March 19, 2015
On the scene: Liz shows his (other) stuff 33
Corey Hart homered and singled Thursday against the Orioles in Sarasota, Fla. — GETTY
BY DEJAN KOVACEVIC
SARASOTA, Fla. — Sights, sounds and the scene at Ed Smith Stadium today …
• Radhames Liz got the start he’d been promised early in spring training, and he fared … eh, OK. He was charged with a run and two hits over his two innings of the 6-4 loss to the Orioles, with a strikeout, a walk and 18 strikes among his 27 pitches.
I’d considered this day a pretty big day in the spring context, in that Liz, a lifelong starter, might have at least begun a conversation about being used in that role in Pittsburgh, something management absolutely hasn’t ruled out. And with the current pickings at No. 5 starter and further depth issues, it would be huge if he made that push.
As it was, the performance came across as overly cautious. Ray Searage has advised Liz, who was crushing radar guns at 98 mph in the eighth inning of starts in the Dominican this past winter, sat at 94-95, elevated a bit when there, and was overly reliant on good but not great breaking stuff.
To his credit, he seemed to see it the same way …
Still and all, Liz hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2009, and his general calm — I’d hope that comes across in the video — has been an asset in moving through a spring training in which he’s been guaranteed a bullpen spot. He’s hardly disappointed.
• Corey Hart homered, a 1-1 fastball he drilled to left in leading off the sixth inning, and singled to go with two strikeouts in four at-bats. He’s catching up on his timing from a lacerated foot last month, and it’s paying off.
So is some crazy hard work. Between each at-bat, since he served as DH on this day, he was back in the clubhouse huffing and puffing through jumping rope, running in place and other agility drills.
You don’t get good by accident.
• Jordy Mercer went 3 for 3, all singles, which matched as many hits as he’d compiled in his first 23 spring at-bats. He also had a steal of second, which he pulled off despite Sean Rodriguez whiffing on a hit-and-run try. That’s significant only in that Mercer undoubtedly doesn’t want any part of a shortstop controversy, real or imagined, and in this case it would be imagined. Jung-Ho Kang has impressed the Pirates with his transition, but the job belongs to Mercer.
Mercer did, however, let an RBI single get by him in the first, that on a drawn-in infield but definitely a play a big-league shortstop should make.
It bears repeating he’s no finished product.
• Stolmy Pimentel, on the other hand, is finished, albeit in a different way. He’d have to be kept on the 40-man to make the team, and his latest dud — two runs, three hits, a home run, all in the eighth inning — further reinforces that he won’t.
Honestly, I’ve got no idea why he’s still here. They really don’t want him.
• This old stadium, once home to the White Sox, Reds and others in various incarnations, is among the best of the spring facilities for scouting purposes. You’ll invariably see more scouts here, guns raised, Hawaiian shirts untucked, straw hats lowered, than anywhere.
Among those today: Neal Huntington, who will sit and chart with the rest of them. He does it every time here, too. Kind of neat to watch.
There’s such pride in the baseball scouting fraternity, and this is like the badge of honor.
• Much, much more baseball in the Friday Insider that goes up at 12:01 a.m., including a strong lede item based on a talk today at the stadium with Frank Coonelly.
