Controlling the Running Game

After a good twelve game start, followed by an awful seven game stretch, the Bucs managed to win their last two in Miler Park; sending them to LA on a good note.

Despite how bad things have gone at times, the Pirates sit only three games under .500 and only five games out of first place.

It would be nice to see them hang around for a few months; hopefully attracting a few more fans in the process.

One thing has to happen though for the Bucs to start to play better though and that is control the running game better.  Although Ryan Doumit's bat has come around the last week, his defense gets worse year to year.

He doesn't call a great game behind the plate, often going away from pitcher's strengths.  His calls on location also makes you wonder sometimes.  The pitchers just always seem to fare better when they are throwing to the backup catcher.  Dating back to when Ronny Paulino was the backup catcher, the ERA against was always much lower for the backup then for Doumit.

Everyone also saw the play Monday night in Miller Park when he failed to block the plate as well.  That just can't happen, especially from a veteran catcher.

One area that's abysmal this season is Doumit throwing out base runners.  So far, opposing base runners have attempted 22 stolen bases and Doumit has thrown out just one runner.   That's about 4% if you are scoring at home.  The league average is usually around 25%.  The worse part is that none of the steals have even been close.  Backup catcher Jason Jarimillo has yet to have a runner attempt a steal on him.

Much of the blame should be put on Doumit, but not all of it.  The pitchers must do a better job of holding runners on.  Paul Maholm is really the only pitcher that has any success controlling the running game.  It also seems teams are stealing third way too much on the Pirates.  Funny how they always seem to pick the perfect pitch to run on.  That answer is simple- they are reading Doumit's signs.  He has to do a better job of switching up the signs when a runner is on second.

Some blame has to be thrown at John Russell and the coaching staff as well.  How many pitch outs and pick off attempts do we see?  Not that many.  That stuff is called from the dugout.  They need to give Doumit a little more help there, but in the end Doumit has to start throwing some of these guys out.  It's leading to way too many runs.

The Pirates need to improve in many areas to start competing and they can start here.  It's nice for him to hit a few ninth inning homers to help his confidence; now he needs to help his confidence behind the plate by throwing out a few base runners.

Bucs win a series in Miller Park

Wow.  First time in four seasons a series win in Milwaukee. Back to back exciting games.  I will write a bigger post tomorrow but my thoughts on today are:

-Maholm- struggled in the first but overall rebounded to give them a solid outing.  If our starters can keep getting into the seventh the way Karstens and Maholm did, then this team has a chance to compete most nights.  A big IF though.

-Good to see Andy show a little pop.  He's swinging a real hot bat and should stay in the 2 hole all year.

-Cutch had a great game- 4 hits and 2 HR.  We will see more of this the rest of the year.

-Good work by the bullpen the last 2 nights, even though Lopez (yesterday) gave up the Fielder bomb and Dotel blew the save today.  Those things will happen.

-How does Aki not knock down the McGhee grounder in the 10th.  He was positioned perfectly.

- Another lousy strike zone by a home plate umpire against the Bucs.  it's getting to be a trend.  If Dotel gets the strike 3 call on Mcghee then the game is over.  Laroche got punched out on a much worse pitch.  It's been happening all season.  Pitchers haven't been getting calls and Pirates hitters are getting the same pitches called.

- Russell not bunting Crosby in the 14th?  Don't agree with that but they won the game.

-Not to defend Doumit, but right when his bat is coming around, JR gives him a day off?  I don't want to hear about a day game after a night game, because he always catches Doumit in those situations.

To hear our post game recap.  Today featuring Randy Gore, click HERE

NL CENTRAL Preview

Today a look at how the NL Central will shape up

1. Chicago Cubs- This should be a no brainer. This could be the year of the Cubs. The pitching should carry this team. Health is a big issue though. Can Zambrano and Harden stay healthy all season? If so, then the starting 5 is one of the best in the league. I like Pinella naming Gregg the closer over Marmol to start the season as well.

Offensively, the Cubs should be fine. if Bradley plays 135 games in the outfield then it will turn out to be a good signing. The need good seasons from all of their parts. Lee isn't getting any younger, but the Cubs have enough young parts to win. The only true weakness I see in the lineup is the lack of a true lead off hitter. If they can acquire one that allows Soriano to bat third and drive in more runs. Either way, the Cubs are the class of this division.

2. Cincinnati Reds- This may be a reach, but I like the talent the Reds put on the field. Offensively, they are talented. Votto, Phillips and Bruce should all have big years. I also like the Ramon Hernandez acquisition. They strike out a ton as a team, which is a problem. A couple keys to the team could be Willy Taveres and Edwin Encarnacion. They need to get on base more often. Especially Taveres, to utilize his speed. You can't steal first base. I do like Chris Dickerson, as he should get most of the at bats in left.

Pitching could either be a pleasant surprise or awfully inconsistent. I am betting that it will be good. Aaron Harang having a bounce back season could be huge for Dusty Baker's squad. If Harang bounces back and Volquez pitches the way he did the first half of the season, then the Reds could have a good season. Jonnie Cueto probably has the best stuff on the team and will need to also pitch well for the Reds to hang in the Wild Card mix. The back end of the bullpen is decent with Cordero, but the rest of the pen could be a concern.

3. Milwaukee Brewers- They lost alot in the off season, but Ken Macha's group is still talented. After the Cubs, the rest of the teams can finish anywhere from second to fifth. They're really isn't much separating them. They are very talented at every position and will have no problem scoring runs. On the hill, Gallardo and Parra will surprise and have good years. The staff as a whole isn't that good, but they have a couple innings eaters in Suppan and Looper and will still be competitive.

4. St Louis Cardinals- It is hard for me to put a Tony Larussa led team with Albert Puljos on it fourth, but that is where they could wind up. There are way too many questions with the pitching staff and the bullpen to figure out. It just seems like a steep hill to climb, but Larussa has won with worse. Adam Wainwright has great stuff, but hasn't been healthy for a whole season. Kyle Loshe is, well Kyle Loshe. Then you have to hope Chris Carpenter comes back. The bullpen has a bunch of guys that are young and untested.

The Cards will score as always. I don't know if I like them defensively though. They do have extra outfielders though. Colby Rasmus will be playing everyday by mid-season so expect a guy like Ryan Ludwick or Chris Duncan to get dealt for an arm.

5. Houston Astros- Cecil Cooper's team is also good at every position. Berkman and Lee provide a solid middle of the order. Will Tejada be a distraction to this team? Once the Astros fall out of contention, I expect them to shop him around. While the offense will be good, the pitching will not. I like Oswalt and Rodriguez at the top of the rotation, but the rest isn't that good. They will be counting on Mike Hampton and Russ Ortiz for innings, something they probably won't give. Valverde is solid in the ninth, but like many teams, getting to him will be the problem.

6. Pittsburgh Pirates- As easy as it was to predict the Cubs to win the division, it's just as easy to predict the Bucs last. I don't think they will be the worst team in baseball, but they have their work cut out for them. The team on the field in May will not be the team on the field in July. There is cause for excitement in the future, just not this season.

The pitching will be bad. I think Maholm and possibly Snell will be fine. Ohlendorff will give you glimpses that he can pitch at this level, but I have no faith in Zach Duke to get outs. The bullpen will be hit or miss all season.

So many question marks on offense. In a perfect world, everyone will have good seasons and the Bucs will contend, but it's not a perfect world. Can Andy Laroche play third everyday? Can Adam hit enough in April and May? Will Freddy rebound? Will Jack be here at the end of the season? Can Morgan bat lead off? Can Moss replace Bay? Unfortunately, the answer will probably be NO to most if not all of those questions.

As a Bucco fan I would be very encouraged by the spring. McCutchen, Alvarez, Ford, Bixler,and Tabata all gave you reason to get excited. Hopefully next season when I write this, the Bucs won't be a lock for the bottom of the division.