Update 4:10 p.m.: Jordy Mercer and the Pirates got some outstanding news today with the diagnosis that he has no ligament tear in his left knee. He was diagnosed as having a lower leg contusion — that’s a bruise — and a sprained medial collateral ligament.
Still, he was, indeed, placed on the 15-day disabled list, and utility infielder Brent Morel has been recalled from Class AAA Indianapolis. To clear space for Morel on the 40-man, first baseman/outfielder Corey Hart was moved to the 60-day DL.
I’ll know much more after the clubhouse session that begins at the bottom of the hour.
Pregame notes 5:03 p.m.: I asked Clint Hurdle if this Mercer news was about as upbeat as the Pirates could have hoped. “I think so,” he replied. “That’s the way we’ve looked at it. Of the two injuries, the contusion is already feeling better. And for the Grade 2 strain to be non-surgical … yeah, I actually think we probably caught a break.” … Josh Harrison is running sprints alone out here on Kauffman Stadium grass, mostly just to keep stable. “Physically and mentally,” he clarified. The left wrist is still heavily wrapped. … The rotation for the upcoming Nationals series will be “just the usual right in line,” Hurdle said, though he added he wasn’t certain of Francisco Liriano’s nagging neck. For now, Liriano remains set to start Thursday. … There’s no way I can walk into this ballpark without reminding the really longtime readers of the last time the Pirates were here. This was my not-exactly-sugarcoated coverage of what remains to this day the worst Major League Baseball game I’ve ever witnessed. Mentioned this to Hurdle, too. “Times have changed for both teams, and it’s good for the game,” he said. “This city lost a generation and needed to rebond, and that’s what we saw in Pittsburgh, too.”
Anyone interested in a minute and change with Morel?
No?
Well, here it is, anyway:
I could tell you about Charlie Morton and I discussing playing Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’ on the guitar, but you wouldn’t want to hear that, either.
8:10: First pitch from Ventura to Gregory Polanco, 86 degrees, clear.
8:14: Wow, really? This kid can pitch a little. Ventura freezes Andrew McCutchen with slow stuff, not at all a common sight. Has a presence about him.
8:18: Royals, 1-0, 1st. Mike Moutstakas slices a bouncer over third base for an RBI single, but he gets thrown out at second.
8:22: Jung Ho Kang, playing second base as a shortstop on the shift, lets a ball roll under his glove. The official scorer, insanely, rules it a base hit.
8:31: Pirates, 1-1, 2nd. Pedro Alvarez singles where a shortstop stood for a century and a half.
8:33: Pirates, 2-1, 2nd. Francisco Cervelli slaps the fourth consecutive hit to open this inning, and center fielder Lorenzo Cain’s boot allows a run rather than having bases loaded. Kid doesn’t have much of a presence anymore, I might add.
8:35: Pirates, 4-1, 2nd. Travis Ishikawa goes the other way with a two-run double off the top of the left-field wall.
9:04: At some point soon, the Royals are going to ask their shortstop to play shortstop. That’s three singles now right where the shortstop should be.
9:08: Bases loaded, nobody out for Alvarez. I’ve got strikeout in the pool.
9:09: I win.
9:10: Next, I had Cervelli with the lineout. I kid you not. I have witnesses. And Ishikawa is down for the comebacker to the mound. I swear.
9:12: Dang. So close. He struck out. It’s too bad, too, because that checkswing there had comebacker written all over it if only he’d made contact. Alas …
9:26: Pirates, 5-1, 4th. Cutch goes deep to left-center with an RBI double to score Polanco. Team’s fan base so elated that it gets bumped up to Marginally Suicidal on the emoticon scale.
9:36: Pirates, 5-2, 4th. These rundowns are a problem. Everything on the basepaths is a problem.
9:48: Pirates, 7-2, 5th. Ishikawa, looking like an actual baseball player for the first time since his arrival, goes oppo again and this time clears that fence. Two-run shot.
10:01:Pirates, 7-4, 5th. Kendrys Morales clangs a two-run blast off the right foul pole.
10:15: A.J. is visibly laboring but predictably battling.
10:17: And now he’s balking. And getting really mad at first base ump Gerry Davis for calling it. And needing Cervelli to rush out in a full sprint to keep it from escalating.
10:28: Pirates, 8-4, 7th. No idea why Eric Hosmer picked up that ball. None. But he did collect Alvarez’s slow roller down the first base line even as it appeared to be veering foul, and this with Starling Marte sprinting home from third. Weird night.
10:34: Pirates, 8-5, 7th. Moustakas drills a solo shot to right.
10:38: A.J.’s done. Right move by Hurdle. Pitcher doesn’t like it, I’m sure, but he’s been getting tattooed all night. Time for the Royals to see something/someone else.
10:43: Pirates, 8-6, 7th. Hosmer doubles into the right field corner, and Polanco makes a spectacle of it, so he’s now at third. That was Antonio Bastardo’s first batter. Quite the loud sound off the bat.
10:56: Cervelli left the game in the seventh inning due to discomfort in right wrist.
11:04: Pirates, 10-7, 8th. Neil Walker booms a two-run double into the right-field corner. Say what you will about other facets of the visitors’ evening, but they are winning.
11:40: Pirates win, 10-7, on Mark Melancon’s 28th consecutive save.
And if it pushes the club to acquire even a marginal infielder like Juan Uribe, it could easily end up actually working out for the better.
Jordy Mercer just isn't that good.
Milo Hamilton
7-20-2015, 4:34 pm
Not very good at all.
steelag70
7-20-2015, 4:38 pm
@NMR...great point about Uribe....or would they be better suited going after someone like Barmes and leave Kang at 3B??
NMR
7-20-2015, 4:46 pm
I'd buy that argument if and only if they wanted to go full-on run prevention and bench Alvarez in favor of Rodriguez, but Uribe(3B)/Kang(SS) almost certainly ends up being more valuable than Kang(3B)/Barmes(SS).
Throw Jim Johnson into the mix with Uribe while they're at it.
Milo Hamilton
7-20-2015, 4:50 pm
I like the Uribe idea. Plus, he can play first base.
steelag70
7-20-2015, 4:51 pm
All good points gentlemen.
cmat0829
7-20-2015, 5:26 pm
dont hit me but Bucs could do worse than Aramis Ramirez for the stetch run. His bat starting to come around, and could be a Derek Lee type of acquisition.
steelag70
7-20-2015, 5:53 pm
@cmat....I thought about that yesterday too.
Milo Hamilton
7-20-2015, 4:20 pm
Corey Hart to the 60 day DL to make room for Morel on the sainted 40 man. Hart will receive a gift selection from the Spiegel catalog and a handy dandy 1st edition of the DK on Pittsburgh Sports home game.
Who did you think they were going to bring up? My guess is that Morel and Rodriguez will play 3B for now. Morel may also get reps at 1B vs lefties I would guess.
Milo Hamilton
7-20-2015, 4:41 pm
A Flood of Talent Warning has been issued for the greater Kansas City area.
steelag70
7-20-2015, 4:42 pm
Cards to call up top prospect Stephen Piscotty to play at 1B with Reynolds...see if he can get it done there before making any outside acquisitions.
RF Gregory Polanco (L)
2B Neil Walker (S)
CF A. McCutchen (R)
LF Starling Marte (R)
SS Jung-Ho Kang (R)
DH Pedro Alvarez (L)
C mF. Cervelli (R)
1B Travis Ishikawa (L)
3B Sean Rodriguez (R
A first degree sprain is damage to only a few ligament fibres.
A second degree sprain is damage to a more extensive number of ligament fibres, but the ligament remains intact.
A third degree sprain is a complete rupture of the ligament. Because of the force involved in this injury other structures in the knee, such as the Meniscus (Cartilage) or the Anterior Cruciate Ligament can also be damaged.
BD
7-20-2015, 6:37 pm
Cmat. Right on the dot. My daughter had a grade 1 MCL sprain this spring. Painful injury. The biggest issue in coming back is lateral movement and stability in the knee especially at shortstop.
3ball
7-20-2015, 7:17 pm
so we don't know what degree it is so we are hoping for a 1st degree or partial tear.
cmat0829
7-20-2015, 7:40 pm
pretty sure it's not a grade 3 as that requires surgery. to me, 6 weeks would indicate grade 1, but not sure that it matters.
Rico
7-20-2015, 4:55 pm
They have to acquire someone now. There is no way they can go for a month and a half with Rodriguez and Morel at third and no real backup at short, not to mention no bats on the bench. Ugh doesn't even begin to describe their scandalous lack of depth.
Yeah even Mr Blue Sky here couldn't discern even the tiniest glimmer of light in this scenario! :)
bpn8pitt
7-20-2015, 8:21 pm
They really do need to make a move.
jedinite66
7-20-2015, 4:56 pm
The 8-9 spots are super concerning here. Who thinks that the Bucs can continue winning at a +.600 pace with the likes of Ishikawa, Rodriguez, and Morel, not to mention Errrrrdro, playing every day?? I don't. Time for Huntingdon and Company to step to the plate and right the ship. Make the team better NOW, and the team gets that much better when Jordy and Josh come back from their DL stints...... I'd be calling about Lind, Tulo, et. al. and asking about cost. I understand most wouldn't want to give up the farm (including me) but I say starting manning the phone lines!!!
pretty sure (and it's well-documented) NH is already working the phone lines and has been doing so. Just like every GM. I think to be realistic we need to scratch acquisition targets like TULO off the list, unless we want to just post 'wish lists' and not realistic and pragmatic approaches. I think someone like Uribe (or even Aramis Ramirez) who can man 3B now and then slide over to cover 1b vs.LHPs after JHay returns is much more pragmatic and something I can most certainly get on board with. I have also heard the Bucs interested in Zobrist which would make sense also as he'd have the same versatility.
Also, don't ignore the thinly veiled comments Hurdle made about Pedro the other day.... to me the message was clear... the manager wants a better option to play 1B, but until the he is stuck running him out there. Dont think Hurdle makes that comment without being in lock step with NH.
Robert
7-20-2015, 5:42 pm
Troy Tulowitzki and Clint Hurdle didn't get along. Not happening. Keep dreaming.
Carmen
7-20-2015, 7:05 pm
I would take playing .500 ball until we get Jhay and Jody back
cmat0829
7-20-2015, 7:42 pm
it wouldn't matter if Troy and Clint were BEST FRIENDS. That contract, combined with that injury history, combined with that recent lack of power and reduced range = NO THANKS. If the Pirates are EVER gonna spend that kind of money (and not sure if they will), it will be on starting pitching not SS.
steelag70
7-20-2015, 8:01 pm
Looks like their solution is Alan Hanson. They are moving him to 3B to get some accelerated reps there.
Bubba Banjo
7-20-2015, 5:12 pm
Is it December? The Buccos have suddenly become the Penguins!!! So many injuries that it's getting tough to field a team. Hoping for the best. Really hope guys step up. But I am looking in the mirror at the Wildcard race now not out the windshield at the division lead. Yoikes!!!
Sean Rodriguez has been a major disappointment. He is better than what he has showed. We bring up Morel who is a stiff because we have no one else. Our first base situation is so pathetic that it is just downright embarrassing. We have Ishikawa in there batting .050 because Alvarez shouldnt even have a uniform on as bad as he is.
Ben Zobrist seems like the guy to go out and get now. He has played every position but catcher during his career. He'd be like S-Rod with a bat. He can play SS (or 3B) for now until Jordy and/or JHay come back, and then maybe play some 1B, spell Polanco or Walker from time to time, etc. Switch hitter too.
News: Mets GM Sandy Alderson acknowledged he would overpay to acquire Zobrist, but he believes that Oakland GM Billy Beane has pulled the utility man off the trade table, the NY Post reports.
Rocco
7-20-2015, 5:35 pm
Morel? Really? That's the best we've got to bring up? Oh that's right, Jayson Nix is no longer in the system. Are we really this barren in the minors?
I'm sure that is just temporary...he is viewed as a 2B at the big league level...he doesn't have a great arm. So you want him learning 3B on the fly at the big league level?
JAL
7-20-2015, 6:57 pm
Indy lineup has him at 2b tonight
steelag70
7-20-2015, 7:59 pm
Looks like their plan is to move Hanson to 3B and get him some accelerated reps there. Kind of interesting considering that they moved him from SS because of a lack of arm strength.
Never have to wonder where you are at Kauffman Stadium, among sports' most striking settings. -- DEJAN KOVACEVIC
July 20, 2015
Final: Pirates 10, Royals 7
by Dejan Kovacevic • Game previews
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Looking ahead to first pitch …
Game: Pirates (53-38) vs. Kansas City Royals (55-35), 8:10 p.m., Kauffman Stadium
Pitchers: RHP A.J. Burnett (7-3, 2.11) vs. RHP Yordano Ventura (4-6, 4.73)
TV, radio: Root Sports, 93.7 The Fan
Online: Gameday / Multimedia / Media notes
Update 4:10 p.m.: Jordy Mercer and the Pirates got some outstanding news today with the diagnosis that he has no ligament tear in his left knee. He was diagnosed as having a lower leg contusion — that’s a bruise — and a sprained medial collateral ligament.
Still, he was, indeed, placed on the 15-day disabled list, and utility infielder Brent Morel has been recalled from Class AAA Indianapolis. To clear space for Morel on the 40-man, first baseman/outfielder Corey Hart was moved to the 60-day DL.
I’ll know much more after the clubhouse session that begins at the bottom of the hour.
Pregame notes 5:03 p.m.: I asked Clint Hurdle if this Mercer news was about as upbeat as the Pirates could have hoped. “I think so,” he replied. “That’s the way we’ve looked at it. Of the two injuries, the contusion is already feeling better. And for the Grade 2 strain to be non-surgical … yeah, I actually think we probably caught a break.” … Josh Harrison is running sprints alone out here on Kauffman Stadium grass, mostly just to keep stable. “Physically and mentally,” he clarified. The left wrist is still heavily wrapped. … The rotation for the upcoming Nationals series will be “just the usual right in line,” Hurdle said, though he added he wasn’t certain of Francisco Liriano’s nagging neck. For now, Liriano remains set to start Thursday. … There’s no way I can walk into this ballpark without reminding the really longtime readers of the last time the Pirates were here. This was my not-exactly-sugarcoated coverage of what remains to this day the worst Major League Baseball game I’ve ever witnessed. Mentioned this to Hurdle, too. “Times have changed for both teams, and it’s good for the game,” he said. “This city lost a generation and needed to rebond, and that’s what we saw in Pittsburgh, too.”
Anyone interested in a minute and change with Morel?
No?
Well, here it is, anyway:
I could tell you about Charlie Morton and I discussing playing Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’ on the guitar, but you wouldn’t want to hear that, either.
8:10: First pitch from Ventura to Gregory Polanco, 86 degrees, clear.
8:14: Wow, really? This kid can pitch a little. Ventura freezes Andrew McCutchen with slow stuff, not at all a common sight. Has a presence about him.
8:18: Royals, 1-0, 1st. Mike Moutstakas slices a bouncer over third base for an RBI single, but he gets thrown out at second.
8:22: Jung Ho Kang, playing second base as a shortstop on the shift, lets a ball roll under his glove. The official scorer, insanely, rules it a base hit.
8:31: Pirates, 1-1, 2nd. Pedro Alvarez singles where a shortstop stood for a century and a half.
8:33: Pirates, 2-1, 2nd. Francisco Cervelli slaps the fourth consecutive hit to open this inning, and center fielder Lorenzo Cain’s boot allows a run rather than having bases loaded. Kid doesn’t have much of a presence anymore, I might add.
8:35: Pirates, 4-1, 2nd. Travis Ishikawa goes the other way with a two-run double off the top of the left-field wall.
9:04: At some point soon, the Royals are going to ask their shortstop to play shortstop. That’s three singles now right where the shortstop should be.
9:08: Bases loaded, nobody out for Alvarez. I’ve got strikeout in the pool.
9:09: I win.
9:10: Next, I had Cervelli with the lineout. I kid you not. I have witnesses. And Ishikawa is down for the comebacker to the mound. I swear.
9:12: Dang. So close. He struck out. It’s too bad, too, because that checkswing there had comebacker written all over it if only he’d made contact. Alas …
9:26: Pirates, 5-1, 4th. Cutch goes deep to left-center with an RBI double to score Polanco. Team’s fan base so elated that it gets bumped up to Marginally Suicidal on the emoticon scale.
9:36: Pirates, 5-2, 4th. These rundowns are a problem. Everything on the basepaths is a problem.
9:48: Pirates, 7-2, 5th. Ishikawa, looking like an actual baseball player for the first time since his arrival, goes oppo again and this time clears that fence. Two-run shot.
10:01: Pirates, 7-4, 5th. Kendrys Morales clangs a two-run blast off the right foul pole.
10:15: A.J. is visibly laboring but predictably battling.
10:17: And now he’s balking. And getting really mad at first base ump Gerry Davis for calling it. And needing Cervelli to rush out in a full sprint to keep it from escalating.
10:28: Pirates, 8-4, 7th. No idea why Eric Hosmer picked up that ball. None. But he did collect Alvarez’s slow roller down the first base line even as it appeared to be veering foul, and this with Starling Marte sprinting home from third. Weird night.
10:34: Pirates, 8-5, 7th. Moustakas drills a solo shot to right.
10:38: A.J.’s done. Right move by Hurdle. Pitcher doesn’t like it, I’m sure, but he’s been getting tattooed all night. Time for the Royals to see something/someone else.
10:43: Pirates, 8-6, 7th. Hosmer doubles into the right field corner, and Polanco makes a spectacle of it, so he’s now at third. That was Antonio Bastardo’s first batter. Quite the loud sound off the bat.
10:44: Pirates, 8-7, 7th. RBI groundout. Bastardo’s done now, too.
10:56: Cervelli left the game in the seventh inning due to discomfort in right wrist.
11:04: Pirates, 10-7, 8th. Neil Walker booms a two-run double into the right-field corner. Say what you will about other facets of the visitors’ evening, but they are winning.
11:40: Pirates win, 10-7, on Mark Melancon’s 28th consecutive save.