Pirates 4, Braves 2
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Atlanta Braves – Box Score – April 28, 2012 – ESPN.
Randall Delgado wasn’t effective, and the Braves were mostly shut down by lefty Eric Bedard and the Pirates’ bullpen. It happens.
The Pirates took the lead in the first on a hit, a groundout, a wild pitch and a sac fly; the Pirates left two on after walks. A two-out double in the second made it 2-0 and a single made it 3-0, and in the third the Pirates left the bases loaded.
The Braves cut it to 3-1 when Dan Uggla singled in Martin Prado in the third, but back-to-back one-out doubles in the fifth put the Pirates up 4-1 and chased Delgado. Livan Hernandez put out the fire and he and Cristhian Martinez combined to shut out the Pirates the rest of the way. However, the Braves only got one more run (off of Chris Resop!), in the sixth, when Jason Heyward doubled leading off, stole third, and came home on a Juan Francisco groundout. Five of the last six Braves of the game struck out.
How in the hell in the Poser still pitching for a major league club?
April 29th, 2012 at 9:25 am4.18ERA in 99IP and averaging over 10K/9. He’s actually better than 2 of our RH bullpen arms.
April 29th, 2012 at 10:08 am@2 Those stats are over the last 3 years. Sure do miss the edit button.
April 29th, 2012 at 10:09 amChipper and McCann playing! WOOHOO!
Bourn
Prado
Freeman
McCann
Uggla
Chipper
Heyward
Pastornicky
Hudson
I think it says a lot for how the team views Huddy that both of the questionables are in the lineup for his first start of the year.
April 29th, 2012 at 10:11 amThe problem with Medlen as a starter is that it seriously weakens our bullpen, way more than not having him as a starter weakens our rotation. Martinez has been good, but I’m not sure we want him in the main swingman role, and even if he did alright, that would be elevating Durbin or Gearrin, who outright failed to win a job in spring training, into Martinez’s current role (and it would most likely be Durbin). You could expect the overuse of O’Ventbrel to restart in earnest. For all these reasons, I really hope they don’t try it. It’s way better for the team if they keep Medlen in the swingman role.
April 29th, 2012 at 10:30 amI didn’t see Delgado’s last start. Just saw the linescore. Was it really that bad? I’d still stick with him for a little while and let him see if he can find a rhythm. He sure looked awful promising last year.
April 29th, 2012 at 11:01 amHere’s my guesstimation. Right now, barring a breakout, Delgado is pretty much the definition of replacement level. Medlen’s ceiling as long reliever is probably around 1 WAR — looking at previous seasons of similarly skilled players in the same role (i.e. Aceves). Livan and Durbin…yeesh. What marginal good Livan provides, Durbin cancels out.
The season Medlen swung between starting and relieving, he accumulated 1.5 WAR, and I think he could get past 2 if he were to start starting soon and stick in that role. Giving Martinez some more innings would get him to 0.5 WAR, but maybe you disagree. Livan and Durbin are probably still the same wash as before. And let’s say Gearrin is replacement level (although he was actually better last year in his short stint).
I know which option I’d choose. Or maybe Teheran will make this all a moot point before the season ends.
April 29th, 2012 at 11:11 am@5- is it fair to say Gearrin “outright lost the job in spring training?” He put up a 3.09 era, its not like he fell on his face.
I think the bullpen had Flande and Gearrin in it until Livan and Durbin were brought in.
April 29th, 2012 at 11:55 am6 — From what I saw he didn’t have good command of his secondary pitches.
April 29th, 2012 at 11:58 amMaybe put Medlen in Delgado’s rotation spot, move up Lisp in the pecking order, and have Delgado take the second long reliever spot?
April 29th, 2012 at 12:12 pm10 — Delgado needs regular work.
Braves Live! is unwatchable.
April 29th, 2012 at 12:28 pmAt least the game is not on Peachtree TV.
April 29th, 2012 at 12:31 pmWhew, needed that K.
April 29th, 2012 at 12:41 pm@11: Agreed. I’m probably too quick to want to move Delgado somewhere else in the organization – I just think Medlen’s the best option for the #5 spot right now (and I want to see what he can do with a full season as a starter).
April 29th, 2012 at 12:41 pmI really love these throwback unis.
April 29th, 2012 at 12:45 pmCan we bat Martin 10th?
April 29th, 2012 at 12:47 pmAw c’mon Tyler.
April 29th, 2012 at 12:52 pmIf Pastornicky makes either play, they get out of this inning.
April 29th, 2012 at 1:03 pmESPN Gamecast graphics are pretty wonky. According to the display, Tabata fouled a ball off into the home team dugout. But no. It was a 2-run double to rightfield, apparently.
Dammit.
April 29th, 2012 at 1:04 pmTim is really struggling with his control. And he’s not fooling anyone either.
April 29th, 2012 at 1:05 pmIt tries my patience to have a group of infielders this bad behind a ground ball pitcher like Hudson.
April 29th, 2012 at 1:06 pmToday might have been a Jack Wilson kind of day. But I really like the approach Pastornicky has taken at the plate lately. Oh well. Today’s a shake the rust off kind of day. If we can’t scratch a few runs off Kevin Correia — who has a career ERA of 4.55 despite spending almost his entire career with the Giants and Padres — we don’t deserve to win.
April 29th, 2012 at 1:16 pmOkay, let’s make this pay off…
April 29th, 2012 at 1:30 pmGotta have a hit here.
April 29th, 2012 at 1:31 pmFreddie reeeeeeeally needs a shinguard.
April 29th, 2012 at 1:36 pmDang.
April 29th, 2012 at 1:38 pmSparkling defense today.
April 29th, 2012 at 1:41 pmCan’t blame Doug Eddings, really. He doesn’t want to get shown up here.
Braves suck, Pirates suck, he wants us all to know that he sucks too.
April 29th, 2012 at 1:46 pmEddings and Hudson not getting along today…
April 29th, 2012 at 1:51 pmAnd I again need to refresh before posting.
April 29th, 2012 at 1:51 pmTyler making up for it with the bat!
April 29th, 2012 at 2:04 pmWoohoo, Pastornicky!
He is starting to look like a hitter.
April 29th, 2012 at 2:04 pmOne of Caray’s more annoying features that no one seems to mention is his constant editorializing of what players are thinking or saying to one another.
“And Chipper points to Heyward as if to say: ‘good job on hitting that ball to the opposite field.’”
April 29th, 2012 at 2:05 pmI don’t know what the stats say, but I’m far more optimistic with Pastornicky up there than I was with AGony last year.
April 29th, 2012 at 2:09 pmWhat the hell is going on out there today?
April 29th, 2012 at 2:11 pmGotta get it in the air, at least..
April 29th, 2012 at 2:36 pm“Take ball four, kid!”
April 29th, 2012 at 2:39 pmOr walk. That works too.
April 29th, 2012 at 2:40 pmIf I were the Pirates, I would not have Correia pitching to Chipper.
April 29th, 2012 at 2:40 pmDarn slow feed.
April 29th, 2012 at 2:42 pmOzzie Guillen wonders how Hurdle could have left his pitcher in to walk three.
April 29th, 2012 at 2:42 pmDon’t sweat it, Piers. I actually said that before he took ball four. Trying to channel my inner-Bobby Cox.
April 29th, 2012 at 2:44 pmOh, Chipper. You can’t be taking that pitch.
April 29th, 2012 at 2:46 pmIf the Pirates didn’t suck, it would be so much more apparent that we also suck.
April 29th, 2012 at 2:48 pmGuess we should be happy, but shoulda gotten one more at least.
April 29th, 2012 at 2:48 pmFor God’s sake. Left the bases loaded.
April 29th, 2012 at 2:48 pmWe are in the lead, going into the 6th, which usually means we win. That’s the Big Picture.
April 29th, 2012 at 2:50 pmDurbin vs. Pirates’ offense.
April 29th, 2012 at 2:52 pmWell, I didn’t expect that. Resume apocalyptic discussion.
April 29th, 2012 at 2:53 pmThe resistible force vs the movable object.
April 29th, 2012 at 2:53 pmChad Durbin, Pirate Poison.
April 29th, 2012 at 2:54 pmThat. Just. Happened.
April 29th, 2012 at 2:54 pmIt’s kind of funny to watch, but it almost looks like Durbin is flinching after every pitch he delivers.
April 29th, 2012 at 2:55 pmI know I am.
April 29th, 2012 at 2:56 pmYou gotta love that durbin.
April 29th, 2012 at 2:56 pmThis is why the Braves should never have a defense-first SS as backup because Fredi is actually stupid enough to use him as a PH.
April 29th, 2012 at 3:00 pmJim Powell on the radio: “Chad Durbin worked a clean inning.”
It felt like there was a lot of disbelief in his voice.
April 29th, 2012 at 3:01 pmYou can call a guy with a 96mph fastball, Hot Rod, right?
April 29th, 2012 at 3:02 pmWell his name was Johnny but his friends called him hotrod…
April 29th, 2012 at 3:07 pmLooks like they located the real EOF.
April 29th, 2012 at 3:08 pmThat works.
April 29th, 2012 at 3:11 pmMartin!
April 29th, 2012 at 3:12 pmPrado!
April 29th, 2012 at 3:12 pmTime to put this game on Easy Street.
April 29th, 2012 at 3:19 pmJailbreaking my phone and installing a location spoofer was a fantastic decision. I like being able to watch games again.
April 29th, 2012 at 3:28 pmMeanwhile Derek Lowe has 7 2/3 three hit shoutout innings, earning his fourth win of the season while lowering his ERA to 2.27.
April 29th, 2012 at 3:29 pmIt disgusts me to see Derek Lowe not sucking.
April 29th, 2012 at 3:46 pmAnd we are paying 10m of his salary too.
April 29th, 2012 at 3:57 pmHe sucked a hell of a lot more when we were paying $15 million of it. I’m not too broke up about it.
April 29th, 2012 at 3:58 pmWatching with the sound off. What was that argument about?
April 29th, 2012 at 4:01 pmBoo-yah.
April 29th, 2012 at 4:01 pmMcCann was arguing that the batter fouled the ball before it got away.
On the replay, it looked like the pitch actually hit the batter’s toe, but he swung at it, so it’s a strike either way. Run doesn’t matter, so… ballgame.
April 29th, 2012 at 4:03 pm@70 McCann thought he fouled it off. Can’t blame him for being confused, as the ball changed direction when it hit the batters foot, then again after it went through McCann and hit the ump.
April 29th, 2012 at 4:03 pmBraves win!
April 29th, 2012 at 4:06 pmCall me crazy, but I think this Kimbrel kid is pretty good.
April 29th, 2012 at 4:09 pmRecapped.
April 29th, 2012 at 4:11 pm