After looking sloppy in a 9-7 loss in Washington Thursday afternoon--including three errors by the defense in the first inning and five runs allowed by the usually stellar bullpen over the last two--and listless in a 2-0 loss to the cellar-dwelling Marlins, Friday night--including going 0-6 with runners in scoring position--the Pirates actually looked like a team with the second best record in MLB, Saturday night, pounding out 14 hits (including six in 17 attempts with runners in scoring position) and defeating the Marlins, 7-4, to improve to 20 games over .500 at 61-41.
Back up catcher Michael Mckenry paced the offensive attack by tallying four hits in five at-bats and driving in two runs. Neil Walker and Garrett Jones heavily contributed as well, going a combined five for nine and driving in four runs.
Pitcher Charlie Morton earned the win after giving up four runs in five innings, and the bullpen returned to its dominant ways, combining to shut Florida down over the last four innings.
The Pirates look to take the rubber game of the series, Sunday afternoon, before returning to Pittsburgh for the epic five-game series against division leading St. Louis, starting Monday night.
The win proved to be quite timely for the Pirates, as St. Louis and Cincinnati both lost. Pittsburgh moved to within one and a half games of the first place Cardinals in the NL Central and three and a half games clear of the third place Reds.
Showing posts with label Neil Walker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Neil Walker. Show all posts
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Monday, July 15, 2013
The Pirates should be given credit for their consistent improvement
The Pirates have reached the 2013 All-Star break with a 56-37 record, it's their best start to any season since 1972. One would think that would make for a great story in Pittsburgh, complete with feverish excitement. And for the most part, there has been great excitement surrounding the team this year. Most fans have Bucco Fever and are really into the players, the games and even everything else that's going on in the major leagues--"What did the Cardinals do?"
However, there's still that underlying and very real fear for most Pirates fans that the team will disappoint again and suffer a third straight collapse--last season's collapse was historic, so MLB may have to open up a special wing in Cooperstown if the franchise goes ahead and "three-peats."
As I've said many times on this blog, I can certainly understand the trepidation among fans. And for many, they simply won't be able to enjoy what's going on until the Pirates finish the job and, at the very least, finish with a winning record.
But, in the meantime, what about giving the Pirates' ownership group and front office a little credit for the consistent improvement over the last three seasons? Two years ago, Pittsburgh was 47-43 at the break. A year ago, the record stood at 48-37.
A 56-37 doesn't just show marked improvement for a third straight season, it tells me that the plan put in place when owner Bob Nutting became a more prominent figure and hired team president Frank Coonelly who in turn hired gm Neal Huntington is actually working.
When Huntington was put in charge of the baseball operations five seasons ago, the farm system was almost completely barren of talent, save for Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker and a few others. In fact, Stan Savran, a long-time Pittsburgh media personality, said that an anonymous baseball executive told him that he felt sorry for Huntington because he had virtually nothing in the system to work with.
Things weren't working. Players like Jason Bay, Jack Wilson and Freddy Sanchez were productive and fan favorites, but the team was still in last place, and something had to be done--the organization had to be re-built from bottom to top.
Huntington has done that. Not every trade and acquisition has worked out--the Pirates have nothing of note to show for the Bay trade in the summer of 2008 even though he was their top trading chip at the time--but a good deal of them have.
Today, not only do the Pirates have a talented major league roster, with McCutchen, Walker, Pedro Alvarez and A.J. Burnett leading the charge, they have a much more respectable farm system--Gerrit Cole and Starling Marte are just two of the latest examples of players who Pittsburgh acquired, developed and are now making significant contributions to the major league team.
For reasons that only they really know, a lot of fans still resent Nutting and have held him to mistakes that he and former majority owners once made. But sometimes, it's nice to just forget about the past and concentrate on the present, and hopefully the future.
Whatever mistakes Nutting and Gang made in the past is the past. It has nothing to do with what's going on at PNC Park today.
Speaking of the Pirates' beautiful ballpark, the most significant team accomplishment since the building opened was when Sanchez won the 2006 National League batting title. Even though Pittsburgh was a last place team, many fans followed the batting race all throughout the summer because they wanted something, anything to be proud of.
The past three seasons, especially 2013, the fans have been paying attention to the division and wild card standings, and for me, that's much better than a batting title.
And the reason we're able to do that is because the plan is working.
However, there's still that underlying and very real fear for most Pirates fans that the team will disappoint again and suffer a third straight collapse--last season's collapse was historic, so MLB may have to open up a special wing in Cooperstown if the franchise goes ahead and "three-peats."
As I've said many times on this blog, I can certainly understand the trepidation among fans. And for many, they simply won't be able to enjoy what's going on until the Pirates finish the job and, at the very least, finish with a winning record.
But, in the meantime, what about giving the Pirates' ownership group and front office a little credit for the consistent improvement over the last three seasons? Two years ago, Pittsburgh was 47-43 at the break. A year ago, the record stood at 48-37.
A 56-37 doesn't just show marked improvement for a third straight season, it tells me that the plan put in place when owner Bob Nutting became a more prominent figure and hired team president Frank Coonelly who in turn hired gm Neal Huntington is actually working.
When Huntington was put in charge of the baseball operations five seasons ago, the farm system was almost completely barren of talent, save for Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker and a few others. In fact, Stan Savran, a long-time Pittsburgh media personality, said that an anonymous baseball executive told him that he felt sorry for Huntington because he had virtually nothing in the system to work with.
Things weren't working. Players like Jason Bay, Jack Wilson and Freddy Sanchez were productive and fan favorites, but the team was still in last place, and something had to be done--the organization had to be re-built from bottom to top.
Huntington has done that. Not every trade and acquisition has worked out--the Pirates have nothing of note to show for the Bay trade in the summer of 2008 even though he was their top trading chip at the time--but a good deal of them have.
Today, not only do the Pirates have a talented major league roster, with McCutchen, Walker, Pedro Alvarez and A.J. Burnett leading the charge, they have a much more respectable farm system--Gerrit Cole and Starling Marte are just two of the latest examples of players who Pittsburgh acquired, developed and are now making significant contributions to the major league team.
For reasons that only they really know, a lot of fans still resent Nutting and have held him to mistakes that he and former majority owners once made. But sometimes, it's nice to just forget about the past and concentrate on the present, and hopefully the future.
Whatever mistakes Nutting and Gang made in the past is the past. It has nothing to do with what's going on at PNC Park today.
Speaking of the Pirates' beautiful ballpark, the most significant team accomplishment since the building opened was when Sanchez won the 2006 National League batting title. Even though Pittsburgh was a last place team, many fans followed the batting race all throughout the summer because they wanted something, anything to be proud of.
The past three seasons, especially 2013, the fans have been paying attention to the division and wild card standings, and for me, that's much better than a batting title.
And the reason we're able to do that is because the plan is working.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Pirates are 45-30 and even winning against American League teams
Pirates fans are currently wondering if their team is for real this season--after two straight late-season collapses, it's hard to blame even the most die-hard fan for being a little leery. While I can't say with any real certainty that this will be the year Pittsburgh finally clears the Clint Hurdle and has at least a winning season, there is some tangible evidence the Buccos are indeed for real in 2013.
For starters, the Pirates are 15 games over .500, and it's only June 23rd. A season ago, Pittsburgh didn't reach its high mark of 16 games above .500 until early August--shortly before its historic collapse.
Another reason these Buccos may actually do it this year is their depth, especially at pitching. Staff ace A.J. Burnett has been on the disabled list with a calf injury, and the number two starter, the very efficient Wandy Rodriguez, has also missed a few starts due to injury. The past two seasons, when the club was dealing with similar injury issues, this would have probably sent things into an irreversible tailspin. However, Jeff Locke, one of the pieces in the controversial Nate McLouth trade from a few years ago, has been as solid a starting pitcher as any in baseball and leads the National League with a 2.01 ERA.
The other pitching prospect to come from Atlanta in the McLouth trade, Charlie Morton, has made two starts since coming back from Tommy John surgery and has been more than respectable, going 1-1--including a huge effort last Tuesday in Cincinnati, where he not only pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings in a 4-0 win over the Reds, he plunked Shin Soo Choo with the first pitch of the game after Cincinnati pitchers had taken liberties with Pirates hitters the night before.
And what about Francisco Liriano? Since making his season debut in May after recovering from a broken hand, he's 6-3 with a 2.30 ERA and 61 strikeouts in nine starts. Liriano would probably be this year's Burnett if he had the same presence. However, if he can just continue to pitch at his same efficient level, I"m sure the folks in Pittsburgh's clubhouse would be satisfied with that.
And what more can you say about the young phenom, Gerrit Cole? Cole made his third start in Anaheim Friday night since making his MLB debut two weeks ago and won his third game, going 6 1/3 innings in a 5-2 victory over the Angels.
There's talk that Cole will be sent down to avoid "Super two" arbitration status, and I'm sure that would outrage a lot of fans, but really, what other choice is there? Once Burnett and Rodriguez come back, what's Cole supposed to do? Sit in the bullpen? The Pirates aren't going to take Locke out of the lineup, same with Liriano. I suppose there is a possibility that Cole can stay in the rotation if Morton doesn't pan out, but even if Cole is sent down, I don't think the front office should suffer much in the way of poor publicity. Would it be financially motivated? Almost surely, but with the arms that gm Neal Huntington has cultivated over the years--don't forget Jeanmar Gomez and James Mcdonald, who have also been down with injuries--the team now has pitching options and the luxury to do whatever it desires with Cole.
In terms of offensive depth, the Pirates certainly seem to have that this year. Take the catcher spot, for instance, where they're light-years ahead of where they were a season ago, when Rod Barajas was the starter and Michael Mckenry was his back-up. While both certainly had their moments in 2012, neither was great offensively, particular Barajas, and both struggled mightily at throwing out baserunners. This year, with the signing of Russell Martin, Pittsburgh has something it hasn't had since the days of Jason Kendall--a true number one catcher. As for Mckenry, he's settled into his role as the back-up catcher a lot better now that he's not expected to carry more of the bulk of the load and has even contributed a couple of key hits--including two home runs in a comeback victory over the Reds in April.
At shortstop, Jordy Mercer has finally surpassed Clint Barmes. If Mercer's defense continues to be consistent, the obvious offensive upgrade could pay huge dividends moving forward.
At first base, Garrett Jones and Gaby Sanchez have quietly combined for 11 home runs and 52 RBI in a platoon situation.
At third base, Pedro Alvarez is slowly becoming one of the top power bats in the game and has paced the offensive attack with 18 home runs and 50 RBI despite his .234 batting average and habit for striking out.
At second base, Neil Walker continues to provide solid play, and if he can stay injury free this season, he has the look of someone who could come through in clutch situations down the stretch.
In the outfield, Andrew McCutchen might not be having the MVP-like year he had in 2012, but his numbers are still more than solid, and if he heats up like he did around last year's All-Star break, well, that would be just another reason this might be the year Pittsburgh finally reaches the Promised Land--even if that ground is just a winning record.
And if Starling Marte ever truly harnesses his raw talent (he's only 24), he could be every bit as good as McCutchen and would give the Pirates one of the more talented outfields in baseball.
And let's not forget the bullpen. The Shark Tank has been one of the best pens in baseball, behind closer Jason Grilli and set-up man Mark Melancon.
The bullpen has been so good, when I see that Pittsburgh is up by a run or two after six innings, I almost put the "W" in the win column.
I believe the talent is there for these Pirates. If they can stay healthy and continue to get key contributions from key players, they should, I say SHOULD have a very successful final three months to the 2013 season.
Heck, the Pirates have taken two in Anaheim so far in a weekend series against the Angels, an American League team. The Pirates are winning on the West Coast AND against an American League team? If that's not a watershed scenario, I don't know what is.
For starters, the Pirates are 15 games over .500, and it's only June 23rd. A season ago, Pittsburgh didn't reach its high mark of 16 games above .500 until early August--shortly before its historic collapse.
Another reason these Buccos may actually do it this year is their depth, especially at pitching. Staff ace A.J. Burnett has been on the disabled list with a calf injury, and the number two starter, the very efficient Wandy Rodriguez, has also missed a few starts due to injury. The past two seasons, when the club was dealing with similar injury issues, this would have probably sent things into an irreversible tailspin. However, Jeff Locke, one of the pieces in the controversial Nate McLouth trade from a few years ago, has been as solid a starting pitcher as any in baseball and leads the National League with a 2.01 ERA.
The other pitching prospect to come from Atlanta in the McLouth trade, Charlie Morton, has made two starts since coming back from Tommy John surgery and has been more than respectable, going 1-1--including a huge effort last Tuesday in Cincinnati, where he not only pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings in a 4-0 win over the Reds, he plunked Shin Soo Choo with the first pitch of the game after Cincinnati pitchers had taken liberties with Pirates hitters the night before.
And what about Francisco Liriano? Since making his season debut in May after recovering from a broken hand, he's 6-3 with a 2.30 ERA and 61 strikeouts in nine starts. Liriano would probably be this year's Burnett if he had the same presence. However, if he can just continue to pitch at his same efficient level, I"m sure the folks in Pittsburgh's clubhouse would be satisfied with that.
And what more can you say about the young phenom, Gerrit Cole? Cole made his third start in Anaheim Friday night since making his MLB debut two weeks ago and won his third game, going 6 1/3 innings in a 5-2 victory over the Angels.
There's talk that Cole will be sent down to avoid "Super two" arbitration status, and I'm sure that would outrage a lot of fans, but really, what other choice is there? Once Burnett and Rodriguez come back, what's Cole supposed to do? Sit in the bullpen? The Pirates aren't going to take Locke out of the lineup, same with Liriano. I suppose there is a possibility that Cole can stay in the rotation if Morton doesn't pan out, but even if Cole is sent down, I don't think the front office should suffer much in the way of poor publicity. Would it be financially motivated? Almost surely, but with the arms that gm Neal Huntington has cultivated over the years--don't forget Jeanmar Gomez and James Mcdonald, who have also been down with injuries--the team now has pitching options and the luxury to do whatever it desires with Cole.
In terms of offensive depth, the Pirates certainly seem to have that this year. Take the catcher spot, for instance, where they're light-years ahead of where they were a season ago, when Rod Barajas was the starter and Michael Mckenry was his back-up. While both certainly had their moments in 2012, neither was great offensively, particular Barajas, and both struggled mightily at throwing out baserunners. This year, with the signing of Russell Martin, Pittsburgh has something it hasn't had since the days of Jason Kendall--a true number one catcher. As for Mckenry, he's settled into his role as the back-up catcher a lot better now that he's not expected to carry more of the bulk of the load and has even contributed a couple of key hits--including two home runs in a comeback victory over the Reds in April.
At shortstop, Jordy Mercer has finally surpassed Clint Barmes. If Mercer's defense continues to be consistent, the obvious offensive upgrade could pay huge dividends moving forward.
At first base, Garrett Jones and Gaby Sanchez have quietly combined for 11 home runs and 52 RBI in a platoon situation.
At third base, Pedro Alvarez is slowly becoming one of the top power bats in the game and has paced the offensive attack with 18 home runs and 50 RBI despite his .234 batting average and habit for striking out.
At second base, Neil Walker continues to provide solid play, and if he can stay injury free this season, he has the look of someone who could come through in clutch situations down the stretch.
In the outfield, Andrew McCutchen might not be having the MVP-like year he had in 2012, but his numbers are still more than solid, and if he heats up like he did around last year's All-Star break, well, that would be just another reason this might be the year Pittsburgh finally reaches the Promised Land--even if that ground is just a winning record.
And if Starling Marte ever truly harnesses his raw talent (he's only 24), he could be every bit as good as McCutchen and would give the Pirates one of the more talented outfields in baseball.
And let's not forget the bullpen. The Shark Tank has been one of the best pens in baseball, behind closer Jason Grilli and set-up man Mark Melancon.
The bullpen has been so good, when I see that Pittsburgh is up by a run or two after six innings, I almost put the "W" in the win column.
I believe the talent is there for these Pirates. If they can stay healthy and continue to get key contributions from key players, they should, I say SHOULD have a very successful final three months to the 2013 season.
Heck, the Pirates have taken two in Anaheim so far in a weekend series against the Angels, an American League team. The Pirates are winning on the West Coast AND against an American League team? If that's not a watershed scenario, I don't know what is.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Glad to see the Pirates take care of "business" against the Reds, Tuesday night
It looks like the Reds have become the new "Brewers." What I mean by that is, there are several players on Cincinnati's roster that Pirates fans cannot stand. The first one that comes to mind is Brandon Phillips. Despite this rather cool and endearing story of Phillips' showing up to a kids baseball game a couple years after he was invited to on Twitter, apparently, the Reds' second baseman is a phony and a jerk.
A second player that comes to mind is Cincinnati closer Aroldis Chapman. Chapman is probably the most hated of the Reds players in Pittsburgh because of his habit of buzzing Pirates batters around the head.
Last season, in a crucial August showdown in Cincinnati, Chapman nailed Pirates star outfielder Andrew McCutchen with a 90plus mph fastball in the ninth inning of a 3-0 Reds' victory. McCutchen was reportedly very upset, as were most of the Pirates players, but not much was done in the next game because the Reds came out throwing at Pittsburgh batters early-on, and both benches were warned, thus nullifying any chance of retaliation.
Fast-forward to this past Monday night in Great American Ballbark. Reds starting pitcher Mike Leake hit McCutchen with a pitch in the fourth inning. In the ninth inning, with Cincinnati ahead, 4-1, Chapman buzzed Neil Walker with another 90 plus mph fastball.
As you might expect, there was talk of whether or not the Pirates would/should return the favor in Game 2 of a very important four-game series between the two teams. The overriding sentiment by Pirates fans and the Pittsburgh media was that something definitely should be done to show Cincinnati that the Pirates simply were not going to be pushed around. With Pittsburgh ahead, 3-0, in the bottom of the first inning, Charlie Morton, of all mild-mannered people, nailed Shin-Soo Choo in the leg with his first pitch. This angered the Reds players, namely starting pitcher Mat Latos, but there was no payback on Cincinnati's part.
The Pirates went on to win, 4-0, and perhaps earn a little respect from the Reds' clubhouse. I guess that all remains to be seen, of course. The way these two teams have been throwing at one another over the past two seasons, I smell a benches clearing brawl in the very near future.
Either way, it's great to be talking about rivalries and bean-ball wars this time of year rather than what is going on in the Pirates minor league system.
Pittsburgh has spent the past five seasons re-stocking its farm system, and now it appears to be paying dividends in the form of a 5.5 game lead in the National League wild card standings and a competition-fueled feud with the Big Red Machine.
A second player that comes to mind is Cincinnati closer Aroldis Chapman. Chapman is probably the most hated of the Reds players in Pittsburgh because of his habit of buzzing Pirates batters around the head.
Last season, in a crucial August showdown in Cincinnati, Chapman nailed Pirates star outfielder Andrew McCutchen with a 90plus mph fastball in the ninth inning of a 3-0 Reds' victory. McCutchen was reportedly very upset, as were most of the Pirates players, but not much was done in the next game because the Reds came out throwing at Pittsburgh batters early-on, and both benches were warned, thus nullifying any chance of retaliation.
Fast-forward to this past Monday night in Great American Ballbark. Reds starting pitcher Mike Leake hit McCutchen with a pitch in the fourth inning. In the ninth inning, with Cincinnati ahead, 4-1, Chapman buzzed Neil Walker with another 90 plus mph fastball.
As you might expect, there was talk of whether or not the Pirates would/should return the favor in Game 2 of a very important four-game series between the two teams. The overriding sentiment by Pirates fans and the Pittsburgh media was that something definitely should be done to show Cincinnati that the Pirates simply were not going to be pushed around. With Pittsburgh ahead, 3-0, in the bottom of the first inning, Charlie Morton, of all mild-mannered people, nailed Shin-Soo Choo in the leg with his first pitch. This angered the Reds players, namely starting pitcher Mat Latos, but there was no payback on Cincinnati's part.
The Pirates went on to win, 4-0, and perhaps earn a little respect from the Reds' clubhouse. I guess that all remains to be seen, of course. The way these two teams have been throwing at one another over the past two seasons, I smell a benches clearing brawl in the very near future.
Either way, it's great to be talking about rivalries and bean-ball wars this time of year rather than what is going on in the Pirates minor league system.
Pittsburgh has spent the past five seasons re-stocking its farm system, and now it appears to be paying dividends in the form of a 5.5 game lead in the National League wild card standings and a competition-fueled feud with the Big Red Machine.
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