DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
Getting ready for the first pitch …
Game: Pirates (75-69) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (67-77), 7:05 p.m., Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia
Pitchers: RHP Vance Worley (6-4, 3.05) vs. RHP Jerome Williams (5-5, 5.34)
TV, radio: Root Sports, 93.7 The Fan
Online: Live box score / Multimedia / Official media notes
UPDATE 5:25 p.m.: Pedro Alvarez is out 4-6 weeks with a stress reaction in the fourth metatarsal in his left foot, the Pirates just announced. That, essentially, puts him out for the rest of the season.
Pirates Lineup:
1. Josh Harrison (R) 3B
2. Starling Marte (R) LF
3. Andrew McCutchen (R) CF
4. Neil Walker (S) 2B
5. Russell Martin (R) C
6. Travis Snider (L) RF
7. Gaby Sanchez (R) 1B
8. Jordy Mercer (R) SS
9. Vance Worley (R) P
Phillies Lineup:
1. Ben Revere (L) CF
2. Grady Sizemore (L) RF
3. Chase Utley (L) 2B
4. Ryan Howard (L) 1B
5. Domonic Brown (L) LF
6. Cody Asche (L) 3B
7. Wil Nieves (R) C
8. Freddy Galvis (S) SS
9. Jerome Williams (R) P
Is that THE Jerome Williams?
It is, Lucky. I believe he has pitched well for the Phils in his limited amount of starts. I thought there was a graphic last night on ROOT that had him at 3-0 with a very low ERA. Don’t quote me, but I think that is what I saw.
Mercy.
Anyone know what Colin Dunlap has tweeted regarding Pedro?
Is this what you are referring to?
Colin Dunlap @colin_dunlap 2h
Pedro Alvarez situation strange. Just heard from another person he feels he’s medically ready to play, club says he’s not. Messy situation.
Sounds like another one to chalk up to Colin Dunlap being Colin Dunlap.
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Why would the club push him into the 1B role, see him have success in a limited time before getting injured, then choose to bench him in favor of Gaby Sanchez vs RHP?
I mean, I suppose he just may really want to play while the doctors feel he shouldn’t. That happens with guys all the time.
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But hardly what I’d call “messy” and the connotation that implies.
per DK on Twitter:
Pedro Alvarez diagnosed with stress reaction in fourth metatarsal in left foot, out 4-6 weeks. Essentially done for season.
IF true, and with colin that’s a huge IF, this smells like a Boras-orchestration. Player proves he’s a gamer (trying not to snicker) and protests the team / doctor decision… helps his future value, I s’pose.
Metatarsal my arsal
Not for nothing but it’d be great if the Pirates come out showing a little more interest in actually playing baseball this time around as opposed to last night.
Glove…check.
Hat…check.
Head screwed on…?
Mercy.
The Pirates’ 18-game splits after 144 games are: 8-10, 8-10, 9-9, 10-8, 12-6, 10-8, 7-11, and 11-7. 18 games to go. Because their best stretch has been 12-6, perhaps 87 wins (current 75 + 12) is the best we can hope for.
87 might not get us a home game unless SF stumbles a bit, Tom. But, it’s possible.
Giants and Dodgers still have 6 remaining against each other
I hope LAD beats up on SF pretty badly in those games. We definitely don’t want a potential 1-game playoff vs, Kershaw in LA. Of course, a team fighting for the division may not get to save their ace for the WC game.
Jim, I wasn’t predicting anything about a home game, just suggesting a likely number of wins. As an investment company’s radio commercial said, “past performance is not a guarantee of future results, but it does say something about how we conduct our business.”
I hear you, Tom. I wasn’t suggesting you were doing anything but providing the raw data.
I agree with you by the way, Jim. 87 wins means the second wild card at best. On the bright side, the Pirates won 3 of 4 against LA there earlier, and 2 of 3 at SF. The game they lost at SF was the game they “walked” their way into a double play.
Why Gaby against a RHP instead of Ike?
Just shows you how BAD Ike is against anyone…
Agree. This is a good decision.
Interesting statistical/magical analysis of MLB defensive shifts. It appears on the last page of today’s Wall Street J. Among many conclusions, including that they have sort of worked, was the claim that the Pirates shifts have actually cost them 2 hits this season.
18 games left —— 4 down in loss column
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If Cards go 8 – 9 in their last 17, Buccos must play 13 – 5 to tie for division.
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Time the Pirates finally win 5 or more in row.
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“Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.” Time to put up or shut up. You can do it!
LETS GO BUCS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Doing a little research on Pedro’s injury. Brook Lopez, the Brooklyn Nets forward, has had 4 operations in 3 years for similar problems.
Let’s go Bucs! I want to get to the playoffs again!
Ya we don’t need this Martin guy.
Nice start. S for PA, addition by subtraction.
Hustle Martin for President! Who’s with me?
Pretty anemic effort so far. Looks a lot like last night in fact.
Plus, Worley is all over the place. The 2nd time through the order could be a dangerous proposition.
This game is starting to have a familiar, and uncomfortable feel . . .
Losing Pedro reminds me of losing Dupuis and some of the late season injuries the Steelers had recently
Vance Worley is a ticking time bomb.
But he is one of our only hopes
Biz,
If Gerrit Cole can’t start every game in the playoffs, their stay will be a mere cameo. If they get there at all.
Yup, and I will not start about the 2015 staff till this year is toast
Deal. I’ll be right there with you.
Ka Boom.
Sigh
“Pitchers have hurt the Pirates” says JW in serious understatement.
Crap, if this keeps up, I may be forced to watch , ugh, politics
Just a little inside the parker to brighten things!
My favorite baseball play,so rare.
This guy pitches like Livan Hernandez in his later years
All of a sudden, like Livan in his very late years!
Yeah, and he hits too.
That was pretty awesome. And so was that. I love mid post homers.
Hi, Neal, could you re-sign Russ, please? Please?! PLEASE!?
Well, you know we are a small market club. I wish Neal wore his Pinocchio nose.
And Gabby does his best Ike impression.
I’m not sure any team has ever seen two players in Ike and Gaby who have whiffed crucially so many times while also providing so many important clutch hits. There is no in-between with them. Every other at-bat is an out.
Perhaps the fact they share the position exaggerates the failures? At least Gabby just goes to the bench with little histrionics.
This club has character
Too bad it doesn’t have a FO with the same
Well said.
I think I broke, almost, my promise to not rag on the FO this season
Yes. Still nobody out, 2 in, 2 on. Keep it going. Never enough.
And they never seem to give up
That’s 6 LOB for Neil tonight. Happy Birthday.
If you think there is any doubt about Dejan making this work, we have one thread up on the game, and one thread up on the NFL. Brilliant. And all for 5 cents a day
Every time we say things like 5 cents a day i feel like Dejan is a starving kid in africa. Where’s Susanne Summers?
Imagine…the cost of a loaf of bread in 1950 can help save a Lunatic.
Brandie found suzanne summers.
Sally Struthers…you have your ’70’s blondes confused.
KIds were selling Kool Aid in the neighborhood for a quarter
No my message is pass this site on
You pretty much have the best columnist in the USA, talking to you for peanuts
How about old Pete LaFramboise. Loved him with the Pens.
Crap, I remember that name
Brown doesn’t know his strawberry from a raspberry,
Even phils radio is talking about Martin’s importance to the team.
All you baseball pros, Cutch’s inside park homerun, how often does that happen???
About as often as Roger Goodell tells the truth.
Correction, the ITPHR actually happened.
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Still waiting on Goodell to tell the truth.
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Not often Jandy, and it was sweet to see
I was so excited, hubby was howling at me lol
You both have chosen wisely
I hope you know what I mean, and am sure you do
Sure do
TY
Jandy, if there’s any doubt you could always check with DJ.
why would there be any doubt, Monster Mash?
Oh i know…just giving DJ props for putting up that indiana jones clip
Ahhh ok…gotcha
we have our new bridge bullpen guys to get to Watson and Melancon…LaFromboise (can spell it if I think LA FROM BOISE) and Holdzcum look good enough to me to lighten the load on Messrs. Wilson and Hughes.
As to Goodell, any and all media interviews from now on, should there be any, should entirely consist of: “Mr Goodell, is or is not ignorance a valid defense”. Just keep asking that over and over and over.
Chris, go see Dejan post on RG
Dustin Pedroia is out for the season, he needs hand surgery. The Red Sox come in next week.
Checking in late. Was following on my phone. So far, so good with the pen. Saving Vanimal’s butt tonight.
Braves won, Cards lost, Brewers up a pair in the 7th. Hey, they had to win eventually!
Correction – Marlins cut that lead to 2-1.
The Bucs may not all be hitting well in the clutch, but with another 13 tonight, they sure are hitting. Like a bunch of college jocks at a sorority party.
They are OBP’ing their way to near the top of the league in runs scored, War. They draw a lot of walks and hit a decent number of HRs. If the situational hitting improves the rest of the way, they can finish very strong.
If you look at the starting line-ups for the Pirates and the Cardinals, the match-ups are pretty close, Jim. Do not expect St. Louis to fold like the Reds and Brewers. Molina is back and they have seven strong, reliable hitters to start. The only place we are weak is 1B.
But, their advantage over the Bucs is in pitching, I think. Mainly relief pitching, right? We’ve outscored the Cards by a lot of runs, even though we’ve wasted a lot of big scoring chances all yr.
Ben Revere is not exactly Paul Blair is he ?
A slump is coming. A slump is coming.
We need 6 outs
No, three
Two
One
Done
4 perfect innings for the bullpen.
woop woop!
RAISE THAT JOLLY ROGER! Bucs go for series win, and a winning road trip, tomorrow night with Mr. Liriano on the bump.
Brewers have that lead up to 4-1. So, it’s looking good for them – although K-Rod may have something to say about that later.