Gorzo's start good enough

By Joe Starkey
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, June 25, 2008



Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Tom Gorzelanny pitches against the New York Yankees in the third inning of their Interleague MLB baseball game in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania June 24, 2008. REUTERS/Jason Cohn (UNITED STATES)

Tom Gorzelanny made something of a name for himself by winning 14 games last season -- just not enough of one to reach parts of New York City, apparently.

That became clear 2 1/2 hours before the first pitch Tuesday night at PNC Park, during a verbal volley between one of an unusually large number of reporters milling around the visiting clubhouse and Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter.

Reporter: "Do you know much about Gorzelanny?"

Jeter: "No. Is that who's pitching?"

Reporter: "You faced him last year (a 5-4 Yankees victory)."

Jeter: "How did we do?"

Reporter: "I don't know."

Jeter: "I really don't know, either. I have no idea."

Not one of the more riveting exchanges in journalism history, but it served to underscore the fact that Jeter -- like a lot of us -- needs to see more before Gorzelanny makes any kind of lasting impression.

That remains true after the Pirates' 12-5 victory, one in which Gorzelanny offset bouts of wildness with some clutch pitches.

By definition, it was a quality start.

In reality, it was a mediocre one -- six innings, six hits, five walks, three earned runs.

But that leads to a critical point: Mediocre starts usually are good enough with the way the Pirates have been pounding the ball this season. Last night's win, in which they smacked 19 hits, gave them a 27-17 record when the starter merely lasts six innings.

Problem is, Gorzelanny and Ian Snell -- the Pirates' alleged aces -- haven't been close to mediocre for most of the season. They've been awful. Gorzelanny had failed to make it through six innings in half of his 14 starts before last night. Snell, who might miss his next start with a sore elbow, has not made it that far in seven of 16.

For much of last night's game, Gorzelanny (6-6, 6.43 earned-run average) flirted with disaster, throwing just 47 of his 99 pitches for strikes.

"He was I guess what you'd call effectively wild," said Jeter, who hit into a double play and later left runners on first and second. "He had problems finding the strike zone, but we didn't knock him out, maybe, when we had a chance to.

"He made some pitches when he needed them, and they literally were hitting from the first pitch of the game (Nate McLouth's leadoff double)."

Yankees pitcher Darrell Rasner had never reached first base in a major league game (in six at-bats) before Gorzelanny treated him to a pair of free trips. The first mound visit from catcher Ryan Doumit came after the sixth pitch of a two-walk first inning. The first visit from pitching coach Jeff Andrews came in the midst of 10 straight balls in the third. The crowd cheered sarcastically when Gorzelanny broke the streak.

A couple of double plays helped keep the Yankees scoreless through three. After giving up a run in the fourth, Gorzelanny worked out of a bases-loaded jam when he got leadoff man Melky Cabrera on a fielder's choice. He finished his night by retiring Cabrera on a fly out to center with a runner on second.

"I wish I could go out there and cruise through a game," Gorzelanny said. "I haven't done it all year, but you take what you can get."

Somebody asked Jeter, during that pre-game media scrum, to explain the Yankees' improved play of late.

"First and foremost, it's been our pitching," he said. "Any time you're winning a lot of games, it usually has to do with your pitching."

Don't the Pirates know it. They allowed a total of 15 runs during their season-high, six-game winning streak last month.

On many other nights, the starting pitching has been terrible. If it can somehow be upgraded to mediocre -- especially at the top of the rotation -- a winning season is possible.

Joe Starkey is a sports writer for the Tribune-Review. He can be reached at jstarkey@tribweb.com.