 |
 Home | Webstore
|
|
Latest News:
OOTP 27 Buy Now
- FHM 12 Available
- OOTP Go! 27 Available
Out of the Park Baseball 27 Buy Now! |
|
|
||||
| ||||
|
|||||||
| OOTP Dynasty Reports Tell us about the OOTP dynasties you have built! |
 |
|
|
Thread Tools |
10-15-2003, 12:42 AM
|
#1 |
|
All Star Reserve
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Pittsburgh PA
Posts: 912
|
Pirates Dynasty 2005
Off-Season
As predicted, the Pirates are going to have to make a number of moves this offseason because of payroll issues. Their payroll ballooned to $43M, and have no money to spend to get a hitting coach, a A manager and a middle reliever or two. Greg Maddux and Pat Mahomes each retired. Scott Sauerbeck, Brian Boehringer, and Dean Palmer became free agents. The following got one year contracts through salary arbitration. Bobby Hill gets a new one-year contract worth $2,320,714 Dave Williams gets a new one-year contract worth $1,232,286 Marshall McDougall gets a new one-year contract worth $610,714 J.J. Davis gets a new one-year contract worth $3,297,857 Scot Shields gets a new one-year contract worth $990,714 Kris Benson gets a new one-year contract worth $3,383,333 Rob Mackowiak gets a new one-year contract worth $1,479,286 Jack Wilson gets a new one-year contract worth $318,929 Craig Wilson gets a new one-year contract worth $2,436,072 Humberto Cota gets a new one-year contract worth $300,000 Xavier Nady gets a new one-year contract worth $2,904,286 Oliver Perez gets a new one-year contract worth $3,820,357 Joe Beimel gets a new one-year contract worth $369,143 Tony Alvarez gets a new one-year contract worth $1,068,750 Jim Mann gets a new one-year contract worth $1,682,857 Mark Corey gets a new one-year contract worth $766,786 Ryan Vogelsong gets a new one-year contract worth $641,250 J.R. House gets a new one-year contract worth $447,857 Carlos Rivera gets a new one-year contract worth $300,000 The first trade sent 2.5 star 3B Rob Mackowiak to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for 4 star MR Jason Jimenez. With this trade, we were able to kill two birds with one stone, dumping some salary by moving Mackowiak, who was expendable since Henson is ready to play in the big leagues now, and pick up a cheap good middle reliever to be set-up man. The Pirates then traded CF Tony Alvarez and SP Mike Connolly to the Baltimore Orioles in return for CF Darnell McDonald and 2B Edwin Yan. McDonald isn't as good as Alvarez, but at just $300k, he is much cheaper and Yan looks like a decent prospect at 2B. Yan has one more year before he needs to be placed on the 40-man roster. Those trades freed up enough money for the Pirates to sign their coaches. They signed Earl Devers as their new hitting coach. Devers has decent skill at batting coach and has just seven years of experience. He was signed at $455,000 per year for three years. They signed Tom Spencer as their new minors manager. Spencer has good skill at both developing hitters and pitchers. He was signed at $625,000 per year for four years. He will manage for the AA Altoona Curve, and current manager Trent Jewitt will move to manage the A Lynchburg Hillcats. I forgot to list the players that retired, so here they are: Pedro Borbon retires ... Dan Plesac retires ... Dan Miceli retires ... Tom Martin retires ... Donne Wall retires ... Pat Hentgen retires ... Rich Garces retires ... Bill Selby retires ... Darren Oliver retires ... Calvin Murray retires ... Luis Lopez retires ... Ricky Gutierrez retires ... Kirk Rueter retires ... J.T. Snow retires ... Tom Goodwin retires ... Kenny Lofton retires ... Steve Reed retires ... Kevin Jarvis retires ... Robert Ellis retires ... Eric Karros retires ... Marquis Grissom retires ... Kent Mercker retires ... Sean Lowe retires ... Sandy Alomar jr. retires ... Greg Swindell retires ... Randy Johnson retires ... He will be in the Hall Of Fame! Chris Donnels retires ... Steve Finley retires ... Jeff Fassero retires ... Eduardo Perez retires ... Mike Difelice retires ... Mike Matheny retires ... Tino Martinez retires ... Keith Osik retires ... Ron Villone retires ... Jorge Fabregas retires ... Matt Stairs retires ... Eric Young retires ... Dave Mlicki retires ... Brad Ausmus retires ... Orlando Merced retires ... Joey Hamilton retires ... Jon Lieber retires ... Moises Alou retires ... Fred McGriff retires ... Angel Echevarria retires ... Jose Mesa retires ... Joe Roa retires ... Doug Glanville retires ... John Mabry retires ... Rheal Cormier retires ... Pete Walker retires ... Mark Guthrie retires ... Al Leiter retires ... John Valentin retires ... Joey Eischen retires ... Mike Remlinger retires ... Chris Hammond retires ... Albie Lopez retires ... Vinny Castilla retires ... Jamie Moyer retires ... Mark McLemore retires ... Frank Menechino retires ... Greg Myers retires ... David Justice retires ... Lou Pote retires ... Sal Fasano retires ... Tom Prince retires ... Rick Reed retires ... Dennis Hocking retires ... Cory Bailey retires ... Brent Mayne retires ... Joe Randa retires ... Juan Acevedo retires ... Mark Wohlers retires ... Ellis Burks retires ... Kelly Wunsch retires ... Tanyon Sturtze retires ... David Wells retires ... Mike Stanton retires ... Sterling Hitchcock retires ... Robin Ventura retires ... Roger Clemens retires ... He will be in the Hall Of Fame! Chris Haney retires ... Buddy Groom retires ... Marty Cordova retires ... Turk Wendell retires ... Dave Nilsson retires ... Eddie Taubensee retires ... Tony Eusebio retires ... Pat Meares retires ... Lance Painter retires ... Russ Springer retires ... John Frascatore retires ... Rod Beck retires ... Tripp Cromer retires ... Kurt Abbott retires ... CHA: Orlando Palmeiro retires ... SEA: Giovanni Carrara retires ... TEX: Manny Alexander retires ... FLO: Ray Lankford retires ... CHN: Phil Hiatt retires ... MIL: Jeromy Burnitz retires ... MIL: Dennis Cook retires ... PIT: Greg Maddux retires ... He will be in the Hall Of Fame! PIT: Pat Mahomes retires ... COL: Nerio Rodriguez retires ... COL: Mark Sweeney retires ... LAN: Brian Jordan retires ... As listed above, Greg Maddux, Roger Clemens, and Randy Johnson were all automatically inducted into the Hall of Fame. I also decided to induct Fred McGriff into the Hall of Fame as well. Here are each of their career numbers. Maddux finished 293-166 with a 2.93 ERA. He appeared in 594 games, 576 of them starts, and pitched 4005 2/3 innings, giving up 3661 hits, striking out 2793 batters and walking 880, and had a career WHIP of 1.13. He also had 103 complete games and 34 of those were shutouts. Roger Clemens finished 301-155 with a 3.18 ERA. He appeared in 599 games, 591 of them starts, and pitched 4188 2/3 innings, giving up 3574 hits, striking out 4023 batters and walking 1365, and had a career WHIP of 1.18. He also had 116 complete games and 45 of them were shutouts. Randy Johson finished 245-133 with a 3.15 ERA. He appeared in 498 games, 488 of them were starts, and pitched 3397 1/3 innings, giving up 2618 hits, striking out 4224 batters and walking 1401, and had a career WHIP of 1.18. He also had 90 complete games, 35 of which were shutouts. Fred McGriff finished with a career 0.285 batting average, 0.378 OBP, and 0.889 OBP. He had 2526 career hits, 499 career homeruns, 1580 RBIs and 1368 runs scored. The Pirates did not make any free agent offers, as their roster is complete for next season, but here are the free agent offers for around the league: Day 1 : Day 2 : Milwaukee : P Felix Rodriguez, 5,367,500 per year, for 4 years. Anaheim : 3B David Bell, 339,000 per year, for 4 years. Cincinnati : P Francisco Cordero, 1,944,100 per year, for 4 years. Chicago (N) : P Armando Almanza, 1,047,300 per year, for 4 years. Baltimore : P Kerry Wood, 419,100 per year, for 2 years. Day 3 : Chicago (A) : LF Carlos Lee, 1,949,400 per year, for 3 years. Texas : CF George Lombard, 764,900 per year, for 4 years. Milwaukee : LF Ben Petrick, 1,081,600 per year, for 4 years. Toronto : 2B Desi Relaford, 820,800 per year, for 3 years. Texas : 2B Pokey Reese, 577,200 per year, for 3 years. Chicago (N) : CF Jose Guillen, 409,700 per year, for 2 years. New York (A) : 3B Shane Andrews, 402,600 per year, for 2 years. Baltimore : P Jeff Williams, 480,700 per year, for 1 year. Day 4 : Boston : P Odalis Perez, 10,045,800 per year, for 7 years. San Diego : 3B Troy Glaus, 6,500,400 per year, for 5 years. Kansas City : 3B Adrian Beltre, 3,764,600 per year, for 3 years. Chicago (A) : RF Trot Nixon, 3,687,600 per year, for 3 years. Detroit : LF Lance Berkman, 3,327,900 per year, for 4 years. Arizona : 1B John Olerud, 841,500 per year, for 3 years. Detroit : C Chad Moeller, 404,200 per year, for 2 years. Detroit : P Jamie Walker, 411,500 per year, for 2 years. Day 5 : Florida : RF J.D. Drew, 4,556,200 per year, for 4 years. Boston : P Billy Wagner, 5,745,600 per year, for 4 years. Kansas City : CF Eli Marrero, 2,841,300 per year, for 4 years. Baltimore : C Javier Valentin, 1,037,900 per year, for 4 years. Cincinnati : 2B Tomas Perez, 696,400 per year, for 3 years. New York (N) : 3B Dean Palmer, 413,000 per year, for 3 years. Philadelphia : P J.C. Romero, 2,037,800 per year, for 4 years. Toronto : P Doug Davis, 650,100 per year, for 3 years. Day 6 : Montreal : 2B Jeff Kent, 7,440,500 per year, for 4 years. Milwaukee : P A.J. Burnett, 4,724,800 per year, for 4 years. Atlanta : P Luis Vizcaino, 2,482,900 per year, for 4 years. Toronto : P Scott Williamson, 2,409,000 per year, for 4 years. Toronto : SS Mendy Lopez, 514,000 per year, for 2 years. Baltimore : 3B Kevin Orie, 472,300 per year, for 3 years. Florida : LF Israel Alcantara, 464,000 per year, for 3 years. Detroit : P Rob Bell, 404,300 per year, for 2 years. Day 7 : Texas : CF Carlos Beltran, 8,662,200 per year, for 7 years. Oakland : P Matt Anderson, 1,936,400 per year, for 4 years. Milwaukee : RF Raul Mondesi, 828,600 per year, for 3 years. Cincinnati : 2B Aaron Boone, 746,400 per year, for 5 years. Seattle : C Vance Wilson, 786,100 per year, for 4 years. Anaheim : 3B Mike Lowell, 874,000 per year, for 3 years. Florida : 1B Wes Helms, 573,600 per year, for 1 year. Toronto : P Jose Mercedes, 401,500 per year, for 2 years. Kansas City : P Jay Powell, 704,100 per year, for 3 years. Day 8 : Seattle : 1B Derrek Lee, 8,347,500 per year, for 4 years. Arizona : RF Magglio Ordonez, 7,027,800 per year, for 3 years. Boston : P Eric Milton, 6,433,000 per year, for 4 years. Boston : 2B Adam Kennedy, 4,212,400 per year, for 3 years. San Diego : RF Danny Bautista, 4,251,700 per year, for 4 years. Houston : 1B Steve Cox, 542,600 per year, for 3 years. Colorado : P Ricky Stone, 342,000 per year, for 3 years. Texas : P Grant Balfour, 411,500 per year, for 3 years. Day 9 : Minnesota : P Wade Miller, 4,531,500 per year, for 4 years. Seattle : LF Jacque Jones, 5,846,100 per year, for 4 years. Cincinnati : P Ted Lilly, 4,916,300 per year, for 4 years. Anaheim : P Eric Gagne, 7,312,900 per year, for 3 years. Cincinnati : P Octavio Dotel, 2,023,000 per year, for 4 years. Chicago (A) : P Russ Ortiz, 2,952,100 per year, for 3 years. San Francisco : P Tomokazu Ohka, 2,594,700 per year, for 4 years. Houston : P Jose Jimenez, 2,926,000 per year, for 4 years. Boston : P Dave Weathers, 2,945,800 per year, for 4 years. Milwaukee : P Scott Strickland, 784,900 per year, for 3 years. Day 10 : Baltimore : P Matt Morris, 6,085,600 per year, for 4 years. Montreal : SS Cristian Guzman, 934,100 per year, for 4 years. Minnesota : 1B Jason Jones, 457,400 per year, for 2 years. New York (N) : P Mike Nakamura, 415,200 per year, for 1 year. Day 11 : San Francisco : P Brad Radke, 1,223,600 per year, for 3 years. Florida : LF Phil Nevin, 533,700 per year, for 3 years. Boston : P Miguel Batista, 734,400 per year, for 4 years. Texas : P Mark Redman, 606,500 per year, for 4 years. Toronto : P Todd Ritchie, 408,600 per year, for 1 year. Texas : P David Lundquist, 727,600 per year, for 2 years. New York (N) : P Al Reyes, 318,000 per year, for 4 years. Tampa Bay : P Jim Brower, 411,500 per year, for 3 years. Day 12 : Arizona : 2B Jose Vidro, 4,370,000 per year, for 4 years. San Diego : CF Gary Matthews, 1,152,500 per year, for 3 years. Detroit : C Mitch Meluskey, 427,100 per year, for 3 years. Baltimore : P Mike Williams, 1,559,500 per year, for 5 years. Toronto : P Carl Sadler, 415,200 per year, for 3 years. Day 13 : Baltimore : LF Geoff Jenkins, 2,729,200 per year, for 3 years. Minnesota : P Byung-hyun Kim, 727,600 per year, for 3 years. Milwaukee : SS Danny Klassen, 409,700 per year, for 2 years. Chicago (N) : P Bobby Howry, 1,762,700 per year, for 4 years. Day 14 : Arizona : SS Alex S. Gonzalez, 1,169,600 per year, for 3 years. Florida : P John Rheinecker, 531,000 per year, for 3 years. Atlanta : P Brian Boehringer, 1,433,900 per year, for 4 years. Milwaukee : P Gene Stechschulte, 493,800 per year, for 2 years. Day 15 : Boston : 3B Eric Chavez, 12,771,600 per year, for 5 years. Atlanta : P Elmer Dessens, 1,835,400 per year, for 4 years. Atlanta : P Braden Looper, 917,700 per year, for 4 years. Kansas City : P Kiko Calero, 407,900 per year, for 3 years. Day 16 : Anaheim : RF Jermaine Dye, 5,084,400 per year, for 3 years. Los Angeles : SS Chris Woodward, 1,077,900 per year, for 3 years. Anaheim : C Ramon Castro, 781,100 per year, for 4 years. Anaheim : 2B Jay Canizaro, 404,200 per year, for 3 years. San Diego : P Kyle Farnsworth, 1,092,500 per year, for 4 years. Toronto : P Pedro Astacio, 456,400 per year, for 3 years. Baltimore : P Carlos Almanzar, 668,600 per year, for 3 years. Kansas City : P Julio Santana, 674,800 per year, for 4 years. Milwaukee : P John Wasdin, 410,600 per year, for 2 years. Day 17 : Kansas City : LF Bubba Trammell, 624,600 per year, for 3 years. Montreal : 3B Bill Mueller, 442,800 per year, for 2 years. Montreal : P Billy Koch, 1,196,800 per year, for 4 years. New York (N) : P Jose Santiago, 417,900 per year, for 2 years. Toronto : P Travis Miller, 417,900 per year, for 2 years. Day 18 : Houston : P Freddy Garcia, 8,563,600 per year, for 3 years. Baltimore : 3B Geoff Blum, 1,323,000 per year, for 4 years. Chicago (A) : LF Dee Brown, 453,200 per year, for 3 years. Seattle : P Tony Fiore, 691,600 per year, for 4 years. San Diego : P Mike Fyhrie, 736,400 per year, for 4 years. Arizona : P Scott Sauerbeck, 759,200 per year, for 4 years. Texas : P Francisco Cordova, 637,500 per year, for 3 years. Houston : P Dan Reichert, 497,200 per year, for 1 year. Day 19 : Chicago (A) : P Matt Clement, 2,502,600 per year, for 3 years. Cincinnati : P Joey Dawley, 654,800 per year, for 3 years. Day 20 : Kansas City : P Tony Armas jr., 1,147,100 per year, for 4 years. Cincinnati : 3B Tyler Houston, 590,000 per year, for 3 years. Arizona : C Robert Machado, 579,700 per year, for 5 years. San Francisco : C Chris Widger, 534,500 per year, for 2 years. Montreal : SS Shane Halter, 491,600 per year, for 2 years. Atlanta : P Josh Towers, 468,900 per year, for 3 years. St. Louis : P Jay Witasick, 742,900 per year, for 4 years. Tampa Bay : P Kevin Gryboski, 448,400 per year, for 1 year. Texas : P Mike Thurman, 444,200 per year, for 2 years. Day 21 : Chicago (N) : P Vladimir Nunez, 742,900 per year, for 4 years. Montreal : P B.j. Ryan, 1,083,000 per year, for 3 years. Day 22 : Arizona : 1B Olmedo Saenz, 2,092,600 per year, for 3 years. Day 23 : Anaheim : LF Mark Smith, 513,100 per year, for 2 years. Baltimore : P Trever Miller, 411,700 per year, for 1 year. Day 24 : San Francisco : P Mike Porzio, 475,600 per year, for 3 years. Day 25 : Cleveland : SS Orlando Cabrera, 3,701,500 per year, for 4 years. San Diego : P Cliff Lee, 611,900 per year, for 2 years. Kansas City : P Livan Hernandez, 419,000 per year, for 3 years. Atlanta : P Juan Alvarez, 666,400 per year, for 3 years. San Francisco : P Manuel Aybar, 457,900 per year, for 1 year. Day 26 : Chicago (N) : P Brian Meadows, 603,600 per year, for 4 years. San Francisco : P Salomon Torres, 448,900 per year, for 2 years. Day 27 : San Francisco : P Mac Suzuki, 529,200 per year, for 3 years. Day 28 : Chicago (N) : P Matt Mantei, 1,239,100 per year, for 4 years. Day 29 : Day 30 : A bunch of minor league contracts were signed on this day, but none of them are noteworthy, so screw it. There were a number of offseason trades, besides the ones the Pirates made. Kansas City got 2.5 star LF Larry Bigbie from the Giants in return for 2.5 star SS Ramon Martinez. Arizona got 1.5 star RF Richard Hidalgo from the Mariners in return for 2 star 1B Mike Kinkade. The Dogers got 2 star CF Jackson Melian and 2.5 star prospect SP Justin Jones from the Cubs for 1.5 star LF Daryle Ward. Arizona got 2 star CF Alex Escobar and 1 star prospect C Edson Pena from the Indians for 2.5 star SS Alex Gonzalez. The Angels picked up 2 star 2B Dave Matranga and 1 star prospect MR JP Duran in return sending 2.5 star C Wil Nieves to the Astros. The A's picked up 2.5 star CF Endy Chaves from the Rangers in return for 2.5 star SP Rich Harden, 2.5 star prospect MR Jared Burton, and 2 star prospect MR Albert Gonzalez. The A's also picked up 2 star RF Joe Borchard from the White Sox in exchange for 5 star reliever Matt Anderson and 2.5 star prospect MR Joe Blanton. The Cubs receieved 2.5 star LF Geoff Jenkins in a trade with the Orioles that sent them 3 star SP Wilton Chavez, 4 star prospect MR Matt Clanton, and 3 star prospect MR Thomas Matthews. The apparent dismantling of the WS Champ Cubs begins. Lastly, Cardinals picked up 2.5 star RF Tim Salmon from the Angels in return for aging 2.5 star SP Woody Williams, 3 star prospect SP Tyler Adamczyk, and 2 star prospect 1B Raymond Hiltz. Now, for the final rosters for the Pirates. First of all though, the Pirates released MR Mike Gonzalez as his three option years were up and he was not placed on the 25-man roster and was claimed off of waivers. Also, Landon Jacobsen was released, as he was not placed on the 40-man roster and was picked up in the Rule 5 draft. Now here's the Pirates' opening day roster (* indicates player is on 40-man roster, and numbers in parenthesis are the number of option years remaining for that player) SP Sidney Ponson SP Kris Benson SP Oliver Perez SP John VanBenSchoten (2 years) SP Dave Williams MR Joe Beimel MR Mark Corey MR John Grabow MR Jason Jimenez MR Scot Shields MR Ryan Vogelsong CL Jim Mann C Humberto Cota C JR House 1B Craig Wilson 1B Carlos Rivera 2B Bobby Hill 3B Drew Henson (1 year) 3B Marshall McDougall (1 year) SS Jose Castillo SS Jack Wilson LF Xavier Nady (1 year) CF Mark Kotsay CF Darnell McDonald RF JJ Davis *C Ryan Doumit (1 year) *LF Manuel Ravelo (1 year) *CF Jeremy Harts (1 year) *RF Shawn Garrett (1 year) *MR Ben Shaffar (2 years) *MR Justin Reid (2 years) *RF BJ Barns (2 years) *MR Jose Cortez (2 years) *SP Sean Burnett (3 years) *SP Ian Oquendo (3 years) *SP Josh Shortslef (3 years) *SP Leo Nunez (3 years) *MR Kurt Shafer (3 years) *1B Ray Navarette (3 years) *RF JJ Johnson (3 years) Here will be my lineups versus both lefties and righties: CF Mark Kotsay 2B Bobby Hill LF Xavier Nady 1B Craig Wilson RF JJ Davis 3B Drew Henson SS Jose Castillo C JR House And the starting rotation will be in the order listed above: Ponson Benson Perez VanBenSchoten Williams And, of course, Jim Mann will continue to be my closer.
__________________
"And Shepherds we shall be, For thee, my Lord, for thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand, Our feet may swiftly carry out Thy commands. So we shall flow a river forth to Thee, And teeming with souls shall it ever be. In Nomeni Patri Et Fili Spiritus Sancti." |
|
|
|
10-15-2003, 03:50 AM
|
#2 |
|
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Greater Boston Area
Posts: 3,992
|
McGriff is one homer away from 500 and Maddux is seven wins away from 300, that's just wrong.
|
|
|
|
|
10-15-2003, 05:39 AM
|
#3 |
|
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Where you live
Posts: 11,017
|
Have a link for this year yet?
__________________
Jonathan Haidt: Moral reasoning is really just a servant masquerading as a high priest. |
|
|
|
|
10-15-2003, 05:50 AM
|
#4 | |
|
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Where you live
Posts: 11,017
|
Re: Pirates Dynasty 2005
Quote:
__________________
Jonathan Haidt: Moral reasoning is really just a servant masquerading as a high priest. |
|
|
|
|
|
10-15-2003, 12:41 PM
|
#5 | ||
|
All Star Reserve
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Pittsburgh PA
Posts: 912
|
Quote:
Quote:
__________________
"And Shepherds we shall be, For thee, my Lord, for thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand, Our feet may swiftly carry out Thy commands. So we shall flow a river forth to Thee, And teeming with souls shall it ever be. In Nomeni Patri Et Fili Spiritus Sancti." |
||
|
|
|
|
10-15-2003, 01:59 PM
|
#6 |
|
All Star Reserve
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Pittsburgh PA
Posts: 912
|
Week 1
Okay, first off, I sent Baltimore 3.5 star prospect SP Jonathan Albakdejo to go along with the trade that I made with them. I really try to keep the trades simple, but i honestly didn't think Yan was rated that high, seeing as he was just Good in hits, poor in homers, and good in walks. The Pirates promoted 2B Jose Bautista from AA to AAA. And now, on to the first week of the season, the Pirates travel to Florida to face the Marlins in a three game series to start their season. They then travel to Milwaukee for a three game series against the Brewers. Game 1: Pirates 3 Marlins 8 Ponson got hit hard in his first start out, giving up seven runs in 5 2/3 innings. He was taken out of the game after getting hit by a line drive, but is listed as day-to-day for the next six days, so he shouldn't miss any starts. Beckett pitched pretty well, giving up three runs, just one of them earned, in six innings for the win. Game 2: Pirates 6 Marlins 1 Benson pitched an almost perfect game, giving up just one run, off of four hits and one walk, while striking out a career high 12 batters in 8 2/3 innings for the win. Hernandez gave up six runs, five of them earned, in just 4 2/3 innings for the loss. The Pirtates hit five doubles in the game, and Henson picked up his first career RBI. Game 3: Pirates 5 Marlins 6 Noddin Head Doll Day at Pro Player Stadium The Pirates jumped on the board first, scoring all five of their runs in the first inning, scoring all five off of Nate Bump, who lasted five innings. Perez pitched decent, giving up three runs in six innings, with all three runs coming in the sixth inning. Heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, the Pirates still had a 5-3 lead. Mann came in to try and pick up the save, but gave up a lead-off double to Andy Fox. Kelly Johnson then singled home Fox, and then Mann finally managed to get an out by getting Nunez to pop out to first base. Jerry Hairston followed with a blistering shot down the left field line that just stayed fair, hitting a walk-off two run homerun to win the game. Series Recap: I forgot to actually set my rosters in the game before simming them, oops. Oh well, 1 out of 3 isn't too bad, as long as I can take care of Milwaukee. Game 4: Pirates 3 Brewers 7 The Pirates' woes continue as VanBenSchoten goes seven innings and gives up six runs. Hendrickson gave up just two runs in five innings but did not get the win for the Brewers. Nance picked up the win giving up one run in two innings of work. The Pirates were leading the game 3-2, until the bottom of the seventh inning, when VanBenSchoten gave up a grandslam to Richie Sexson with two outs, to give the Brewers the lead. Game 5: Pirates 7 Brewers 3 Fireworks Night at Miller Park The Pirates returned the favor in this game, scoring seven runs in 6 2/3 innings off of Burnett. Williams did decent, giving up three runs in 5 2/3 innings, but did not get the win, as that went to Corey who gave up no runs in 1/3 of an inning. The Pirates were down 3-2 heading into the sixth, when Castillo hit a sac-fly that scored Nady to tie it at 3-3. Then in the seventh inning, the Pirates scored four more runs off of Burnett, including a two run homerun by Craig Wilson, to give them the lead, and they never looked back. Game 6: Pirates 4 Brewers 0 Ponson made up for his last outing by pitching a four hit, four walk shutout to give the Pirates the win. JR House and Castillo homered for the Pirates, as they scored 4 runs, three of them earned, off of Milwaukee starter Wayne Frankling. Series Recap: The Pirates took a much needed two out of three games from the Brewers to bring them to a 0.500 record after the first week. Around the league, on Monday Mets' outfielder Cliff Floyd's season was cut very short as he tore a back muscle in the team's opener against the Braves. On Saturday, Boston's free agent acquisition Odalis Perez pitched a one-hit shutout against the Blue Jays, as the Red Sox won the game 4-0. I will update the team and league pages now, and add the link to my signature. I may get to the player pages tonight, if I sim some more, but it just takes too long to get those pages up to do them very often.
__________________
"And Shepherds we shall be, For thee, my Lord, for thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand, Our feet may swiftly carry out Thy commands. So we shall flow a river forth to Thee, And teeming with souls shall it ever be. In Nomeni Patri Et Fili Spiritus Sancti." |
|
|
|
|
10-15-2003, 10:04 PM
|
#7 |
|
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Where you live
Posts: 11,017
|
Ah, sorry if my comment messed up your dynasty. I meant to compliment your ability in making trades. I really enjoyed the thread and all the restrictions you put on yourself made the story much more appealing and realistic. Go Pirates in 2005!
__________________
Jonathan Haidt: Moral reasoning is really just a servant masquerading as a high priest. |
|
|
|
|
10-16-2003, 12:00 PM
|
#8 |
|
All Star Reserve
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Pittsburgh PA
Posts: 912
|
No problems Skipaway, I'm actually glad you posted that about the trade. I always try to make as fair a trade as possible, because I think it's still a little too easy to make rip-off trades with the AI for prospects, even if you set the setting to favor prospects. The feedback helps me with anything I might have missed, which that trade definitely was something that I missed. anyway, on to simming some more.
Week 2 The Pirates announced their promotion days for this month: 4/9 - Baseball Cap Day against the Expos 4/12 - Fireworks Night against the Cubs 4/15 - Glove Day against the Brewers 4/24 - Noddin Head Doll Day against the Padres This week the Pirates begin a three-game series, starting with their home opener, against the Montreal Expos, who are now 3-3 after the first week. They then play host for a three game series against the Cubs who are currently 5-1. Game 7: Pirates 1 Expos 2 This game was a real heartbreaker, at least so much as a loss at the beginning of the season can be. Benson pitched a very good game, giving up no runs until the eighth inning, when he gave up a lead off homerun to Schneider to tie the game. Then in the ninth, Benson gave up the game-winning homerun, a solo shot to Reggie Taylor. Benson pitched a total of 8+ innings, giving up two runs for his loss. Seung also pitched well giving up one run in seven innings but didn't get the win. The win went to reliever BJ Ryan, and Stewart worked a scoreless ninth inning for the save. Game 8: Pirates 6 Expos 1 Baseball Cap Day at PNC Park Perez pitched a beautiful game for the Pirates, giving up just one unearned run in seven innings for the win. Orlando Hernandez gave up two runs in 3 2/3 innings and was pulled from the game after injuring himself with a ruptured elbow ligament. He'll miss the next four weeks. JR House extended his hitting streak to a career high 10 games. Even though I won today on a promotion day, sadly my fan interest did not increase slightly. Game 9: Pirates 1 Expos 6 This game was pretty close until the eighth inning. VanBenSchoten gave up four runs in six innings and picked up his second loss of the season. Vazquez pitched a complete game, giving up just one run off of five hits and two walks. The Expos only led the game 2-0 heading into the eighth, before scoring two more off JVB. They then added two more insurance runs in the top of the ninth with a two run homer by Vlad off of Mann. Kotsay and House each extended their hitting streaks. Kotsay is up 16 games, and House is at 11. Series Recap: The Expos are a pretty tough team and the Pirates kept the games at least fairly close and exciting towards the end. Besides, they only got outscored by one run in that series, but sometimes that's all that's needed for a game to be won. Game 10: Pirates 3 Cubs 1 Williams had a superb day, giving up just one run in seven innings to pick up his first win of the season. Zambrano also did fairly well, giving up three runs, two of them earned, in seven innings but it wasn't enough as he picked up the loss. The game was tied 1-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning. With two outs and runners at first and second, Hill singled into right field scoring Jack Wilson and moving Kotsay to third. During the next at-bat, Hill stole second base, and the throw from the catcher ended up in centerfield and Kotsay was able to score an insurance run on the error. That extra run proved to not be necessary, as Jim Mann pitched 1 2/3 hitless innings for his first save of the year. Kotsay's hitting streak came to an end, but House extended his to 12 games. Game 10: Pirates 8 Cubs 2 Fireworks Day at PNC Park Kennedy pitched a pretty good game, giving up just one unearned run in six innings, but did not get the win as his bullpen blew it. Ponson also pitched quite well, giving up just two runs in seven innings, for his second win of the year. The score was actually 1-0 Pirates heading into the seventh inning. The Cubs loaded the bases in the top of the seventh with nobody out. Davis then hit a sac fly to right that scored Sosa. Patterson then stole third base, and Daryle Ward hit a single that scored Patterson. Podsednik then lined out to the shortstop and Jenkins struck out swinging to get Ponson out of what could have been a much bigger mess. The Pirates answered in the bottom half of the inning when McDougall led off with a homer against Beltran to tie the game. Then two outs later, with runners at the corners, Henson came through with a pinch-hit single scoring Cota and moving Kotsay to third base. Nady then singled to score Kotsay and Henson held at second. The Pirates scored one more run, when Craig Wilson singled home Henson, before JJ Davis struck out to end the inning. The Pirates scored three more insurance runs in the eighth to seal the victory. On a side note, Pirates front office must not have checked the scheduled time of the game, as they had Fireworks scheduled after a 2:05 start time, which meant a 5:30 fireworks show. Maybe that's why my fan interest didn't increase again. Game 12: Pirates 6 Cubs 7 This was definitely one of the more crazy games that I've seen in a while. Neither starter got the decision in this one as it took extra innings to decide. Benson gave up three runs in 8 innings of work, and Thomson gave up just one run in six innings. The Cubs held a 3-1 lead heading into the ninth inning. They added three more runs to the lead in the top of the ninth inning off of Corey, including a two run homerun by Geoff Jenkins. With a 6-1 lead, the Cubs thought they had this one in the bag. Craig Wilson and JJ Davis led off the inning with singles, and Marshall McDougall followed with a three run homerun, all off of Ohman, which brought the game to 6-4. Kolb then came into the game, gave up a single, but then got two quick outs. Kotsay singled to right-center field, and House went to third on the play and Kotsay went to second on the throw to third. Bobby Hill was then walked, and Nady followed with a single to score House and Kotsay to tie the game at 6-6. Kolb then ended the threat by getting Craig Wilson to fly out to center field. Neither team scored in the tenth, but in the top of the eleventh, Davis hit a one out single. Kolb then sacrificed Davis over to second base. Jenkins then doubled home the eventual winning run, before Mann got Infante to strike out looking. The Pirates tried to come back in the bottom of the inning, with House leading the inning off with a double against Almanza. Beltran though then came in and got Jack Wilson to ground out, Kotsay to line out, and Hill to fly out to leave House stranded at second base. Mann got the loss for the Pirates, and Kolb got the win and Beltran the save for the Cubs. House extended his hitting streak to 13 games. Series Recap: 2 out of 3 certainly isn't bad against the defending world champion Cubs. Around the league, on Monday Arizona's Magglio Ordonez punished Padres pitching, roping five hits in the game. On Sunday, Cincinatti's Ted Lilly pitched a one-hit shutout against the Astros as the Reds won the game 7-0. Former Pirate Rob Mackowiak won player of the week in the AL as a Detroit Tiger.
__________________
"And Shepherds we shall be, For thee, my Lord, for thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand, Our feet may swiftly carry out Thy commands. So we shall flow a river forth to Thee, And teeming with souls shall it ever be. In Nomeni Patri Et Fili Spiritus Sancti." |
|
|
|
|
10-16-2003, 12:55 PM
|
#9 |
|
All Star Reserve
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Pittsburgh PA
Posts: 912
|
Week 3
This week, the Pirates continue their homestand with a four game series against the Brewers who are 5-7 and whom the Pirates are 2-1 against. They then travel to Chicago for a three game series against the Cubs who are currently 7-5, and whom the Pirates are 2-1 against this year. Game 13: Pirates 7 Brewers 4 Neither starter got the win in this game, as it was decided late in the game. Perez gave up four runs in 6 2/3 innings and Neugebauer gave up three runs in five innings. The Pirates were trailing this game 4-3 heading into the seventh inning, but Carlos Rivera tied things up in the bottom of the seventh when he hit a two out pinch hit solo homerun off of Jon Steitz. The Pirates then took the lead in the bottom of the eighth, when after a lead-off single by Hill, Nady hit a double down the left field line, scoring Hill. Craig Wilson then added some insurance runs with a two run homerun off of Dave Pember. The Pirates didn't look back, as Mann pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his 2nd save of the year. Vogelsong got the win for the Bucs and Pember the loss for the Brewers. House's hitting streak came to an end as he went 0-4 with 2 K. Game 14: Pirates 10 Brewers 2 Glove Day at PNC Park The Pirates destroyed Burnett, as he gave up six runs in just 5 2/3 innings. VanBenSchoten pitched a great game, giving up no runs, just one hit and three walks in six innings. The two runs were scored off of Beimel in the seventh inning. The Pirates' fan interest increased slightly, YEAH, and they are now in a four way tie for first in the central division. Game 15: Pirates 4 Brewers 8 Williams didn't have the greatest of games, giving up five runs in 5 2/3 innings. The bullpen also struggled, as Shields gave up one unearned run and Corey gave up two runs. Wayne Franklin picked up his first win of the season, giving up just two runs in six innings of work. Game 16: Pirates 6 Brewers 3 This was another pretty close game. Ponson pitched a superb game, giving up just one run in 7 2/3 innings for the win. Valdes also did some decent work, giving up just two runs in six innings. the Pirates led the game 2-0 heading into the eighth inning. The Brewers brought the game to within one run, when Sexson singled home Batista in the top of the eighth. In the bottom of the eighth, with two outs, the Pirates decided that it would be nice to add some insurance runs. Nady, Craig Wilson, and Davis hit back-to-back-to-back singles that scored one run and put runners on at the corners for Drew Henson. Henson delivered with his first major league homerun, a shot that went deep to center field and traveled 441 feet. Those insurance runs proved to be needed as the Brewers in the ninth led off with a solo homerun by Carl Everett. They scored one more run when Ochoa and Ginter hit back to back doubles, but then Mann came in and shut things down getting two quick outs and picking up his third save. Series Recap: 3 out of 4 is pretty good against the Brewers. You gotta figure the Brewers have to win every now and then. If the central division keeps up the way it's going, the Brewers will be the only team out of the race come the end of the season. Game 17: Pirates 4 Cubs 6 Neither starter got a decision in this one as it again required extra innings to decide a winner. Benson lasted 6 innings, giving up three runs, and Zambrano went seven innings giving up four runs. The game was pretty much back and forth, with the Pirates scoring first, and then the Cubs answering back with the same amount of runs to tie it up, often in the bottom half of the same inning. Then in the bottom of the tenth, after getting two quick outs, Corey gave up a walk to Ojeda and was pulled from the game. Vogelsong then came in and gave up a two run walk off homerun to Mark Bellhorn to end the game. Corey got the loss, and Beltran picked up the win. Game 18: Pirates 3 Cubs 4 Another tough loss for the Pirates. The Pirates started the first inning off with a one out three run homerun by JJ Davis. The Cubs, however, chipped away at that lead, one run at a time, scoring in the first, third, fourth, and seventh innings to take the lead 4-3. The Pirates had managed just one more hit until the eighth inning. Cota and McDougall lead off the inning with back to back singles. Kotsay then failed to move the runners over, as he bunted into a fielder's choice that got Cota out at third base. Kolb then came in and got Nady to ground out with a force out at second base, putting runners at the corners and two outs. Craig Wilson then grounded out back to the pitcher for the final out to end the threat. The Pirates had one more chance in the ninth when Davis hit a lead off single. However, Kolb got the next three batters to ground out to end the inning as he picked up his 4th save of the season. Thomson got the win giving up three runs in seven innings, and Perez got the loss giving up four runs, just two of them earned, in seven innings. Game 19: Pirates 4 Cubs 5 This was another heart-breaking loss for the Bucs, as once again neither starter got a decision, and it took extra innings to decide this one. VanBenSchoten gave up just one run in seven innings and struck out nine batters, while Prior gave up two runs in six innings, while striking out 10 batters. The Pirates were leading 2-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth. Corey got Podsednik to strike out, but then hit Geoff Jenkins with a pitch. Mann then came into the game, and gave up a single to Infante. He then got Choi to ground into a fielder's choice with the out at second base, putting runners at the corners with two outs. Sosa then tripled into gap in right-center, scoring both runs and giving the Cubs a 3-2 lead. After walking Patterson, Mann ended the inning with Sosa at third base by getting Kelton to strike out looking. The Pirates then answered in the top of the ninth, when after back to back walks to C. Wilson and Davis, Ohman gave up a single to Henson that scored Wilson and tied the game at 3-3. He then got Castillo to strike out before getting pulled from the game. Almanza came into the game and gave up a single to Jack Wilson that scored Davis, and on the throw home, Jack went to second and Henson went to third. McClendon then left Mann in to bat, and surprisingly he drew a walk. With the bases loaded and two outs, Kotsay ended the threat by grounding out to the shortstop, but the Bucs had the lead 4-3. The Cubs answered back, when Mann gave up a lead off walk to Davis, and Davis was moved to second on a sac bunt by Bellhorn. Damian Miller then hit a pinch hit single to score Davis and tie the game at 4-4. Mann then got two quick outs to leave the base runner stranded. Neither team got a runner past first base until the bottom of the 13th. Jimenez got Sosa to strike out to lead off the inning, but then gave up a single to Patterson. Patterson then stole second base, and Jimenez intentionally walked Kelton. Brendan Harris came through with a clutch single left, and Patterson scored on a close play at the plate. Jimenez got the loss and Kolb got the win. Series Recap: The Pirates dip back below .500 after they lose three very tough games to the Cubs. Any one of those games could have went either way, but they all went the Cubs way. Around the league, on Monday both Yankees' Jason Giambi and San Francisco's Edgardo Alfonzo uncorked five hits against their opponents. On Thursday, Boston's Odalis Perez picked up his second shutout of the season, blanking the Orioles and giving up just two hits as the Red Sox won the game 6-0.
__________________
"And Shepherds we shall be, For thee, my Lord, for thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand, Our feet may swiftly carry out Thy commands. So we shall flow a river forth to Thee, And teeming with souls shall it ever be. In Nomeni Patri Et Fili Spiritus Sancti." |
|
|
|
|
10-16-2003, 03:28 PM
|
#10 |
|
All Star Reserve
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Pittsburgh PA
Posts: 912
|
Week 4
I was gonna go to the gym today, but then I said screw it, the Pirates have gotta win some more games. I think I might need Rob in Phoenix to come by and give me a little motivation. Anyway, I thought I'd start adding a short write-up to every team I face to give everyone an idea as to who's where around the league, since it's now a good bit along from how the rosters might look now. This week the Pirates start with a three game series at home against the Padres. The Padres are 8-11 and struggling in fourth place in the west. Former Pirates Kip Wells, Jason Kendall and Brian Giles are still with the Padres Wells has not been able to pick up a win yet this season, while Kendall is doing decent, hitting 0.291. Giles is on the DL and will miss this series against the Pirates. RF Jayson Werth is leading the team in offense, hitting 0.327 with 5 HRs and 11 RBIs. Second year starter Rusty Tucker is 3-0 with a 2.10 ERA. Game 20: Pirates 7 Padres 3 The Pirates really lit up former teammate Kip Wells, as they scored 7 runs off of him in 4+ innings. Dave Williams had another real good start, giving up just three runs in eight innings. Davis and House hit homeruns, and it was a real windy day at PNC Park with winds blowing out to left at 23 mph. Amazing that there weren't a lot more homers hit. Game 21: Pirates 9 Padres 7 The Pirates offense continues to roll over Padres' pitching, as they scored 5 runs in 2 1/3 innings off of starter Jake Peavy. Ponson didn't have the greatest start, giving up 6 runs, three of them earned, in seven innings, but it was good enough for the win. Shields picked up the save. Game 22: Pirates 4 Padres 0 Noddin Head Doll Day at PNC Park Benson continues to sparkle this season, pitching seven scoreless innings, giving up just three hits and striking out eight batters. Keisler gave up just two runs in 6 2/3 innings but got the loss. The Padres tried to mount a comeback in the ninth but came up just short. Mann gave up a walk to Gary Matthews, but then got Kendall to ground into a double play. He then gave up a single to Blalock, and a walk to Klesko. Jimenez then came in and walked Glaus to load the bases. Jimenez got out of the jam by getting Vazquez to ground out to the shortstop. Series Recap: A sweep of the Padres is a very nice thing. SS Jose Castillo is continuing to struggle, hitting just 0.169 with 1 HR and 4 RBIs, while last year's starter, now backup Marshall McDougall is hitting 0.417 with 2 HRs and 10 RBIs in 29 less at-bats. The Pirates now travel to San Francisco to face the Giants, who are now 9-13, and have just surpassed the Padres for fourth place in the West after winning three straight and 6 of their last 10. The Pirates will just miss the Giant's top two pitchers Martinez (2-1 3.06) and Foppert (2-0 2.67). The Giants offense is fairly strong and is now being lead by Edgardo Alfonzo who's hitting 0.360 3 HRs and 16 RBIs. 40 year old Barry Bonds seems to be on the decline, as he's hitting just 0.188 with 2 HRs and 9 RBIs. Bonds is just 4 homeruns away from 700 career homeruns and he always seems to do well against Pirates pitching. Game 23: Pirates 1 Giants 2 This was a very close game. The Giants scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. The second run was scored when Linden knocked over JR House at the plate and the ball came out of House's glove. House fractured his jaw on the play and will miss the next four weeks. Perez pitched a total of seven innings, giving up the two runs. The Pirates scored just one run in eight innings. The Pirates threatened in the ninth, with two outs against Rob Nenn. After Hill and Nady grounded out, Craig Wilson walked, JJ Davis singled, and then Drew Henson walked. With the bases loaded and two outs, Robb Nen got Jose Castillo to strike out looking to end the threat and earn him the save. Game 24: Pirates 8 Giants 1 Noddin Head Doll Day at Pac Bell Park VanBenSchoten pitched an absolute gem of a game, giving up just one unearned run off of one hit, and four walks, while striking out 9 in 8+ innings of work. Williams did not do well, giving up five runs in 3 2/3 innings. Game 25: Pirates 2 Giants 9 The Pirates ended up having to face Pedro after all, as he pitched a complete game, giving up just three hits, one of which was a two run homer by Drew Henson, and two runs while walking none and striking out 13. Williams had a lot of trouble in his start, giving up 5 runs in just three innings for the loss. Series Recap: It would've been nice to take at least two of three from the Giants, but all in all, I went 4-2 this week, and that's not too bad. The Pirates are now back above .500 and just 2.5 games out of first. Around the league, on Wednesday Baltimore's right fielder Jay Gibbons was announced to miss the next 5-6 weeks with a broken ulna. Also on Wednesday, Tampa Bay's first baseman Mike Cuddyer unloaded three bombs against Oakland pitchers. On Friday, Arizona's Magglio Ordonez nabbed five hits against Mets' pitching.
__________________
"And Shepherds we shall be, For thee, my Lord, for thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand, Our feet may swiftly carry out Thy commands. So we shall flow a river forth to Thee, And teeming with souls shall it ever be. In Nomeni Patri Et Fili Spiritus Sancti." |
|
|
|
|
10-16-2003, 07:06 PM
|
#11 |
|
All Star Reserve
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Pittsburgh PA
Posts: 693
|
Mags got 5 hits twice in 3 weeks? nice!!!
__________________
<a href =http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/board/showthread.php?s=&threadid=35167> 2003 Pirates Regular Season </a> <a href=http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/board/showthread.php?s=&threadid=40941> 2003 Pirates playoffs and off-season </a> <a href=http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/board/showthread.php?s=&threadid=44242> 2004 Pirates Season </a> <a href=http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/board/showthread.php?s=&threadid=47658> 2004 Pirates Playoffs and Off-season </a> <a href=http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/board/showthread.php?s=&threadid=48039>2005 Pirates Regular Season </a> |
|
|
|
|
10-17-2003, 12:46 AM
|
#12 |
|
All Star Reserve
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Pittsburgh PA
Posts: 912
|
Pure craziness I tell ya. Odalis Perez got two shoutouts in three weeks as well.
Week 5 The Pirates finish off the month of April with a trip to Arizona for a three game series against the Diamondbacks who are 16-9 and in first place in the NL West. The Bucs will face their top three pitchers in Randy Wolf (1-1 4.33), Jason Schmidt (2-0 1.29), and Rick Helling (2-1 3.90). Pirates pitchers have to face red hot RF Magglio Ordonez (0.389 8 27), as well as youngster Lyle Overbay (0.318 3 10), and oldtime veteran Luis Gonzalez (0.247 4 15). Game 26: Pirates 4 Diamondbacks 7 Ponson had a terrible fifth inning, in which he gave up five runs, and finished with five innings pitched and five runs against for the loss. The Pirates scored three runs in 6 2/3 innings off of Randy Wolf, who picked up the win. Ordonez continues to be on fire, picking up three hits in the game. Game 27: Pirates 5 Diamondbacks 2 Benson pitched a superb game, giving up just two runs in 8 2/3 innings for his 3rd win of the season. Long-time former Pirate Jason Schmidt pitched well, except for a bad sixth inning, in which he gave up five runs, including a 472 foot monster three run homerun to JJ Davis. Schmidt finished 6 1/3 innings, giving up all five earned runs. April Wrapup Pirates fans are once again starting to get excited about their team, who are currently 14-13 and just 3.5 games out of first place in the central. The Pirates four top starters, Ponson, Benson, Perez, and VanBenSchoten have all pitched very well this month, with Benson by far having the best performance at 3-1 with a 2.14 ERA. The offense however is struggling quite a bit, without a single starter hitting over .300. Davis is leading all of the starters with an average of 0.287 with 5 HRs and 19 RBIs. However, bench player Marshall McDougall is hitting 0.395 with 2 HRs and 10 RBIs and many feel it's only a matter of time before he gets another shot at the starting shortstop job. The Red Sox are continuing their dominance of the AL East with a record of 19-9, they lead by 2.5 games over the Blue Jays. The Twins are leading the central division by 3 games over the Indians, with a record of 18-9. In the west, the Rangers are finally the team to beat, with a record of 16-11, they lead the Mariners by 2 games. In the NL, the Braves have regained their control in the east, leading the Phililes by five games with a record of 21-8. The Cubs, with a record of 17-9, are once again on top of the central division, 1.5 games ahead of the Cardinals. The Diamondbacks are 17-10, and have reclaimed supremacy in the west, with a 2 game lead over the Dodgers. Cleveland's Kurt Ainsworth had a superb month in April with a record of 5-1 and a 2.18 ERA, good enough to win AL POM. Atlanta's Adam Wainwright won the award in the NL, going 4-0 with a 1.43 ERA. There was no surprise when the NL announced Arizona's rightfielder Magglio Ordonez the recipient of the BOM award for April, as he hit 0.394 with 9 HRs and 29 RBIs. White Sox third baseman Joe Crede won the award in the AL, hitting 0.345 with 10 HRs and 24 RBIs. Just a couple of trades this month: The Mets sent 3 star prospect LF Haj Turay and '04 6th round pick 1 star prospect 2B Cordell Tirado to the Blue Jays in return for 2 star RF Luke Allen. Allen is hitting 0.287 with 6 HRs and 19 RBIs this year. The Twins got 2 star SS David Lamb from the Giants in exchange for 3 star prospect C Rob Bowen, 2 star prospect LF Eyoxy Esparragoza (who makes these name files), and '04 7th round pick 1 star prospect 1B Walter Vanzandt. Bowen is hitting 1 for 7 in 2 games, and Lamb is hitting 0.282 with 1 HR and 6 RBIs this year. Game 28: Pirates 0 Diamondbacks 6 Perez did not have the greatest of games, lasting just three innings and giving up five runs, but only one of which was earned. Despite getting nine hits, the Pirates were not able to score a single run, as Helling lasted six innings for the win. Ordonez continues to be on fire as he was 2-4, with a grandslam off of Perez in the third inning. Series Recap: This series kind of hurt, but the DBacks are a pretty solid team. Back to .500 once again. The Pirates now travel back home for a three game series against the Giants who are 13-15 in fourth place in the West, and whom the Pirates are 1-2 against this year. The Pirates will face the Giants top three starters in Martinez (3-1 2.84), Foppert (3-0 2.40), and Ohka (3-2 3.95). The Giants offense is fairly weak, with Edgardo Alfonzo leading the way with a 0.343 average and 3 HRs and 17 RBIs. Bonds is still 4 HR short of 700 career homeruns. The Pirates announced a fireworks night for the first game against the Giants. Game 29: Pirates 7 Giants 4 Fireworks Night at the PNC Park The Pirates got to starter Pedro Martinez (who many thought was left in far too long, see if you can guess when I posted this week) and scored five runs in four innings against him. VanBenSchoten continues to shine in his rookie season, giving up three runs, just one of them earned, in 5 1/3 innings for his 3rd win of the season. Mann picked up the last out in the ninth inning, and got his 4th save of the year. The Pirates offense once again forget to check the schedule time of this game, as they once again scheduled a Fireworks Night for a day game, and the fans really didn't enjoy the show at 7:00 very much, and hence fan interest didn't go up a notch. Game 30: Pirates 4 Giants 3 Neither starter got the decision in this game, as this one took extra innings to decide. The Giants changed up their rotation, and Jerome Williams got the start, matching the first time in OOTP history that two people with the same last name, but sharing no relation, started in games against each other. (Otherwise noted as Enter Obscure FOX Note Here). Anyway, J Williams lasted six innings and gave up two runs while D Williams went 7 1/3 innings and also gave up two runs. The score was 2-2 at the end of nine innings, and with one out in the tenth, Ramon Martinez singled off Mann. After getting Jason Lane to fly out to right, Mann gave up a triple to Todd Linden that scored Martinez to give the Giants a 3-2 lead. Then in the bottom of the tenth after one out, Mac Suzuki gave up back to back singles to Kotsay and Hill, putting runners at the corners with one out. Nady then reached base on a fielding error by the third baseman, scoring Kotsay and moving Hill to second. Suzuki then walked Craig Wilson to load the bases, and JJ Davis followed with the game winning single to centerfield that scored Bobby Hill. Mann got the win for the Bucs and Suzuki picked up the loss for the Giants. Game 31: Pirates 6 Giants 2 Ponson pitched another great game, giving up just two quick runs in seven innings for his 5th win of the season. Foppert gave up just three runs in six innings, but still picked up the loss, his 1st of the season. The Bucs picked up two insurance runs off of Max Aybar and another one off of Christiansen, but they proved to not be needed as the bullpen pitched two scoreless innings, with Mann picking up his 5th save of the season. Series Recap: A sweep of the Giants is just what the doctor ordered for the Pirates as they move into a tie for second place with the Cardinals, just two back of the Cubs now. Around the league, on Thursday Minnesota's ace hurler Tim Hudson's season came to an early end after he left the game against the Orioles with a torn tricep muscle. After the x-rays, the doctors announced that he will be doubtful to return this season as he requires surgery. On Friday, Boston fans received bad news that their ace hurler Odalis Perez will miss the next five weeks with a pulled tricep muscle.
__________________
"And Shepherds we shall be, For thee, my Lord, for thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand, Our feet may swiftly carry out Thy commands. So we shall flow a river forth to Thee, And teeming with souls shall it ever be. In Nomeni Patri Et Fili Spiritus Sancti." |
|
|
|
|
10-19-2003, 06:50 PM
|
#13 |
|
All Star Reserve
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Pittsburgh PA
Posts: 912
|
Week 6
Another weak of The Season. The rest of the promotion days of the month are: 5/5 - Baseball Cap Day against the Cardinals 5/9 - Noddin Head Doll Day against the Reds 5/28 - Glove Day against the Cubs This week the Pirates start a whole long string of games against only central division opponents until June 1st. They start off with a three-game series at home against the Cardinals who are 17-14. The Cardinals have a pretty decent pitching staff anchored by Jason Simontacchi (4-2 3.00) and Jimmy Journell who's actually having a pretty rough season so far at 1-1 7.20. The soul of this team is their hitting, led by the 3, 4, 5 combo of Albert Pujols (0.359 6 18), Jim Edmonds (0.289 4 19), and Miguel Tejada (0.313 5 18). The Pirates made a number of promotions in their minor league system. They promoted SP Alex Hart from AA to AAA. The 25 year old Hart was 3-2 with a 2.86 ERA in 6 starts for the Curve. They also promoted SP Jeff Miller from AA to AAA. The 25 year old Miller was 2-2 with a 2.36 ERA in five starts for the Curve. Lastly, they promoted 2004 first round pick Roy Gallucci from A to AA. the 21 year old Gallucci was 3-3 with a 3.48 ERA for the Hillcats. Game 32: Pirates 8 Cardinals 7 Baseball Cap Day at PNC Park This game almost got away from the Pirates. Benson pitched 7+ innings, giving up just three runs. Simontacchi gave up 6 runs in 3 2/3 innings for the Cardinals. The Pirates had a 7-1 lead heading into the seventh inning, but the Cardinals managed to score one run in the seventh, and another in the eighth off of Benson, to bring the score to 7-3. Things fell apart for the Pirates bullpen in the ninth, when after getting two quick outs, Jimenez gave up back to back walks to Torrealba and Rolen. Tim Salmon then stepped up to the plate and hit a three run homerun that just cleared the fence down the right field line to bring the game to within a run. Mark Corey then came into the game and quickly gave up a solo homerun to Albert Pujols to deep left center field. Corey finally ended the inning by getting Tejada to strike out. The Pirates then won the game back in the bottom of the 10th, when Kotsay led off with a double and then one out later, Craig Wilson came through with a single, that scored Kotsay to win the game. Vogelsong got the win for the Pirates and Witasick got the loss for the Cardinals. Game 33: Pirates 4 Cardinals 5 Perez did not have too good a start, as he gave up five runs in 6 1/3 innings of work and picked up his 4th loss of the season. Haren pitched a great game, giving up just one run in six innings. The Pirates, down 5-1 heading into the seventh, tried their hardest to mount a comeback, scoring one run in the seventh, and two in the eighth, but came up short as Isringhausen and Witasik combined to give up no hits or walks in 1 2/3 innings as Witasick picked up the save. Game 34: Pirates 6 Cardinals 4 The Pirates got on the board quickly, scoring four runs in two innings off of Ankiel, and then scoring another two runs in 1 1/3 innings off of Johnson. VanBenSchoten pitched another great game, giving up just two runs in six innings, to earn his 4th win of the year. The Pirates bullpen held off a late surge by the Cardinals, when they scored two runs off of Jimenez in the ninth, but Mann came in and shut the door to pick up his 6th save of the year. Series Recap: A very good, very close series there with the Cardinals. The fans seem to be becoming a lot more interested in the Pirates, with over 25,000 per game coming to those three games against the Cardinals. After an offday on Thursday, the Pirates will host a three game series with the Reds, who are now 17-16 and in fourth place in the central. The Reds have a real good top three starting staff of Roy Oswalt (5-2 3.10), Ted Lilly (2-3 3.49), and Zach Day (1-1 3.45). Adam Dunn is carrying the offensive load for the Reds hitting 0.337 with 10 HR and 22 RBIs, while Ken Griffey has really been struggling lately, hitting just 0.164 with 4 HRs and 14 RBIs. On Thursday, Seattle Mariner's Cha-Seung Baek pitched his first shutout of his career, a no-hitter against the Yankees. Baek struck out 13 hitters, but also walked 4. Baek almost lost the no-hitter and the shut-out, and the win in the bottom of the ninth. With Williams on with a walk, Giambi stepped up to the plate with an 0-2 count and put a charge on a ball to deep right field, but it landed just foul. Baek eventually got Giambi to strike out and preserve the no-hit shutout. Game 35: Pirates 6 Reds 1 Noddin Head Doll Day at PNC Park Dave Williams pitched another superb game for the Pirates, going the distance and giving up just one run off of three hits, while walking two and striking out 9 batters. Ted Lilly gave up six runs in just 5 2/3 innings and got the loss for the Reds. There was a near full house to witness the win, as they were just 24 fans short of a sell-out. Game 36: Pirates 8 Reds 5 Ponson didn't have his greatest game but it was good enough for a win as he pitched through eight innings, giving up five runs, just three of which were earned. Oswalt left after six innings, giving up four runs, but did not get the decision. The score was tied 4-4 heading into the bottom of the seventh, until with two outs and the bases loaded, Craig Wilson hit a grand slam off of Granado to give the Pirates the lead. Granado got the loss, and the Pirates never looked back as Mann pitched a scoreless ninth for his 7th save of the year. Ponson is now tied atop the NL for the lead in wins with 6. Game 37: Pirates 7 Reds 10 Benson fell apart in the sixth innings, as the Reds scored a total of six runs in that inning. Benson finished the day, pitching 5 1/3 innings, and giving up seven runs for the loss. Zach Day also gave up seven runs, but he lasted 6 2/3 innings and got the win. The Pirates got to within two runs in the bottom of the seventh, when they scored four runs against Day, but the Reds added an insurance run in the ninth, and Granado and Riedling each pitched scoreless innings, and Riedling picked up his 8th save of the year. Series Recap: The Pirates continue to be on a tear winning four of six in this homestand, but unfortunately the Cubs are also playing really well, and the Pirates remain three games back of the Cubs. Wilson Betemit now has a 27-game hitting streak for the Atlanta Braves, setting a new record for the new MLB. Around the league, on Tuesday Oakland's Mark Mulder blanked the Royals with a two hit shutout as the A's won the game 4-0. Also on Tuesday, Montreal's Jeff Kent collected his 2000th career hit in the second inning when he drilled a single off of Padres starter Randy Keisler. As mentioned before, on Thursday Cha-Seung Baek collected his first shutout, a no-hitter against the Yankees. The Pirates' Kotsay won player of the week for the NL, hitting 0.500 with 3 HRs and 8 RBIs, this being the third time in his career that he's won the award.
__________________
"And Shepherds we shall be, For thee, my Lord, for thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand, Our feet may swiftly carry out Thy commands. So we shall flow a river forth to Thee, And teeming with souls shall it ever be. In Nomeni Patri Et Fili Spiritus Sancti." |
|
|
|
|
10-19-2003, 07:14 PM
|
#14 | |
|
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Greater Boston Area
Posts: 3,992
|
Quote:
|
|
|
|
|
|
10-19-2003, 07:31 PM
|
#15 |
|
All Star Reserve
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Pittsburgh PA
Posts: 912
|
Week 7
This week the Pirates start a 14-game road trip, that's part of a long stretch of 17 games in 17 days. They begin the trip, traveling to St. Louis for a four-game sereis against the Cardinals. The Cards are 21-16 and tied with the Pirates for second in the division, three games back, and the Pirates are 2-1 against the Cardinals this season. Simontacchi (4-2 3.59), Parrott (3-3 3.86), and Haren (4-1 3.80) lead the team in pitching. The Cardinals have for some reason been using Scott Rolen (0.226 7 20) in the lead-off spot despite the fact that he's more suitable in the power hitting role and his numbers are decidedly hurting because of it. Pujols is still leading the team in offense, hitting 0.357 with 8 HRs and 22 RBIs. The Cardinals have Rick Ankiel (2-3 5.06) currently on the DL, and Esteban Loaiza (2-0 2.76) is starting in his place. Game 38: Pirates 8 Cardinals 10 Perez has really been struggling lately, and this game was no exception as he gave up 8 runs in 4 1/3 innings. Haren gave up six runs in 7 innings and neither starter got the win. The Pirates managed to tie things up in the seventh inning with four runs to make it 8-8, but then in the bottom of the seventh, the Cardinals answered right back by scoring two runs in the inning to regain the lead. Vogelsong got the loss for the Pirates and Kline got the win for the Cardinals. Ryan Doumit hit his first career homerun in the fifth inning off of Haren. Betemit's hitting streak came to an end as he went 0-4 with one walk. Game 39: Pirates 2 Cardinals 3 VanBenSchoten pitched a decent game, giving up just three runs, all three of which came in the second inning, in seven innings but got the loss. Loaiza continues to amaze, as he gave up just two runs in eight innings of work for his third win of the year. Izzy got a save for the Cardinals. Game 40: Pirates 0 Cardinals 1 Both starters pitched scoreless games, with Williams lasting 6 2/3 innings and giving up 3 hits, while Journell went seven innings, also giving up three hits. The Cardinals won the game in the bottom of the ninth, when Salmon doubled after one out off of Mann. Molina was then hit by a pitch, and then Torrealba hit into a fielder's choice, putting runners at the corners and two outs. Mann then walked Travis Lee, and gave up the game winning hit to Vina, a single just past the shortstop to win the game for the Cards. Mann got the loss and Izzy got the win. Phillies' Chris Capuano's bid for a no-hit perfect game got broken up in the bottom of the ninth, when Alex Cora hit a two out single. The Phillies went on to win the game 3-0. Game 41: Pirates 7 Cardinals 3 Ponson continues to be the anchor of the Pirates pitching staff, as he picked up his 7th win of the season, giving up just three runs in nine innings of work. Simontacchi gave up five runs in seven innings for the loss. JJ Davis hit two homeruns in the game, for 8 total on the year, while Xavier Nady's batting average dipped below 0.200 for the first time this season. Series Recap: That was a tough series against a red-hot Cardinals team, and I was real worried that we'd get swept, but luckily Ponson pulled out a win. The Pirates now travel to Cincinatti for a four game series against the Reds who are 19-21 and whom the Pirates are 2-1 against this year. The Reds pitching staff is led by former Astros starter Roy Oswalt (5-3 3.68) and former A's starter Ted Lilly (2-4 3.77). Adam Dunn is still tearing up the offense, with an average of 0.347 with 10 HRs and 25 RBIs. Bobby Kielty (0.279 10 25) is also hitting the ball fairly well while Ken Griffey Jr. is still having a lot of problems hitting for average as he's hitting at just a 0.163 clip. Game 42: Pirates 4 Reds 1 Benson continues to pitch very well this season, giving up just one run in seven innings for his 4th win of the season. Day gave up all four runs the Pirates scored in 6 innings, and got the loss. Mann pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his 8th save of the season. Game 43: Pirates 11 Reds 3 Perez pitched much better in this start, giving up just two runs in six innings for the win. Howington, on the other hand, gave up six runs, four of them earned, in four innings, for the loss. The big story was the Pirates offense, as they scored 11 runs off of 14 hits, including 6 extra base hits. Castillo set a new NL record for 2 triples in one game. Game 44: Pirates 9 Reds 3 VanBenSchoten continues to pitch very well as a rookie, getting another win while giving up 3 runs in 6 2/3 innings. Wilson had a poor outing for the Reds, giving up 6 runs in just three innings for the loss. Around the league, there was no big news except that Pirates RF JJ Davis won the player of the week award, hitting 0.480 with 2 HRs and 9 RBIs for the Pirates this week.
__________________
"And Shepherds we shall be, For thee, my Lord, for thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand, Our feet may swiftly carry out Thy commands. So we shall flow a river forth to Thee, And teeming with souls shall it ever be. In Nomeni Patri Et Fili Spiritus Sancti." |
|
|
|
|
10-20-2003, 11:57 AM
|
#16 |
|
All Star Reserve
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Pittsburgh PA
Posts: 912
|
Week 8
The Pirates are now 25-19 and in third place in the central division, just 3 games back of the Cubs. The Pirates start the week off in Cincinatti, wrapping up the four-game series against the Reds and looking for the sweep. The Pirates announced that they have released 1B Carlos Rivera and promoted 1B Ray Navarette from AAA to the pro roster. Rivera was hitting just 0.118 with 1 HR and 3 RBIs, while Navarette has been tearing up the PCL, hitting 0.367 with 6 HRs and 39 RBIs for Nashville. Game 45: Pirates 9 Reds 2 Dave Williams continues to have a stellar season, giving up just two runs in seven innings for his 4th win. Oswalt lasted just 1 2/3 innings, giving up two runs, before being pulled due to an injury. He left with sharp pain in his shoulder, and doctors discovered bone chips in his shoulder which will put him out for the rest of the season. The Pirates added five insurance runs in the ninth inning, including a grand slam by Marshall McDougall, who is still being used as a bench player despite hitting above 0.400. The Pirates now travel to Chicago to play a three-game series against the first-place Chicago Cubs. The Cubs are 28-16, 2.5 games above the Pirates, and the Pirates are just 2-4 against the Cubs so far this season. The Cubs are led by a terrific pitching staff that includes Mark Prior (5-3 2.07), Joe Kennedy (4-4 3.32), Steve Smyth (4-3 4.04), and Carlos Zambrano (3-1 3.72). The Cubs offense is still powered by RF Sammy Sosa who is hitting 0.303 with 9 HRs and 37 RBIs. Game 46: Pirates 4 Cubs 1 Baseball Cap Day at Wrigley Field Ponson picked up his NL leading 8th win, giving up just one run in eight innings. Smyth also pitched well for the Cubs, giving up three runs, just one of which was earned, in 7 1/3 innings, but picked up the loss. JJ Davis picked up his team leading 10th homerun in the game, and Mann pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his 9th save of the season. Game 47: Pirates 1 Cubs 6 Fireworks Night at Wrigley Field Benson didn't have his greatest game today, as he gave up four runs, three of them earned, in just six innings of work. Meanwhile, Zambrano continues to pitch very well, picking up his fourth win while giving up just one run in 8 innings. Sosa and Davis each homered in the game. In his first start, 1B Ray Navarette collected his first hit off of Zambrano, going 1-3 today. Game 48: Pirates 0 Cubs 3 Perez pitched a very good game, giving up just one run in seven innings, but he picked up the loss, as Thomson pitched seven scoreless innings for the win. The Cubs added two insurance runs in the eighth inning, when Sosa hit a two run homerun off of Mark Corey. The Pirates tried to threaten in the ninth inning, with runners at first and second with one out, Kolb got McDogall to ground into a double play to end the game, and earn him his 15th save of the season. Atlanta's Adam Eaton pitched a no-hit shutout while walking 1 and striking out 4 against the Expos as the Braves won the game 15-0. Series Recap: The Pirates continue to have trouble against the Cubs, once again winning just one out of three, but they are still well within grasp of the central, just 3.5 games back. The Pirates finish out the week, traveling to Houston for a three game series against the Astros who are 22-26 and whom the Pirates haven't yet played this season. The once formidable Astros rotation now has Jose Contreras (4-5 4.83) and Brendan Duckworth (3-3 4.36) as their top starters, though Freddy Garcia (4-3 3.42) is scheduled to come off of the DL and start against the Pirates this series. Austin Kearns is the top hitter on the Astros hitting 0.269 with 6 HRs and 25 RBIs. Game 49: Pirates 13 Astros 1 VanBenSchoten continues to shine, as he pitched a complete game, giving up just four hits and no walks while striking out nine, and just one run, a homerun in the seventh inning, for his 6th win of the season. Contreras really struggled, giving up six runs, three of them earned, in 2 2/3 innings for the loss. The Pirates hit three homeruns, including a grand slam by Craig Wilson off of Chen in the seventh inning. Game 50: Pirates 4 Astros 0 Dave Williams had another great start, pitching 7 1/3 scoreless innings, giving up just four hits, while walking three and striking out 3 for his 5th win of the season. Talbot gave up four runs in seven innings, for his 4th loss of the season. MR Mark Corey was injured in the game and will miss the next five weeks with a strained back muscle. MR Justin Reid was promoted from AAA to take his place in the bullpen. Game 51: Pirates 4 Astros 12 Ponson was due, and he finally had a poor start, giving up seven runs off of 7 hits, including four homeruns, and lasted just 5 1/3 innings for his third loss of the season. Garcia in his first start back from the DL did well, giving up just three runs in 8 innings of work for his 5th win of the season. Series Recap: Well, 2 out of 3 surely isn't bad, leaving the Pirates up one game above .500 for the week, but keeping them in third place behind the Cardinals and the Cubs. Around the league, on Wednesday Montreal's Amaury Telemaco shut out the Braves on a one-hitter as the Expos won the game 2-0. On Thursday, as mentioned earlier, Atlanta returned the favor as Adam Eaton pitched a no hitter against the Expos as the Braves won 15-0. Also on Thursday, Toronto's right-handed hurler Brandon League fired a 2-hit shutout against the A's as the Blue Jays won the game 9-0. On Friday, Tampa Bay's 1B Mike Cuddyer suffered a strained ACL and will miss the next 4-5 weeks.
__________________
"And Shepherds we shall be, For thee, my Lord, for thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand, Our feet may swiftly carry out Thy commands. So we shall flow a river forth to Thee, And teeming with souls shall it ever be. In Nomeni Patri Et Fili Spiritus Sancti." |
|
|
|
|
10-21-2003, 11:27 AM
|
#17 |
|
All Star Reserve
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Pittsburgh PA
Posts: 912
|
Week 9
The Pirates are now 29-22 and still in third place in the central division, just 3.5 games back of the Cubs. The Pirates start the week off with a three game home series against the first place Cubs who are 32-18 and whom the Pirates are 3-6 against. The Cubs are led by a terrific pitching staff that includes Mark Prior (6-3 2.14), Joe Kennedy (5-4 2.96), Steve Smyth (4-5 4.50), and Carlos Zambrano (4-1 3.36). The Cubs offense is still powered by RF Sammy Sosa who is hitting 0.327 with 12 HRs and 44 RBIs. Game 52: Pirates 8 Cubs 3 Benson pitched a decent game, giving up three runs in 6 2/3 innings to pick up his 5th win of the season. Zambrano did not do so well, as he gave up five runs in 4 2/3 innings for the loss. The Pirates scored three insurance runs in the seventh and eighth innings, but they weren't needed as Vogelsong and Jimenez pitched 2 1/3 innings without even giving up a hit or a walk. Game 53: Pirates 5 Cubs 6 Perez continues to struggle this season, giving up six runs in five innings for his 6th loss of the season. Thomson didn't do much better, but got the win giving up five runs in six innings. The Pirates threatened in the bottom of the ninth, with two on and one out, but Almanza got Craig Wilson to strike out and JJ Davis to ground out back to the pitcher in order to get the save. Game 54: Pirates 1 Cubs 10 Glove Day at PNC Park Ouch, well today's game proved that JVB is in fact human, as he gave up 6 runs in 4 2/3 innings for the loss. Prior, on the other hand, is inhuman, giving up just 1 run through 5 1/3 innings for the win. The Cubs had a total of 16 hits in the game, eight for extra bases including homers by Choi, Patterson and Infante. Series Recap: The Pirates continue to have troubles against the Cubs as they just can't seem to find a way to win a series against them. If they want to win the central division, they're going to have to find a way to beat the Cubs. Game 55: Pirates 7 Astros 3 Dave Williams continues to have his storybook season, as he gives up just three runs in 6 innings for his 6th win of the season. Munro gave up five runs in 4 2/3 innings for the loss. Bagwell collected the only runs for the Astros off a three run homerun, and Craig Wilson added two insurance runs with a homerun of his own. Game 56: Pirates 0 Astros 1 This was a definite real pitchers duel, as Ponson gave up just one run, a homerun in the seventh inning to Austin Kearns, in seven innings but got the loss. Freddy Garcia pitched a complete game shutout, giving up four hits and walking four batters. Amateur Draft This year the Pirates select 19th in each round, but first let's take a look at this year's top 5 picks. 1 - DET - The Tigers got a superstar in the making with their first pick in 21 year old 1B Daniel Zuniga from the Dominican Republic. The guy is brilliant in getting hits, hitting homeruns, and taking walks. The only thing that hurts this 5 star prospect is his D range and 0.985 fielding percentage, but the Tigers hope they can work with him on his defense. 2 - MIL - The Brewers got the next best thing to Zuniga, picking up 21 year old 1B Ronald Gish from the US. The guy is an almost exact mirror of Zuniga, a good in hits, a brilliant in homeruns, and a brilliant in taking walks. Also, like Zuniga, Gish suffers defensively with D range and a 0.986 percentage. 3 - BAL - The Orioles picked up 20-year old 2B Kasey "Captain" Gorski. Gorski is good in hits, brilliant in homers, and brilliant in walks. He also suffers in the range department wtih just E range, but if he can get to the ball, it's almost guaranteed that he'll make the play, as he has a great fielding percentage of 0.993. 4 - HOU - The Astros picked up the first starting pitcher in the draft, selecting 22 year old Gary Pellerin. Pellerin is brilliant at avoiding hits, average at avoiding homers, and good in walks and strikeouts. He really needs some work on his duration though, as he's listed as a D duration pitcher. 5 - TEX - The Rangers selected the first player from highschool, when they picked 18-year old 3B Michael Garlick. Garlick is a guy with good average, brilliant in homers, and good in taking walks and avoiding strikeouts. His defense is average with C range and 0.964 fielding percentage at 3B. 19 - PIT - The Pirates selected 18 year old 3B Cecil Stewart as their first pick. Stewart has average talent in getting hits, good talent in hitting homeruns and brilliant talent at taking walks. He's good defensively, with B range at third base and a 0.955 fielding percentage. 2nd round - The Pirates selected 21 year old SP Abdiel Fabian in th second round. Fabian is good at avoiding hits, fair in homeruns, and average at avoiding walks. He's got good duration, with a B rating for SP, and can also hold runners well, with a B rating there as well. 3rd round - 21 year old 2B Jessie Nowacki was the Pirates third round pick. He's good at getting hits, fair at hitting homeruns, and brilliant in taking walks. His defense however suffers, with just D range and a percentage of 0.989. 4th round - The Pirates selected 19 year old MR Herman Gonzalez in the fourth round. Gonzalez is good at avoiding hits, fair at homers, average at walks, and good at getting strikeouts. 5th-7th round - Computer picked RF Paul Welch, CL Gaby Santana, and MR Nathanial Redrick. May Wrapup The Pirates went 17-12 this month and are now 31-25, still in third place in the central and 5.5 games back of the first place Cubs. Most of the starters had a pretty average month with the exceptions of Dave Williams who did great with a 4-0 record and a 1.66 ERA, and Perez who fared rather poorly with a 1-4 record and a 6.54 ERA. Mark Kotsay, who hit 0.381 with 5 HR and 15 RBIs, Bobby Hill, who hit 0.410 with 0 HRs and 8 RBIs, and JJ Davis, who hit 0.337 with 8 HRs and 20 RBIs, all had good months, while Ryan Doumit struggled hitting just 0.213 with 1 HR and 12 RBIs. The Red Sox are continuing their dominance of the AL East with a record of 34-21, they lead by 4 games over the Blue Jays. The Twins are leading the central division by 6.5 games over the White Sox, with a record of 32-23. In the west, the Rangers are still the team to beat, with a record of 33-21, they lead the A' by 4 games. In the NL, the Braves have regained their control in the east with the best record in baseball, leading the Phililes by five games with a record of 39-18. The Cubs, with a record of 36-19, are still on top of the central division, 4 games ahead of the Cardinals. The West is a tight race with not a single team above 0.500, and is led by the Rockies who are 27-28 and lead the Giants by a 0.5 game. Mark Mulder was without a doubt the best pitcher in the AL for the month of May, finishing with a record of 4-0 and a 1.58 ERA to win the POM. In the NL, the honors went to Atlanta's Adam Wainwright, who went 4-0 with an ERA of just 0.61 in May. Cleveland's Randy Winn picked up his first ever BOM award, after finishing May with a 0.343 average while hitting 8 HRs and driving in 22 runs. Phillies' Bobby Abreu also won his first BOM award in the NL after hitting a red hot 0.374 with 4 HRs and 23 RBIs. Game 57: Pirates 10 Astros 1 The Pirates bats finally let out all of their pent-up frustration out against Brandon Duckworth, scoring 10 runs on 14 hits, with Bobby Hill being the only starter not able to collect a hit. Duckworth gave up six runs, three of them earned, in 2 1/3 innings for the loss. That was all the Pirates really needed, as Benson pitched a complete game, giving up just one run off of five hits while walking none and striking out five for his 6th win of the season. Series Recap: Pretty decent series against the Stros. The only loss coming in that great pitchers' duel between Ponson and Garcia in the second game. Around the league, on Saturday Florida's Josh Beckett strained his rotator cuff muscle in a game against the Phillies and he will miss the next five weeks.
__________________
"And Shepherds we shall be, For thee, my Lord, for thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand, Our feet may swiftly carry out Thy commands. So we shall flow a river forth to Thee, And teeming with souls shall it ever be. In Nomeni Patri Et Fili Spiritus Sancti." |
|
|
|
|
10-21-2003, 03:11 PM
|
#18 |
|
All Star Reserve
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Pittsburgh PA
Posts: 912
|
Week 10
We start this week with an announcement of a number of moves made by the Pirates this week. The Pirates released LF Bobby Kingsbury, RF Jermaine Joplin, SS Javier Guzman, 3B Kody Kirkland, MR Leo Nunez, SP Patrick O'Brien, and CL Henry Owens for the simple fact that they all sucked. They also announced that they have promoted LF Jorge Cortes from A to AA. The 24 year old Cortes was hitting 0.279 with 12 HRs and 39 RBIs for the Hillcats and will play RF for the Curve. The Pirates also promoted SP Adam Loewen from AA to AAA. Loewen was 7-3 with a 2.15 ERA in 11 starts for the Curve. The Pirates also announced a trade with the Kansas City Royals that sent SP Oliver Perez, C JR House, and SP Jeff Miller to KC in return for uber prospect SP Zach Greinke. Speaking of trades, I realize that I forgot to list the trades made in May in the wrapup, so I'll just list them here. Oakland picked up 2.5 star LF Jacque Jones from the Seattle Mariners in return for 5 star MR Keith Foulke. The other trade this month was Florida sending 2.5 star SS Wilson Valdez to the White Sox in return for 3 star prospect 1B Alonso Salas. The Pirates also announced their promotions for the month of June and they are as follows: 6/3 - Baseball Cap Day against the Orioles 6/7 - Noddin Head Doll Day against the Devil Rays 6/20 - Fireworks Night against the Tigers 6/25 - Glove Day against the Cardinals This week the Pirates begin interleague play with a three-game series at home against the Baltimore Orioles who are 23-33. The Orioles are really struggling this year, with just two starting pitchers with an ERA below 5. They are Rodrigo Lopez (5-3 4.35) and Matt Morris (4-5 4.65). Their lineup isn't any better without a single player hitting above .300. Jack Cust leads the team in homeruns with 11, and former Pirate Tony Alvarez leads off the batting order with an average of 0.274 with 6 HRs and 32 RBIs. Game 58: Pirates 1 Orioles 9 Baseball Cap Day at PNC Park Greinke didn't fare too well in his first start for the Pirates, giving up 6 runs in 3 1/3 innings for the loss. The Pirates bats didn't do too well either, scoring just one unearned run off of Rodrigo Lopez, who went 8 innings for the win. Game 59: Pirates 5 Orioles 6 Four errors committed by the Pirates defense proved to be very costly, as of the Orioles six runs scored, only one of them was earned. VanBenSchoten went 6 2/3 innings giving up four runs, while just one of them was earned. Vogelsong also gave up two unearned runs in 1/3 of an inning. Down 6-0, the Pirates tried to mount a comeback, scoring two in the seventh, one in the eighth, and then in the ninth, they had a huge chance to tie things up and take the lead. Nady led off the inning with a walk, followed by an infield single by Kotsay, and then a hit batsmen to Bobby Hill. Craig Wilson then grounded out into a fielder's choice to third, that scored a run, and got Kotsay out at third base. JJ Davis then singled, scoring Hill and moving Wilson to second. Drew Henson was then intentionally walked to load the bases, with one out and the Pirates down by a run. Urbina finally ended the inning by getting Jose Castillo and Darnell McDonald to strike out looking and pick up his 13th save. Game 60: Pirates 4 Orioles 3 Williams continues to have a superb season, giving up just three runs in 6 1/3 innings for his 7th win of the season. Matt Morris picked up the loss, giving up four runs in eight innings. Mann pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings for his 10th save of the year. Series Recap: Not a great series for the Pirates as they lost 2 of 3 to an inferior Orioles team, but I guess bad luck happens every now and then. If not for all those errors in the second game, they'd have been able to win two out of three. The Pirates continue their interleague play with a three game series at home against the Devil Rays. The Devil Rays have a decent pitching staff with Dewon Brazelton (5-4 4.36), Kevin Millwood (4-3 5.10) who isn't having the greatest of seasons so far though, and Luis De Los Santos (4-0 2.86). Their offense is led by the "big" three of Rocco Baldelli (0.309 11 37), Ben Grieve (0.321 10 36), and Erick Almonte (0.308 11 42). 1B Michael Cuddyer is still out with a strained ACL and will miss the entire series. The Devil Rays have been on a real hot streak lately, winning their last seven in a row and moving into second place in the AL East just 2.5 back of the Red Sox. Game 61: Pirates 6 Devil Rays 5 Not a single run was scored in this game until the bottom of the seventh inning, when Ryan Doumit hit a two run shut off of starter Rakers. The Devil Rays answered back with one run in the top of the eighth. Then in the bottom of the eighth, with the bases loaded and two outs, Drew Henson smashed a grand slam off of Brad Lidge to give the Pirates a huge 6-1 lead. The Devil Rays were not giving up however. They led off with a single by Hatteberg, and then followed with a double by Ben Grieve. Walker then singled and moved to second on the throw home, scoring Hatteberg and Grieve. Mann then came into the game and gave up a single to Luna that scored Walker, but Luna got thrown out trying to move to second on the throw towards home plate. Jared Sandberg then followed with a solo homerun to bring the score within one run at 6-5. Mann finally ended the rally by getting Huckaby and Rolls to ground out and earn him his 11th save of the season. Ponson went 8 innings, giving up four runs and picking up his 9th win, and Rakers gave up two unearned runs in seven innings for the loss. Game 62: Pirates 6 Devil Rays 4 Noddin Head Doll Day at PNC Park Benson continues to perform well, giving up just two runs in seven innings for his 7th win of the season. Sosa gave up four runs in six innings for the loss. The Devil Rays tried to comeback in the ninth inning, when Todd Walker hit a two run homerun off of Jason Jimenez. However, Mann then came in and got three quick outs to pick up his 12th save of the year. Game 63: Pirates 1 Devil Rays 8 Greinke continues to struggle in a Pirate uniform, giving up five runs in five innings for the loss. Despite giving up 10 hits, Millwood managed to give up just one run in 7 innings for the win. Series Recap: A much better series winning two of three from a more equal team in the Devil Rays. Around the league, on Friday Giants' fans got very bad news as it was announced that their ace starter Pedro Martinez will miss the next 7 weeks with a strained bicep muscle that he injured in a game against the Indians. On Saturday, Atlanta's Adam Eaton dominated the Oakland A's giving up just two hits while shutting out the A's and helpin the Braves to win 4-0.
__________________
"And Shepherds we shall be, For thee, my Lord, for thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand, Our feet may swiftly carry out Thy commands. So we shall flow a river forth to Thee, And teeming with souls shall it ever be. In Nomeni Patri Et Fili Spiritus Sancti." |
|
|
|
|
10-21-2003, 03:42 PM
|
#19 |
|
All Star Reserve
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Pittsburgh PA
Posts: 912
|
Week 11
The Pirates continue their interleague play, traveling to Toronto to play a three game series against the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays are currently 34-28 and in third place in the AL East. The Blue Jays are led by an extremely good pitching staff of Roy Halladay (5-7 3.01), Vinny Chulk (6-6 3.68), and Brandon League (6-6 3.66). Carlos Delagado (0.269 6 34) is still a big threat in the lineup, along with Eric Hinske (0.314 5 36), and Dewayne Wise (0.291 10 55). Game 64: Pirates 3 Blue Jays 6 Errors once again hurt the Pirates, as VanBenSchoten went 5 2/3 innings and gave up six runs, just three of them earned for the loss. Halladay worked 8 1/3 innings, giving up three runs, just one of them earned. Lopez worked 1/3 of a scoreless inning for his 12th save of the season. Game 65: Pirates 7 Blue Jays 3 Williams continues his magnificent season, giving up just three runs in 8 2/3 innings for his 8th win of the season. Chulk gave up six runs in 7 1/3 innings for the loss. Beimel worked 1/3 of a scoreless inning for his first save of the year. Game 66: Pirates 4 Blue Jays 3 Ponson picked up his NL leading 10th win, giving up just three runs, two of which were earned, in 8 innings. Arnold pitched a complete game, but gave up four runs off of 12 hits. Mann pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his 13th save of the season. Series Recap: Not the most exciting series, but the Pirates got the job done winning two of three from the BJays. The Pirates now travel to New York, for a three game series against the Yankees. The Yankees are 36-31 and are 6 games back of the Red Sox. The Yankees pitching staff isn't what it used to be, with just two starters with an ERA under 5, Mark Phillips (7-2 4.80) and Andy Pettitte (7-3 4.02). The Yankees usually get things done with an offense, which is led by Jason Giambi who is hitting 0.337 with 14 HRs and 42 RBIs. Game 67: Pirates 4 Yankees 2 Benson continues to do real well, and held the potent Yankee offense to just two runs, one of them earned, a two run homer by Nick Johnson, in 7 2/3 innings for his 8th win of the season. Claussen gave up three runs in seven innings for his 6th loss of the season. Mann pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning with 2K for his 14th save of the season. Game 68: Pirates 3 Yankees 7 Facing AL hitters did not help Greinke any, as he continues to struggle, giving up five runs in 3 1/3 innings for the loss. Mark Phillips pitched a complete game, giving up just three runs for his 8th win of the season. Game 69: Pirates 8 Yankees 4 VanBenSchoten ended his three game losing streak, giving up just four runs in 7 1/3 innings. Borrell had a real bad game, giving up seven runs in 5+ innings for the loss. Series Recap: Once again, not a very exciting series, but the Pirates once again got things done, winning two of three from the Yankees. They improved their interleague record to 7-5. Around the league, on Wednesday former Pirate Rob Mackowiak roped four hits and completed the cycle against the Diamondbacks as the Tigers won the game 7-6.
__________________
"And Shepherds we shall be, For thee, my Lord, for thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand, Our feet may swiftly carry out Thy commands. So we shall flow a river forth to Thee, And teeming with souls shall it ever be. In Nomeni Patri Et Fili Spiritus Sancti." |
|
|
|
|
10-21-2003, 08:21 PM
|
#20 |
|
All Star Reserve
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Pittsburgh PA
Posts: 912
|
Week 12
The Pirates are now 39-30 and are in second place in the central division, but still trail the Cubs by 4.5 games. The Pirates take a break from their interleague schedule and travel to Milwaukee for a four game series against the Brewers. The Brew Crew are currently 27-41 and the Pirates are 5-2 against them this season. The Brewers are another team that's really been struggling lately and have just two starters below a 5 ERA in Ismael Valdes (4-8 4.36) and Ruben Quevedo (2-2 3.76). Their lineup is hurting with the exception of the big three Tony Batista (0.271 12 40), Kelly Grams (0.280 12 36), and especially Richie Sexson (0.325 16 47). Game 70: Pirates 2 Brewers 7 Williams was due for a bad game, and unfortunately it came against the Brewers as he gave up five runs, four of them earned, in 5 1/3 innings for just his 3rd loss of the season. Wayne Franklin had a superb game, going the complete nine innings, and giving up just two runs. Game 71: Pirates 8 Brewers 0 Ponson picked up his NL leading 11th win in fashion against the Brewers, pitching a complete game shutout while giving up just three hits, while walking one and striking out 8 batters. Valdes gave up five runs in five innings for the loss. Game 72: Pirates 11 Brewers 4 Benson continues to perform brilliantly this season, as he gave up just two runs in seven innings for his 9th win of the season. Quevedo got hammered, giving up 7 runs in just 1 1/3 innings for the loss. Kotsay, Craig Wilson, and JJ Davis each homered for the Pirates. Game 73: Pirates 7 Brewers 8 Greinke continues to have real problems in a Pirates uniform, as he had another bad outing giving up six runs, three of them earned, in five innings of work. Hendrickson gave up just one run in five innings, but couldn't get the win as the bullpen couldn't hold the lead. The Pirates were trailing 6-1 heading into the seventh, until they scored six runs, which could have been more if Kotsay hadn't been thrown out at home, to take the lead. The Brewers managed to tie things in the bottom of the inning when Bautista singled off of Beimel to bring Ochoa home. Then in the bottom of the 10th, the Brewers won the game when Kelly Grams led off the inning with a solo homerun. Series Recap: Tough to be able to win just two out of four against the lowly Brewers, but i guess I gotta take wins to get them. Fans are upset about Geinke continually getting a chance to prove himself while they feel much better candidates are in AAA. Many feel he will be given one more start to try and prove himself. Also, there are rumors that Mark Kotsay may be on the trading block. The scouts apparently feel that Vic Butler is ready to play in the majors, and with Kotsay's contract coming to an end this season, it is quite possible the Pirates may look to trade him, especially if they feel that they won't be able to catch the Cubs come closer to the end of the season. The Pirates now return home and resume interleague play with a three game series against the Tigers, who are 33-40 and in fourth place in the AL Central. The Tigers have just one starting pitcher with an ERA below 6, with Ken Baugh holding a record of 5-5 and a 4.86 ERA. The Tiger lineup contains mostly youngsters, most notably 20 year old 1B Norman Theberge who is hitting 0.322 with 9 HRs and 36 RBIs. Former Pirate, Rob Mackowiak is also on the team and is hitting 0.305 with 16 HRs and 41 RBIs. Game 74: Pirates 4 Tigers 2 Fireworks Night at PNC Park All of the runs in this game were scored in the first three innings, with VanBenSchoten getting his 8th win, giving up just two runs in 5 1/3 innings. VanHekken pitched a complete eight inning game, giving up four runs for the loss. The Pirate bullpen held on, with Mann pitching a scoreless 1 1/3 innings for his 16th save of the season. Once again the front office scheduled Fireworks Night for a day game, and the fans were not the least bit impressed. Contract talks with Kris Benson stalled after Benson's agent rejected a five year offer for $7.25 million per year. The Pirates will more than likely keep Benson on the roster for the remainder of the year in order to try and make a run for the division title. The Pirate front office announced that they will now focus their attention to trying to resign CL Jim Mann. Game 75: Pirates 3 Tigers 2 Dave Williams bounced back from his last performance, giving up just two runs, from back to back solo homeruns by Dmitri Young and Roney, and lasted 8 innings for his 9th win of the season. Roney went just six innings, giving up three runs, just two of them earned, for the loss. The Pirates made efficient use of their hits, scoring the three runs off of just four hits, while the Tigers wasted most of their 7 hits, managing to score just twice. Mann pitched a scoreless ninth for his 17th save. Mann has given up just four earned runs in his last 20 1/3 innings pitched. The Pirates announced that they have extended Jim Mann's contract, for $2.25 million per year for the next four years. Game 76: Pirates 1 Tigers 3 Neither starter got the decision in this game, as it required 10 innings to decide. Ponson went eight innings, giving up just one run, while Lackey lasted seven innings, giving up just one run. The Tigers took the lead in the top of the 10th, with a single by Inge, a walk by Young, and a sac bunt by Spurling, they put runners on second and third with two outs. Torres came through with a single off of Jimenez to score the go ahead and insurance runs. Spurling held on in the bottom of the tenth, giving up just one hit, and earning the win, while Jimenez got the loss for the Pirates. Series Recap: Well it seems to be the story of the Pirates season, but two out of three isn't too bad, but it'd been nice to be able to pick up the sweep. Around the league, on Friday Minnesota's Kyle Lohse turned in a great performance against the Cardinals, giving up just two hits while the Twins shut them out 5-0.
__________________
"And Shepherds we shall be, For thee, my Lord, for thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand, Our feet may swiftly carry out Thy commands. So we shall flow a river forth to Thee, And teeming with souls shall it ever be. In Nomeni Patri Et Fili Spiritus Sancti." |
|
|
|
|
| Bookmarks |
|
|
