Friday, April 24, 2009

New Bucs catcher dishes on Buc pitchers

Your second place Bucs are getting a little attention these days. They haven't been included in all the real vs fake columns popping up, but Pedro Alvarez's fellow Vandy alum Buster Olney had some nice things to write in his blog.

Included were these notes Jaramillo had about the Bucs rotation:

Paul Maholm, who is 3-0 with a 2.03 ERA after winning the decision against the Marlins on Wednesday: "He is one of those guys who is really fun to catch, because he can throw all of his pitches for strikes. Tempo with him is really good, really important. He's pitching with a lot of confidence."

Ian Snell (1-2, 4.24): "Another one whose tempo is really important. I actually caught him quite a few times in spring training. A guy who's real fiery. There was a time when I went out to chat with him, when we were playing the Phillies, and it was a really intense conversation. He was ready to go."

Zach Duke (2-1, 2.95): "He's kind of like Paul [Maholm]. You get the same kind of feeling when you're catching him."

Ross Ohlendorf (1-2, 3.00): "He's a character -- a brilliant guy. His changeup is coming around, and he throws a really heavy sinker. Very articulate, and he thinks out on the mound -- he's thinking constantly, batter by batter and pitch by pitch. When you go out to talk with him, he knows exactly what you're going to say before you say it."

Jeff Karstens (1-0, 3.60): "He got skipped [in the rotation] in that first time around, and he's a touch guy, so he needs to pitch -- and he had a pretty good outing the last time around.


Thursday, April 23, 2009

DOUMIT WILL MISS 8-10 WEEKS; Bucs at 9-6

I would be happy if the Bucs were 8-10 right now. but after a surprising sweep against the hottest team in baseball, they are 9-6 and dare I say on pace for 97 wins.




Today the Pirates have placed catcher Ryan Doumit on the 15-day disabled list (retro to April 20 ) due to a fracture of the scaphoid bone (right wrist). Doumit injured the wrist while batting in the game against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, April 19.

Doumit, who is scheduled to have surgery on the wrist Thursday, is expected to miss between eight to 10 weeks of action. Dr. Mark Baratz will perform the surgery in Pittsburgh. Doumit will have his right wrist re-examined in four to five weeks to determine the extent of healing. The results of that test will dictate his course of rehab.

The Pirates have recalled catcher Robinzon Diaz from Triple-A Indianapolis to take Doumit's spot on the active roster. The 25-year-old Diaz hit .350 (7-for-20) with a double and three RBI in six games with Indianapolis, which included a .429 (6-for-14) average against right-handed pitching.

Diaz was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays last year on August 25 as the player to be named in the deal which the Pirates sent Jose Bautista to the Blue Jays. In two games with the Pirates last September, Diaz went 3-for-6 with an RBI.


Monday, April 20, 2009

Alvarez getting big hits

Dejean points out in his notebook this morning, the Bucs #1 pick from last summer has struggled a bit but is developing a flair for the dramatic big hit...


Alvarez making drama

Pedro Alvarez, the Pirates' first-round draft pick, has had his struggles in batting .250 for Class A Lynchburg in the opening two weeks of his professional career, but he also is showing an early flair for the dramatic.

Thursday, he hit a three-run walkoff home run. And yesterday, in what proved to be an 8-7, 10-inning loss at Wilmington, he hit a tying home run with two outs in the ninth inning, deep to right field.

It was Alvarez's third home run in 36 at-bats.