Andrew McCutchen's Walk-Off Homer Defeats Phillies
by Charlie on Aug 25, 2009 10:15 PM EDT
79 comments
Wow. Just when I was about to write a pithy two-sentence post about how awful Matt Capps is, that happened. After Capps allowed two runs to blow a save in the top of the ninth (aided by a ball McCutchen misread in the outfield), Brad Lidge came into the game, gave up a single to Luis Cruz, allowed Cruz to get to second on a wild pitch, and had Brian Bixler (who pinch-ran for Cruz) score when Jayson Werth dropped a ball after Brandon Moss singled to right. Then McCutchen hit a two-run homer to end it.
I'm not a big believer in the idea that clutch hitting is a skill, but McCutchen is a special player, and watching him I sometimes feel like he could bring peace to the Middle East if only he made it a priority.
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Just when I was about to write a pithy two-sentence post about how awful Matt Capps is, that happened.
Well, he IS still awful.
by WTM on Aug 25, 2009 10:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Agreed
He was throwing batting practice out there tonight.
by maguro on Aug 25, 2009 10:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
there should be open tryouts for the closer's role
next spring.
Having Capps, Hanrahan, Meek, Chavez, and even Ascenio would make for a wicked bullpen.
by BadAndy on Aug 25, 2009 10:30 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah.
From the Phillies SB blog, The Good Phight:
So it was Tuesday night, when Brad Lidge outlasted Matt Capps in an epic “Suck Harder” closer showdown.
Hahaha.
by IAPiratesFan on Aug 26, 2009 2:13 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
McCutchen could easily bring peace to the Middle East, but wanted a real challenge and decided to play for the Pirates instead.
by maguro on Aug 25, 2009 10:24 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
watching him I sometimes feel like he could bring peace to the Middle East if only he made it a priority.
Agreed. As long as he only did it during the offseason.
by matskralc on Aug 25, 2009 10:24 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I'd rather see McCLUTCHen
stay with the Pirates the next 15 years.
The Mideast peace talks didn’t work out for Bruno.
by BadAndy on Aug 25, 2009 10:28 PM EDT via mobile reply actions 0 recs
What a Game
Couldn’t have ended any sweeter.
Boy, Brad Lidge, did you see his #‘s. He’s worse than Capps.
by God Loves on Aug 25, 2009 10:29 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
how is that even possible?
by BadAndy on Aug 25, 2009 10:31 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
And Indianapolis follows...
…with an 8-7 walk-off over Columbus. Bryan Myrow’s single drives in Tabata and Salazar to cap a three-run bottom of the ninth.
by Traco Bucco on Aug 25, 2009 10:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
What
was Salazar doing on base? HBP?
by BlindSquirrel on Aug 26, 2009 9:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Alderson now 9-1...
…after his 7.0 IP, 2 R/1 ER, 0 BB 1 K outing against Trenton. Pedro was 1/4 with a 2B. Gorkys was 2/5 with a 2B.
by Traco Bucco on Aug 25, 2009 10:33 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
No walks...
….yumm!!!!!
WE ARE.......PENN STATE!
by Nick7 on Aug 26, 2009 7:51 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Capps vs. Lidge
Total ineptitude vs. total ineptitude.
by Suffering Buc on Aug 25, 2009 10:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Young Barry Bonds
Cutch is 22 with an OPS+ of 120 and an OPS of .840 or so with a bunch of swiped bags.
Bonds at 22 put up an OPS+ of 114 and an OPS of .821 with a bunch of swiped bags.
Just sayin.
by Ver on Aug 25, 2009 10:40 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
What are you saying?
That in 20 years he’ll break Bond’s home run record as a Giant while weighing about 250 lbs. more than he does now?
by IAPiratesFan on Aug 26, 2009 3:46 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
McCutchen had last night's game...
…and Bonds had this one.
by Traco Bucco on Aug 26, 2009 5:28 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
3,631 in attendence? yuck
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill
by PixburghArn on Aug 26, 2009 8:17 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not sure....
I am reading you right, but 17,049 was last night’s attendance.
by dtoddwin on Aug 26, 2009 10:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
No the game that Bonds played in
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill
by PixburghArn on Aug 26, 2009 11:06 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Don't be comparing Cutch to Bonds
We don’t want him to get a big head, do we?
by Zadoras on Aug 26, 2009 11:15 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
We could give him a SHOT of confidence
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill
by PixburghArn on Aug 26, 2009 11:32 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wow, amazing.....
too bad DK wasn’t there to write about how we lost a whole generation of youngsters.
by dtoddwin on Aug 26, 2009 11:55 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I know of at least one 12-year-old fan in Mt. Lebanon who shut off KDKA’s broadcast on that night in September 1986 with the score 5-0. The Phillies had beaten the Pirates solidly the night before, thanks in part to a home run by a mild-mannered young catcher, and this game wasn’t shaping up to be much better. Reading the Post-Gazette the next morning was a pleasant surprise. :-)
by Traco Bucco on Aug 26, 2009 1:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Serves the Phillies right
Bringing the closer in in the 8th like that. EVERYbody knows you ONLY EVER use your closer with no one on bases in the ninth. As it was, is and ever shall be, amen.
/sarcasm
by bucdaddy on Aug 26, 2009 9:10 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Is the sarcasm....
the second part? Because he did come in in the ninth with the bases empty, right? Sorry if I’m missing the point, which seems likely.
by dtoddwin on Aug 26, 2009 10:55 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wow that is some striking similarity
The first batter singled, moved over to second on a WP, scored on a base hit…
Then Bonds hit the 2-run walkoff HR.
That’s pretty wild.
by pittbluedevil on Aug 26, 2009 10:03 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Could he be the key to breaking the curse of
Bonds? Is this a sign?
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill
by PixburghArn on Aug 26, 2009 10:11 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Before the game...
what odds would you have given that Pearce, Cruz, Bixler, and Moss would all have significant roles to play in the Pirates winning the game?
by Thunder on Aug 25, 2009 10:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I would’ve guessed they’d play significant roles in losing the game.
by WTM on Aug 25, 2009 10:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
about the same odds as
Capps or Lidge NOT blowin a save.
by BadAndy on Aug 25, 2009 10:47 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
Not too often...
do you see 2 blown saves in 1 game.
by Thunder on Aug 25, 2009 10:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That’s only because the Pirates and Phillies don’t face each other much.
by WTM on Aug 25, 2009 10:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
50$
says Pearce sits the bench next game.
by McCutchenIsTheTruth on Aug 25, 2009 11:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'd Take That One
Lefty pitchers the next two nights, Pierce will play all 3 games
by God Loves on Aug 26, 2009 7:39 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Evidently...
Zambrano coming back for the Cubs knocked Gorzo out of the rotation. And he celebrated by giving up a 3 run HR to Josh Willingham. Of course, they were already behind by 7 runs. No mercy rule in MLB…so Cubs game isn’t over…trailing 15-5.
by Thunder on Aug 25, 2009 10:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
At this point, I’d prefer to see the division and wild card races all turn into runaways so the Pirates won’t be able to say they’re letting their Sept. callups rot on the bench to be fair to the contending teams.
by WTM on Aug 25, 2009 10:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
WTM/Vlad....
out of curiosity, which September callups are you looking forward to seeing get time and in place of whom? And, do you think we should call up Clement before September 13th even though that would most likely cost us a year of service time (unless we send him down next year—not sure of his option status)?
by dtoddwin on Aug 26, 2009 10:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Kind of hard to say.
They’ve indicated that they’re going to be conservative with the number of guys who come up, so I think the only out-and-out locks for promotion at this point are Robinzon Diaz and Meloan. Hacker might have a good chance as well, given all the happy talk they’ve been spreading about him the last few weeks, but since we don’t know the various starters’ inning caps, we can’t tell whether they’d want to see Hacker or VV getting pen work in September.
I’d love to get a firsthand look at Dan McCutchen, but since he’s not on the 40-man, they may table him until the offseason (and workload may make it all moot, anyway). And I’m curious about this professed Gold Glove defense from Argenis Diaz, but he’s in the same position, roster-wise.
A promotion for Walker seems possible, and some firsthand observation might be helpful in assessing what’s been kind of an up-and-down season for him.
I probably wouldn’t bother playing roster games with Clement. If they want to see him play ahead of the other options, bring him up. That said, we need to give Pearce as much time as possible down the stretch so we can know whether to fish or cut bait this offseason, and Clement getting 1B starts would cut into that.
by Vlad on Aug 26, 2009 11:43 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Have to disagree
If they feel that Clement could be the answer at 1B, they should absolutely play roster games with him. A year of club control for a potential impact player has got to be more valuable than 2 weeks of taking ground balls from Perry Hill. They can always work with him in the offseason or whatever if they feel he needs remedial instruction.
by maguro on Aug 26, 2009 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
What do you mean by "the answer"?
I think they see him as a potential starting-caliber 1B, which is fine. But roster games are generally only worth it for guys with star/superstar-level ceilings, and I’m not convinced that Clement is there as a 1B.
by Vlad on Aug 26, 2009 12:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
What do you mean by "worth it"?
I don’t see the team losing anything special by not having Clement on the roster from Sep 1 – 13. I think I’d rather have a year of “potential starting-caliber 1B” play than two weeks of Clement platooning at 1B with Pearce, but that’s just me, I guess.
Is it considered unethical to make decisions based on a guy’s service time or something?
by maguro on Aug 26, 2009 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not unethical, exactly.
But it’s a little bit skeevy. More so when you demote a guy who’s already up, than when you keep a guy down a little longer than might otherwise be warranted. In the latter case, the MLBPA gets involved.
by Vlad on Aug 26, 2009 1:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I find it kinda hard to believe that the union would file a grievance because a guy who’s been in the minors all year and is learning a new position didn’t get called up in September. I think they’d probably lose that one.
by maguro on Aug 26, 2009 2:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Vlad, I think,
is referring to guys like JJ Hardy and Alex Gordon, not Clement, in his post. No grievance would be filed on Clement
by dtoddwin on Aug 26, 2009 2:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I mean…Are they any more “Matt Capps is a good closer” supports out there?
Geez, the guy is terrible
by mspirate on Aug 25, 2009 10:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I’ll say that I think he’ll be much better next year. Does that count?
by wickethewok on Aug 26, 2009 1:32 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Having been a staunch supporter.....
I threw in the towel last week. But i think Hanrahan has looked better and better. He clearly has the stuff, but clearly control is an issue.
It will be very interesting to see what the Phillies do down the stretch with Lidge. I imagine they keep bringing him out there unless the division gets close. In which case they have big decisions.
by dtoddwin on Aug 26, 2009 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
DK? JR?
They seem to be of the opinion that the only stat that matters is saves and since Capps has 23 saves and 4 blown saves, the rest doesn’t matter at all.
Someone should get a Q into DK’s next Q&A on 9/3.
by WstCstBucco on Aug 26, 2009 11:43 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yep
DK is still making excuses for JR’s 100% reliance on Capps with no backup plan. Today DK posted:
In fact, if Capps does what he is supposed to, it looks like a tremendous night for the manager.
“So, other than that, how was the play Mrs. Lincoln?”
by WstCstBucco on Aug 26, 2009 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
1st game of the year
and i feel awesome about the one I picked, at first it was annoying that 3/4 of the crowd were phillies fans but in the bottom of the ninth i wouldn’t have had it any other way, which bridge should Jayson Werth jump from after tonights game?
Because it's a Bowl Game!!
-My wife when asked why she didn't tell me she was having contractions Jan. 1 2007
by Grainey on Aug 26, 2009 12:14 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Crap.
One of the few games I forgot to record on my DVR.
by IAPiratesFan on Aug 26, 2009 1:27 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I was actually at this game tonight
(well, technically, last night). There was a boatload of Phillies fans there. 17,000 attendence and i think 2/3 of that was a sea of red. Glad to send them home without a win. However i long for the day when more Bucco fans show up then the opposing team fans do.
by phil79 on Aug 26, 2009 2:50 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
i couldn’t agree more,seems like everyone goes to watch their team get a win,have been to 3 games this year and always end up sitting by other teams fans and getting annoyed by them,not that i mind people going to support their teams,just the ones that lack respect for the Pirates.
by Xtreme1976 on Aug 26, 2009 3:52 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The Bucs are....
a respectable 34-28 at home and an extraordinary 18-43 on the road.
by dtoddwin on Aug 26, 2009 4:22 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Now I now how Bengal fans feel
When we invade Baul Brown
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill
by PixburghArn on Aug 26, 2009 8:20 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That was a nice dunk by the way
Look at those ups!
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill
by PixburghArn on Aug 26, 2009 9:18 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I thought the exact same thing.
RIP NATE. RIP TONY PLUSH.
"I'D BE A CHEF"
-TONY PLUSH
by GTrain on Aug 26, 2009 9:56 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Click the picture in the story to see the whole gallery. Also the PPG has one I like even more
RIP NATE. RIP TONY PLUSH.
"I'D BE A CHEF"
-TONY PLUSH
by GTrain on Aug 26, 2009 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Mars Blackmon says . . . “It’s gotta be the shoes!!”
by WstCstBucco on Aug 26, 2009 11:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
…wouldn’t that be regarding Milledge?
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Aug 27, 2009 11:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Bixler’s hesitation at third put me into shock, as well as permitting the winning run to advance to second. I was still numb as McCutchin came to bat, then,…!
by hermitage hero on Aug 26, 2009 10:59 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
me too....
what was Bixler doing rounding third and looking down at his feet and not the play? Terrible decision to go at that point with NO OUTS! Good throw and he’s out by two steps. Good thing he was in there to pinch run.
by dtoddwin on Aug 26, 2009 11:03 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think he said
he got a stop signal and it quickly changed to a go, so he didn’t look back. He said all he thought was run!
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill
by PixburghArn on Aug 26, 2009 11:08 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Highlight of the season ?
I can’t think of any greater moments this season other than perhaps McCutchen’s 3 home runs in one game. But this had more signficance because it won the game after Capps blew the save and it was against the World Champion Phillies. Totally a David and Goliath moment.
"Baseball is better than football. Think about it, eighty degrees, a cold beer and a short-sleeve shirt is better than 30 degrees, a hip flask and six layers of clothes under a lap blanket. Take your pick: suntan or frostbite. " - Thomas Boswell
by Ketcham Bruce on Aug 26, 2009 11:11 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Check the win probability graph...
…from last night’s game: Link.
That’s a pretty sharp reversal, there.
by Vlad on Aug 26, 2009 12:54 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Does Andrew McCutchen remind you of Barry Bonds?
I think they are both similar….. at the beginning of there pro careers they were built for speed. They hit triples with easy and could steal bases without a sliding. As Barry got older he developed power ( steroids or not) Right now Mccutchen has some pop in his bat and he is still very young. I could see him bulking up and giving the bucs a legit power threat. A few years i feel he could be hitting 20+ homeruns I dont think Mccutchen will ever hit as many homeruns as Bonds but i do see him hitting 20 to 30 as well as having 50+ or so steals in a season. He has reminded me of bonds ever since i saw him play in altoona. In a few years the bucs will be in the playoffs. With Mccutchen, Pedro and Tabata being the star players……
P.S. Has any one seen what Alderson has been doing since the Sanchez trade. He will be a legit 1 or 2 in the rotation. He a big kid who is only 20 and is tearing up double A.
by JeremyV on Aug 26, 2009 2:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Tearing up
Pretty sure he’s still not striking anyone out. Need to see that before declaring him an ace.
by JRoth95 on Aug 26, 2009 5:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's actually kind of funny.
As of today, he’s on almost exactly the same pace with us that he had been with the Giants’ AA affiliate. 3.47 ERA with them, 3.50 with us. 1.24 WHIP with them, 1.25 with us. 5.7 K/9 with them, 5.6 with us.
by Vlad on Aug 27, 2009 11:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So,
he’s getting worse?
Can we have Freddy back?
Heh.
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Aug 27, 2009 11:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
McCutchen is our only hope....
You gotta love this guy, he’s getting to be a downright superstar and always seems to come up with big hits or big plays to spark the Buccos….which is the kiss of death for anybody who plays with spirit, finesse, and quality for the Pirates-Huntington will trade him before he can become a team leader or spark the Buccos to the post-season.
by dougalmac on Aug 29, 2009 5:51 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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