Kritik und Lob » Zimmerman said before Friday nights

PITTSBURGH -- Clint Hurdle has gained an appreciation for advanced metrics during his six seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The manager, though, doesnt need to dive too deeply into the numbers to figure out where his team went wrong in 2016.The game will always start with pitching, Hurdle said. Always has, always will. If you look at it any other way, I think youre confused.There was no confusion about what happened in Pittsburgh over the summer, when a bid for a fourth straight playoff berth cratered underneath the weight of a starting rotation that failed to live up to the standards set by its predecessors and a bullpen that faltered in crucial moments. The Pirates finished 18th in the majors in ERA (4.21), a full run a game higher than they allowed while winning 98 games in 2015.A.J. Burnetts retirement and the inability to re-sign J.A. Happ last winter led Pittsburgh to take fliers on erratic veterans Jon Niese, Juan Nicasio and Ryan Vogelsong in the hopes pitching coach Ray Searage could replicate the magic that rejuvenated the careers of players like Burnett and Francisco Liriano. It simply didnt work. Niese was back with the New York Mets by August. Liriano was shipped to Toronto at the trade deadline following a nightmarish loss in form. Nicasio finished the year as a reliever and Vogelsong looked every bit his age as the 39-year-old went 0-3 with a 7.48 ERA over the final month.How shaky was the rotation for the Pirates? Jeff Locke led them in innings pitched (127 1/3) and he spent the second half of the season as a long reliever.We took some chances on things early that didnt work out as anticipated, Hurdle said. Were well aware of what we need to do to improve to be a championship-caliber team.The goal over the winter will be figuring out how to get there in a typically competitive division that spent 2016 watching the Chicago Cubs become a distant spec on the horizon while they won the NL Central by an astounding 17 + games.Some takeaways from six months of middling baseball that offered glimpses of promise and concern in near equal measure.THE CUTCH QUANDRY: Pittsburghs rise to contender coincided with star centerfielder Andrew McCutchens evolution into one of the games best players. The 2013 NL MVP, however, never found a rhythm in 2016. His .256 batting average marked a career low and he struck out a career-high 143 times. Hes about to enter the final year of his contract and the Pirates front office has shown it wont hesitate to deal away favorite sons if necessary. They did it a year ago when second baseman Neil Walker -- entering his final season of arbitration -- was sent to New York in exchange for Niese.Asked on Sunday if expected to be back in 2017, McCutchen took a pragmatic approach.I mean Im under contract with them right? McCutchen said. So thats the way Im looking at it but like I said, I dont align the stars, Im not the person who controls all that.PROSPERING PROSPECTS: Two years removed from Tommy John surgery that threatened his development, Jameson Taillon looked like a top-end starter while going 5-4 with a 3.38 ERA in 18 starts. Perhaps the most encouraging sign is Taillons durability. He threw a combined 165 innings between the minors and the majors and didnt give up more than three runs in five September starts.Tyler Glasnows introduction to the majors was a bit rockier but hell have all offseason to work on his mechanics and should arrive for spring training with a spot in the rotation as his to lose. First baseman Josh Bell brought a needed jolt of energy in 45 games, hitting .273 with three home runs and showed impressive plate discipline drawing 21 walks against 19 strikeouts.I like the fact that weve got young some really good young players in place for some time together, Hurdle said. I think it bodes well for us.WATSONS WORKLOAD: The Pirates raised eyebrows when they sent All-Star closer Mark Melancon to Washington before the trade deadline and longtime apprentice Tony Watson dealt with some issues after moving from his set-up role to the back end of the bullpen. He blew four of his 19 save chances after taking over, including one in what became an 8-7 extra inning loss to the Cubs on Aug. 29 that sent Pittsburgh into an eight-game skid from which it never fully recovered. Hell almost certainly arrive in Bradenton as the closer, with Felipe Rivero -- acquired from the Nationals -- expected to become the setup man full-time.BIG SPENDERS? Ivan Nova looked right at home in PNC Park after coming over from the New York Yankees. Nova went 5-2 with a 3.06 ERA for the Pirates, who are aggressively trying to court Nova to stick around before he hits free agency. With a thin class to compete against, however, Nova wont come cheap on the open market. He may, however, be Pittsburghs best bet to give Taillon and Gerrit Cole -- who battled injuries all season -- some help at the top of the rotation.Nike Baseball Jerseys China .com) - The women will also have a new champion at the Australian Open. Wholesale Nike Baseball Jerseys . As he recorded his 23rd and 24th points of the evening, a segment of the sellout Air Canada Centre crowd expressed their appreciation for the Raptors point guard with a smattering of MVP chants. https://www.fakebaseballjerseys.com/ . Ferrer, trying to win his fourth title on Mexican soil, will next play South Africas Kevin Anderson, who eliminated American Sam Querrey,7-6 (2), 6-4. Also Wednesday, Gilles Simon (6) of France beat Donald Young of the United States 6-4, 6-3, Ukraines Alexandr Dolgopolov downed Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-4 and Croatias Ivo Karlovic defeated Dudi Sela of Israel 7-6 (4), 6-2. Fake Nike Baseball Jerseys China . World champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia won the gold medal with 237.71 points, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch followed at 208.45 and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia were third at 187. Fake Baseball Jerseys . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night.NEW YORK -- Philadelphias Ryan Howard and Washingtons Ryan Zimmerman have been cleared by Major League Baseball of allegations they used banned performance-enhancing substances.Pharmacist Charlie Sly claimed in an Al-Jazeera America documentary The Dark Side: Secrets of Sports Doping, which was broadcast Dec. 27, that the two used banned performance-enhancing substances.In a brief statement Friday, MLB said its investigation did not find any violations of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program by either Howard or Zimmerman.MLB said the players cooperated with its investigation and Sly did not.Howard, a three-time All-Star, and Zimmerman, a one-time All-Star, denied the allegations and in January sued Al-Jazeera America, Al Jazeera reporter Deborah Davies and former hurdler Liam James Collins, who was said to have assisted in the documentarys reporting. The suits, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., claimed defamation and false light invasion of privacy.The accusations from Al-Jazeera came out of nowhere, and I was shocked and outraged by their false claims, Howard said in a statement. I welcomed the investigation by Major League Baseball as an opportunity to clear my name. I was fully cooperative and transparent in the process, and MLBs findings validate what I have said publicly.Al Jazeera America at first claimed in a text report the two may have used human growth hormone, then changed the text report to the banned steroid Delta 2, conforming with the broadcast documentary. Sly, who worked as an intern at an anti-aging clinic, later recanted his claims.The three defendants asked the court too dismiss the suits.dddddddddddd The parties in the Zimmerman suit last month asked U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to hold a hearing on the motion.I understand why Major League Baseball found it necessary to explore this matter, and I appreciate that MLB, after a thorough investigation, was able to publicly affirm my innocence, Zimmerman said in a statement.Throughout my life and career, I have been true to myself, my family, the Nationals organization and my community. It is not right that a so-called news organization and its personnel can publicly make false accusations that damage my reputation and call into question my integrity without any consequences whatsoever.Both players reiterated they would press forward with their defamation claims, filed in U.S. District CourtThe whole point of the lawsuit was to not allow people to basically smear your name without any evidence or without any proof, Zimmerman said before Friday nights game at Atlanta. So that will go on.Former major league catcher Taylor Teagarden, another player implicated in the Al-Jazeera report, was suspended for 80 games in April.The report also implicated NFL players Peyton Manning, Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers, James Harrison and Mike Neal. Manning, now retired, was cleared by the NFL after an investigation. The NFL is still investigating Matthews and Peppers, who play for Green Bay, Pittsburghs Harrison and Neal, a free agent.---AP freelance writer Amy Jinkner-Lloyd in Atlanta contributed to this report. ' ' '