Good move. Nothing like three lefties in the pen.
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
Paul Meyer in the flesh
This week's Q & A is adorned with a suitable-for-framing picture of Paul Meyer's mug. That said, I'm not sure that glare encourages me to ask a question.
His take on what to do with Simon and the lineup is good.
There continues to be a lot of talk and outrage about Mondesi. Save your breath, people. If the Pirates were unhappy about losing Mondy as soon as Bay came back, they would have filed some kind of grievance. If the Pirates had signed Mondesi to a contract for just a few months, to use him while they waited for Bay's return, we'd all be hailing the front office as a bunch of geniuses.
If a moody, troublesome girlfriend left town the same day that your darling, steady high school sweetheart came home from the Peace corps, would you sit around and bitch about the ex-girlfriend the morning after a spectacular date with the steady darling? Let it go, people, let it go.
Vogelsong
Bob Smizik has a good approach to the Vogelsong situation. It's the same one I think we should use with Benson. We have to let these guys be who they are and encourage them to get better. The coaches have to teach them, make them better, and there's no point in Mac getting into the business of punishing guys who probably wouldn't enjoy this same opportunity on most other clubs.
Injuries have a way of cropping up at the most unexpected times. Just because the Pirates have not made a move with the rotation in some time, doesn't mean they need to make one now.
I have no idea if Vogelsong might be suited better for the bullpen. I don't know how the team determines who is a starter and who is a reliever, but a pitcher is a pitcher in my eye. It's all the same to me.
That said, if the Bucs slide him into the bullpen or return him to the minors. and bring up Burnett, then what will they do if one of the other starters needs a few weeks off to recover from some unexpected injury? Bring up Big Ben? They have to move slowly with these moves, and give the players plenty of time to show us who they are and who they can be. A half-season in the rotation for Vogelsong should produce some pretty conclusive statistics. If he's dominating NL hitters by mid-July, no one will care about how he pitched in April and May and June. He shouldn't have to worry about anything but his next start, and he should approach each one like he's just been recalled from the minors and has a chance to claim and hold a place in the rotation.
Burnett should have a strong run when he starts his big-league career since he has such an unusual left-handed delivery. The test of Sean will come when teams begin to see him a second time and have plenty of tape to study before they go see him. The quality of his delivery is such that he'll have a long career at the very least as a left-handed reliever capable of bringing a very different look than any of the pitchers before him. I wonder if the minor-league coaches see a drop in his effectiveness when his league gets a little more familiar with his delivery.
Go Thursday
The first 10,000 fans to arrive to PNC Park Thursday will receive one of two T-shirts honoring Pirates infielder Daryle Ward and outfielder Rob Mackowiak, says Steve.
I may have to look for mine on eBay.
NL Central round-up
I didn't get to watch or hear much of last night's game since I was busy consoling little Rowdietta, who repaid my kindness by urinating all over my lap while I rocked her in the Dutailier. I keep telling her that if she must pee on me, she should pee on my hands, but she was falling asleep at the time so I had to let it slide.
Since I didn't see much except that Vogelsong threw some more BP, I'll make notes as I do my own three-minute roundup and share them for your edification.
Adam Dunn went off as the best of the NL Central beat the best of the NL Least. The Reds are ten games over .500. Catcher Larue went 1-for-3 with a promising walk to lift his average to .192. Aaron Harang went five innings, gave up ten hits, but didn't allow any walks. Say what you want about the Reds pitching staff, but you can't deny that they have been super-stingy with the free passes. And guys like Jimenez, Griffey, and Dunn have been taking them in big bunches from the other team.
Houston won at Wrigley after the clock struck midnight for Glendon Rusch. He was OK but he gave up two homers. No pitcher can expect to win after giving up two homers in one start. Josh Fogg is the exception that proves the rule. One of those homers was hit by Jeff Bagwell, so maybe he's waking up from his slump. Now would be a good time for him to do that. Kyle Farnsworth was the hard-luck loser as he was charged with two unearned runs off an error by Todd Walker. Only one game separates these two teams right now so all Pirates fans are rooting for grueling extra-inning games and a split in the series.
Albert Pujols went 5-for-5 and Ryan Vogelsong started and that's all that needs to be said about this game. The Bucs are two games under .500 and six games out.
The Brewers are on the west coast representin' the mighty NL Central against the NL We(ak)st. Doug Davis continued his roll with six shutout innings. Adrian Beltre continues his free-fall at the plate. This guy runs hot or cold and nothing in between. He graduated from the same school of hitting as Reggie Sanders and Paul Konerko. Jenkins had a double so maybe his power is returning. Scott Podsednik was the speedy hero for the Brewer team. The win puts the Brewers two games ahead of the Pirates.
Today, the Cubs and Astros continue their battle-to-the-mutual-deaths as Roger Clemens and Matt Clement neutralize one another. Chris Carpenter and Kip Wells face each other in a battle of lesser aces here at PNC. Cory Lidle leads the Reds against Mongo Willis in Florida, and Ben Hendrickson (who?) faces "better than Adam Dunn" Edwin Jackson in Los Angeles.
My All-Star ballot
I know you don't care who I voted for, so I won't bore you with details or harangue and speechify about the proper way to fill out a ballot. I did, however, vote for Kendall, D. Ward (write-in at first), Jack Wilson, R. Mackowiak (write-in at third), and Craig Wilson. I hope you have fun with your ballot too.
Ward and Mackowiak named N.L. Co-Players of the Week
Congratulations to these two guys. Analysts everywhere are rolling their eyes and concocting pithy, cynical things to say about these "unlikely" stars.
Daryle Ward and Rob Mackowiak of the Pittsburgh Pirates were named the National League Co-Players of the Week for May 24-30.That's the text of the press release from MLB. Congratulations again. I hope they get some kind of shiny trophy. Rob can put his in the crib and let little Garrett drool all over it.Ward hit .458 (11-for-24) with a home run and eight RBI. On May 26, he was 4-for-5, hit for the cycle (double in the first, triple in the fourth, home run in the fifth and single in the ninth), and tied his career-high with six RBI. He also made history by joining his father Gary Ward in becoming the first father-son combination to hit for the cycle.
Mackowiak led the Majors with 12 RBI, hitting .304 (7-for-23) with three home runs. On May 28, he hit a walk-off grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat the Chicago Cubs 9-5 in the first game of a doubleheader. In the second game, he hit a game-tying two-run home run, again in the bottom of the ninth, after entering the game as a defensive replacement and the Pirates won in extra-innings 5-4.
...The PG reports they get a Tourneau luxury Swiss timepiece. Pretty sweet. Kids love watches, too. Get one that ticks, Rob.
We get letters
A reader treats us to the following joke:
Q: What's the matta with Mondy?As always, we won't print his or her name since we weren't told we could do so. Keep the letters coming. We love 'em.
A: He's a Bum
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
Kris Benson
OK, that last post was a bit impatient. Vogelsong was chased early again tonight. A "rebuilding" team - one that holds auditions through platoons at lots of positions - should haste slowly. Surely Kris Benson is not pleased with himself. If injuries don't force the Bucs to make changes in the rotation, they'll be lucky. In the meantime trot the guys out there and let them be what they are. The Bucs have to win to fill the seats to increase revenues, but the odds of winning are such that it probably won't happen without Kris Benson pitching the way he's capable of pitching.
Tell it, Ronnie
Ron Cook is all over the way we're feeling about Kris Benson. Why not move him into long relief? Give him a Wilson Alvarez-type role. If he can't get it together, he's not worth diddly on the trade market. And he's not getting it together in the rotation. The Bucs should stop babying him and take him down a peg the way they did with Daryle Ward. Even if "tough love" is a stupid concept, at least you minimize the damage Benson can do to our morale.
Geekin' up Mackowiak
We agree with this and second it and so forth.
Only thing is, Mackowiak has a trick knee (see Oct. 31, 2003) and only 21 360-OPS at-bats against left-handers.
My guess is he's already playing as much as he's able. No one have an aneurysm if he sits out every fifth game and/or against left-handed starters.
Trivia question: what do Operation Shutdown and Papa Mack have in common? Answer at the end of this post.
...Super Bucco-sleuth Steve Novotney learned the Subway sandwich signing bonus story was a joke. Oh well. Every story gets old anyway eventually.
Monday, May 31, 2004
Reds, Cubs, Cardinals win
The Ken Griffey/Sean Casey tandem went a combined 4-for-9 with three HR, four runs and seven RBIs as the Reds beat the Marlins, 9-7, tonight in Florida. The 91-degree weather agreed with old Barry Larkin, who went 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI, and Wily Mo Pena continued to press for more playing time with two hits and his fourth homer. Jason Larue continued the misery with an 0-for-3 performance and two errors. Todd Van Poppel was battered through 96 pitches. Riedling was just as bad in the sixth but Jones and Graves shut the Marlins down to finish the game.
In Chicago, Greg Maddux and the Cubs beat Roy Oswalt and the Astros, 3-1. Moises Alou continues to change the headlines after that urine-soaking secret leaked out. He went 3-for-4 with a double and his 13th home run. Maddux was great and Borowski got the save after making it interesting once again.
Oswalt was OK again. Biggio had two hits and a walk, but Bagwell was 1-for-4 with only a single. Hidalgo had one hit, a double. Berkman carried the team that short distance with his 14th HR, a two-out solo shot off Maddux.
Kris Benson was awful again and the Cardinals thumped the Pirates before 12,582 fans at PNC Park. Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen humiliated the Pirates. The Cardinals even got production from Tony Womack, who homered off Benson in the fifth. When you give up a home run to Tony Womack, it's time to take a good look in the mirror. Even the pitcher, Jason Marquis, had a double off Benson. On the other hand, Reggie Sanders was 0-for-5 with two strikeouts tonight.
For the Bucs, Mark Corey was excellent in his first game of the year. Craig Wilson went 4-for-4 with his twelfth homer, a two-run shot that gave the Bucs a rare but temporary early lead. Tike Redman was 0-for-3 before being lifted for a pinch-hitter. Bobby Hill got the start at second and went 0-for-4.
The Brewers lost in Los Angeles in ten innings. The news is more painful than cheering for the Brew crew. Bill Hall started, batted second, and went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts and an RBI. Spivey, Overbay, and Ginter equally contributed to a combined 0-for-12 afternoon. Geoff Jenkins showed signs of life by going 3-for-4 with a double and a HR.
The Brewer pitching was solid. Fellow clowns Wise and Kinney combined for seven shutout innings. Vizcaino added an eighth and Danny Kolb blew his first save. Left with Dave Burba to pitch the tenth, the Brewers, predictably, lost the game. It's not like they hit well enough to feel cheated.
The Pirates are one game under .500 and five games out of first.
Reds 13-6 over last nineteen
The Reds are the big story of the last three weeks in the NL Central.
Ken Griffey (0.235 / 0.358 / 0.574) and Sean Casey (0.422 / 0.471 / 0.656) are pacing the offense. Adam Dunn (0.197 / 0.329 / 0.348) has struggled but continues to draw walks. It's just a matter of time before he guts a stretch of bad pitching.
Ryan Freel (0.254 / 0.390 / 0.333) has been an unexpected asset. D'Angelo Jimenez (0.292 / 0.378 / 0.369) has been getting on base. Austin Kearns hasn't done much but walk and hit singles (0.286 / 0.390 / 0.371) as he struggles with various injuries.
Catchers Larue (0.167 / 0.362 / 0.222) and Valentin (0.161 / 0.212 / 0.290) can't take much credit for the thirteen wins. Barry Larkin, Tim Hummel, Juan Castro, and Jacob Cruz better keep quiet when the big boys are talking. Wily Mo Pena has been padding his stats with select at-bats.
The starters of these past three weeks (Acevedo, Lidle, Harang, Wilson and Van Poppel) walked an amazingly low 22 batters in about 115 innings. (The Pirates walked 43 in their 96 innings.) Only Acevedo mowed them down, but the low walk rates have surely helped all five of these guys to be effective. Paul Wilson (0.190 / 0.220 / 0.278) and Todd Van Poppel (0.239 / 0.247 / 0.423) were unhittable (though Van Poppel was hit pretty hard when he was hit at all). Acevedo and Lidle were above average, and Harang was average to below average but still managed a 2-1 record.
Graves, Jones, and Riedling were dominant in the bullpen. Ryan Wagner was average but the Reds used the winning streak to sneak him down to AAA without catching a lot of flak for wasting their draft pick on a college closer and then thinking he'd step right into a set-up or closing role this season. He'll be back, and he'll be contribute, but perhaps not until August. Mop-up guys Mike Matthews, Brian Reith, and spot-starter Joe Valentine were the only clowns in the bullpen.
Pirates 11-6 over last three weeks
No team in the NL Central has had the hitting performance that the Pirates have seen the last three weeks.
Jack Wilson (0.373 / 0.397 / 0.520), Craig Wilson (0.358 / 0.469 / 0.701), Daryle Ward (0.377 / 0.413 / 0.739), Rob Mackowiak (0.333 / 0.380 / 0.742), and Jason Kendall (0.417 / 0.493 / 0.483) lead the team in PAs over that period. Jason Bay (0.302 / 0.392 / 0.535) has been worked more slowly into the flow of things as he comes off that surgery. For Lloyd McClendon, it has paid to play the hot hand. Anecdotal reports suggest the team has bought into this philosophy, too. An egotist or two in the clubhouse is the main reason this strategy often fails. As long as the team keeps winning, I doubt we'll see any complaining as Mac mixes it up night after night.
Tike Redman is looking better (0.277 / 0.321 / 0.404). He's two-for-four in steal attempts over this period but his speed has paid off as he has crossed the plate ten times. The difference between him and Scott Podsednik - besides the steals - has been twenty points of OBP. With the quality of his defensive play in center, he's looking like a plus as a guy who hits in the bottom third of the lineup.
Jose Castillo (0.275 / 0.326 / 0.300) has not done much at the plate, and Bobby Hill (0.278 / 0.333 / 0.417) is doing about what we hoped from him going into the season.
Chris Stynes (0.156 / 0.206 / 0.188) continues to sink like the Titanic at the plate. The only thing saving his job is the fact that the Bucs have been winning. He should buy Daryle Ward a watch with his next paycheck. His defense is outstanding, but this isn't the Houston Astros and bench space is too valuable on this team. If the Pirates had a starting eight that played every single night, maybe then we'd have room for a no-hitting defensive specialist at third.
Randall Simon (6-for-12), Humberto Cota (4-for-10), and Ruben Mateo (2-for-9, HR), have contributed in minor roles.
The immortal Josh Fogg has been the Pirates' best starter these past few weeks, limiting the bad guys to 0.265 / 0.315 / 0.338 in seventeen innings with his usual strikeout and walk rates. Kudos to Spin and Mac for sticking with him while sillier people called for his release, demotion to the minors, or move to the bullpen. Fogg has three of the Pirates' eleven wins.
Oliver Perez and Kip Wells have been contributors. Perez is walking too many guys again and they have to stamp that out right away. Kip Wells has been a rock, but his recent numbers are not exactly rotation-anchor Superman-type stuff.
The bad guys have torched Kris Benson (0.358 / 0.391 / 0.580), who has no trade value today I'm sure, and Ryan Vogelsong (0.322 / 0.427 / 0.525), who has poor strikeout and walk rates to boot. Those numbers suggest he's not exactly turning things around.
The bullpen's recent run does not look good on paper. Mesa has been solid but average overall. Abe Nunez was spectacular (on paper) in his one appearance. Mike Gonzalez was perfect while he was with the team. In descending order of magnitude, Jason Boyd (now gone, thankfully), Mike Johnston, Brian Meadows, John Grabow, and Brian Boehringer have been far too generous with the opposing hitters if we look at the last three weeks all at once.
It's pretty amazing that the Pirates managed to go 11-6 during this stretch. The starting pitching has been decent. The hitting has been unbelievably and unsustainably good, and the relief pitching has been uncharacteristically bad. Obviously they aren't going to play .650 ball the rest of the way, but .500 is manageable provided that the Pirates continue to manage the roster and the lineup as well as they have this past month.
Brewers 10-7 since May 10th
The Brewers haven't been hitting so well the last three weeks so I assume we'll see the story of their ten wins when I look at the pitching numbers.
Lyle Overbay has cooled off in the extra-base hit department but continues to smack many singles (0.302 / 0.392 / 0.429). He also has three recent errors. Bill Hall has been a pleasant surprise, making good on the comparisons to Tony Batista (0.278 / 0.333 / 0.500).
Keith Ginter, Craig Counsell, and Ben Grieve have all seen a lot of playing time and turned in average performances. Ben Grieve is walking a lot, though, and has a .390 OBP over his last 41 PAs. He has moved into the third spot in the lineup. Wes Helms has hitting well before he went on the DL.
Geoff Jenkins (0.225 / 0.273 / 0.310), Scott Podsednik (0.197 / 0.293 / 0.333), Chad Moeller (0.200 / 0.237 / 0.229), and Brady Clark (0.182 / 0.250 / 0.182) have all been lost at the plate. Jenkins' OPS for the season now stands at 716. Slugging he ain't. Scott Podsednik has 22 stolen bases but his season averages have fallen to .261 / .345 / .407, which is still good enough to start on most teams. I'm curious to see if he can manage another .300 season this year.
Ben Sheets and Doug Davis (yes!) have been spectacular for the Brewers. Sheets has held hitters to 0.195 / 0.222 / 0.301, striking out a ton and walking very few. Davis has been average in the strikeout and walk department yet has managed to hold opposing hitters to a line of 0.214 / 0.257 / 0.252. That's four doubles and no other extra base hits in four starts and 27 innings.
Victor Santos has been solid and Wes Obermueller has been better than you'd think the last three weeks. Only Chris Capuano has really embarassed the staff, and that was just one poor start.
The bullpen has been excellent where it matters most. Closer Kolb is lights-out. Vizcaino has done his job with Ben Sheets-like strikeout and walk rates. Mike Adams and secret agent Jeff Bennett have been outstanding. Kieschnick, Kinney, Burba, and Wise have been clowning around in what were probably mop-up situations.
Redbirds have been winning
The Cardinals have won 10 of their last 17.
The offense is scoring plenty as Pujols, Edmonds, and Rolen have been their usual All-Star / MVP / HOF-type selves.
Reggie Sanders has been a little disappointing but nothing too bad. John Mabry has been a part-time superstar, hitting 0.412 / 0.474 / 0.588 with seven hits and three extra-base hits in his last nineteen plate appearances.
Edgar Renteria (0.231 / 0.254 / 0.338), Tony Womack (0.250 / 0.276 / 0.268), Mike Matheny (0.234 / 0.280 / 0.362), Ray Lankford (0.209 / 0.292 / 0.302), and Marlon Anderson (0.182 / 0.286 / 0.182) have all been eating the wrong cereal for breakfast. Renteria has back pain. He'll be a free agent at the end of the season, too, and it seems like there might be some anxiety or additional pressure on the young man to play well for his agent's commission. Womack has been the regular old Tony Womack after he had some elbow soreness a month ago. A hitting streak has masked Matheny's pathetic production. Lankford has been in a slump I guess. Marlon Anderson isn't impressing anyone either.
No one in the Redbird rotation is striking out a ton of guys. Chris Carpenter has been their closest thing to unhittable these last three weeks, and Morris, Suppan, and Williams have been able and average. Jason Marquis has scuffled.
Tony LaRussa has got the most out of his lefties, King and Kline, and while Julian Tavarez has not been overpowering, he has been effective in late innings. Jason Isringhausen has been a little wild with six walks in his last eight innings, but he's still been hard to hit. Kiko Calero has been average and Cal Eldred has been getting pounded. Hitters have gone 0.280 / 0.357 / 0.680 off Eldred since May 10th. Ouch.
The Cardinals have been pretty all-around solid. It's feast and famine with their hitters so I'm sure McClendon plans to empty the bullpen night after night as he attempts to neutralize Pujols, Edmonds, and Rolen with whatever thing in the bullpen looks most suited to do the job.
Cubs have gone 8-10 in their last 18
We all know about the players who are hurt now with the Cubs so no sense going over that.
Their mediocre performance has not been the fault of Moises Alou, Aramis Ramirez, Todd Hollandsworth, Michael Barrett, or Jose Macias (0.348 / 0.348 / 0.522 in his last 46 PAs). Ramirez has contributed nine extra-base hits, sixteen runs and fifteen RBIs since he started pissing on his hands May 10th. Ramirez is on fire and his team isn't winning more than eight of eighteen. That sounds vaguely familiar to me.
Todd Walker has been a little disappointing and the bench - Goodwin, Bako, Jackson, some other scrubs - have put only stones into the team's stone soup.
Derrek Lee has been wretched, hitting 0.227 / 0.282 / 0.364 over his last 71 PAs. No idea why he's slumping. Ramon Martinez has been even worse - 0.213 / 0.273 / 0.295 - but he's Ramon Martinez so we know why he's slumping. No wonder Rey Ordonez was called up.
Glendon Rusch has been a big surprise to me in his last four starts, holding all opposing batters to a 0.269 / 0.306 / 0.344 line while walking a stingy number. It's surprising he only has one win to show for it. Matt Clement and funny beard have been outstanding. Carlos Zambrano has been excellent. Sergio Mitre has been awful.
The bullpen has been solid but Joe Borowski has been torched to the tune of 0.276 / 0.371 / 0.586. He has been striking out few and walking many.
8-10 is not a terrible record for a nineteen-game stretch. Obviously the Cubs have had some ups and downs, but it's not like the sky is falling. Prior's return will remove Mitre from the rotation and Rusch has been dandy while Wood's away. Obviously they want Lee to find his stroke and they'd love to get Sosa back and in his old form. I doubt Alou and Ramirez will keep up the blistering pace. Hollandsworth may also cool off. The Cubs are not playing that far below their abilities, I think, and are closer to a .500 team - in this division - than most people think. No doubt, however, that they have a vicious set of starting pitchers and should be able to win any given series if Baker can stack the rotation for it. Over the long run, if Rusch continues to pitch this well, they may be able to do just fine with Jimmy Anderson out there should they face another stretch when injuries sideline any two of Prior, Wood, Maddux, Zambrano, and Clement.
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