Pirtates Report Card after 10 games

After the first 10 games, the Pirates stand at 5-5 which is good enough for a second place tie with the Brewers in the NL Central. The Buccos took the first two series 2 games to 1, on the road against Chicago and St. Louis respectively, before going 1-3 in a 4 game home set against the Rockies.

The first 10 games have included a grand slam from Neil Walker on Opening Day, a victory against an elite pitcher (Chris Carpenter), a disastrous home opener, a 14 inning thriller, the new manager outsmarting the old manager, a few blown saves, the tasering of a fan and a 10 game hit streak from the "new" leadoff man. Through these first 10 games, here's how the Pirates grade out:


Managing: B-

Had it not been for Clint Hurdle's sneaky move in the 14th inning to put Andrew McCutchen on deck, despite the pitcher being up next, I probably would give hurdle a C+/C. In two of the Pirates losses this year, he's left the relievers in way too long. In the second game against the Cubs, Hurdle elected to stick with Evan Meek in the 8th inning despite the fact that he simply did not have his stuff that day. After walking Kosuke Fukudome to start the inning, Meek threw a wild pitch to advance Fukudome before surrendering a double to Starlin Castro. If you throw in the Lyle Overbay error and Alphonso Soriano RBI single, by the time Meek came out the score was tied at 3.



In yesterday's game, the Pirates brought in Mike Crotta with two outs in the 7th and a man on first. Crotta walked Jonathan Herrera and gave up a single to Jason Giambi which tied the game. That should have been enough. Instead, Pitching coach Ray Searage came out to talk to the young reliever who promptly walked in the game winning run.



I realize Hurdle is trying to get his young pitching staff to work out of jams, but when wins are at a premium, you cannot afford to sit back and hope a struggling pitcher comes out on top. Couple his bullpen decisions with his offensive strategy and you get an average strategist at best. Clint, I realize you are trying to create runs but please stop trying to bunt with Tabata and Walker at the plate; let the most talented offensive players swing the sticks.



Starting Pitching-B+

Move over Tim Lincecum, there's a new challenger for the Cy Young and his name is Kevin Correia. OK, maybe that is a stretch, but in his first two starts, Correia is 2-0 surrendering 2 earned runs in 13 innings. Charlie Morton has been impressive as well in two starts: 1-0 2.08 era. Of the two, Correia is on track for a better season simply because Morton has been wild walking 10 batters so far. Although Paul Maholm was smacked around in the home opener, he's still improved from last year. James Mcdonald has been up and down since coming back from injury and Ross Ohlendorf, who is back on the DL with the same nagging shoulder injury as last year, has been awful. The Pirates need to take as many games as they can with the way the starters have pitched because this success will only last for so long.



Relief Pitching C-

The relievers have been rough to start the season. Evan Meek, an All-Star last year, has been awful and in 5 of the losses so far this year, 4 have been blown leads after the sixth inning. Joel Hanrahan has been a bright spot as he is a perfect 4-4 in save opportunities. Had the bullpen not pitched 11.1 shutout innings on Friday, this grade would be lower.



Team numbers (MLB rank)

ERA: 3.29 (9th) Walks: 46 (1st) Strikeouts: 58 (22nd)



Offense C+

Pedro...Brutal

The Pirates have scored 6 runs once this young season and have failed to capitalize on mediocre pitchers. Scoring 2 runs on Chris Carpenter is slightly impressive given his resume, however there is no excuse for getting shut down against Greg Reynolds. He was a busted draft pick who was called up to fill in for Cy Young candidate Ubaldo Jimenez on Saturday and, despite opportunities early on, the Pirates failed to knock him out.



Pedro Alvarez has been almost non-existent at the plate and, at times, looked downright overpowered. So far, he's hitting a measley .195 with 0 home runs. His 14-3 K-BB ratio shows he's not seeing the ball well at all. Many are calling him a first round bust which I think is still WAY too early to judge considering this will be only his second full season in professional baseball. However, he needs to turn it around and a home run could open up the flood gates.



Jose Tabata, on the other hand, has been electric. He's opened the season with a 10 game hitting streak, hit two home runs, and has struck out (4) less times than walked (7). He has perfectly fit the bill as a lead off hitter. As of today, Tabata is tied for 2nd in the league in stolen bases with 5.



Neil Walker has been up and down thus far. His grand slam against the Cubs on Opening Day was a special moment for both him and the city of Pittsburgh. However, like Alvarez, he strikes out way too much with a 15-4 K-BB ratio. As a two-hole hitter, he has to make better contact and draw more walks.



Team numbers (MLB rank)

Average: .238 (19th) Home runs: 9 (13th) Runs: 37 (17th) Strikeouts: 86 (1st)





Defense C+

The Pirates are 19th in the league in errors, however they have had spectacular plays that have protected games. Pedro Alvarez has been stellar at 3rd base, robbing Ty Wiggington of two hits, one of which to end a bases loaded jam in the ninth inning of Friday night's game and the other yesterday during the afternoon game. Overall the defense has been average this year. As Pirates fans, we should only hope they stay out of the bottom 5 in fielding percentage.





Pirates Best Player: Jose Tabata

Pirates Worst Player: Ronny Cedeno



Next 10 game prediction: 4-6. If Pedro does not hit a home run against the Brewers at home, he will most certainly hit one against the Reds on their little league field.