Live Game Blog

I listened to the game today on the radio and heard a few of the same fundamental errors I heard around this time last year:  numerous poor decisions on the base paths, outfielders leaving their feet too much, Tony Beasley throwing up premature stop signs, and another pitcher staring down the home plate ump.

We’ll we ever learn?

What was missing from last year’s spring fiasco was the poor middle infield play, throwing to the wrong bases, our catcher not blocking the ball, and poor route running in the outfield, although I don’t know if it was the wind that was playing havoc on Morgan, or just Morgan playing havoc on Morgan.  It was only one game – on the radio no less – and with quite a few of our extreme fly ball pitchers who came on after Duke left but still, it was a pleasant surprise.

Sure, we put up some ridiculous numbers at the end of the day but the guys we were tagging weren’t overly impressive arms so don’t get too excited.  Baker tossed nine fastball strikes in the first inning and got three outs, including two whiffs.  Adam LaRoche drove a Baker fastball over the fence in the second but we had very little contact until the third and half of that was erased with poor baserunning.

My overall impression is that John Russell isn’t getting 100% from his players and we’re seeing too many of the same problems we saw last year.  Let’s hope that as the spring goes on all this comes to a head unlike last year.

Update: after the game it was announced that the Twins signed Baker to a four-year deal covering all three arb years and one free agent year, plus a fifth option year.  Total price tag on all five years: $24.5M.   In contrast, the Pirates signed Paul Maholm to a three year deal this winter covering all three of his arb years plus a fourth option year.  Total cost of Maholm’s deal: $25.25M.

Now tell me folks, who would you rather have in your rotation: Baker who is 27, enjoys a 3/1 strikeout to walk ratio, and has a major league ERA of 4.23 over 453 innings so far, or Paul Maholm who is also 27, has less than a 2/1 K/BB rate, and has a ML ERA of 4.30 over 601 innings?  Baker?  Maholm?

Sure, Baker all day long.  Everyone here knows I like Maholm but if Baker is worth $24.5M over five years, the Bucs absolutely got screwed signing Maholm over four years at $25.25M, plus they also fragmented our long-term plan doing that deal.

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Here’s where we are against opposing starting pitching so far:

10 G
24.2 IP
21 H
3 R
3 ER
5 BB
16 K
2 HR

That’s 1.1 runs per nine.

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WBC action:

“Pittsburgh Pirates farm hand Ray Chang had a single, double and a home run, and starting pitcher Lu Jiangang threw five shutout innings as underdog China shocked rival Taiwan with a 4-1 victory in Game 3 of the World Baseball Classic Pool A, Asia Round, at the Tokyo Dome on Saturday.” — Baseball America

Ray who??  Heck, at least the club got some positive PR from that pickup.  Now that’s good stuff.

“Lefthander Dave Davidson , who has two major-league outings in his career for the Pittsburgh Pirates, [struck] out Jones to end the eighth, leaving the bases loaded.” — Baseball America

Jason Bay flied out with the tying run on base in the 9th allowing Team USA the win.

Snell pitches Monday for Puerto Rico.

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It sure seems fewer games are being broadcast this year online via MLB.tv.  Here’s a breakdown of all broadcasts from the start of spring training through March 20th, as listed at MLB.tv on March 7th:

— start game blog –

Bot 3rd

(1-1 game.. the Pirates run came from an Adam LaRoche HR down LF line of all places LD RF line, just fair.  Twins run came from a Buscher sac fly after Cuddyer hit a FB into the RCF gap that Moss and Morgan started to come togther on and Moss slowed down and did a butt slide and the ball went off his glove and Cuddyer ended up at third. 

Also, Cruz singled in the third and Jarmillo then hit a seeing eye single thru the right side and Cruz lollygagged around second to third and was thrown out by Cuddyer.  He would have been easily safe had he hustled but perhaps his hip flexor isn’t 100% yet?  If not, what the heck is he doing on the field?)

So I tuned into the Pirates game with two outs in the bottom of the third and just heard that Span had hit a line drive that a Pirate left their feet on but was held to a single.  Casilla came up and hit a liner down the left field line and Span went to third but Duke was able to get Crede to strand them both.

Top 4th

Andy LaRoche singled on a little bloop to CF, his bro struckout not moving Andy anywhere and then Monroe stung a single to CF moving An LaRoche to 2cd.  Then the fun started..

Garrett Jones ground one past 1B Peterson who dove for the ball and into right field.  Beasley held LaRoche up at third for some strange reason and Monroe turned the corner expecting LaRoche to be scoring, saw he wasn’t, and was caught in a run down between 2cd and 3rd.

Why Beasley didn’t send LaRoche is anyone’s guess.. it’s ST.. make Cuddyer and his plus arm throw the slow man out because if nothing else, Monroe is still sitting at third. 

Ughh.. 2008 redo.  Beasley sucks.  Then Phillips stalled the rally by popping up to 2B.

Bot 4th

McCutchen was in for Duke now and pitched good however he opened Buscher 2-0, went 2-1,  then lost him 4-1 throwing two straight offspeed pitches.  But what happened after the ball call is what bothers me.. McCutchen stood and stared down home plate ump Sam Holbrook. 

These guys need to be fined for that.

Top 5th/ Bot 5th

1-2-3 type innings

Top 6th

Andy LaRoche hit a high hopper over the 3B and he ended up at 1B for a long single.  Just a little faster guy would have been sitting at 2cd with ease.  Adam LaRoche then hit a nubber in front of the plate advancing his bro but for an out, and with Monroe at the plate Redmond dropped his glove to the ground and they did a pickoff at second. 

Monroe hit gb to 3b is thrown out and for some reason LaRoche now takes off to third and is almost tagged out for a DP.  Jones up with man at 3rd and he thinks he struckout started to head for the dugout but the ump called ball 4.  LOL  Phillips up with men on the corners and hit one to the track in LF and it goes off Young’s glove and LaRoche scored and Jones scored from first under the tag with Phillips standing at 2cd. Jaramillo popped out.

So two runs off what might have been a no-call E7.

Bot 6th

Hansen in.. Span K’s looking on an offspeed pitch he thought was out of the zone.  Casilla fouling off a lot of Hansen’s offerings.. outfield playing in.. and Casilla hits one over the LF/CF heads for a double by the time Morgan finally ran the ball down.  The wind is blowing 10+ mph right to left so you have to wonder why the LF was playing in there?

Casilla on second, one out, Crede up.. pop up Morgan in CF.  Cuddyer up.. 1-0 scalded LD to Cutch who was able to make the adjustment and catch it.  That’s the second frozen rope Cutch has handled today I’ve heard.  Good job Cutch.

Top 7th

Southpaw Mijares in.. one of their better prospects who pitched 2A and had a callup in September.. Jaramillo FB CF, Morgan who has been HBP and two FB outs one to each OF corner, he bunts toward 2B with the southpaw on the mound and is out – close, but out, Cutch up and 1-0, 2-0, swing/foul 2-1, 3-1 (he’s swinging with an upper cut still), swing/foul 3-2, line drive into CF single.

Does Cutch go with the southpaw on the mound?

An LaRoche 1-0 with a good lead by Cutch, then throw to first with Cutch flinching toward second, 2-0, now 3-0, throw to first called from the bench, 4-0.. four pitch walk.  Adam LaRoche up with two on.. first pitch swinging?  No, off the plate 1-0.. Mijares looks like he hurt his plant foot fielding Morgan’s bunt.. swing/foul 1-1, now 2-1, a delayed strike call by Holbrook on the outside corner for 2-2, swing/foul on the slider down and in so still 2-2, change up wailed into CF Cutch scores, Andy LaRoche turned the corner and stopped between 2B and 3B then retreated back to 2B.  Monroe hits the first pitch in the air for an out.

One run.. Cutch scoring on Adam LaRoche’s solid single to CF on a change.

Bot 7th

Bootcheck in now with wholesale changes so I’m signing off. 

(Salazaar went into the stands and brought back to the field a Romero HR).  Young just torched a Bootcheck offering to the wall in CF for a double.. ok, I’m done.  really, I am.

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Quick observations.. Cutch made some good route adjustments during the game, fundamental base running mistakes (Andy LaRoche twice, Cruz, and Monroe), Beasley holding runners like they are gold bricks, Duke pitched ok working the plate with less than polished stuff, one of our pitchers showing up the home plate ump once again, and Baker didn’t seem to have good stuff but we couldn’t square up on what he was throwing.