SB Nation - Phil Dumatrait

Ethier Wins "Clutch Performer Of The Year" Award

Eric Stephen — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:51:33 -0000

Congratulations, Andre, for a great and "clutch" season

The Dodgers announced yesterday that Andre Ethier won the "2009 MLB Clutch Performer of the Year Award Presented by Pepsi," an honor voted on by fans. From the Dodger press release:

Ethier led the Majors with six walk-off hits, including a Major League record four walk-off home runs (tied with Jimmie Foxx in 1940 and Roy Sievers in 1957): June 6th against the Phillies in the 12th inning; June 29th against Colorado in the 13th inning; August 6th vs. Atlanta in the 9th; and September 15th against the Pirates in the 13th. Ethier has a Major League-leading nine walk-off hits since the beginning of the 2008 season, and his six in 2009 are the most in a single-season by any player since at least 1974.

The left-handed slugger collected six multi-home run games on the year, tied for second with Philadelphia ’s Ryan Howard behind Albert Pujols (10) of the Cardinals. The Arizona State product became just the fourth Dodger in franchise history to amass at least 40 doubles and 30 home runs in the same season, joining Babe Herman (1930), Raul Mondesi (1997) and Eric Karros (1999). On June 26th against Seattle , Andre drove in a career-high six runs and compiled his first career three-homer game, becoming the ninth Dodger in franchise history to accomplish the feat.

Here is a recap of Ethier's six walk-off hits in 2009:

May 2: On Dodger Thoughts night at the ballpark, not only did I get a copy of Jon Weisman's book, but also got treated to a walk-off win. Tied at one in the 10th inning, the Dodgers loaded the bases with nobody out, when Ethier launched a single off the wall to bring home the 2-1 win over the Padres. This was the ninth straight home win to open the season, a streak that would extend to a record 13 straight before the Manny Ramirez suspension ended the fun four days later.
Ethier Walk-Off: "Single," one RBI
June 5: Down 3-2 to the Phillies, closer Brad Lidge got the first two outs easily, but then ran into some trouble. He got two strikes on each of Casey Blake and James Loney, but they managed to reach base via hit and walk, respectively. Russell Martin then grounded to Pedro Feliz, but the third baseman gave the Dodgers new life by booting the ball. Ethier came up and doubled into the corner, giving the Dodgers a thrilling 4-3 win.
Ethier Walk-Off: Double, two RBI.
June 6: The very next day, Brad Lidge blew another save, but this time to Rafael Furcal, who hit a game-tying pinch hit home run in the ninth inning. The game remained tied at two until the 12th inning, when Ethier slammed a two-out rocket to dead center off Chad Durbin for his second straight walk-off.
Ethier Walk-Off: Home Run, one RBI.
June 29: After a typically solid Randy Wolf start (two runs in six innings), the Dodgers threw a picket fence of relievers at the Rockies. Seven different relievers each pitched one inning, allowing just three baserunners while striking out 13, to keep the game tied into the bottom of the 13th. Blake led off the inning with a single, and Ethier ended it with a shot into the all-you-can-eat pavilion in right field, for a 4-2 Dodger victory, one of 14 against the Rockies in 2009.
Ethier Walk-Off: Home Run, two RBI.
August 6: Down 4-2 entering the bottom of the ninth, the Dodgers had to face Braves closer Rafael Soriano, who came into the game with a 1.80 ERA, and opposing batters were hitting just .157/.234/.221 against him. A pair of singles by Juan Pierre and Furcal gave Ethier yet another opportunity to come through. After taking two balls, Ethier hit a drive to right field that just cleared the wall, sneding Dodger fans into a frenzy yet again. As I wrote in the game recap: "After Ethier hit the home run, Vin Scully didn't speak for 45 seconds, letting the game speak for itself. Sometimes, less is more."
Ethier Walk-Off: Home Run, three RBI.
September 15: Matt Kemp's game-tying RBI single allowed the Dodgers to send the game with the Pirates into extra innings. After three scoreless innings of extra-inning relief by James McDonald (you know, the guy whose 2.72 ERA and 3.41 FIP as a reliever are woefully underappreciated), Ronald Belisario gave up the go-ahead run in the top of the 13th inning, only his second run given up in 18 appearances since returning from the disabled list. Never fear, "Endre" is here. With one out and Furcal on first base, lefty Phil Dumatrait was summoned from the bullpen to face Ethier, who struggled against lefties all season. However, Ethier at Dodger Stadium was a different story, hitting .305/.376/.610 against southpaws wearing the home whites. He came through yet again, launching a towering fly ball that reached the seats in right, his fourth walk-off dinger of the season.
Ethier Walk-Off: Home Run, two RBI.

There were six "MLB Pepsi Clutch Performer of the Month" awards given out this season, but Ethier did not win any of them. He was a candidate in June, but lost the fan vote to Tim Lincecum of the Giants.

It was an amazing season for the 27-year old Ethier. He came to the plate in the ninth inning or later representing either the tying or go-ahead run 42 times this season. All he did was slam five doubles and four home runs, and hit a whopping .448/.619/1.034 in those situations. Congratulations, Endre. This was a well-deserved award.

Bucs' Bullpen Blows It

Charlie — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 02:25:20 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

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8-4 Dodgers, thanks to some truly lousy pitching by Denny Bautista, Phil Dumatrait and Steven Jackson in an eighth inning that began with a 4-3 lead. I wasn't totally sure why Bautista came in to start the inning instead of Jackson (I'm guessing Jesse Chavez wasn't available after pitching two innings yesterday), but after Jackson came in later and walked in two batters, well, I guess it didn't matter much... can we have Joel Hanrahan back? Please?

Anyway, the Bucs wasted a brilliant throw by Lastings Milledge and a great diving catch by Andrew McCutchen, not to mention Andy LaRoche's tenth homer of the year. Oh, and McCutchen got a huge hit with the bases loaded, which is the sort of thing the Pirates have seemed to consistently fail to do over the past month or so.

Dodgers Week 24 In Review: Finish Line In Sight

Eric Stephen — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:00:21 -0000

More photos » by Keith Birmingham - AP

Its better that Jonathan Broxton misses his target on high fives with Russell Martin than on pitches to Russell Martin.

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Previous Weekly Recaps: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23

The Dodgers dropped the hammer at home this week, winning five of six against the Pirates and Giants, bringing them to the precipice of a second-straight division championship. The Dodgers really put it all together this week, combining a hot offense with stellar pitching, and outscored their opponents 36 to 18. This was just the second week of the season that the Dodgers scored at least double the runs of their foes. Way back in their undefeated week two, the Dodgers outscored the Giants and Rockies 50-17, also at home.

Seven of the eight regulars, plus the top two subs, had an OPS of .841 or higher during the week, as the offense scored six runs per game for the second straight week. To become just the third Los Angeles Dodger team ever to score 800 runs, the Dodgers have an uphill climb, needing 74 runs over their final 12 games, an average of 6.17 per contest.

The pitching was also great, as the starters put up an earned run average under three and the relievers put up an ERA under two. Seven of the nine relievers who pitched this week didn't allow a run.

The Dodgers have a five-game division lead over the Rockies with 12 games to play, as the inevitable truth of their 11th National League West division title is getting closer and closer. The last time the Dodgers won back-to-back division titles was 1977-1978.

Dodger Batter of the Week: Ronnie Belliard had another great week as a super-sub, but this award goes to the man Belliard tied for the club RBI lead during the week, Andre Ethier. Ethier hit three home runs during the week, all of which gave the Dodgers the lead, none more memorable than Tuesday night's game-ender against Pittsburgh, his sixth walk-off hit of the season. Honorable mention goes to Matt Kemp and Rafael Furcal, each of whom put up an OPS over 1.000.

Dodger Pitcher of the Week: Jon Garland gets this award, his second in three weeks as a Dodger. He won both starts, pitching 14 innings with a 1.29 ERA and 1.143 WHIP. There were a lot of candidates this week, including Hiroki Kuroda and his one run allowed in six innings, or any of the back end of the bullpen, who didn't allow a thing all week.

Week 24 Record: 5-1
36 runs scored (6.00 per game)
18 runs allowed (3.00 per game)
.780 pythagorean winning percentage

Overall Seasonal Record: 90-60 (.600)
726 runs scored (4.84 per game)
559 runs allowed (3.73 per game)
.617 pythagorean winning percentage (93-57)

Mr. Walk-Off: Down one with Rafael Furcal on first base in the 13th inning on Tuesday night, Andre Ethier put on his hero cape again, hitting a two-run, game-winning home run off Phil Dumatrait to beat the Pirates 5-4. It was the fourth walk-off home run of the season for Ethier, and his sixth walk-off hit this year. No player in baseball, dating back to at least 1974, has had more walk-off hits in a season than Ethier, and his nine walk-off hits since the beginning of 2008 leads the majors. The Dodgers as a team have 12 walk-off wins this season.

Thirty And A Hundred: Sure, there are more advanced statistics with which to evaluate players, but sometimes the old standbys work just fine. Growing up, 30 home runs and 100 runs batted in were benchmarks of greatness to me, and while they still require context for proper evaluation, a 30/100 season still gives me the warm and fuzzy feelings of old. Andre Ethier's two-run home run off Tim Lincecum on Sunday gave him a career-high 101 runs batted in to go with his career-high 31 home runs. This is just the 36th season in Dodger history (and 21st in LA Dodger history) with 30 homers and 100 RBI, and the first since Adrian Beltre's contract drive in 2004. Matt Kemp is sitting on 25 HR and 95 RBI with 12 games to play, so there is an outside chance for the Dodgers to have 30/100 teammates for the first time since Gary Sheffield and Shawn Green in 2001. Coming into the season, I was sure the Dodgers would have one 30/100 outfielder, Manny Ramirez, but how weird is it that he might be the only Dodger outfielder not to have 30/100 this season?

KuoGeoBro: The terrific trio of Hong-Chih Kuo, George Sherrill, and Jonathan Broxton were great last week, combining for six scoreless innings, but this week they were sublime. The trio faced a combined 30 batters during the week, and nobody reached base. 14 of the 30 took the long walk of shame back to the dugout after striking out.

A Willie Davis Record to Keep: In home game number 77, James Loney hit his first home run at Dodger Stadium this season. Loney last homered at home on August 21, 2008. In between dingers, Loney hit .244/.309/.295 over 343 plate appearances in 86 home games. This means that Willie Davis will keep the Dodger record for most home runs in a season, all on the road, with 11 in 1969. Loney now has 13 home runs on the year, including 12 on the road.

Take The Longball Home: The Dodgers have turned on the power switch of late, homering in a season-high 10 straight games, hitting 17 home runs during the streak. It is the longest streak for the club since 2006, when the Dodgers had streaks of both 10 and 11 games with at least one dinger.

Not Quite Marlon, But Maybe Jermaine?: Ronnie Belliard is making the most of his chance with the Dodgers. He has started 14 of the 19 games since he came to the Dodgers, hitting .304/.339/.589 with four home runs and 14 runs batted in. Back in 2006, another late August middle infield acquisition from Washington, Marlon Anderson, got white hot during the stretch drive, hitting .375/.431/.813 with seven home runs in 73 plate appearances. By the way, Anderson's career high in home runs -- for a season -- was 12. In 18 games as a Dodger, Belliard has more home runs and as many runs batted in as Andruw Jones did in 75 games in 2008. One cost a shade over $35 million; the other cost roughly $363,388 plus Victor Garate.

Power & Speed: Belliard also did some work on the basepaths this week, stealing a base on Saturday against the Giants. He homered that game as well, making Belliard just the third Dodger to hit a home run and steal a base in the same game this season. Matt Kemp has turned the trick thrice, and James Loney did it once.

Furcal's Back?: Hampered both physically and mentally by a sore back all season, Rafael Furcal hasn't been much of a threat to steal this season, even though he has the green light from Joe Torre to do so. However, Furcal turned on the jets this week, with three stolen bases, his most in any week since September 2007.

Mr. Bases Loaded: No Dodger pitcher has pitched with the bases loaded more than Jeff Weaver this season, and boy has he delivered. In 24 plate appearances against him with the bases juiced, Weaver has allowed only one single and three walks, holding batters to a line of .050/.167/.050. None of the 24 plate appearances has resulted in more than one run scoring.

Walk To A Cure: On Friday night, Matt Kemp got his career-high 50th walk, giving the Dodgers eight players with 50 walks, only the third National League team in history to do so. More importantly, the Dodgers fulfilled my "50-Walk Challenge," issued in my first-ever post at True Blue LA. The wonderful readers of this site have stepped up, bringing our total pledged contributions to Think Cure, the official charity of the Dodgers, to $1,000. Thanks to every one for your support.

Transactions: Not a lot of action this week. The only move was when Guillermo Mota was activated from the disabled list before Monday's game, bringing the total number of players on the active roster to 35, including 16 pitchers.

Game By Game Results:

Upcoming Week: The Dodgers travel to the nation's capital on their Monday off day before beginning their final road trip of the season, a nine-game tilt through three cities. This week brings us three games in Washington followed by the first three games of a four-game series in Pittsburgh.

Magic Numbers
To win NL West: 7 (over the Rockies)
To clinch a playoff spot: 4 (over the Giants)

Week 24 Stats

Player	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SB/CS	BA/OBP/SLG	OPS	BABIP
Ethier	24	6	7	2	0	3	7	2	0/0	.292/.370/.750	1.120	.286
Kemp	23	6	8	1	0	2	4	2	2/0	.348/.400/.652	1.052	.429
Furcal	20	7	6	1	1	1	1	4	3/0	.300/.417/.600	1.017	.294
Hudson	11	0	4	2	0	0	2	0	0/0	.364/.364/.545	.909	.400
Blake	14	4	4	0	1	0	2	4	0/0	.286/.474/.429	.902	.333
Manny	16	2	3	2	0	1	4	4	0/0	.188/.350/.500	.850	.182
Loney	20	5	6	0	0	1	2	3	0/0	.300/.391/.450	.841	.278
Martin	22	1	4	2	0	0	1	1	0/0	.182/.217/.273	.490	.211
Belliard	12	3	5	1	0	2	7	2	1/0	.417/.500/1.000	1.500	.429
Ausmus	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0/0	.500/.667/.500	1.167	.500
DeWitt	5	1	1	0	0	1	1	0	0/0	.200/.200/.800	1.000	.000
Pierre	8	0	3	0	1	0	1	0	1/1	.375/.375/.625	1.000	.375
Castro	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	.250/.250/.250	.500	.333
Loretta	4	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0/0	.250/.200/.250	.450	.200
Mientkiewicz	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	.000/.000/.000	.000	-----
Repko	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	.000/.000/.000	.000	.000
Thome	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	.000/.000/.000	.000	.000
Ellis	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	-----/-----/-----	-----	-----
Pitchers	13	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0/0	.000/.071/.000	.071	.000
Totals	205	36	54	11	3	11	33	24	7/1	.263/.345/.507	.852	.283

Pitcher	G	W-L	Sv	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
Garland	2	2-0	--	14.0	13	3	2	3	6	1.29	1.143
Kuroda	1	1-0	--	6.0	6	1	1	0	7	1.50	1.000
Wolf	2	1-0	--	13.0	10	5	5	4	8	3.46	1.077
Padilla	1	0-0	--	5.0	8	4	4	1	3	7.20	1.800
Broxton	4	0-0	1	4.0	0	0	0	0	7	0.00	0.000
Sherrill	4	0-0	--	3.1	0	0	0	0	5	0.00	0.000
Kuo	3	0-0	--	3.0	0	0	0	0	2	0.00	0.000
McDonald	1	0-0	--	3.0	2	0	0	1	3	0.00	1.000
Belisario	2	1-0	--	2.1	1	1	0	1	2	0.00	0.857
Weaver	1	0-0	--	1.0	3	0	0	0	1	0.00	3.000
Mota	1	0-0	--	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	0.000
Billingsley	1	0-0	--	1.2	4	2	2	2	0	10.80	3.600
Troncoso	2	0-1	--	1.1	3	2	2	0	1	13.50	2.250
Totals	6	5-1	1	58.0	50	18	16	12	45	2.48	1.069

"Endre" Ethier Does It Again

Eric Stephen — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 06:44:48 -0000

More photos » by Jae C. Hong - AP

Andre Ethier is making this a common occurence

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Its not fair to expect magical things from Andre Ethier every time he bats in the late innings, but he just keeps delivering! Ethier ended tonight's game by depositing a Phil Dumatrait fastball over the wall in right field, turning a 4-3, 13th inning deficit into a thrilling, 5-4 Dodger victory.

Ethier also came up big in the ninth inning, doubling with one out with the Dodgers down 3-2. A Matt Kemp single tied the game and sent it into extra innings. But the story was his sixth walk-off hit of the season, and fourth walk-off home run. The Dodgers as a team have 12 walk-off wins this season.

Ethier's home run was his 30th of the season, and his ninth inning double was his 40th of the season. He is just the fourth Dodger in history to have 40 doubles and 30 home runs in the same season:

Player	Year	2B	HR
Babe Herman	1930	48	35
Raul Mondesi	1997	42	30
Eric Karros	1999	40	34
Andre Ethier	2009	40	30

Lost in the Andre Ethier show were these subplots of tonight's game:

Randy Wolf came back from a hyper-extended left elbow to pitch seven strong innings, allowing just three runs, gladly picking up his 15th no-decision, tied for the MLB lead
Zach Duke was even better for the Pirates, allowing two runs and four hits over 7.1 innings while striking out seven
Ramon Troncoso and George Sherrill combined for a perfect eighth inning, and were followed by another perfect inning from Jonathan Broxton, who struck out the side
James McDonald pitched three scoreless innings, his longest relief outing of the season. McDonald has a 2.40 ERA as a reliever with 42 strikeouts in 45 innings.

The players get right back at it tomorrow for an early 12:10pm start. Hiroki Kuroda will face Kevin Hart, on Manny Ramirez bobblehead day part deux. Joe Torre said in the pregame show that Russell Martin, Casey Blake, and Rafael Furcal were all likely to rest Wednesday.

Oh yeah, the Rockies lost to the Giants again, pushing the Dodgers' division lead back to five games over Colorado.

Magic Numbers
To win NL West: 11
To clinch a playoff spot: 10

WP - Ronald Belisario (4-3): 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 unearned run, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts

LP - Phil Dumatrait (0-1): 1 batter, 1 home run

Box Score

Bucs Promote Diaz, Bixler, Karstens, Hacker, Veal

Charlie — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:07:22 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

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The Pirates will promote catcher Robinzon Diaz, infielder Brian Bixler, and pitchers Jeff Karstens, Eric Hacker and Donald Veal in time for the game tomorrow.

With rosters expanded and Indianapolis' season now over, the promotions of Diaz, Karstens and Veal were no-brainers. Diaz played fairly well in an extended stint with the Pirates earlier this season and only got sent down in a roster crunch. Karstens pitched very well in Indy and was just there to rehab a back injury anyway. And Veal hopefully won't pitch much with the Pirates, but he's a Rule 5 pick.

Bixler's just a disaster and I wouldn't be upset if he never played for the Pirates again, but here he is. Hacker isn't very good, but at least he can start and therefore has the requisite smidgen of upside that all mediocre starting pitching prospects have until they're tried in the bullpen. I'd bet on major league hitters tearing him apart, but with several batting practice pitchers in the bullpen already (Chris Bootcheck, Steven Jackson, Virgil Vasquez, Denny Bautista, Phil Dumatrait), I suppose it can't hurt to give Hacker a handful of innings.

Pirates 12, Reds 2: Bucs Escape Cellar

Charlie — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 02:22:55 -0000

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The Pirates' 12-2 victory over the Reds today drops Cincinnati to last place and bumps the Pirates up to fifth. Everyone in the Bucs' lineup contributed--Ryan Doumit and Garrett Jones both had three hits to lead the team, but Lastings Milledge also had two hits (plus a great diving catch), Andrew McCutchen reached base three times, and everyone else in the starting lineup reached at least once. The Bucs got some help from Reds pitchers Justin Lehr and Danny Herrera, who both struggled to find the strike zone.

Zach Duke pitched seven strong innings for the win, and Phil Dumatrait pitched a scoreless eighth in his 2009 debut.

The Pirates could give fifth place right back in tomorrow's game, but the pitching matchup features Kevin Hart against Homer Bailey, who has a 7.53 ERA so far this year and hasn't had a decent start since late July. I like the Bucs' chances.

It's partly just an accident of timing and luck, but it's been really nice for the Pirates to be facing bad baseball teams rather than playing bad baseball themselves. Both the Reds this series and the Brewers last series have been loaded with dubious prospects (Adam Rosales, Wladimir Balentien, Chris Dickerson and Paul Janish for the Reds; Casey McGehee for the Brewers) and outright journeymen (Jonny Gomes, Laynce Nix and Ryan Hanigan for the Reds; Mike Rivera and Jason Bourgeois for the Brew Crew). I liked both these teams before the season, but they've been torn apart by disappointing performances and injuries. Of course the Pirates' roster is filled with dubious prospects too, but at least they're good enough to take on patchwork clubs like the Reds and Brewers, and there are many of that type in the National League. (I went to a Marlins/Padres game a couple of weeks ago and was stunned by the number of AAA players I had paid to watch, and the Marlins aren't even one of the N.L.'s worse teams.) And most of those have worse farm systems than the Pirates do. Maybe the thin air up here in fifth place is making me dizzy, but I still like watching this team.

Pirates Win Fourth Straight, 5-2

Charlie — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 02:07:58 -0000

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When you compare the Bucs' active roster to the Reds', it's actually not unreasonable to think the Pirates might keep winning, especially against a starter like Micah Owings, who seems destined to be famed more for his hitting than his pitching. Garrett Jones contributed a homer to right that finally occurred with two men on; nearly all of Jones' previous homers had been solo shots, which I don't think is anything we should gnash our teeth over, but it's got to be nice for him to hit a three-run bomb for once. Also, Lastings Milledge hit his second homer as a Pirate, Andrew McCutchen had one of his patented fly-like-Superman triples, and Delwyn Young played pretty good defense at the keystone. Also, Charlie Morton came back to the surface after his disastrous last start and didn't get the bends. Nice game, and now the Pirates can jump to fifth place with a win tomorrow.

No disrespect to the '79 team, which will always have a place in my heart for being the Bucs' last championship squad and for winning the title in the very week I was born, but I've never liked pillbox hats, which make people's heads look funny. (See the Morton picture to your right, which I swear isn't photoshopped.) I'd gladly exchange some funny-looking heads for some more games like this, though.

One quick note: Evan Meek's season is over after moving to the 60-day DL to make room for Phil Dumatrait on the 40-man roster.

Pirates Activate Phil Dumatrait, Place Jeff Karstens on Bereavement List

Charlie — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:43:43 -0000

The Bucs have activated Phil Dumatrait in what could prove to be the longest wait for the smallest reward since the Stone Roses' second album. Dumatrait didn't pitch well in his rehab assignments, didn't pitch well for the Pirates last year, didn't pitch well in the Reds organization the year before that, and wasn't all that great a prospect to begin with. He is, however, left-handed, so there's that. Otherwise, I don't think he'd have any reasonable claim to a roster spot, even on a team as reliever-starved as the Pirates are.

In the short term, he'll take the place of Jeff Karstens, who has been placed on the bereavement list so he can visit with his sick grandmother. The Pirates will still have to make another move to clear a spot for Dumatrait on the 40-man roster, since Karstens is still on it.

Much has changed since the last time the Pirates and Rockies met

Poseidon's Fist — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:22:00 -0000

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It sure isn't Nate McLouth pirating flyballs to center these days.

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First, the Rockies had to prove they could win a series (Cardinals). Then they had to prove it wasn't a fluke (Brewers). Then the Rox had to show it could translate at home (Mariners). Then there was the challenge of winning against a world-class offense (Rays). And we've done all that.

So what does a series with the Pittsburgh Pirates offer? How about winning a series while being clearly the better team for once? Believe it or not, this is the first series the Rockies have gone into with a better record than their opponent since April 10th, the first home series of the years against the Phillies. Can we respond now that we are no longer the underdog? It would be our first series win (in two tries) against a team with an inferior record.

Or how about redemption? One month ago, the ~~Pirates embarrassed the Rockies~~ Rockies embarrassed themselves in Pittsburgh (see 10-run, 2-error inning). A dramatic ninth inning home run by Brad Hawpe was all that staved off the sweep. That series more or less sealed the fate of Clint Hurdle. After failing to lose series at Atlanta and Detroit, the move was delayed, but the losing attitude was smothering.

So now's the chance to get back and show the Pirates what real Rockies baseball is. They have treaded water at 15-14 since the series, and the Rockies have gone 19-11, passing Pittsburgh and five other teams in the wild card race in that month. We won't have to face Nate McLouth, who was traded to Atlanta, but Charlie Morton - who came in that trade - is slated to pitch on Saturday.

Also, check out Bucs Dugout, Pittsburgh's SBNation site. Check it out, but be friendly.

Pittsburgh Pirates (31-35, L1, t-5th, 6 GB)

Friday-Sunday : 3-game series at Coors Field

The Bats: D+

A weak offense got weaker when Nate McLouth got shipped to Georgia, but it should be noted that two young players have stepped up in his absence. Delwyn Young (1.120 OPS in June), who Pittsburgh basically got for free from the Dodgers this spring, and top prospect Andrew McCutchen (.849 OPS since his callup June 4) have really excelled with regular playing time. Still, they are only 20th in wOBA this season and 19th in runs, and that ought to be adjusted downward by tossing out McLouth's contributions. Then consider their 40 home runs, second to only the Giants' 38 for MLB futility. Take McLouth's nine out of the equation...and their roster is by far the weakest in the bigs. I mean, the Rockies have six players who have more dingers than Freddy Sanchez, second on the roster.

LINEUP	Avg	HR	RBI
Andrew McCutchen - CF	.333	1	9
Nyjer Morgan - LF	.256	1	24
Freddy Sanchez - 2B	.314	5	25
Adam LaRoche - 1B	.260	9	32
Delwyn Young - RF	.360	1	11
Andy LaRoche - 3B	.278	3	31
Robinzon Diaz - C	.295	1	15
Jack Wilson - SS	.274	1	20

Ryan Doumit is still on the DL, so Jason Jaramillo will get one or two starts this weekend. Brandon Moss still finds a start about half the time in the outfield, and Eric Hinske, Craig Monroe, and Ramon Vazquez fill out the bench.

The Arms: C-

The Pirates started strong in allowing the fewest runs in the league, but after getting three shutouts in four games April 17-20, Pittsburgh has failed to record another one in the two months since. Their ERA is a bit above average at 12th (4.24), though thier FIP is 22nd (4.51), and their tRA is even higher - 4.63 in the rotation and 5.00 in the bullpen. In fact the bullpen has the fourth worst FIP in the majors, partially due to Matt Dicus Capps having an ERA near 5.00 And yes, that's his real middle name.

Charlie Morton will take Jeff Karstens' rotation spot Saturday, and that may help things in the rotation, but they've still been deceptively below average. We will miss their worst starter so far this year (Ian Snell) but also arguably their best (Zach Duke), so the series will be a pretty fair shake.

The D: A

The Pirates have made just 27 errors, 3rd least in MLB, which has led to 24 unearned runs yet are also tied for the 3rd best UZR/150 rating at 6.6. Replacing McLouth with Andrew McCutchen in center also improves their defensive picture.

Probable Pitchers:

Tonight, 7:10 pm MDT

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Ross Ohlendorf	6-5	4.56	1.27	39	22

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Jason Marquis	8-4	3.77	1.35	41	31

Saturday, June 20, 6:10 pm MDT

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Charlie Morton	0-0	0.00	1.00	0	0

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Jason Hammel	4-3	4.10	1.48	42	15

Thursday, June 18, 1:10 MDT

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Paul Maholm	4-3	4.23	1.41	54	28

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Jorge De La Rosa	2-7	5.81	1.49	76	33

Adam LaRoche is really starting to heat up. He is 9 for his last 19 with 2 HR. Delwyn Young, Jack Wilson, Andrew McCutchen, and Freddy Sanchez are all OPSing over .930 over the past week as well. Ross Ohlendorf allowed only one run and two hits in his previous start.

Nyjer Morgan and Andy LaRoche have been the biggest flops recently, each collecting just three hits and one home run over the past week. Paul Maholm was torched for eight runs in his last start.

Ryan Doumit is still on the DL with a wrist injury he sustained April 20, when the Pirates were over .500. Tyler Yates (elbow) and Donald Veal (groin) are on the 15-day, and Phil Dumatrait (shoulder) and Craig Hansen (neck) are on the 60-day.

Poll

What says you for the last June home series?

The real Rockies have shown up. We'll have no trouble with the Pittsburgh. Something tells me Pirates would have trouble in the Rockies anyway

55 votes

We will inexplicably lose a game just because. But a series win is practically in pen now.

77 votes

Time for a letdown. Pirates take the series

6 votes

Aaargh. Jim Tracy must love his old teams too much. A sweep to the Pirates shocks us all.

0 votes

138 votes | Poll has closed

Rox to face another talented trio of arms in Pittsburgh

Poseidon's Fist — Fri, 15 May 2009 17:00:15 -0000

More photos » by John Heller - AP

This series of struggling teams could have been rejuvenated with the battle of the two young catchers Iannetta and Doumit. But Doumit had to go injure his wrist and will be out at least a month. Instead, the Bucs will be utilizing a catcher that abused the spelling of Robinson.

Browse more photos »

Good showings could raise their series win percentage and Atkins' batting average above the Mendoza line

On April 26th, the Pirates were 11-7; from April 13-20, the Bucs recorded FOUR shutouts, each behind a different starting pitcher. But as the Pirates do, they fell on hard time and lost 12 of 13 and are back in the familiar NL Central cellar.

Pittsburgh has also underperformed their Pythagorean win percentage - they are 14-20 despite being outscored by just four.

The Rockies won the season series from Pittsburgh last year 5-2, sweeping a four game set at Coors and dropping two at PNC. Colorado also won the series in 2007 4-3 on the strength of a three game sweep at PNC.

Pittsburgh Pirates (14-20, L1, 6th, 6.5 GB)

Friday-Sunday : 3-game series at PNC Park

The Pirates are led by their starting pitching, which has the 3rd best ERA in MLB. The underrated young group of Paul Maholm, Zach Duke, Jeff Karstens, Ian Snell and Ross Ohlendorf (all 26, except Snell, who is 27) lead the majors in quality starts and are in a four way tie for third with 4 shutouts. The whole staff has a strong 3.50 ERA at PNC Park.

However, the Pirates have the largest negative split between FIP and ERA in the majors, and their BABIP allowed is second lowest so indications are they are getting a bit lucky, and it will only get worse for the Bucs.

The below average offense got a huge blow when catcher Ryan Doumit went down with an injury last week. The have managed with the emergence of Robinzon Diaz behind the dish.

LINEUP	Avg	HR	RBI
Nyjer Morgan	.311	0	17
Freddy Sanchez	.333	3	11
Nate McLouth	.280	5	23
Adam LaRoche	.234	6	16
Robinzon Diaz	.344	1	5
Andy LaRoche	.243	1	11
Brandon Moss	.224	1	6
Jack Wilson	.254	0	8

Of the regulars on Sanchez, McLouth and Diaz rate are at least average in terms of wRAA.

This is a series where the Rockies pitchers have an opportunity to impress. It is nearly a top ten pitchers' park this year against one of the bottom ten offenses. I'll leave it at that - sorry for cutting things short, but I have to run and grab some diploma thing.

Probable Pitchers:

Tonight, 5:05 pm MDT

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Jorge De La Rosa	0-3	3.53	1.21	35	16

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Paul Maholm	3-1	4.06	1.33	21	14

Saturday, May 16, 5:05 MDT

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Aaron Cook	2-1	5.03	1.58	21	19

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Ian Snell	1-5	4.50	1.58	27	24

Sunday, May 17, 11:35 MDT

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Ubaldo Jimenez	3-4	4.72	1.50	34	20

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Zach Duke	4-3	2.52	1.08	28	11

Robinzon Diaz (.389/421/.611) has really stepped up in place of the injured Ryan Doumit, especially in the past week. Freddy Sanchez (.333/.444/.400), Jack Wilson (.375/.375/.500) and Nyjer Morgan (.333/.455/.444) have all heated up as well.

Brandon Moss (.238/.238/.439) and Adam LaRoche (.200/.238/.450)have struggled the most recently. Paul Maholm gave up 7 runs in his last start.

Ryan Doumit, Phil Dumatrait and Craig Hansen are on the 15-day DL.

Poll

Forget WILL they win the series...is this team even capable of winning it?

No. Make sure the rum is not gone

25 votes

Maybe. We haven't won a series against a team with a better record than us yet so far this year, but if we win Friday, we will pass them by a half game. So it would be ok to win the series then.

14 votes

That last option was entirely too long

17 votes

Yeah...I guess...I mean it IS the Pirates. Surely we have the capability to beat the Pirates!

26 votes

82 votes | Poll has closed