Yardbarker: Nyjer Morgan

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Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:03:43 -0500

This interview with Nyjer Morgan has me laughing out loud, though I'm not sure that's the intended effect.

Don Wakamatsu was hired by the Mariners to be their next manager. He's the first Asian-American manager in big league history.

I fail to understand why a good player on a non-playoff team ...

News and Notes--Nov. 19

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:13:47 -0500

Plenty of stuff going on across the MLB hot-stove: [Mike Mussina is retiring], [the Royals acquired Coco Crisp from Boston for Ramon Ramirez], the [Cubs re-signed Ryan Dempster] and the [Mariners named a new manager]. Somehow, some way, Tim Dierkes at [MLBTradeRumors.com] manages to keep up with ...

News and Notes--Oct. 28

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:05:14 -0500

By now I'm sure you know about the crazy effect rain is having on this World Series. [Bud Selig narrowly escaped another epic screw-up] when Carlos Pena singled home BJ Upton to tie the game in the 6th inning. Had that not happen, we'd be looking at a serious problem. All the "what ifs" are starting to come out and Selig is (not surpisingly) garnering plenty of criticism.
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Some links from the Pirates Hompage:
[Pedro Alvarez "as advertised" in the instructional league]
[Jim Benedict hired as assistant to the GM]
[Mailbag Q+A]
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The Green Weenie takes a long, detailed look at [Phil Dumatrait] and [Chris Duffy]
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Yoslan Herrera and Marino Salas were taken off the 40-man roster a few days ago. [Yawn]
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If you're mighty bored with the lack of all this news, start joining in the conversation at the [PBC Blog]. A devoted group of commentors post here virtually nonstop all day about the Bucs and whatever else they can think of--they've named themselves "inmates of the asylum." Since they're kind enough to link here every day (as part of the "Morning Links" Dejan did during the season) I figured I'd give them a shout-out. They have get-togethers, too, and are planning an informal meeting at Primanti's that Frank Coonely will be attending, just 'cause he's a great guy. If you want to attend, though, you better make it known who you are over there. I'm sure you'll be welcomed into the "asylum."

Is this Worth Anything?

Sat, 25 Oct 2008 19:40:05 -0500

With all the issues we have nowadays in sports, going all the way from the Mitchell Report early this year to Santonio Homes' pot this week, it sort of struck me: the Pirates are never involved in this kind of stuff. A Think about it: the worst run-in a Bucco had with the law this year was Nyjer Morgan's windows being too tinted.

Sure, the Pirates have been absolutely terrible on the field. But when we hear anything about these guys off the field, it's always positive. A bunch of the guys that I've met over the years as a fan have been great: doing charity work, taking time to sign an autograph or talk to a young kid, or just being goofy and having a good time. Never any arrogance or ignorance from anyone on the team.

The examples of this are endless. Go to a game early and head down near the field to catch a glimpse of the guys and maybe even get a chance to talk with someone. Watch the specials on FSN about Freddy Sanchez setting up a field for disabled kids. Attend one of the numerous Pirates Charities events. Tune into "Inside Pirates Baseball" and see Ian Snell, Ryan Doumit, and others just joke around. Turn on ESPN and see another report of steroids, an arrest, a suspension, and notice that it's not a Pirate.

This kind of stuff should be expected from all athletes, but unfortunately it's not the case, so I think the Pirates deserve a little bit of credit. They don't get credit for their baseball, so why not?

That takes me to my point. It's awesome to have a team like this....except for the 16 losing seasons in a row part. The Pirates are paid to win baseball games, not be great guys. We talk about winning games (or lack thereof) every day, though, so I think the fact that the Pirates have done everything they can beyond baseball is worth a mention.

Random Season Analysis

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:12:39 -0500

It's fun to just look around on [Baseball-Reference.com]. Here's what I found on the various pages breaking down the Pirates' 2008 season in all kinds of crazy ways:

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INDIVIDUAL LEADERS:
Not surprisingly, Nate McLouth dominated in basically every important offensive stat. Adam LaRoche beat him out in slugging percentage at .500. LaRoche also had the most K's and tied with Freddy Sanchez and Nate for most sac flies (6). Sanchez also had the most singles, sacrafices, and double plays. McLouth made the most outs, and Nyjer Morgan was caught stealing the most (5).
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For the pitchers, obviously Maholm takes every positive category for starters. John Grabow made the most appearances, and Matt Capps (of course) led in saves and games finished. Ian Snell, Zach Duke, and Maholm all led the team in most starts (31), but Duke finished with the most losses and hits allowed, while Snell tied him in earned runs allowed (99). Ian also had the most wild pitches and most walks. Duke, Jeff Karstens, and Maholm were the only three to throw a complete game with 1 each, and only Duke's and Karstens' were shutouts. Maholm hit the most batters (9).
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SCHEDULE:
The Pirates were in first place for two days this season, the latest being April 3. They were never more than a game over .500 but managed to bottom out at 29 under (finished 28 under). The Pirates never led the NL Central outright, but were 31.5 games back on the second to last day (finished 30.5 back). Stupid Cubs.
Our longest winning streak was 6 (May 6-12) and longest losing streak was 10 (August 20-31).
The most runs scored by the Bucs this year was 15 (September win over LA), and the most they gave up was 16 (June loss to White Sox). Our longest game was 15 innings (loss to Cubs). Finally, the Pirates shutout their opponent 7 times and were shutout themselves 7 times.
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WIN/LOSS SPLITS:
The Bucs had winning records in two months, March (1-0, hehe) and May (15-13). Their worst month was August (7-21). The Bucs won at a .468 clip in the first half, but only a .338 mark in the second. In better news, the Pirates were good in close games this season, with winning records in extra innings (12-6) and one-run games (22-21). We weren't horrible in interleague (6-9), but the two blown leads in Baltimore and the demolition courtesy of the White Sox killed us (we were one below .500 before that stretch).
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LINEUPS:
The Pirates used 103 total different lineups in 2008, 143 when including pitchers. The most common one was: (this is not the batting order) Doumit, Ad. LaRoche, Sanchez, Bautista, Wilson, Bay, McLouth, and Nady (12 times).
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BATTING ORDERS:
There were 121 different batting orders, 155 including pitchers. Most common: Morgan, Sanchez, McLouth, Doumit, LaRoche, Moss, LaRoche, Cruz, Pitcher (6 times). The second most common lineup had the pitcher 8th (remember that?).
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INNING ANALYSIS:
The Pirates scored (and averaged) the most runs in the 5th inning (5.72 runs per 9 inn.) Actually, you could say they averaged the most in the 14th (we scored 3 runs in two 14th innings) or the 12th (7 runs in 10 12th's), but we'll exclude those. Our worst offensive inning was the 3rd, with 3.67 runs per 9.
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On the other hand, we allowed the most runs in....not the first! We allowed 122 runs in the first and 125 in the 6th, yippee. The Bucs were most effective on the mound in the ninth inning.
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LEADS/WALK-OFFS
The Bucs blew 37 leads this year (largest: 6 runs) but scored an amazing 34 comeback wins (largest 6 runs). They won 7 times and lost 8 times on walk-off hits.
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Whew. Hope you enjoyed that lovely piece of randomness.

About this McLouth/Cano Business

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:12:15 -0500

I don't know if you've heard this or not, but it shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Nate McLouth had a solid year, so the Yankees want to trade for him. The [New York Post] says that Robinson Cano is a logical bargaining chip for him.
1st of all, this is the New York Post, so that means this has to be taken with a major grain of salt. But look at what [Ken Rosenthal] has to say:

The Pirates, however, would not deal center fielder Nate McLouth for Cano, and they will not move McLouth at all unless it was for "a dramatic overpay," according to a baseball executive with knowledge of the team's plans.

While it is doubtful that there is anything to this, I would be all over a McLouth/Cano trade straight-up. Think about it: Nate is coming off a great year--we'd be selling him high. The Pirates have a plethora of outfielders, with McCutchen almost ready to take center and Nyjer available to fill the void until he's ready. Now we're talking an OF consisting of Cutch, Tabata, and Moss in a few years, plus Alvarez and Cano in the infield. If Andy LaRoche gets things together and we find a shortstop, all of a sudden we are looking at a dominant offense.
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[Rotoworld] makes a pretty good argument for this deal as well. Cano is a year younger than Nate, has more experience (against better pitching, too) and a similar OPS, plus he is stable defensively (while we've heard about Nate's terrible zone ratings or whatever). They go so far as to say "The Pirates should make that trade every day of the week."
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Bottomline: this is probably one of many rumors we'll hear over the next few months, and probably one without much to it. But talking about them is what keeps us going for the offseason.

Good Days of '08: Game 1

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 20:47:50 -0500

This is the first of a series called "Good Days of '08." As bad as the season was overall, we had our moments. The series will chronicle some of the better games of 2008.

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(John Bazemore/AP)
Game 1 coverage:
[GameDay]
[Liveblog]
[Recap]
[Box--Pirates 12, Braves 11--3/31/08]
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The Pirates are adopting a habit of winning crazy openers. This game was absolutely insane--and gave us pretty much everything we had been waiting for over the course of yet another loooonnnng offseason.
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The game started off with ball one to leadoff man Nate McLouth, who we were happy and relieved to see playing in favor of Nyjer Morgan. Nate walked to begin his great year but was later picked off by the catcher.
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Would you believe Adam LaRoche started off the year with 2 hits? Including a double in his first 2008 at-bat? It happened. That just means the stretch that ensued was just that much worse until he remembered how to hit late in the year.
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Ian Snell was our opening day starter, and we were expecting him to be the ace (Ha!). Ian went 6 innings and allowed 4 runs--not great, but not exactly causing us to panic and fear the horrible year that he ended up having.
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The Pirates scored first on an error by 2B Kelly Johnson on a grounder hit by Jack. Escobar hit a two run triple to take the lead away, and Chipper grounded him home to add another. Nate hit an RBI single to make it 3-2 Braves, but Brian McCann went deep off Snell to get that run right back. A Nady double led to a run to make 4-3, and the Pirates tied it on another Brave error later on. 4-4.
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The wheels came off of the Braves. Nady hit a solo homer and McLouth hit a 3-run bomb. All of sudden the Bucs led 8-4 and we were going nuts. The score was 9-4 going into the bottom of the ninth (after announcers were wondering if the Pirates should not be pulling off the safety squeeze to get the extra run home)....
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Marte came in to finish things off. He uncharacteristically walked two guys and got just one out. Capps came in and also walked two, gave up a hit, and got an out. With the tying run at first, a McCann pop-up simply fell in between Bay and Nate. It was completely routine, should have ended the game, they just pulled a little-leaguer and didn't call it. TIE GAME and Pirate fans were ready to shoot themselves. The Braves almost won on the next play, but Nate made a real nice catch.
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Franquelis Osoria pitched a scoreless 10th and 11th. The Pirates did not score either. 12th inning, the man who loves opening day, Xavier Nady, hit a three run bomb. 12-9. Osoria remained in the game and promptly gave up a home run after 2 quick outs. He then gave up a couple hits until the tying run was on first. Finally, finally, FINALLY, Osoria got a pop up, and the Pirates improved to 1-0 and moved into first place.
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WIN: Osoria (1-0)
LOSS: Boyer (0-1)

Notes:
-Xavier Nady had two game winning hits, essentially. His solo shot broke the tie in the late innings, then he won the game again in the 12th. X-Man saved our skins on Opening Day last year, too, hitting a game tying homer off Brad Lidge in the ninth inning with two outs in a game the Bucs would eventually win.
-Nate McLouth also had a day. 3/5 plus a walk and 4 RBI's, and a homer. He also homered on Opening Day last year.
-Jason Bay went 0-for-6. Coming off a poor year, that was not an encouraging thing.
-Tyler Yates, a few days after being acquired, was a beast. Very impressive scoreless inning of work.
-We were pleasantly surprised to see Ryan Doumit getting the start instead of Ronny Paulino. Doumit went 3-for-7.
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RECORD: 1-0

0-for-9 at Miller

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:57:27 -0500

Ryan Braun hit a walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning to end a 1-1 tie. That happened right after I feel asleep listening on the radio. I'm sure the Brewer fans went nuts and it was all over Sportscenter and whatnot. Yippee.
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Zach Duke pitched a nice game. Steve Pearce homered for the one run. Nyjer Morgan hurt his hamstring.

GameDay #159 at Brewers

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:39:14 -0500

Pirates (65-93) at Brewers (87-71)
8:05--Miller Park, Milwaukee
Zach Duke (5-14, 4.96) vs. Yovani Gallardo (0-0, 1.80)
[Preview]
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This is the Pirates' last chance to win at Miller Park this season. So far they're 0-for-8. 1-for-14 against the Brewers overall. And we thought the Cubs owned us.
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Duke is making his last start in a season that has been a better one, but still not good by any means. Although 5-14 is an absolutely terrible record, the ERA of 4.96 isn't a whole lot worse than what we could've hoped from him. He also starts against teams' best pitchers more often than anyone else, it seems.
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That is not the case with Yovani Gallardo tonight. He hasn't pitched since May 1, and is coming off knee surgery. He's being rushed back because of the Brewer playoff push (the Mets lost last night, so Milwaukee is now tied with them for the wild card lead). It's a curious move, and he almost surely will not go deep into the game.
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On second thought...take a look at the Pirate lineup for tonight:
1. Nyjer Morgan
2. Freddy Sanchez
3. Nate McLouth
4. Adam LaRoche
5. Steve Pearce
6. Andy LaRoche
7. Ronny Paulino (remember him?)
8. Brian Bixler
9. Duke
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Look at hitters 5 thru 9. OUCH.

GameDay #158 at Brewers--ALVAREZ SIGNS. No, Really. He Actually Signed.

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:56:00 -0500

UPDATED 6:39 PM FROM [DEJAN]

MILWAUKEE -- It is official. Contract signed. Grievance done.

All over, except for playing baseball.

Gorzo goes to the 60-day-DL to make room on the 40-man, and Pedro will go to the FLA Instructional League "this weekend."
HALLELUJAH!

Back to the GameDay...

Pirates (65-92) at Brewers (86-71)
8:05--Miller Park, Milwaukee
Paul Maholm (9-8, 3.68) vs. CC Sabathia (15-10, 2.85)
[Preview]
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Last year's Pirates won 68 games. That was the most since 2000. Sitting at 65 with five games left, the Bucs need to go 3-2 to tie that mark and 4-1 to eclipse it. Will they do it? Does anyone care?
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Another meaningless goal: Paul Maholm needs to win tonight to become the only 2008 Pirate to achieve 10 wins. Usually staff aces are in the hunt for 20 wins. I wonder if any other teams in the majors this year are without a 10-win pitcher. Last year, Gorzo was in the hunt for 15, so we aren't always this bad.
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Nonetheless, Paul has been a stud and tonight is his last outing of the year. He's fared poorly against the Brewers, but hopefully he finishes a great season on a good note.
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CC Sabathia starts on short rest tonight (he pitched on the 20th, today's the 24th) as a result of the Brewer playoff push (he wants to start Sunday, too, if needed). Remember what happened last time CC faced the Bucs? We're just not going to talk about it.
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Brandon Moss has some sort of knee problem--that he doesn't even feel--that one doctor believes requires surgery. He is searching for a second opinion now, but in any event, he's not going to play in any of these last 5 games. That means a chance for both Nyjer Morgan and Steve Pearce.
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Apparently Pedro still wants to be a Pirate! [Dejan] tells us he's in town, ready to sign and take a physical. The grievance hearing is expected to be settled "soon, possibly today." Great news. He also states that the whole fiasco was NOT a result of Pedro not wanting to be a Pirate. Ah, well, I like the clip anyway.
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Holy Smokes! This is the last game all year on FSN Pittsburgh! That's sad...

Meaningful Baseball?

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:59:08 -0500

Certainly didn't seem like it, but it was there at Miller Park.
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The bottom of the first and top of the second were perfect indications of this. The leadoff man for the Brewers reached on a Nyjer Morgan error. After an out, Ryan Braun hit a liner that Nate McLouth dove for and missed. Nate got up and threw the ball in wildly, Braun ended up at HOME PLATE, and Nate ended up with his first error.
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Side note: there's been talk about McLouth possibly getting a Gold Glove for no errors in CF. First of all, Gold Gloves are a joke and if Nate won it'd be more likely due to his being an All-Star and hitting the ball well. It's all about name recoginition, not actual defense. Second, errors are nowhere near being a good indication of how good someone is on defense, ESPECIALLY outfielders. Range is not factored in, and (although I'm not sure I agree with them) lots of fielding metrics that I've never heard of say Nate is one of the WORST in the league as far as range goes. Take that for what it's worth, but this play likely did not cost him a Gold Glove
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Whew. So anyway, the psuedo inside-the-parker makes it 2-0 Brewers in the first after 2 Pirate errors in one inning. Sucks to be Jeff Karstens, huh? More importantly, a playoff-contending team, needing wins, ahead at home against a bad team that has nothing to play for. Game over, right?
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Dave Bush walked Mientkiewicz to lead off the 2nd. After an out, Andy LaRoche walked. Another out. Jeff Karstens up. He walks ON FOUR PITCHES. The man has two career major league hits! Dave Bush is a control/finesse guy! Not acceptable! Nyjer Morgan singled to tie the game and Freddy singled to give the Bucs the lead, 3-2.
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Karstens pitched exceptionally well after that and avoided a loss for the first time since the near-perfect game. He didn't get a win, though, since after he allowed a leadoff baserunner in the 7th, JR yanked him, and Jesse Chavez proceeded to get lit up and blow the game.
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But....Holy Cow! After Chavez made it 4-3 Brewers, Steve Pearce hit his second homer--a two run shot--to make it 5-4 Bucs in the top of the 8th!
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Let's just say this game seemed kind of out of place in a packed stadium, fans waving white towels, and playoff implications hanging on every pitch. If the Brewers keep playing like this, it won't last long. The Mets won, so Milwaukee continues to trail in the wild card race.
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I am abandoning the computer now--5-4 Bucs in the 8th--and will not have the outcome for you on this post. Check the box in the upper right--I'll send a text when the game goes final, and of course will let you know tomorrow.

Fantasy Baseball pickups in last week

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:44:38 -0500

The fantasy season ends Sunday, folks. If you're in contention, congratulations, and keep a close eye on that free agent pool if your league uses daily transactions. And now, for the final time in 2008 -- God, I'm getting emotional just typing this -- it's "The Lower Half."

MLB Weekly Sleepers - Week 26

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 07:11:28 -0500

Screaming Sports' Tommy D breaks out another edition of MLB Sleepers and runs down a quick list of potential needles (in a haystack - get it?) for the upcoming week. So, who could surprise some unsuspecting opponents this week? Only one way to find out ... click it.

The Police Dislike Nyjer Morgan’s Tint

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 23:38:51 -0500

This is a really sad story. Pirates outfielder Nyjer Morgan was involved in an incident with the Pittsburgh police outside PNC Park Wednesday night. According to Morgan, he wad giving Dodgers Joe Biemel, Delwyn Young and Russell Martin back to the Westin Hotel after dinner when he was pulled over because "the tint on his vehicle [...]

Bucs Lose in Extras

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 19:16:50 -0500

As good as the Pirates have been in extra innings, they weren't quite good enough today. But they were darn close.
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Two good young pitchers started, Maholm and Kershaw, and neither got a decision (meaning Paul will have just one more shot at a 10th win), although both pitched quite well. The score was 3-3 after nine innings that featured clutch hits by Andy LaRoche and Luis Cruz, plus lots of walks. Lots and lots of walks.
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In the 10th, Nyjer Morgan was hit by a pitch leading off. After an out and walk, he was on second base when Jason Michaels tapped one back to the mound. I did not see the play (game wasn't on TV) but [Paul Meyer] did:

Michaels hit a bouncer to [pitcher] Park, who tried to throw out McLouth at second, but nobody covered. Park's throw almost zipped into center field, but Dewitt [2B] was able to make a diving stop. The ball rolled out of his glove and Morgan tried to score, but catcher Martin made a great stop on a short hop and survived Morgan's charge into him to get the out at the plate. Joe Beimel is in to face Adam LaRoche -- who flied to left on the first pitch. On to the 11th.
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Nyjer was on base all day (and has been ever since getting called up) but the baserunning is becoming absolutely ridiculous. My impression was that the Dodgers made a great play rather than Nyjer making a stupid one, but the man has made so many plays like that in so little time, it's unbelievable.
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Nothing happened in the 11th, but when Craig Hansen came out, you knew what was going to happen:
Walks. Lots and lots of walks.
Alas, the leadoff man...........walked. Hansen went 3-0 on the next guy but struck him out somehow. He then intentionally walked Manny, then proceeded to UN-intentionally walk the next batter to load the bases. Beam was able to get out of it with just one run scoring, but that was just another display of Craig Hansen's terrifying control problems.
That made it 11 Pirate walks allowed. 11.
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The Bucs got Nyjer to 2nd with one out, 3rd with two outs in the bottom of the inning, but Michaels did not come through in the clutch.
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Sorry for no GameDay this morning. The 12:35 games are always tough, last night went kind of late and it isn't as if today's game was absoultely earthshakingly huge. Hopefully you caught the mini-update in the box in the upper right corner.