Frustration. Need two out of the next two. I said I would be unhappy with a split and I stand by it. The Pirates should have won this series.
Mellie’s recap.
A Pitt football primer.
First Pitch: 7:05 PM EST
Where To Watch: Root Sport, MLB.TV, CSN
Raul Valdes, LHP (34)
Late last night the Phillies finally announced a starting pitcher for today’s game– Raul Valdes.
Valdes has one big league start, which came in 2010 with the Mets.
He has been having a fine year out of the bullpen, which is pretty rare for a Phillies reliever.
| Age | Tm | W | L | G | GS | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | NYM | 3 | 3 | 4.91 | 38 | 1 | 58.2 | 59 | 33 | 32 | 7 | 27 | 56 | 80 | 1.466 | 9.1 | 1.1 | 4.1 | 8.6 | 2.07 |
| 33 | TOT | 0 | 1 | 3.00 | 13 | 0 | 12.0 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 15 | 144 | 1.667 | 10.5 | 0.8 | 4.5 | 11.3 | 2.50 |
| 33 | STL | 0 | 1 | 3.38 | 7 | 0 | 5.1 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 118 | 1.875 | 10.1 | 0.0 | 6.8 | 11.8 | 1.75 |
| 33 | NYY | 0 | 0 | 2.70 | 6 | 0 | 6.2 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 169 | 1.500 | 10.8 | 1.4 | 2.7 | 10.8 | 4.00 |
| 34 | PHI | 2 | 0 | 1.84 | 12 | 0 | 14.2 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 219 | 0.614 | 4.9 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 10.4 | 17.00 |
| 3 Yrs | 5 | 4 | 4.11 | 63 | 1 | 85.1 | 81 | 40 | 39 | 9 | 34 | 88 | 97 | 1.348 | 8.5 | 0.9 | 3.6 | 9.3 | 2.59 | |
| NYM (1 yr) | 3 | 3 | 4.91 | 38 | 1 | 58.2 | 59 | 33 | 32 | 7 | 27 | 56 | 80 | 1.466 | 9.1 | 1.1 | 4.1 | 8.6 | 2.07 | |
| PHI (1 yr) | 2 | 0 | 1.84 | 12 | 0 | 14.2 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 219 | 0.614 | 4.9 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 10.4 | 17.00 | |
| STL (1 yr) | 0 | 1 | 3.38 | 7 | 0 | 5.1 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 118 | 1.875 | 10.1 | 0.0 | 6.8 | 11.8 | 1.75 | |
| NYY (1 yr) | 0 | 0 | 2.70 | 6 | 0 | 6.2 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 169 | 1.500 | 10.8 | 1.4 | 2.7 | 10.8 | 4.00 | |
| NL (3 yrs) | 5 | 4 | 4.23 | 57 | 1 | 78.2 | 73 | 38 | 37 | 8 | 32 | 80 | 93 | 1.335 | 8.4 | 0.9 | 3.7 | 9.2 | 2.50 | |
| AL (1 yr) | 0 | 0 | 2.70 | 6 | 0 | 6.2 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 169 | 1.500 | 10.8 | 1.4 | 2.7 | 10.8 | 4.00 | |
Check out those ages. Holy late bloomer!
Oddly enough he was demoted a few weeks back to add a righty to the pen.
Valdes didn’t make a start at AAA Lehigh Valley but he did strike out 36 batters in 27.0 innings. Amazingly he only walked two batters.
Still it seems like an unlikely start. One big league start, no more than seven starts since he was converted to a full time bullpen arm in 2007.
Another game the Pirates shouldn’t let slip away.
The last, and only, time he faced the Pirates was in 2010. Things didn’t go so well for him.
| W | L | G | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 21.60 | 1 | 1.2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.000 | 0.0 | 0.00 |
Yeah. He got the win.
| PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jose Tabata | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Pedro Alvarez | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 3.000 | 4.000 |
| Clint Barmes | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Garrett Jones | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 2.000 |
| Andrew McCutchen | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 2.000 |
| Casey McGehee | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | |||
| Neil Walker | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Total | 8 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | .500 | .500 | .833 | 1.333 |
James McDonald, RHP (27)
The man who should be an All-Star but probably won’t, James McDonald was pretty good in the first outing against the Phillies, though he didn’t get himself a win. The Pirates DID grab themselves a victory though, so that should be celebrated.
| Date | Opp | Rslt | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | Pit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 8 | PHI | W,5-4 | 6.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3.00 | 82 | |
| Apr 13 | SFG | L,0-5 | L(0-1) | 5.2 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3.86 | 88 |
| Apr 18 | ARI | W,2-1 | 4.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3.45 | 79 | |
| Apr 25(1) | COL | L,1-2 | 7.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 2.78 | 101 | |
| Apr 30 | ATL | W,9-3 | W(1-1) | 7.2 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 2.97 | 114 |
| May | Opp | Rslt | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | Pit | |
| May 5 | CIN | W,3-2 | W(2-1) | 6.1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 2.70 | 99 |
| May 11 | HOU | L,0-1 | L(2-2) | 8.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 2.42 | 107 |
| May 17 | WSN | W,5-3 | W(3-2) | 5.2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 2.68 | 86 |
| May 22 | NYM | L,2-3 | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 2.51 | 104 | |
| May 28 | CIN | W,4-1 | W(4-2) | 8.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2.20 | 103 |
| June | Opp | Rslt | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | Pit | |
| Jun 3 | MIL | W,6-5 | W(5-2) | 6.0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 2.14 | 100 |
| Jun 9 | KCR | W,5-3 | 4.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2.39 | 76 | |
| Jun 15 | CLE | L,0-2 | L(5-3) | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2.32 | 101 |
| Jun 21 | MIN | W,9-1 | W(6-3) | 9.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2.19 | 122 |
| 90.1 | 62 | 24 | 22 | 24 | 83 | 4 | 2.19 |
As you can see, five quality starts in his last six games. Needs to be at the All-Star Game. And not just as a fan, as a player.
We can’t forget though, this is a man whom the Phillies lit up last season.
| W | L | G | GS | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 2 | 8.00 | 2 | 2 | 9.0 | 13 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 2.222 | 8.0 | 1.14 |
It is a new season, and a new James McDonald though, so I am just going to go with him moving past that.
Soooooo all J-Mac has to do is get his first win against the Phillies. Something long, maybe seven, maybe eight would do.
| W | L | G | GS | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 2 | 5.51 | 5 | 3 | 16.1 | 17 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 11 | 11 | 1.714 | 6.1 | 1.00 |
Hunter Pence destroys this guy. Too bad he isn’t a Bucco, huh?
| PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter Pence | 14 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | .538 | .571 | .923 | 1.495 |
| Shane Victorino | 12 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .400 | .455 | .400 | .855 |
| Carlos Ruiz | 10 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .143 | .333 | .143 | .476 |
| Jimmy Rollins | 9 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .222 | .222 | .556 | .778 |
| Placido Polanco | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | .167 | .000 | .167 |
| Ty Wigginton | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .200 | .200 | .200 | .400 |
| Cliff Lee | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .667 | .667 | .667 | 1.333 |
| Juan Pierre | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .333 | .333 | .667 |
| Jim Thome | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Vance Worley | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Total | 67 | 60 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 11 | .300 | .354 | .433 | .787 |
