COMMENTARY | It's hard to pinpoint who is most responsible for the success this year being enjoyed by the resurgent Pittsburgh Pirates.
Surely, it's a collaborative effort between the front office, coaches and players that has produced such entertaining baseball and, as of August 5, the best team in baseball. Nor should all the credit go to one person, player or otherwise, for the success everyone has worked to achieve.
With that said, there are plenty of players deserving right now to be called the most valuable on the Pittsburgh Pirates. Still, with 50 games left and in the heat of the most exiting pennant chase in baseball, let's step back for a second and look at the players most responsible for the Buccos being in first place.
Andrew McCutchen
The man who's been the face of the franchise for several years has to appear on this list, if only to contradict fans who are dead set in believing that Cutch is having a down year. An All-Star again in 2013, the speedy center fielder is batting .307 in 108 games played this year, the most games by any player on the team. Indeed, McCutchen is the only player batting above .300 on a team that has its shares of offensive woes.
But still, the stats don't lie. He leads the team in hits and doubles and is second in about every other category. He has the second-most home runs on the team (15), the second-most RBIs (62), the second-most stolen bases (23), and the second-most runs scored (69). Not to mention he still makes dazzling plays with the glove manning the vast expanse in center field. Add in his de facto status as one of the team's leaders, and Cutch deserves to be on this list.
What can be said about Liriano? The crafty lefty certainly deserves to have his name in consideration for the National League Cy Young Award, given that he owns the second-lowest earned run average in all of baseball (2.02). He doesn't yet qualify for the award, however, given that he hasn't reached the minimum amount of innings pitched needed. He will surely reach the amount to qualify in the next start or two, however, and his name should start to pop up in those conversations.
Liriano has had simply an amazing year. The man already has won 12 games this season despite missing a month with a broken arm. Those 12 wins put him in the top 10 for most in all of baseball. Indeed, Liriano is only the third Pirates pitcher since 1912 to win at least 12 games in his first 16 starts, all while posting an ERA lower than 2.25. He has to be a lock for Comeback Player of the Year and, in my opinion, has to be considered for the Cy Young.
El Toro leads the National League with 27 home runs. So, there's that. His value cannot be overstated in an offense that's been stagnant for most of the year. There have been several instances where Pedro has compiled more RBIs in a game than the entire opposing team, single-handedly providing all the offense needed to win the game. His bat does go into prolonged dry spells, but most of his dingers come when the Pirates need them most.
Sure, he's only batting .241. And in classic Pedro fashion, he has the sixth-most strikeouts in baseball with 131. But he also hits one home run in every 13.5 at-bats, meaning the Pirates are never far away from putting some runs on the board. Alvarez has also displayed a heightened ability to flash the leather at the hot corner, playing some stellar defense in 2013.
Talk about a performance coming out of nowhere. Jeff Locke barely cracked the starting rotation on opening day after a heated competition during the spring. He quickly became the most reliable, consistent and healthy member of the starting five and even earned himself an All-Star nod in the process.
In his first full season in the majors, the 25-year-old lefty from New Hampshire owns a 2.36 earned run average which, amazingly, isn't even good for best on the team, even though it is good for the fifth-best in all of baseball. His secondary stats won't wow you: He has the second-most wins on the team (9), the third-most strikeouts (94) and the most walks on the team with 58. Regardless, it is obvious the Pirates wouldn't be where they are now without Locke's performance this season.
The fifth and final MVP spot has to go to Martin, who is perhaps the biggest offseason acquisition in many years. The man didn't have huge shoes to fill in replacing Rod Barajas, the catcher who couldn't hit and certainly couldn't throw. What a turnaround. Martin leads Major League Baseball with 26 base runners he has caught stealing, a year after Barajas only threw out six all year. Six.
His offensive stats won't blow anyone away. He's batting .252 with 10 home runs and 41 RBIs, which is good for third-highest on the team. But Martin's worth to the team can't be measured in terms of numbers and stats. He is indisputably one of the best game callers in the league, is a master at framing pitches, and definitely deserves credit for the pitching staff being as solid as it is. His numbers might not turn heads, but Martin is definitely one of the team's most valuable players.
So what do fans think? Who listed above deserves to be named the Pirates' MVP at this point in the season, a season that could very well end with the team in the playoffs?
Jared Stonesifer has covered the Pittsburgh Pirates on a freelance basis since 2010. He lives in Pittsburgh.
The Rooney family’s Steelers are the gold standard for stability in pro sports. The front office, headed since 2000 by Kevin Colbert, has the security to abide by a resolute formula for steady, long-term player development. It generally drafts to fill needs two or three years out. So instead of rebuilding, the Steelers are constantly replenishing. Older stars are often let go before they have a chance to wash up; younger (and cheaper) prospects are integrated as soon as they’ve had a chance to learn the system. Remarkably, every starter on this year’s defense, save for ex-Redskin Ryan Clark, was originally drafted (or signed) by the Steelers and spent his rookie season in a backup role.
This is the benefit of having a head coach who doesn’t have to worry about impetuously being fired. Mike Tomlin, just the club’s third coach since 1969, can actually take time to properly groom players (which, indirectly, strengthens the fibers of the whole Steelers program). This approach has brought the Steelers an NFL-high six Super Bowl titles and 14 AFC championship game appearances.
That’s not to say that no coaches are ever replaced. For Tomlin’s first five years, the Steelers had a very good offensive coordinator in Bruce Arians. But in January 2012, Arians and the organization abruptly parted ways.
Todd Haley, whose father was Pittsburgh’s player personnel director from 1971 through ’90, was hired as offensive coordinator and had a bumpy first year. The 2012 Steelers had the league’s No. 1-ranked pass defense and No. 2-ranked run defense, but a wildly inconsistent offense drove them to a disappointing 8–8 record. Heading into this season, many still worry about the temperamental Haley’s relationship with his players, most notably Ben Roethlisberger. Of course, most relationships in pro sports are steered by wins and losses—which is why it’s Haley’s system that should be scrutinized.
OFFENSE
Ben Roethlisberger is the type of quarterback coaches can’t help but try to change. They’re unable to see past his sandlot habits. In their minds, Roethlisberger’s improvisational magic might lead to a few astounding third-down conversions, but in the broader picture it’s symptomatic of an under-cultivated talent not adhering to the structure of the play as it’s been designed. Coaches exist to smooth out such rough edges.
Arians wisely recognized that Roethlisberger is an exception. Observers marvel at the electrifying mobility of Michael Vick or the rifle arm of Jay Cutler, but all-in-all, no quarterback of this era has been more physically gifted than the unconventional Roethlisberger. It’s not just that at 6-5 and 241 pounds he can run around, pump fake and make off-balance throws with defenders hanging off him; it’s that he can do these things while keeping his eyes downfield. And they’re not merely off-balance throws—they’re often improbably accurate shots that no defensive scheme could possibly prepare to combat. Instead of trying to harness Roethlisberger, Arians built a passing attack around slower developing downfield routes that left room for freestyling.
Ben Roethlisberger and Todd Haley will have to work in better harmony in their second year together. (Karl Walter/Getty Images) -But no matter how great the freestyler, he can’t riff away all the time. Arians’ system still has rules. Ultimately, its two-tight end, play-action foundation didn’t feel like a great stylistic fit for a quarterback who pined to play four-wide. Eyebrows were raised after Haley’s hiring because his system is similar to Arians’, at least in terms of run concepts and multi-tight end personnel. But Haley’s passing game doesn’t offer the same room for improvisation. It’s built on shorter drops, which means more emphasis on precision-timing and pre-snap reads. To his credit, Roethlisberger has become more mechanically refined and intellectually acute. This has helped keep the perennially battered 31-year-old upright. In his first eight seasons Roethlisberger was sacked once every 12 dropbacks; last season he was sacked once every 16 dropbacks.
That said, a sounder, safer Roethlisberger is not necessarily a more comfortable Roethlisberger. The chemistry with his receivers often seemed skewed in 2012. The costly interceptions Roethlisberger threw at the end of losses to Dallas and Cincinnati were the antithesis of the crunch-time plays he’s known for making. After the season Roethlisberger was one of many Steelers who talked about having difficulties with Haley’s system.
Pittsburgh players claim that most of their issues have been corrected (with Haley receiving new input from Roethlisberger). Optimism is easy to find in summer. But it could be more elusive come fall, given this receiving corps has taken a step back. With Mike Wallace, who departed as a free agent to Miami, no longer stretching defenses over the top, Antonio Brown will face more concentrated coverages. Brown has the speed and quickness to get open; his dexterity in and out of breaks might be the best in football. Nevertheless, being a true top weapon will be an adjustment for a fourth-year pro who technically has just 13 starts and barely 2,000 receiving yards to his name.
Emmanuel Sanders, a very effective seam weapon out of trips sets, will replace Wallace in the base offense this year. At 5-11 and 180 pounds, he is essentially a less-proven version of Brown, which doesn’t make for much dimension. But Sanders’ expiring contract and the team’s minimal cap space in 2014 suggest Wallace’s long-term replacement is actually third-round rookie Markus Wheaton, who has the type of long-striding speed his predecessor had. Ideally, Wheaton will acclimate to the NFL well enough to immediately be the No. 3 on the outside. If he can’t, lumbering veterans Jerricho Cotchery and Plaxico Burress will compete for the job.
Haley’s scheme features tight ends a little more in the air than Arians’ did, though that may change this season as 2012 leading pass-catcher Heath Miller is less than nine months removed from tearing the ACL, MCL and PCL in his right knee. Intriguing but untested 2012 seventh-rounder David Paulson and veteran Matt Spaeth, known more for his blocking, are the only other tight ends on the roster. Haley may have to restructure his offense more around H-backs David Johnson and Will Johnson, who are essentially flex lead-blockers.
With the passing game’s setbacks, Pittsburgh will have to get more from a run game that ranked 26th last season. With Rashard Mendenhall’s welcome now worn out and a pair of sometimes bruising but too-often plodding 230-pounders (Jonathan Dwyer and Isaac Redman—who has reportedly since lost some weight) filling the backfield, it was no surprise to see Colbert use a second-round pick on a running back. It was a surprise that the running back was Le’Veon Bell, another 230-pounder. While they still don’t have a shifty change-of-pace runner (other than stopgap ex-Cardinal LaRod Stephens-Howling), the Steelers say they have a potential three-down back in Bell. At the very least, they’ll have a fresh thumper who seemed to always fall forward at Michigan State.
Bell’s entry to the NFL could be made easier by a talented young line that, while still a work-in-progress on passing downs, is built to bulldoze on the ground. (Though players will have to adapt to the outside zone-blocking concepts new O-line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. brings over from Kansas City.) Anchoring the middle is Maurkice Pouncey, who has blossomed into football’s best all-around center. Pouncey is tremendous out in front and crafty enough to singlehandedly stalemate much heavier nose tackles. The fourth-year pro’s only conspicuous weakness is shotgun snapping.
To Pouncey’s right will be last year’s first-round pick, David DeCastro, and 2011 second-rounder Marcus Gilbert. Both players were plagued by injuries last season, but if healthy, they could form the AFC’s most potent right-side blocking tandem. On the left, puzzle piece Ramon Foster is at guard, while second-year pro Mike Adams will be tried at left tackle. (Note: Gilbert has opened camp at left tackle and may wind up staying there, especially given that Adams has missed offseason work recovering from a stabbing.) Adams has the light feet and quick hands toAdams has the light feet and quick hands to play the position, but he’s still trying to get his pass-blocking up to the level of his run-blocking. It’s vital that he be comfortable; while the Steelers usually carry a veteran security blanket in the second string, their backups this year are 2012 seventh-rounder Kelvin Beachum and light-legged, heavy-footed ex-Jaguar Guy Whimper.
DEFENSE
The old “Blitzburgh” epithet and visions of explosive 3-4 edge-rushers are what come to mind with Steelers defense. But last season it was a stingy secondary that carried this unit to its fourth No. 1 ranking in six years.
Coordinator Dick LeBeau does a great job letting his assistants install player-friendly wrinkles in the scheme’s various matchup zone coverages. Under third-year secondary coach Carnell Lake, the focus has been on simplicity and not getting beat deep. That plan is working; last season Steelers opponents were 0 for 30 on passes that traveled at least 30 yards through the air.
Much of the secondary’s cohesiveness stems from the ingenuity of veteran safeties Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark. The 32-year-old Polamalu could not get away with his unconventional freelancing if there wasn’t an acute technician working off him on the back end. Clark was also a big reason why this defense fared well in the nine games that Polamalu missed with a calf injury in 2013. Valuable as the 33-year-old Clark is, his expiring contract and the recent fourth-round selection of hard-hitting Shamarko Thomas suggests this will be his final year in black and gold.
Part of Pittsburgh’s excellence in pass defense is schematic. LeBeau’s zone blitzes are designed for creating pressure with just four or five rushers, leaving ample bodies to fill the matchup zones. This lends greater flexibility in the coverage’s constant rotations, exchanges and underneath buzzes. It also allows the Steelers to place fewer demands on their cornerbacks, which is why the team is comfortable waiting until the middle rounds to draft this premium position. (The last corner Pittsburgh took in the first round was Chad Scott, 16 years ago).
One of the many middle-round corners, Ike Taylor, has evolved into an upper-echelon cover artist over his 11-year career. Taylor regularly shadows the opponent’s No. 1 receiver, playing a variety of press and off-man techniques, sometimes in isolation but often with hints of some inside or underneath help. With Keenan Lewis now in New Orleans, starting opposite Taylor will be Cortez Allen, a 2011 fourth-round pick who played half the snaps last season as the No. 3 or as a fill-in starter. Allen, like Taylor, is agile and capable of guarding the slot.
At outside nickelback is William Gay, back after a disappointing one-year stint in Arizona. Gay is familiar with the system, but if he struggles as he often did in 2010 and ’11, coaches could turn to the more athletic but still undeveloped third-year man Curtis Brown. Or, as a slim possibility, they could turn to fifth-round rookie Terry Hawthorne.
There’s been some out-with-the-old, in-with-the-new in Pittsburgh’s front seven, with veteran mainstays James Harrison and Casey Hampton being replaced. The original plan was for Jason Worilds to one day fill Harrison’s void. However, the 2010 second-rounder has not stood out in 10 starts over the last two years. Even if Worilds catches fire in his contract year, the Steelers will likely eye Jarvis Jones as the long-term right outside ‘backer. They believe the first-round rookie is tailor-made for their system. (When Jones ran an unappealing 4.9 40 at Georgia’s Pro Day, Colbert and his staff rejoiced, knowing the projected top-10 pick would likely drop to them at 17.)
Once considered a possible top-10 pick, Jarvis Jones fell to the Steelers at 17th overall. (Keith Srakocic/AP) -There is no high draft pick to replace Hampton, but undrafted fourth-year nose tackle Steve McLendon has looked very good in a supporting role the past few years. He plays with natural leverage and has been able to carry his frame’s additional weight. In the event that McLendon can’t handle the rigors of a fulltime gig, the Steelers have kept 2012 fourth-round pick Alameda Ta’amu around despite a drunk-driving conviction last year. (Ta’amu was also arrested but not convicted for a DUI in 2009.)
Helping McLendon with the dirty work that’s vital to run defense will be either Ziggy Hood or Cameron Heyward at left end, assuming one of those recent first-round picks can finally play with the every-down strength this scheme commands. More helpful to the run defense will be defensive end Brett Keisel and inside linebacker Larry Foote. Both are tremendous at eating up blockers, Keisel with swift lateral movement and versatility, Foote with tenacious physicality and downhill forcefulness. Their dirty work also opens up pass-rushing lanes for stars in the sub-package designs. Keisel might be the league’s second wiliest stunt-rusher behind Justin Smith; Foote has keen timing on fire-X blitzes.
The Steelers are counting on Lawrence Timmons and LaMarr Woodley to excel in 2013. Timmons’ performance at inside linebacker has been sensational in recent years. He might be the fastest read-and-chase defender and second-level blitzer in football. He’s also become proficient in underneath zone coverage. Coaches now want him to be more of an emotional leader.
As for Woodley, coaches just want him to be more like the star he was before signing a six-year, contract in 2011 for a guaranteed $22.5 million. With various hamstring injuries costing him six games in 2011 and three games, plus ostensibly some of his effectiveness, in 2012 (he had a career-low four sacks), there have been whispers about Woodley’s conditioning.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Kicker Shaun Suisham made 28 of his 31 field goal attempts last season. Unfortunately, two of his misses came in the 13-10 home loss to Cincinnati (which ultimately eliminated the Steelers). Punter Drew Butler ranked just 25th in net average a year ago, which is why he now must fend off declining but familiar veteran Brian Moorman for his job. In the return game, Antonio Brown is expected to handle punts while Emmanuel Sanders will be on kicks.
BOTTOM LINE
The roster is less talented than those in recent years, but the organization has always been great at integrating untested youngsters. Ultimately the season will come down to how well the veteran stars perform, which is why the Steelers are narrow favorites in the AFC North.
He's the guy on the poster, larger than life, on my boyhood bedroom wall. He is menacing and powerful, wearing a No. 39 on his back and a diamond stud in his ear. He is the National League MVP, the All-Star Game MVP, the epitome of a five-tool player — the primary tool being a sledgehammer of a bat that rocks to and fro as the pitcher begins his delivery.
The Dave Parker on the other end of the line is a 62-year-old man confirming to me that he has Parkinson's disease.
I am rooting for him harder than ever.
If you watched Parker play baseball — his brand was more like football — you can't be surprised to learn that he will not let Parkinson's intimidate him.
“There's no fear,” Parker said. “I've had a great life. I always dreamt of playing baseball, and I played. I'm 62 years old and fortunate to make it to this point. I have some beautiful kids that I got to watch grow up and become adults. My fingerprints are on the baseball industry. I feel good about that. I have nothing to feel bad about.”
Parker may yet have many good years in front of him. He said the Parkinson's was diagnosed in February 2012 but has not progressed rapidly.
It first manifested in a tremor in his right hand. Other issues have cropped up.
He sounds different on the phone these days, a bit more sluggish.
“I'm nervous with public speaking, being put in any situation where I have to talk for a long time,” Parker said.
Parker disclosed his diagnosis to a few friends, including Pirates director of alumni affairs Joe Billetdeaux, who spoke with him during the team's Heritage Day in May at PNC Park.
“He looked good,” Billetdeaux said. “He said he has good days and bad days. For the most part, he's dealing with it.”
Parker is all too aware of the ravages of Parkinson's, a progressive neurological disorder with no cure: His older sister, he said, has a more advanced form of it.
According to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, people older than 60 have a 2 to 4 percent chance of contracting the disease. Parker is not yet taking medication out of concern it could worsen his symptoms. He is opting for what he terms “natural” remedies.
“If push comes to shove, I'll take the medicine,” he said. “For now, I'm taking it day by day.”
His days are much less hectic. Parker lives in Loveland, Ohio, with his wife, Kellye. He has six grown children. The Parkers sold their interest in Popeyes Chicken in the Cincinnati area and are planning to move to Florida as soon as they sell their house.
An intimidating 6-foot-5, 230 pounds during his Pirates days, Parker plays a ton of golf, rides his bike “a minimum of an hour a day” and maintains what he terms a good weight.
“Probably some of the best shape I've been in all my life,” he said.
He also has continued to teach teenage players the art of hitting. Can you imagine Dave Parker tutoring you?
“I get their attention immediately,” he said, laughing.
This year's Pirates have captured Parker's heart. He said he watches every game. I wondered how he was feeling about the city these days, given that his tenure with the club ended so bitterly 30 years ago.
Parker's contract was an issue with some fans. When he signed in 1979 for $5 million over five years, he became the highest-paid athlete in team sports — richer than Reggie Jackson, O.J. Simpson, Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, all of them — and not shy about advertising his talents. Sports Illustrated ran a cover piece under the headline: “A Loudmouth And His Loud Bat.”
As Parker's salary rose, his production diminished. Fans who'd once viewed his trademark cockiness as an asset turned on him. His admission later that he'd used cocaine late in his Pirates career convinced people that he had squandered his immense talent. Parker and his teammates insisted that he always played hard and often played hurt. He battled through six knee surgeries in his career, which he resuscitated in Cincinnati, and had both knees replaced in retirement.
Time, it turns out, appears to have erased the resentment on both ends. Parker says he long ago made peace with the city and its fans.
He could probably use their support about now, too.
“Once a Buc, always a Buc,” Parker said. “And I'll always be a Buc.”
Joe Starkey co-hosts a show 2 to 6 p.m. weekdays on 93.7 FM. Reach him at jraystarkey@gmail.com.
Major League Baseball does, indeed, have a problem. But it isn't Alex Rodriguez. It isn't Ryan Braun. It isn't the Biogenesis scandal that's expected to burst all over the sport like a festering sore as soon as Monday.
No, in the larger scope, it's something else entirely.
It's that a 26-year-old still-fledgling with the sweetest power stroke you'll ever see, and he's barely become a story beyond our region.
Baseball, meet Pedro Manuel Alvarez.
He's pounding the ball with a proficiency and power that used to be truly special before the game was infected by Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, A-Rod, Braun and whatever other frauds get brought down by Biogenesis: He's got 27 home runs, most in the National League, which puts him on a comfortable pace for 40.
It isn't 50.
It isn't the Babe's eternal 60.
It isn't Roger Maris' magical 61, now unfairly buried beneath asterisks of a different breed.
And no, it sure isn't Bonds' embarrassing 73 at age 37 and hat size 37 billion.
This is real.
“As real as it gets,” Gaby Sanchez, another power type, was telling me after the Pirates roiled the Rockies, 5-1, on Sunday. “If you break it down, you see all the torque he gets into his swing. That starts with those big legs. He generates a lot of power down there. Add to that the hand-eye he has, and you've got the torque, the bat head coming with that kind of speed ... that's where it comes from.”
Better believe it.
I believed it when Tim Corbin, Pedro's college coach at Vanderbilt, once told me, “This is a kid who can hit the ball over any fence.”
I believed it when Manny Sanguillen, Willie Stargell's teammate, spied Pedro's first cuts in Bradenton four springs ago and declared, “I've seen that swing before. That's Willie.”
This is what baseball should talk about.
What baseball should talk about is Chris Davis of the Orioles, atop the majors with 40 home runs. Or Miguel Cabrera and Jose Bautista and others homering at a remarkable pace, yet reasonable enough not to merit any suspicion. Or Yoenis Cespedes, who hits the ball so far it has to carry a passport.
Where is the celebration of these players and their numbers?
Where is the hype to go with fairly adjusted expectations?
What baseball should talk about is Pedro in the way Clint Hurdle so colorfully described Pedro's three-run shot a week ago that traveled arc-free over the Clemente Wall.
“That was hit as hard as any ball I've seen,” the manager begun telling the tale as only he can. “When I saw that, I thought of Frank Howard hitting a home run when I was a kid watching TV. My dad and I were sitting there, I think he hit it one-handed, hooked it down the line … the ball was out in two blinks of an eye. I said, ‘Dad, how can a man do that?' ‘Well, that's a big man, son. A big, strong man.' Pedro hit his ball, and off the bat I'm thinking, ‘OK, he's gonna be on second.' I watched the center fielder go and kind of stop, the fans are getting up, and I'm going, ‘Wait a minute' ... and the ball's out of the park. It seemed as if the ball was hit as high as it landed. It carried that plane. Physically, I know that's impossible, but it seemed to happen.”
Then Hurdle threw in this: “He has as much raw power as any player I've worked with or seen. Pure, raw power.”
Get that?
Pure.
Look, I'm not so naive to think doping's out of baseball — or any sport — and the list of players that emerges from Biogenesis will indeed be sobering. But at some point, man, the focus has to get back on amazing scenes like the latest one here Sunday with another A.J. Burnett lovefest and another Russell Martin clutch special in front of another capacity crowd. PNC Park is pure joy these days, and I'll bet other places are, too.
I follow national baseball media on Twitter and, to check the timeline of late, you'd never know anything's going on except for A-Rod, a broken, disgraced 38-year-old mired in a legal catfight with the American League East's fourth-place team.
As if that matters to anyone outside New York.
As if a huge percentage of the drama isn't the simple result of self-immolating, angst-ridden adjectives.
Go ahead, Bud Selig. Throw the guy out, parade him through the streets, do your worst, so that everyone can document it underneath moonlanding-font headlines.
But when it's done, ladies and gents of the national press, come on over to Pittsburgh and bring a notepad. A clean notepad. Might get you inspired for what should be baseball's next great chapter.
Dejan Kovacevic is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at dkovacevic@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Dejan_Kovacevic.
A.J. Burnett (5-7, 2.73 ERA) waves to fans after getting a 5-1 complete game win over the Colorado Rockies in a baseball game in Pittsburgh Sunday, Aug. 4, 2013.
GENE J. PUSKAR — AP Photo
Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2013/08/04/4848613/nicasio-rockies-struggle-again.html#storylink=cpy
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- At 36 and the owner of two World Series rings, A.J. Burnett says he no longer cares about personal statistics.
''It's all about the team,'' the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander said. ''We've got something special really special going on here.''
Burnett, however, admitted it was nice to get a win Sunday. He hasn't had too many of them this season.
Burnett scattered eight hits and Russell Martin provided some rare run support for the 15-year veteran with a three-run homer that led the Pirates over the Colorado Rockies 5-1.
Burnett (5-7) struck out nine and walked one in his first complete game of the season and 23rd of his career. He threw 110 pitches, including 83 strikes.
''I just felt good for all nine innings,'' Burnett said. ''I knew my pitch count was low so I was confident I could get through the ninth. I take pride in finishing what I started. Those guys down there (in the bullpen) need a break.''
The Pirates, who have the best record in the major league at 67-44 following 20 consecutive losing seasons, maintained their 1 1/2-game lead in the NL Central over St. Louis.
Burnett has been on World Series winners with the Marlins and Yankees, and he'd ove to play on a third, especially in a city that has embraced him.
''You couldn't help but hear the fans cheering when I walked out there for the ninth inning,'' Burnett said. ''They've been awesome to me for the two years I've been here and they just give you that extra boost of energy.''
Martin's home run came in the fifth inning and put the Pirates ahead 5-0. Burnett hasn't gotten much backing this season, and owns a losing record despite a 2.73 ERA.
Martin had missed two of the previous three games with soreness in his left knee. He drove a pitch from Manuel Corpas down the left-field line for his 10th home run of the season.
After the game, Martin wanted to talk about Burnett instead of himself.
''He was outstanding,'' Martin said. ''He's been pitching so well and hasn't had anything to show for it personally a lot of times. I'm really happy he got the win and the complete game.''
The Pirates took a 2-0 lead on an RBI single by Andrew McCutchen in the first inning and Garrett Jones' sacrifice fly in the third.
In the fifth, McCutchen walked with one out and Pedro Alvarez singled to chase starter Juan Nicasio. Corpas relieved and gave up Martin's homer.
''I thought Corpas gave us our best chance to get a double play there,'' Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. ''He puts the ball on the ground consistently with his sinker but hung a breaking ball over the middle of the plate.''
Nicasio (6-6) struggled for a second consecutive start, giving four runs and six hits in 4 1-3 innings with three walks and four strikeouts. He allowed a career-high eight runs in his previous start Tuesday at Atlanta.
Nicasio had gone 2-0 with a 0.47 ERA in his first three starts after being recalled July 12 from Triple-A Colorado Springs, where he had spent two weeks.
''I threw too many fastballs that were balls or they fouled off,'' Nicasio said. ''I had a hard time putting the hitters away.''
Jonathan Herrera had three hits for the Rockies, including a run-scoring single in the seventh inning that broke up Burnett's shutout bid. Michael Cuddyer added two this.
''That's a good offensive club,'' Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. ''They can do some things and A.J. was able to work through the middle of the order pretty efficiently. Again, very aggressive, very focused. Ball's down. He took it to 'em.''
NOTES: Colorado LF Carlos Gonzalez returned to the lineup after not starting for four straight games because of a sprained right wrist and went 1 for 4. ... Rockies rookie 3B Nolan Arenado got his first day off since the All-Star break. ... Pittsburgh RHP Jason Grilli, who has 30 saves, hopes to begin playing catch this week. He has been on the disabled list since July 23 with a strained right forearm. ... Both teams are off Monday before opening three-game series Tuesday night. The Pirates will host the Miami Marlins with LHP Jeff Locke (9-3, 2.36) starting against RHP Henderson Alvarez (2-1, 2.61). Colorado will play the Mets at New York with RHP Tyler Chatwood (7-4, 3.15) pitching against RHP Jenrry Mejia (1-1, 2.08).
LATROBE, Pa. — The godfather of the zone blitz stands at midfield, giving his Pittsburgh Steelers defense a one-word, pre-snap call whenever full-team training camp drills commence.
Then, Dick LeBeau, 75 years young with a Hall-of-Fame reservoir of expertise siphoned across five decades as a ball-hawking cornerback and coach, walks to the sideline to observe how his signal is dispersed.
He is using camp to construct a speed bump in the regular season against the rising wave of turbo-charged, no-huddle, read-option offenses.
"You're going to see these up-tempo offenses more and more across the league this season," LeBeau told USA TODAY Sports. "So very early during our practice sessions, the offense will go a lot of no-huddle attack so our guys get comfortable with not only their up-tempo conditioning, but they get comfortable with the mechanics of getting the call relayed when you can't get huddled up.
"You need to practice that because the up-tempo is another tool offenses have now to pressure defenses."
The Steelers open Sept. 8 against the Tennessee Titans. And guess what? Tennessee's Jake Locker, who was a dual-threat quarterback at the University of Washington, might be asked to showcase those talents in his second season as a full-time NFL starter. Pittsburgh will likely be the first team to fully witness Locker's unleashed mobility in tandem with the talents of fleet Titans tailback Chris Johnson on options runs.
LeBeau will be ready as zone-blitz force meets zone-read finesse.
"Coach LeBeau is here refining his game for what the fast-break style of 2013 football is," Steelers free safety Ryan Clark says. "There's nothing coach LeBeau hasn't seen.
"He's just trying to find ways to shorten our terminology, get us our calls quickly so we can just play football. ... In the past, we've been kind of scrambling with making calls. He's been fine-tuning that to where we control how his calls are disseminated through just one word."
Veteran linebacker Larry Foote is LeBeau's mouthpiece.
"Instead of saying the entire defense, coach will give us a key word," Foote, heading into his 12th NFL season, says. "Coach will say, 'Bus' or 'Bussie' for Jerome Bettis. As soon as guys hear 'Bus,' they know their assignments. We work on those shorter calls in our meetings and on the playing field.
"The key thing is having the young guys pick it up quickly."
LeBeau, who intercepted 62 passes (seventh-most in NFL history) from 1959 to 1972 with the Detroit Lions, has orchestrated the league's No. 1 defense in four of the past six seasons including the last two.
"I don't know that anybody totally knows the secret because they haven't stopped it," LeBeau says of the read option.
But the Steelers did contain Robert Griffin III to 8 yards rushing, 177 yards passing with a 47.1% completion rate in their 27-12 win over the Washington Redskins last October.
"When you've got those great read-option quarterbacks, you can't make a mistake. It puts more pressure on your defense to be right," LeBeau says. "You can't afford to surrender the big play. Make them go the hard way."
Coach Mike Tomlin says Pittsburgh's defense will be ready to say, "not so fast," if Locker does indeed follow in the read-option footsteps of RG3 and Colin Kaepernick.
"In today's NFL, there are a myriad of things you have to be prepared for whether no-huddle or read option," Tomlin said. "We have to make sure we use this time to prepare to stop them. ... Even if it is not in our personality offensively, we have to make sure our defense receives the proper looks to defend people."
On the first day of camp, Tomlin tweaked third-year cornerback Cortez Allen after he was burned by wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders on a 35-yard strike from Ben Roethlisberger.
"Cortez, they aren't going to be throwing at Ike (Taylor, the Steelers' No. 1 corner)," shouted Tomlin. He took the opportunity to hammer home that point as Allen replaces Keenan Lewis, who signed with the New Orleans Saints in free agency.
"You know who they'll be throwing at come September," Tomlin said. "Cortez needs to understand that. I'm sure he does.
"We're here building a world championship-caliber team. We've got a lot of work to do."
Fortunately for Tomlin, his tireless coordinator is already on the case.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Francisco Liriano has won twice as many games as he did a year ago and there's still two months to go in the season.
Liriano continued his recent dominance with seven strong innings, and Jose Tabata homered and drove in two runs to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 5-2 win over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday night.
Liriano (12-4) allowed only two hits to offset his five walks and had six strikeouts. The left-hander improved to 7-1 with a 1.65 ERA in his last eight starts for the NL Central leaders.
Last season, Liriano was a combined 6-12 with the Minnesota Twinsand Chicago White Sox. He has a hard time explaining his turnaround, which is a big reason why the Pirates hold a 1 1/2-game lead over St. Louis in the NL Central.
''What can I say?'' he said. ''Everything is going good for me and good for the team. I'm not really thinking about it too much. I'm just going out and pitching and trying to be aggressive and get people out. It's working out well for me and it is working out for well for the team because we're winning.''
Tabata hit his first home run since May 11 - a span of 112 plate appearances - and also tripled while going 3 for 4 to raise his average to .266. Tabata has hit just three homers this season, which is why general manager Neal Huntington tried to trade for an outfielder before the July 31 non-waiver deadline, though without success.
''We've seen Jose swing the bat like this before and be productive over the last few years,'' Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. ''Hopefully, he will get hot.''
The Rockies put men on base in six of Liriano's seven innings but they went 0 for 9 against him with runners on, including five hitless at-bats with runners in scoring position.
''When I walk people it's because I'm overthrowing,'' Liriano said. ''When guys got on base, I told myself to slow down and make pitches, not try to do too much.''
Colorado lost for the fifth time in six games.
''We had some opportunities early but like most of the good ones once he settled in he was tough,'' Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. ''He had a good changeup and his command was pretty good even though he walked some guys.''
Gaby Sanchez had two hits and two RBIs for Pittsburgh, while Jordy Mercer and Andrew McCutchen added two hits each.
Fill-in closer Mark Melancon pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his sixth save.
Jorge De La Rosa (10-6) pitched four-plus innings and gave up three runs on six hits while striking out three and walking two. The outing came a day after Rockies owner Dick Monfort said Colorado would exercise De La Rosa's $11 million club option for 2014.
''Jorge didn't have very good command,'' Weiss said. ''It was a struggle for him from the start.''
The Pirates scored one run each in the third through seventh innings to take a 5-0 lead.
In the third, Starling Marte led off with a single, stole second, took third on Jordy Mercer's groundout and scored on Andrew McCutchen's double. Tabata led off the fourth by homering over the 375 sign in right-center for his third of the season.
Sanchez hit run-scoring singles in both the fifth and seventh innings, while Tabata led off the sixth with a triple and scored on Josh Harrison's squeeze bunt.
Colorado finally scored a pair in the eighth on consecutive RBI singles by Troy Tulowitzki and Michael Cuddyer, who returned to the team after missing the previous two games because of a family emergency.
NOTES: Colorado LF Carlos Gonzalez was not in the lineup for a fourth straight game with a sprained right middle finger but hopes to play Sunday. ... Rockies 1B Todd Helton, who has normally been rested twice a week, played in nine straight games until being rested Saturday. ... Colorado RHP Roy Oswalt, on the disabled list with a strained right hamstring, was forced to cut short a simulated game because of tightness in the leg. ... Pittsburgh C Russell Martin sat out for the second time in three games because of left knee soreness. ... The Pirates will start RHP A.J. Burnett (4-7, 2.86 ERA) on Sunday against RHP Juan Nicasio (6-4, 4.92) in the three-game series finale.
