Giants 5, Pirates 2: Ryan Vogelsong Mows Down Pirates
by Charlie Wilmoth on Apr 28, 2011 3:43 PM EDT
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Ryan Vogelsong just posted eight strikeouts against the Pirates. That's when you know you have a problem. Andrew McCutchen, Lyle Overbay, Brandon Wood, and Pedro "Oh-and-2" Alvarez all had two strikeouts apiece, and while Overbay at least walked twice, he also helped precipitate a horrible third inning by dropping what should have been a routine fly ball in foul territory. (He had a runner coming back to first to worry about, but an easy catch is an easy catch.)
Speaking of that - the first couple innings looked great for the Pirates, as Jeff Karstens was very efficient through two and Vogelsong looked very hittable in the bottom of the first. (The Pirates only managed one run, on a gap double by Neil Walker, but it seemed like only a matter of time.) In the third, though, there was the Overbay drop, and then an Overbay decision to throw to third instead of first on a bunt that resulted in all the runners being safe, and then a double by Aaron Rowand, and then an error by Ryan Doumit as Pablo Sandoval stole a base. Just a complete mess of an inning.
And, well, that was about it. The Pirates couldn't get anything going against the Giants bullpen. Karstens deserved better than he got from both the Pirates' offense and defense today. This game has to feel really good for Vogelsong. For the Pirates, not so much.
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Also of note, Pedro’s career OPS after an 0-2 count is now at the Mendoza line.
Only the Mendoza is for averages, not OPS, so we need something revolutionary for this occasion.
worth noting
that everyone’s OPS on an 0-2 count is .403 — so while Pedro is extra crappy, the baseline is pretty low.
Not actually affiliated with whygavs.
by WHYG Zane Smith on Apr 28, 2011 4:28 PM EDT up reply actions
This is the kind of game that puts things into perspective. That being, what the shit is freaking wrong with these a-holes we call professional hitters?
Thank you Ned Colletti.
yep
summarized it nicely, except i would extend it say “position players” instead of hitters, because the work in the field is miserable.
I’m pretty certain that the official scorer simply charged one error to “Team”.
http://bleedblackandgold.com/
by Say Hey Johnny Ray on Apr 29, 2011 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions
I thought
Overbay was brought in largely for his defense, and this is at least two games he’s blown by his failure to make routine plays. IIRC, in the first week of the season he let a grounder through that resulted in runs that cost us a game.
Is there something about putting on the Pirates uniform that turns you into a bumbling doofus?
well, you know
grounders will get through sometimes, due to bad hops etc… i cannot imagine how someone drops the popup today, regardless of how many runners he was thinking about… oh well
At this point
I’m not sure Overbay is long for this team. He’s adding nothing on the field or at the plate.
His OPS vs RHP
Is above .800. Before today, it was .840 for the season.
by Adam Reynolds on Apr 28, 2011 4:38 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Ah
So the mistake has been treating him as an everyday player, not half of a platoon with Pearce?
Well nobody saw that coming.
That said, I can’t fathom what’s going on with his defense. I get that aging can kill range. But even a 40-y.o. should be able to shag foul pop flies.
The glove is more discouraging than the bat.
You fix most of the offensive problem by pairing with Pearce. But if he keeps bumbling in the field, the Pirates can’t really afford to play him at all.
If he wouldn’t work out, we’d probably use Jones/Pearce at 1B and break the glass on a prospect or two for the outfield.
by Adam Reynolds on Apr 28, 2011 7:44 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Actually...
It was worse than Charlie described. In addition to those two horrible plays, the errors given to Walker and Karstens were both actually Overbay’s fault from where I was sitting (the infield boxes right next to first base). Overbay definitely seems like another in the long line of veterans who signed here because they had no better options and he’s just serving his time hoping to get traded to a contender at the deadline.
Let’s not get carried away. The karstens pickoff error hit the base runner in the helmet. Superman won’t catch those.
With the Walker play, Overbay would have needed to go off the bag for that throw.
by Adam Reynolds on Apr 28, 2011 7:58 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Which is exactly what a first baseman is supposed to do. Leave the bag to catch a throw when the need requires. Otherwise, they could put a statue with a glove at 1B.
Can’t argue with that. But he wouldn’t have made the out, which is what the error’s about.
by Adam Reynolds on Apr 28, 2011 9:42 PM EDT up reply actions
if he had caught it
there would have been no error.
I’m just not sure he could’ve caught it. What looks easy in slo-mo might not be in real time.
by ImmaculatePerception on Apr 29, 2011 3:24 PM EDT up reply actions
The fact that I thought that Overbay had a really high likelihood of sucking hard
And that he has still managed to be even worse than that is pretty discouraging…that should still have been our shortstop money.
http://bleedblackandgold.com/
by Say Hey Johnny Ray on Apr 29, 2011 1:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Overbay can do what GFJ couldn’t.
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Apr 29, 2011 2:04 PM EDT up reply actions
It's the old stoner koan
Could the Pirates hitters be so bad that even a (bad) Pirates pitcher looks good?
Turns out the answer is Yes.
Sandoval is a great athlete.
I met the BP staff this offseason and asked them if Alvarez or Sandoval would be better, and they unanimously picked Pedro. I thought it was a good question. I just think Sandoval will hit for average more.
by Adam Reynolds on Apr 28, 2011 4:54 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
For his size*
that one ball he made a slick backhand on would have been a DP if he didn’t go down to his knee and then have to spin the wrong way afterwards.
Did they change the scoring?
They had four errors posted at the game. Are they somehow not counting Overbay’s failure to catch that pop-up as an error? Guy should have had three errors in this game and somehow he’s going to have none?
Yahoo!'s box score originally listed just three errors
oh, and just for laughs, click on Brian Wilson’s name in the boxscore… they’re still using an old photo of him in his profile, sans the beard.
On a happier note . . .
. . . is anybody going to the Altoona game Saturday night?
You're entitled to your own opinions. You're not entitled to your own facts.
Couldn't hurt
Cutch, too.
You're entitled to your own opinions. You're not entitled to your own facts.
unbelievable...
if this team goes on a winning streak, NONE of you guys are allowed to share in the merriment!!!!!!!!!!
bumbling doofuses??? enough.
Well in fairness
There was a fair amount of bumbling going on.
A loss is a loss, and all of us cope. However, this was different — the typical “we aren’t even worthy of wearing cups” kind of game that sums up the entire 18 years of losing.
Ryan Vogelsong was my final straw.
Thank you Ned Colletti.
Tuesday broke my heart
It was such a well-played and winnable game.
Today was just disgusting.
Back when my now-wife and I were dating, 11 years ago, I dragged her to a lot of ballgames°. And the moment that indelibly impressed itself upon her was a potential DP ball when the SS (Meares?) tossed the ball to the 2B covering (Morris?), and the 2B ducked. This is a woman who knows nothing of sport, but she could still recognize how that moment embodied the pathetitude of our Buccos.
Eleven years later, not enough has changed.
° she’s not a fan of any sport, but she does appreciate sitting in the stands on a summer evening with a beer
by JRoth95 on Apr 28, 2011 6:49 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Today was the worst game of the season. By far.
by Adam Reynolds on Apr 28, 2011 7:45 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
yep
and if Vogelsong had shut us out by pitching great, or stupid swinging on our part, i’d have been less pissed. It’s the idiocy on the field that really annoys me.
Vogelsong certainly didn’t pitch great, but there was plenty of stupid swinging on our part.
by Adam Reynolds on Apr 28, 2011 9:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Just Vogelsong getting the win annoys me.
by Adam Reynolds on Apr 28, 2011 9:43 PM EDT up reply actions
If there's a silver lining to be found for the immediate future, it's this...
The bad news: We are now 0-4 on Thursdays this season.
The good news: We are currently 3-0 on Fridays this season.
Nojinxnojinxnojinx and all that jazz, but I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s game! : )
Rumor has it...
That Bryan Bullington and JVB have put in calls to the Rockies and Padres to see if they can get a start against the Pirates this weekend to try and start a MLB comeback (?)
The bullpen has been excellent.
It won’t be this good all season, which is why it’s a shame we are frittering away wins right now.
same can be said about the starters
just 2 ER given up the last 3 games by the starters in 18(?) IP. cant waste that. performances like that are few and far between around here
I think the bullpen is for real...
they have guys who can get K’s which means they don’t have to rely on the lame as excuse of a defense the Pirates are throwing out there.
we’re frittering away wins from our starting pitching too. i mean how much longer can that continue?
Until they start to hit a little and the pitchers start frittering away the wins.
You're entitled to your own opinions. You're not entitled to your own facts.
by WTM on Apr 28, 2011 10:19 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Nojinxnojinxnojinx
Now me, I firmly believe there’s no such thinxes as jinxes.
But for those of you who do I offer these straws to grasp at tokens to apply viciously use judiciously.
Rightclick on the image and and then on “Save Image as”
Yes, that’s her.
We had quite the battle over which pixels were her and which were not…the sultry vixen simply jabbed me with the damned flagpole until she felt she was properly represented.
Nomadic baseball fan, with no agenda other than observation/conversation/mass confusion/mass consumption.
Prosecutor: "Jesus Christ, did ANYBODY tell the truth to the grand jury?"
Barry Bonds: "I did."
Prosecutor: "GAH!"
by victor frankenstein on Apr 29, 2011 1:03 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
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