Just two days left in our pledge drive. We were blessed to bypass our $1,000 goal and currently have $1,290 in pledges.
However, don’t stop now.. all amounts over the $1,000 mark will be used to bring you additional scouting reports from the minor leagues. Obviously I can’t afford to hire three scouts to follow these teams all year so I’ll use those funds to get the scouts out to even more games for us. Plus, those who pledge will partake in additional benefits during the year!
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The good news is the Bucs won and won it with a Sanchez home run who had a good game. Now all you optimists should leave the room.
What a fundamentally butt ugly game.
Our ridiculous 12 strikeouts I’ll look past since it’s still a tick early (not really, but there you go), I’ll even give Raynor a break in CF since he’s in way over his head (poor routes on two base hits), I won’t even hammer all the times we left a man at third with less than two outs, and I can even look past Neil Walker’s poor defensive plays at third since he’s a bit overwhelmed knowing he’s not a Huntington draftee and on the bubble.
But when our projected starters make a mockery of fundamental baseball as bad as they did last night, John Russell needs to look himself in the mirror. Balls thrown to wrong bases, balls off, under, or through our defender’s gloves, and routine throws to first high, wide, or in the dirt.. and that’s my short list.
Ok, ok, I hear you.. that’s what spring training is all about - getting the rust out. I just wish other teams had as much rust so I could latch on to that excuse.
In the second, Raynor misplayed a sharp line drive Tejada into a double and then was slow breaking in on an Atkins flair into center albeit it probably would have fallen for a hit anyway. In the third…
“Daniel McCutchen’s first outing of the spring tonight went well: two innings, three hits, one run”
took the mound (as per the Trib report) allowing laser shots all over the diamond, including a bullet over the fence by Adam Jones, Walker couldn’t handle one then he threw low to Pearce who dug it out of the dirt. In the fourth a new round of laser shots were screaming all over.. a deep fly ball by Tejada which, luckily, stayed in the park, another one by Weitters who didn’t come as close to the fence, then..
After getting two quick outs in the fourth, McCutchen shook off catcher Ryan Doumit until he got a first-pitch breaking ball. “That’s what I’m working on,” McCutchen said. Luke Scott singled up the middle. (again the Trib report)
yeah.. singled up the middle ok – it was a cannon-shot off Cedeno’s glove he barely saw, Garrett Atkins then lined another laser off the wall for a double, and, thankfully, it ended with yet another laser on the ground to Cedeno that he handled despite a high throw to Pearce.
Yeah, McCutchen’s outing went well ok. I love Pittsburgh beat reporters.. they are the optimists dream. Here’s another account for you on how we scored our runs..
Aki Iwamura drove in his first run of spring — albeit in his second start and the Pirates’ third Grapefruit game — in the top of the third, tying the score at 1-1. After Ronny Cedeno got a bloop single, moved to second on Neil Walker’s walk and stole third. Iwamura rapped a single up the middle to score him.
That’s Finder over at the PG. What he didn’t tell you is that Cedeno’s ”bloop single” was a misplayed routine out that was wind aided in the form of a foul ball that carried all the way back on to the field off Mike Gonzalez. Walker did walk, but only after a routine foul ball wasn’t caught which should have been the second out, Cedeno did steal third but at least one observer said it looked like a busted hit and run Aki missed the sign on (Cedeno was safe but by milliseconds and you don’t make the first or third outs at third, right??), then Aki drove him in with a seeing eye ground ball through the left side.
It was not a pretty run by either team.
The Pirates answered in the fifth. Walker walked again, stole second and moved to third on a John Raynor single. A Garrett Jones groundout scored Walker and tied the game at 2-2.
Walker indeed walked again as Jake Arrieta couldn’t find the plate to save his life, after Walker stole second on Arrieta, Raynor pushed a single through the left side (forget it should have been in play on the right side and be happy he hit it) moving Walker to third, Arrieta then struckout Aki with Walker at third and no outs, Arrieta lost the plate again and walked Tabata, and Jones hit a routine double-play ball to Atkins at first.. but he misplayed it allowing Walker to score.
Yet another gift run.
Then, with two outs in the eighth inning, came Sanchez’s homer to tie it once more, at 3-3. After fouling off four pitches at least, he knocked a 2-2 pitch from minor-leaguer Troy Patton some 415 feet over the center-field wall.
Minor leaguer Mr. Finder? Patton made his debut in 2007 against.. drum roll.. the Pirates and Jose Bautista (think Tony Sanchez) took him deep twice in that game. After the season Patton had labrum surgery (as if you didn’t figure that one out already) and is now on the way back. This guy doesn’t have a pitch higher than 88 in his arsenal and why Sanchez was able to hang in at the plate until he was gifted an 86 mph heater down the pike he belted over the fence.
Credit Sanchez for doing something with the gift but don’t get too excited over that 415 feet distance with the swirling winds at Ed Smith and Patton’s pitch location. Sanchez also nailed Jonathan Tucker, who does have good speed, stealing second in the 6th. I wish I had a stopwatch on that pop and I’m guessing Tucker’s steal was ordered by the dugout to get some numbers on Sanchez. Later he made another nice play scooping up a bunt in the 9th.
There’s no doubt the kid’s got the glove.. now can he hit to be more than a backup guy down the road? He’s quickly becoming a fan favorite and rightfully so the way he plays the game, but he still has a long way to go. We’ll see. Kudos to him for a great game.
And I see nobody mentioned the wonderful Pearce running play in the 6th. He was standing at second with one out when Cedeno hammered a routine line drive to left that was caught and Pearce was on his way home only to be doubled off the bag. We rock.
A couple of other positive notes.. Tabata’s arm held at least one runner from advancing first to third, our pitchers were able to get out of mega-jams, and none of our defenders were hurt from any of the bullets flying around. So much for the pitchers being ahead of the batters right now.
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Jeremy Powell in camp. Wow.. what a blast from Kerrigan’s past. Come on.. are you telling me that we don’t have qualified AA/1A kids that deserve a chance more than thirty-three-year-old Powell who hasn’t played a game in the bigs since 2000?
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John Raynor on first base with a three-step lead dives back every time the ball is thrown over. The kid doesn’t have a chance at sticking because he’s going to cause too many of the other players to bust a gut laughing all year.
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That was the first time we played the Orioles in spring training since 1993.
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After a couple of games with Tabata in right I’ve noticed we’re playing him in about five steps or more than anyone else played the position in years. He is not good at going back so I’m curious why Varsho would have him playing in so much.. he’ll take a few singles away but he’s also going to give up some extra bases. I think we need to play him more straight up and we’ll see if what happens over the next couple of weeks.
I’m also noticing a disturbing trend carried over from late last season.. we have a habit of playing back with a man at third and less than 2 outs nearly all the time regardless of the inning. That potentially cost us quite a few runs last year and I’m hoping we get a bit more aggressive this year.
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Chris Sale: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 11 K putting an end to the 24th ranked Wichita State’s five-game unbeaten streak.
Do you hear me now?
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Jason Mitchell (ut-arlington) 1-1 1.80era, 1 shutout, 20ip, 16h, 4er, 3bb,28k- 3 starts.
solid game Tony Sanchez
You covered a lot of ground Jake. In all fairness, and you did point it out to some degree, the O’s stunk up the joint too. Two teams which are not used to winning and revert to their losing ways. I hate to see the Pearce messup. Diaz, from other posts and reports, is in over his head or suffering mightily from jitters. Raynor misjudges flies? That’s not a good sign at all. I did hear that he showed his speed in this game. Sanchez, it’s just one game, but he does provide some optimism.
Walker had an error, but we hear he’s better than that, so one E can be excused. What I liked was his ability to draw a couple of walks and steal a base, although he did that basically against lesser opposition. But it was encouraging to see a flash of promise. One month isn’t likely to see him stick with the parent club, but if he continues doing the right things he might get an earlier callup than expected. He’s been mentioned as being developed for a utility role, but what tools does he lack for SS?
> the O’s stunk up the joint too
not really.. they were hammering the ball and making great defensive plays.
> Walker had an error, but we hear he’s better than that, so one E can be excused
walker had mutiple miscues.. one E, an additional bobble, and two poor throws.
> but what tools does he lack for SS
range, instincts.. the two most needed for the position. I’d say he’s on his last leg right now.
Hart 4 bb in the 1st inning…jesus mary and joseph
As predicted Blanton gets stoned. Church Yardwork!