Mets 8, Pirates 4: Losing Streak Continues
by Charlie Wilmoth on May 10, 2009 4:23 PM EDT
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PrintThe thing to remember at times like this is that we knew this wasn't a very good team going into the season. Bad teams have losing streaks, and we have to keep them in perspective before we gnash our teeth down to the pulp. This team isn't as good as the one that started 11-7, and neither are they as bad as they're playing now.
That said... Livan Hernandez is (now, at least) a terrible pitcher who never met a leadoff hitter he didn't try to put on, and the Pirates couldn't do much of anything against him. The Bucs did manage five walks and eleven hits, but before the ninth inning, only two hits, both doubles, went for extra bases. With a couple more well-placed hits, the Bucs might have scored six or seven runs instead of four, but the big problem going forward isn't clutch hitting or anything like that, it's the lack of power.
Ian Snell looked pretty good through the first few innings, and the good news here is that his fastball is back, topping out at 96 or so. He had a rough time in the fourth, but finished the afternoon with a quality start. Unfortunately, John Grabow saw to it that that wouldn't matter, walking in a run in the eighth and allowing three more after that. Grabow's a good pitcher, so it's probably just one of those things. It happens. Grabow isn't the cause of this losing streak. The problem is that the rest of the team isn't good enough to pick up the slack for him when he has a bad game, or a bad month.
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Livan Hernandez
Say what you want about him, but he knows how to pitch.
He won his 150th game today at the age of 34.
Not bad.
Pedro...
the Golden Sombrero today…0 for 4 with 4 K.
Steven Pearce on the other hand…3 for 4…now up to .272. Unfortunately…it appears that all farm teams are going to lose today.
Well I will say about Pedro that at least it’s not a consistent thing going 0-for-4 all the time. He does sprinkle in some 1-for-3’s and 2-for-4’s with occasional bombs. This is his first year of pro baseball. We can’t forget that. Once again, I would be more concerned if the power wasn’t there than the average. I’m not going to make excuses for his K’s because he needs to quit striking out so much, but his average will come. Pearce? I don’t know he just makes me scratch my head. Personally I think he’s a career minor leaguer because every time he gets called up to the bigs, he hits in the .100s and doesn’t show any of that power that he has in the minors. It’s good to see him start to do well, but I don’t think he’s the answer at 1B once LaRoche leaves.
by thelumberco. on May 10, 2009 5:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Wow...
maybe you need to ACTUALLY look at Pearce’s major league numbers instead of spouting off, lumber. Pearce was up in 2007 and hit .294…and in 2008 hit .248…and hit 4 HR in 119 PA in 2008. The only one better in both categories right now is Nate.
Sorry, I meant to say he hit in the .200s. I don’t know why I said .100s. Thinking about something else (maybe the Pirates’ team batting average the last week). Still, I don’t think he’s the answer. He doesn’t hit for power in the bigs. Maybe if (or when) he gets the call up this year, he will finally break out with some power. But if an outfielder is going to get the call, it’s probably going to be Cutch. We’ll see what happens.
by thelumberco. on May 10, 2009 7:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Wow
If Pearce were so great, he would be up now, contributing to this disaster in Pittsburgh.
by Hitman Easler on May 10, 2009 11:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Another tough loss
I’m sure it didn’t help Snell’s confidence with Bixler and Young as the DP combination today. I guess the team knows what they are doing trying to work Young into some games at 2B.
There’s no power at all with Doumit out and Adam LaRoche slumping.
It’s hard to believe that Hinske and Moss haven’t homered yet.
With our catching platoon working well so far, maybe the team is considering the possibility of the injury-prone Doumit manning 1B next season after Adam LaRoche leaves.
Andy LaRoche is showing improved play of late, but we really need more power out of him as well.
Nyjer Morgan is only 9/14 on SB attempts now and screwed up a relay throw today. I bet his batting will tail off now. His performance at the plate so far has been very welcome, but too good to be true.
It will be nice to see Jack and Freddy up the middle again on Tuesday.
We just have to be patient, stay positive, and look for the little improvements here and there that will hopefully add up to make this a better team in 2010.
Pat...
unfortunately…the one thing that will most help make a better team in 2010 isn’t around yet. That is talent. The rest of this isn’t meant to single you out but more my opinions on our roster. You may or may not agree with my views.
If one considers…position for position…the Pirates…when healthy…do not match up well with teams in their own division…let alone the rest of the league. Assuming all teams are healthy. And not much talent is arriving any time soon…other than maybe Cutch.
For instance…
1B…I’d take Pujols, Derrek Lee, Fielder, Berkman and Votto all over Adam LaRoche. He’s, in my opinion, likely to be the LEAST productive of the 6 first basemen over the next few years.
2B…Sanchez is probably the one player that would rate above most 2B in the division…although I wouldn’t mind having Brandon Phillips instead of Freddy…and Weeks could eventually be better.
SS…Wilson is near or below most of the division…I’d put Greene and Tejada definitely ahead of him.
3B…A-Ram and a healthy Troy Glaus are way ahead of Andy. The rest are at least as proven as Andy.
OF…Nate McLouth is the only current Pirate OF that would start on most teams in the Central Division…and he might not even be a starter on a healthy Cardinals outfield.
Catcher…Soto for the Cubs is at least an equal to Ryan…and I would trade some of Ryan’s offense for Yadier Molina’s defense. Ryan is ahead of the Reds, Brewers and Astros catchers.
Pitching staff…we’ve got a tanker full of gasoline in the bullpen. It tends to combust at very inopportune times. Starting staff is decent to good…if the manager doesn’t burn their arms out between now and September. I’d probably rate the starters third in the division.
Bench isn’t even worth talking about.
In a PERFECT world…this MIGHT be a 3rd or 4th place team in the Central Division…but this world isn’t perfect.
In fairness to LaRoche...
…that’s a really tough peer group. Pujols, Fielder, and Berkman are perennial All-Stars, and Votto was a top prospect who’ll be up there with them in a few years. They’re all among the top guys in baseball. If you transplanted us to the NL West, he’d be going up against Todd Helton, James Loney, Travis Ishikawa, Chad Tracy/Josh Whitesell, and Adrian Gonzalez. He’d fare a little better there, no?
But back to our division for a moment: I could see a case placing Adam ahead of Derrek Lee. Lee hasn’t looked like the same hitter since hurting his wrist. Adam actually out-OPS+ed him in both 2006 and 2008, and he’s doing it again this year with Lee mired in a horrendous slump to start the season. Plus, the demographics are working against Lee – he’s 33 this year.
No
I am very happy with the Adam LaRoche/Mike Gonzalez trade.
I was all for it when it was made and I am all for it now.
The Pirates have no need for a closer these days anyway.
But LaRoche can’t compare with Helton, Loney, Adrian Gonzalez or Derrick Lee, regardless of age.
Derrek Lee in his prime, no.
But the Derrek Lee of today?
Lee hurt his wrist in 2005, and from 2006 to the present day, he’s hit .295/.372/.477, good for a 115 OPS+. Over the same time frame, LaRoche has hit .272/.344/.499, a 118 OPS+.
And while Loney is a promising hitter, who may well end up ahead of LaRoche over the next few years, he’s not there right now. He only hit .289/.338/.434 last year, and is down at .264/.348/.322 so far this season.
In A Straight Up Trade ...
I would take Loney over LaRoche today strictly on ability.
Lee would be a tossup. I might stick with LaRoche because of age.
Good idea
The platooning catchers have been pretty good. A poor mans Spanky and Sluggo. Dewy at first might be a good idea in the future. I’m still hoping the PBC will move Pedro to first in the next few weeks. When he comes up in 2010 or 2011 and if Dewy has good numbers, he might be great trade fodder.
by Ketcham Bruce on May 10, 2009 5:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Nyjer
“I bet his batting will tail off now. His performance at the plate so far has been very welcome, but too good to be true.”
On the postgame TV show Tekulve did an interesting analysis of how pitchers deal with Morgan. He noted that at the start of the year they pitched him llow and outside, until they discovered that with that looping swing of his Nyjer would take them the other way. Now the pitchers with good command of their stuff are jamming him inside. Tekulve said Nyjer needs to learn two things: 1) how to pull that inside pitch down the line, because if it gets in the corner he has a triple, and 2) how to drag a bunt. If he starts hurting good pitchers that way, Teke said, they’ll return to pitching him low and away, where he likes it.
Nyjer’s 29 and I’m skeptical these things can be taught or learned if he hasn’t figured them out by now, but at least Teke is right that if he CAN learn those things he can really turn his speed into a weapon.
Actually
there’s a precedent, and it’s a Pirates precedent, for that kind of thing. Look up the career of Matty Alou and see what happened when Harry Walker got ahold of him and taught him how to slap/chop the ball into the ground. Guy went from a .231 hitter at age 26 to a .342 hitter at age 27 and sustained his high average (.338, .332) for four years, had 231 hits one year to lead the league. Drew astonishingly few walks, had good speed (look at GIDP figures), like Nyjer, but had no idea what to do with it (look at SB/CS figures), like Nyjer.
Where’s Harry the Hat when you need him?
Oh … yeah.
Hey patthatt...
I couldn’t agree with you more in the case of Doumit moving to 1B. He is too valuable a piece for this team to continue to get injured like this. I like him as a catcher, as there aren’t many switch-hitting, power-hitting catchers in the majors (actually, Doumit may be the only one). I’d be all for moving him to 1B in order to keep him injury free and on the field for an entire season. But I think the key to this maybe becoming a reality is the two catcher’s perfomance the entire time Doumit is out. If they can be consistent with their hitting and defensive abilities the entire 6-8 week period, maybe they can convince management to make this move. As much as I like Doumit as a catcher, we haven’t had meaningful offensive production from a first baseman in forever. Doumit is just a pure hitter, and the Pirates need him to stay healthy to get that production out of him. I would be all for a move to 1B. I’ll tell you one thing: Jaramillo and Diaz make Paulino look like a little leaguer. They are 100 times better than him.
by thelumberco. on May 10, 2009 7:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Adam LaRoche
is beyond terrible…………..He needs to take up his fishing career and be done with baseball.
by Hitman Easler on May 10, 2009 11:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Adam LaRoche is pretty good defensively
and will end up with decent numbers at the plate when it is all said and done. No one here is saying he is an All-Star caliber player with his inconsistency, but we could do worse, and just might next year.
It’s a long season.
Thunder
I hear what you’re saying, but my point was to “look for the little improvements here and there that will hopefully add up to make this a better team in 2010.”
I didn’t say anything about a winning season next year, let alone a contender. I just meant a better product than we have on the field now.
There are ways to improve some of the players we have in 2009 that will hopefully be around to be at least a few of the key pieces on a winning team in 2011 or 2012.
Nate, Andy LaRoche, the two new catchers, Doumit, at least a few of the pitchers…we need to do the best we can with what we have, hope a more productive farm system starts adding something from next year, and look for good trades and FA signings where possible.
Things look bad right now, but I still support the people in the Pirates’ front office, and will til they give me some reasons to think otherwise.
Smizik actually had a good point this morning.
While the pitching staff did well in April…3.41 ERA…it sucks in May…6.25 ERA. And it is not just the bullpen. The starters…in 10 games in May…5.52 ERA. vs 3.38 in April. The relievers in April…3.50…in May…7.86.
That’s from first in April…to dead…bloody…last in May.
Hitting…from .264 in April…to .225 in May (and it actually went up 11 points today). Runs from 4.8 in April to 2.9 in May. Slugging average down from .415 to .324. On base percentage from .335 to .303. That means the OPS has gone from .750 to .627.
This has been a community effort.
Interesting fielding numbers...
Before today…we were 5th in the league in fielding…with just under 20% of the games played.
Our catchers are throwing out 38% of attempted steals…15 of 24…league average is 32%. Jaramillo and Diaz have thrown out 11 of 19 combined…better than 60%.
1B…LaRoche getting to about half a ball more a game (measured by range factor) than the league average.
2B…Freddy right around the league average with 1 less error than most.
SS…This is the surprise…Bixler getting almost 2 chances per game MORE than Jack Wilson. (granted…in half the games). Wilson and Vasquez both below league average in chances per game and fielding average.
3B…Andy LaRoche…a hair above average in chances per game…and a hair below average in fielding percentage.
LF…Morgan about half a ball above average in chances per game.
CF…Nate slightly above average in chances per game.
RF…Hinske actually getting to about half a ball a game MORE than Moss…but Moss has 4 assists to Hinske’s 1.
It's too early to get interested in these numbers-
come back to it at the midway point of the season.
I agree...
it’s too early to put a LOT of stock in most of the fielding numbers. The exception being the CS numbers…those are great (Diaz and Jaramillo) for any stretch of games. The only ones that really struck me were Bixler and Hinske. Granted they are a function of sample size…but I would never have dreamed of the spread in chances between Bixler and the other two SS.
I Am Disappointed ...
in Bixler’s performance at the plate, but I would not give up on him.
He could be a fine defensive SS, and I think that his offensive production can improve, BUT he must cut down on his Ks and start making contact.
His K rate is totally unacceptable.
But Wilson has to play when he is ready so that he can hopefully perform well and develop some (albeit little) trade value.
The crazy thing about Bixler's Ks...
…is that he’s already selling out totally on power in favor of contact. Way back in the day, when I looked at video of him in college, he was just throwing his arms at the ball and then dashing, and not leveraging his legs or hips to generate LDs. Mercifully, I haven’t seen a whole lot of him in the majors, but his current approach doesn’t look that different, and if he can’t make contact even like that, I don’t know what else can be done with his bat.
Maybe the pitchers
have something to do with his inability to make contact.
In any case, I’d guess that’s a skill that if you haven’t learned it by the time you get to the majors, facing major-league pitching isn’t going to make it any easier.
got to take in the game today
beautiful weather, first time at the new citi field.
Snell looked good, his slider and fastball both showed some life. Bixler is a liability. His glove work is poor, he looked slow slow getting the ball out of the glove and slow getting a jump on the ball. It was frustrating watching back to back dp chances have not a prayer- don’t want to imagine what snell was thinking.
also, the stadium is windy, it catches balls going deep and it hold balls in the air longer than other places. I don’t know what the numbers are on homeruns at this stadium, but on windy days, with the wind blowing in, you’d need to really get a hold of one to knock it out. Usually at games, there are a number of long foul balls, and even those were absent for the most part.
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