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MLB: BC grad Resop gets good news from Pittsburgh…

purnammasiure — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 04:21:00 +0000

Help the Resop family fight pediatric cancer by sponsoring Kara Resop as she competes in the Naples Daily News Half Marathon on Jan. 15.

Checks can be made out to:

Diamond Dust LLC

C/O Chris Resop

P.O. Box 275

Naples, FL, 34106

Note: 100 percent of the donations will be given to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation for research. Receipts are available upon request.

NAPLES —
As the clock ticked closer to midnight on Monday, Chris Resop began to get nervous.

The Barron Collier High graduate was waiting to see whether the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team he went 5-4 with a 4.39 ERA in 76 appearances with during the 2011 MLB season, had tendered him a contract for 2012.

The Pirates and every other MLB team had until 11:59 p.m. Monday to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players like Resop and six of his teammates.

At 11:55 p.m., Resop finally got the message he had been waiting for when his agent texted him and informed him that the team had tendered him a contract.

“My agent read it on Twitter and let me know,” Resop said with a laugh. “All (seven) of the guys (who were arbitration eligible) found out that way. I don’t have a Twitter so I didn’t know.

“It’s a relief. My family and I are happy to be going back to Pittsburgh.”

The tender means the right-handed relief pitcher will avoid free agency and, unless he is traded, will be back in his role in the Pirates’ bullpen.

Resop’s wait may have been caused by the Pirates’ brass working on a trade that sent relief pitcher Jose Veras to the Milwaukee Brewers for third baseman Casey McGehee.

“They may have been trying to get that trade wrapped up before making any (arbitration) decisions, who knows?” Resop said. “It’s nice to be going back to a familiar city.”

Players and their agents have the next few weeks to discuss potential salary figures with teams. Any player who was been tendered a contract and is still unsigned on Jan. 18 will exchange desired salary figures with his team. Arbitration hearings will then be scheduled during the first three weeks of February for any player that still has not come to an agreement.

Resop is hoping to avoid arbitration at all costs. The hearings could fall after Pirates pitchers and catchers are due to report for spring training in Bradenton.

“I don’t think it’s going to take that long,” Resop said of getting a contract finalized. “Nobody wants to go to arbitration. It’s something you just don’t want to worry about.”

Resop and his family will be doing some fundraising work with the Pediatric Cancer Foundation prior to the 2012 baseball season.

Resop’s wife, Kara, will be competing in the Naples Daily News Half Marathon on Jan. 15 at Cambier Park.

The Resops are looking for people to sponsor Kara’s run by making donations, big or small, to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation.

Donations can be made through the Diamond Dust LLC, care of Chris Resop at P.O. Box 275, Naples, FL, 34106. Receipts are available upon request for tax purposes.

“Any donation is great because 100 percent of it goes to pediatric cancer research,” Chris Resop said. “There are so many different circumstances out there with children’s cancer that just aren’t fair. Kara has run the half marathon a couple times but this is a little more meaningful to us.”

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Pirates trying to trade Maholm

Paypopplaypow — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:41:56 +0000

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a $9.75 million option for starting pitcher Paul Maholm(notes) next season. While the team does “not plan on paying” him that kind of cash next year, the Pirates have “still not entirely ruled out that option being exercised,” according to MLB.com.

Keeping the option available “allows the Pirates to retain some leverage in case a trade partner emerges this month,” the site points out.

If the option isn’t picked up for the pitcher that went 6-14 with a 3.66 ERA before going on the 60-day disabled list with a strained left shoulder in mid-August, the team owes him $750,000.

Maholm, drafted by the Pirates in 2003, has been with the big club since 2005, going 53-73 with a 4.36 ERA.

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Source: MLB.com

Related: Pittsburgh Pirates

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

Pirates will attempt to re-sign Derrek Lee

Pagreeheittee — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 18:29:47 +0000

The Pittsburgh Pirates started the season strong but finished in fourth place in the National League Central, 24 games behind the division-winning Milwaukee Brewers.

Along the way, they picked up first baseman Derrek Lee(notes) from the Baltimore Orioles. He hit .337 with seven homers and 18 RBIs in 28 games for the Pirates. He’ll soon be a free agent and it isn’t clear if he is aiming to stick around in Steeltown or head elsewhere.

What is clear, though, is that the team will attempt to re-sign Lee, according to PittsburghPirates.com. “The club realizes it lacks in options at first base, and Lee showed (when he was healthy) how substantial an impact he can have in the middle of this Pirates lineup,” the site reports. “The organization is willing to make a competitive offer to try and convince Lee to stay, but no one seems to have much inkling as to whether Lee is interested in seriously entertaining that option.”

The 36-year-old is a two-time All-Star who was the National League batting champion in 2005 when he was with the Chicago Cubs. He’s also won three Gold Gloves and helped the 2003 Florida Marlins win a World Series. Lee has also spent time with the San Diego Padres, the team that drafted him, and Atlanta Braves. “Lee did leave the door open to retirement,” the site reports.

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Source: PittsburghPirates.com

Related: Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Florida Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates

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Burres pitches into sixth inning as Pittsburgh…

HtripxoLis — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 04:29:05 +0000

Presley reached four times and scored twice as Pittsburgh snapped a five-game losing streak. Josh Harrison doubled, singled and scored twice.

“It was a good team win,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “We had some guys throw some things in from top to bottom today.”

Burres (1-0), who was promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday, allowed one run and five hits over 5 1-3 innings. The left-hander started on short notice after Jeff Karstens was scratched with what the team is calling “fatigue.”

“(Burres) did a very professional job,” Hurdle said. “He’s pitched in the big leagues before so he wasn’t overwhelmed with anything. I thought he kept the ball down especially well today.”

It’s been a rough season for Burres, who went 4-5 with a 4.99 ERA in 20 games, 13 starts, for Pittsburgh last year. He had a 5-9 record and a 4.66 ERA with Indianapolis when he was promoted.

“I was anxious for Brian’s start,” Hurdle said. “To go down as he did, as professional as he did, start after start. Never a complaint. Hard work. Gets the opportunity and comes up here and pitches. To end up five-plus (innings) with one run on the day, that’s just good stuff.”

The 30-year-old Burres said it was nice to get a win in his return to the majors.

“I’ve been feeling good the last couple of weeks and it’s good to just carry that feeling into my start today,” he said.

“Most of the day I just tried to throw strikes and let my defense do the work.”

Four Pirates relievers combined for 3 2-3 perfect innings, with Joel Hanrahan picking up his 33rd save in 36 chances. Jason Grilli got the last two outs of the sixth, Chris Leroux pitched the seventh and Jose Veras worked the eighth before Hanrahan struck out two in the ninth.

Carlos Pena went deep for the Cubs, who have lost nine of 12. The first baseman now has at least 25 homers in five straight seasons and six times overall in his career.

“I said this before, just the fact that I’ve been able to hit one in the big leagues is a blessing to me and I’m very grateful for it, let alone hit so many,” Pena said.

Ryan Dempster (10-11) worked out of a couple of early jams and held Pittsburgh to three runs and seven hits over 6 1-3 innings. He struck out nine, two shy of his season best, and threw a season-high 121 pitches.

“I tried to survive those first couple innings, they fouled off a lot of pitches,” Dempster said. “I was able to get out there and get into the seventh.”

Pena connected in the second, hitting a drive to the deepest part of center field to give the Cubs the lead.

“That pitch I just left up a little bit and he did a good job of hitting hit hard,” Burres said.

Pittsburgh responded with two in the third. Presley led off with a triple off the right-field wall and Harrison followed with a single to right. Garrett Jones added a two-out RBI double.

“You just try to see pitches and get on base,” Presley said. “I was familiar with Dempster from the last time facing him so I tried to be a little more aggressive.”

Neither team mounted much offense after that. The Cubs stranded two runners in the third and fourth. The Pirates didn’t threaten again until Presley’s one-out triple in the seventh chased Dempster. Presley scored on Jose Tabata’s two-out single off Kerry Wood.

Presley became the first Pirate to record two triples in a game since Andrew McCutchen on June 8, 2009. He has five triples on the season.

“Presley ignited us at the top, stayed on base and made some things happen,” Hurdle said. “Harrison gave us some life.”

The only damper on the day for the Pirates came when McCutchen was hit in the left hand in the first inning. He remained in the game to run the bases, but was replaced by Tabata before the Cubs batted in the bottom half.

The team said McCutchen does not have a fracture and is listed as day to day.

NOTES: The Cubs promoted 1B Bryan LaHair from Triple-A Iowa. LaHair’s 38 home runs for Iowa were leading the minor leagues. . The Cubs announced that RHP Carlos Zambrano will not pitch for them again this season, even though his time on the disqualified list expires on Sept. 11. . Pirates 1B Derrek Lee (left wrist) took batting practice and the team hopes to activate him from the 15-day disabled list on Sunday if all goes well. . The Cubs will send RHP Casey Coleman to the hill on Saturday to face Pittsburgh RHP Ross Ohlendorf. Coleman has an 11.34 ERA in 19 2-3 innings at Wrigley Field this season.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

Burres helps Pirates top Cubs 3-1

fwallsx — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 03:20:23 +0000

Brian Burres pitched into the sixth in his first start of the season and Alex Presley had two triples, helping the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 3-1 on Friday.

Presley reached four times and scored twice as Pittsburgh snapped a five-game losing streak. Josh Harrison doubled, singled and scored twice.

Burres (1-0) allowed one run and five hits over 5 1-3 innings. The left-hander was promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday.

Carlos Pena went deep for the Cubs, who have lost nine of 12. The first baseman now has at least 25 homers in five straight seasons and six times overall in his career.

Pena connected in the second, hitting a drive to the deepest part of center field to give the Cubs the lead.

Pittsburgh responded with two in the third. Presley led off with a triple off the right-field wall and Harrison followed with a single to right. Garrett Jones added a two-out RBI double.

Presley became the first Pirate to record two triples in a game since Andrew McCutchen on June 8, 2009. He has five triples on the season.

Fielding woes have plagued the Cubs, who entered with a major league-leading 114 errors and added two more on Friday. That doesn’t include a miscue in the first when Harrison’s grounder to shortstop Starlin Castro was misplayed into a rare infield double when the Cubs failed to cover second base.

McCutchen was hit in the left wrist area in the first inning. He remained in the game to run the bases, but was replaced by Tabata before the Cubs batted in the bottom half.

NOTES: The Cubs promoted 1B Bryan LaHair from Triple-A Iowa. LaHair’s 38 home runs for Iowa were leading the minor leagues. . Cubs RHP Andrew Cashner (right rotator cuff sprain) pitched a scoreless inning in a rehab outing for Iowa. Manager Mike Quade said Cashner reached 99 mph with his fastball and the club is hopeful he will return to the big leagues next week. . The Cubs announced that RHP Carlos Zambrano will not pitch for them again this season, even though his time on the disqualified list expires on Sept. 11. . RHP Jeff Karstens (shoulder), who was scratched from his scheduled start Friday, played catch but is likely to miss more than just this start, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. . Pirates 1B Derrek Lee (left wrist) took batting practice and the team hopes to activate him from the 15-day disabled list on Sunday if all goes well. . The Cubs will send RHP Casey Coleman to the hill on Saturday to face Pittsburgh RHP Ross Ohlendorf. Coleman has an 11.34 ERA in 19 2-3 innings at Wrigley Field this season.

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Briefs: Pirates introduce No. 1 draft pick Cole

film-izle — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 10:24:40 +0000

PITTSBURGH — Gerrit Cole got his first look at PNC Park on Saturday. The Pittsburgh Pirates say they’re in no rush to put this year’s overall No. 1 draft pick on the mound there anytime soon.

“The last thing we want to do is rush this process,” general manager Neal Huntington said. “We’ve got to make sure we’re intelligent about it. We’ve got a long time that Gerrit is going to be a successful pitcher in this organization. We’ve got to make sure we go about it the right way.”

Cole agreed to a deal Monday night that included an $8 million signing bonus. The right-hander pitched three years at UCLA.

Huntington said he’s seen it all too often with promising young players — particularly pitchers — who get placed on too much of a fast track to the majors. He vowed to resist that temptation with Cole.

“There’s some great examples of success, and there’s some tragic examples of failure,” Huntington said. “We’re trying to work toward the success side.

“We’re definitely looking to build Gerrit to where he’s ready to attack a 200-plus innings workload at the major-league level, but history is littered with guys who tackle that 200-inning count before they’re ready physically,” he said.

For now, Cole will report to the Pirates’ spring-training complex in Bradenton, Fla. Full Story

Johnson: Pudge could return to Nationals

The Nationals could bring Ivan Rodriguez back to the team for 2012, manager Davey Johnson told MLB.com.

Rodriguez, currently out with injury, isn’t expected to return to the team before September, clearing up playing time for new backstop Jesus Flores, who is 26 years old and far more relevant to the Nats’ future. Rodriguez is hitting .214/.276/.325 this season in 129 plate appearances. It’s by far the worst offensive showing in his career, and I-Rod is set to also mark a career low in games played, currently at just 39 with a previous low of 88… set in his first season as a 19-year-old.

“Anybody would be crazy not to have [Rodriguez] back,” Johnson said. “He is a tremendous talent. He has been great here this year. He is fun to have around. He can hit, he can catch, he can throw and he adds to our depth at catching. He is a valuable asset. It just depends on the roster and what goes on over the winter and what our needs are.”

Despite the ringing endorsement, Johnson did admit that Rodriguez’s return will depend on Flores, who was drafted in the Rule 5 draft before 2007 and hit .244/.310/.361 that season. He also saw 90 games worth of time in 23 and was off to a great start in 2009 as a 24-year-old, hitting .301/.371/.505 through 106 PA before injuring himself and missing the rest of the 2009 season, as well as 2010. He’s finally back in action, though, and was recently promoted back to the majors where he is at .244/.295/.390 through 16 games.

Pirates’ Maholm on DL

PITTSBURGH — Pirates left-hander Paul Maholm is on the disabled list for the first time, sidelined by a shoulder strain.

Maholm has lost four straight starts and five consecutive decisions, and Pittsburgh is 0-7 in games he started since the All-Star break. Over his past four outings, Maholm’s ERA has climbed a half-run to 3.66. He has allowed 17 earned runs and 31 hits in 22 2/3 innings.

The Pirates recalled rookie left-handed reliever Tony Watson from Triple-A Indianapolis. Watson was 0-2 with a 2.73 ERA in 25 appearances earlier this season.

Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle says he hasn’t worked out his upcoming rotation, including a doubleheader on Monday. Brad Lincoln, currently in the bullpen, and Ross Ohlendorf, who began the season in the rotation but is in Indianapolis, are potential options.

Twins scratch Nishioka

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Twins shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka has been taken out of the team’s lineup because of back spasms.

Nishioka was slated to bat ninth against the New York Yankees. The Twins announced the change about an hour before first pitch. Matt Tolbert was inserted at shortstop in his place.

Nishioka’s first season with the Twins has been rough. He is hitting just .217 with five extra-base hits in 203 at-bats, plus 10 errors. He missed 59 games after breaking his lower left leg in the first week of the season. He was the batting champion in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball last year.

Second base umpire Brian O’Nora also was declared out for the game due to a personal medical matter, leaving a three-man crew to work the game.

Rockies boot Hammel from rotation

Jason Hammel has been dropped from Colorado’s starting rotation in lieu of Alex White, the team announced.

Hammel’s demotion is unsurprising, as the 28-year-old’s wheels have fallen off over the last three months. After two successful seasons with the Rockies after coming over from the Rays and lining up 2011 as another solid year, Hammel has instead thrown up a 7.24 ERA over his last 12 starts. He’s shown no signs of turning it around either, with a 9.24 ERA over his last four starts, including a three-inning stinker against the Dodgers on Friday when Hammel coughed up six runs.

Alex White, who was acquired from the Indians in the Ubaldo Jimenez trade in the midst of rehabbing from an injury, will make his Rockies debut by sliding into Hammel’s spot on Tuesday, with Hammel headed to the bullpen.

“I worked tirelessly to figure this out,” Hammel said after Friday’s start to the Associated Press. “Obviously, I’m not fulfilling expectations right now. It’s very disappointing to me and of course, the whole organization, too. Point the finger at me for holding this organization back right now. If we want to get going in the right direction, I need to figure it out.”

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Resop aids Pirates revival

bactrim-sideeffects — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 18:51:29 +0000

Chris Resop file

- Height: 6-foot-3

- Weight: 225 pounds

- High school: Barron Collier

- Stats (through Wednesday)

YR TEAM W-L SV ERA G IP H ER BB SO

2005 Fla 2-0 0 8.47 15 17 22 16 9 15

2006 Fla 1-2 0 3.38 22 21.1 26 8 16 10

2007 LAA 0-0 0 4.15 4 4.1 4 2 1 2

2008 Atl 0-1 0 5.89 16 18.1 16 12 10 13

2010 Atl 0-0 0 22.50 1 2.0 5 5 3 2

2010 Pitt 0-0 0 1.89 22 19.0 10 4 10 24

2011 Pitt 3-2 1 3.26 51 47 41 17 17 57

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Pirates appeal loss to Braves

Paypopplaypow — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 00:37:26 +0000

[unable to retrieve full-text content]PITTSBURGH – Pirates president Frank Coonelly issued a statement on Wednesday, a day after his team’s 4-3 loss to the Braves in Atlanta that included a highly controversial call in the 19th inning.

There is the quick update of the day.

MLB locals: Barron grad Resop thriving in…

theandext — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 02:01:00 +0000

Click below for player profile pages of Collier and south Lee baseball players in the pros:

MAJOR LEAGUES

■ Chris Resop (Barron Collier HS, 2001); P, Pittsburgh Pirates

■ Chris Sale (FGCU, 2010); P, Chicago White Sox

MINOR LEAGUES:

■ Jacob Barnes (FGCU, 2011); P, Helena Brewers

■ Richard Bleier (FGCU, 2008); SP, Frisco RoughRiders (Texas Rangers)

■ Casey Coleman (FGCU, 2008); P, Iowa Cubs

■ Zach Maxfield (FGCU, 2011); 1B, GCL Tigers

■ Tim Roberson (FGCU, 2011); C, Lowell Spinners (Boston Red Sox)

■ John Tolisano (Estero HS, 2007); SS, New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Toronto Blue Jays)

■ Stephen Wickens (FGCU, 2011); SS, GCL Twins

For perhaps the first time in his major league career, Barron Collier graduate Chris Resop has some job stability.

He’s earned that stability by becoming a valued member of the resurgent Pittsburgh Pirates’ bullpen.

Resop joined the Pirates last August, posting a 1.89 earned run average and 1.05 WHIP in 22 appearances.

He’s followed that up with another solid season, appearing in 39 games and posting a 3-2 record with a 3.38 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. He’s again averaging more than a strikeout per inning, with 51 Ks and 17 walks in 40 innings.

“I feel really good with the way I’m throwing,” Resop said. “I had a rough May but was able to work through it.”

Resop said finally having some job security allowed him to overcome the rough stretch in May.

“It’s a lot easier to go to the ballpark every day when you’re not worried about losing your job,” Resop said. “Obviously, the results have to be there, but it’s nice to know the team has a lot of confidence in you. As a reliever, they know you’re going to have bad outings every now and again. They’ve shown faith in me, putting me right back out in those situations even after I’ve struggled.”

Resop has been a key contributor on a much improved Pirates team, serving as a late-inning setup man for dominant closer Joel Hanrahan. Resop works anywhere from the sixth to the eighth inning, where his mid 90s fastball and assortment of offspeed pitches are able to generate strikeouts in big spots.

The Pirates entered Saturday night’s game against Chicago at 46-42, just one game off the pace in the NL Central. Pittsburgh hasn’t recorded a winning season since Barry Bonds left the team in 1992, but the players believe this is the year they break that streak.

“I think at the beginning of the season, people in Pittsburgh were a little skeptical,” Resop said. “We had a few good crowds early in the season, and then we started to struggle a bit and I think everybody thought it was going to be another losing season. But we’ve always believed in our team. We don’t just want to finish over .500, we want to be a playoff team.”

The players are certainly noticing the buzz now surrounding their team.

“We had 120,000 people in for a series with the Red Sox,” Resop said. “Last year, it could take us 10 to 12 games to get that many people. There’s a huge glimmer of hope with this team. We’re very much in the race, and we’ve got a ton of games left with the teams in our division. The fans really want a winner here, and we believe we can get it done.”

Resop says new manager Clint Hurdle has been the perfect leader for the upstart Pirates.

“Clint’s a great guy, he’s friends with everybody on the team,” Resop said. “He knows when to back off, but he also knows when to put the hammer down when we need it. He’ll do everything he can to get that W.”

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MLB Trade Rumors: Pittsburgh Pirates Meet to Hammer out Trade Deadline Strategy

naickySlica — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 09:13:13 +0000

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

The Pittsburgh Pirates began Wednesday in second place in the National League Central. Unfortunately, their loss to the Houston Astros knocked them back to third place.

Nevertheless, the Pirates brass met to hold a serious discussion about the immediate future. With the team enjoying its best season in nearly two decades, the question was how they could use the trade deadline to keep it up.

As it turns out, the Pirates decided that perhaps the best idea might be to do nothing at all.

According to MLB.com, the Pirates are well aware of the fact that they have as many as eight players coming off the disabled list in the next couple weeks. As such, they can essentially fill any and all needs internally.

However, the word is that the Pirates also discussed which players would make good targets if the team does decide to go outside the organization as the July 31 deadline approaches. A follow-up meeting will be held in a few days.

One way or another, manager Clint Hurdle said the Pirates are going to do whatever it takes to stay in the race:

We’re going through the process with eyes wide open, ears wide open. We want to be committed to doing the right thing. There very well could be some irreversible decisions made along the way. Those are chances that you take because we want to push this forward with our ultimate goal being a World Championship organization. That’s the exciting part of it. It really is.

If the Pirates do need one thing, it’s offense. They are currently 12th in the National League in runs scored. Power is a major concern, as the team’s .361 slugging percentage is second-to-last in the NL.

This being said, don’t expect the Pirates to give up the farm for a player like Ryan Ludwick or Carlos Beltran. For the first time in many years, they have some talent in their farm system, and now is not the time to give any of it away.

-Zachary D. Rymer

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<span>Flag This Article</span> </div> </p> <p>Feel free to leave your comments below. </p> </article> <article> <h1>Snyder becomes third Pirates catcher to be hurt</h1> <p>Helftully — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 04:06:24 +0000</p> <p> <div readability="56.104598737601">  <br />  <p>PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates placed Chris Snyder on the disabled list Thursday with a herniated disk, meaning the team’s top three catchers are injured.</p> <p>Snyder is scheduled for back surgery on Friday. To take his place on the roster, Pittsburgh purchased the contract of Wyatt Toregas from Triple-A Indianapolis – where he was hitting .034 (1 for 29).</p> <p>Snyder left Wednesday’s game after sliding awkwardly into second base trying to stretch a single during the second inning. Former starter Ryan Doumit (left ankle sprain) has been out since May 30, and the organization’s No. 3 catcher, Jason Jaramillo, is on a minor league disabled list with an elbow injury.</p> <p>For now, journeyman Dusty Brown (29 career at-bats) is the Pirates’ starter, although manager Clint Hurdle said neither Brown nor fellow 28-year-old Toregas (51 career at-bats) would catch too many consecutive days.</p> <p>Hurdle also indicated the team was pursuing catching options outside of the organization.</p> <p><i>Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.</i></p> </div> <p> Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Pirates place C Snyder (herniated disk) on DL</h1> <p>Manta-Tegoth — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 03:19:32 +0000</p> <p> <div readability="38.91724137931"> </p> <div readability="26.461538461538"> <div readability="7"><span readability="29"></p> <p><span>Updated: </span>June 9, 2011, 6:36 PM ET</p> <p></span></div> </div> <p><br /> </p> <div readability="27.591469194313"> <p>PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates placed Chris Snyder on the disabled list Thursday with a herniated disk, meaning the team’s top three catchers are injured.</p> <p>Snyder is scheduled for back surgery on Friday. To take his place on the roster, Pittsburgh purchased the contract of Wyatt Toregas from Triple-A Indianapolis — where he was hitting .034 (1-for-29).</p> <p>Snyder left Wednesday’s game after sliding awkwardly into second base trying to stretch a single during the second inning. Former starter Ryan Doumit (left ankle sprain) has been out since May 30, and the organization’s No. 3 catcher, Jason Jaramillo, is on a minor league disabled list with an elbow injury.</p> <p>For now, journeyman Dusty Brown (29 career at-bats) is the Pirates’ starter, although manager Clint Hurdle said neither Brown nor fellow 28-year-old Toregas (51 career at-bats) would catch too many consecutive days.</p> <p>Hurdle also indicated the team was pursuing catching options outside of the organization.</p> <p> <p><i>Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press</i></p> <p></p> <p></p> <link href="http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/c?css=community/echo.1.2.5.css" rel="stylesheet" charset="utf-8" /></div> <p> </div> </p> <p>Feel free to leave your comments below.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Pirates place C Snyder on disabled list</h1> <p>Adadlimmell — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 03:06:20 +0000</p> <div readability="48.805093046033"> <p>PITTSBURGH (AP)—The Pittsburgh Pirates placed <span>Chris Snyder(notes)</span> on the disabled<br /> list Thursday with a herniated disk, meaning the team’s top three catchers are<br /> injured.</p> <p>Snyder is scheduled for back surgery on Friday. To take his place on the<br /> roster, Pittsburgh purchased the contract of <span>Wyatt Toregas(notes)</span> from Triple-A<br /> Indianapolis—where he was hitting .034 (1 for 29).</p> <p>Snyder left Wednesday’s game after sliding awkwardly into second base trying<br /> to stretch a single during the second inning. Former starter <span>Ryan Doumit(notes)</span> (left<br /> ankle sprain) has been out since May 30, and the organization’s No. 3 catcher,<br /> <span>Jason Jaramillo(notes),</span> is on a minor league disabled list with an elbow injury.</p> <p>For now, journeyman <span>Dusty Brown(notes)</span> (29 career at-bats) is the Pirates’ starter,<br /> although manager Clint Hurdle said neither Brown nor fellow 28-year-old Toregas<br /> (51 career at-bats) would catch too many consecutive days.</p> <p>Hurdle also indicated the team was pursuing catching options outside of the<br /> organization.</p> </p></div> </p> <p>Comment Below!.</p> </article> <article> <h1>MLB Draft 2011: Gerrit Cole And The Pittsburgh Pirates</h1> <p>Speascaks — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 06:22:43 +0000</p> <div readability="81.745442268737"> <p>By Grant Brisbee</p> <p> – <span>Editor</span></p> <div> <p> <span></p> <p> </p> <p> </span><br /> <span></p> <p> <send href="http%3A%2F%2Fmlb.sbnation.com%2F2011%2F6%2F6%2F2210316%2Fmlb-draft-2011-gerrit-cole-pittsburgh-pirates-draft-grade"></send><span></p> <like href="http%3A%2F%2Fmlb.sbnation.com%2F2011%2F6%2F6%2F2210316%2Fmlb-draft-2011-gerrit-cole-pittsburgh-pirates-draft-grade" layout="button_count" show_faces="false" width="90" height="21" font=""></like></span> <p> </span> </p> </p></div> <div readability="9"> <p>Gerrit Cole was one of the top talents in the draft, but a lot of Pirates fans are a little wary of the pick. Are they right to be?</p> </p></div> <p> Follow , and</p> <p> Like Baseball Nation on Facebook.</p> <p><span>Jun 6, 2011 – </span>The Pirates and college pitchers have gone together as well as peanut butter and jelly. Well, not jelly, really. More like peanut butter and a kid who is deathly allergic to peanut butter. You can see why they’re tempted — peanut butter is <i>delicious</i> — but it will kill them. Gerrit Cole, the player the Pittsburgh Pirates took first overall in the 2011 MLB draft, is a college pitcher</p> <p>So you can kind of see why Pirates fans might be just a little upset that the team would pass on Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon, who is supposed to be one of the better college hitters to come around since, well, Pedro Alvarez. The thought of those two manning the corners for a decade or so made Pirates fans feel warm fuzzy.</p> <p>Gerrit Cole is a college pitcher. You know, like Daniel Moskos.</p> <p>Or Brad Lincoln.</p> <p>Or Bryan Bullington</p> <p>Or John Van Benschoten, Clint Johnston, Jim Winn, and Mike Zimmerman.</p> <p>There are only two college pitchers the Pirates have taken in the first round who have provided any kind of value — Kris Benson and Paul Maholm. Benson had an ERA just a little below the league average while he was a Pirate. Maholm’s ERA has been just a little above the league average. Those are the success stories.</p> <p>With the exception of Moskos, though, the pitchers the Pirates took in the early part of the first round were very, very highly touted pitching prospects. If the Pirates didn’t select them, another team certainly would have shortly after. Their lack of success doesn’t indicate a breakdown within the Pirates’ scouting — everyone liked those pitchers to go high in the first round. Don’t blame the Pirates for loving pitchers that almost everyone else loved too. Neal Huntington has a different crew in place than the one that drafted and dedeveloped those pitchers. So you can’t blame them for the mess that was made of Bullington and Lincoln, or for the painfully slow development of Lincoln.</p> <p>What Pirates fans can be upset with, though, is the idea of another college pitcher. The temptation of an arm like Cole’s is a strong one, but college pitchers picked in the first round come with a risk. They tend to make the majors, but rarely do they become stars. With a first-overall pick, you want a star. You want a pitcher who sneezes sliders that break six feet and tosses 100-mph fastballs with minimal effort. Highly touted college hitters are a bit surer to become stars.</p> <p>But that’s looking at the first round overall. What about the cream of the crop, the #1 overall pitchers? A similar story. Mike Moore, Tim Belcher, Andy Benes, and Ben McDonald were solid pitchers for a while. David Price has a chance to be special. But college pitchers seem to be even worse when looked through the prism of the #1 overall pick.</p> <p>Cole wasn’t a reach. He wasn’t an overdraft. Scouts love him. He lit up the stat sheet at UCLA. By any measure, he was one of the top amateur talents available. A lot of people were absolutely convinced that he was <i>the</i> top amateur talent. But don’t blame the Pirates fans for being a little wary, if not allergic, to a college pitcher. Ninth bitten, tenth shy.</p> <p> <span>Read More:</span> first year player draft, rule 4 draft, 2011 mlb draft, mlb draft 2011, major league baseball draft 2011, 2011 baseball draft, mlb draft tracker 2011, major league draft 2011, mlb draft results, 2011 mlb draft results, 2011 mlb draft tracker, mlb draft picks 2011, Bryan Bullington (P – KAN), Brad Lincoln (P – PIT), Daniel Moskos (P – PIT), Pedro Alvarez (3B – PIT), Pittsburgh Pirates </p> <p> Follow , and</p> <p> Like Baseball Nation on Facebook.</p> <p><h3>Do you like this story?</h3> <p> <span></p> <like href="http%3A%2F%2Fmlb.sbnation.com%2F2011%2F6%2F6%2F2210316%2Fmlb-draft-2011-gerrit-cole-pittsburgh-pirates-draft-grade" layout="standard" show_faces="false" width="630" height="40" font=""></like></span> <p> <send href="http%3A%2F%2Fmlb.sbnation.com%2F2011%2F6%2F6%2F2210316%2Fmlb-draft-2011-gerrit-cole-pittsburgh-pirates-draft-grade"></send></p> <div readability="3.2210031347962"> <div readability="4.294670846395"> <h3>Grant Brisbee</h3> <p>Editor</p> <p>Grant Brisbee has been the lead writer for McCovey Chronicles since 2005, when the San Francisco Giants-themed site became the second blog on the SB Nation network. He graduated from San Jose State… Read full bio</p> <p> SB Nation Profile<br /><span></span></p> <hr /> <h3>Other features by Grant Brisbee</h3> </p></div> </p></div> </p></div> </p> <p>Feel free to leave your comments below. </p> </article> <article> <h1>Pittsburgh Pirates vs Philadelphia Phillies: Pirates Win in Fine Fashion</h1> <p>myclarm — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 04:02:57 +0000</p> <div readability="63.869505494505"> <p>Jeff Karstens is the Pittsburgh Pirates’ fifth starter. Who would have believed that he could have held his own against the Phillies’ Cole Hamels in a pitching duel? But he did.</p> <p>Both men gave up only one run while they were on the mound. Karstens managed to pitch for seven innings, a season high for him. Hamel lasted eight.</p> <p>Jimmy Rollins scored the Phillies’ only run in the top of the sixth when he doubled, stole second and a single sent him home (two other batters on either side of him were caught in a double play). A replay showed that he might well have been out at second.</p> <p>The Pirates retaliated in the bottom of the inning, when Ronny Cedeno walked, was sacrificed to second, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and was sacrificed home by Jose Tabata.</p> <p>Then relievers Evan Meek, Joel Hanrahan and Dan McCutchen closed the door on further Phillies scoring. Rookie Danny Moskos got the save. That’s because following his outing, Xavier Paul singled, stole second and came home on a single by Tabata, who got both of his team’s RBIs.</p> <p>The Pirates don’t score enough. This extra inning game was an example of this fact. But unlike the past, the team’s pitching is sometimes good enough to compensate for this fact. In fact, as fellow writer Paul Ledewski pointed out, the team had shown by far the greatest improvement in starters’ ERA in the National League from last season (as of June 2), 1.75 runs compared to 0.65 for the second-ranking Atlanta Braves.</p> </p></div> </p> <p> Leave any suggestions in the comment box.</p> </article> </main></body></html>