Sunday, March 24, 2013
by Tom Singer / MLB.com
BRADENTON, Fla. -- Chris Leroux experienced two things Sunday he never had before: allowing eight runs in a single inning, and being taken off the hook for a loss after leaving a game in an 8-0 hole.
Leroux, who had a spotless Spring Training until his encounter with the Orioles, was left shaking it off as one of those things -- and hoping Pirates decision makers saw it the same way.
"Probably the worst inning I ever had. Let's all be happy it's Spring Training," Leroux said after facing nine Orioles and recording only one out. "But I've been sharp up until this point, so this was just one day."
But was it a crushing day for the right-hander, who has had strange ends to Spring Training before? He was in line for a relief job a year ago, then tore a pectoral muscle in the final Grapefruit League game and was sidelined until June. Now this, after seven scoreless outings.
Manager Clint Hurdle sympathized with Leroux -- to a point -- over an apparently shrunken strike zone that led to catcher Russell Martin's ejection.
"That was a part of it. We've got people battling for jobs and [Martin] thought there were a whole bunch of pitches that we could've gotten strikes on that weren't," Hurdle said. "If he's getting pitches, who knows how the inning plays out for [Leroux]? But you also want pitchers to find ways to shut things down, to put an end to things, to stay aggressive and pitch with intent. A number of things got away from him today.
"You want to make sure not to be swayed by one-game results … but sometimes they can tell a big story."
Leroux was a relatively late replacement for Jeff Karstens, who was scratched from his scheduled start with shoulder discomfort about four hours prior to first pitch.
"It's not the easiest thing in the world, but I'm not going to make excuses," Leroux said. "I could've pitched four scoreless, and we'd be all smiling and happy now."
by Tom Singer / MLB.com
BRADENTON, Fla. -- Russell Martin still needs to get his bat working in regular-season mode. His fire, however, is already in midseason form.
That should help explain how the Pirates catcher managed the near impossible Sunday: Not only getting ejected from a Spring Training game, but getting the thumb in the top of the first inning.
Home-plate umpire Chad Fairchild tossed Martin after the catcher began arguing balls and strikes, standing up for starter Chris Leroux, who was in the midst of a nightmarish eight-run inning and getting little help from his defense or Fairchild's strike zone.
"I'm obviously not going to get in the umpire's face," Leroux said, "so I'm glad [Martin] noticed the same things I did. He had my back. Those balls did seem like strikes to me, and there's a big difference between 1-0 and 0-1 [counts]."
"I don't expect anybody to be perfect, but I feel like when you try to communicate, there needs to be some rapport," Martin said of Fairchild. "I felt like it wasn't there today. I know he's a good guy. In the heat of the moment, I probably let my emotions get the best of me and I'm sure he did, too.
"People may go, 'How can you get thrown out of a Spring Training game?' But I treat it like a regular-season game. I love being out there competing."
It is one of the things the Pirates love about Martin, who signed a two-year, $17 million deal with Pittsburgh as a free agent.
"We got him for a number of reasons," manager Clint Hurdle said, "and one of them is his passion, his energy behind the plate, and that was evident."
With left-hander Brian Matusz going for Baltimore, Martin missed some at-bats and opportunities to escape a 1-for-15 slump. He also is 3-for-30 overall in Grapefruit League play, but unconcerned.
"I feel good. I've been having solid contact," Martin said. "I feel aggressive, and that's huge for me. When I'm not passive and eager to swing the bat, that's when I know I'm where I need to be. Now it's just a matter of getting more reps. Today, I just couldn't get them."
by Tom Singer / MLB.com
BRADENTON, Fla. -- Jeff Karstens' Spring Training, already in jeopardy, came to a halt Sunday morning.
The right-hander was scratched due to "lingering shoulder discomfort" four hours prior to his Grapefruit League debut, which was critical to his chances of opening the season in Pittsburgh's rotation. Instead, he will open it on the disabled list -- an all-too familiar position for the competitive 30-year-old.
Karstens declined to comment on his condition, passing word to "just go with the shoulder discomfort," but Pittsburgh general manager Neal Huntington confirmed the pitcher suffered a "flareup of the biceps tendinitis" that sidelined him a month ago.
And, just like that, competition for the Bucs' rotation morphed from a match race to all-out scramble among five other candidates:
• Jeff Locke, the lefty who appeared to already have an inside track for the lone opening.
• Jonathan Sanchez, the veteran lefty whose opt-out clause -- triggered Sunday morning -- takes on a whole different perspective.
• Jeanmar Gomez, who, unlike Sanchez, already is on the roster and has been very effective (seven innings, one run) in his last two outings.
• Kyle McPherson, who may most benefit from Karstens' setback, with a Mulligan for his discouraging last start (10 hits and nine runs in 4 2/3 innings against the Braves).
"We've kept four guys stretched out as Plan B, hoping we wouldn't have to use Plan B," Huntington said. "Looks like we'll probably have to. Now it's a decision between four for two, instead of four for one."
The most pressing decision concerns Sanchez, who has not allowed a run in his past two starts, allowing three hits and one walk in eight innings while striking out seven. The Pirates need to decide whether to place him on their 40-man roster or grant his release Tuesday before that day's game against Toronto. So manager Clint Hurdle, pitching coach Ray Searage and Huntington will have to make that decision based on what they've already seen.
Huntington talked optimistically Friday about Karstens' chances to answer the Pirates' first call for a No. 5 starter on April 7. "If Jeff is able to make all his outings between now and then," Huntington had said, "he should be fine."
"We needed every bit of the remaining [Spring Training] schedule to get Jeff stretched out to be able to make that [April 7] start," said Huntington, who was not yet ready to confirm that Karstens was headed to the DL. "Most likely, but we still don't know the long-term prognosis. Or even the short-term. Is it just a temporary setback? Does inflammation need to get out?"
Huntington isn't likely to peruse the list of available pitchers -- that market will continue to grow in the coming days as Opening Day approaches and teams make personnel decisions -- with anything more than passing interest. In addition to the quartet of candidates in camp, the Pirates have two rehabbing veterans in Francisco Liriano and Charlie Morton.
"If we didn't have them waiting in the wings for May or June, there may be more intent [for acquiring reinforcement]," Huntington said. "We feel comfortable with the four guys competing for the final two spots and the other guys on the horizon."
And yes, the general manager was including Gerrit Cole in the horizon group.
Karstens was first shut down with biceps tendinitis early on Feb. 19. He made a steady recovery, beginning with a March 5 bullpen session, and made two appearances in Minor League games. His latest outing was Monday, when he came away from a four-inning, 50-pitch start feeling fine and even talking enthusiastically about a new over-the-head windup that "reduces pressure on my shoulder."
"Today was the first time he got to the point where he felt like he needed to make us aware that he couldn't pitch," Huntington said.
Concerns over Karstens' durability had prompted the Pirates to non-tender him. However, the two sides negotiated a new deal, coming to an agreement on Jan. 17 with a guaranteed base salary of $2.5 million.
When healthy, Karstens has been one of the Bucs' most proficient pitchers the last two seasons, the only one to pitch to a sub-4.00 ERA in both 2011 and 2012.
Posted on March 24, 2013 at 05:59 PM.
Bucs' Comeback Falls Short After O's Eight-Run First
| Baltimore Orioles at Pittsburgh Pirates | ||||||||||||
| Mar 24, 2013 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Baltimore (17-7) | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 15 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh (12-15-1) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 17 | 4 |
| W: Pettit (1-0, 0.00) L: Zagurski (0-2, 6.75) S: Zinicola | ||||||||||||
BRADENTON, Fla. -- Steve Pearce broke a tie with his sixth homer of the spring in the seventh inning Sunday and added an RBI single in the ninth, lifting the Orioles, who blew an eight-run first-inning lead, past the Pirates, 12-10, in their Grapefruit League matchup.
The 21-run outburst -- interrupted by a 15-minute rain delay in the eighth -- came only three days after the teams met, playing scoreless baseball in a 10-inning tie.
Pedro Alvarez's two-run double capped a five-run sixth and pulled the Pirates even at 10 apiece before Pearce took Pirates reliever Mike Zagurski deep in the seventh.
Chris Dickerson's grand slam and Alexi Casilla's three RBIs helped the Orioles build a 9-2 lead after two innings.
The Orioles' eight-run first featured Dickerson's slam and victimized both halves of the Bucs' battery. Starter Chris Leroux, filling in for an injured Jeff Karstens, was charged with all eight runs -- seven earned -- and recorded only one out. Catcher Russell Martin was ejected by home-plate umpire Chad Fairchild for objecting to his ball-and-strike calls.
Andrew McCutchen hit his third spring homer to begin the Pirates' comeback in the bottom of the first. Gaby Sanchez drove in three runs, and Lucas May, who replaced Martin after his ejection, had three hits and two RBIs.
Left-hander Brian Matusz, competing for a spot in Baltimore's rotation, allowed nine hits and five runs in four innings, letting the Pirates back into the game. Pittsburgh completed its comeback against reliever Troy Patton, who allowed five earned runs and recorded only two outs.
Leroux hadn't allowed a run this spring in seven innings, thus his ERA went from 0.00 to 8.59.
Trayvon Robinson contributed an RBI single to the Orioles' big first inning, but immediately had to leave the game for a pinch-runner with an apparent injury to his left side.
Up next: The Pirates travel to Port Charlotte, Fla., on Monday, for their final night game of the spring, meeting the Rays at 7:05 p.m. ET in a game available on Gameday Audio. Kyle McPherson is scheduled to make a start crucial to his chances to land a spot in the rotation, trying to rebound from his very rocky outing against the Braves, who roughed him up Wednesday with 10 hits and eight runs in 4 2/3 innings.
Posted on March 24, 2013 at 05:44 PM.
by Tim Williams / Pirates Prospects
Jeff Karstens was originally scheduled to make a start today against the Baltimore Orioles. Instead he was scratched and will be replaced by Chris Leroux. Prior to this, Karstens had yet to throw more than two innings in a start, and the season is a week away.
The reaction that I’ve seen so far is that this will open up the competition for the final two rotation spots. Most had Karstens getting one of the two final spots, with several pitchers battling it out for the fifth spot in the rotation. In my roster prediction the other day, I pointed out that Karstens didn’t look ready to begin the season in the rotation. I had Jonathan Sanchez and Jeff Locke making the team with the final two rotation spots.
I think the injury to Karstens will make it more likely that Sanchez makes the team as a starter. The alternatives are Jeff Locke, Kyle McPherson, and Jeanmar Gomez for two spots. Sanchez isn’t a guarantee to return to his 2009-2011 form, but if he does he would be more valuable than any of the other options at this point.
Since I had Karstens in the bullpen, I think this injury could open up a spot in the pen. I had Gomez getting cut, unless Tony Watson didn’t make the team. After Watson’s 1-2-3 inning yesterday, I don’t think he’s at risk of being left off the roster. So I could see Gomez making the team if Karstens has to start the season on the disabled list. At any rate, it doesn’t seem possible now for Karstens to make the team as a starter.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Charlie Morton threw a 30 pitch bullpen session today, then threw some live batting practice to the short-season hitters. Morton threw to a few batters, sat down for five minutes, then got back up and threw a few more pitches, simulating an inning break. Pretty much everyone was watching Morton when he threw. That included Hurdle, Assistant General Manager Kyle Stark, Special Assistant to the GM and former Minor League Pitching Coordinator Jim Benedict, Minor League Director Larry Broadway, and Minor League Pitching Coordinator Scott Mitchell. Below is a video of Morton throwing to outfielder Elvis Escobar.
by Tom Singer / MLB.com
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Facing Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia was a rush for Pirates left-hander Jeff Locke, who grew up with a share of Red Sox season tickets in nearby New Hampshire. Winning a job with the Bucs this spring, likely, would be the bigger rush.
Locke went four innings and gave up three runs, two earned, in the Pirates' 5-3 road win over the Red Sox on Saturday. He gave up seven hits and one walk, but kept the damage to a minimum without recording any strikeouts.
"Obviously I don't have anything to say about the decisions that are going to be made here in the next week," Locke said. "You know, because it's not my call. But I'll tell you what, if I am part of that or if I do find my way into that, I'll be the best Jeff Locke I can be. And if not, I'll try and be the first guy up there when need be. I just want to do anything I can to help out the club."
While it's a boon to Locke that he could pitch in relief or as a starter, pitching coach Ray Searage said the team likes Locke as a starter.
"We'd like to have depth in the rotation," Searage said. "God forbid anything happens to one of these guys, we need that depth, we got it with him. We've got it with [Kyle] McPherson. Those guys are both vying for that fifth spot. … He's only making our decision tougher by the way he goes out there and presents himself."
Facing the Red Sox, who fielded most of their regulars, was something the kid in Locke can appreciate -- and also a solid test as the regular season approaches.
"Absolutely, it's kind of a rush out there," Locke said. "For me growing up, being a Red Sox fan and now getting to step on the field with the guys I was watching play when I was in high school, and they were doing all the great things, it's a lot of fun to go out there and compete against them."
Posted on March 23, 2013 at 05:32 PM.
Alvarez, Jones Blasts Boost Bucs Over Red Sox
| Pittsburgh Pirates at Boston Red Sox | ||||||||||||
| Mar 23, 2103 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Pittsburgh (12-14-1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 2 |
| Boston (14-14) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 2 |
| W: Mazzaro (1-1, 8.38) L: Carter, A (0-1, 1.80) S: Baker, N | ||||||||||||
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Clay Buchholz continued his dominant Spring Training by firing 5 1/3 strong innings, but Pedro Alvarez's homer in the eighth led the Pirates to a 5-3 win over the Red Sox on Saturday afternoon at JetBlue Park.
Buchholz gave up four hits and a run while walking one and striking out five. In five Grapefruit League starts, he has an 0.96 ERA.
Jacoby Ellsbury provided two hits from the leadoff spot, including a double. Jarrod Saltalamacchia also had two hits while scoring a run and driving in a run. Will Midddlebrooks belted a triple and scored a run.
Making his third start against the Red Sox this spring, Pirates lefty Jeff Locke allowed seven hits and three runs -- two of them earned -- over four innings.
Garrett Jones smashed a solo homer for the Pirates in the top of the second.
Up next: Righty Jeff Karstens gets the start for the Pirates on Sunday -- his first of the Grapefruit League season -- at home in a 1:05 p.m. ET start against the Orioles. Left-hander Brian Matusz gets the start for the O's.
March 2013
March 31: Opening Night: Texas Rangers @ Houston Astros
April 2013
March 31: Opening Night: Texas Rangers @ Houston Astros
April 2013
April 1: Opening Day, Active Rosters Trimmed to 25
April 15: Jackie Robinson Day
April 24: All-Star Balloting Begins
June 2013
April 15: Jackie Robinson Day
April 24: All-Star Balloting Begins
June 2013
June 6-8: First Year Player Draft
July 2013
July 2013
July 7: All-Stars Announced
July 7-10: All-Star Game Final Vote
July 12-16: Major League Baseball All-Star FanFest (Javits Center, New York
July 14: Taco Bell All-Star Sunday at Citi Field featuring SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and Taco Bell All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game
July 15: All-Star Workout Day at Citi Field featuring Home Run Derby
July 16: 84th MLB All-Star Game at Citi Field, New York
July 28: Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies
July 31: Non-Waiver Trade Deadline
July 7-10: All-Star Game Final Vote
July 12-16: Major League Baseball All-Star FanFest (Javits Center, New York
July 14: Taco Bell All-Star Sunday at Citi Field featuring SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and Taco Bell All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game
July 15: All-Star Workout Day at Citi Field featuring Home Run Derby
July 16: 84th MLB All-Star Game at Citi Field, New York
July 28: Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies
July 31: Non-Waiver Trade Deadline
August 2013
August 24: Civil Rights Game, U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago
August 31: Waiver Trade Deadline
August 31: Waiver Trade Deadline
September 2013
September 1: MLB Rosters Expand to Maximum of 40 Players
September 29: Final Day of Regular Season
September 29: Final Day of Regular Season
October 2013
October 1: Postseason Begins
October 23: World Series Begins
October 23: World Series Begins
James McDonald discusses controlling his emotions on the mound, Russell Martin's leadership and the state of the Pirates' pitching staff
by Tom Singer / MLB.com
BRADENTON, Fla. -- Brad Hawpe still had a couple days to ask for a release if the Pirates didn't put him on the Major League roster. The classy, realistic veteran saw no need to wait.
Hawpe, 33, asked for and was granted his unconditional release Saturday morning.
The former mainstay in Colorado's outfield made a convincing -- and satisfying -- physical comeback this spring after having Tommy John surgery in late 2011. The comeback with the bat proved more challenging. Hawpe hit .139 in 16 preseason games. He missed too many pitches, fanning 18 times in 36 at-bats.
Hawpe's release leaves 39 players in the Pirates' Major League camp, including six outfielders -- among them another non-roster invitee, Felix Pie.
Friday, March 22, 2013
by Tom Singer / MLB.com
BRADENTON, Fla. -- The Bucs will troop out their regular lineup Saturday for the match in Fort Myers against the Red Sox, so it will be a timeout in another boiling camp battle.
Manager Clint Hurdle wants a left-handed bat on his bench, has three pretty good choices but does not have room for all three. Among Alex Presley, Felix Pie and Brad Hawpe, thus, there could be one or -- if the staff wants to keep the lone right-handed-hitting reserve outfielder, Jose Tabata, in the mix -- two casualties.
Hawpe rested Friday, to allow Gaby Sanchez back in the lineup. The other two kept making noise.
Presley had a double and a walk, raised his average to .317 and has reached base on eight of his last 12 plate appearance. Pie doubled for a run, which tied him with Andrew McCutchen for the team lead with eight RBIs, and is hitting .308.
Hurdle still admires the fluidity and potential of Hawpe's swing, but Pie may have an edge between them. Soon after complimenting Pie for having come into camp "after winter ball, ready to play," Hurdle identified as a key factor in the decision "the ability to help us out of the gate."
A soft-spoken 28-year-old Dominican with considerable Major League experience (1,051 plate appearances with the Cubs and Orioles), Pie admits being pleased with his spring performance but tries to not draw any conclusions from it.
"All you can do is keep playing hard, day after day, and after the last day, hear what they have to say," Pie said.
"We have some tough decisions to make," Hurdle said, "and I'm confident we'll make good ones. I like the personnel we have here."
by Tom Singer / MLB.com
BRADENTON, Fla. -- Jonathan Sanchez has given the Pirates one of those "good problems." Turns out, Pittsburgh general manager Neal Huntington will have two extra days to solve it -- an extension that could give the left-hander one more make-or-break start.
Sanchez, on an eight-inning shutout streak following his five-inning sparkler Thursday night, can request his release on Sunday if the club has not placed him on its Major League roster by then. However, Huntington said that the team will have until Tuesday to respond to that request, with either the release or the roster placement.
Sanchez's next turn to pitch would be that Tuesday. Whether he gets the ball again, Huntington said, has not yet been decided.
If released, Sanchez would be owed termination pay of $100,000. If retained, Sanchez's Major League contract would call for a guarantee of $1,375,000. He earned $5.6 million last season between the Royals and the Rockies.
A veteran of seven big league seasons, Sanchez is one of five non-roster pitchers remaining in camp. But he may have emerged as younger lefty Jeff Locke's chief competitor for the fifth spot in the rotation.
"We've seen some very good things from Jonathan. He is battle-tested. He knows how to get good Major League batters out," Huntington said. "Jonathan has a lot of things working in his favor, but we also look forward to [Kyle] McPherson and Locke and where they are."
"It's hard to be waiting, waiting," Sanchez said. "I want to be here. If they want me here, I'm happy to be here. If not. … I've been in this game a long time, and I know you've just got to go pitch. Don't worry about making the team or throwing strikes or anything else. Relax and throw the ball."
Infielder John McDonald discusses being acquired by the Pirates, his defensive skills and how he projects his role with the club shaking out
Pirates slugger Garrett Jones is looking to build off his career-best 2012 season and face more left-handers during his 2013 campaign
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