Pirates stuck at second base in loss

I guess Hanrahan is the one highlight of this game--not much else to cheer about

Tough one tonight, agree with you JAL Hanranhan was the highlight of the night, that and maybe Meek's 9th but that is deffinately it. Oh yeah Moss had another hit and another rbi too.

Not a great game when the velocity of your seventh inning reliever is the best highlight.

@bizrow

Thanks buddy, needed that..

9.35 Game tommorow with Paul going up against NY JV Team , am I wrong to think we need this one before going to Florida, remember we swept them 4 games, Could be an ambush..

JAL

I think the pitching coach is going to have to work with Hanrahan a little bit, I can see what they like, but he needs to keep the ball down a lot more than I saw.

Was also good to see Cutch get two hirs, and start to break out of his slump.

You can see what Neal sees when you look at a game like tonight, the Cubs go down into their AAA club and bring up players recently, the Pirates go down into their AAA club and bring up players, the Cub players are better.

I am not talking about  McCutchen.

I didn't see him pitch, but watching the gameday, I've been impressed with V-squared. Tough loss today, but technically a QS. For a guy we claimed off waivers, he's filling in nicely so far. Heads up, gotta march on...

So according to ESPN's ultimate team standings for the past year, the Pirates rank higher (94) than the Yankees (107) out of the 122 pro teams in the U.S.

Tough game... why in the world was Jack sent home when, in short left, the outfielder got the ball as he rounded third?  

It's always tougher losing to the Cubs for me.  People are Cubs fans because "it's the thing to do".  Most of them don't the difference between a baseball and a hockey puck.  

The Cubs not an impressive team at all, they miss Rameriz not doubt.

I was not as impressed with Wells as his line will show, I thought tonight was more our approach to hitting him than how good he was.

"You can see what Neal sees when you look at a game like tonight, the Cubs go down into their AAA club and bring up players recently, the Pirates go down into their AAA club and bring up players, the Cub players are better."

@ Leadoff,  if the cubs have more like Fox in Iowa we will be 3 years behind them if we are not already.

However, the only thing that keeps the Pirates from being near the bottom (122) is their stadium experience ranking which throws off the curve.

Here's the link:

sports.espn.go.com/.../story

All numbers are ranked 1-122

Not sure if this link was posted before.  It is from the Indianapolis Indians web site.  It is about Ian Snell.  Apparently he contemplated suicide a month ago.   I hope you get well Ian.

www.wthr.com/.../story.asp

But Triple-A hasn't been much of a challenge for Snell. But why is he playing at this level? Snell says he's doing it to save his life. A month ago, he says he contemplated suicide.

"Sometimes people do stupid stuff and I had to fight it, not to do something stupid and take my life for myself and from my family and my parents," he said.

He says, emotionally, he hit rock bottom and has been battling depression. When he had bad games with the Pirates, negative comments from the media or on the Internet bothered him, so he wanted to leave Pittsburgh.

"I just want to say sorry to all the bloggers and media people for saying they don't know anything. But I didn't mean anything by it," Snell said. "I was just upset at the time."

He says family, friends and God helped him get back on track.

Bucco

It's always tougher losing to the Cubs for me.  People are Cubs fans because "it's the thing to do".  Most of them don't the difference between a baseball and a hockey puck.  

__________________________________

I detest the Cubs and  the Brewers and pretty much have given up on beating them with this team.

That is why the trades don't bother me. We are going in the right direction, build the pitching staff, then work on position players.

Wonder when the text at the top will will change to normal?

Ian- Fist bump from Delaware.  You are the man.

@leadoff and everyone else for that matter...

You think the Pirates win a World Series again before the Cubs?  I do...

Altoona lost tonight 8-6.   They gave up 6 unearned runs.  That defense must be brutal.  3 errors and a pass ball.

Mac

if the cubs have more like Fox in Iowa we will be 3 years behind them if we are not already.

_______________________________

I don't think of it in terms of years, that is why Neal is stocking the system from from trades and not just the draft.

If you go by the draft, yes we probably are three years behind them, but at the start of the season you could have said our pitching was 3 years behind them, but actually in a very short time we have caught up to a lot teams pitching wise, next step position players.

THUNDERCRACK,

           Thanks 4 the link, im done commenting on the kid. He has bigger issues than learning how to pitch again.

Bucco

You think the Pirates win a World Series again before the Cubs?  I do...

_______________________________

I really don't think about that stuff much, I would like the team to get back to respectability first, I am tired of losing to the Cubs and Brewers before the game starts.

I truly hope Ian can pull things together. Nothing would make me happier than to have Snell as our #1 pitcher next year, but he has a ways to go.  

I have experience dealing with a depressed family member, and it is truly an insidious disease.

macs- I would hope we all just lay off Ian for a great while, like 6 monhts.

Sooooo....working late is not fun, and I'll be doing a bit more of it in the next few weeks.

I love my DVR...I had paused the game at 710p, but didn't get back to the game until I was off by 45min.  So I just watched it from there...hence the lack of PBP.  

I should have paused long enough to give Jobu some rum though, from the looks of things.  Geez!

Why, oh why did Beasley send Jack?  And how could they not score DY when he led off that inning with the HBP?

Nice plays by AMac and Vazquez, and V-2 pitched pretty well after the Lee HR.  

The Pirates lack a number 1 starter.  In order to make the playoffs, they will need a top of the rotation guy capable of being a consistent stopper every 5th turn.  While the pitching is improving, there is no one with number 1 material.

I get what you are saying leadoff, but the Cubs have no motivation to win from a money standpoint.  They put people in the stands, make lots of money from beer sales, and they are okay with saying "wait till next year".

Pirate fans are real and they care.  It's a much different feel...

"Wonder when the text at the top will will change to normal?"

JAL,  seems like it's an issue on Chucks end. I think  he needs to adjust the

text size by going to view and adjust the make text bigger option.

While you can know what would happened because every situation leads to different pitches and fielding positions, I think the big play of the inning was VV's failure to get a bunt down--one of the basics of the game--Then Wilson is on 2nd for Cutch's single--may have scored on that or been held at 3rd and then scored on the single by Sanchez.  Now youi have two on and Jones up so the inning would ended 2-2 or the Pirates may have scored more.

Wake

i agree there--no #1 starter--no one you expect to go out shut the other team down like Ohlie did last night.  Duke, Maholm, and Ohlie can shut a team down in a specific game but none of them do it consistently.

@JAL

Great point, I agree with you totally!

Macs

Last night is was much larger than normal when the thread first went up but soon changed back to normal.

"i agree there--no #1 starter--"

@ WAKE -JAL

              I think Morton and Lincoln have # 1 starter stuff but until they go out and demonstrate that you are both right.

I am sorry , I just read Ian Snell's comments and I have family and part of me doesnt beleive him, Its like if that was true, things like that dont go away in a weeks time..He should no way be on the mound, I am nobody to pass judgement on him but he really reminds me of MIKE TYSON, TERRELL OWENS, but far less talented, He is crying for sympathy, I just know if he contemplated suicide the Pirates should have him getting treatment or talking to a DR, I hate myself for doubting him but thats what type of fellow I think he is, he would go to this extreme to save face..I mean he had the audacity to say it was his decision to go down..Where was the suicide talk then, ..Again I hope I am wrong but this guy always does or says something with the intention of saying HEY DONT FORGET ABOUT ME....Hope I am wrong, but again SUICIDE is very serious and anyone having those thoughts needs real attention and not pitching in TRIPLE A...Just my take..

Read the Snell story--always said he has great stuff and wondered why he did not do better with it.  

Depression is rough.

Ian, battle through it.  A quality life is more important than a quality pitch.  

Well, the story on Ian is a good example of what pressure these guys are under to perform and the media attention and criticism hurts people who are emotional and sensitive.  Ian is a really nice guy, we've talked to him in spring training a good bit and he was always the clown and joker down there.  I really wish him well and hope this is going to help him get back to what he wants to be.

@daryl

I can honestly say the feelings you expressed crossed my mind more than once.  As you said, I hope we are both wrong.  

Get better Ian!  Remember it is still only a game.  

macs

They may have the stuff but, as you say, they have to show it. Just that right now there no one they can put on the mound who gives the feeling that just getting 2 runs gives you a great chance to win.  

JAL

i agree there--no #1 starter--no one you expect to go out shut the other team down like Ohlie did last night.  Duke, Maholm, and Ohlie can shut a team down in a specific game but none of them do it consistently.

_________________________________

I don't know anyone that does it consistently, would you call Santana a #1? Look at what is happening to him, the Yankees paid millions for CC and he is not a shut down pitcher.

These days all of them get hit.

with that I am out for night.. back tomorrow for what should be a lighter set of morning links

Good night to all and too all a good night

Just returned from watching Altoona play.  Not happy:

Alvarez and Hernandez not in the lineup.

Watched Danny (Daniel, according to the scoreboard) Moskos struggle.  In all fairness however, his support was crap:

His infielders treated the baseball like a live hand grenade.

Tabata had a couple hits, but ran the bases like a little leaguer.

The Altoona batting averages that were being thrown up on the scoreboard were Mendoza-esque.

And this is where the Pirates have stocked the talent of their future.  Oh well, it's only one game.

On a happier note.  I am off to see the Bucco's kick Met butt tomorrow!

If you click on the link to the Ian story there is also a video on the page, which is basically the reporting of the written story.

Part of the video is the last pitch of Ian's no hitter while he pitched for the Indians.  Everyone rushes to the mound to congratulate him. There is the giant Brad Eldred right next to the tiny Nate McClouth.

I'm out for the night.  See you all later.

@leadoff

Not many do it consistently anymore but you are talking about the Yankees.  If Gorzo comes up today, goes 10-0 for the remainder of the year and is a free agent the Yankees go after him and probably give him 6 or 7 millions a year.  CC wasn't doing anything with Cleveland last year, did well with Milwaukee, and got a huge contract.  Granted, his overall reputation is better than Gorzo's, but it's still the Yankees.

Bucco

CC was lights out for the Brewers last year.

ON that I am out

Wow, dramatic ending in St. Louis and it doesn't even involve Pujols.

Rasmus walk off homer in the 10th for St. Louis.

"Tabata had a couple hits, but ran the bases like a little leaguer."

@WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR

Tabata is frustrating because he just looks like a professional hitter capable of being our #3 hitter but he performs some nights others not so much AAARRRRRGGGHHHHH

Well, the time has come to say "goodbye" to Pittsburgh. We've had us one whale of a time here, thanks to the good graces of a number of the bloggers who came together to meet me and Mrs. Bay all week long ... what a fraternity of Bucco-lovin' friends this has become for us ... there really are no words to express how AWESOME this trip was. We shove off at 5 a.m., next stop Memphis.

So, we went 3-3 while we were here ... and it helps me to understand, just a little what folks mean when they say .500 isn't the goal ... I didn't want 'em to lose any!

Tonight seemed a mirror image of night before last ... punchless offense leaving little margin of error for the pitchers. I haven't read anything yet tonight ... I guess my biggest question is: "With an already punchless offense, why rest Andy when we're playing a division foe ... he could've rested vs. the Mets."

The future, though, is getting brighter, I'm convinced. I hope Hanrahan turns out to be a good one for us ... really nice to see 95 mph in person! And I couldn't help but wonder what the result might have been had Beasley held up the out-by-a mile Jack just to see what Garrett could have done with the bases loaded.

OK ... How about a photo of me and Mrs. Bay at the park tonight ... Tonight was our 20th anniversary, thus the little finger message we're holding up.

community.post-gazette.com/.../PiratesGame6-012.jpg.aspx

Yesterday I was searching around for Nationals fan reaction to the trade on the Nationals web site and ESPN. Almost all the commentators were Pirates fans or just general fans. It was great to see the Pirates fans engaged even if some didn't realize that Littlefield is no longer the GM. The fan base in Washington must be almost non-existent or extremely apathetic. It suggests to me that the Pirates will get great support if they ever put a winning team on the field.

On a different note, I despise the Cubs because of their fans and especially the "homer" broadcasters. I've watched Cubs games since the early 70s and the announcers have almost always been that way. The only exception was when the Cubs sucked a few years ago under Dusty Baker. I could actually stand watching the Cubs because the announcers had some sense of reality. They have returned to being pathetic. I have no problem with the Cubs players though.

Macs,

Frustrating, I know, to maintain the patience and let them learn and develop.  Keep in mind that Tabata is only 20 years old.  He's still learning how to play the game.  

What a future this kid could have.  Keep the fingers crossed!