Dodgers rough up Pirates' pitchers in 13-5 win

2012-03-17 00:35:52

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By Paul Meyer / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The circumstances surrounding Oliver Perez's early departure from the Pirates' 13-5 loss to Los Angeles yesterday were as baffling as his performance against the Dodgers.

As manager Jim Tracy walked to the mound in the fifth inning to prematurely lift yet another Pirates starter, Perez looked into the Dodgers' dugout.

Dodgers pitcher Jae Seo, a South Korean, hollered at Perez about pitching too far inside at times. Catcher Sandy Alomar Jr., born in Puerto Rico, sided with his teammate.

Perez, from Mexico, stretched out his hands in a "What?" kind of gesture. There was more abuse from the Dodgers.

However, this little episode ended as soon as Tracy took the ball from the left-hander.

"We had a Mexican pitcher, a Puerto Rican catcher and a Korean pitcher all yelling at each other," Dodgers manager Grady Little said. "I couldn't understand what any of them said."

No doubt Tracy couldn't fathom what had just happened to this day's Pirates starting pitcher, either.

Perez, handed the start in the season opener 12 days ago, was wildly ineffective for the second time in three starts. The pitcher who is supposed to anchor a very young starting rotation couldn't get through the fifth inning for the second time in three starts.

And the pitcher who two years ago had some people thinking about winning multiple Cy Young awards now looks a lot more like an Indianapolis Indian in waiting.

In short, this is not what the Pirates counted on from Perez.

"I think Oliver Perez has to realize that he has to help settle the waters," said Tracy, mindful his rotation has allowed a torrent of hits, walks and runs. "I'm not looking for perfection. You don't expect that. Just keep us in the game. Keep us around."

Perez threw 106 pitches yesterday -- 43 of them balls. In his 42/3 innings, he doled out 9 hits, 5 walks and 6 runs -- the final four coming on Cody Ross's grand slam on a split-finger changeup that, according to Tracy, "didn't do much of anything. It just sat right there in the middle of the plate."

Perez was a mess mechanically, just as he seemed to be in his start Saturday in Cincinnati.

"I try not to think about these last two games," Perez said. "That happened [to him] last year, and my mind was lost."

However, Tracy will think about those two games and why Perez far too often is throwing pitches no major-league hitter is "even going to think about taking a swing at."

However, Perez wasn't the only culprit yesterday.

Ryan Vogelsong, whom Tracy surely wanted to pitch longer than two-thirds of an inning, yielded four runs in a sloppy sixth. That rally began with two walks and included a balk, a hit batter and a three-run home run by Ross off Damaso Marte on a first-pitch fastball.

"About mid-thigh, right down the middle," Tracy said. "They're going to hit pitches like that -- Cody or anybody else."

That amounted to seven RBIs on the day for Ross, who became the first Dodger to have seven RBIs in a game since Shawn Green did it May 23, 2002, in Milwaukee.

The bottom line was that Tracy had to send out closer Mike Gonzalez to pitch the ninth because the bullpen is being used up quickly.

"The ninth inning [yesterday] is the one I don't like because I've got a pitcher out there and I'm adding up the pitches that he should not be throwing," Tracy said. "You don't want to see him throwing those pitches. Those are not meaningful pitches for Mike Gonzalez to have to throw."

This, fans, cannot continue.

"We certainly have to [have the Pirates' starters] pitch deeper into the game," Tracy said. "We're using entirely too much bullpen. It's early in the season, but over the course of the long haul I can promise you that won't work. You can't use bullpen at that rapid a pace.

"If [the relievers] continue to have to pick their gloves up day in and day out, somewhere along the line that's going to catch up with you."

In 11 games, Pirates starters have worked just 552/3 innings, but they've packed a lot of negative stuff into them -- 77 hits, including 13 home runs, 33 walks and 45 earned runs.

"We're dealing with a lot of baserunners," Tracy said. "We need more innings [from the starters]. We need cleaner innings.

"The frustrating part is realizing we have a very competent offense and they've shown their mettle a number of times already. The capabilities of our offense are there. But we have to be kept around in the game in order to be able to do some things."

The Pirates yesterday scratched their way back into this game after falling behind, 2-0, in the third. In the fourth, Jose Castillo singled in a run before Jeromy Burnitz alertly scored on a short wild pitch by Dodgers starter Derek Lowe.

Ross' grand slam in the fifth immediately negated that effort. Burnitz hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth, -- keeping the Pirates "around in the game" -- but the Vogelsong/Marte performance in the sixth took the Pirates out of it.

"You can only dodge so many bullets," general manager Dave Littlefield said. "Sooner or later, they're going to get you."

Peter Diana, Post-Gazette
Starting pitcher Oliver Perez shows his disgust as Dodgers outfielder Cody Ross rounds third after hitting a grand slam in the fifth inning. Ross followed that with a three-run blast in the sixth.
Click photo for larger image.

Scouting report

Opponent: Chicago Cubs (5-3).

Site: PNC Park.

Times: 7:05 p.m. today and tomorrow, 1:35 p.m. Sunday.

TV, radio: Tonight and Sunday on FSN Pittsburgh, all games on KDKA-AM (1020) and Pirates Radio Network.

Starting matchups: LHP Sean Marshall (0-1, 8.31) vs. RHP Victor Santos (1-1, 4.66), RHP Jerome Williams (0-0, 6.00) vs. LHP Zach Duke (0-1, 6.55) and LHP Glendon Rusch (0-2, 8.00) vs. RHP Ian Snell (0-0, 9.00).

Season series: First meeting. Cubs won season series last year, 11-5.

Three things to know about the Cubs: 1. Continue to be without injured starters Mark Prior (shoulder tightness) and Kerry Wood (shoulder surgery in the fall). Wood could return by the first week of May. Prior's return date is at least a week later. 2. The absence of Prior and Wood gave Marshall, 23, a chance to pitch in the major leagues despite having never pitched above Class AA. Marshall, who's 6 feet 7, made his big-league debut Sunday night against St. Louis and allowed four hits, a walk and four runs in 41/3 innings. "It was very exciting -- a once-in-a-lifetime experience, for sure," Marshall said of his debut. "I'm glad to get this one under my belt." 3. The Cubs have dominated the Pirates recently, winning 19 of the past 24 games dating to June 5, 2004. The Pirates haven't won the season series between the teams since 1999 and are 33-54 since.

The Pirates' key to success: They don't have to face Cubs starters Greg Maddux and Carlos Zambrano. Plus, Santos lifetime against the Cubs has pitched well, compiling a 2.74 ERA in 11 appearances.

The intangible: Will Craig Wilson maintain his good work against Rusch? And will he have the opportunity? Wilson lifetime against the left-hander is 14 for 26. Sean Casey is 4 for 23. Jeromy Burnitz is 2 for 20.

On deck: Three games against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park.

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