different players (Jose Tabata, Matt Diaz, Steve Pearce, Chris Snyder, Neil Walker, Lyle Overbay and Ronny Cedeno) had at least two hits in last night’s 9-3 victory over the Reds.
- The Pirates took three of four from the Reds –the first series win in Cincinnati since 2008.
- They also have won three straight road series for the first time since April in 2002. The Bucs have won seven of 10 games on the road this season.
- Pedro Alvarez is back in the lineup tonight after given the day of on Monday. Alvarez is batting just .193 on the season. Known for his slow starts to the season, Alvarez has been working extensively with hitting coach Gregg Ritchie and Manager Clint Hurdle.
Manager Clint Hurdle told Kevin Goheen of MLB.com, “We’re just trying to help him find his way back to finding some consistency on offense. His recovery period hasn’t been what you would want at this level. Every hitter is going to go through some periods when they’re down and their stroke’s not right, but what creates separation at this level is the recovery time. You want it to be shorter than longer, and there’s been some length to this.”
Pirates:
Andrew McCutchen CF, Jose Tabata LF, Lyle Overbay 1B, Neil Walker 2B, Garrett Jones RF, Ryan Doumit C, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Ronny Cedeno SS, Paul Maholm LHP
Marlins:
Chris Coglan CF, Omar Infante 2B, Hanley Ramirez SS, Gaby Sanchez 1B, Logan Morrison LF, Mike Stanton RF, John Buck C, Emilio Bonifacio 3B, Josh Johnson RHP
Pirates hang on to win see-saw game against Reds, 7-6
The Pittsburgh Pirates hung on to win a back-and-forth game, that was headlined by Andrew McCutchen’s big day at the plate, against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday afternoon, 7-6.
Mccutchen went 3-for-3 with two walks, a home run, two RBI and a run scored.
McCutchen told Lacee Collins of Root Sports, “It was definitely good…Just to be able to come through. I couldn’t do it without the guys getting on base. We just played a hard nine innings today and that’s what we have to do against a team like the Reds. They are a great team. They pitch well, they hit well, so we just have to play hard nine innings and we were able to do that today.”
“I’m just comfortable in general,” McCutchen said when asked if he was comfortable batting lead-off. “It doesn’t matter where I’m at, I’m just comfortable. I’m starting to feel better, starting to feel good…and watch out!”
The Pirates quickly got to Edison Volquez in the 1st inning. Andrew McCutchen and Jose Tabata hit back-to-back homers to give the Bucs a 2-0 lead. It marked the first time the Pirates have lead-off a game with back-to-back homers since July 5, 1982 and just the third time in Franchise history.
Manager Clint Hurdle told Root Sports, “It was an awful good game for him [McCutchen]. He’s been working hard, battling and believing in himself…This kid’s a good player. He was the aggressor today across the board for us in offense. We need him to go at the top.”
The runs didn’t stop there. Volquez walked Lyle Overbay and Neil Walker doubled off the wall -his fifth double this season. Garrett Jones drew a walk to load the bases. Chris Syder walked to bring home a run and Ronny Cedeno hit a sac fly, giving the Bucs a 4-0 lead. Volquez threw 33 pitches in the frame and faced nine batters. His first inning ERA shot up to 29.25 this season. Volquez ERA after the first inning? Just 1.93.
Jeff Karstens left a slider down the middle of the plate, and Jonny Gomes hit a solo home run to cut the lead to 4-1 in the 2nd inning. It was the third homer by Gomes in the past two games against the Pirates.
Karstens got Scott Rolen and Jonny Gomes to strike out, then he allowed three straight hits and a run to score in the 4th.
After pitching four good innings, Karstens ran into trouble in the 5th. He gave up a solo-home run to Miguel Cairo to bring the game within one run. Scott Rolen hit a RBI double to tie the game at four. Manager Clint Hurdle brought in Daniel McCutchen from the ‘pen, and he allowed a single by Jay Bruce to score Rolen, the go-ahead run.
Karstens allowed five runs on eight hits with one walk and six strikeouts over 4.1 innings (76 pitches).
The Pirates fought back in the 6th inning. Garrett Jones -who finished the day 2-for-4 with a run, a walk and a RBI — hit his third homer of the season to tie the game back up at 5. It was the third home run that Volquez gave up to the Bucs in the game.John Bowker hit a pinch-hit two-out double off the center field wall to score Ronny Cedeno and put the Bucs back on top, 6-5.
Volquez allowed six runs on five hits with six walks and six strikeouts over 5.2 innings.
Jay Bruce hit a 1-1 fastball off Jose Veras for a solo-shot in the 7th inning to tie the game at 6.
McCutchen singled off of Logan Ondrusek to center field to score Chris Snyder in the 8th and put the Pirates back on top for what would be the game winning run. Ondrusek suffered his first loss of his career after winning seven straight.
Joel Hanrahan was called upon for a five out save in the 8th inning with runners on first and second with one out. Hanrahan threw just four pitches as Rolen lined out to shortstop Cedeno, who doubled off Cairo at second base to end the threat, and inning.
With a one run lead, the inning was a bit wild for Hanrahan. With one out, Jay Bruce singled on a ground ball. Catcher Chris Snyder threw the ball over the head of first baseman Lyle Overbay but Neil Walker was behind the bag to retrieve it. He then threw the ball to Overbay, who tagged Bruce out after he rounded the bag toward second.
Hanrahan allowed back-to-back singles to Edgar Renteria and Paul Janish and threw a wild pitch to advance both runners. Ryan Hanigan then drew a walk to load the bases. Hanrahan fell behind 2-0 to Jay Bruce, but got him to fly out to center to end the ballgame.
Chris Resop told Root Sports, A crazy game, but in the end we won. It got a little scary in the end there, but hey, it’s part of the game.”
Hanrahan picked up his fifth save as the Pirates beat the Reds, 7-6. If the Bucs can defeat the Reds on Monday, it will mark their third road series win this season.
Pre-game News and Notes: Pirates @ Reds 4/17
The Pittsburgh Pirates (6-8) will face the Cincinnati Reds (9-5) at 1:10 PM ET.
Right-hander Jeff Karstens will start for the Bucs against righty Edison Volquez.
Karstens is spot starting for Ross Ohlendorf, who was placed on the Disabled list with right shoulder posterior strain. Karstens, who is the Pirates “swing-man”, threw 67 pitches over 3.1 innings on April 8th (after Ohlendorf was pulled from the game with his injury), so he should be able to throw at least 70 pitches this afternoon. This will be his first start this season.
Manager Clint Hurdle told Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune, “We’ll see what he can give us, how efficient he can be with the number of pitches he’s got. I don’t want to put a number on it. Can he get to 100? I think that’d be a stretch. Can he throw more than 70? I believe so.”
Volquez was originally supposed to start on Saturday, but was pushed back a day due to a stiff neck. He picked up his second win of the season against the San Diego Padres his last start. Volquez allowed three runs (two earned) with three walks and five strikeouts over six innings.
News and Notes:
- Swinging a hot bat: Garrett Jones. After going .172 in his first 10 games, Jones has gone 4-for-6 with a home run and two RBI.
- The 7th best prospect in the Pirates system, Rudy Owens, picked up his second win of the season yesterday for the Triple-A Indians. He alowed just one run over 6.1 innings – -five of them were no hit ball.
- The Pirates’ 2010 first-round Draft pick, Jameson Taillon, pitched five scoreless innings in an extended Spring Training game yesterday. Taillon is throwing in extended spring training before joining the Low-A West Virginia Power rotation later this season.
- Jose Tabata is tied for second in the National League with seven stolen bases. Andrew McCutchen swiped his first bag on Saturday, he stole 37 bases last season.
- Speaking of Jose Tabata, he has been putting in extensive work with first-base coach Luis Silverio. MAnager Clint Hurdle has said that he wants his players to be aggressive. Tabata, has stolen seven bases in 13 games this season.
Silverio told Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com, “That was one of the things he told me early, that he had problem reading pitchers. Now, he feels really confident that when he takes off, he’s going to make it. After a couple of steps, he maximizes his speed. He has explosive speed. He just doesn’t look like it.”
Pirates:
Andrew McCutchen CF, Jose Tabata LF, Lyle Overbay 1B, Neil Walker 2B, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Garrett Jones RF, Chris Snyder C, Ronny Cedeno SS, Jeff Karstens RHP
Reds:
Drew Stubbs CF, Miguel Cairo 2B, Joey Votto 1B, Scott Rolen 3B, Jonny Gomes LF, Jay Bruce RF, Ramon Hernandez C, Paul Janish SS, Edinson Volquez RHP
Pre-game news and notes: Pirates @ Reds 4/16
The Pirates (6-7) will face the Cincinnati Reds (8-5) at 1:10 PM ET today for the second of a four-game series at Great American Ball Park.
Right-hander James McDonald (0-0, 5.56 ERA) will start for the Bucs against righty Mike Leake (0-1, 6.75 ERA)
McDonald threw 38 pitches in the first frame against the Colorado Rockies in his previous start, but settled in and pitched 6.2 innings. The four runs McDonald allowed in the first were the only runs the Rockies scored off him until the 7th inning (Two runs scored off Rookie Mike Crotta, one earned by McDonald). He struck out three and walked three during his outing.
Leake allowed six runs on nine hits over 4.2 innings his last start against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He walked two and struck out four.
Leake was scheduled to throw on Sunday but was bumped up a day. Edinson Volquez was pushed to because of a stiff neck.
- With the Pirates 6-1 win last night over the Reds, the Bucs snapped a four-game losing streak. They also improved their road record to 5-2.
- The Pirates pitching staff ranks third in the National League with a 3.23 ERA. The only two staffs with better numbers are the San Diego Padres (2.70 ERA) and the Milwaukee Brewers (2.96 ERA).
- Second baseman Neil Walker batted cleanup for the first time in his career. He went 1-for-4 with a two-run homerun and a walk.
- Jose Tabata had his first career four-hit game in Friday’s game. He also swiped his seventh bag (in eight attempts).
News:
- Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com pointed out that earlier this morning, Andrew McCutchen’s name plate above his locker read: McKKKKutchen (He struck out four times in yesterday’s game). McCutchen took the gag in good spirits. It’s great to see the players and the clubhouse so loose.
- The Pirates named Right-hander Jeff Karstens as the starter for Sunday’s game against the Reds. Although it was assumed, Manager Clint Hurdle made the announcement on Friday. Karstens will be taking the place of Ross Ohlendorf, who went on the disabled list with right shoulder posterior strain.
- Manager Clint Hurdle threw out the same lineup top of the order today. Andrew McCutchen will bat leadoff, followed by Jose Tabata second, Lyle Overbay third, Neil Walker fourth and Pedro Alvarez fifth.
Hurdle told Doug Miller of MLB.com, “I try to be more proactive than reactive. Normally, whenever I make a move with a player or group of players, I have a conversation with them about it. I thought about it overnight. We had a good first week, we had a bad second week. I pay attention to numbers, but I also rely quite a lot on my eyes and my gut. In watching those four guys, I thought if I could rearrange them, it would be best for the group.”
- Right-hander Charlie Morton threw his second career complete game last night. He allowed just one run on five hits over nine innings. He also threw 110 pitches, 73 for strikes.
Morton told Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com, “It was a day that I will remember forever.”
Pirates:
Andrew McCutchen CF, Jose Tabata LF, Lyle Overbay 1B, Neil Walker 2B, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Ryan Doumit C, Garrett Jones RF, Ronny Cedeno SS, James McDonald RHP
Reds:
Drew Stubbs CF, Miguel Cairo 2B, Joey Votto 1B, Jonny Gomes LF, Jay Bruce RF, Juan Francisco 3B, Ramon Hernandez C, Paul Janish SS, Mike Leake RHP
Morton throws complete game, Pirates beat Reds, 6-1
Charlie Morton was dominant on Friday night at Great American Ballpark in the 6-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
With two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning, Morton was just one out away from picking up his second career complete game shutout.
That was until Jay Bruce took a 1-1 fastball to center field for a solo home run. Morton got the next batter, Miguel Cairo, to fly out to right field to end the game.
Morton threw 110 pitches, 81 for strikes and shined over nine innings holding the Reds to just the one run on five hits. Morton struck out three and walked two batters.
Manager Clint Hurdle told Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com, “There’s a lot of road in front of us, but he has been a focused young man from the first game that he pitched in Spring Training until now. Any time he doubts himself, all he needs to do is take a tape and look at this ballgame.”
Neil Walker added, “I’m no pitching coach, but watching him today from second base and seeing him continue to do the same thing over and over again and being successful doing it, that just tells you how good his stuff really is. I know this was a great, great confidence day for him, too.”
Morton picked up his second win of the season (three starts) and his ERA is 1.64.
Perhaps it was the shuffling of the Pirates lineup that got the bats swinging? Andrew McCutchen batted leadoff, followed by Jose Tabata second, Lyle Overbay third, Neil Walker fourth and Pedro Alvarez fifth. The Pirates hit two-home runs, four doubles and Tabata had a four hit night –the first of his career. He also swiped his seventh bag of the season (He has only be caught once this year).
The Bucs combined for six runs on 14 hits in the 6-1 win over the Reds. The victory snapped the four-game losing streak.
Neil Walker told Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com, “I think we got into a spot there near the end of the [last] series where we were pressing and we thought we had to win. That makes it tough when you’re going up there and gripping the bat a little tighter. We definitely relaxed today and we stuck with our game plan.”
Garrett Jones hit a solo-home run off of Bronson Arroyo to right field in the 2nd inning to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead.
The Pirates tacked on another run in the 3rd. Lyle Overbay hit a single and Pedro Alvarez doubled before Jones was intentionally walked with the bases loaded. Chris Snyder hit a RBI single, giving the Bucs a two run lead.
Jose Tabata doubled in the 4th inning. Overbay, a career .409 hitter against the Reds, hit a singled to drive in Tabata. Neil Walker followed with a two-run homer to right field, putting the Bucs up, 5-0.
Bronson Arroyo was chased from the game after four innings. He allowed five runs on nine hits, throwing 92 pitches.
The Pirates tacked on a sixth run in the 9th when Snyder singled home Walker.
The Reds lone run came off the homer given up with two outs in the 9th. They combined for just five hits off of Morton.
The Pirates improve to 5-2 on the road this season.
Pre-game News and Notes 4/15: Brewers @ Pirates
The Pirates (5-6) will face the Milwaukee Brewers (6-5) on Thursday at 7:05 PM/ET for the final game of the home stand.
Following the game, the Bucs will fly to Cincinnati for a three-game series starting Friday against the Reds.
Lefty-hander Paul Maholm will face lefty Randy Wolf.
Maholm is 0-1 this season, despite only allowing three earned runs over 12.1 innings.
Notes:
- Jose Tabata’s 10-game hitting streak came to an end on Wednesday, after going 0-for-2 with two walks against the Brewers.
Manager Clint Hurdle was very impressed with Jose Tabata’s plate discipline during his final at-bat in the 8th inning yesterday. Tabata, with the 10-game hitting streak on the line, drew a six pitch walk.
Hurdle told Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com, “I’m not saying it’s normal, but you’ll find players at times that will put individual accomplishments in front of the game from time to time. A young man going up there, knowing what he needed to do and got down early in the count… took a walk. He’ll have other 10-game hitting streaks. He’ll have longer ones than that. But it was very encouraging to see that that’s his mindset. His mindset is not that he can have an 11-game hitting streak.”
- Evan Meek pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning on Wednesday. It was his first appearance since April 6th (right shoulder tightness).
News:
- Catcher Chris Snyder is back in Pittsburgh tonight and will be the lineup tonight. Snyder was activated from the disabled list on Wednesday.
- Left-hander Joe Beimel should be joining the club on Friday in Cincinnati. He completed his rehab assignment with the Triple-A Indians. The Pirates will need to add him to both the 40-man and 25-man roster.
- Third Baseman Pedro Alvarez will get the night off, giving Steve Pearce the start at third.
Alvarez, who is notorious for having a slow start to the season, is batting just .200. Manager Clint Hurdle and Alvarez were out early taking batting practice.
Hurdle told Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune, What I’d like him to do is go up there and be reactionary. He hasn’t gotten off to the start that he would like or we would like but it’s still early and I’m just trying to get him to focus on a couple absolutes at the plate. See the ball, number one, get a good pitch to hit, number two, know that he can attack the ball anywhere in the strike zone, it doesn’t need to be in a teacup. And just hit it hard where it’s pitched. I can tell you that.”
Brewers:
Rickie Weeks 2B, Carlos Gomez CF, Ryan Braun LF, Prince Fielder 1B, Casey McGehee 3B, Yuniesky Betancourt SS, Erick Almonte RF, Jonthan Lucroy C, Randy Wolf LHP
Pirates:
Jose Tabata LF, Neil Walker 2B, Andrew McCutchen CF, Matt Diaz RF, Steve Pearce RF, Lyle Overbay 1B, Chris Snyder C, Ronny Cedeno SS, Paul Maholm LHP
Bucs walks hurt in 6-5 loss to Rockies
The Pirates opportunity to split the series against the Colorado Rockies came to and end in the 7th inning after Rookie Mike Crotta walked three batters, including the go-ahead run, as the Rockies went on to win the game and take the series, 6-5 at PNC Park on Sunday.
Crotta, for the first time all spring and season, looked like a Rookie on the mound. Crotta made it through four appearances this season without allowing a run.
Crotta look over for starter James McDonald with one on (Dexter Fowler) and two out. He walked Jonathan Herrera, then allowed Jason Giambi to hit a single, scoring the game tying run.
Crotta’s inability to throw strikes continued as he walked Troy Tulowitzki to load the bases. The next batter, Seth Smith was walked as well, putting the Rockies on top, 6-5.
Crotta threw 21 pitches –just seven for strikes.
Crotta told Colin Dunlap of the Post-Gazette, “Just didn’t execute my pitches. My job is to come in and get outs. You can’t get outs when you walk people.”
“There are eight guys out there. If they put it in play, chances are they will hit it at somebody. When you walk somebody, there’s nothing anyone can do to help you.”
It wasn’t just Crotta who had trouble throwing strikes, Right-hander James McDonald made his second appearance of the season, and he had a rough first inning.
McDonald threw 38 pitches in the first. He walked two, and also hit Chris Ianetta in the inning. Nine men came to the plate, and four runs scored, including a three run homer by Jose Lopez.
Lopez told Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com, “I asked everybody in the dugout, ‘How’s the fastball? ‘Is it moving? Not moving?’ Everybody said, ‘Straight.’ I saw two men on base, so I wanted to swing at the first-pitch fastball.”
McDonald told Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com, “I had a talk with myself [after the inning] that I needed to really pick it up and keep the team in the game. I had to motivate myself to hold that game, keep it close.”
McDonald did just that. He threw just 65 pitches over the next 5.2 innings, allowing just three hits and kept the Rockies scoreless.
So what clicked for McDonald after a rough first inning? Advice from Catcher, Ryan Doumit.
McDonald told Colin Dunlap of the Post-Gazette, “Told him to pound that two-seam fastball, forget the four-seamer,” Doumit said, referring to a sinker over the standard fastball. “He has really good downward action on [the two-seam fastball] and it makes it tough to put it in the air.”
McDonald told Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com, “It’s always a good step when your team is still in the game when you come out. I showed that I’m out there competing. I showed my team that I’m not going to give up. It was big for me to go back out there and hold those guys scoreless.”
The Pirates put one run on the board in the first inning and tied the game at 4 in the third. Jose Tabata was hit by a pitch and Neil Walker singled to start the inning. Andrew McCutchen hit a RBI single to left field, and both advanced to second and third base on the throwing error by Carlos Gonzalez. Lyle Overbay hit a double down the right field line to tie the game at 4.
McDonald helped out his own cause in the 4th, by hitting a single and scoring the go ahead run. J-Mac told Jenifer Langosh of MLB.com in the spring that he wanted to have 10 hits this year. He’s got one down, nine to go.
The game stayed 5-4, until the 7th inning when Crotta allowed the two runs to score. The Pirates were unable to come up with a hit in the final three innings, as the Rockies went on the beat the Bucs, 6-5 and take the series win.
The Pirates have issued 46 walks so far the season –the most in the majors, including seven on Sunday.
Manager Clint Hurdle told Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com, “We’ve got to do better. Being concerned about it isn’t going to get the job done. Guys have got to throw strikes and get hitters out.”
The Bucs fall to 5-5 on the season.
Kristy Robinson
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