Notes: Pirates to make tough decisions

03/30/2006
BRADENTON, Fla. -- The Pittsburgh Pirates hope to have most, if not all, of their roster decisions made by Friday morning.
However, the team's brain trust might need to burn the midnight oil at their meeting Thursday night to get it all done.
Victor Santos and Brandon Duckworth didn't make the decision-making process any easier on their employers with their performances Thursday. Both competitors for the final starting rotation spot struggled in their spring finales.
Santos lasted 4 2/3 innings against the Twins and allowed seven runs (six earned) on 12 hits, seven of which went for extra bases. Duckworth, who pitched in a Minor League game at Pirate City, was charged with five runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings.
Pirates manager Jim Tracy and general manager Dave Littlefield downplayed the importance of the pitchers' performances Thursday in determining which of the two players would ultimately get the ball on April 4 against the Brewers.
"I didn't want either guy to go out there and feel that the weight of the world is on their shoulders," said Tracy. "We don't base decisions on 4 2/3 [innings]. You don't look at today and say, 'He won.' There are a lot of other things that come into play."
"You take into account a lot of things, not just one outing," said Littlefield. "We'll certainly take into account everything."
An overriding factor could be Santos' status as a Rule 5 Draft pick. If Santos does not remain on the Pirates' 25-man roster throughout the season, he must be offered back to his former team, the Kansas City Royals.
According to Littlefield, Santos and Duckworth are both also in consideration for a position as a long reliever in the bullpen.
Centers of attention: Perhaps Chris Duffy is not a lock to be the Pirates' regular center fielder, after all.
Wednesday, Littlefield told reporters, "Right now, Chris Duffy is the starting center fielder and we're going to go in that direction."
The Bucs' GM backed off of those comments somewhat Thursday.
"We have some tough decisions in center field and with our extra outfielders," said Littlefield. "We continue to talk about those things. Nothing is a lock.
"We have some decisions to make. We play 162 games. One game doesn't determine some guy being the everyday center fielder or the everyday catcher. We've got to kind of weed through some of these younger guys and see how they do."
Duffy batted .341 and played outstanding defense in 39 games with the Pirates as a rookie last season. He's had a tougher go of it this spring. Slowed by a sore shoulder and a concussion that occurred after he was hit in the head by a pitch, Duffy has hit .222 with one home run, five RBIs and two steals in 16 games.
"With the shoulder stuff, I come back and I feel like I have to show something," Duffy admitted. "I got really antsy, really eager to try to do too much. Then I get hit, I miss a week and I feel like I'm playing catchup. I'm not just relaxed and playing the game."
McLouth, who batted .257 in 41 games as a rookie in 2005, has been one of Pittsburgh's best players this spring. He's hit .352 with three home runs, 10 RBIs and six steals to make a legitimate push for a reserve spot in the outfield, if not the starting center field job.
"It shows that a lot of the hard work has been paying off and that things can improve," said McLouth. "As far as whether or not I end up here at the beginning of the season, who knows? At the beginning, it looked as if I definitely would not. But I think that's changed a little bit now."
"The way I've played, if you look at all-around what I've done, I think it deserves a shot," McLouth added. "But it's not my call, your call or anybody besides people in the [manager's] office's call. We'll let them do their job, because I think I've done mine."
11 or 12 in the 'pen?: McLouth's chances of at least making the team might have been helped by, of all things, starter Oliver Perez's dominating performance Wednesday against the Red Sox.
Tracy revealed Thursday that the Pirates are now considering beginning the season with 11 pitchers and 14 position players. But this might be difficult to pull off because of the lack of overall experience in the Pittsburgh starting rotation and a brutal schedule that has the Pirates playing 17 consecutive games before their first off-day of the season.
"This is one variable that we have to continue to discuss," said Tracy. "What's the best alternative for us? Is it 11? Do we take 12? As a result of that, a number of different areas of the ballclub with the decisions that you make become affected."
Carrara reassigned: The Pirates trimmed their active roster to 29 on Thursday by reassigning veteran right-hander Giovanni Carrara to the Minor League camp.
Prior to Spring Training, Carrara, 38, was considered a strong candidate to earn a spot in the bullpen because of his experience, his ability to work multiple innings, and his past success under Tracy with the Dodgers. However, the Venezuelan native Carrara reported late to camp because of difficulties attaining a work visa and missed time while playing in the World Baseball Classic. In his six Grapefruit League appearances, Carrara went 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in five innings.
"At this point, he just isn't ready, performance-wise," said Littlefield. "He needs some time in the Minor Leagues to get things back together where he feels and we would feel he could compete at the Major League level."
Carrara refused to use his participation in the Classic as an excuse for his struggles with the Pirates.
"When I came back, they told me they would give me a chance to pitch," said Carrara. "I wasn't myself. I was leaving every single pitch high. I've got to work on it."
With Carrara no longer in the mix, the loser of the Duckworth/Santos competition, Ryan Vogelsong, Terry Adams and Matt Capps remain in competition for the one or two long-relief spots in the Pirates bullpen. Vogelsong, who has posted a 7.71 ERA this spring, is no longer a lock for a job.
"There are a lot of guys out there fighting for jobs," said Littlefield, "and Ryan's one of them."
Marte returns to the mound: Southpaw Damaso Marte, who injured his throwing shoulder during the World Baseball Classic and was bothered by a stiff neck earlier this week, pitched a perfect inning of relief Thursday in a Minor League game at Pirate City.
Marte will likely have to pitch in at least one big-league exhibition game before the Pirates break camp for the team to consider him for the 25-man Opening Day roster.
"We'll see how he feels tomorrow when he comes in," said Littlefield, "and we'll talk about that more [Thursday]."

Source: http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/