2017 pittsburgh pirates - baltimore oriolesbaltimore.orioles.mlb.com/documents/5/6/...pirates...2017...

2017 Pittsburgh Pirates

Current Roster

Pitchers

Num Name Pos Bats Throws Height Weight Age Birth Date Birth Place

59 Antonio Bastardo P R L 5-11 198 31 9/21/1985 Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic 45 Gerrit Cole P R R 6-4 230 26 9/8/1990 Newport Beach, CA 24 Tyler Glasnow P L R 6-8 225 23 8/23/1993 Newhall, CA 41 Daniel Hudson P R R 6-3 230 30 3/9/1987 Lynchburg, VA 39 Chad Kuhl P R R 6-3 215 24 9/10/1992 Newark, DE 38 Wade LeBlanc P L L 6-3 209 32 8/7/1984 Lake Charles, LA 12 Juan Nicasio P R R 6-4 250 30 8/31/1986 San Francisco de Macoris, Dominican Republic 46 Ivan Nova P R R 6-5 235 30 1/12/1987 Palenque, Dominican Republic 73 Felipe Rivero P L L 6-2 209 25 7/5/1991 San Felipe, Venezuela 50 Jameson Taillon P R R 6-5 240 25 11/18/1991 Lakeland, FL 44 Tony Watson P L L 6-4 225 31 5/30/1985 Sioux City, IA 57 Trevor Williams P R R 6-3 230 24 4/25/1992 San Diego, CA

Catchers


29 Francisco Cervelli C R R 6-1 205 31 3/6/1986 Valencia, Venezuela 19 Chris Stewart C R R 6-4 210 35 2/19/1982 Fontana, CA

Infielders


55 Josh Bell 1B S R 6-2 245 24 8/14/1992 Irving, TX 26 Adam Frazier 2B L R 5-11 175 25 12/14/1991 Athens, GA 23 David Freese 3B R R 6-2 220 33 4/28/1983 Corpus Christi, TX 17 Phil Gosselin 2B R R 6-1 200 28 10/3/1988 West Chester, PA 37 Alen Hanson SS S R 5-11 180 24 10/22/1992 La Romana, Dominican Republic 5 Josh Harrison 2B R R 5-8 195 29 7/8/1987 Cincinnati, OH 28 John Jaso 1B L R 6-2 205 33 9/19/1983 Chula Vista, CA 10 Jordy Mercer SS R R 6-3 205 30 8/27/1986 Taloga, OK

Outfielders


6 Starling Marte CF R R 6-1 185 28 10/9/1988 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 22 Andrew McCutchen RF R R 5-10 190 30 10/10/1986 Fort Meade, FL 25 Gregory Polanco LF L L 6-5 230 25 9/14/1991 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Others on 40-man roster

Pitchers

Num Name Bats Throws Height Weight Age Birth Date Birth Place

43 Steven Brault L L 6-1 170 24 4/29/1992 La Mesa, CA 68 Clay Holmes R R 6-5 230 24 3/27/1993 Dothan, AL 34 Drew Hutchison L R 6-2 165 26 8/22/1990 Lakeland, FL 49 Nick Kingham R R 6-5 25 11/8/1991 Houston, TX 35 Pat Light R R 6-6 215 26 3/29/1991 Colts Neck, NJ 31 A.J. Schugel R R 6-0 202 27 6/27/1989 Winter Haven, FL

Catchers


32 Elias Diaz R R 6-0 212 26 11/17/1990 Maracaibo, Venezuela

Infielders


64 Jose Osuna R R 6-1 243 24 12/12/1992 Trujillo, Venezuela 62 Max Moroff S R 6-0 175 23 5/13/1993 Winter Park, FL

http://statspass.com/data/mlb/players/player.asp?id=8503


































2016 Pirates Active Roster Batting Stats I

Player G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS

Josh Bell 45 128 18 35 8 0 3 19 21 19 0 1 .273 .368 .406 .775

Francisco Cervelli 101 326 42 86 14 1 1 33 56 72 6 2 .264 .377 .322 .699

Gerrit Cole 21 40 3 8 1 0 1 3 0 19 0 0 .200 .220 .300 .520

Adam Frazier 66 146 21 44 8 1 2 11 12 26 4 1 .301 .356 .411 .767

David Freese 141 437 63 118 23 0 13 55 45 142 0 0 .270 .352 .412 .764

Tyler Glasnow 7 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 .143 .143 .143 .286

Alen Hanson 27 31 5 7 1 0 0 1 2 5 2 1 .226 .273 .258 .531

Josh Harrison 131 487 57 138 25 7 4 59 18 76 19 4 .283 .311 .388 .699

John Jaso 132 380 45 102 25 3 8 42 45 74 0 4 .268 .353 .413 .766 Chad Kuhl 15 23 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 9 0 0 .087 .125 .087 .212

Wade LeBlanc 8 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000

Starling Marte 129 489 71 152 34 5 9 46 23 104 47 12 .311 .362 .456 .818

Andrew McCutchen 153 598 81 153 26 3 24 79 69 143 6 7 .256 .336 .430 .766

Jordy Mercer 149 519 66 133 22 3 11 59 51 83 1 1 .256 .328 .374 .701

Juan Nicasio 52 19 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 7 0 0 .158 .158 .158 .316

Ivan Nova 11 22 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 15 0 0 .136 .136 .136 .273

Gregory Polanco 144 527 79 136 34 4 22 86 53 119 17 6 .258 .323 .463 .786

Chris Stewart 34 98 10 21 4 0 1 7 12 15 0 0 .214 .319 .286 .604

Jameson Taillon 18 32 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 17 0 0 .094 .094 .094 .188 Tony Watson 70 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - - .000

Trevor Williams 7 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 .000 .667 .000 .667

Team Totals 162 5542 729 1426 277 32 153 696 561 1334 110 45 .257 .332 .402 .734

2016 Pirates Active Roster Batting Stats II

Player PA #Pit #P/PA TB SB% SF SH HBP IBB wOBA PLOB GIDP

GIDP

Pct GB FB G/F GB% BABIP

Josh Bell 152 617 4.06 52 0.0 3 0 0 0 .351 41 4 12.1 60 29 2.07 53.6 .294

Francisco Cervelli 393 1595 4.06 105 75.0 5 0 6 1 .333 135 14 20.0 146 53 2.75 56.8 .329

Gerrit Cole 43 162 3.77 12 - 0 2 1 0 .217 20 0 0.0 12 3 4.00 63.2 .350

Adam Frazier 160 625 3.91 60 80.0 1 0 1 0 .346 45 0 0.0 53 25 2.12 43.8 .353

David Freese 492 2062 4.19 180 - 0 0 10 2 .347 200 15 16.1 182 45 4.04 61.7 .372

Tyler Glasnow 7 18 2.57 1 - 0 0 0 0 .129 2 0 - 2 0 - 66.7 .333

Alen Hanson 33 105 3.18 8 66.7 0 0 0 1 .223 9 0 0.0 15 6 2.50 60.0 .269

Josh Harrison 522 1891 3.62 189 82.6 8 4 5 0 .312 190 10 9.9 186 136 1.37 45.3 .323 John Jaso 432 1696 3.93 157 0.0 1 1 5 0 .346 98 8 10.0 165 69 2.39 53.7 .314

Chad Kuhl 26 105 4.04 2 - 0 2 0 0 .097 17 0 0.0 9 1 9.00 75.0 .143

Wade LeBlanc 1 10 10.00 0 - 0 0 0 0 .000 2 0 0.0 0 0 - - -

Starling Marte 529 1987 3.76 223 79.7 0 1 16 5 .362 169 8 8.4 183 94 1.95 48.5 .380

Andrew McCutchen 675 2737 4.05 257 46.2 3 0 5 7 .339 222 15 10.6 169 167 1.01 36.9 .297

Jordy Mercer 584 2292 3.92 194 50.0 2 7 5 8 .311 201 11 9.5 215 121 1.78 49.2 .286

Juan Nicasio 20 73 3.65 3 - 0 1 0 0 .135 11 0 0.0 7 2 3.50 63.6 .250

Ivan Nova 24 82 3.42 3 - 0 2 0 0 .113 14 0 0.0 3 2 1.50 50.0 .429

Gregory Polanco 587 2397 4.08 244 73.9 6 1 0 6 .334 219 13 9.4 162 129 1.26 39.3 .291 Chris Stewart 113 460 4.07 28 - 0 0 3 2 .280 48 2 9.5 40 25 1.60 48.8 .244

Jameson Taillon 36 115 3.19 3 - 0 4 0 0 .075 24 2 22.2 10 0 - 71.4 .200

Tony Watson 1 3 3.00 0 - 0 1 0 0 .000 0 0 - 0 0 - - -

Trevor Williams 3 16 5.33 0 - 0 0 0 0 .480 0 0 0.0 0 0 - - -

Team Totals 6261 24868 3.97 2226 71.0 36 41 81 39 .327 1173 133 10.9 2015 1165 1.73 47.9 .311

2016 Pirates Active Roster Batting Stats III

Player XBH

GA

RBI

GW

RBI RC RC/27 AB/HR AB/RBI PA/BB PA/K IP Sec PS

%Swg

1stPit

%Pit

Taken

%Swg

InPlay

%Swg

Miss

Josh Bell 11 2 0 18 4.79 42.67 6.74 7.24 8.00 .133 .289 0.0 34.9 55.4 40.7 18.2

Francisco Cervelli 16 4 2 38 3.92 326.00 9.88 7.02 5.46 .058 .242 1.7 24.6 61.9 42.6 22.2

Gerrit Cole 2 1 0 2 1.58 40.00 13.33 - 2.26 .100 .100 0.0 25.6 51.9 29.5 37.2

Adam Frazier 11 4 2 23 5.95 73.00 13.27 13.33 6.15 .110 .212 2.7 23.1 49.6 38.4 19.0

David Freese 36 15 8 60 4.83 33.62 7.95 10.93 3.46 .142 .245 0.0 22.4 55.6 32.2 27.8

Tyler Glasnow 0 0 0 0 0.00 - - - 1.75 .000 .000 - 28.6 50.0 33.3 55.6

Alen Hanson 1 0 0 1 1.08 - 31.00 16.50 6.60 .032 .129 0.0 36.4 45.7 45.6 14.0 Josh Harrison 36 8 4 60 4.30 121.75 8.25 29.00 6.87 .105 .172 6.6 34.9 45.2 40.8 20.0

John Jaso 36 9 4 55 5.07 47.50 9.05 9.60 5.84 .145 .253 0.0 24.5 59.3 44.6 17.2

Chad Kuhl 0 0 0 0 0.00 - - 26.00 2.89 .000 .043 - 40.7 50.5 30.8 26.9

Wade LeBlanc 0 0 0 0 0.00 - - - 1.00 .000 .000 - 0.0 40.0 0.0 33.3

Starling Marte 48 9 5 78 5.86 54.33 10.63 23.00 5.09 .145 .264 15.1 32.6 45.7 35.8 25.8

Andrew McCutchen 53 21 9 83 4.75 24.92 7.57 9.78 4.72 .174 .288 9.6 30.5 53.8 36.2 25.5

Jordy Mercer 36 14 7 57 3.77 47.18 8.80 11.45 7.04 .118 .216 1.8 17.1 56.5 44.7 15.2

Juan Nicasio 0 0 0 1 1.58 - 19.00 - 2.86 .000 .000 - 35.0 43.8 31.7 31.7

Ivan Nova 0 0 0 0 0.00 - - - 1.60 .000 .000 - 41.7 43.9 19.6 50.0 Gregory Polanco 60 23 10 75 4.84 23.95 6.13 11.08 4.93 .205 .326 19.2 22.1 53.9 37.6 21.8

Chris Stewart 5 2 1 7 2.38 98.00 14.00 9.42 7.53 .071 .194 0.0 17.0 65.9 52.9 11.5

Jameson Taillon 0 0 0 0 0.00 - 16.00 - 2.12 .000 .000 - 36.1 46.1 30.6 38.7

Tony Watson 0 0 0 - - - - - - - - - 100.0 0.0 33.3 33.3

Trevor Williams 0 0 0 1 26.89 - 1.00 1.50 3.00 .000 2.000 - 0.0 68.8 0.0 20.0

Team Totals 462 147 75 729 4.50 36.22 7.96 11.16 4.69 .144 .257 128.0 26.5 54.6 37.9 23.7

http://statspass.com/data/mlb/teams/team.asp?sort=99&id=23&sea=2016&gmtyp=reg&min=1882&max=2017&ros=1&menu=bat

http://statspass.com/data/mlb/teams/team.asp?sort=0&tbl=A&id=23&sea=2016&gmtyp=reg&min=1882&max=2017&ros=1&menu=bat#A






































http://statspass.com/data/mlb/teams/team.asp?sort=0&tbl=B&id=23&sea=2016&gmtyp=reg&min=1882&max=2017&ros=1&menu=bat#B









































http://statspass.com/data/mlb/teams/team.asp?sort=0&tbl=C&id=23&sea=2016&gmtyp=reg&min=1882&max=2017&ros=1&menu=bat#C











































2016 Pirates Active Roster Pitching Stats I

Player W L Sv SvOP G GS CG IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA

Antonio Bastardo 3 0 0 1 28 0 0 24.0 19 13 11 3 11 28 4.13 Gerrit Cole 7 10 0 0 21 21 1 116.0 131 57 50 7 36 98 3.88 Tyler Glasnow 0 2 0 0 7 4 0 23.1 22 13 11 2 13 24 4.24 Chad Kuhl 5 4 0 0 14 14 0 70.2 73 34 33 7 20 53 4.20 Wade LeBlanc 1 0 1 1 8 0 0 12.0 7 3 1 0 2 10 0.75 Juan Nicasio 10 7 0 2 52 12 0 118.0 117 64 59 15 45 138 4.50 Ivan Nova 5 2 0 0 11 11 3 64.2 68 27 22 4 3 52 3.06 Felipe Rivero 1 3 0 2 28 0 0 27.1 23 13 10 3 18 39 3.29 Jameson Taillon 5 4 0 0 18 18 0 104.0 99 40 39 13 17 85 3.38 Tony Watson 2 5 15 20 70 0 0 67.2 52 26 23 10 20 58 3.06 Trevor Williams 1 1 0 1 7 1 0 12.2 19 13 11 4 5 11 7.82

Team Totals 78 83 51 71 162 162 5 1450.2 1490 758 679 180 533 1232 4.21

2016 Pirates Active Roster Pitching Stats II

Player Pct BFP QS ShO WP HB BK SH SF IBB AVG OBP SLG OPS

Antonio Bastardo 1.000 102 0 0 5 1 2 0 2 1 .216 .304 .409 .713 Gerrit Cole .412 506 11 0 5 6 1 4 6 3 .289 .345 .410 .754 Tyler Glasnow .000 105 0 0 2 3 1 1 0 0 .250 .365 .409 .774 Chad Kuhl .556 301 8 0 2 4 0 2 2 0 .267 .324 .432 .757 Wade LeBlanc 1.000 44 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 .175 .205 .250 .455 Juan Nicasio .588 513 4 0 3 7 0 5 7 3 .261 .333 .441 .774 Ivan Nova .714 263 6 0 3 3 0 4 4 0 .273 .286 .414 .699 Felipe Rivero .250 124 0 0 2 1 0 0 1 1 .221 .339 .327 .666 Jameson Taillon .556 418 12 0 1 3 2 4 1 1 .252 .287 .415 .702 Tony Watson .286 272 0 0 0 3 0 4 3 1 .215 .280 .393 .672 Trevor Williams .500 61 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .339 .393 .661 1.054

Team Totals .484 6292 68 5 71 68 7 64 46 28 .267 .336 .436 .772

2016 Pirates Active Roster Pitching Stats III

Player 2B 3B SB CS PCS PKO GIDP XBH IR ISc IRS% Hld GF SV% BS GB FB GB%

Antonio Bastardo 8 0 4 0 0 0 0 11 10 4 40.0 8 0 0.0 1 11 33 17.7 Gerrit Cole 32 1 18 2 0 0 9 40 0 0 - 0 0 - 0 165 89 46.5 Tyler Glasnow 4 2 9 0 0 0 5 8 0 0 - 0 0 - 0 30 16 47.6 Chad Kuhl 22 1 4 2 0 0 5 30 0 0 - 0 0 - 0 98 70 44.7 Wade LeBlanc 3 0 0 1 0 0 1 3 2 2 100.0 1 4 100.0 0 12 11 38.7 Juan Nicasio 24 6 4 4 0 1 8 45 11 5 45.5 7 9 0.0 2 139 98 43.8 Ivan Nova 19 2 2 0 0 0 8 25 0 0 - 0 0 - 0 101 43 52.3 Felipe Rivero 2 0 1 1 1 1 1 5 9 2 22.2 10 3 0.0 2 31 14 47.7 Jameson Taillon 23 1 8 2 2 2 12 37 0 0 - 0 0 - 0 167 74 54.4 Tony Watson 11 1 5 0 0 0 9 22 8 1 12.5 23 27 75.0 5 83 66 44.9 Trevor Williams 6 0 0 1 0 0 2 10 0 0 - 0 1 0.0 1 20 11 45.5

Team Totals 322 40 102 28 4 8 150 542 215 66 30.7 91 157 71.8 20 2066 1225 47.6

2016 Pirates Active Roster Pitching Stats IV

Player RS RSA BABIP WHIP H/9 SO/9 BB/9 SO/BB #Pit P/IP %Swg 1st Pit %Swg Miss %Pitch In Play

Antonio Bastardo 20 7.50 .271 1.25 7.1 10.5 4.1 2.55 419 17.5 30.7 34.4 14.8 Gerrit Cole 65 5.04 .349 1.44 10.2 7.6 2.8 2.72 1938 16.7 28.5 19.0 18.9 Tyler Glasnow 9 3.47 .323 1.50 8.5 9.3 5.0 1.85 439 18.8 29.2 28.3 14.8 Chad Kuhl 40 5.09 .307 1.32 9.3 6.8 2.5 2.65 1141 16.1 27.4 20.4 19.6 Wade LeBlanc 3 2.25 .219 0.75 5.3 7.5 1.5 5.00 174 14.5 31.8 28.2 18.4 Juan Nicasio 63 4.81 .337 1.37 8.9 10.5 3.4 3.07 2165 18.3 28.6 24.4 14.9 Ivan Nova 35 4.87 .325 1.10 9.5 7.2 0.4 17.33 831 12.9 32.7 20.2 24.7 Felipe Rivero 9 2.96 .317 1.50 7.6 12.8 5.9 2.17 498 18.2 36.9 32.1 13.3 Jameson Taillon 64 5.54 .291 1.12 8.6 7.4 1.5 5.00 1550 14.9 32.8 18.8 20.2 Tony Watson 14 1.86 .237 1.06 6.9 7.7 2.7 2.90 1045 15.4 37.3 25.5 18.3 Trevor Williams 7 4.97 .366 1.89 13.5 7.8 3.6 2.20 224 17.7 37.7 19.6 20.1

Team Totals 729 4.50 .311 1.39 9.2 7.6 3.3 2.31 24068 16.6 30.7 22.2 18.5

http://statspass.com/data/mlb/teams/team.asp?sort=99&id=23&sea=2016&gmtyp=reg&min=1882&max=2017&ros=1&menu=pitch

http://statspass.com/data/mlb/teams/team.asp?sort=0&tbl=A&id=23&sea=2016&gmtyp=reg&min=1882&max=2017&ros=1&menu=pitch#A



























http://statspass.com/data/mlb/teams/team.asp?sort=0&tbl=B&id=23&sea=2016&gmtyp=reg&min=1882&max=2017&ros=1&menu=pitch#B


























http://statspass.com/data/mlb/teams/team.asp?sort=0&tbl=C&id=23&sea=2016&gmtyp=reg&min=1882&max=2017&ros=1&menu=pitch#C






























http://statspass.com/data/mlb/teams/team.asp?sort=0&tbl=D&id=23&sea=2016&gmtyp=reg&min=1882&max=2017&ros=1&menu=pitch#D
























1Date: 4/09/17 Batter vs. Pitcher Matchup Report Page:0001

Time: 9:43:16 CIN Pitchers versus PIT Batters BATPITR

Pitcher: Arroyo, Bronson

Career (2000 to 2017) Last 20 PAs (1 is the most recent)

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2

Batter Avg AB H 2B 3B HR BB SO RBI 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Freese, David .118 17 2 1 0 0 1 4 3 - 2 - K - K 1 - K W - - - - - - K -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Marte, Starling .143 7 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 - - - - - 3 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

McCutchen, Andrew .103 29 3 0 0 2 3 3 3 1 4 - - - - - - - - - - - 4 - - - K K K

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Mercer, Jordy .000 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 I W -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Stewart, Chris .000 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0



Pitcher: Bailey, Homer


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cervelli, Francisco .500 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 K

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Freese, David .286 21 6 1 0 2 1 5 3 P K 1 K K 1 1 - - W - - - D 4 K K - - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Gosselin, Phil 1.000 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Harrison, Joshua .188 16 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 - - K - - - - - 1 - - - - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Jaso, John 1.000 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 P 1

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Marte, Starling .300 20 6 3 1 1 0 8 4 K 2 1 K K 4 K 2 K P - - K - K - 2 K 3 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

McCutchen, Andrew .311 45 14 2 1 0 11 11 3 - 1 1 - K K - 1 W W - W K D - K - - 1 P

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Mercer, Jordy .167 12 2 0 0 0 0 5 1 - 1 1 K K - - K K - K -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Polanco, Gregory .667 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Stewart, Chris .333 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0



Pitcher: Brice, Austin


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Pitcher: Cingrani, Anthony


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bell, Josh .000 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Cervelli, Francisco .600 5 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 D - 1 W

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Freese, David .429 7 3 1 0 1 1 3 3 1 K - 4 K W 2 K

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Gosselin, Phil .500 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 2

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Harrison, Joshua .500 4 2 0 0 1 1 1 1 4 - 1 K I

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Kang, Jung-ho 1.000 2 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 W 1 2

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Marte, Starling .000 6 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 - - K K - K

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

McCutchen, Andrew .200 5 1 0 0 0 3 1 0 W K - W - - W 1

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Mercer, Jordy .222 9 2 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 - 1 - W - K - - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Polanco, Gregory .000 7 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 - - K K W - K -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Stewart, Chris .333 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - 1

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0



Pitcher: Davis, William


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Pitcher: DeSclafani, Anthony


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bell, Josh .667 3 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 K 2

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Cervelli, Francisco .333 6 2 0 0 0 0 1 3 - 1 F K 1 D -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Freese, David .000 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 W -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Gosselin, Phil 1.000 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Hanson, Alen .500 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Harrison, Joshua .091 11 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 - 1 - - - K K - - P - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Jaso, John .500 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Kang, Jung-ho .286 7 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 - W 1 - - 1 K -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Marte, Starling .000 7 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 - K - F W - K - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

McCutchen, Andrew .231 13 3 1 0 0 5 2 2 K - 1 W W - - - 1 W K - 2 - W - - W

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Mercer, Jordy .400 10 4 1 0 0 0 0 2 H - - 1 2 - 1 - - 1 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Polanco, Gregory .200 15 3 1 0 0 1 5 1 - K K - K K - - - K - W 2 1 1 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Stewart, Chris .400 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 - 1 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0



Pitcher: Feldman, Scott


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Freese, David .294 17 5 1 0 0 1 2 4 - 1 2 - 1 - 1 - K - K 1 - - - W - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Jaso, John .200 15 3 0 0 1 3 3 2 K - - - - 1 - - K W K - W W - 4 D 1

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

McCutchen, Andrew .000 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 K K W

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Stewart, Chris .000 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - - - H -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0



Pitcher: Finnegan, Brandon


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bell, Josh .750 4 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 W K

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Cervelli, Francisco .000 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 K K

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Frazier, Adam .667 3 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 K

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Freese, David .250 4 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 - W K - 1

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Gosselin, Phil .333 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 - K 1

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Harrison, Joshua 1.000 2 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 W 1 3

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Jaso, John .000 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 W

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Kang, Jung-ho .400 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - 1 1 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Marte, Starling .333 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - 1

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

McCutchen, Andrew .167 6 1 0 0 0 2 1 2 1 - W - W - - K

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Mercer, Jordy .000 7 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 - - K - - - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Polanco, Gregory .000 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 K W - H -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Stewart, Chris .500 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 K

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0



Pitcher: Garrett, Amir


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Pitcher: Iglesias, Raisel


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bell, Josh .000 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Cervelli, Francisco .750 4 3 0 0 0 2 1 0 P 1 1 W 1 K W

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Frazier, Adam .000 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Freese, David .000 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 K P - K K

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Gosselin, Phil .000 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 W

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Harrison, Joshua .500 6 3 0 0 0 0 2 1 - 1 K 1 1 K

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Jaso, John .600 5 3 2 0 0 1 0 1 2 1 W - 2 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Kang, Jung-ho .333 6 2 1 0 1 1 0 1 D W 2 - - 4 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Marte, Starling .250 8 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 K - - 1 2 - - K

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

McCutchen, Andrew .375 8 3 0 0 1 1 1 4 1 F - - 1 4 K - - W

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Mercer, Jordy .000 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 H - D - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Polanco, Gregory .500 10 5 0 0 0 1 0 1 D 1 - W 1 1 1 - - 1 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Stewart, Chris .000 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 K -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0



Pitcher: Lorenzen, Michael


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bell, Josh .000 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Cervelli, Francisco .125 8 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 K - W 1 I - - - - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Frazier, Adam .000 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Freese, David .500 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 K 1

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Gosselin, Phil .000 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Harrison, Joshua .000 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Jaso, John .000 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 K K -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Kang, Jung-ho .429 7 3 3 0 0 1 0 1 - - 2 2 2 W - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Marte, Starling .250 4 1 0 0 1 2 2 1 W K K P - W 4

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

McCutchen, Andrew .250 8 2 0 0 1 0 1 1 - 1 4 - K - - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Mercer, Jordy .000 6 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 - - K K - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Polanco, Gregory .250 8 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 - 1 K K 1 K K -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0



Pitcher: Ogando, Nefi


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Pitcher: Peralta, Wandy


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frazier, Adam .000 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Freese, David .000 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Jaso, John .000 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 K

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Mercer, Jordy .000 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 W

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Polanco, Gregory .000 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0



Pitcher: Reed, Cody


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Pitcher: Stephenson, Robert


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bell, Josh .750 4 3 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 K W 1 2

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Cervelli, Francisco .000 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - D

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Harrison, Joshua .500 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Jaso, John .250 4 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 2 K - K W

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Kang, Jung-ho 1.000 2 2 0 0 1 1 0 4 P W P 4 1

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

McCutchen, Andrew .500 2 1 1 0 0 3 0 1 W W 2 - W

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Mercer, Jordy .000 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 K - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Polanco, Gregory .200 5 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 - - 4 - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0



Pitcher: Storen, Drew


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cervelli, Francisco .000 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Freese, David .500 2 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 K 1 W

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Gosselin, Phil .000 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Harrison, Joshua .000 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Jaso, John 1.000 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 2

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Kang, Jung-ho .000 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 K

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Marte, Starling .500 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 W 1 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

McCutchen, Andrew .375 8 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 K K - - - 1 1

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Mercer, Jordy .333 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0



Pitcher: Travieso, Nick


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Pitcher: Wood, Blake


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bell, Josh .000 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 - K

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Cervelli, Francisco .000 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 - K -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Freese, David .250 4 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 - - K 1

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Harrison, Joshua .333 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 K 1 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Jaso, John .500 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 2

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Kang, Jung-ho 1.000 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 2 4 W

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Marte, Starling .333 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

McCutchen, Andrew .000 3 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 K W K W -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Mercer, Jordy .000 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 K - K

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Polanco, Gregory .250 4 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 - I - I -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Stewart, Chris .000 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0


Time: 9:45:42 PIT Pitchers versus PIT Batters BATPITR

Pitcher: Bastardo, Antonio


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Freese, David 1.000 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 2

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Harrison, Joshua .000 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

McCutchen, Andrew .333 3 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 K 2 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Mercer, Jordy 1.000 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 4

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Polanco, Gregory .000 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0



Pitcher: Cole, Gerrit


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gosselin, Phil .000 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Jaso, John .333 3 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 - 2 K

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0



Pitcher: Glasnow, Tyler


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Pitcher: Hudson, Daniel


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Freese, David .000 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 - K - - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Harrison, Joshua .167 6 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 2 - - - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Marte, Starling .500 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

McCutchen, Andrew .333 12 4 1 0 1 3 3 2 K - F 1 K 1 W W - - - 2 W - K 4

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Mercer, Jordy 1.000 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Polanco, Gregory 1.000 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 W 2

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Stewart, Chris .000 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 - F - K

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0



Pitcher: Kuhl, Chad


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Pitcher: LeBlanc, Wade


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Freese, David .500 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Jaso, John .333 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 - 1 P K

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

McCutchen, Andrew .222 9 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - - - - 1 1 - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Stewart, Chris .500 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 2

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0



Pitcher: Nicasio, Juan


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cervelli, Francisco .000 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 K

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Freese, David .000 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 W K

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Harrison, Joshua 1.000 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Kang, Jung-ho 1.000 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Marte, Starling .286 7 2 1 0 0 1 2 0 1 P - W K - K - 2

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

McCutchen, Andrew .333 9 3 1 0 0 3 3 1 I - K K W - W 1 1 - K 2

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Mercer, Jordy .250 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - - 1

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Polanco, Gregory .000 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 W

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0



Pitcher: Nova, Ivan


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Freese, David .333 3 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 K K 1

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Jaso, John .250 8 2 1 0 0 4 0 1 - - 2 W W W W - - 1 - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0



Pitcher: Rivero, Felipe


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frazier, Adam .000 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Harrison, Joshua .500 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 K

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Kang, Jung-ho .000 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Marte, Starling .000 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 K

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

McCutchen, Andrew .000 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Mercer, Jordy .500 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 2

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Polanco, Gregory .000 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - -

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0



Pitcher: Taillon, Jameson


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Pitcher: Watson, Tony


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Freese, David .667 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 1

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Gosselin, Phil 1.000 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0



Pitcher: Williams, Trevor


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Polanco leads Bucs past sloppy Braves

Chris Adamski

Saturday, April 8, 2017, 10:24 p.m.

For whatever reason, Chad Kuhl's sinker still isn't sinking enough.

Luckily for the Pirates on Saturday, it didn't matter because R.A. Dickey's knuckleball wasn't knuckling enough.

Gregory Polanco's four hits helped, too.

Kuhl labored through five innings in his 2017 debut but benefited from three double plays and some less-than-crisp defense by the Braves in the Pirates' 6-4 win against Atlanta on Saturday night.

"Chad was in a battle tonight," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "Part of it was the other team, and part of it might have been himself a little bit: six free passes. There was a lot of work done there. There was a lot of traffic to pitch through. The double plays were adrenaline shots each, and every time we got one…

"(Kuhl) rolled his sleeves up, and he competed. We've got to fine-tune some things and get some sink involved, some more consistency, because there were some misfires, as well."

Polanco went 4 for 4 with an RBI and two runs, and every position player reached base at least once for the Pirates. They won in spite of Kuhl (1-0) allowing 13 of the 25 batters he faced to reach (albeit one on a Starling Marte error and two others via intentional walks). Just 46 of Kuhl's 85 pitches were strikes.

Perhaps most troubling was that of the 11 balls put into play by Braves position players, six were in the air and five were groundballs. That's alarming for Kuhl because he's so reliant on his sinker.

"It was just a little off today," Kuhl said. "Just felt like it was just one of those things where I wasn't really getting into a grove early."

Over four minor-league seasons, Kuhl posted a 1.61 ratio of groundouts to airouts. For basis of comparison, that would have ranked ninth in the majors last season. But that number dropped to 1.10 over 14 starts for the Pirates as a rookie last season.

Still, Kuhl was good enough in those outings (4.20 ERA) that he was given the "inside track" to a spot in the rotation to begin this season.

And while Kuhl was statistically good in groundout/air out ratio Saturday (5-to-2) that doesn't tell the true story because one of the groundouts was by Dickey, and four of the five hits (a two-run single by Dickey in the second inning was a ground ball) were line-drives or flyballs. Plus, a well-hit Adonis Garcia line-drive in the first resulted in a double play, and Marte's error was a high flyball hit almost 400 feet to left-center by Garcia.

Put it together, and it wasn't a display of how Kuhl can thrive in the major leagues.

Positives for Kuhl? He put up five strikeouts — and when he could use a groundball, he sometimes got it. Kuhl induced double play balls in the third and fifth innings from Brandon Phillips and Jace Peterson, respectively.

Kuhl also seemed to improve as his outing progressed. Highlighted by a 1-2-3 fourth and the double-play ball from Peterson on his final pitch, Kuhl retired six of the final eight he faced with only one ball hit in the air in play.

"I kind of felt that rhythm the third and the fourth," Kuhl said. "But early on felt a little out of control but did enough to get outs."

Offensively, the Pirates were the beneficiaries of some shoddy Atlanta defense, particularly catcher Kurt Suzuki, who had an adventurous first time catching Dickey (0-1). Suzuki had three passed balls, each contributing to a run the Pirates scored.

Polanco was involved in all three Pirates' rallies — they scored two runs apiece in the second, third and sixth.

"Polanco seemed to get balls he was in comfortable spaces that he put the barrel on," Hurdle said, "and he saw the ball well."

Polanco entered the game hitless in his past 13 at-bats since a single in his first at-bat of the season Monday. He was 0 for 5 on Friday.

"You see yesterday, I didn't have the best day," Polanco said. "But you make that adjustment for today, and just put a good swing to the ball and just keep it like that."

Tribune Review LOADED: 04.09.2017


Pirates notebook: Freese says he's OK after ball to collarbone

Chris Adamski


It could have been worse.

David Freese even said he expected as much Saturday morning.

But the sharply hit ball Freese took off his collarbone late in Friday's home-opening win is just a bruise.

“Nothing too big,” the Pirates third baseman said Saturday.

It was big enough, however, to keep Freese out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Atlanta Braves. He was available for late-game duty if needed.

“Obviously, it's tight and sore,” Freese said Saturday afternoon. “We'll see how it feels (Sunday).”

Freese said he did not have X-rays after a ball hit by Dansby Swanson struck Freese after a quirky hop in the eighth inning. Freese, the everyday third baseman while Jung Ho Kang awaits a work visa, homered three innings earlier.

Josh Harrison replaced Freese at third Saturday, and Adam Frazier started at second.

Jaso gets first start

A year after his first foray as a major league first baseman, John Jaso has advanced to the point where he's a late-inning defensive replacement. It paid off Friday when Jaso made what manager Clint Hurdle said was a heady play, cutting off a throw home to keep a runner at first during the eighth inning of a one-run game.

The next batter, Adonis Garcia, grounded into a double play to end the inning, and the Pirates won 5-4. After Friday's game, Hurdle said he needed to review the tape to see if Jaso's decision was the correct one.

Turns out, it was.

“It was a (good) baseball play,” Hurdle said. “If the guy is out at home, yeah, it's a good play, but you don't know that. What's the risk vs. the reward?”

Jaso made his first start of the season Saturday, though the reasoning had more to do with the opposing pitcher, Braves knuckleballer R.A. Dickey.

Rookie Josh Bell sat after going 2 for 10 with a walk over the first three games.

“I thought (Bell) showed some progress (Friday) at the bag and got some traction,” Hurdle said. “But I don't know if a knuckleball guy is the guy to answer to try to back it up right now. John has seen this guy. John has got some at-bats off Dickey, so there is more of a comfort right there with an experienced guy going out who's seen this guy pitch before.”

Jaso entered Saturday 3 for 10 with two doubles against Dickey.

Facing a knuckler

One of Hurdle's favorite expressions is to “wash it off” — wins, losses, good individual games, lamentable ones. He means to forget about previous performances and look forward to the next.

Hurdle modified it for young hitters when it comes to facing a knuckleballer such as Dickey.

“Flush it,” Hurdle said. “Just flush it and move on. Don't carry it. Don't overanalyze it. Flush it. Move on.”

The knuckleball has been a dying pitch for decades. Dickey and the Boston Red Sox's Steven Wright are the only active major league starters who are knuckleballers. But the Pirates faced Wright twice in spring training.

“(Fans) look at the velocity and think, ‘Oh, I can do this,' ” Hurdle said. “There's not a player who goes up there thinking, ‘I can make a meal out of this knuckleballer.'

“What they're trying to do is keep their swings short and quick and hit the ball because you can end up with some very funny swings. Because you don't know. You don't know if it's going to go up, down, left, right, hold its plane.”

Hurdle faced several knucklers during his big-league career, even recalling a home run off Wilbur Wood.

Pirates broadcaster Steve Blass relayed how he threw the pitch twice during his career: one resulted in a home run by Ernie Banks, the other a Lou Brock double.

“Postgame, Brock said it was a hanging slider. He didn't even know,” Blass said with a chuckle. “So, that was the end of that.”

The making of a lineup

Hurdle offered insight as to how he makes his batting order. Over his first five seasons with the Pirates, he said the lineup always started with one spot.

“I put (Andrew) McCutchen third,” Hurdle said. “That's where we started.

“And then last year (in an experiment with McCutchen hitting second), that changed. Now, it's more or less an overview. It's almost a 5,000-foot view.”

This season, Hurdle's constants (barring injury or routine off-day) are Gregory Polanco at cleanup, McCutchen in the No. 3 spot, with Freese and catcher Francisco Cervelli behind Polanco.

Leadoff leanings

The first three games of the season featured three leadoff hitters. That's the spot most in flux.

Frazier hit leadoff in the opener, Mercer in the second game and Marte on Friday.

“I don't know how consistent it's going to be,” Hurdle said. “Or if we will have the same guy every day.”

One constant? If the Pirates are facing a left-hander, Mercer likely will be there. He has a .746 career OPS from the leadoff spot, more than 60 points better than his OPS at all other spots. He also has a .849 career OPS against lefties. That's a jump of more than 200 points than how he fares against right-handers.

“Jordy's numbers speak for themselves leading off against left-handed pitching. I don't have anybody who's done a better job,” Hurdle said.

Against righties, although Hurdle has said he would prefer Marte hit elsewhere, “When you look at the other eight men in the lineup that day, what's the best guy for the team to hit leadoff that day? It could be Marte.”

Though not an everyday player, Hurdle said likes Frazier as an option because of the energy he brings.



Scouting report for Sunday, April 9: Braves at Pirates

Chris Adamski


Pirates gameday

vs. Braves

1:35 p.m. Sunday

PNC Park

TV/radio: Root Sports/93.7 FM, 1450 AM, 1480 AM

Probable pitchers

Pirates RHP GERRIT COLE (0-1, 9.00) vs.

Braves RHP JULIO TEHERAN (0-0, 0.00)

Gamecast: Teheran has allowed 43 baserunners in 41 career innings against the Pirates, going 3-1, including tossing 7 2⁄3 shutout innings May 18 last year at PNC Park. … Cole cruised through four innings on opening day against the Red Sox on Monday but was tagged for five runs in the fifth before being lifted.

Next up

Monday, 7:05 p.m.: Pirates RHP Tyler Glasnow (2017 debut) vs. Reds LHP Brandon Finnegan (1-0, 0.00)



Pirates notebook: Leadoff spot could remain fluid

April 9, 2017 12:00 AM

Bill Brink

Through four games, the Pirates have used three different leadoff hitters. Manager Clint Hurdle said the flexibility atop the order might continue.

“I don’t know how consistent it’s going to be, if we’ll have the same guy every day,” Hurdle said.

Adam Frazier led off Saturday, as he did on opening day. Starling Marte led off Friday. Wednesday, against lefty Chris Sale, Jordy Mercer hit first, as he has against lefties for some time. Mercer has a career .849 OPS against lefties.

When Frazier was in the lineup during spring training, he led off. In 160 plate appearances in his rookie year in 2016, he had a .356 on-base percentage. This spring, he hit .403 with a .471 OBP.

“Adam Frazier’s done a fine job,” Hurdle said. “I’d like to see where Adam Frazier can take that when he’s in the lineup to do it.”

Marte has batted leadoff more often than any other spot in the order, though he never did it last season.

“Marte’s a wild card,” Hurdle said. “It’s something, when I look at it, we’ve had conversations. I’ve been on record saying it’s probably not been my most favorite spot for him. However, when you look at the other eight men in the lineup that day, what’s the best guy for the team to hit leadoff today, it could be Marte.

John Jaso led the Pirates in 2016 with 79 appearances in the leadoff spot, followed by Josh Harrison’s 37.

“We’ve known Josh now at the major league level and Josh’s on-base percentage is going to pretty much be what he hits,” said Hurdle, referring to Harrison’s .283 career average and .316 career OBP. “You take that into consideration as well. It’s a different kind of leadoff hitter.”

Hurdle began his lineup construction by writing Andrew McCutchen’s name in the third spot for his first five seasons in Pittsburgh. Last year that changed when he moved McCutchen to second temporarily. This year, he said, he uses a wider lens to view his lineup.

“I’m not sold that it’s got to be a consistent guy,” Hurdle said. “It’s got to be a productive guy.”

XX Freese XX

David Freese was out of Saturday’s lineup one day after getting hit in the collarbone with a hard ground ball.

Freese stayed in Friday’s game after getting hit in the eighth inning, but was due up in the bottom half of the inning and had trouble swinging. He left for a pinch-hitter.

“Just sore,” he said Saturday. “Better than I thought.”

Harrison played third base Saturday and Frazier started at second.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette LOADED: 04.09.2017


Gene Collier: Retirement of Vin Scully leaves a void in baseball

April 9, 2017 12:00 AM

Gene Collier

Consciously or not, Major League Baseball took its first wobbly steps this week into the next epoch.

Just as Christian historical scholarship once crossed a demarcation between B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. (anno Domini, or in the year of our Lord), baseball now finds itself fearfully in what you might call A.V. – after Vin.

Vin Scully was not parked at a play-by-play mic this week for the first time since 1949. He reportedly spent part of Opening Day at a Los Angeles area car wash, and there was no word on what that sounded like.

“It’s time for washing the car!”

Oh god, what shall we do?

Well, let’s at least start with an exercise of admittedly dubious purpose, namely wondering aloud if anyone, anywhere can take Scully’s singular, storied, gloried place in baseball’s ever-changing culture.

Because it might have been Joe Block, now just settling into his second year as a Pirates play-by-play voice after spending four with the Milwaukee Brewers.

“In 2009, the Dodgers had an audition for six announcers to do the TV games that Vin was not going to do,” said Block, who was then hosting the post-game show on the Dodgers’ radio network. “I was one of those six. I didn’t get it, but for a brief time, I was put in the position of thinking, ‘Wait, are they considering me to replace Vin Scully?’ Just having that notion for a few weeks, that was very daunting.”

The man who would physically replace Scully on the Dodgers broadcasts eight years later turned out to be 29-year-old Joe Davis, whom Block this week called “the most talented young broadcaster I’ve ever known,” but replacing Scully’s singular linguistic aura still looms as baseball’s Mission Impossible.

“There’s no replacing Vin Scully,” Block said. “When I first heard the phrase ‘poet laureate,’ I thought, ‘Yeah, that’s him.’ His style and his way cannot be replaced and for a number of reasons. I just don’t think there are that many people who are as well read as he is – not broadcasters, people! I mean, to be able to refer to classic works on a whim. And you also can’t replicate history. They guy who just left the job interviewed Connie Mack! Connie Mack was born during the Civil War! You think about 1950, Vin’s first year, baseball had just been integrated and the eight teams in each league had been in place since 1903 and hadn’t moved. He goes from the way baseball was then to calling the homeruns of Justin Turner.

“I mean how is that possible?”

The length and breadth and gross baseball tonnage of Scully’s silken rhetoric has proven hard to characterize, but I’ve come to think of it this way. I’m 63 years old, and when Vin Scully first welcomed listeners to a Dodgers game, my father was in high school. When my father died at 78, Scully did Dodgers games for another six seasons.

But it isn’t the sheer weight of Scully the game has lost; it’s the ultra-rich texture of his craftsmanship and what it did not only for baseball, but for language and literacy.

“Vinny probably has the greatest command of the English language of anyone who ever sat in a broadcast booth,” said Cincinnati Reds legend Marty Brennaman, who came along a generation after Scully and went straight to the broadcasters wing of the Hall of Fame. “So as to replacing him, I would say no. To begin with, we all concede he’s the best that’s ever been in baseball and if baseball’s played for another 1,000 years, he’s still gonna be the best. Anybody, especially inside of our play-by-play fraternity, who thinks they’re going to replace him is delusional, and I’m talking about some damn good broadcasters.”

So the Scully Standard is essentially unapproachable, but that doesn’t mean someone can’t emerge as the next acclaimed Voice of Baseball, nor that it hasn’t already happened.

“I think of someone like (the Giants’) Jon Miller, who for so long was synonymous with Sunday night (and ESPN), and if I was growing up in Baltimore before that, I’d have thought Jon Miller to be synonymous with baseball,” said Kirk McKnight, who’s written two books on the play-by-play discipline including ‘The Voices of Baseball: The Game’s Greatest Broadcasters reflect on American’s Pastime.’ “There are several legends like that, Marty Brennaman for example, but Vin isn’t the only guy who won’t be replaced – Bob Prince, there’s never going to be someone else like him.”

Growing up in Virginia, Brennaman fell in love with the play-by-play ethos listening to Prince late at night on KDKA. But if Prince and eventually Brennaman flourished in a age when play-by-play men were full-blown characters, as large or larger in the audience’s heart than the teams and the players they were squawking about – Harry Caray, Ralph Kiner, Jack Buck, Harry Kalas, Bob Uecker playing Harry Doyle as Bob Uecker in Major League etc. – the inevitable cultural changes that most of half a century brings have made for a far less conspicuous occupation populated primarily with more evidently disciplined pros, numbingly solid but seriously constricted by 21st century broadcasts. They’re essentially doing a three-hour informercial for the club, its promotions, its ballpark experience, and its broadcasting outlets.

Nowhere today, for example, can you absorb anything like a Phillies broadcast from the early ‘70s, when color man Richie Ashburn explained to play-by-play ace Harry Kalas that when he had a hitting streak he’d often take his bat to bed with him, not trusting the clubhouse buys to give him the same bat the next day, adding, “Harry I’ve slept with a lot of old bats.”

“That’s dead on it,” Brennaman said, “and it’s not a criticism of the current crop of broadcasters. There was just no greater character on earth in a Major League Broadcast booth than Bob Prince was. But I liken it to the PGA golf tour, where in the ‘50s and ‘60s, you had Palmer and Trevino and Chi Chi Rodriguez that were great golfers but they were also genuine characters. Now you have a PGA Golf Tour made up of Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth and players that are incredibly talented, but in terms of having the personality of Palmer, who brought the game to the forefront and gave it its TV profile that it deserved, you don’t have that any more. Again, it’s not a knock on those guys. But the fraternity of baseball broadcasters is very similar to that track. They just aren’t outgoing characters like that.”

Given contemporary restraints, including perhaps common sense, today’s voices of baseball can’t enjoy the kind of latitude once evident to the role.

“Anyone even remotely in the public today has to be aware of the consequences of having fun and being yourself,” said Block. “You see very few people who will just throw caution to the wind. I was with Bob Uecker for four years and the stories he had – what he did – they would walk down Boylston Street in Boston after the bars closed with a police escort. It was all a laugh. Today, if an announcer or an ex-player and several star players were out on the town one night getting a police escort, first of all, the police would escort them to jail, not to the hotel. There would be viral video. People just don’t do that anymore. I feel that pressure . I’m a lot more fun and loose than I seem on the air.”

Block wouldn’t necessarily agree that cultural and commercial restrictions have compromised the colorful quality of play-by-play, nor with my general criticism that the 21st century game on radio and TV, rather than being described, is getting explained to death, with seemingly every pitch analyzed like the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope.

“Informing people about the game, the finer points of the game, I think that’s as good today as it’s ever been,” Block said. “It used to be two guys in a booth talkin’ ball, now there’s a very pointed role for the analyst to detail the finer points of a certain play.”

Yep, there sure is, and he’ll have plenty of opportunity to do that what with the five replays of that ground ball to second.

Nonetheless, I’ll happily settle in for seven months of baseball gab, even if I’m hoping that just once, when a pitcher comes to bat with a runner or runners in scoring position, the play-by-play will refrain from saying “he’s got a chance to help himself!”

Hey, to heck with himself. They’re trying to win a ballgame here. I don’t care which hurler gets the ‘W’. Frankly I care more about how Vin made out at the car wash.



lder statesman Chris Stewart relishes new role

pril 9, 2017 12:00 AM

Stephen J. Nesbitt

BOSTON — Chris Stewart was thumbing through the pages of “George Washington’s Secret Six”, a nonfiction novel about the first United States president’s spy ring in New York City, in the visiting clubhouse at Fenway Park earlier this week when he was confronted with this fact:

Stewart, for the first time in his major league career, is the oldest player on the roster. The Pirates’ veteran backup catcher is 35 — that part he already knew — and is 433 days older than the next-oldest player, David Freese.

Before Wednesday, Stewart hadn’t heard he was the elder statesman, but he assumed it was the case. Since he joined the Pirates, the role had been occupied by a right-hander — Jason Grilli in 2015, A.J Burnett in 2016 and Ryan Vogelsong last year. In Stewart’s last season with his previous team, the New York Yankees, he was 31 and had 15 teammates older than him.

“Those guys have moved onto greener pastures,” Stewart said, referring to Vogelsong and Burnett. “I enjoy [the role]. It means you've been around long enough to keep playing.”

Go way back, all the way to Stewart’s debut. It was at Fenway Park Sept. 6, 2006. Stewart, drafted by the Chicago White Sox five years earlier, earned a September promotion and sat through a series in Kansas City before getting his first at-bat in Boston. In the eighth inning, ahead 8-1, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen sent Stewart to pinch-hit for Jim Thome, the cleanup hitter who was 4 for 4 with a double and a home run.

“We were already blowing them out, so it wasn't a strategic move by any means,” Stewart recalled. “The biggest thing I remember was my knees shaking in the box. You finally made it. You’re not only in the major leagues; you’re in Fenway Park.”

Stewart stepped in against Boston Red Sox reliever Craig Hansen, a first-round pick the previous year. His emotions, as he remembers them, were “extremely nervous, excited and anxious — all in one package.” Stewart watched three balls, silently rooting for a walk, and then saw strike one.

“I was like, OK, let's try to hit one over the Green Monster right here,” Stewart said. “I pulled the next ball all the way into the dugout. I was so far out in front of it. At 3-2, I remember thinking, I can’t strike out in my first at-bat. Shorten up and put it in play. The guy threw a hard two-seamer, and I hit a little dinky ground ball to third base. It wasn’t the most manly put-the-ball-in-play.”

Stewart has an impressive memory, plenty sharp to remember this number off-hand: What’s his batting average with the White Sox? “Zero,” Stewart replied immediately, and laughed. He was hitless in eight September at-bats in 2006. The White Sox traded him to Texas in January.

“It was funny,” Stewart said, “because my last at-bat of the year, in Minnesota, I hit a chopping ground ball up the middle. The second baseman ran, barehanded it in the air and threw me out by a half-step at first base. I was like, you’ve got to be kidding.”

Stewart’s recent history has mostly been happier memories. He has a .272 average in three seasons with the Pirates, with whom he has become a beloved figure in the clubhouse, and helps starting catcher Francisco Cervelli steer the third-youngest rotation in the majors.

But there was a time last season when Stewart wasn’t sure he’d play again. After months of left knee pain, he underwent arthroscopic surgery Sept. 20. Dr. James Andrews, who performed the procedure, told Stewart the extent of the damage wouldn’t be clear until during surgery.

“We knew going in it could be possibly career-ending, depending on the degree they had to work on my knee,” Stewart said. “As soon as I woke up, I remember asking the nurse, ‘How bad was it? What did they end up doing?’ She reassured me it wasn’t too bad. I talked to Dr. Andrews a couple hours later, and he reassured me of the same.

“At that point, positivity started flowing in.”

About six months later, Stewart feels his body allows him to more athletic than last year — “I was able to catch, but I wasn’t able to catch effectively,” he said — and he is no longer dealing with the mental battle of worrying whether his knee will hold up.

In training, Stewart said, he’s more conscious of “not working just to work,” rather valuing quality over quantity. He plans to be physically prepared for the job’s demands, but not overdo it, putting additional stress on his knees. So far, the training program has kept Stewart healthy, and it’s given him some extra time to read.

The week ahead

On Monday, the Cincinnati Reds will bring the kids to PNC Park. The Reds’ opening-day roster was the youngest in the majors, with an average age of 26 years, 355 days. Their seven rookies are most to start a season in researchable franchise history, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

To top it off, one of the Reds rookies is named Rookie Davis. The 23-year-old right-hander Davis is one of the six first-year players on the Reds pitching staff. The youth movement continues. The Reds ended 2015 with a league-record 64 consecutive starts by rookie pitchers. Over the past two seasons, 51 percent of Cincinnati’s starts were pitched by rookies.

The Pirates — 10-9 last year against the Reds — meet a more fearsome foe next weekend, the World Series champion Chicago Cubs. The Cubs went 14-4 against the Pirates last season, with a run differential of 41. In their nine games at Wrigley Field, the Pirates were 1-8.



Polanco has four hits as Pirates beat Braves, 6-4

April 8, 2017 10:28 PM

Bill Brink

When deciding where to install Gregory Polanco in the lineup, manager Clint Hurdle drew inspiration from two places — his gut, and the franchise’s past.

“He looks big,” Hurdle said. “There’s some physical presence. You look at the guys who have hit cleanup for the Pirates in the past, whether it was [Willie] Stargell, whether it was [Dave] Parker, I’m playing on history a little bit. I like the young man’s skills. I believe he’s a run producer.”

Stargell and Parker have 40 years in the big leagues and two MVP awards between them; Hurdle was referencing the physical resemblance. Batting cleanup for the fourth time in four games, Polanco went 4 for 4 and the Pirates beat the Atlanta Braves, 6-4, Saturday night at PNC Park. He scored two runs, doubled in the third inning and drove in a run in the sixth.

Polanco batted cleanup in the second half of 2016 after also hitting second and third. For him, continuity is the key.

“As a hitter, as a player, you want to be in the same position and the same part of the lineup,” Polanco said. “That’s the best thing, because you prepare every day and your mind is set up already before you even come to the ballpark because you know you’re hitting in that spot.”

Three of Polanco’s hits came against Braves knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. In the sixth inning, after Dickey walked two batters, Braves manager Brian Snitker replaced Dickey with lefty Ian Krol to face Polanco. Polanco rapped a sharp RBI single.

Polanco is hitting .278 through four games. The soreness in his left shoulder lingers, he said, but does not affect his swing. It only bothers him when he throws. He said he is still not 100 percent, and receives treatment every day.

“I know I’m going to get better,” he said. “I don’t know when.”

Polanco also scored from third on an error, one of two Braves defensive mistakes that led to a run. Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer drove in runs.

Polanco’s sixth-inning RBI single offered insurance after an uneven season debut from Chad Kuhl. Kuhl walked six batters in five innings, though two of them were intentional free passes to No. 8 hitter Kurt Suzuki. He allowed three runs, two earned, and five hits. Kuhl recorded 15 outs and put 12 runners on base. He also struck out five, including Freddie Freeman and Ender Inciarte twice apiece.

“Chad was in a battle tonight,” Hurdle said. “Part of it was the other team, part of it might have been himself a little bit. Six free passes, there was a lot of work done there. There was a lot of traffic to pitch through.”

Three double plays, two of which ended innings that featured multiple baserunners, kept Kuhl’s final line respectable. The Pirates added another inning-ending double play later.

“I think the double plays played a bigger part in that thing, as big as anything we did all night,” Hurdle said.

Kuhl was in trouble almost immediately. The second batter, Dansby Swanson, doubled, and he walked Freeman. A lineout double play prevented damage in the first inning.

In the second it was more of the same: Singles from Nick Markakis and Brandon Phillips and, after a strikeout of Jace Peterson, an intentional walk to Suzuki to load the bases for Dickey. Dickey poked the ball into shallow right field for a two-run single.

Peterson’s RBI triple in the third inning scored Adonis Garcia, whose routine fly ball Polanco and Starling Marte lost in the twilight.

“At the end of the day, you made enough pitches to get the ‘W,’” Kuhl said.

Hurdle noted the need for better repetition of Kuhl’s delivery and keeping his fingers atop his two-seam fastball to ensure it sinks, rather than sliding to the side.

“I think that’s something that as you learn yourself it gets better with time,” Kuhl said. “If I’m sinking low here, my front arm’s a little lower. I know that I’m kind of getting rotational.”


2017 pittsburgh pirates - baltimore oriolesbaltimore.orioles.mlb.com/documents/5/6/...pirates...2017...

Documents