Yankees Roughup Pirates Under The Lights

by Zane Heiple

Photo by bradenton.com

The Pittsburgh Pirates came out swinging early in their game with the New York Yankees tonight, but the Yanks took the early punches and delivered a knockout with a 10-3 win. 

The offense was a familiar scene for us fans plenty of hits, but a lack of runs.  Jose Tabata, Andrew McCutchen, and Neil Walker, three faces who will be leading the offense this season, each accounted for two hits in their three at bats.  The Buccos took an early 2-0 lead when McCutchen took a 3-2 pitch deep to left field.  That was the last of the Pirates leading for the night as New York would score the next nine runs before Walker would single home Tabata in the sixth.  The Yankees would finish off the scoring in the eighth inning.

Pitching was obviously well off track tonight and it all started with Erik Bedard.  He would work 3.2 innings allowing four runs on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts.  Bedard was brought in to help this rotation with experience, his ERA is up to 6.23 and needs to start putting consistently good starts together if he hopes to regain his form from his days with the Baltimore Orioles.  I think Jo Jo Reyes days in a Pirates uniform are soon coming to an end.  He gave up three runs tonight without recording an out and now  has a spring training ERA of 12.86.  Daniel McCutchen and Daniel Moskos looked good again tonight as they each struck out a batter in their inning of work.

While some of us at Fans From The Stands are expecting big things out of Pedro Alvarez this season, I keep waiting for him to show that he is even a baseball player.  Tonight he would go 0-3 with a strikeout and is now batting .148.  But it does not end their folks, a fielding error in the third inning would give the Yankees their first run of the night.  Do not get me wrong, I hope that he figures things out and at least resembles some form of what all us hoped he would be when the Pirates drafted him, but as the days go by the word bust seems to stick to him more and more.

Well the great thing about baseball is that there is no time to dwell on the game before.  Pittsburgh is back in action for their first of three straight games in Bradenton.  Tomorrow they will take on the Boston Red Sox.  Kevin Correia will start for the Buccos and first pitch is scheduled for 1:05.

Grapefruit League Record:  6-10

And...

As Always...

Let's Go Bucs!

Morton Struggles In Shutout Loss To Twins

By Chad Carlson

Photo Credit:  http://www.burningantsblog.com

After a long, tumultuous 162-game regular season, there are at least a handful of games that each and every team would like to forget about.  For the Pirates, they can add a Spring Training game to the list as well.  The Minnesota Twins shut them out this afternoon, 10-0, on a day when Charlie Morton was almost as ineffective as the Pirates’ offense, which only mustered one hit all day.

Morton surrendered five runs on seven hits through his three innings of work.  He is, without a doubt, expected to be part of the starting rotation in a few weeks, but he certainly struggled today.  His ERA this spring is at 9.00, but hopefully over the next couple weeks leading up to Opening Day, he can put together a string of strong outings to get the confidence level up to par.

The offense was putrid today, no question about it.  Brandon Boggs recorded the only hit for the Bucs, while the team struck out a total of ten times on the day.  Pedro Alvarez and Andrew McCutchen both had the day off, but this was a rough day for everyone across the board…one that the team, and us fans, will love to put in the past.  Pedro did have a pinch-hit appearance today, going 0-1, dropping his average to .167. Ouch.

The Pirates’ lack of efficiency in the fundamental aspects of the game is already a concern for me.  Even though it’s still in Spring Training, this is the time when teams need to clean up their individual games, and right now, the Bucs aren’t doing that.  If this team is going to have any chance at a winning record this season, they need to play fundamentally sound in the field and at the plate. 

Oh yeah, and they need to hit the ball!

Prior to the game today, it was announced that Starling Marte, Gorkys Hernandez, Kyle McPherson, Bryan Morris, and Justin Wilson were optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis.  Marte has been incredible at the plate this spring, but has struggled defensively.  He still has some on-the-field maturation to do, and will do so throughout this year and, depending on that development, may find himself in Pittsburgh by the end of the season.

The Bucs are now 6-9 in Grapefruit League play.  After their second (and last) day off of Spring Training tomorrow, they’ll resume action against the New York Yankees on Tuesday at 7:05pm.

Grapefruit League Record:  6-9

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Rays Top Pirates In Pitching Battle

by Zane Heiple

Photo by pirates.com

Consistency is what the Pittsburgh Pirates need if they want to build on the success of last season.  So far this spring the Pirates starting pitching has been just that, it is their offense that has been sporadic during the month of March.  Today was no different as the Buccos fell to the Tampa Rays 2-1.

Jeff Karstens was on the mound to start the day and continued to prove that last year was not a fluke.  He would pitch five innings allowing one run on three hits with five strikeouts and three walks.  With today's performance he has lowered his ERA this spring to 1.13.  James Shields went for the Rays and was even more impressive than Karstens.  He would go six innings allowing one run on four hits while striking out seven.  Joel Hanrahan would give up one run in his inning of work while striking out three batters.  Jason Grilli would go two innings and Ryota Igarashi would pitch one inning, with neither pitcher allowing a run to score.

While both teams struggled at the plate, none of the Pirates would have multiple hits.  Their only run of the day came in the sixth inning when Andrew McCutchen would go deep with his first home run of the spring.  Tampa's first run would come from a Luke Scott solo home run in the fifth and then would take the lead for good with one run in the sixth.  Pedro Alvarez continued to struggle as he would go 0-3 with three strikeouts and see his batting average drop to a measly .174

While it is impossible to average the 14 runs per game that they did on Wednesday and Thursday, it would be nice to see the Pirates average around five runs a game over the next few weeks before heading north.  It will not matter how effective the pitching staff is, if the offense can not give them run support.

The Pirates will play the Minnesota Twins for what seems like the millionth time this spring in Fort Myers.  Charlie Morton will head to the mound for Pittsburgh as he looks to regain his form following off-season hip surgery.  First pitch is scheduled for 1:05.

Grapefruit League Record:  6-8

And...

As Always...

Let's Go Bucs!

Correia Throws Four Scoreless In Pirates' Win Over Phillies

By Chad Carlson

Photo Credit:  Pirates.com

After scoring 28 runs in the past two games, the Pirates’ offense was not expected to continue this type of production any longer. Today, they managed only three runs against the Philadelphia Phillies, but it was good enough for them to earn their sixth win of the Grapefruit League season.

Kevin Correia pitched four shutout innings before handing the ball over to the bullpen to finish off the latter five frames to help the Bucs improve to 6-7 this spring with 3-2 victory today.

Correia gave up just one hit and one walk in his four innings of work, while Evan Meek, Justin Wilson, and Kyle McPherson each pitched an inning of scoreless ball. Kevin has yet to give up a run yet this spring, and he’s looking to revert back to the pitcher he was the first half of 2011. So far, so good for him, while the same rings true for a bullpen that was one of the best prior to the All-Star break last year, before falling apart and ending the season in the lower handful.

As for the offense, it was less exciting for the Pirates than it had been the last couple days. Alex Presley, Jose Tabata, and Andrew McCutchen were all given the day off, which, in part, allowed Starling Marte the opportunity to start in the outfield. He continued his hot spring today with two hits, including a homerun and an RBI and two runs scored, while Clint Barmes, Neil Walker, and Jake Fox (HR) added a hit each. Casey McGehee added an RBI as well.

Pedro Alvarez, on the other hand, did start, going 0-2 with a walk and a strikeout.

Daniel Moskos and Bryan Morris finished out the game for the Bucs, despite together allowing a pair of runs in the late innings. But the Phillies’ comeback came up a little short, the Bucs were able to escape with the win.

This was a solid win for the Pirates today. They didn’t score a dozen runs…in fact, they struggled at the plate against a nice slate of Phillies’ pitchers. But they had key hits an opportune times, and were able to push some runs across the plate. On the flipside, the pitching was fantastic today, top to bottom. Correia with yet another impressive outing, and the bullpen came in and did its job. This was a very satisfying victory for the Bucs this afternoon.

The Pirates will face the Tampa Bay Rays tomorrow afternoon at 1:05pm.

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Pirates Bats Dominate Twins

by Zane Heiple

Photo by Christopher Horner/Tribune Review

Defense may win championships, but offense is what puts fans in the seats.  While it is still only spring training, offensive days like this should keep PNC Park plenty full during the regular season.  The Pittsburgh Pirates dominated the Minnesota Twins by the final of 17-6.  The first inning alone was enough to earn the W, as the Buccos would send 15 batters to the box scoring 10 runs.

After what had mostly been a stagnate spring for the offense, the bats have awoken these past two games scoring 28 runs on 34 hits.  Alex Presley, Matt Hague, and Garrett Jones each went deep today bringing in seven runs between them.  While Presley and Jones are locks for the roster, Hague was brought up to fight for a job and if he keeps hitting with a .429 batting average I think we will be seeing him in Pittsburgh come April 5^th.

Now in a game where 23 total runs were scored, pitching obviously was not a key factor in the game.  Minnesota started rule 5 draft pick Terry Doyle in place of Scott Baker.  Doyle gave up the first eight runs of the game, while recording only two outs.  Pirate’s starter Jo-Jo Reyes did not fair much better allowing four runs in 2.1 innings pitched.  It’s a long shot for Reyes to make the team as a starter and will most likely be used in long relief.  If he does head north with the team he will need to lower that ERA and be more consistent on the bump.

Up next for the Pirates will be a home contest against the Philadelphia Phillies, a team that has owned the Buccos this spring.  Kevin Correia will make his third start of the spring against one of the Phillies aces Cliff Lee.  First pitch is scheduled for 1:05.

Grapefruit League Record:  5-7

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Pirates’ Offense Comes Alive In Win Over Orioles

By Chad Carlson



Just yesterday, on the first of two off days during Spring Training, I was commenting that the Pirates’ starting pitching has been pretty solid thus far. With the injury to A.J. Burnett, the rotation appears to be fairly set and will most likely include Erik Bedard, Charlie Morton, Jeff Karstens, Kevin Correia, and James McDonald.


Speaking of McDonald, he took the hill today as the Bucs faced the Baltimore Orioles for the second time this spring. Unfortunately for J-Mac and the Pirates, there wasn’t a single thing about his performance today that was solid…except the contact the Orioles were making off the right-hander. He was tagged for five runs on six hits through only three innings of work. He walked two, struck out two, and gave up a pair of homeruns. This wasn’t exactly what we wanted from one of our starters. Confidence is incredibly vital to a pitcher’s performance, and with outings like this, J-Mac can’t be feeling too good about his stuff at this point.

Joel Hanrahan pitched an inning of scoreless ball for the Bucs. After surrendering a leadoff walk, Joel set down the next three hitters consecutively, including two strikeouts. He looks solid off his N.L. All Star season last year. Tim Wood, who is one out of what seems to be a million relievers vying for a spot in the bullpen, pitched a scoreless inning today, as did Evan Meek and Jason Grilli.

Without a doubt, though, the Pirates’ offense stole the headlines in their 11-5 victory over Baltimore today. Just as they did the last time they faced the Orioles, the Bucs lit up the scoreboard, pounding the baseball up and down the lineup. Alex Presley, Neil Walker, Josh Harrison and Garrett Jones each had two hits, while Presley, along with Clint Barmes and Harrison, had two RBI’s a piece. Pedro Alvarez, who will be a focal point for me all season long, had a single and a sacrifice fly. He continues to look confident at the plate, and his first-pitch attack looks to be paying off early on this spring. It was a total team effort at the plate this afternoon….adding up for a total of 11 runs on 15 hits. Wow! There’s the offense we need!

With the victory, the Pirates improved their Grapefruit League record to 4-7, two of those wins coming against Baltimore. It was great to see the bats come alive.

On a side note, Rod Barajas was scratched from today’s lineup, as his wife gave birth to their seventh child. Seven children! I have nothing else to say but congratulations. Michael McKenry took his place in the lineup today.

The Pirates will face the Minnesota Twins tomorrow afternoon at 1:05pm.

Grapefruit League Record: 4-7

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!

Morton Shines As Pirates Fall To Phillies

by Zane Heiple

Photo by AP

Charlie Morton made his spring training debut today after having off-season surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip.  Morton would go two innings allowing four hits and striking out two batters.  While Charlie may not be back in time for opening day, it would be big if he were able to be back within the first week of the season to help ease the loss of A.J. Burnett during the first four to eight weeks of the regular season.  Morton had a very good 2011 campaign where he showed glimpses of the pitcher he is capable of being when the Pittsburgh Pirates traded for him in the Nate McLouth trade to the Atlanta Braves.

 

While Charlie looked good on the mound today the same could not be said for the Pirates offense in a 4-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.  The Buccos were only able to gather two hits on the day, coming from Gorkys Hernandez and Jordy Mercer.  Hernandez would score the only run when Michael Martinez made a fielding error on ground ball by Casey McGhee. 

Regulars like Alex Presley, McLouth, Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker, McGehee, Garrett Jones, Clint Barmes, and Pedro Alvarez went a combined 0-19.  Not a good sign against anybody, buts it not like the Phils had their aces on the hill.  Vance Worley would pitch four shutout innings.  Worley will most likely be the fourth or fifth guy in the rotation. 

With three straight losses, the Pirates will get a much needed day off tomorrow and return to action on Wednesday when they take on the Baltimore Orioles in Sarasota.  James McDonald will make his third trip to the bump this spring with first pitch scheduled for 1:05.

Grapefruit League Record:  3-7

And…

As Always…

Let’s Go Bucs!