Results tagged ‘ matt capps ’
Karstens sharp, Bucs fall to Twins in 9th, 4-3
The Pirates lost their final Grapefruit League game of the Spring on Monday against the Minnesota Twins in Fort Myers, Fla., 4-3.
Anthony Claggett, who was in from minor league camp, came in to close the game in the 9th inning. After allowing a lead off walk, Brian Roberts hit a triple, scoring the tying run. Clagget gave up a single off his foot and Roberts scored the game winning run.
The Pirates drop to 11-20 this spring.
Jeff Karstens started for the Pirates and he allowed just one run (none earned) on five hits with one walk and one strikeout over 4.2 innings. His ERA this spring is 1.54. Karstens was scheduled to throw about 50 pitches. The Pirates wanted him stretched on in case James McDonald is not healthy enough to start April 5th in St. Louis.
The Pirates played small ball in the first inning. Jose Tabata lead off with a double off of Lefty Francisco Lorianio. Neil Walker hit a sac bunt, advancing Tabata to third base and Andrew McCutchen hit a sac fly to take a 1-0 lead.
Lorianio allowed the Bucs to score two more runs in the 4th inning. A lead off double by Neil Walker followed by First baseman Steve Pearce, who hit a double, scoring Walker. Matt Diaz hit a bloop single into right field to score Pearce.
In the fifth inning, Denard Span advanced to second base on a bad throw by shortstop Ronny Cedeno. Tsuyoshi Nishioka hit a RBI single cutting the lead to 3-1.
Mike Crotta, who is fighting for one of the final spots in the bullpen, allowed Brandon Roberts to double home Brian Dozier, who walked in his previous at-bat.
Claggett allowed Roberts to triple in the game tying run after a lead off walk. Lehmann hit the go-ahead run off of Clagget’s foot to win the game, 4-3.
Notes:
- In the bottom of the first inning, Denard Span laid down a perfect bunt but catcher Jason Jaramillo made an unbelievable throw to get Span at first base.
- If you watched the MLB Network broadcast, Former Bucco closer Matt Capps was interviewed by the Twins Broadcasters. When asked about his former club, and if he talked to a lot of the team still, he said: “A lot of the players. Most of Clint Hurdle’s staff are guys I had coming up through the minors. Ray Searage is a guy I give a lot of credit to turning my career around. In ’04 and ’05, essentially getting me to the big leagues. He’s the pitching coach now. Jeff Banister’s over there. He was the field coordinator when I was there. [Euclides] Rojas, the bullpen coach there was the pitching coordinator when I was there. He helped me out quite a bit. A lot of good friends. People over there in that uniform [are] good people.”
- Giger Counters of the Altoona Mirror reports that Pirates minor leaguer Jim Negyrch says he wants to play in Triple-A or he wants the Bucs to release him so he can find a job elsewhere.
Negyrch, 26, was playing for the Double-A team on Monday.
Negyrch told Counters of the Altoona Mirror, “Obviously I feel like I’ve done enough in Double-A, so if I’m not in Indianapolis then, I’ve gotten permission then hopefully I’ll be able to get my release and hopefully play someplace else.”
You can read more of the story and interview with Negyrch here.
- Right-hander Nathan Adcock, who the Royals took from the Pirates in the Rule-5 draft, has made the big league club. Adcock has not pitched above High-A in his career but Kansas City believes he is ready to throw at the big league level.
Adcock must stay with the Royals for the entire season or else they will have to offer him back to the Pirates for half of what they payed ($25,000).
- Following the game today, the Pirates will fly to Philadelphia. The Bucs will play two exhibition games against the Phillies on Tuesday (7:05 PM) and Wednesday. Ross Ohlendorf will face Roy Oswalt on the 29th, Charlie Morton will face Cole Hamels on the 30th.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette wrote a great feature on the Pirates Top three prospects: Right-handers Jameson Taillon, Stetson Allie and Catcher Tony Sanchez. Read it here.
Spring Training day 17: news and notes
- The Pirates will face the Minnesota Twins at 1:05 today at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, Fl.
Ross Ohlendorf will be starting for the Bucs. He will also be making his Grapefruit League debut.
Tony Watson (two innings), Joel Hanrahan (1), Jose Veras (1), Mike Crotta (1) and Chris Leroux (1) will follow.
- The Twins will send left-hander Brian Duensing to the mound. Former Bucco Matt Capps is scheduled to make an appearance.
- Scott Olsen is scheduled to throw on Wednesday. Olsen made a few comments to the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette on Tuesday that had several bloggers and fans mad.
General Manager Neal Huntington said on Sunday that if Olsen (or any of the other pitchers) do not make the 5th starter role, they would be moved to the bullpen –something apparently he believes he is too good for.
“He hasn’t told me that, I don’t know anything about the bullpen, I’m a starter,” Olsen told the Post-Gazette Tuesday.”
They didn’t bring me in here to be a bullpen guy,” Olsen said. “They want to do that, we are going to have to have a conversation about it, and we haven’t had one about it.”
Huntington addressed Olsen’s comments on Tuesday saying, “During our recruitment of Scott, it was our clear belief and his clear belief that he would be given every opportunity to compete for the fifth starter spot. We feel like, not just with him, but for some other pitchers, if they don’t win that spot, the next logical step could be a bullpen role.”
Olsen has a very bad past. Read this post by Rumbunter.
- Joe Beimel had an MRI on Tuesday but the results have not been made available. Beimel was shutdown on Tuesday after suffering tightness in his forearm after a 10 pitch session.
- Today is Pirates Jim Negrych‘s 26th birthday.
- Charlie Morton will pitch the first three innings Thursday against the Blue Jays in Dunedin. Brad Lincoln will pitch two innings, followed by Tyler Yates (one), Jeff Locke (one or two) and Jose Valdez (one).
Twins Lineup:
Revere CF, Plouffe SS, Kubel DH, Valencia 3B, Hughes 2B, Bailey 1B, Dinkelman LF, Holm C, Repko RF
Pitchers: Duensing, Capps, Neshek, Dumatrait, Manship, Hughes
Pirates Lineup:
Tabata LF, Wimberly SS, A. McCutchen CF, Alvarez 3B, Walker 2B, Overbay 1B, Pearce DH, Doumit C, Lambo RF
Pitchers: Tony Watson, Joel Hanrahan, Jose Veras, Mike Crotta and Chris Leroux.
Zach Duke chats with MLB Network Radio
Zach Duke was interviewed on MLB Network Radio on Thursday night and here are some of the highlights:
On the current contract negotiations with the Arizona Diamondbacks: “I think there is something in the works. I don’t think anything is actually official. But we have agreed. Looks like a one year with a possible option.”
On how a change of scenery could be good for him: “I’m certainly hoping so. All I’ve known is Pittsburgh. The Pirates have struggled for so long and we weren’t able to turn it around when I was there.”
On how all the losing can effect the players: “It can be a little tough. But that’s part of the job of being a professional.”
Duke said that his struggles from the 2010 season was mainly because of his health and the problems he had with his elbow. “Inconsistent mechanics and ended up fighting myself throughout the season.” He also said he feels completely healthy now.
On the possibility of being a reliever: “Obviously I’d love to continue starting. I’ve been starting my whole career. I know I am capable of becoming a successful starter in the major leagues.”
On conditioning during the offseason: “I haven’t started throwing yet. I’ll be starting in a few weeks. You can’t take off very long anymore. There are all these young guys trying to take my job now.”
On the high expectations (after his rookie year in 2005): “I guess that season is going to follow me anywhere. I’m pretty positive I wont be able to duplicate that. There was an expectation placed on me. I’ve learned how to deal with expectations and learn about myself. I’m glad I went through it. I wish things would have went different at times.”
After Duke was traded to the backs he texted Pirates pitching coach Ray Searage and said, “Hey. I owe the pirates a complete game shutout so be prepared.”
He went on to discuss how being traded and jobless was “stressful” especially considering his wife is due in February with their first child, Freddy Sanchez wining the World Series and how he hopes to do good things in Arizona. Check out the interview if you have XM or Sirius Radio.
McCutchen: “I’ll do everything I’ve got to do to get on base”
Andrew McCutchen is back.
After hitting .226 in the month of August, McCutchen’s back to be an on base machine in September. He is batting .330 with a .466 on-base percentage and 21 runs scored in 88 at-bats.
“Honestly, I don’t think I’m doing anything any different right now,” McCutchen said. “You swing, and the ball finds a hole. That’s it. That’s the game of baseball. I’m just trying to finish up these next few games strong and get ready for next year.”
McCutchen currently has a streak of 24 games reaching base safely –the longest such streak from a player this season. He also leads the National League center fielders in on-base percentage.
“Where I hit in the order, that’s what you have to do: Get on base and score,” McCutchen said. “I’ll do everything I’ve got to do to get on base, and I’ve been doing that. I’m happy with it.”
Two great stories that I suggest you guys read:
- Mets Knuckleballer: R.A. Dickey and Wife wait for baseball to finally return the love
- Ex-Bucco and current Twins Closer Matt Capps: Late father remains inspiration for Capps
Hansen is pitching again, Capps traded to the Twins
Some of you guys may have forgotten about Pitcher, Craig Hansen. He was part of the Red Sox, Dodgers deal when we sent Jason Bay and received; him, Brandon Moss and Andy LaRoche.
Hansen has been cleared to pitch for the first time since April of 2009 and has been added to the roster at High-A Bradenton. (In 2009, he only pitched five games, 6 1/3 innings)
In 2008, Hansen pitched in 48 games, 2-7, 46.1 IP, 40H, 37R, 32ER, 3HR, 43BB, 32K, 6.22 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP.
The 26-year-old right-hander, has had a long, uncertain recovery from an unusual ailment in which a nerve in his upper back lost the ability to send signals to his trapezius muscle. He was nearly set to return in early June, but elbow pain shut him down.
“We felt like it was time to get him out and see what he can do,” director of player development Kyle Stark said.
Hansen made his first start in over a year for the Marauders yesterday. He pitched 1/3 of an inning, giving up one hit, two runs; both earned, three walks, one strike out.
I found an old article that was published in August of 2009 on his recovery.
After about a month and a half of looking for an explanation for a “ghost injury,” as Hansen called it, doctors identified Hansen’s condition as Parsonage-Turner Syndrome, a rare disorder in which a nerve deteriorates and, as a result, the muscle in that area of the body weakens. For Hansen, the nerve affected was in the upper right side of his back and weakened the trapezius muscle, which is a critical muscle in his throwing motion.
The only cure for such an ailment is rest, though Hansen is undergoing nerve tests once a month to continue to look for signs of improvement. Hansen said that in his research he has read that recovery time can range from six months to five years. Medical research has shown that 75 percent of people affected with PTS recover fully in two years.
“It’s frustrating,” said Hansen, who still does not have a timetable for when he can pick up a baseball again. “It’s [about being] mentally tough more than anything. Right now, I’ve just got to keep myself busy and stay in shape so that when the nerve does come back and fully regenerate, I’ll be ready.”
How and exactly when Hansen initially suffered this paralysis of the nerve is still unknown. The best guess is that it was caused by a viral infection — something as seemingly innocuous as a common cold — and happened over the offseason. Hansen said that it was during Spring Training when he first noticed that he had lost significant strength in his pitching arm.
“All of a sudden you just notice that the strength gets significantly weaker,” Hansen said. “It’s been very challenging. It’s too hard for me to sit back and watch and not be given an opportunity to play right now.”
He has ruled out any attempt at trying to come back this season and is at this point looking to a return in 2010.
You can read the rest of the Article on MLB.com
Is this photo real? If so, it is a pretty sweet picture!
I will be keeping an eye on him and will continue to post any updates. If he stays healthy, and can fully recover he can be a pretty great arm for the Pirates. He was Boston’s 2nd pick in the first round (26th overall) in the 2005 draft.
In other news, Ex-Bucco, Matt Capps was traded from the Nationals to the Twins for catching prospect Wilson Ramos and Minor League left-hander Joe Testa.
Capps will take over as the Twins’ closer and Jon Rauch will shift back into a setup role. The Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said that he’d already spoken to Rauch about the switch.
“He was very professional about it,” Gardenhire said. “He said, ‘Whatever it takes to win.’ It was the same thing he said to me when I told him he was the closer. He said, ‘Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do.’ He said he just wants to win and be on a winner.”
Capps has been very good this year, recording 26 saves in 30 opportunities and posted a 2.47 ERA in 47 games. He also was selected for his first All-Star game this year.
“This makes us a better club,” Twins general manager Bill Smith said. “Matt is a veteran closer, a veteran reliever and he’s going to be a very good fit for this club. We’ve had an interest in Matt Capps for a long time, and this was a good opportunity for us to acquire him. It gives us a better chance to win the division and hopefully advance to the World Series.”
@JeffFletcherAOL tweeted this last night: Wouldn’t it be funny if Capps, who was winning pitcher for NL in ASG, ended up in the WS for an AL team?
How weird would that be?
In honor of Matt Capper, click here to watch his “Big Bull Rider” entrance music when he was the Closer for the Pirates. Ah, memories.
Kristy Robinson
Recent Comments