2010 Pirates

[ChaseB]

Re: 2010 Pirates

I thought Lincoln looked OK... He was better than his line, but still struggled spotting his fastball at times and we rarely saw the hammer curve that he's known for. I saw a few really nice changeups, but he was pretty inconsistent with that as well.

I was glad to hear that Tabata's injury was only a cramp. I thought he played well last night.

Tabata apparently has a history of cramping -- man needs to stay hydrated.

Yeah, I thought Lincoln began to look better as the game went on. His fastball is a little flat and he gives up a lot of fly balls, which is not a good combination if your command is not on -- turns him into Daniel McCutchen basically.

I was impressed with how far along his changeup has come along, because when I had seen it in the minors it wasn't even an average pitch -- he changed the grip on it this year and that seems to have helped. His curve is sick but he didn't have great control of it besides the 5th. I assume he'll have a pretty rough time for the first month or two because he's struggled at each level in the same way.

[mjb2124]

Re: 2010 Pirates

What drives me nuts are the fans I hear saying "Strasburg looked much better than Lincoln. Why didn't Lincoln do that well?". Lincoln is talented, but it's going to take time as it does with the majority of pitchers. Strasburg is that rare pitcher that comes along once every many years...very few are like him. I know I don't have to say this to you guys, but it's just something that's on my nerves - even heard a guy at work say it today.

Makes me wonder if the Pirates should have held Lincoln's debut back a week so he didn't have to follow what Strasburg did. Easier said than done of course.

[MizzyMike05]

Re: 2010 Pirates

What drives me nuts are the fans I hear saying "Strasburg looked much better than Lincoln. Why didn't Lincoln do that well?". Lincoln is talented, but it's going to take time as it does with the majority of pitchers. Strasburg is that rare pitcher that comes along once every many years...very few are like him. I know I don't have to say this to you guys, but it's just something that's on my nerves - even heard a guy at work say it today.

Makes me wonder if the Pirates should have held Lincoln's debut back a week so he didn't have to follow what Strasburg did. Easier said than done of course.

Yeah i feel you dude. It definitely gets on my nerves too. It's just people that don't know what they're talking about. We all knew Brad Lincoln wasn't going to come up and have 14 K's, and it doesn't help when you have to follow up Mr. Strasburg. Pittsburgh seems to be a little fair-weathered when it comes to the Pirates if you know what I mean.

[M11x]

Re: 2010 Pirates

I don't think it will be long for an Alvarez promotion and it will probably be at a home game, maybe for revenue. I watched a couple random Indy games on television, most recently, this past week on MLB network. His third base defense, especially throws to first, seem suspect but his bat is described MLB ready. I think what's holding him back is the front office reluctance to move Andy to another position or to the bench; at least at the point of the Tabata and Lincoln promotion. Nine losses in ten games might change things. If the Bucs go with Tabata in left, Cutch in Center, Milledge in right and Jones at first, then Alvarez will have to play third. I can see him moving to first early in his career after watching his throws to first. Seriously, a couple throws seemed Knoblauch type; his throwing confidence looked shaky and he had an awkward release on a few throws.

[MizzyMike05]

Re: 2010 Pirates

I don't think it will be long for an Alvarez promotion and it will probably be at a home game, maybe for revenue. I watched a couple random Indy games on television, most recently, this past week on MLB network. His third base defense, especially throws to first, seem suspect but his bat is described MLB ready. I think what's holding him back is the front office reluctance to move Andy to another position or to the bench; at least at the point of the Tabata and Lincoln promotion. Nine losses in ten games might change things. If the Bucs go with Tabata in left, Cutch in Center, Milledge in right and Jones at first, then Alvarez will have to play third. I can see him moving to first early in his career after watching his throws to first. Seriously, a couple throws seemed Knoblauch type; his throwing confidence looked shaky and he had an awkward release on a few throws.

yes we are probably not too far away from an alvarez callup. his defense doesn't look too bad, but his throw to first does look a little suspect. i would rather have jones in RF, milledge on the bench, and alvarez at 1B personally.

[M11x]

Re: 2010 Pirates

It's official, Alvarez was called up after Indy's game on Tuesday. It's now going happen, the hitting and pitching are going to form into the perfect storm and..... mwahahahaha!

[MizzyMike05]

Re: 2010 Pirates

It's official, Alvarez was called up after Indy's game on Tuesday. It's now going happen, the hitting and pitching are going to form into the perfect storm and..... mwahahahaha!

lol i reallly hope so. i wish all the luck to mr. alvarez.

[mjb2124]

Re: 2010 Pirates

I can't figure out why they waited until the 2nd game of the home stand to call him up instead of calling him up for the first game.

Oh well... I'm glad he's up though. Actually adds a bit of interest to the season. Hopefully he does well because a lot of people are expecting a lot out of him. The poor guy has the weight of the franchise on his shoulders. If he struggles, some fans are going to freak out.

[BurghFan]

Re: 2010 Pirates

I love interleague games and all, but the Pirates can't seem to win an interleague game to save their butts. 6 errors tonight including 1 by Alvarez who was also 0-2 at the plate. Duke lasted 5 1/3 giving up 5 runs and fell to 3-8 on the season. They said on the news tonight that no Pirates starter has won since May 18th with Duke being that last starter to win a game.

[mjb2124]

Re: 2010 Pirates

Duke is terrible. I've been on his case for years saying that his approximately 80IP in 2005 were a fluke. At this point, he's nothing more than a batting practice pitcher. I've heard he's on the trade block, but who's going to want him? The Pirates would be lucky to get a bag of baseballs for him at this point.


Glad that Pedro's debut is out of the way. Hopefully he can relax and get down to business now.

[BurghFan]

Re: 2010 Pirates

I think Alvarez is trying to hard at the plate thus far. He needs to settle down, take his time and wait for a good pitch to hit rather than taking huge cuts at every pitch. Perhaps he's feeling a bit to much pressure being called the most highly touted prospect since Barry Bonds and expected to be the Pirates power hitter.

[ChaseB]

Re: 2010 Pirates

Duke is terrible. I've been on his case for years saying that his approximately 80IP in 2005 were a fluke. At this point, he's nothing more than a batting practice pitcher. I've heard he's on the trade block, but who's going to want him? The Pirates would be lucky to get a bag of baseballs for him at this point.


Glad that Pedro's debut is out of the way. Hopefully he can relax and get down to business now.

He's a fifth starter, but he's been very unlucky this year. The defense is worse than it was last year, and his HR/FB rate is higher than it should be. His xFIP/FIP are very close to his totals from last year.

[MizzyMike05]

Re: 2010 Pirates

pedro now has his first major league hit, and he did it in fashion with an RBI ground-rule double. good to see. karstens has been pretty solid and consistent as a starter. i think that he is proving that he deserves a spot in the rotation.

[mjb2124]

Re: 2010 Pirates

He's a fifth starter, but he's been very unlucky this year. The defense is worse than it was last year, and his HR/FB rate is higher than it should be. His xFIP/FIP are very close to his totals from last year.

That's my thought. He could possibly be a decent 5th starter...although I'm not sure I even want him as that. Looking at his stats, the only good looking year he's pitched is the 84.5 innings in 2005. Other than that, he's basically been hit hard and often. However, he has been healthy for the most part and does give the Pirates some innings.

Also color me unimpressed with his stuff. I don't see much of anything I like in his arsenal in terms of velocity and movement. If he weren't LH, he'd probably be hard pressed to reach the majors.

I will admit that I'm probably more critical of Duke than some as I've never been a huge fan of his. I even thought in 2005 that he was getting by with "smoke and mirrors" while many around here were proclaiming him to be the next great pitcher. If I'm not mistaken, that's the same year Felix Hernandez made his debut and I still recall many Pirate fans upset that Felix was getting most of the publicity. There was a reason for that IMO.

[BurghFan]

Re: 2010 Pirates

Buccos Win, Buccos Win!!! Finally, the losing streak is over and Jeff Karstens gets the 1st win by a SP since May 18th. Nice to see Alvarez get his first hit too, now maybe he'll be able to relax a bit more at the plate. Andrew McCutchen always seems to be enjoying himself out there too.