Game 120, Adam LaRoche, Alvarez Talk, Scheppers Throws, J-Bay

Vitals:

CINCINNATI REDS (53-67)	RHP JOSH FOGG (2-4, 7.98 ERA)
PITTSBURGH PIRATES (54-65)	LHP PAUL MAHOLM (7-7, 3.76 ERA)
Game Time	7:05 EDT
XM	XM 183
TV	FSN

 

Adam LaRoche:

Adam (Biggie L) LaRoche will not be joining his brother Andy (Lil L) LaRoche tonight in the Pirates lineup.  Adam will be playing one more game in Hickory.

 

Alvarez Talk:

A couple links on whether Alvarez will sign or not.  At the Trib they discuss Pirates-Alvarez near deadline while Sportsnet Canada snags a Beaver County Times article Sideshow aside, Alvarez will sign. 

BTW Take:

It is hard to disagree with Alvarez really has no leverage if he goes back to school.  I figure the Pirates will sign 3 "Targeted" players before Alvarez signs his deal.  Each player that signs, lowers what the Pirates will offer.  Even though a MLB Contract is not currently on the table, it will definitely be shelved if Alvarez waits too long to sign.  Boras is playing his usual game, nothing shocking there.  BTW Official Prediction:11:32 PM signing on Friday.

 

Scheppers Throws:

MLB.com and The Fresno Bee both report on Scheppers throwing session yesterday.

BTW Take:

Sheppers will be one of the three players to sign before Alvarez.  Huntington and Coonelly will start playing hardball at that time threatening to take the MLB contract out of the equation for Alvarez.

 

J-Bay:

Over at the Bleacher Report they have an interesting piece on the Bay-Manny-Many Prospects deal just before the trade deadline.  I love the ending...

 

Scary Stat:

The Bucs have gone 30-24 in games decided by two runs or less this season, which includes a 19-15 record in one-run games (12-5 at home).  They went 16-22 in one-run games in 2007 and 24-31 in 2006.

BTW Take:

Imagine how bad the record would be if they continued to performed at 2007 and prior levels?  Interesting side note, only 17 1-run games in 2008 to date, 48 in 2007 and 55 in 2006.  Is that due to better offense or horrible pitching?  I guess more blowouts help lessen the 1-run game sting.  See it could be worse.

 

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Game 119, Links, Alvarez, Scheppers

Vitals:

CINCINNATI REDS (52-67)	RHP EDINSON VOLQUEZ (13-5, 2.93 ERA)
PITTSBURGH PIRATES (54-64)	RHP JEFF KARSTENS (2-0, 0.00 ERA)
Game Time	7:05 EDT
XM	XM 183
TV	FSN

 

Pedro Alvarez:

While many fans fret the signing of Alvarez, there are a few things to consider. 

Boras is notorious for waiting until the last minute to get the most for his clients. 

Alvarez's family has stated Pedro will sign with the Pirates and Boras works for Pedro, not Pedro for Scott.

Why would Alvarez go back to College?  He can only move up one position in the draft and he would likely get more this year than next.  Returning to college can only hurt his draft status and risk injury. 

There are 11 other 1st round selections yet to sign.  The Pirates are not the only team in this predicament.

Tanner Scheppers:

Sheppers threw in the Bullpen about 30 pitches in front of all decision makers.  Word from local sources, the Pirates brass were very happy with what they saw.  I'd expect contract negotiations to continue through Friday and a signing likely before that time.

Links:

From Eric Saninocenio (Host of Baseball Digest Daily Live):

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/baseballdigestdaily/2008/08/09/BDD-Live

The link is to a podcast with Jim Callis of Baseball America.  About 20 minutes into the podcast, the interview starts.  One of the prime discussions is of Pedro Alvarez.  Callis believes the Pirates will sign him prior to the midnight deadline Friday, but he believes it will be right down to the wire.

There are quite a few other shows worth listening to, especially the trade deadline recap.

Thanks to Eric for forwarding the link to me. 

 

From frequent contributor Eric:

A pretty good article outlining Huntington's moves and what the future may hold.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=crasnick_jerry&id=3525035&campaign=rss&source=MLBHeadlines

 

Over at MVN they do a good rundown on the unsigned top 10 picks of the Pirates:

http://mvn.com/mlb-pirates/2008/08/12/remaining-unsigned-draft-picks/

Also check out the latest Pittsburgh Pirates Round Table

http://mvn.com/mlb-pirates/roundtable/

 

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