Official Game Thread - 5/14 - Buc @ Brewers

[Bobster]

Joe homers in 3 straight games. But they 'have to get Tellez going."

[Surgnbuck]

Well, the real Suwhiffski is back again.

Bucs fall 4-3

[Surgnbuck]

Suwinski strikes out in the first with two on to end the inning. He strikes out to end the game. He allowed a couple of runners to take extra bases with weak throws and less than aggressive fielding.

When is it going to be time to send this guy down? Like I said, that HR last night probably buys him another month.

[Surgnbuck]

Joe homers in 3 straight games. But they 'have to get Tellez going."

They have a lefty going tomorrow, so hopefully that means Suwinski and Telleztubby are riding the pine

[steve 49]

Suwinski strikes out in the first with two on to end the inning. He strikes out to end the game. He allowed a couple of runners to take extra bases with weak throws and less than aggressive fielding.

When is it going to be time to send this guy down? Like I said, that HR last night probably buys him another month.

How could Bae not bring more to the table than this swing and miss machine ?

[Doc]

The Pirates struck out 13 more times (almost half their outs) last night. And it's not like it's two or three guys who are responsible when this happens. Everyone's chipping in.

A team trying to win would never go this far into the season with the way this team is playing night after night. Even some basic changes would improve the chances of winning. Here are mine:

1. It's now past time that Suwinski is either sent down or released. He just hasn't proven in his time here that he can be a consistent major league hitter.
2. Tellez should absolutely be released before another game goes by. The very few times he's going to contribute are already overwhelmed by his inability to do anything positive. Bring Jake Lamb here to play first.
3. Michael Taylor needs to start hitting. His defense is solid but it's becoming an unneeded luxury in this offense. I'd give him another 10 days. If he continues to struggle, then it's time to put Joe in right field, return Reynolds to left, and bring Bae up to play center.
4. Triolo has been a big disappointment at the plate so far. His defense is really good and I was hoping that he'd be a productive offensive player because I saw an opportunity to replace Hayes with him. I don't believe Hayes will ever be reliable because of his back issues. He misses too many games. Trading him to a good offensive club that's in need of a solid defender at third, who carries even an average bat, might bring us a young power hitting first baseman in return. That's a position that really needs addressed for the future.
5. If trading Hayes isn't a consideration, then I'd promote Peguero to be the everyday shortstop and make Cruz the DH while teaching him how to play first base. He's not a shortstop mentally and the sooner he's moved the better the defense will be. McCutchen would become a sometimes DH/pinch hitter.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Changes need to be made. Of course, this assumes management is trying to win, which they haven't proven yet.

[Possum]

Nicolas back in form.

Need the bats to come alive. I got my underwear on backwards right now. Rally underwear

[Wildwoodcoach]

Time to retire that pair of underwear, Surg

[Bobster]

Doc, I'd be fine with moving on from Suwinski and Tellez. They're the same type of hitter. Generally poor hitters but with power for those rare occasions when they make good contact. But those times are few and far between and come at the expense of countless killed rallies and unproductive outs. A solid lineup can afford the luxury of one such player who can occasionally hit a HR while his teammates start and sustain rallies with consistent hitting. But in a lineup where hits are rare, those guys are an albatross.

Michael Taylor has already started hitting. At .225, he ahead of last year's BA of .220. His career BA is .238. This is his 11th season and he's batted under .232 in 7 of them. This is what you get from Taylor, which is why he's never had 500 ABs in a season. Cherington knew this when he signed him. It makes no sense to add a notoriously poor hitting OFer to a poor hitting team, but Cherington's off season moves looked like he was going for offensive futility. And he achieved it! I think Taylor will be dealt for a suspect prospect at the TDL to a team looking for a
late inning defensive replacement. But until then, his lack of hitting has to be exactly what was expected when Cherington signed him.

Hayes has trade value but if he's to be dealt because back issues make him unreliable, then he won't bring much in return. I don't see a team offering a young power hitting first baseman for a player they can't count on.

Cruz is not a SS. He's barely even a baseball player, as shown last night when he didn't know he shouldn't run to 3B on a routine ground ball in front of him to the SS. A few weeks ago he made the 3rd out trying to steal 3B. He's got freakish skills but doesn't understand the game he's playing. I'd rather see Peguero at SS with Cruz as a power hitting 1Bman. But that's asking the smartest GM in the room to start acting like it and I'm not holding my breath.

[Doc]

Doc, I'd be fine with moving on from Suwinski and Tellez. They're the same type of hitter. Generally poor hitters but with power for those rare occasions when they make good contact. But those times are few and far between and come at the expense of countless killed rallies and unproductive outs. A solid lineup can afford the luxury of one such player who can occasionally hit a HR while his teammates start and sustain rallies with consistent hitting. But in a lineup where hits are rare, those guys are an albatross.

Michael Taylor has already started hitting. At .225, he ahead of last year's BA of .220. His career BA is .238. This is his 11th season and he's batted under .232 in 7 of them. This is what you get from Taylor, which is why he's never had 500 ABs in a season. Cherington knew this when he signed him. It makes no sense to add a notoriously poor hitting OFer to a poor hitting team, but Cherington's off season moves looked like he was going for offensive futility. And he achieved it! I think Taylor will be dealt for a suspect prospect at the TDL to a team looking for a
late inning defensive replacement. But until then, his lack of hitting has to be exactly what was expected when Cherington signed him.

Hayes has trade value but if he's to be dealt because back issues make him unreliable, then he won't bring much in return. I don't see a team offering a young power hitting first baseman for a player they can't count on.

Cruz is not a SS. He's barely even a baseball player, as shown last night when he didn't know he shouldn't run to 3B on a routine ground ball in front of him to the SS. A few weeks ago he made the 3rd out trying to steal 3B. He's got freakish skills but doesn't understand the game he's playing. I'd rather see Peguero at SS with Cruz as a power hitting 1Bman. But that's asking the smartest GM in the room to start acting like it and I'm not holding my breath.

After getting what we've been getting from center field offensively for the past three years, I guess what I'm looking for out of Taylor is more power, like he demonstrated last year with his 21 HRs. We simply have to do better. I suppose it's more a reflection on the lack of outfield talent in the minor leagues, a player or two who can come up and help. Has it been since Marte and McCutchen arrived that we've had a good outfield bat come from the system?

My hope with Hayes is that another team with a need for a defensive third baseman can believe that Hayes's injury can be overcome or mended somehow so that they'd be willing to take a chance, a team that has a first baseman in the minors leagues who's blocked from advancing. I know it's a stretch but, except for Reynolds and perhaps Cruz, the Pirates have no position players who would return value in a trade. Cherington would have to pick another GM's pocket to get what I'm asking for but stranger things have happened.