Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Well, Golly
After taking the first three of five games against the Cardinals, the Pirates are again on top of the NL Central and also all of baseball, record-wise. Tomorrow is August 1. Even if they lose tonight, they'll still be in first on August 1. I think it's ok to relax a little bit waiting for the meteorite or the Asian Tiger mosquito swarms or whatever. This is a special season.
Still, the team makes me nervous constantly. Out of all of the regulars, there is only ONE guy I am happy about being up in a key situation: McCutchen. Even El Toro, despite leading the NL in homers, does not put me at ease with his .304 OBP. Pure power hitters tend to hit homers when the pitcher is in regular working mode, not when he is bearing down with the game on the line. That's my expert anecdotal opinion.
The Pirates have played around with so many combinations to get a decent lineup this year, there are only four guys who qualify for the batting race: Cutch, El Toro, Marte, and Martin. Marte has come back to earth from a great start and Martin is doing his usual boring, adequate thing.
The rest of the lineup's batting averages... ugh.
Gabby Sanchez (.240), Clint Barmes (.220), Travis Snider (.219), Neil Walker (.242), Jose Tabata (.253), Garret Jones (.253). Hits from these guys are like a super happy surprise every time. You find yourself hoping when they bad at the end of a game after going 0-4 or 0-3 so far, "This is their moment to hit the average!"
The team is 10th in OPS in the NL. And yet... wins.
Maybe it's that 3.02 TEAM ERA. Holy Toledo! Best in the majors by a long way. #1 in BA against and #1 in WHIP. Wowza. Leading the league in shutouts but only 1 complete game. This is a great way to call out the team effort it's been so far. And another mixing and matching going on means only two pitchers qualify for the ERA crown: Locke and Burnett. Poor AJ has a 4-7 record despite his sub-3.00 ERA. Three relievers have as many or more wins: Morris, Mazzaro, and Wilson.
Wins don't matter for pitchers when it is all said and done but the chances of an individual honor for a Pirate this year are pretty slim.
I have to give Hurdle and Searage credit. I may hate the stupid bunting and giving up outs which lowers are chances for hits even more, the roster management has been outstanding. Let's go Bucs!
(0) comments
Still, the team makes me nervous constantly. Out of all of the regulars, there is only ONE guy I am happy about being up in a key situation: McCutchen. Even El Toro, despite leading the NL in homers, does not put me at ease with his .304 OBP. Pure power hitters tend to hit homers when the pitcher is in regular working mode, not when he is bearing down with the game on the line. That's my expert anecdotal opinion.
The Pirates have played around with so many combinations to get a decent lineup this year, there are only four guys who qualify for the batting race: Cutch, El Toro, Marte, and Martin. Marte has come back to earth from a great start and Martin is doing his usual boring, adequate thing.
The rest of the lineup's batting averages... ugh.
Gabby Sanchez (.240), Clint Barmes (.220), Travis Snider (.219), Neil Walker (.242), Jose Tabata (.253), Garret Jones (.253). Hits from these guys are like a super happy surprise every time. You find yourself hoping when they bad at the end of a game after going 0-4 or 0-3 so far, "This is their moment to hit the average!"
The team is 10th in OPS in the NL. And yet... wins.
Maybe it's that 3.02 TEAM ERA. Holy Toledo! Best in the majors by a long way. #1 in BA against and #1 in WHIP. Wowza. Leading the league in shutouts but only 1 complete game. This is a great way to call out the team effort it's been so far. And another mixing and matching going on means only two pitchers qualify for the ERA crown: Locke and Burnett. Poor AJ has a 4-7 record despite his sub-3.00 ERA. Three relievers have as many or more wins: Morris, Mazzaro, and Wilson.
Wins don't matter for pitchers when it is all said and done but the chances of an individual honor for a Pirate this year are pretty slim.
I have to give Hurdle and Searage credit. I may hate the stupid bunting and giving up outs which lowers are chances for hits even more, the roster management has been outstanding. Let's go Bucs!
Monday, July 01, 2013
Halfway
I'm a nerd. So, it's exciting to me that last night at midnight we crossed both into the second half of the year and the second half of the Pirates magical season.
Nine wins in a row have vaulted the Bucs to the best record in baseball, the only team with 51 wins, currently 2 full games ahead of the Cardinals and 5.5 ahead of the Reds.
They have something like 4 straight sellouts, too, plus folks are coming out of the woodwork to talk baseball. I would like to think of myself not so much as a bandwagon fan, since I actually jumped on board fully before the season started, but well, I guess to some degree I am. I have not suffered along in caring about the last 21 years. In fact, at the beginning of that streak, I was glad, even though I was living here, then. In fact, I had a running bet with a friend for about 5 or 6 years that the streak would continue. That bet netted me my Beat Happening box set.
Now, I'm wondering about how I can get some playoff tickets. Last year at this time they were 7 games over .500. At the end of July, they were 15. They were only 9 over at the end of August and then a 7-21 September killed them.
Could that happen again? It doesn't *feel* like it, but I'm sure it didn't then either. They are already higher than they ever were last year. I hate the idea that as soon as people notice, then the bubble breaks, like Harvey the rabbit or something.
Still, right now, sneaking peeks at the score over a nice dinner, having my lovely wife crank her portable radio so we can listen to the game and having her root along, it's all great.
As great as Gaby Sanchez succeeding on his first stolen base of the season in the 14th inning last night to set up the winning run. They keep winning from unlikely places and deep resources. That's why I'm a believer this year.
(Except that as soon as I publish this, I'll have jinxed them, that is.)
(0) comments
Nine wins in a row have vaulted the Bucs to the best record in baseball, the only team with 51 wins, currently 2 full games ahead of the Cardinals and 5.5 ahead of the Reds.
They have something like 4 straight sellouts, too, plus folks are coming out of the woodwork to talk baseball. I would like to think of myself not so much as a bandwagon fan, since I actually jumped on board fully before the season started, but well, I guess to some degree I am. I have not suffered along in caring about the last 21 years. In fact, at the beginning of that streak, I was glad, even though I was living here, then. In fact, I had a running bet with a friend for about 5 or 6 years that the streak would continue. That bet netted me my Beat Happening box set.
Now, I'm wondering about how I can get some playoff tickets. Last year at this time they were 7 games over .500. At the end of July, they were 15. They were only 9 over at the end of August and then a 7-21 September killed them.
Could that happen again? It doesn't *feel* like it, but I'm sure it didn't then either. They are already higher than they ever were last year. I hate the idea that as soon as people notice, then the bubble breaks, like Harvey the rabbit or something.
Still, right now, sneaking peeks at the score over a nice dinner, having my lovely wife crank her portable radio so we can listen to the game and having her root along, it's all great.
As great as Gaby Sanchez succeeding on his first stolen base of the season in the 14th inning last night to set up the winning run. They keep winning from unlikely places and deep resources. That's why I'm a believer this year.
(Except that as soon as I publish this, I'll have jinxed them, that is.)
