Monthly Archives: March, 2010

Rays 8, �Pirates 2 �(box)

The Pirates struggled again today in Grapefruit League action, losing to Tampa Bay by a score of 8-2. �Rays' starter Matt Garza held the Pirates to just 4 hits in his 7 innings of work. �One of those hits was a home run into the bullpen by 1B Jeff Clement. CF Andrew McCutchen and LF Brandon Moss also singled off Garza, while RF Garrett Jones smacked a triple in the 6th inning.

Ross Ohlendorf made the start for the Pirates, and he had a tough afternoon. �In the 1st inning, he got the first out, then gave up a walk, a triple, and a 2-run homer, to give the Rays a 3-0 lead. �Four more runs were added in the 3rd inning, which began with a double and a 2-run homer. �After a walk and a single put runners on the corners, the Rays tried to bring in a run with a sacrifice bunt, but Ohlendorf pounced on the ball and fired to C Ryan Doumit, who tagged out the runner coming from third. �That didn't stop the Rays' momentum, though. �Two more RBI singles added 2 more runs for a 7-1 lead. �A double, a ground out to advance the runner, and a sacrifice fly brought in the Ray's eighth run in the 4th inning. �All 8 runs were Ohlendorf's responsibility; he gave up 10 hits and walked 3 (one intentional), and did not strikeout out anyone. �Four relievers, Octavio Dotel, Brendan Donnelly, Vinnie Chulk, and Jean Machi, each pitched one scoreless inning. �All but Machi allowed a hit, and all struck out one except for Chulk who struck out two.

The Pirates' rallied for one more run in the 9th inning, with two outs already recorded. �Moss bounced to third but was safe on a throwing error. �SS Ramon Vasquez singled, and C Jason Jaramillo slipped a grounder past the third baseman, off the third baseman's glove, which allowed Moss to score.

Also in the game for the Pirates: �CF Starling Marte, RF Jason Cooper, 3B Jordy Mercer, and 2B Brian Friday.

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The Pirates were scheduled to play a split-squad game against the Phillies this afternoon, but that game was cancelled due to rain. �The Indianapolis Indians did not have a game scheduled today.

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OK, maybe these two are not exactly prospects, and we should be saying "Indians Watching", since these two hurlers will be starting 2010 with the Indianapolis Indians.

Chris Jakubauskas is a 31-year-old righty who came to the Pirates' organization when he was claimed off waivers from the Mariners back in November. �The California native was a first baseman in college and went undrafted. �After several years in independent ball as a pitcher, Jakubauskas was picked up by the Mariners, and quickly advanced in their organization mostly in a relief role. �He made just one appearance at the AAA level in 2009, and spent the rest of the season in Seattle. �Between 8 spot-starts and 27 relief appearances, Jakubauskas posted a 6-7 record and a 5.32 ERA. �He pitched 93 innings for the Mariners and allowed 91 hits, 55 earned runs, and 27 walks, with 47 strikeouts. �He clearly gets a lot of contact on his pitches, and gets a lot of fly balls. �Unfortunately in 2009, 15 of those fly balls made it over the fences for homers. �Left-handed batters did better against him than right-handed batters. �Jakubauskas is on the Pirates' 40-man roster, since he was taken off waivers. �He made 6 Grapefruit League appearances in spring training with the Pirates. �In a total of 6 innings, he allowed 6 runs on 9 hits. �Those runs came in two games -- 3 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks in 1.2 innings on March 7th, then 3 runs on 3 hits and a walk in 0.1 inning on March 13th. �On March 23rd, Jakubauskas was optioned to AAA Indianapolis (this is his last option year left). �He will probably work in long relief for the Indians, and pick up some spot starts along the way. �He needs to work on allowing fewer hits and fewer gopher balls.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees 4, �Indianapolis Indians 3

The Indians' last-chance rally fell short this afternoon in Tampa, as the Indians lost to the Yankees for the second day in a row. �It was the Indians' 5th straight spring training loss. �Tribe starter Chris Jakubauskas pitched 2 innings and allowed one run on two hits and a walk, while striking out 3 batters. �Kyle Bloom also took the mound for the Indians, and he suffered the loss as he allowed 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk in his two innings.

CF Jose Tabata got the Indians going with an �RBI double in the 6th inning. �SS Brian Friday added a solo home run in the 8th. �The Indians entered the top of the 9th behind 4-2. �With two outs, 1B Brian Myrow, CF Jon Van Every, and LF Neil Walker hit consecutive singles, as Walker picked up the RBI. � But the Indians left Van Every and Walker stranded as a strikeout ended the inning and the game.

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Blue Jays 11, �Pirates 2 �(box)

Three strikes against the Pirates today:

1. �Pirates' batters were able to get only 5 hits. �Two of those were by CF Andrew McCutchen, and 2B Aki Iwamura, RF Garrett Jones, and starter Daniel McCutchen each had one.

2. Pirates' pitchers gave up 14 hits. �Daniel McCutchen went 4 innings and gave up 5 of those hits for 5 runs, though only 2 runs were earned. �Brandon Donnelly lasted only 0.2 innings and allowed 3 runs on 3 hits. �Anthony Claggett gave up 2 unearned runs and 3 hits, and Jeff Karstens was responsible for one run on 2 hits. �Evan Meek pitched a scoreless inning (but gave up a hit) and Steven Jackson retired the only batter he faced.

3. �Pirates' fielders made 4 errors, which explains all those unearned runs. �SS Ronny Cedeno made fielding errors on back-to-back plays in the 2nd inning, Garrett Jones made a fielding error in the outfield, and 3B Jeremy Farrell, up from minor league camp, made a throwing error.

Also in the game today: �CF John Raynor, 2B Doug Bernier, RF Steve Pearce, C Erik Kratz, LF Austin McClune, 1B Calvin Anderson.

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Looking at two shortstops today, both of whom should be starting the season at AAA Indianapolis:

Brian Friday was the Pirates' 3rd round pick in the 2007 draft. �The Houston native reported to State College in mid-July, and got in 40 games with the Spikes, hitting .295 with 2 homers and 13 RBI. �He spent most of 2008 with A+ Lynchburg, but his season was disrupted by a prolonged bout of back problems. �Despite missing about 2 months, Friday hit .287 with 20 doubles, 2 home runs, and 29 RBI. �He showed better plate discipline and fewer strikeouts than the previous season. �Friday was assigned to AA Altoona in 2009, and he got off to a blistering start, going 11-for-22 in his first 6 games. �An ear infection landed Friday on the DL after the first week of the season, and kept him out of the lineup until mid-May. �When he returned, Friday went on another tear, with a 7-game hitting streak, including four games in a row where he had 2 hits per game. �He slowed down at the end of the month, though, and hit .264 for the month of May. �He had another strong week in mid-June, but overall it was a slow month, as Friday hit only .206, plus 9 RBI. �July was a better month, and the righty's average popped up to .256, while his RBI total popped up to 15. �He also dropped his strikeout rate, from 14 and 15 in May and June, down to 9 in July. �Friday finished out the season on a high note. �He had a hit in all but two of his first 20 games in August, including a 10-game hitting streak (11-for-33). �He had 9 doubles, and 14 RBI, and hit .284 for August/Sept. �On the down side, he also struck out 28 times in August/Sept. �He finished with a .265 average, 22 doubles, 3 triples, 7 homers, and 46 RBI. �On the field, Friday played exclusively at shortstop. �He made 25 errors with the Curve, about on a par for what he did in Lynchburg the previous season.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees 4, �Indianapolis Indians 1

The Indians and the Yankees took a 1-1 tie into the top of the 8th in this afternoon's game in Bradenton, Florida. �But that was when the Yankees got to reliever Jean Machi, who gave up two singles, including one for an RBI, to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead. �Back-to-back singles and a 2-RBI double added two more runs in the 9th. �The Indians scored in the 1st inning, on a double by 1B Brian Myrow and an RBI single by 3B Pedro Alvarez. Machi suffered the loss, with 3 innings of work, including one walk and one strikeout. �Octavio Dotel started the game for the Indians and pitched "one inning", with 3 strikeouts, though in order to get in a little more work, he actually got to face 5 batters and make 5 outs. �He threw 21 pitches.

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Astros 6, �Pirates 4 � (box)

Starter Zach Duke pitched 6.2 scoreless innings and allowed only 2 hits and a walk, with 2 strikeouts, to get the Pirates off to a good start in their afternoon Grapefruit League game in Kissimmee, Florida. �Duke had been scheduled to throw either 6 innings or 80 pitches, and after going back out to begin the 7th inning, he finished at right around 80 pitches. �He also contributed 2 of the Pirates' 8 hits, both doubles, one into each outfield corner, though he did not come around to score either time. �The Pirates got onto the scoreboard first, with one run in the 4th inning off the Astros' Roy Oswalt. �LF Lastings Milledge doubled to lead off the inning, then advanced to third base on a ground out, and scored on an RBI single by Jeff Clement. Clement scored in the top of the 7th, when he doubled, went to third base on SS Bobby Crosby's single, and then scrambled home when 3B Ramon Vasquez bounced into a double play.

Duke took it into the 7th inning, but when he gave up a 2-out single (only the second hit he'd allowed), he was relieved by Javier Lopez. Lopez finished that inning, but gave up a bunt single and a sacrifice bunt plus a fielding error by 3B Josh Harrison, who was up from minor league camp. �A triple off Jack Taschner, and the Astros had a 4-2 lead.

Led by the minor leaguers, the Pirates came back to tie it up in the top of the 9th. �LF Brandon Moss walked, and CF Robbie Grossman singled. �A wild pitch brought Moss across the plate, then SS Benji Gonzalez singled to score Grossman. �Tie score, 4-4. �Unfortunately, the Astros rallied in the bottom of the frame. �With reliever Jeremy Powell on the mound, a double and a walk-off 2-run homer gave Houston the win, with Powell charged for the loss.

Also in the game: �2B Shelby Ford, 1B Steve Pearce, PH Erik Kratz, and C Luke Carlin.

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Las Vegas 51's 3, �Indianapolis Indians 1

Starter Donnie Veal pitched 3 innings for the Indians, but was charged with the loss when he gave up a solo home run in the top of the 1st inning. �The southpaw allowed 2 hits besides the homer and walked one, while striking out 4 batters. �Las Vegas also scored a run in the 5th inning on an RBI double, and added a third run on a wild pitch in the 6th.

Indians' batters managed to score only one run, which came in the 7th. �1B Brian Myrow led off with a single, then advanced to third base on 2B Shelby Ford's single. �Pinch-hitter Andy Vasquez brought Myrow in with a sacrifice fly.

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Pirates 7, �Braves 6 � (10 innings) � �(box)

Rule 5 pick John Raynor made the difference for the Pirates on Thursday afternoon in Bradenton, when he walked and eventually came around to score the winning run on a wild pitch off Braves' reliever Manny Acosta. �The Braves had the early lead in this game, as Pirates' starter Charlie Morton gave up homers to two former Pirates: �CF�Nate McLouth blasted a solo homer in the top of the 1st, and 1B Eric Hinske smacked a 3-run homer after two singles in the 4th inning. �After Hinske's home run, Morton gave up a double and a bunt single, making it 5 straight hits off him with no outs in the 4th. �After a line out, a sacrifice bunt by Braves' starter Kenshin Kawakami brought the runner in from third, and the Braves had a 5-0 lead.

It is time to look at the final component of the 2009 vs. 2010 series: the pitching. Thus far, we have seen an improvement in the offense, but a defensive decline. Today, we examine how the pitching will affect the Bucs' chances in 2010.

Jen Langosch reports that the Pirates have agreed to a long-term deal with Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh. FSN will televise a minimum of...

Jen Langosch reports that Ryan Church suffered a minor broken finger on Saturday. He is expected to return sometime this weekend.

Rocco DeMaro reports that Jack Taschner is the leading candidate for the Pirates' final bullpen opening.

Dejan Kovacevic reports that Rule 5 pick-up John Raynor is currently ahead of Brandon Moss in the battle for the final bench spot.

Many Pirates fans mistakenly consider Jeff Locke's minor league career to be unimpressive. In other news, management has grudgingly demoted Kevin Hart to Triple-A to start the season. Join me as I tie these seemingly unrelated topics together into one simple statistic.