Matt Capps Blows First Save, Sleeps With Fishes

Sure, last night's game was memorable for the game-winning homer by Lastings Milledge, or the dugout words between Elijah Dukes and Manny Acta, but lost in the loss was a stark realization...Matt Capps blew his first save of the year.

Considering where the Pirates stand in the NL (near the bottom), its amazing to think that Matt Capps has been this strong through 65 games. Capps had been 15 for 15 on save attempts before the inevitable blown save.

The people in the above video must have taken the blown save to heart (I know the video precedes last night, but it sorta works). According to the Youtube page, that's a Matt Capps bobblehead getting tossed into the river. C'mon folks, its just one blown save! 15 of 16 is still pretty respectable. I mean, he does play for the Pirates.

Torres Wants Away From Tricky Pirates

Salomon Torres wants to be traded. Good riddance.

Torres has been nothing short of shaky this season, and Matt Capps has already replaced him as the team's closer. Torres does give some interesting reasons for wanting to leave, though.


"I've given everything I have to the team, to the city of Pittsburgh, and I would like nothing more than to be part of a championship there," Torres said by phone from Bradenton, Fla., where he is rehabilitating his right elbow. "But I've had enough. They tricked me into signing that contract, and what they are doing to me now is retaliation because I complained about it."

The "retaliation" to which Torres referred, as he explained, was what he feels is a slow schedule the team has mapped out for his current rehabilitation.

His larger issue with the Pirates, without question, is his perception at how Littlefield handled negotiations leading up to the two-year, $6.5 million contract extension signed in the spring of 2006.

Torres, who did not have an agent in those talks, contends that he agreed to less money than market value because Littlefield had strongly suggested -- though not in writing -- that the team would consider renting one of the two baseball academies Torres built in his native Dominican Republic.


Hmmm. A player has a problem with the Pirates organization, huh? It looks like fan frustration is finally overlapping to the players.

Everyone is calling the walk-out a failure. Only about 1,000 people left their seats, and many fans booed. However, PSaMP looks at it a different way. How many times has fan frustration reached the ears of management? I can count one time, and that was the walk-out. Just because all 26k people didn't leave the stadium, it doesn't mean the protest was a failure. We can all bitch and moan about the Nuttings and Littlefields, but Fans for Change actually made their voice heard. And now players are echoing these sentiments, that the management is manipulative and uncaring.

Torres called Dave Littlefield out. Fans finally have some reasons to believe that the walk-out was done for the greater good. Its not just some renegade fans who feel the management doesn't care. There is a much bigger scheme going on. Players like Torres understand this, and are proving that point.

Torres can have his grievance. I'm glad that he probably won't be around to blow any more saves. However, his reasoning may help the most blinded fans realize that the management is duping the supporters, and players, on a rather large scale.

Bay's Awesome Catch Helps Buccos Win 2nd Straight Interleague Series

This. Is. No. Typo.

The Buccos beat the ChiSox 8-7 yesterday, behind an unbelievable catch by left fielder Jason Bay.

It all seemed like a classic Pirates failure. Slugger Jim Thome walks to the plate in the top of the 9th. 2 batters were on, and Thome represented the go-ahead run. Thome smacked a ball to deep left, and Bay gave chase. Feeling for the wall with his right hand, Bay lept and pulled a go-ahead homer back into play. The runner at 3rd tagged and scored, but Bay minimized the damage. Matt Capps finished the inning to close the series-clinching game.

My reaction. "Holy Sh...!"

With the win, the Buccos have now taken 2 of 3 from the Rangers and the ChiSox. Sure, both teams aren't in the upper echelon of the American League, but the Bucs will take any interleague win they can get.

Hopefully, these 2 series wins will provide some momentum, as the team now plays their final 2 interleague series against the hot Mariners and the Angels. Clearly, these 2 teams are much better than the last 2 opponents.

Although the team was swept by the Yankees last weekend, the Buccos have rallied to turn an early 0-3 interleague hole into a more-respectable 4-5 push. As I've said in the past, I'm just hoping the team can manage 1 win in both series against Seattle and Los Angeles (or Anaheim, or Anaheim of Los Angeles or whatever they're calling the Angels this year.) Milwaukee lost yesterday, thanks to a walk-off dinger by the Twins (take that, Prince Fielder and your inside-the-park-homer). The Buccos are only 8 games back of the Brew-Crew, so whatever momentum gained from yesterday could really boost the team's fortunes as they close out the '07 interleague schedule. Hopefully. This poll (above) on the Pirates' homepage shows, despite the annual awful play of the Buccos, that fans still aren't ready to throw in the towel just yet.

Nady Well Enough to DH

Xavier Nady's tight left hammy might be healed enough to let Bucco DH in the upcoming interleague showdown with the Yankees. Jim Tracy isn't even stopping there, and said Nady could even return to the field if he feels well enough, allowing Ryan Doumit to DH.

The Buccos could use Nady's bat, so the upcoming 15-game interleague stretch might be a blessing in disguise (I say this very timidly). The Buccos have never done well in interleague games.

They are 52-84 overall since the leagues began crisscrossing in 1997, and that includes 10 opposition sweeps in 46 series and a 19-46 mark in American League parks.

Nady won't have to rush back from his injury, and a DH role can help his hammy heal. I mean, Doumit's stats as a DH in the last 2 years of interleague play are terrible. 6-33, .182, no homers, 4 RBIs. Nady can DH, instead of possibly re-injuring his hammy in the field, and put a fresh Pirate bat into a foreign position.

But its up to the entire team to turn the horrible interleague record around. The Buccos always seem to be in the same position at this point every year. Somewhere between 5-10 games back of the NL Central leader, with no clear team willing to be the Central frontrunner. Interleague comes along, and the Buccos decide to stink it up...again.

The promises of April seem to turn into the realities of May. June and interleague bring the night terrors that eventually decimate the team. July through September is then soured by the roster expansion, and the experimental 9-man rosters that resemble D-II college teams.

Matt Capps' almost-certain suspension will not help a damn thing. His suspension (from the Prince Fielder incident, now 5 weeks old) will not be overturned, and the team will be without one of its best relievers for 4 games. Capps will pitch against the Yanks, but Salomon Torres will still have to (possibly) close 4 games against either the Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, Seattle Mariners or Los Angeles Angels. Including New York, the Buccos are 9-23 against their upcoming AL opposition.

Gorzo (6-3 2.53 ERA) takes the mound against Andy Pettitte (3-4 2.96 ERA) tonight at Yankee Stadium.

Torres to Return as Closer

Most Pirates fans should be questioning their loyalty to the team after reading that headline. Torres is coming back as closer after what, 2 games? And in those two games, Salomon gave up a lead-changing 2-run shot to Andre Ethier. Why then, is Torres replacing Matt Capps in the closer role?

Don't get your panties in a bunch, Sally. Its a part-time deal. Remember when Capps was ejected for plunking Prince Fielder on the arm? He was subsequently suspended for 4 games. Capps has his suspension-appeal-hearing this weekend, and Torres will replace Capps during the appeal and suspension process. That means Torres, who has been shaky all season, will be called upon to pitch against the Yankees.

Now I know the Yankees of today aren't the Yankees of, say, 7-8 years ago. Paul O'Neill is nowhere to be found. But let us look at The Buccos interleague stats from last year. The Pirates sported a 3-12 record, with a .269 team batting average and a 5.47 ERA. Interleague usually spells doom for the Buccos, so I don't care if the team is playing the Devil Rays, Yankees or BoSox. The bottom line is, the Pirates hardly stand a chance against the American League, no matter the team being played.

At least Torres hasn't regained the entire closer role. I think Capps can do a good job as closer. I mean, he's been really the only Pirate player to show any life/excitement this season. Throwing at Fielder, Capps was asserting his ability to throw inside, no matter who is up at the plate. Not many other Buccos have shown that much life this season. Seriously, are teams intimidated by a roster that includes Jack Wilson, Don Kelly, Humberto Cota (who was just designated for assignment, finally) and Nate McLouth?

Hopefully the Pirates can hold their own against the struggling Yankees. If Pittsburgh can win 2 of 3, and basically tread water while Capps sits out (since I doubt the suspension will get overturned), then the team knows it has a viable option to close out games for the rest of the season.

Time For Some Rebut

After I posted my feelings on the Matt Capps suspension, I received several emails complaining about my reasoning. Here is one email that I would like to share, complete with my rebuttal. The email came from a reader by the name of Brady Quinn.*

You need to look at the tape again. Prince Fielder was not hit in the elbow he was hit in the shoulder. Oh and by the way the reason he was hit in the shoulder? He lifted his shoulder to protect his head. I am all for the pitcher having the inside corner, but that's not what happened here. Capps was head hunting and it could have either seriously hurt Fielder or incited an ugly brawl.

Even Jim Tracy commented after the game that he understood why Fielder was upset. I can agree that four games may be harsh, however your stance is ridiculous.

Take your homer blinders off.

Here is my response to Brady Quinn.

Shoulder...Elbow...My bad. I typed that in a hurry cos I had to go to a meeting.
Capps headhunting? Could be. But is Capps known as a head hunter? Does he have a history of going after guys just because the batter before him is having an
unbelievable series? Thats a stretch to even think of. And should an isolated instance warrant an automatic ejection coupled with an overdone suspension and
fine?

And Fielder? His exaggerated spin, the stare at Capps, the glaring into Milwaukee's dugout to see if retaliation was coming in the next inning, and the childish antics he displayed on Sunday really begs the question if Fielder was doing a little acting. At least a little. And Capps was immediately ejected because of it. And now has four games to think about it.

Yeah I heard Tracy say that (about Fielder being upset). Fielder has every right to be upset, because the pitch was well inside. And he got hit by it. I'd be mad at that, too. I'm only saying that Capps' suspension is wrong, and Fielder, who was blatantly calling a hit on the Pirates in the next inning by constantly staring into his own dugout, is partly to blame.

Fielder gets hit sorta in between the shoulder and the elbow. Here's some crappy video. Note the elongated "lay on the ground and stare at Matt Capps."

And here is a quote from ESPN.com's account of Sunday's game.

Fielder just eluded catcher Ryan Doumit's tag as the throw home was up the third-base line. After he slid across the plate, Fielder popped up and repeatedly punched his fists toward the Pirates' bench, prompting plate umpire Tim Timmons to step in front of him and point him toward the Brewers' dugout.

Doumit followed with:

It was a nice slide," he said. "My hat is off to him, but I think that's pretty bush league what he did afterwards.

Oh, and the homer blinders part? That's part of the site. The name is Pittsburgh Sports and Mini Ponies, and I elude to seeing the world through black and gold colored glasses in my "About" section:

Yeah, my Pittsburgh bias is evident, and if it shows itself in my posts, then you'll just have to deal with it.

Its kinda part of the site. This isn't the place for unbiased analysis. Of course I'm gonna take Capps' side.


* Names have been changed for comedic purposes.

Matt Capps Suspended, Prince Fielder Babied

Reliever Matt Capps was suspended 4 games for his actions against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday. Capps plunked Prince Fielder on the elbow, and was immediately ejected by home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez. Jim Tracy was not happy at the time. Neither was Capps.

Sure, Capps had just given up a homer to J.J. Hardy, only the 2nd run he's allowed this year. He plunked Fielder, the next batter, on a rising inside fastball that caught the 1st baseman on the elbow. The ball looked like it could be going towards Fielder's head, but was deflected when Prince raised his arm.

I was perturbed with how quickly Capps was ejected from the game. I'm no fan of the "I'm gonna warn both benches" tactic, and if an ump is going to warn a team, it means he thinks they are in the wrong. Ejections are a much better way to deal with intentional hits.

With that being said, an ejection and 4 game suspension plus an undisclosed fine was a little overboard for the hit on Fielder's elbow. Capps had just given up a home run, and needed to reestablish his control over the inside of the plate. Sure, the ball was high and inside, but it wouldn't have hit Fielder's head. The only reason it hit Fielder's elbow was because Prince flailed his elbow out when he saw the ball coming inside. Fielder is a smart player. The guys in the booth couldn't stop talking about that fact for the entire series. He was shown paying attention to the littlest of details, and we were all treated to his superior knowledge of how the game is supposed to be played (blah, blah, blah). Any batter coming up after an "insurance" home run knows that the pitcher is probably going to come inside with the next few pitches. As soon as Fielder saw the the pitch coming, his elbow went up, and he dramatically spun around to the ground, staring at Capps.

Marquez wasted no time, and ejected an obviously heated Capps. Jim Tracy seemed upset with the swift ejection, and Capps ran his mouth the whole way to the dugout. Here's Capps' take on the situation:

I had him 0-and-1," Capps said. "So he had a quick hook. Obviously, stuff
like that is a judgmental call on his part, and I'm not going to question what
he did. I have to show him I can pitch inside. If they don't like it, that's
their problem. I'm going to continue to throw the ball on the inside part of the
plate.

The Pirates look to Ian Snell to help the team get back on track tonight versus the Cubs. Snell is following up his worst performance of the season from this past Wednesday, when he allowed 4 runs on 4 hits. He also walked 4, threw a wild pitch, and hit a batter (and wasn't suspended for 4 games). The Buccos face Ted Lilly, who the Pirates touched up for 5 runs and 9 hits over 5 1/3 innings on May 1st.

Pirates Complete 2nd Series Sweep Against Houston This Season

Two series sweeps. In the opening month of the season. A 5-3 win yesterday afternoon guaranteed that. The more the Pirates keep handling Houston, the more I'll be able to continue comparing this young Pirate's season to the past Penguins season. We tend to forget that before the Penguin's 16-game points streak that started in early January and contained two 6-game win streaks, the team had 18 wins and 16 regulation losses. The Pens were in the middle of the cluster looking for the 7th or 8th seed in the East before streaking and (at one point) holding the 2 spot in the entire conference.

That's not to say that these Pirates will have the exact kind of season that the Pens enjoyed, but it is a possibility. 10-10 is a deserving record for the Pirates, given the stagnant offense and bipolar pitchers (Armas allowed 1 run after entering the game with a 18.90 ERA). As long as our starters continue this mini hot streak, the Pirates should look to do some damage in the Central (I can't believe I just said that).

Now that the Buccos have 10 wins, I must update my 7 Reasons to Keep Watching the Bucs This Season. Reasons 8, 9 and 10 are:

8. Humberto Cota is on the DL. Honestly, why is this guy still on our team? With Ryan Doumit being called up and contributing early, Cota is, at best, our 3rd catcher. He strikes out too much, that is, when he actually gets into a game. I thought he was gone last year, when Jim Tracy struggled to find places for him to play. The Bucs tried to off him by retiring Paul Waner's number 11, the number that Cota was still wearing. That didn't work, so I guess the DL is the next best place for Humberto.

9. We Play Houston 9 More Times. But not again until July 20th. Still, that's 9 more wins towards the goal of 82. If the Pirates continue to mirror the early success of the Pens against the Flyers, then Houston has no chance for the remainder of the season. Who knew that Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte had that much of an impact on the club? However, Houston has been a notoriously slow starter for the past several seasons and before you know it, they're advancing in the playoffs. I haven't completely written them off, but I like the Pirates' chances from here on out.

10. The 'Pen is Looking Good. Larry Brown Sports hit the nail on the head when he commented on the outstanding relief arms on the Pittsburgh roster. Jonah Bayliss and Matt Capps recorded the first 2 wins of the season for the Bucs, and John Grabow, who is just back from injury, was credited with the save yesterday. John Wasdin pitched 2 scoreless innings for the marathon win in the 16th, and former Yankees starter Shawn Chacon lurks in the 'Pen as well. The only big question mark is Torres (That's actually a huge question mark right now), so if he can return to form, the Buccos can rely on durable relievers to back up our relatively young starting pitchers.


Reasons to Keep Watching the Bucs Archive:
7 Reasons to Keep Watching the Bucs This Season

'07 Bucs vs. '06-'07 Pens Archive:
Bucs Win in 16, Fully Endorse Adderall
The 2007 Pirates: Holding Company With John Smiley and Doug Drabek