OnlyBucs

0B0E090F070D140900131518610 wrote: The guy throws hard.  Why is he so bad?  I haven't watched him enough to say for sure myself.  Is he missing over the heart of the plate? Are his secondary pitches junk?
I just went back and watched the 8th again. Both HRs were on center cut FBs (96 & 94 mph). He was also hit hard on the first out (Cabrera's leaping catch in front of the RF wall) and on Cain's double. Even after the 2 HRs he only got out of the inning by striking out Hader with 2 runners aboard. Arquimedes Caminero was another guy who threw even harder but was ineffective. Some hard throwers think they can power the ball passed MLB hitters. It doesn't work if that's all they've got.

He was sent to Indy today, and DeRapu has returned.

212D2C777E777F72756A70470 wrote: He was sent to Indy today, and DeRapu has returned.


So, no real solution came back.

7C6C6D5A4C4C402F0 wrote: He was sent to Indy today, and DeRapu has returned.


So, no real solution came back.
As I've said earlier, there's no reason to have an 8-man BP if you don't have 8 MLB caliber arms while leaving the bench a man short. I get that the starters rarely go more than 5 innings but you have to let relievers go more than 1 inning. The Pirates seem to think they need 4 relievers most of the time to cover 4 innings so they settle for 1 or more AAA arms in the pen to serve as warm bodies. IMHO, it makes more sense to have 7 in the BP, 5 on the bench and let relievers go more than 1 inning to reduce the number of bodies needed in the BP when they can't find 8 MLB arms.

What has made Rodriguez have such a dramatic turnaround?

Neverauskis pitched two innings for Indy today, and gave up 7 runs on 7 hits. It is about time we remove him from the 40 man roster. There is no way he should pitch for Pittsburgh any longer.

The fact that Hurdle used him in that crazy Friday game against the Brewers a few weeks ago when the score was just 2-1 in the 8th inning was absolutely insane. Another huge game that Hurdle just gave his team no chance what so ever to win by pulling this crap.

14332226233E01352223233E470 wrote: The fact that Hurdle used him in that crazy Friday game against the Brewers a few weeks ago when the score was just 2-1 in the 8th inning was absolutely insane. Another huge game that Hurdle just gave his team no chance what so ever to win by pulling this crap.
That game on 7/5, better than any other, encapsulates the bizarre thinking of Hurdle. He put Neverauskas, arguably his worst pitcher (and that's saying on lot in this BP), in the 8th hoping a 2-1 deficit would not get any worse, explaining that he wanted to save Crick (who had not yet started his horrible slide) in case Crick was needed in both of the remaining games before the AS break. Crick had not pitched the previous 2 days and in 3 more he would begin the AS break. So while it seemed his services were clearly needed on 7/5, Hurdle took out his crystal ball and predicted that Crick would be needed in the next 2 games more than he was needed in the game currently being played. So Neverauskas imploded as expected and the 5 runs the Pirates scored an inning later were not enough to avoid a loss. Meanwhile, Hurdle's crystal ball malfunctioned and failed to inform him that the Pirates would win 12-2 the following day without needing Crick.



Who knows, maybe Crick would also have imploded. He was nearing his current meltdown. But Hurdle's reasoning for choosing Neverauskas over Crick was ludicrous. It relied on a prediction that the circumstances of the next 2 games would outweigh the circumstances of the game unfolding before him (which of course turned out to be very wrong). And worse case scenario, Crick would have entered on 7/5 instead of Neverauskas and still be needed the following 2 games. That would have involved 3 straight games after 2 days off and prior to 4 days off. IMHO, the worst thing about Hurdle's managing is that tomorrow's game is always more important than today's.

614C41505746511112230 wrote: The fact that Hurdle used him in that crazy Friday game against the Brewers a few weeks ago when the score was just 2-1 in the 8th inning was absolutely insane. Another huge game that Hurdle just gave his team no chance what so ever to win by pulling this crap.
That game on 7/5, better than any other, encapsulates the bizarre thinking of Hurdle. He put Neverauskas, arguably his worst pitcher (and that's saying on lot in this BP), in the 8th hoping a 2-1 deficit would not get any worse, explaining that he wanted to save Crick (who had not yet started his horrible slide) in case Crick was needed in both of the remaining games before the AS break. Crick had not pitched the previous 2 days and in 3 more he would begin the AS break. So while it seemed his services were clearly needed on 7/5, Hurdle took out his crystal ball and predicted that Crick would be needed in the next 2 games more than he was needed in the game currently being played. So Neverauskas imploded as expected and the 5 runs the Pirates scored an inning later were not enough to avoid a loss. Meanwhile, Hurdle's crystal ball malfunctioned and failed to inform him that the Pirates would win 12-2 the following day without needing Crick. 



Who knows, maybe Crick would also have imploded. He was nearing his current meltdown. But Hurdle's reasoning for choosing Neverauskas over Crick was ludicrous. It relied on a prediction that the circumstances of the next 2 games would outweigh the circumstances of the game unfolding before him (which of course turned out to be very wrong). And worse case scenario, Crick would have entered on 7/5 instead of Neverauskas and still be needed the following 2 games. That would have involved 3 straight games after 2 days off and prior to 4 days off. IMHO, the worst thing about Hurdle's managing is that tomorrow's game is always more important than today's. 


I guess the Pirates have never heard the saying that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.