Karstens carries Pirates to 3-2 win

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

   MAHOLM WILL NOT BE SOLEMN!

   MAHOLM HAS HIS JUKE!

   MOSS WAS NOT BOSS!

   KARSTENS WAS SWELL!

great performance by magic karstens after morton's hammie. great poise. great patience by buc hitters- pgh pen: 110 pitches v atl pen 176 pitches- wear them down!

can we cannibalize morton, yates and hansen and get one frankenpitcher? may be mute with the sweet PROSPECTS the FO landed today.

I say nothing about moss, except brush it off and get in the game again tomorrow. too many splinters in the bench area. he must play.

nice to see adLa getting some rbi- I'll take 'em any way he can get them in. production shuts my mouth.

A strange, but nice win. I'd like to see us run off about 8 wins in a row but I don't think it's going to happen as long as our lineup is punchless ... I wonder how much patience they'll show with Moss. It gets pretty poor after our fifth hitter.

To me, our MVP is Karstens, the Bullpen and Monroe for that heads-up scoring play.

Late post, sorry, a repeat

Yotum - this will probably be toast by the time its posted due to ants marching -IMO, we didn't get a heck of a lot for Nady, I'ml listening to Huntington right now, 21 of 30 want 6 figures, but lets see what they do, so much pitching, no hitting, IMO NH is putting his spin on things, well we'll spend the money????

Srsly, does Gayo walk when we don't sign Sano??

For the rest of us, I hope NH knows what he's doing, just listend to him on FPN and I had to say, what??

Its all about spin, sorry UK....

Neal is doing what you should do with a small market team without a lot big dollars to throw around, today was a good example of what they are building.

A team that will win with Pitching, speed and defense, I believe he is doing exactly what he should be doing.

If he can get the system a little deeper in the next couple of years he will be able to trade strength for strength, as long as he has to trade from his major league team to build the minor league system, we are not where we need to be.

First time I've ever heard of a "balky" hamstring, Chuck, what's that?

He he he...Adam has 2 RBI's tongiht.  Very cool.  :-)

Bay

That was a heads-up play by Monroe, and a very important run.

Hopefully we get Morton healthy, he really has some upside.

Good job by Karsty, well done

Amac, nothing at the plate but he had his best game in the field

When will our next HR be?

Grabow looked great

Good win

Thanks DMAC

"He he he...Adam has 2 RBI's tongiht.  Very cool.  :-)"

DMAC, all it took was me believing in him LOL

WOW , that was a pleasure watching MORTON throw and show he has the making of an ACE, What made it better , they showed footage of him on the bump when he was with ATL, I am not playing this could really put the pitching staff over the top...YESSSSSSSSSSS

@JAL

I love Adam but I am hitting the rewind button on the TIVO nightly, and he is getting pitches right down the middle and fouling it off or missing, That is why I am concerned..I have studiied this guys ab's and he is fouling everything off, Just like Sunday in HOUSTON, THE INFAMOUS HOME TO FIRST DOUBLE PLAY, 2-0 RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE AND HE MISSED IT..

Anyway ASYLUM, If Morton ends up being OUR STUD, THEN management needs an apology......I am so excited with how we can manufacture runs but right now one thing that bothers me is, we never send the pitcher to the shower when they are on the ropes, we do damage one inning an then nothing...Almost came back to bite us...

LETS GO BUCSSSSS

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Bizrow,

They spent good money on last year's draft.  I don't see any reason why they won't do the same this year.

1 More thing, I know there are alot of posts in regards to our lack of HOME RUNS, I like the chics DIG THE LONG BALL, but today they showed the teams with the fewest amount of HR'S in the NL, The Pirates had more than the DODGERS, METS, and SF ,All those teams have winning records and my point is just because we arent HOME RUN made right now doesnt mean we cant compete..That is why I truly love baseball, so many stats, but so many stats that dont give you a real gauge on the outcome of games like TIMELY HITTING...

Biz

Everyone does spin but spin is not automatically wrong, it just an attempt top put the best public face on something.  

Nady was nothing special--he was having a career year--lifetime .280 hitter--87 HR over 8 seasons, and out this season--Pirate lost nothing but 3 months of service-almost anything would produce more and it has.  Ohlie has been more important to rotation than nady would have been to the outfield .  In Ohlie's 5 losses the Pirates have scored a total of 5 runs--Johan santan would be .500 or less pitcher if his team scored 5 runs over 5 starts.

This will start an argument,but I thought the draft went like the FO wanted.The big thing is getting these guys signed and playing.Give them a week or two off and get them down to Florida.They went after a butt load of pitchers.Last year it was SS.

@Maz - I agree.  We may be disagree or just be confused, but I take heart in the fact that the FO seems to be executing THEIR plan... again, whether I understand it or not.  I'm hoping they're very smart in the long run.

Off to bed.  Nothing like the post-win sleep.  Night John-Boy.

@MAZ

I give MOSS all the credit in the world, battling thru that horrific start. I am REALLY CONCERNED with him now, being that it seems like on a nightly basis he is coming up with bases loaded and its a swing and a miss or pop up..What do you think is wrong with him , or is this the REAL MOSS..Has he showed us his CEILING???

FSF

The Pirates have a budgeted amount to spend on the draft and they will spend that much, I believe it is somewhere around 10 mil.

When we start trading we need to pick up  a couple middle INFs.If Lincoln  and Morton are as good I think we might have a pretty good rotation.Plus we could have Gorzo and Vasquez as back ups or use them and maybe Ian as bait for relievers.

macs...That MUST be it!  ;-)

Daryle...he may not be hitting anything hard, but Adam DID plate 2 runs tonight.  

At 25 I doubt moss has hit the ceiling.He gets down on himself too much.THIS is why they don't put him out there against lefties.Look at what happened to Pearce.He went from .320 30  HRs  112 RBI in 2007 to .252  12 HRs   70 RBI in 2008.Some guys don't adjust very well.They are smart not to trot him out till his BA hits .200.Just common sense by the PBC.

JAL -

Your love for AdLa is bordering on insanity. He's terrible. You know it. Where were those productive at bats when we really needed them? And don't give me that he hit such and such for the past eight games... he did diddly squat for the last three losses. I don't care for his ground-out rbi here or his sac fly when it doesn't matter there... he stinks. His lack of production when the Bucs need it the most is glaringly evident. What? We have to wait for July now for Adam to hit? 13 base runners and 3 runs... yeah, hitting's contagious... and so are terrible approaches at the plate with men on base. Just ask Adam... he'll tell ya.

@Maz

When we start trading we need to pick up  a couple middle INFs.If Lincoln  and Morton are as good I think we might have a pretty good rotation.Plus we could have Gorzo and Vasquez as back ups or use them and maybe Ian as bait for relievers.

Major league depth in the middle infield does seem to be a problem, but the Bucs don't seem to be worried about it, even when they get prospects they don't get middle infielders.

I think Jack will be traded for a prospect or two, but Adam might bring a middle infielder.

Obviously keeping Jack, Adam and Freddie for 2 more years would be the right way to go, but even if we could keep them, backups are still necessary, these guys are reaching the get hurt a lot ages.

What goes around comes around (in reverse). Remember Sunday's game when the Astros' Kata scored from second on a soft grounder up the middle that Vasquez got to but couldn't make a play? So now it's our turn - great running by Monroe. With our offense, this play along with the run-scoring forceout may be our most potent weapon.

It's rather sad to see how hard we have to work for three runs when the Braves scored so quickly with long balls. Fortunately the first one just missed or we could have gone another 10 innings without scoring.

has anyone heard about morton...is it a CHARLEY HORSE?

sorry...

just an aside- the mouths on espn calling the yankee-rsox game said how the rsox had built from within with their drafts...true, but of course with pappy gassed out and manny gone this year they would have NO CHANCE with jBay.

I know Hinske hasnt had a banner year but i believe we need his bat in there right now at least until we get Ryan back.Small ball works well at times but we need more than one bat in there with the potential for some thump.

We definitely need more power.  I still think Adam is pushing himself and not being patient like he was early on.

Ok, but I'm not buying it right now

Thats all, I don't believe in this brilliant management team, else I would believe in 30 brilliant management teams, when i see NH or hear him babble-speak, the glory lights don't seem to be there, its usually talk you sit there and scratch your head, what was said??

But we're family, if we want to  agree with that, who am I to speak, I thought Littlefield and all were the same,saviors now I'm sniffiing NH is the same character, I hope you are right, but please be careful

So from now on, nothing but positive spin/speak, right?

I know they have Mercer,Arnaud,Friday,De los Santos in the minors,but they are A or AA.Ford is struggling badly in AAA  at .164 and is looking stagnate.De Los Santos is in A ball,but he's 24.And hitting only .241 however he only has 3 errors  and is 28 of 30 in SBs.So he's a great 2B,but he's getting old.In the OF Grossman is another cookie cutter CF 2 HRs,but fast ...like Duffy.

Anyone know if you order a McCutchen jersey off MLB.com if they'll use a small "c" like on his real jersey?  The preview feature doesn't show it that way.  FYI, they have a 20% off sale going on right now.

BIZZY, Nobody here should be told what to think ever, but for some the glass never get's above a 1/4 full EVER.

Bob Nutting may be a poor owner but he has no policing by MLB  because everybody does their own thing, there are no controls in place other than a luxury tax.

MLB as a whole is really killing us much more than Bob Nutting IMO

@Naje - "Just ask Adam... he'll tell ya."

I'll ask him, Naje ... somehow I don't think he'll be as tough on Adam LaRoche as you've been. :-)

@Frustrated - "What goes around comes around (in reverse). Remember Sunday's game when the Astros' Kata scored from second on a soft grounder up the middle that Vasquez got to but couldn't make a play? So now it's our turn - great running by Monroe."

I thought the SAME EXACT THING when that developed tonight, Buddy, and I mentioned that to Mrs. Bay! "Remember how the Astros did that when we bumbled the ball at second?"

Biz

You are free to say, think, and post how you feel. Your posts really aren’t bothering me at all. You are disillusioned and I respect that.

However, speaking only for myself, the most disappointing thing that has happened over the past two days is yesterday's loss.

Check this story out on Locke at Lynchburg.  He raves about the team...

www.newsadvance.com/.../16687

Thanks Baywatch... all things being equal, I just want the guy to earn his paycheck. He hasn't. He doesn't. He never will. And two-thirds (or less) of a 7 million dollar man is not what this team needs. Not now. Not last year. Not next year.

Would be nice to see JR give AdLa a rest at least half as frequently as he "rests" Freddy... many of you may well be right that he's pressing at the plate... but my goodness, failure on a consistent basis---and having fans continue to make excuses for him---is not what this team needs.

So many of the inmates have  talked about the failures of the FO in recent days, but I'd rather talk about the merits of the team on the field---the guys who make plays or make outs---rather than waste my mind, my energy and my hands typing about teenagers and college kids who have, at best (according to many statistics sited on this blog) a 50% to 60% chance of being a productive major league player. I much prefer reality than projection of potential. Think football, folks... evaluate in three to five years. Please.

Nice little story on Jeff Locke, Rumbunter, thanks for posting.

naje, I do think Adam needs to maybe sit a game or two...Everyone needs a break now and again.  And sitting Andy early on did him a world of good.

My pleasure Bay.  Pretty cool stuff.

Let's see how serious the FO is about spending money and signing players.

mlb.mlb.com/.../article.jsp

NH says that out of all of the players (31) drafted the first two days of the draft...21 are looking for bonuses of $1M or more. Last year, the Pirates reportedly spent about $12M on the draft and international signings.

Do the math folks. Between Sano and the draft...there are going to be a lot of people not getting what they want...including the fans.

Bay, I'm going to give you a compliment I don't give to many.

You have a knack for calming anyone down that is getting riled up...and at the same time you don't dismiss the point of view that you disagree with.

That is a talent I wish I had, and I consider myself privileged to know you here (and hope someday when yinz's meetings happen that I might be able to get there)

But another thing troubles me.  I see half of the people here bashing the FO without giving an argument; e.g. We stink because of these guys............(waiting for a reason)

I also see a bunch of die-hards (no disrespect, I am one as well), coming back with, "you are an idiot...we're much better than we were with Littledic...I mean Littlefield, and we're on the right track!"

What's the truth?  None of us knows what's coming.  Maybe the FO is telling us the truth.  Odds are, they're not.  You get lied to 8 times in a 10 time conversation, you learn to expect the worst.

But when push comes to shove, what's our common ground?  We ALL LOVE OUR BUCCOS!  We ALL WANT THEM TO WIN!  

Even though I can't understand how anyone can sit there with a smile on his/her face while the same stink goes on over and over again, doesn't mean I don't respect each and every one of you as a true fan.

Why can't we all just get along?

Thunder -The article says 6 figures.At $100,000 apiece that is $2.1 million.We have at least 7 million.

Amarillo

I hope you don’t mind if I give you my two cents on that subject.

The short answer is that for the most part, we all do get along very well.

People in general tend to defend their opinions, whether they have strong, rigid, inflexible ones; or if they have milder, flexible, even nebulous opinions.

From my viewpoint, there are some here that treat the workings in and around our team with extremely high importance, and struggle very hard to make sure that their views are the ones that get the most attention; and then there are some that love the game and are interested in all, but still feel that it is just a sport, and just like to enjoy the game and each others company.

Personally, I love this team above all others, even more than the Steelers and Pens. However, it is still just a game to me. I attended between 12 and 20 games per year, every year since the 80’s., but it isn’t like it’s all there is to my life. I like the game, I like to talk about, I even like to play GM from time, but it’s still a game.

Here in the Asylum, I have met a bunch of inmates that love this game to various degrees, and I consider them all my friends. Friends don’t always see things from eye to eye, but they treat each other with respect. Again, they DON’T always agree, but the treat each other with respect.

When a friend sees (or thinks they see) a friend being treated poorly, they tend to come to their defense.

I think that you have witnessed friends disagreeing with each other here, and friends defending friends that may or may not have been being ridiculed.

The fact that this is a concern to you speaks to your quality as an Inmate of the Asylum, and you may be very surprised that Inmates such as NuttingHostage are also held in high regard with most of the inmates here too.

Seriously, are there vodoo dolls of the pirate prospects somewhere? Was there an exhibition game in Haiti I didn't know about. Hamstrings are rotten. Of course, rehab staffs are light years ahead of where it was when I ran, but still... Tabata, Morton, then Walker, Morris ( twice), Hansen ... I could go on and on...

BTW, more and More it seems the trade for jason Bay will end up being Andy for Jason. The other pieces are breaking down, physically and mentally.

Excellent post Uglyken, bravo!

Again, Ugly, I have to ask you....where does Dmac factor into anything I said here?

Drama can exit stage left.  I have no use for it, nor do I have any need for it.

All I care about, as far as this blog is concerned, is that the Pirates' ownership cares as much about winning as I do.  I have no doubt that the players care.  But I  have no reason to believe, based on countless moves and overwhelming evidence that the "illegitimate male child" who owns this team will never part ways with his money, and will sit back in his comfy chair and laugh at those of you who defend him and sneer at those of us who are onto him.

Amarillo......now I am confused.... what about DMac? Did I miss something else.........yesterday or today?

Well, generally the only people that have their 'defense come to' are PoH and Dmac.

The rest of them can defend themselves.

Pardon me if I mis-inferred.

look at that lead picture up there-is it just me, or does that shirt on morton just not fit? looks like a XXX- a little big on the shoulders. maybe one of ronnie palolino's? UNIFORM DUMP.

Amarillo << Well, generally the only people that have their 'defense come to' are PoH and Dmac.>>

That is something that I must say is totally untrue. DMac and PoH are more than capable of defending themselves too. I personally have defended posters whose viewpoints were a total 180 degrees from my own, and I have taken sides against some that post as if it was from my very keyboard.

My defense mechanism is triggered by personal attacks on other inmates, or when an inmates use relentlessness postings of the same specific idea, view, that become disruptive to the Asylum in general.

The Inmates here really aren’t stupid; they don’t need to be told the same thing again and again to hear the point. If they don’t agree, that is because the hold a different opinion and that opinion should be respected rather than browbeaten away.