Sunday, May 09, 2010
By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/?m=1
It remains to be seen if Jeff Karstens will stay a starter for the Pirates, but he already has proven to be something of a stopper.
Remember Milwaukee?
In his season debut two weeks ago, he ended a horrific stretch for the rotation and was credited with calming the nerves of pretty much the entire organization.
And Saturday night, less than 24 hours after an excruciating evening of fundamental mayhem, he had precisely the same effect, pitching six scoreless innings in a 2-0 silencing of the first-place St. Louis Cardinals before 25,047 at PNC Park.
Keith Srakocic/Associated Press
Jeff Karstens pitched six scoreless innings, allowing St. Louis three hits.
Karstens' line: Three hits, four strikeouts and a whole lot of highly welcome ... nothing.
"He's a guy who really stepped up for us in Milwaukee, and I knew he'd have a good mindset for this one," manager John Russell said. "If there's a guy you want there in that situation, Jeff's that guy. He seems to rise to the occasion."
Jason Jaramillo had three hits, Lastings Milledge produced a key insurance run, and the bullpen wrapped it up, but, as Jaramillo said, "It all started with Jeff."
This gave Karstens two good starts in three since being promoted from Class AAA Indianapolis, his overall ERA at 4.08.
Will it be good enough?
Brian Burres is coming off two consecutive scoreless starts, and Russell has strongly indicated Burres will stay in the rotation. So, that either means Karstens will come out, anyway, or that one of the four mainstays, and there is precious little chance of the latter.
"Nice problem to have," Russell said, smiling.
Karstens' effectiveness came through simplicity: He did not throw, as he recalled, "a single changeup," focusing on locating his 90-mph fastball, mixing in that sinker he discovered in the offseason and, just for diversity, spotting the occasional slider or curve.
"I just wanted to give us a chance to win," Karstens said. "We knew it was going to be a tough series, with the pitching they have, and we needed to limit their runs."
And of his ability to block out all that came before, whether for the team or his previous six-run outing in Los Angeles: "In baseball, there's always going to be another day."
Russell addressed the players about their many shortcomings Friday, but he did so while also stressing positives from the game, which the Pirates lost, 4-3.
This one, coincidence or not, was as quiet as they come.
The Pirates manufactured a run in the second inning on Ronny Cedeno's RBI single, and Karstens made that loom large.
He faced his only jam in the sixth, with two aboard and two out: Colby Rasmus singled to left, and Ryan Ludwick was waved home. Milledge's throw was off line, but Jaramillo swiped at Ludwick as he went by and ... well, he got the call.
Home plate umpire Marty Foster, in poor position to see the play, ruled that Jaramillo got a piece of Ludwick's back, though one replay appeared to show -- conclusively -- that he did not. Ludwick and St. Louis manager Tony La Russa argued, to no avail.
Jaramillo's take: "He called him out."
Ludwick's: "He didn't tag me at all."
That gift accepted, the Pirates' bullpen carried Karstens' lead home: D.J. Carrasco, Jack Taschner, Joel Hanrahan and Octavio Dotel put up the final three zeroes.
Hanrahan faced Pujols in the eighth with two aboard and two outs, but he got him to lunge at a 1-2 slider. Jaramillo stepped nearly a full sideways stride out of his catcher's area to await the pitch, and it landed right in the mitt.
"I threw that slider as hard as I could," Hanrahan said.
Pumped his right fist, too.
"I don't usually show a lot of emotion out there, but that's Pujols and it's a big moment for the team."
Hanrahan has not been scored upon in six of his past seven appearances.
Milledge brought about an insurance run in the eighth, walking with one out, stealing second -- after smartly timing St. Louis' Mitchell Boggs -- and sprinting home on Jaramillo's third hit, a single into center.
"J.J. called a good game, too," Russell said. "That's what you want out of your backup catcher. And for him to get that hit there at the end is icing on the cake."
Dotel's icing on his sixth save came with swinging strikeouts of Yadier Molina and Joe Mather, and the Pirates improved to 4-1 on this homestand, during which the starting pitching has a 1.15 ERA.
They will try to take the series today.
Dejan Kovacevic: dkovacevic@post-gazette.com. Find more at PBC Blog.
Today
Game: Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals, 1:35 p.m., PNC Park.
TV, radio: FSN Pittsburgh, WPGB-FM (104.7).
Pitching: LHP Paul Maholm (2-2, 4.06) vs. RHP Adam Wainwright (4-1, 1.96).
Key matchup: Albert Pujols just dominates Maholm, with a career .600 average -- 15 for 25 -- a home run, four RBIs and six walks.
Of note: The Pirates have 10 outfield assists, most in Major League Baseball, though that figure surely is swelled by all the baserunners their pitchers have allowed.
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• Minor-league report
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