Saturday, April 30, 2011
Evan Meek to the DL
Friday, April 29, 2011
Josh Harrison to the DL, Josh Rodriguez Returned
Harrison can play both second and third base and has pretty good speed. Since his minor league debut in 2008 he has hit for a .300 or better average every year. He has shown little power in his minor league career but was off to a great start thus far in his first year at AAA. He already has two homers this season, hitting only four all of last season and his .998 OPS this year is better than anything he has ever done at any one time at any level. His slash line of .375/.426/.571 is probably a bit unsustainable, but he has proven he can hit at every level and should get a look if not the end of this season then at some point next year.
Colin Dunlap of the Post Gazette is also tweeting that Rule V selection Josh Rodriguez was returned to the Cleveland Indians. This marks the second year in a row the Pirates have taken a position player in the Rule V only to return him early in the season. Nathan Adcock, whom was lost in the Rule V, is still with the Royals, but hasn't been doing so swiftly as of late.
Pirates vs. Rockies Preview (Series Nine)
After a .500 series at home which saw a scrub look like Cy Young, the bats go back to sleep, and the bullpen blow yet another magical start the Pirates are back on the road, this time to meet a team who was able to take three out of four from the Buccos at PNC Park earlier in the season.
A series win would be great from the road warriors. They need to prove that they can hang. They are slowly falling away from the .500 mark, kind of like a used car nickel and diming you to death.
The Rockies probable pitchers are Jason Hammel, Jhoulys Chacin, and Ubaldo Jimenez.
Jason Hammel (28), RHP
Hammel is off to a really good start. He only has four starts under his belt but he has won two games (2-1) and is currently sporting a pretty good 3.80 ERA. He has gone 6+ innings three games in a row now all of them quality starts, including a 6.2 inning one run performance against a Marlins team that really beat up on the Pirates his last time out.
Hammel actually didn’t have a great year last year for all the hype I’ve heard about him. His ERA was much closer to 5.00 than 4.00, 4.50 even. He gave up well over a hit an innings (10.2), and gave up close to a homer a game.
His lone appearance against the Pirates was a win, in which he had an exact quality start. Besides going six and giving up three runs he only struck out two, while walking the same. That was his lone career win (came at PNC) against the Pirates, his numbers overall are bad. He has three appearances (two starts) and only has 13.2 innings total. He has given up nine earned runs and twelve hits, including two homers (both of which came at PNC).
Jhoulys Chacin (23) RHP
Chacin is off to a great start this season. You may remember him from the first Pirates/ Rockies series. He went six innings giving up four earned on seven hits. Pretty unimpressive overall but he did end up getting the win against James McDonald. That was the second in what is three out of four starts with 6.0 or more innings, and the second win out of his three thus far. On April 15th Chacin pitched a complete game shutout against the Chicago Cubs, allowing just six hits, while striking out a season high seven batters. He followed that up with arguably his worst start of the season, a five inning loss to the Marlins. He got hit around pretty good by the Marlins allowing four runs on seven hits, and giving up two long balls. Chacin has thrown 95+ pitches in each of his four starts.
Chacin’s only other start against the Pirates came in 2009 where he lasted just 2.2 innings, giving up four earned on one hit. He managed to somehow walk six batters though. Pretty weird to think he gave up four earned runs on one hit with no homers allowed.
Ubaldo Jimenez (27), RHP
Jimenez was actually supposed to face the Pirates in the first series as well, but he was placed on the DL with a cuticle injury just before the start of the series. He has made three starts on the season and he has yet to notch a quality start. His two starts since coming off the disabled list were both only five innings although his most recent start saw him allow just one hit. He gave up three ones and walked four in that game, getting 7 k’s (a season high) to go along with his season high walk total. Over the course of his two games he has a 0-1 record with a 6.30 ERA. Even though he has only gone six innings at the most he has thrown 92+ pitches in every one of those starts.
Jimenez is coming off a fantastic year. He finished third in Cy Young voting, and made his first All Star appearance. Most people were waiting for him to have that really great year and he didn’t disappoint. After two consecutive seasons in which he won 12+ games, Jimenez improved again and won 19. Jimenez carried this rotation last year, posting a 2.88 ERA over the course of his team leading 33 starts. He also led the Rockies in IP, shutouts (2), complete games (4), HR against (tied at 10), Strike Outs (214), and WHIP (1.155). He also led the team in walks and HBP. Word is that a thumb injury has sapped his velocity, so much so that he had to throw a successful bullpen to even be able to go.
His first start this season was disappointing to say the least. He did last six innings, but he gave up two homers (equal to 20% homers allowed all last season), and five earned on seven hits. More surprising was the fact that he struck out only one.
In 2010, he faced the Pirates once. This start was typical Jimenez domination. Over the course of seven innings he struck out six while only allowing four hits and one run. He struck out a hair under 25% of Pirates batters last season.
The Pirates may be just what the doctor ordered for Jimenez as he has dominated them in five career starts. His 1.54 ERA is the best of his career against teams he has faced five + times, and his .971 WHIP is his lowest against any team period. In 35 innings he has struck out 27 Pirates while walking just 12.
Player | vs. Hammel | vs. Chacin | vs. Jimenez | vs. Rockies |
Pedro Alvarez | .500/.667/2.000 | .500/.667/.500 | .000/.333/.000 | .220/.333/.366 |
Xavier Paul | .500/.500/.500 | .500/.667/.500 | NA | .333/.455/.444 |
Ronny Cedeno | .000/.500/.000 | .000/.250/.000 | .000/.000/.000 | .218/.262/.295 |
Matt Diaz | NA | NA | .286/.444/.714 | .333/.382/.492 |
Ryan Doumit | NA | .400/.400/.600 | .167/.167/.167 | .348/.386/.485 |
Garrett Jones | .000/.000/.000 | .000/.400/.000 | .286/.286/.429 | .260/.327/.600 |
Andrew McCutchen | .167/.167/.167 | .333/.600/.333 | .000/.250/.000 | .258/.333/.439 |
Lyle Overbay | .000/.111/.000 | .333/.333/.667 | 1.000/1.000/2.000 | .263/.336/.407 |
Steve Pearce | NA | .000/.500/.000 | NA | .150/.240/.150 |
Brandon Wood | NA | .000/.500/.000 | NA | .200/.333/.800 |
Chris Snyder | .400/.500/.600 | .000/.667/.000 | .300/.462/.500 | .276/.372/.415 |
Jose Tabata | .500/.500/.500 | .500/.667/.500 | .333/.333/.333 | .356/.420/.556 |
Neil Walker | .000/.333/.000 | .333/.333/.333 | .000/.000/.000 | .302/.388/.465 |
The Pirates probable pitchers are Kevin Correia, Paul Maholm, and Charlie Morton.
Kevin Correia (30) RHP
Correia picked up the loss in his last outing, a pretty terrible one following his complete game. The Nats scattered 11 hits against Correia in just 4.2 innings, including two homers on their way to a 6-3 victory over the home team. Correia was charged with five earned. He now has been hit with two losses in his last three games. Still he has been pretty solid, but a nice effort would really reassure a lot of the lingering doubts, and questions of a fluky start.
Correia didn’t start against the Rockies, but he did pitch one innings of relief to give the bullpen some rest after that fourteen inning marathon game. He pitched one full inning, putting zeros up in every category.
He was bad against the Rockies last year, getting three starts. His three starts were his second most against any team last year and his 7.88 ERA was the highest amongst teams he pitched more than five innings against. His one start in Colorado saw him get hit up pretty good, seven hits over five innings, two of which were homers, and five runs plus a walk. He did have eight strikeouts though most of any road park except the strikeout kings in Arizona.
Correia is very familiar with the Rockies. He has more appearances (29) and second most starts (11) against the Rockies than against any other team. His 14 starts at Coors are his most at any visiting park. His numbers are pedestrian in general both against the Rockies (2-5, 4.94) and at Coors (1-3, 4.29). He is averaging about a homer every seven innings at Coors, but guys seem to give up a lot of homers up there.
Paul Maholm (28) LHP
Maholm is having a very inconsistent year. Sometimes he looks great, the sinker is working, and he is efficiently getting guys out. Other times guys are just killing his high 80’s junk and making him work as hard has you will see.
Maholm got the ball in the home opener against the Rockies and was not impressive. He allowed three earned, five total on six hits (including a homer) over just 5.2 innings. He was able to manage just one strikeout in the loss. Since then Maholm has pitched two great games. One was a seven inning loss in which he should have gotten the win, giving up just two runs and striking out six batters. Then he finally got his first win of the season in his fifth start, yet again going seven innings and giving up just two runs on four hits. This time he struck out eight batters. Sadly in between those two starts there was a putrid 3.2 inning effort in which Maholm couldn’t get anyone out. The Marlins knocked the ball around for seven hits and six runs.
Maholm has been bad historically against the Rockies. Somehow giving up 76 hits in 50 innings, and posting a 1-7 record and a 6.84 ERA in nine starts. He is also somehow worse at Coors field. His 7.53 ERA is the highest of any road venue where he has more than two starts and his 1-5 record leaves a lot to be desired. Although I guess it is positive that his lone win against the Rockies came on the road? His problem at Coors is the longball. He has given up five of his seven homers to the Rockies at Coors, not an unusual problem.
Charlie Morton (27) RHP
It’s still so hard to say Charlie Morton is for real isn’t it? Morton finally had his first rough outing two starts back against the Marlins, going just 5 innings and giving up six runs although striking out six. Everyone wanted to see how he would deal with the adversity, if he would let that get in his head, and if that was the beginning of the end. Well Mr. Electric Stuff came back, took that adversity, kicked it in the stomach and gave it a Stone Cold Stunner that even the Rock wasn’t talented enough to sell. He came back against the World Series Champions and went six solid innings, giving up just one run on four hits and striking out six for the second straight game. The bullpen blew this one again for him. And by again I mean the below writeup.
Morton’s first game against the Rockies this year was just great. Although his secondary numbers left a lot to be desired he went seven strong innings allowing just three runs (two earned) on four hits. Morton put his team in the position to win the game. Then the bullpen blew it. The bullpen has been doing this a bit, taking great starts and ruining them. The biggest enemy of the staff this year has been the bats and the bullpen. Who would have thought that going in?
Anyway Morton has only faced the Rockies twice now, not picking up a decision yet. He has a 3.00 ERA and is averaging six innings a start. His secondary numbers suck, but with the small sample size that can partially be attributed to his successful outing this year against the Rox. His only other start came in Colorado, where he pitched five innings of five hit ball, allowing just two runs and notching four k’s to two walks
Cameron Heyward It Is. Is This Really Surprising?
Now I'm not the biggest Ohio State fan (aka I hate Ohio State), but it's impossible to fault this pick. In the end they took the best player available who just happened to fill, what I and any others consider, a need.
The defensive line is getting old. Ziggy Hood showed great promise, especially towards the end of last season and Keisel was downright filthy, but Aaron Smith is getting old and is injured quite a bit. Even Keisel missed some time last year. Hampton is 33, Smith is 35, Hoke is 35, Keisel is 32, and Eason is 30. This is a pick that good teams make, it may not give us a full time starter right off the bat (although don't count Heyward out), but it gives us a probable stud for the next ten years.
The Steelers are clearly refreshing their front seven. Your core front seven now includes Heyward, Hood, Timmons, and Woodley. The Steelers defense is predicated on a strong front seven getting pressure on and/0r confusing the Quarterback.
Heyward is the typical solid, but not sexy Steelers draft pick. Penn State fans have seen what Heyward can do, and I can't imagine they aren't glad he is on the Steelers side, rather than having to play against him.
Heyward is the Pittsburgh kid, that does mean something in Pittsburgh. He is also by all accounts an outstanding teammate and a great presence in the locker room. Is work ethic is said to be unrivaled.
There wasn't a corner in the first round that the Steelers had a chance to get at 31 who would come in and replace a departed Ike Taylor. I would argue there probably wasn't one that would even unseat Gay or McFadden as the number two. Heyward won't be asked to start but if there is an injury, which isn't at all unlikely, Heyward will represent little drop-off in my opinion as opposed to any of the other positions we could have went with based solely on need.
If Starks is healthy he doesn't need replaced on the O-line. Besides the draft is more than one round. And another point Sean Kugler proved last year to really be able to coach some of these guys up. The Offensive Line is clearly still a weakness, but I think it moved forward last year. I wouldn't count out Kugler's ability to coach up a mid-round pick. Give Kugler a project and don't be surprised when he completes it.
So in closing the Steelers did what they usually do. Took a solid pick, that looks pretty unlikely to bust, and filled a non-glaring need for now and the future. Heyward will do exactly what he is told, will be a leader in the locker room, all while bringing a great bloodline and amazing talent (two things that can't be taught).
Thursday, April 28, 2011
John Bowker Designated for Assignment
Bowker came to the Pirates last season from the Giants in a deal involving Javier Lopez going to the Giants with Bowker and Joe Martinez coming to the Pirates. This will now close the book on yet another trade in which Huntington traded MLB talent for marginal (at best) MLB ready guys.
I don't really like the move personally. As I said when the claim was made they can option Pearce to AAA and keep them all. This is a poor allocation of resources for a team that isn't contending. Bowker was never really given much of a chance to perform in Pittsburgh but his power potential made him a threat off the bench.
I really dislike that it sounds like maybe they like Paul because he is a better pinch running option than Bowker, too. Either way it's probably nothing to get worked up about, I just think Bowker has a better chance of carving out a niche than Paul does.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Bryan Morris to the DL
Morris' DL stay can be terminated after five days, but most are saying he is probably closer to two weeks away.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
7 Things to Work On For Game 7
1. Move Kennedy to the Half Boards for PP1
Ok, so Kovalev hasn't turned out to be the shooting dynamo we all thought he would. He hasn't really lost his shot, he just isn't shooting enough. The half boards on the PP are essentially the best spot to get pucks to the net, and who better to do that than machine gun Kennedy. Kennedy has also scored just about every single one of his goals from that exact spot (including the only PP goal we have in the series) so it makes sense. Move Kovy down behind the net or something where he can do more passing.
2. More Physical in Front of Fleury
Nothing pisses any fan off more than to see your team give up an easy rebound goal after your goalie makes a good initial save. Usually, you fix this by telling your guys to make sure they box out their man from the net and allow the goalie to either clear it or cover it. This isn't really the problem for Pittsburgh. They are getting guys around Fleury to help, but then someone like Downie/Malone/Moore just bullies their way right through the D to slam an easy one home. Essentially we need all 6 d-men to be like Orpik and drive their man right into the side of the cage and physically prevent their opponent from even getting near the puck. That goes for you too, backchecking forwards.
3. Watch your Defense Pairings
The most important part (or at least one of them) of any home game has to be last change. This is big for any matchup competition, but especially huge when you have a weak 3rd defense pairing. Lovejoy and Niskanen should NEVER be out there against St Louis/Stamkos/Lecavalier, and hopefully that can be avoided with last change.
4. Match 3rd/4th Lines Against Scorers
This is another one that goes along with that strategic advantage of last change. Conventional wisdom says to play strength against strength, but I think the Pens have been more successful when they had the Talbot and Adams lines against Tampa's top unit. For every second that our grinders spend controlling the forecheck, that's one second that the Bolts' scorers weren't spending scoring, and multiple times they wasted entire shifts just trying to get the puck away from the Pens' 3/4 lines.
5. Don't Let Letang Carry the Puck on PP
Kris Letang has been a great defenseman all year long, and truly a threat on the PP, but it's time for a bit of a change. Letang is simply not disciplined enough to be successful against Tampa's frustrating 1-3-1, because he refuses to abandon his strategy of trying to bust into the zone by himself. Almost every single time the puck ends up sliding its way back down the ice at the hands of a Tampa forechecker, and the powerplay opportunity goes with it. Maybe if Letang promises to dump it in and allow the rest of the unit to set up, but otherwise I'd rather see Michalek or Martin carry it up the ice.
6. No More Drop Passes
This is another one that Letang does quite a bit, but it really applies to the entire team. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin can dazzle with the drop pass, but only because THEY KNOW HOW TO DO IT RIGHT. It's a very hard play to do correctly, and it is very easy to screw up if you're not 100% precise. It just seems counter-intuitive against a tough 1-3-1 zone team to give up any forward progress, especially if its on a home run attempt to act like Crosby or Malkin. Keep it simple on the passing.
7. Composure
This has really been the biggest shock from my standpoint. This team has been through just about everything imaginable this season, yet they still unravelled at key moments of games 5 and 6 and completely lost all composure. I always say that in Game 7 the 2nd goal is more important than the 1st, so the key is to keep focused and not allow yourself to get thrown off by that first goal.
That goes for the fans too. Try to keep yourselves together until game time, and there's no need to freak out unless A) the team falls behind by 2 or more or B) they are still trailing with less than 10 minutes to go. The chips are down let's bring it home.
Let's Go Pens
Pirates Claim Xavier Paul
He has excelled at AAA Albuquerque in the PCL a notorious hitter's league. Last season he did put up an impressive .325/.384/.579 line, including 33 extra base hits in just 228 at bats.
Paul will join an already somewhat crowded outfield due to the platoon situation. Personally I would think Pearce would be optioned to Triple A with the presence of Brandon Wood, who is probably the better glove at third anyway. Regardless of who goes a corresponding roster move will have to be made.
Jameson Taillon Debuts Tomorrow
The big story though is who he is going to be playing. Taillon will make his debut against Nationals affiliate the Hagerstown Suns. This is important because it pits all world prospect, and the pick directly before Taillon, Bryce Harper against Jameson Taillon. Harper is off to a great professional start, with an OPS of .922 in 16 games. Both his power numbers and on base numbers are high due to the fact that he has ten walks and six extra base hits (3 doubles, 3 homers) in just 62 PA over sixteen games.
So it'll be Baseball America's and the Nationals #1 Prospect against Baseball America's #11 prospect, and the Pirates #1.
Taillon will be on a strict pitch count so don't expect to see a complete game or anything like that. These two will be linked for years as the top two picks.
Pirates vs. Giants Preview (Series Eight)
Holy crap a series win at home! Paul Maholm throwing great and the bats at least showing up! A very good series for the 5,000 fans that were in attendance. If the Pirates can win another one maybe it will get the fans to the ballpark after the Pirates really crapped the bed in their first homestand. The Pirates record is currently 10-12, not much worse than the Giants record of 10-11.
The Pirates ended up 2-4 last season against the Giants with a run differential of -11. Matt Cain pitched in the Giants first loss, with Evan Meek picking up both the win and the blown save. Paul Maholm picked up the win in the second game, outpitching Todd Wellemeyer. Oddly enough Paul Maholm was the starter in the Pirates only two wins.
The Giants probable pitchers are Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, and RYAN VOGELSONG. It’s uncertain whether Vogelsong or Lincecum will go for the Giants, but I’ve heard Vogelsong, and quite frankly I’m hoping for it. Since the Giants don’t update their probable pitchers I’m just going with what I’ve heard.
The Pirates really lucked out with their pitching match-ups against the defending champions. Cain is a stud, but Bumgarner is struggling big time, and Vogelsong just stinks.
Matt Cain (26) RHP
It always surprises me to think of just how young this rotation is. Matt Cain is just one of those guys who seems like he’s been around forever. Obviously that’s due to the fact that his first Major League action came six years ago at the age of 20. Cain had a very nice season last year. He had 13 wins, and despite his 11 losses he had a solid 3.14 ERA. He struck out a pretty good amount of guys (7.1 SO/9) and that number was consistent with his career numbers (7.4) and he really kept the walks down (2.5 BB/9). That led to a fantastic WHIP of just 1.084.
So far this season his numbers have been pretty consistent, until his last start. His first three starts went 6, 7, and 6 innings. He gave up a total of three earned over that span, and fourteen hits. His last starts however was pretty bad. He threw 100 pitches to get through just 4.2 innings, giving up more runs in that game than his first three combined (6). His nine hits equalled the total of the previous two game combined and he gave up one homer, something he did once in his first three games. He did get his strikeouts this time out though, putting down six batters.
Cain had a quality start in his only game against the Pirates last season. He earned a no decision at home, going six and giving up three with a pretty ho hum performance. He allowed five hits, and walked two while only striking out three.
He has had some tough luck facing the Pirates. The ERA is good overall (3.72) and at PNC (3.98) but his record is just 1-2 in seven starts. Oddly enough all of his decisions came at during his three starts in PNC. He is giving up a pretty high H/9 of just under 9 by his standards, but at the same time he has struck out 20 Buccos in his 20 PNC innings. He has 20 strikeouts in 20.1 innings at PNC Park and only 11 strikeouts in 25 innings at AT&T, his home ballpark.
Madison Bumgarner (21) LHP
Well well the Pirates get to face the apparently rare left handed starting pitcher. Bumgarner is coming off a very good rookie season in which he went 7-6 with a 3.00 ERA in 18 starts. Bumgarner gave up his fair share of hits, but walked just about no one so the WHIP stayed a bit lower than most guys who give up a lot of hits. He also struck out a good number of batters. He was good enough to make the postseason roster for the Giants and won the clinching game of the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves. He was also used in the bullpen during the playoffs in a game against the Phillies in which he pitched two scoreless innings in the clinching game of the NLCS. During his lone world series start he pitched and eight inning gem. Shutting out the Rangers on just three hits. His ended the postseason with a 2-0 record, and an ERA of 2.18.
This year has been a horse of a different color though. Bumgarner has struggled big time. He has yet to collect a win this season and even worse has three losses in just four starts. He has been giving up hits galore, and walking guys at a very alarming rate. He only has 17.1 innings over four starts and has gone only 6+ innings once, a 6.2 inning effort in which he gave up four runs on eight hits en route to his only no decision of the season, a 6-5 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The former first rounder has never faced the Pirates, therefore he has never pitched at PNC Park. The only two Pirates batters he has faced are Chris Snyder (.000/.667/.000) and Matt Diaz (.333/.333/.333), so he will not be included in the chart below.
Ryan Vogelsong (33) RHP
The last time Pirates fans saw Mr. Vogelsong he was pitching in relief, badly, for the Buccos. Vogelsong hasn’t pitched in the majors until this season. His last stint with the Pirates ended in 2006 and he spent 2007 - 2010 in Japan playing for the Hanshin Tigers. In 2010 the Phillies and Angels both signed him to minor league deals but he was pretty unimpressive in their respective Triple A organizations in both a relief and starting role.
Most will remember that Vogelsong was actually acquired by the Pirates from the San Francisco Giants. The trade sent Jason Schmidt and John Vander Wal to the Giants for Vogelsong and Armando Rios. While the trade was pretty bad, really pretty hideous, and Schmidt went on to have the best career out of the bunch I don’t think it was the worst trade this team has made, maybe not even Top Ten. Still it was another in a long line of bad trades the Pirates engineered when they should have been getting good returns on good pitchers. After the trade Vogelsong nearly immediately went on the DL after Tommy John Surgery and it’s really unclear if he was ever the same because he just never showed he was that good. This year the Giants signed him to a minor league deal with a Spring invite and he failed to break camp with the team. An injury to Barry Zito led to the Giants purchasing his contract, though he has only relieved up until this point.
Vogelsong comes into this game with a career record of just 10-22 over 33 starts. He has 122 big league appearances so his days as a starter were pretty limited. There is nothing really great about his career. His ERA is 5.77, he gives up over a hit and inning, gives up about a homer per 9 and his SO/BB is just 1.42. He has basically been worse than a journeyman he has been terrible. The Pirates usually makes these guys look great. He has yet to give up a run in his two appearances but his inning total is just 4.2 innings so lets chalk that up to sample size.
The Kutztown University Alum has never faced the Pirates although his career numbers at PNC, like most ballparks, are terrible. 5-12 in 52 appearances (18 starts) with a 6.27 ERA. He has given up 172 hits in just 149.1 innings. Only Lyle Overbay (.125/.273/.125), Ronny Cedeno (.000/.500/.000), and Chris Snyder (.500/.500/.500) have faced him, so he won’t be included in the chart either.
Player | vs. Cain | vs. Giants |
Pedro Alvarez | NA | NA |
John Bowker | NA | NA |
Ronny Cedeno | .154/.154/.154 | .222/.279/.254 |
Matt Diaz | NA | .271/.343/.322 |
Ryan Doumit | .231/.286/.231 | .293/.305/.440 |
Garrett Jones | .333/.400/.444 | .239/.327/.522 |
Andrew McCutchen | .143/.400/.143 | .229/.315/.375 |
Lyle Overbay | .333/.333/.667 | .160/.259/.200 |
Steve Pearce | .000/.000/.000 | .200/.294/.400 |
Brandon Wood | NA | NA |
Chris Snyder | .182/.182/.545 | .201/.329/.358 |
Jose Tabata | NA | NA |
Neil Walker | NA | .400/.538/.600 |
The Pirates probable pitchers are Charlie Morton, James McDonald, and Jeff Karstens.
Charlie Morton (27) RHP
Well we knew it was going to eventually happen, and it did. Charlie Morton had his first bad start last time out against the Marlins. Some shaky defense, the arch-enemy of the extreme sinker-ball pitcher, and next thing you know four runs score on five hits. All with two outs. Morton gave up six runs overall, but there were some positives. He did throw his breaking stuff more instead of relying solely on the sinker, and his strikeout numbers (6) seem to show this. He still walked three, which is a pretty high number, but actually his second lowest of the four starts. His SO/BB of 2.00 last game was easily his best, but he gave up ten hits in just five innings.
If anything this is a great test to see if he has matured like many believe. A perfect situation to show us if he can deal with adversity, or if he’ll fold.
He’ll attempt to do it against a team that hit him pretty well in one start last season the Giants. San Fran hit him at a .333/.333/.792 slash line, scoring six runs in six innings on eight hits. Three of those eight hits left the yard.
Lifetime his numbers pretty quickly towards respectability. When 25% of your starts are that bad it kind of throws in a stick in the spokes in relation to the overall numbers with only four starts. Still to get down to a 3.96 ERA is pretty good. He is giving up just a shade under a hit an inning, and has allowed less runs in his other three games combined then his one bad game last season (5). Of the five homers he has allowed, three of them came in one game, and while he only struck out three in his terrible game he has a combined 17 in his other three, a rate almost triple that of his last outing. So there has been some success against the Giants.
James McDonald (26) RHP
If it’s me this start is make or break for James McDonald. You can not be somewhat in contention and just keep trotting him out there to get bombed. He is absolutely killing this rotation and the Pirates can’t afford to just keep dropping games in the hopes that McDonald will figure things out.
McDonald has not gotten any better as the season has worn on. His ERA escalated like this, 3.86, 5.56, 7.47, and finally his current 10.12. His innings pitched have gone from 6.2 to 4.1 finally to 3.0 in his last outing. Guys are just hitting his gopher balls everywhere, giving up two homers in each of his last two starts and a total of 25 hits in just 18.2 innings. McDonald is averaging 5.1 BF per inning. Way too many guys, and he is killing any rhythm the offense might achieve by being out there so long.
McDonald got beat up last year in his one start against the Giants, lasting 5.0 but giving up four runs on nine (!) hits including a homer. That was his only career start against the Giants, despite eight appearances. His career numbers are solid, but they come almost exclusively as a reliever. Still he has given up over a hit an inning taking out that bad start and in his nine innings of relief has allowed two earned runs and no homers.
Jeff Karstens (28) RHP
Jeff Karstens got things back on track last week, picking up his second win of the season, and first as a starter. Karstens, pitching on regular rest, was able to pitch a solid six innings. That’s basically all you can ask of Karstens. He gave up just two runs in his last start but gave up yet another homer. This is a problem with Karstens as he is a pretty heavy fly ball guy. He gave up six hits in his six innings and half of them were for extra bases, but the Nationals weren’t able to really make him pay for that. Still a pretty solid outing, and you can’t ask for a heck of a lot more from him given his role and history.
Karstens has only faced the Giants twice, and not at all last year. He has one start and an 0-1 record. His ERA of 9.00 isn’t very promising, but the sample size is certainly an issue. Tough to make a judgement on just 5.0 innings. His relief appearance was fine, two perfect innings in 2009, it was a 3.0 inning start in 2008 that killed him. Giving up eight runs (five earned) on six hits in just three innings will swing a small sample size extreme pretty easily.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Pirates vs. Nationals (Series Seven)
Swept again. It didn’t help that we faced what I, at least, consider two very good pitchers in Florida but the bats were absolutely dead. Still the starting pitching just didn’t show up and with the bats being frozen there isn’t much you can do. This team is going to be a rollercoaster, they are young. Pedro may have broken out of his slump this last game and that’s huge. Being able to move him back up in the order will be good for everyone. The Pirates really need to regroup at home though after their pathetic first homestand.
The Pirates were downright terrible last season against the pathetic Nationals. They were 1-5 against the type of team they really need to beat. The nationals outscored them by 18 runs, or about three runs a game. One of the “highlights” of last season was the Pirates getting some national coverage as they were the team that went against Stephen Strasburg in his Major League Debut. A game that would see the fireballer strikeout 14 and walk none en route to his 7 inning win against the Buccos. The only great offense in that game was Delwyn Young’s homer.
The Nationals probable starters are Livan Hernandez, Jason Marquis, and John Lannan
Livan Hernandez (36) RHP
I literally do not remember a time without Livan Hernandez. This guy made his debut in 1996, when I was just eleven years old. Hernandez is coming off a bit of a bounce back season. A season which saw him get ten wins for the first time since 2008, and a season that featured his lowest ERA (3.66) since his 3.60, 2004 season. He really kept the ball in the park too, his .7 HR/9 was his second best, and his best amongst seasons with twenty or more starts. If there was one cause for concern last year it was the high number of walks compared to strikeouts, although I wouldn’t call a 2.7 BB/9 absurd or anything, his 4.8 SO/9 was very low.
Hernandez is doing it again too. He is already 2-1 in his four starts and he is sporting a very nice 2.88 ERA. He has cut down on the walks thus far, but his SO/9 is nearly identical to last year. This is a guy that needs to get outs from his defense, but surprisingly his WHIP is on track to be the lowest of his career. It’s way too early to say that Livan Hernandez is going to have a career year, but the early signs have to be encouraging for the Nationals. The real question is will he be able to hold up at the age of 36? Only time will tell.
So far this year Hernandez has three quality starts in four games. His only non-quality start was a five inning start against the Marlins in which they hit him up for four earned and made him throw 97 pitches. His only loss this season came in his first start, a game which saw him give up just two earned over 6.1 innings. They would be the only two runs the Braves would score, but the bats failed Hernandez and the Nationals were shutout in what was a pretty good first start for Hernandez.
Overall Hernandez was pretty bad against the Pirates last season. In his two starts he threw just 10.1 innings, allowing an average of one run in each, and giving up 13 hits. He did strike out seven but he also walked four, not very good numbers against such a free swinging team. It wasn’t two bad starts though, the overwhelming majority of the damage came at PNC. He lasted just 4.1 innings but gave up eight hits, eight runs, one homer, and two of his four walks.
For someone who has been in the league as long as Hernandez, spending the majority of his time in the National League, I’m surprised he has only faced the Pirates 16 times. Chalk that up to never being in the same division I guess. He has really had mixed results though, going 5-5 with a 5.52 ERA. He has 93.0 innings, less than six innings per start on average, and has given up a whopping 117 hits over that span. Pirates have a .317/.365/.493 line lifetime against Hernandez. He has had little success in Pittsburgh. He was 0-1 in two starts at Three Rivers with a 17.05 ERA. His PNC numbers are substantially better, but not very good. He is 1-4 lifetime at PNC giving up a healthy .321/.357/.505 line at America’s Best Ballpark, and bringing along a 6.17 ERA.
Jason Marquis (32) RHP
Marquis is in his second season with the Nationals after an injury plagued 2010 season saw him make just 13, pretty bad, starts. Marquis spent the time between April 22 and August 8 on the disabled list with bone chips in his throwing elbow. He was good after coming off the DL though, at least better. When he went on the DL he was sporting a 20.52 ERA, after his DL trip he put up a 4.29 ERA, although he did pick up just two wins to six losses in his ten games. He wasn’t “good” but he was better.
So far so good this year for Marquis, he only has one win win in three starts and he is getting hit around to the tune of 10.1 per 9 but he isn’t walking guys, and his strikeout numbers are well above his average. This screams out unsustainable though. We’re talking about a veteran pitcher who has consistently sat in the 1.51 SO/BB range suddenly pitching at a smoking 5.00. I’d expect both his stirkeouts numbers and walk rates to come much closer together sooner, rather than later. Still he is pitching good, and no one can take that away from him.
He was able to make one start against the Pirates last year, a beauty at PNC Park, in which he pitched 6 innings of one run ball. The only run allowed came on a solo homer, and he didn’t walk a batter. He did pick up the road win though for the Nationals.
Marquis is extremely familiar with the Pirates spending time in the same division. He has appeared in 26 games against the Pirates taking the hill as starter in 22 of them and he has been very good. He is 11-6 against the Buccos with a solid, but unspectacular ERA of 3.57. The good news is no team has taken him deep or been hit by a pitch more than the Buccos. The bad news is that he pitches well at PNC. Of his eleven wins six of them came at PNC Park and his ERA is actually better there, coming in at 3.24. In fact of the 18 homers he has allowed to Pirates batter’s nine of them have come at PNC. His SO/BB is exactly the same at PNC too. He is clearly pretty neutral to pitching as the home or away pitcher against your Pirates.
John Lannan (26) LHP
Lannan was finally announced the probable pitcher for Sunday after what must have been a few days of debate. Riggleman seems to be turning into the next Dusty Baker in Washington, throwing the lefty who is coming off of two straight hundred plus pitch games on just three days rest. Gotta question that move when you consider it’s an April road game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Lannan was mediocre last season, a boring 8-8 record and a ho-hum 4.65 ERA highlight some equally mediocre secondary numbers, including a WHIP of 1.563, 11.0 H/9, and a 1.45 SO/BB.
Lannan is having a pretty good year, already having 2 wins in four starts with a 3.43 ERA. He is getting decent results in spite of some shaky peripherals though. He is giving up 10.1 H/9, and isn’t really striking out that many in relation to his walks (1.33). In fact he has only gone 6 innings once in his four starts, the other three going for 5.0 each. Problem is he has needed a lot of pitches to get through them. His last three starts saw him go 90 (in six innings) then 100 and 101 (both in five). He has only given up two runs in each of his last five but if he can’t get deeper in games, even with that many pitches thrown he is going to start to really tax this bullpen and have trouble picking up decisions. His season high thus far is four strikeouts, and he hasn’t struck out more batters than he has walked since his second start on April 7th.
The lefty picked up his only career win in two starts against the Buccos last year. He posted a 3.86 ERA overall against the Bucs, but his ERA at PNC Park was an outstanding 1.29. Out of 11.2 innings pitched against the Pirates last season seven of them came in his five hit, seven strikeout performance at PNC. The only run he allowed was a solo homer. His other start at home was pretty bad. It lasted just 4.2 innings and saw him give up four runs on ten hits.
For his career he is 1-3 in six starts, and his ERA is 4.67, much like his usual self. He does seems to strikeout the Bucs at a bit higher clip, but that is to be expected.
Player | vs. Hernandez | vs. Marquis | vs. Lannan | vs. Nationals |
Pedro Alvarez | .500/.667/1.000 | .333/.333/1.333 | .333/.333/.333 | .300/.417/.700 |
John Bowker | .400/.400/1.200 | .143/.143/.143 | NA | .152/.263/.333 |
Ronny Cedeno | .143/.333/.286 | .462/.533/.846 | .267/.267/.267 | .256/.272/.372 |
Matt Diaz | .167/.167/.167 | NA | .500/.560/.682 | .311/.377/.454 |
Ryan Doumit | .167/.167/.167 | .300/.391/.550 | .333/.333/.667 | .329/.363/.624 |
Garrett Jones | .400/.500/.800 | .000/.000/.000 | .100/.100/.100 | .250/.357/.361 |
Andrew McCutchen | .333/.333/.333 | .222/.273/.556 | .375/.545/.875 | .333/.391/.744 |
Lyle Overbay | .200/.273/.300 | .294/.368/.529 | NA | .307/.409/.573 |
Steve Pearce | NA | .333/.333/.333 | .667/.667/2.667 | .500/.600/1.125 |
Josh Rodriguez | NA | NA | NA | NA |
Chris Snyder | .375/.444/.375 | .200/.200/.200 | .111/.111/.222 | .206/.289/.353 |
Jose Tabata | .500/.500/.667 | .500/.667/.500 | .286/.286/.286 | .381/.435/.429 |
Neil Walker | .400/.500/.400 | .667/.667/1.000 | .429/.429/.571 | .346/.370/.423 |
The Pirates probable pitchers are Jeff Karstens, Kevin Correia, and Paul Maholm.
Jeff Karstens (28) RHP
With word that Ross Ohlendorf is probably another month away Jeff Karstens will get another turn in the rotation. Karstens was very good in the early going before hitting the “Great Wall of Karstens” and getting bombed in the fifth. He gave up five runs, including two homers, on eight hits. Those were the first runs Karstens allowed this season. Karstens is notorious for not being able to go deep into games, and the fact that a swingman who usually pitches out of the bullpen was going on eight days rest was an absolute recipe for disaster.
Karstens faced the Nats once last season, and went his maximum five innings. He was bombed though, giving up four runs on nine hits. Three of those hits made their way over the fence though which is a bit of a problem for Karstens who is a fly-ball pitcher.
Karstens has four appearances against the Nationals of which two were starts. The fact that he has just 13.2 innings isn’t encouraging considering he started twice and isn’t the type of pitcher who goes out there for one batter. He has given up a whopping 24 Hits in those innings and FIVE homers. He only has six strikeouts, and has three walks to go with them. Needless to say Jeff Karstens hasn’t been good at all against the Nationals.
Kevin Correia (30) RHP
Kevin Correia continues to prove the doubters wrong (this guy included), already out to a 3-1 record. His last start, which was thrown on four days rest, was a complete game gem that was just a ninth inning two run homer away from being a complete game shutout. He has gone at least six innings in every one of his starts, and the only non-complete game was one in which he ran into one rough inning after pitching five innings of no hit ball. There are still a lot of things to complain about with this staff, but Kevin Correia can’t be considered one of them as of right now.
Correia did not face the Nationals last season but he does have ten career appearances against them. Surprisingly of those ten appearances only three of them were starts. He has been solid though. He is 2-1 with a 2.32 ERA in 31.0 innings. Just fairly steady numbers, his WHIP is a steady 1.097, tops amongst teams he has faced 10 or more times.
Paul Maholm (28) LHP
Paul Maholm actually had the exact opposite start of his previous game his last time out. He started off pretty good, but rapidly went down hill. His last start was concerning because it marks the fourth time in ten starts, going back to last year, Maholm has gone 3.2 or less innings. Even worse is the fact that he has gone less than six innings in five of those ten starts.
Maholm has looked shaky all season though. He had trouble inducing ground balls in his first start but it didn’t hurt him. His second start he gave up three in just 5.2 innings, only striking out one. His third start was very nice and featured him rebound after a rocky start. His last start was by far the worst. Maholm threw 76 pitches to get through just 3.2 innings and gave up six runs on seven hits. He also walked three batters for the second game in a row.
One of those five starts I mentioned earlier was against the Washington Nationals. In Maholm’s only start against Washington last season he got bombed. Maholm needed 85 pitches to get through just 4.1 innings at PNC. The Nationals only managed one homer, but when you give up nine hits in so few innings it should come as little surprise that the Nationals were able to plate seven runs.
Maholm has never defeated the Nationals, although he has four losses in seven games. His 41.2 innings are just a shade under six, but the 56 hits he has allowed are well beyond the realms of reasonable. No non-division opponent has hit more homers off Maholm than the Nationals (10), and even the Astros and Cardinals don’t have that many. Of teams Maholm has faced five or more times his 6.26 ERA against the Nationals is his worst.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Pirates vs. Marlins Preview (Series Six)
It’s been 16 games so that’s roughly 10% of the season down. If you would have told me that the Pirates would have three starting pitchers with a sub-2.50 ERA, Jose Tabata would lead the team in homers, and the Buccos would be tied for most road wins in the league I would not have believed it.
The Buccos took three out of four from the Reds, having two pitchers (Morton and Correia) pitch complete games, but oddly give up ninth innings homers. With this series the Pirates are tied with every but the Astros for second, one game back from the Reds. The schedule stays very tough for the rest of the month, but theoretically should get a bit easier in May. If the Pirates get out of this month with a .500 record that has to be looked at as a big positive, regardless of what their record has been past years in April.
But no rest for the Buccos as they have to fly to Florida for yet another road series. Last year against the Marlins the Bucs were 2-6, but only a six run differential for the series. Nolasco and Johnson both got wins at PNC, while McDonald won the Pirates only home win against the Marlins, with Chan Ho Park picking up the win in Florida.
Tough draw for the Buccos as they get to face All-World Josh Johnson.
The Marlins probable pitchers are Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, and Chris Volstad.
Josh Johnson (27) RHP
Two time All-Star Josh Johnson will go first for the Marlins. Johnson is coming off his second consecutive All-Star appearance and a clear career year. Johnson’s W-L record doesn’t come close to telling the story. His eleven wins were third on the team but his ERA of 2.30 was second only to Felix Hernandez in all of MLB (first in the National League). Johnson placed fifth in NL Cy Young voting, due in large part to his low win totals, and a lack of innings pitched compared to the top four pitchers. This lack of innings was due to back pain. Johnson was the losing pitcher in Roy Halladay’s perfect game, a game in which the Marlins lost 1-0. Johnson was unreal when it came to keeping the ball in the park, giving up just seven homers in 183.2 innings.
As far as this year goes he is 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA. He has gone 6+ innings in all three of his starts and his last start was a 7.1 inning shutout of Atlanta which saw them get one hit. He also struck out nine in that game. The only real “blemish” was that he threw 109 pitches to get through seven.
I previously mentioned that Johnson beat the Pirates last year, but what I omitted was that he dominated them, striking out six and walking none in eight innings. The Bucs were able to manage two runs, on two uncharacteristic solo homers against the Ace, but not much else, collecting seven hits on their way to a 3-2 loss.
He has only faced the Buccos one other time in his career, going seven innings and allowing two runs and just four hits to in Florida.
Ricky Nolasco (28) RHP
Ricky Nolasco is kind of odd to me. He has been in the league for six years, but every year it seems like everyone thinks he will really break out. That’s not to say he’s very bad, but when I think Ricky Nolasco I think a guy that could take that next step. As of now though he just hasn’t been very successful, outside of his 2008 season. Still he has posted 13+ wins in his last three seasons. Last year he won 14 games in just 26 starts with a mediocre 4.51 ERA. He gave up a lot of hits, and a large number of homers, but what he didn’t do was walk a lot. In fact one thing about Nolasco is that he consistently doesn’t put guys on for free.
He has been pretty good in his three starts this year. His only real hiccup was his last start against Houston in which he gave up five runs in five innings, including two homers. He has given up a homer or more in each game he’s pitched so far. His first two starts were great though, a combined 15.0 innings (seven and eight innings respectively), with two earned runs in each.
As for last year against the Pirates, we only saw him once. That was enough though. Nolasco picked up the win in his only appearance pitching six innings of shutout ball, while allowing just five hits and striking out nine.
The Pirates have seen a good bit of Nolasco, he has appeared in eight games and started six. He has a 3-3 record against the Buccos with a very solid ERA of 2.11. Even though he tends to give up the long ball the Pirates have never hit a homer off him and have struck out 38 times in 42.2 innings.
Chris Volstad (24) RHP
Chris Volstad will take the mound for the Marlins. This start was supposed to be Javier Vazquez, but due to the rain out of Saturday Volstad will go.
Volstad is a veteran at this point, at the ripe old age of 24. The righty came up in 2008 as a 21 year old and has started 75 games since. Volstad has had pretty mixed results, his first year being his best by far. In spite of his 4.58 ERA and his 1.70 SO/BB last year he was able to win 12 games. He doesn’t strike out a ton of batters and walks a decent amount. He also gives up over a hit an inning.
He has been bad this year though. His first start was a five inning 95 pitch affair in which he only gave up one run but allowed four hits and four walks to just one strikeout. Of his 95 pitches only 49 went for strikes. His second start was worse. He gave up five runs on eight hits and two walks in 82 pitches in 4.2 innings of work en route to earning the loss.
He wasn’t terribly impressive last season against the Pirates although he did get a win to match his one loss in his two starts. His loss came at PNC Park, a game which saw Volstad pitch five innings and give up both five hits and five runs, lasting just 62 pitches. His win on the other hand came in his last start of the season, which saw him give up two runs over six innings at Landshark Stadium.
His only other game against the Buccos came on July 3rd 2009. He only lasted three innings giving up four earned and an uncharacteristic two homers on his way to the loss.
Player | vs. Johnson | vs. Nolasco | vs. Volstad | vs. Marlins |
Pedro Alvarez | .000/.000/.000 | .333/.333/.333 | .600/.600/.600 | .345/.345/.586 |
John Bowker | NA | NA | .333/.333/.333 | .294/.400/.294 |
Ronny Cedeno | NA | .000/.000/.000 | .000/.000/.000 | .236/.300/.418 |
Matt Diaz | .200/.500/.200 | .450/.500/.750 | 1.000/.1000/1.5000 | .376/.436/.642 |
Ryan Doumit | .333/.333/1.333 | .250/.333/.500 | .000/.000/.000 | .200/.241/.400 |
Garrett Jones | .000/.000/.000 | .333/.333/.333 | .000/.000/.000 | .139/.179/.278 |
Andrew McCutchen | .250/.250/1.000 | .333/.429/.333 | .250/.250/.250 | .295/.326/.545 |
Lyle Overbay | .250/.571/.250 | .000/.000/.000 | NA | .178/.310/.288 |
Steve Pearce | NA | .000/.000/.000 | NA | .000/.500/.000 |
Josh Rodriguez | NA | NA | NA | NA |
Chris Snyder | .200/.200/.200 | .154/.214/.231 | .333/.333/.883 | .262/.337/.536 |
Jose Tabata | .750/.750/1.750 | .667/.667/.667 | .333/.667/.333 | .310/.412/.345 |
Neil Walker | .000/.000/.000 | .000/.000/.000 | .400/.500/.800 | .214/.290/.286 |
The Pirates probable pitchers are Paul Maholm, Charlie Morton, and James McDonald.
Paul Maholm (28) LHP
Who would have thought going into this season that Paul Maholm would have a 2.33 ERA after three starts and have a record of 0-2? It’s been a pretty nice year for Maholm, thus far he has a career low in H/9 at 7.9, HR/9 at .5, BB/9 at 2.3, and WHIP at 1.138 (all excluding his six start year in 2005). He did have a bit of a hiccup in the early going his last time out, but really righted the ship and pitched a very strong seven innings of two run ball. In fact he only gave up four hits in a game that looked to be a disaster at first. His six strikeouts are his season high this year.
The Marlins hit Maholm well in his only appearance against them last year. Maholm would get the loss after giving up four runs in 5.2 innings on eight hits, including one homer at PNC Park. Those four runs would be enough for Florida as they went on to beat the Bucs 4-2.
Maholm is a lifetime 3-4 against the Marlins, getting a decision in every start. No non-division opponent has taken Maholm deep more than the Marlins (8). Not much difference between his home and road stats against the Marlins. Half his homers came in Florida, and so did nearly half his innings. Oddly even though his ERA is 4.34 and his record is 1-2 Marlins are only hitting him for a .194/.236/.373 line in Florida.
Charlie Morton (27) RHP
Charlie Morton continues his “electric start” against the Marlins. Morton has been on fire this season, his “electric stuff” translating into a 2-0 record with a grand ERA of just 1.64. Morton’s last outing was an absolute gem, as he went a complete game, losing the shutout on a solo shot in the ninth inning. It was also the first time this season he had more strikeouts than walks, a trend that he will need to continue if he is to have the success many of us know he can have. Some of his peripherals are pretty bad, but it’s early and a few good starts will bring them right in line.
Morton’s start against the Marlins last season was arguable one of his best starts of the year. Even though he got the loss he held the Marlins to two runs over six innings on just four hits. He only walked one batter and struck out a season high nine. In fact his nine strikeouts against the Marlins was more than any team not named the Cardinals. That includes teams that he has faced two and three times.
Even though he has faced the Marlins five times (2-2), this will be his first road start against them. He has a 4.00 ERA in his five starts, and has really kept their hitters in check. Marlins are batting to the tune of .170/.273/.330 against Morton lifetime, and Morton has allowed just 16 hits in his 27.0 innings.
James McDonald (26) RHP
James McDonald needs to right the ship, fast. He has been awful in the early going, and what many assumed to be a bright spot in the rotation has been arguably it’s weakest link. It’s time to put the Spring Training injuries past him and get it going. For the Pirates to be successful they can’t have guys like McDonald stinking it up so badly. His earned runs have increased three games in a row (2,5,6), his hits have increased three games in a row (4,6,9), his homers allowed has increased three games in a row (0,1,2), and his strikeouts have decreased three straight games (4,3,2). Obviously throwing 90 pitches in 4.1 innings is not going to get it done. I would have to assume Hurdle will have McDonald on a bit of a short leash, after he possibly left him in too long his last time out.
Hopefully the Marlins are the team to get him back on track. He pitched against the Marlins once last season getting the W at PNC Park after allowing just one run on three hits in seven solid innings of work. His only other appearance was out of the bullpen where he gave up one run in just .2 innings as a Dodger.