|
Russell won't shut down Doumit despite three other options
Sept. 4, 2008 -- With the September call-ups allowed for an expanded
roster, in addition to a bucketload of pitchers, the PBC leaders called up two more cathers: Ronny Paulino, the starter the
past two years; and Robinzon Diaz, the "player to be named later" in the Jose Bautista trade to Toronto.
Ryan Doumit's faithful fans may have worried that he'd sit a lot of September, despite his team-leading
batting average and his skill growth behind the plate.
According to the Pirates Web site today, Superman is not being benched:
Ryan Doumit will continue to be the starting catcher. And while
he may be spelled a few extra days of rest during September, it won't be many.
"He's been going pretty hard, but we'd still like him to finish
the season strong," manager John Russell said of Doumit. "We still have some things we'd like him to work at with the catching
and game calling. We still have time to do that. We don't want to shut that down."
Behind Doumit sits backup Raul Chavez, along with Paulino and
recently acquired young catcher, Robinzon Diaz. The Pirates brought Diaz up this month to get an initial impression of his
abilities at the Major League level since he is now in the mix for the backup role next year.
Doumit played two of the three games against the Reds in Cincinatti this week. He was 0-for in
the first game and two-for three in the second game (Wednesday) with a single, a double, two RBI, a walk and Intentional Base
on Balls. In Thursday's afternoon game, Chavez caught the game and Doumit pinch hit in the ninth, getting a single and
being replaced on first with a designated runner, Brian Bixler, who was stranded in the 8-6 loss to the Reds in nine.
Some links to Doumit's hits from the Wednesday game:
Doumit's RBI double
Doumit's RBI single
|
| Aug. 31, 2008 from the Post-Gazette |
As September rolls in ...
Sept. 2, 2008 -- The Pirates are rolling into the last month of the season,
with the additional players expected to be announced this week as the team starts a road trip in Cincinatti.
This is from the Pirates site, posted Sunday:
The Pirates are out of postseason contention as the season winds
down, but general manager Neal Huntington made it clear Sunday that there is something to play for in September.
"Every game we play from here on out is an audition, for all of
us," Huntington said. "The evaluation process started the first day we got here and it will end the last day that we're here.
We need players that want to continue to play hard and show that they're going to be a part of this thing going forward --
whether that's somebody that's been here for a long time or somebody that's battling.
"We have some veterans in place and we have some players that
seem to be in place, but we need to finish this thing out. We need to continue to prepare, we need to continue compete and
we need to continue to try to win."
Huntington indicated there are a core of players in place, but
nothing is a given in the Pirates organization.
There has been word of the Pirates planning on securing Ryan Doumit through all his arbitration
years (his arbitration eligible after this season) and into free agency, tabbing him and All-Star Nate McLouth for long-term
contracts. There is also a lot of expectation that Pitching Ace Paul Maholm be signed long term too. As the new management
has shown this year, a contract is only as good as the player's performance and general readiness to play the game to win
(hence the release of Matt Morris in April, and the demotion and trade of arbitration year players like Jose Bautista this
season).
| Aug. 27, 2008 |
|
| A few more new photos like this are on Ryan's photo page. Navigate to them using the bar on the left |
A few things to smile about
Aug. 28, 2008 -- Finding good Pirates news or commentary
the last two weeks is like trying to find a tree in a desert.
The Bucs host the Milwaukee Brewers Friday through Sunday of Labor
Day weekend; Thursday was off after a three game sweep by the Chicago Cubs. Ryan reached base safely Monday and Tuesday
and sat out Wednesday.
The media outlets and the blogs have little good to say: The sweep
by the Cubs brought the team to a season-high seven game losing streak; $6 million dollar first draft pick Pedro Alvarez is
taking back his "I accept" and is on MLB's restricted list; and the offense for the Pirates hasn't been what it was in July.
On a positive note, here's a few things to smile about:
- Zach Duke's performance - and line - in Wednesday's game.
- Jesse Chavez' major league debut Wednesday - a 1-2-3 ninth.
- Matt Capps is back.
- Nate McLouth got well.
- Ryan is still the every day, starting catcher leading all major league
catchers in batting average.
- New pictures on Ryan's photo page from Aug. 27, even though he sat
that one and opportunities are limited in that situation.
Going into Wednesday's game, there was cause for the web boss here
to be grumpy: The Cubs were in town; we were surrounded by folks in blue with their white flag with the blue "W" on it in
their laps, ready to wave it after nine; it was supposed to rain; and Ryan wasn't playing after more than four hours of game
the night before. As we sat down, three guys sat behind us. Pirate fans, thankfully. One said "Doumit isn't playing" and the
other said back "He's out today after last night." Given all the points-for-grouchy above, I wasn't taking any chances. I
turned around and said "Are you guys going to sit back there and say something nasty about Ryan Doumit?" Figuring if that
were the case, I'd go Chuck Norris on them right then. One said "No. He's the best player we got. I wish he was playing."
The other one said "Why? Are you his wife?" I laughed for ten minutes over that, then told that guy he was my new favorite
person ever ... before telling them Ryan would have way better taste than that, but as long as they were fans of his, I wouldn't
have to get all ugly on them. We worked together in heckling Cub fans after that.
Doumit sits a game after illness, hitting continues
Aug. 24, 2008 -- Ryan Doumt left the game Friday night, Aug. 22, in the seventh
inning. It took nearly a full inning and a half before word was let out that he left the game with flu-like symptoms (after
the Xavier Nady/Damaso Marte game-time trade on July 25, that kind of lagtime should never happen {the
web boss hear couldn't have been the only person hyperventilating into a paper bag right then, right?}) that
Manager John Russell later said was more likely dehydration.
Doumit sat out Saturday night's game at Milwaukee and played the Sunday afternoon game.
On Wednesday, the last game of the Cardinals series, Doumit went 3-for-four with two RBI and
his 13th homerun of the season, giving the Pirates their only two runs of the night on his two-run homer.
On Friday, before leaving the game against the Brewers, Doumit was 1-for-3 with one RBI in
the 10-3 loss.
On Sunday, in an extra inning game that went 12, Doumit was 2-for-6 with an RBI -- bringing
his RBI total to 50 -- for the 4-3 loss.
Doumit finished the game with a team-leading .330 avg; still leading all major league catchers
in batting average.
Going into Wednesday's game, Doumit had started 69 of the 78 games played since the All Star
break.
The not always kind Pirates Blog "Where Have You Gone Andy Van Slyke" explains the perceived
"August Slump" of Ryan Doumit offensively this way:
Ryan Doumit 2006: 235 total plate appearances, 21 total games caught
Ryan Doumit 2007: 258 total plate appearances, 41 total games caught
Ryan Doumit 2008: 354 total plate appearances, 81 total games caught
To which Pirates beat writer and PBC Blog prince Dejan Kovacevic says
this of the Slyke blog assessment:
"And he finishes just before Doumit adds another three-hit
game to his decline. Doumit is batting .306 for the month, with a home run, six doubles and nine RBIs. All declines should
be so devastating."
Doumit's 13 homerun of the season
|
| This painting could be available to fans to benefit Pirates Charities. |
Did you know?
Aug. 19, 2008 -- The paintings of the Pirates players
created as part of the at-bat presentation during home games will be offered to fans at various Pirate events in the
off-season to benefit Pirates Charities.
The paintings, done by the Camera Guy, are shown during one inning
as each player comes to the plate. The other player features include the photo booth photos of the player, the Pirate
caricature of each player, the historic Pirates players wearing the same number as the current Buc at bat.
Some of the events where Pirates game-used items (bats, jerseys,
a certain catcher's game used, autographed helmet last year) are available in either a silent auction or raffle format include
the Pirates Caravan and PirateFest.
|
|
For a Ryan Doumit flashback! A Question and Answer interview with Doumit from 2002 when he was playing for the Hickory Crawdads in the
Pirates system has been added to the "Inside Ry" page. Click the page title on the left navigation bar then scroll down past
the recent Pirates Insider article to the flashback.
Also, three more pictures from the Aug. 13 game at PNC, a Paul Maholm victory against the Reds, have been
posted on Ryan's Photos page. Newest at the top.
|
More games, more fear of his bat
Aug. 17, 2008 --With a month
and a half left in regular season, despite the big draft acquisitions and the trades that show the tide is turning on the
priorities of stocking the Pirates farm system, Pirate commentators (print, television, radio, pick any or all) are starting
to get well... fussy. Picky. Argumentative. Grouchy even.
Hence the "that should have been caught" and the "why didn't he throw the
ball in" and the "he swung at ball four" comments that are more prevalent and are dispensed on every guy in the line-up.
This kind of negative bend also makes folks question why Nate
McLouth and Ryan Doumit haven't been blistering the ball to the seats since the All-Star break. According to the article below,
there are a few good reasons. Keep in mind that Doumit used to be hidden, so to speak, in the batting order between Xavier
Nady and Jason Bay who both had widespread reputations of a hot bat. Now Doumit is the batter to fear in the line-up
as is Nate. Doumit had a better batting average than either Bay or Nady pre-trade, but the name recognition wasn't as strong.
As of Sunday, Aug. 17, Ryan Doumit started behind the dish in 24 or the
30 games since the All-Star Break and leads ALL major league catchers in batting average. He's started more games and had
more plate appearances at the major league level this year than he ever has.
From the Post-Gazette:
No one would argue that this season has been
a grind unlike any other for Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit.
In his first full-time season playing the position,
that was expected coming out of spring training.
What is up for debate, however, is if the grind
is starting to have an impact on his production.
"I think it is the time of year where everyone is getting tired," Doumit said before the game last night. "I'm starting
to feel it a little bit, but you have to dig deep. I don't think it has affected me at the plate at all, though."
That said, there has been a drop-off in Doumit's
productivity of late, even though he headed into the game last night with a .331 batting average that led all major league
catchers.
Doumit had gone 14 for 49 (.286) in August after
hitting .356 in April, .333 in both May and June and .317 in July. Of Doumit's 12 home runs, one had come since the All-Star
break.
Pirates manager John Russell
is an authority on what Doumit is going through. In 10 seasons in the majors, Russell was primarily a catcher.
"It is a different experience for him," Russell
said of Doumit. "Obviously, he has never caught this many games at this level. Him and I talk about it ... there is some mental
frame that he has to be in, but I think what he did last winter and what he has done this season about his conditioning has
really helped him. It is a grind, it is a lot of baseball."
Doumit said at this time last year he was between
220 and 225 pounds. Now, he weighs about 210, thanks to a vigorous conditioning program.
Russell also offered a clue to Doumit's slight
slide, saying that perhaps opposing teams have caught on to just how potent he is offensively. As a result, they are pitching
to him differently.
"Right now, for example, I think our guys are
trying to do a little bit too much because we are not scoring," Russell said.
"You try to do a little too much, and it will
take you out of your approach. But, obviously, word has also gotten out that Nate [McLouth]
and Ryan are very good hitters, so that has been a factor, too."
|
| August 13, 2008 game vs. Cinc. Reds |
Doumit: Baseball's 'Quiet Success Story'
PITTSBURGH -- Reds manager Dusty Baker called Ryan Doumit one of
the "quiet success stories in baseball."
Doumit, a switch-hitting catcher with power from both sides of the
plate, has hit .331 with 12 home runs and 43 RBIs heading into Wednesday night.
Which is why several National League teams have employed the infield
shift this month when Doumit comes to the plate as a left-handed hitter. The Reds were added to that list after their victory
on Tuesday night.
"I was talking about that today with one of my coaches," Baker said.
"[He's] a switch-hitting catcher, hitting .340, and if you turn him around, he's hitting .320 on one side and .370 on the
other side. I saw some glimpses of it last year, when he was in and out [due to injuries]."
Baker said it was more of a scouting report than out of respect for
the Pirates' 27-year-old catcher.
Out of Doumit's 74 hits from the left side, 67 of them have been pulled
or hit up the middle. From the right side, however, Doumit has the same amount of pulled hits (six) as he does to the opposite
way.
"Is it a respect thing? It could be," Pirates manager John Russell
said. "They might be doing it to see how he reacts mentally. Some of the [outs] he's hit to the right side normally would
be hits, but like in Arizona, he's hit some balls up the middle that if they played him straight up would have been outs.
"I think it's evened out for him. It doesn't seem to really affect
him."
Hitting coach Don Long, on the other hand, doesn't even want Doumit
to notice it when he's at the plate.
"What's the point?" Long said. "You're still trying to get a good
ball to hit and hit it hard. You can't try to hit according to the defense. If you try to do that, you're thinking about too
much."
Apparently, Doumit isn't thinking of it at all.
-from MLB.com
| Stops at second on fan interference |
|
| Doumit nearly hit a grand slam at PNC park, but stopped at second on fan interference. |
Doumit gets 'thisclose' to Grand Slam
Aug. 13, 2008 -- In the Pirates defeat of the Cincinati Reds at
PNC Park Aug. 13, Paul Maholm pitched an outstanding two run game over 8 full innings with zero walks and Ryan Doumit, on
the anniversary of the wrist sprain that disabled him last August, nearly hit a granny.
In the fifth inning, Jason Michaels hit a homerun with new leftfielder
Brandon Moss aboard, putting the Pirates ahead of the Reds 2-1.
Doumit came to bat with Doug Mientkiewicz, Luis Rivas and Nate McLouth
on deck, two outs, and hit a 2-0 pitch from former Bucco Josh Fogg of the Reds right to the Clemente Wall.
The ball looked to have bounced off the rim of the wall, but an
overeager fan reached out, which umpires ruled fan interference, and Doumit stayed at second, adding two RBI to his stats
and giving the Pirates a 4-1 lead.
Link to video of the hit below...
Pract-darn-nearly a grand slam
|
| Bullpen warm up before the Aug. 13 game at PNC. |
Working on a season that proves the label
wrong
From the Post-Gazette Pirate Chat Transcript
Aug. 13:
SeanE: Speaking of (Catcher
Ronny) Paulino and the catchers spot in general, is there some concern that (Ryan) Doumit has taken a beating back there this
year? Clearly his bat needs to be in the lineup but is management worried that keeping him behind the plate may not be in
his long term best interests?
Dejan Kovacevic: Doumit
wants to play every day, to establish the durability he has failed to show in years past. No question, he wants that even
more than the offensive numbers. He is sick of the oft-injured label.
Pirates beat Mets, head home
Aug. 11, 2008 -- The Pittsburgh Pirates came back
from a four-run deficit late in the game against the New York Mets at New York and won the game 7-5 in nine innings.
Ryan Doumit had a sacrifice fly and a base hit RBI to tie the game in the ninth. Click on the
link below this article to see the MLB.com archive video of that hit - to the base of the wall in center scoring Luis Rivas
to bring the score to 5-5 and advancing Doug Mientkiewicz to third.
The Bucs were listless early and had a few errors including a dead-on Nate McLouth
assist from center that Doumit missed the tag on, and he described the play for MLB.com as "inexcusable." The team, as
a whole offensively, came together in the end and ended the long road trip with a W.
"Today was a big win for us," Doumit said. "They had the momentum
the entire game, and us coming off an extremely long road trip, this is going to be a nice little breath of fresh air going
back home."
Doumit's game tying single
|
| St. Sebastian - watch over the catcher! |
Road trip against division leaders ends
Aug. 10, 2008 -- The Pirates ended their three-stop, post-trade road trip
against division leaders Sunday with a loss in Philadelphia. The Pirates picked up one win in each series - one in Chicago
on Jeff Karstens first Pirate start; one in Arizona on a Jeff Karstens complete game 2-hit shutout and the third in Philadelphia
on an extra-innings shutout.
In the Philadelphia series, Ryan Doumit went 1 for 5 on Saturday with a hit in the 12th and
scoring the first of two runs in that inning to end the game. The Bucs won 2-0. On Saturday he was 0 for 4 in the 4-2 loss
with Ian Snell on the mound. On Sunday, with Jason Davis making his first start for the Pirates, Doumit was 2 for 4 with one
run and one strikeout, leaving his average at a team-leading .333 in the 6-3 loss that included three Pirate errors and one
run on a passed ball.
Saturday night Doumit was banged up twice behind the dish, taking two more foul balls hard
off the face mask. He stayed in the game, and was back Sunday afternoon. Doumit suffered a concussion earlier in the season
being the pinball bumper behind the plate when on the road against the White Sox during interleague play.
The Pirates make up a game Aug. 11 in New York against the Mets - a weather makeup from the
first game of the April series - a night game called for weather in the afternoon that day. Then the Bucs come home to host
the Reds - the first of the last three homestands at PNC (the Bucs have a September full of road games).
Next original pictures for the site will be after the Aug. 13 game against the Reds at PNC.
As for the picture at right - St. Sebastian is the Patron Saint of Athletes - it's the closest
I could get to helping the catcher behind the plate. Why there isn't a patron saint of catchers who take foul balls off the
mask is a mystery that needs solved.
Pirates president: Can't break the bank on signing pick
when there's Doumit to secure
Aug. 7, 2008 --Frank Coonelly, president of the Pittsburgh Pirates, wants
to sign No. 1 draft pick Pedro Alvarez. The Pirates want Pedro.
But Pedro's agent is Scott Boras, and with the Aug. 15 draft signing deadline looming on the
horizon, Coonelly said today that while the PBC will pay, it will not empty the coffers.
Said coffers have to have some reserves for three contract talks the organization would like
to get started before the end of the season if possible: Ryan Doumit, Nate McLouth and Paul Maholm.
On Aug. 7 the Post-Gazette clarified that Coonelly has not ruled out contract talks for
long-term extensions with Maholm, but the club definitely has in place a plan to secure for the long term Doumit and McLouth.
On a scale of institutional thinking change of 1-10, this could be a 14. First, past
management has not valued Doumit or McLouth as anything other than temporary fillers, bench guys - the backup and the fourth
outfielder. This year both players, under new management and with the chance Manager John Russell has given them, both have
walked right out of their straight-jacket of former management's perception and into the land of "watch what I can do."
Paul Maholm is the Pirates winningest pitcher this season.
Going into the Aug. 6 game, Doumit was leading the NL in hits since July 10 with 33, tied with
Mike Aviles and Steven Drew. He's 17 points or more higher in batting average than any other catching in the National League.
McLouth leads the league in doubles and ranks near the top in RBIs. He is the only centerfielder
left with a perfect fielding percentage.
The other reason for the "whoa" behind the signing is the Pirates want to try to secure this
guys, entering their first year of arbitration this offseason, into free agency.
Yes, you read that right. Past arbitration years before they begin.
All this came to light in the Post-Gazette today, the same day Jeff Karstens challenged the
Diamondbacks in Arizona throwing a perfect game through 7 2/3 and ending with a complete game, 2-hit shutout. Randy Johnson
was the losing pitcher. The same Randy Johnson that Doumit, on June 9, said the Pirates aren't scared of. (see the "Doumit
Said" page on this site for the full quote.)
The link to the MLB.com article about how the Pirates trades, Latin American development, free
agency signings and cornerstone plans are shaping up the organization is below.
Investing in developing core
Doumit's bat stays hot on post-trade road trip as reconfigured
team battles on
Aug. 3, 2008 --In the series against the Chicago
Cubs in Chicago - the first full post-trade series (which means two-thirds of the Pirates' formerly most-productive outfield),
Ryan Doumit pushed his batting average up to .342, going 1-for-3 in the 3-1 victory with new starting pitcher Jeff Karstens
(product of the Nady/Marte trade); 3-for-4 on Saturday in the Bucs 5-1 loss on a Maholm start with 1 run and 2 doubles; and
2-for-4 on Sunday in the 8-5 loss on the Snell start with one run and one RBI (bringing the total to 40).
Visit Doumit's player page |
|
Click below to go to Ryan Doumit's player page as maintained by Major League Baseball. The page gives you current stats,
averages and information on the player, including links to Doumit's top plays video archive and past articles.
Doumit's player page
|
| Run .. or is it Fly down? |
|
| Doumit makes the third out against the Rockies July 29 at PNC. |
Just because you can't see the cape...
July 31, 2008 --Doesn't mean that's not Superman
right there.
This Tribune photo shows the catcher making sure that wayward Colorado
Rockie didn't get safely back to third base in the June 29 come-from-behind win for the Bucs to secure the series.
I took photos at that game, they are on the "Ryan's photos" page
and the "Pirates photo album" page, newest pictures at the top. Click each page from the navigation bar on the left.
Doumit does it all
From the Post-Gazette --July
29, 2008 --Ian Snell found his groove, and Nate McLouth found the Allegheny River with a mammoth home run.
And yet, just beneath the high-profile performances
of those two in an 8-4 rollover of the Colorado Rockies last night at PNC Park, the underlying theme might have been this:
The Pirates have found themselves a catcher.
All Ryan Doumit achieved at the plate was two
singles, a double, a walk, two runs and two RBIs, raising his average to .333, which is 17 points higher than any other
catcher in Major League Baseball. The Minnesota Twins' Joe Mauer is at .316.
Behind the plate, in addition to calling Snell's
best start in two months -- seven innings, four runs -- Doumit tagged out Troy Tulowitzki on a second-inning relay from the
outfield and threw out one of two runners trying to steal.
On the basepaths, too, he had a fine hook-slide
into home to score on a fifth-inning sacrifice fly and even a rare stolen base in the eighth.
"I think he gets overlooked, but this is someone
who's becoming a complete player," left fielder Jason Bay said afterward of Doumit. "That's what they've envisioned for a
while, and it's happening."
Bay laughed.
"To be honest, I didn't even realize he had done
all that tonight. Hitting right behind him, I see it all the time."
Doumit spoke afterward, too, but it was through
huffs and puffs after a 10-minute workout in the fitness room, which might best illustrate why he is having this breakout
season at age 27 after so many injuries, so many disappointments: Challenged by everyone from general manager Neal Huntington
on down over the offseason, he not only heeded the call to work harder; he exceeded it. He lost 15 pounds and reported to
spring training in physical condition that was rivaled only by his upbeat attitude.
Thus, even with three weeks of this season lost
to a broken thumb and concussion, Doumit's production has been as steady as any player in the game, as the monthly split show:
.356 in April, .333 in May, .333 in June and .315 so far in July.
And get this: Of the 60 games he has started,
he has had at least one hit in all but 11.
As for this one, might it have been the most
complete of his career?
"I don't know. Good question," Doumit said. "I'm
certainly going to sleep well tonight."
He then immediately changed the subject to the
team, as has become common.
"It's a good win We had a lot of guys play well,
and it was about time to give these guys some payback."
Colorado swept all four meetings in Denver two
weeks ago, but it was about time for a victory of any kind, much less a 25th by comeback: The Pirates had been 0-3 since trading
Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte.
Snell had a sluggish start, with the Rockies
leaping to a 3-0 lead through two innings on six hits, including Matt Holliday's two-run home run. From there, though, he
retired 10 in a row and would allow one run, two hits and a walk in his final five innings.
In all, he struck out eight, walked one and had
a pitch count of 103, the latter impressive in light of the early hardship.
"He settled in and threw very well," manager
John Russell said, "especially with his fastball command."
The Rockies recalled 35-year-old Valerio De Los
Santos for his first appearance in the majors since Aug. 11, 2005, and the rust showed in six walks through four-plus innings.
But it was not until the fifth that the Pirates made him pay.
Chris Gomez and McLouth walked, and De Los Santos
was replaced by Jason Grilli, who immediately walked Jack Wilson. Doumit whipped a double into the right-field corner for
two runs.
Bay reached on an error, Doug Mientkiewicz's
single tied the score, and Pearce's sacrifice fly put the Pirates ahead, 4-3.
They greeted Luis Vizcaino just as rudely in
the sixth: McLouth tore into a one-ball fastball and sent his 22nd home run out of the stadium, off the grass embankment by
the river's edge -- an estimated 448 feet -- and into the water.
It was the 23rd in PNC Park history to reach
the water, the first this year, all but one on a bounce. It was McLouth's second, his other coming Sept. 10, 2007.
Wilson and Doumit singled next and, after an
out, another Mientkiewicz RBI single and another Pearce sacrifice fly made it 7-3.
Denny Bautista finished it off for Snell in style,
with two perfect innings and four strikeouts. It was not a save situation, but it might have served as an audition for the
vacant closer's job.
| Hot at the plate |
|
| Ryan Domit connects. (photo courtesy of www.freddysanchez.net) |
Doumit, offense smoking in series opener win
July 28, 2008 -- The Colorado Rockies came to Pittsburgh
with the four-game sweep of the Bucs earlier this month still fresh in their minds. It was fresh in the Bucco's minds too
- a team that was literally and mentally sideswiped by the Xavier Nady, Damaso Marte trade this past weekend to the
evil empire (Yankees).
This is the group that may be down, but never out. Ian Snell and the Pirates came from a three-run
lag to light it up in the fifth and sixth innings with insurance in the seventh.
Ryan Doumit had three hits - two singles and a 2-RBI double that scored the first two runs
in the fifth. Doumit also had two runs and a stolen base - his second of the year. He now has 38 RBI and a batting average
(team leading) of .333. He had a solid tag on a Nate McLouth well-played ball off the wall in center via the fantastic Jack
Wilson relay to get Troy Tulowitzki out at home; and caught a runner at second.
Doug Mientkiewicz (the official crush of the female population of Pittsburgh) also had three
hits and two RBI. Nate McLouth hit his 22nd homer of the year, straight over the park wall, off the shrubbery and into the
drink of the mighty Allegheny River.
Solid pitching third inning on in what Doumit called in post-game classic Snell ability, followed
by the never-say-die offense and two beautiful innings by Denny Bautista in relief secured the opening win.
|
|
More content a click away |
The July Pirates Insider Magazine feature on Ryan Doumit is
now on the "Inside Ry" page on this site. Click on "Inside Ry" in the left navigation bar to hear the story of how Ryan Doumit
took charge of his own destiny in the offseason and proved to the Pirates that he's a starting catcher and great offensive
power in the article "Ryan Doumit Makes His Presence Felt." This article posted with permission and is property of the Pirates.
Also, nine new Ryan Doumit pictures on the page "Ryan's photos"
from the July 25 home game against the Padres and a handful of new ones, same game, in the "Pirates Photo Album" as well.
These new photos finally capture the elusive (Friday only) alternate red vest.
|
| Ready to be the best |
|
| Doumit's preparation has controlled his destiny (an xavier-nady.com photo) |
Skipper gives credit where credit is due...
July 24, 2008 -- The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette played the "what if" game on
Thursday asking the question, what if the starting pitching rotation that opened the season: Matt Morris, Zach Duke,
Tom Gorzelanny and Paul Maholm - had to compete to earn their spots the way, say, Nate McLouth had to?
And along that line, what if Ryan Doumit, as management is believed to have wanted last year,
was told to just bat from the left and take the "switch" off his hitter description? Here's what was written:
Doumit to
the right
Just last year, there were internal whispers
that Ryan Doumit should drop switch-hitting and bat exclusively from the left side,
so great was the disparity in power: 20 of 21 career home runs came from that side.
This season, Doumit has hit four of his 12
home runs from the right side, and he has batted .309, not far from his overall average.
"That just goes back to how he showed up
for spring training," manager John Russell said. "Simple as that. How showed up ready to be the best he can be."
In the Pirates Wednesday afternoon win over Houston
to sweep the Astros, Doumit went 1-4 with a run an RBI and a SF. In the home series against the San Diego Padres, Doumit went
2-4 with a single, a double and an RBI. In post-game comments Russell commended Doumit for the way he kept starting pitcher
Yoslan Herrera, in just his third major league start, on task and focused for six scoreless innings to go on to get his first
major league win. Herrera signed a three year deal with the Pirates a few years ago after establishing residency in the Dominican
Republic after defecting from Cuba. The game against the Padres was his longest, and most fruitful, major league
start.
Pirates find their game in Houston
July 22, 2008 -- The Pittsburgh Pirates had a reportedly solemn flight from
Denver, the mile high location of their four game loss to the Rockies, and got back to being the players they are in Houston.
The Pirates trailed in the top of the ninth Monday in the series opener then added 7, including
a three-run in-the-park feat by Freddy Sanchez, who is just walking away from his slump like a bad dream. That game ended
Ryan Doumit's 8-game hitting streak, and he went 0-6 with 2 K's including being the first and third out in that monster ninth
- his first at-bat that inning he smoked one to the wall, but was played perfectly by the Astro defense. The third out was
a K.
The team, with Paul Maholm on the mound, scored consistently through the start of the second
game Tuesday, with another Sanchez homer and a Nate McLouth homer. Doumit, early in the game, had some great hits that ended
in the glove of the defense. In the seventh inning he switched to bat right and apparently thought "enough of this" and smoked
one so far up and out it bounced off the train tracks 60 feet above the left field boxes. With two men on, Doumit put up a
three for the Bucs in the seventh, his 12th homerun this season.
He ended the game 2/5 with one run and 3 RBI's.
Maholm had a stellar performance with one walk, lots of ground-outs and location, location,
location. Click the audio file below to listen to Ryan Doumit's take on Maholm's performance on the mound.
Ryan Doumit has been a switch hitter his entire professional career, but in the past few years
critics considered him less effective from the right. He has put up his best from-the-right numbers this season, including four
of his 12 homeruns. His batting average at the end of the night was .321 - second on the team only to Xavier Nady.
As the July 31 trade deadline nears the red hot names Pirates fans hear and read as being sought
are Xavier Nady, Jason Bay, Jack Wilson, Damaso Marte and John Grabow. (Scroll way down this home page to refresh your memory
of Doumit's trade worth in a post about Red Sox inquiries in the offseason.)
A link to the highlight video of that blistering homerun to the tracks is below. Prepare
to get goosebumps.
Doumit's 12th hits the tracks
Doumit on Paul Maholm's role
Moving on...
July 20, 2008 -- Not really a whole lot of baseball joy to report after a
four game sweep by the Rockies were starting pitching and offense both factored into losing to a team that is in the worst-performing
division in the National League. Not a single National League West team had a .500 record going into today's game.
Ryan Doumit was starting catcher in the first three games of the series that began Thursday,
July 17 going 1-3 on Thursday, 2-4 on Friday and 1-4 on Saturday with the lone RBI of that game. He scored zero runs and had
one strike out in the ballfield that, despite the humidor, should be an offensive joyride with that thin air. Of course, the
Denver Broncos could play the Pittsburgh Steelers in that outfield, which is so big Nady, McLouth and Bay may not even notice
the football game is going on.
Doumit and the team head to Houston for a three game series, which will have much more
rewarding results. Doumit's season average going into the Lone Star State is .333 and he's batting .375 against lefties and
.318 against righties.
If you want to immerse yourself in baseball math and charts, graphs and a bunch of acronyms
related to Ryan's performance this season, click the link below.
Ryan Doumit by the numbers, acronyms, charts and graphs
| Halfway through 2008 |
|
| Leading NL catchers in avg, and SLG percentage. (photo courtesy of Phil at Tees-n-Tops) |
Doumit gets 'good grades' at mid-term
July 18, 2008 -- Technically, the regular season
is more than half over, going by games played. The all-star break brought out a plethora of baseball critics to provide
mid-season grading of Pirates players.
Here's a summary of Ryan Doumit's reviews at mid-term, so to speak, and some other reviews, with
attribution as to who gave them.
Doumit fans' assessment can be summarized in the accompanying photo. (Yes, it's a shirt now.)
Ryan Doumit, C: Russell’s idea to make Doumit
the starting catcher was a stroke of genius and he has established himself as one of the best at the position in the NL. Grade:
A (Beaver County Times)
Biggest surprise: Credit new management with giving
both Nate McLouth and Ryan Doumit the chance to be everyday starters, something which the previous management group never
did. And credit both McLouth and Doumit for seizing the opportunity and establishing themselves near the top offensive categories
for each of their respective positions. (mlb.com)
Ryan Doumit, C: Doumit has been one of the most productive hitters, not only for the Pirates, but in the entire National League. His
emergence as a consistent, middle-of-the-order presence has been critical to the Pirates’ offensive resurgence, and
it is no surprise that he was recently promoted to the No. 3 spot in the batting order, given his lofty .943 OPS. If only he had been healthy all season, the Bucs could be a few games closer
to that .500 mark. Midseason Grade: A (Bleacher Report)
PIRATES : What went right: The hitting has been better
than expected. The Pirates rank third in the NL with 4.9 runs per game. All three outfielders -- Jason Bay, Nate McLouth and
Xavier Nady -- have hit well. And catcher Ryan Doumit, in his first full year as a starter, is hitting .329 with 11 homers.
(The
Morning Journal, Ohio)
Catcher: B -- Ryan Doumit has been awesome. Ronny
Paulino, not so much. (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Ryan Doumit Grade: A- ... A little defense, a lot
of health all that is keeping him from game's elite (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
| Nearing the break |
|
| Ryan Doumit had a career-high number of consistent starts in June/July. |
'He sees the finish line...'
July 12, 2008 -- With just one game left before the All-Star break, Pirates
Baseball Club announcers made reference several times to starting catcher Ryan Doumit "seeing the finish line" in the break.
As of Saturday's game, he'd started 12 of the last 13 Pirate games, 15 of the last 17 - that's
a career high stretch of starts for Doumit in his major league career.
In Saturday night's phenomenal comeback against the St. Luis Cardinals, in a game that saw
the Pirates call on an AA starter Yoslan Herrera to start his first major league game, and hits in favor, at one point,
of the Cards 20-3, the Pirates scored seven runs in innings 7-9 and another two in the 10th to win the game 12-11. Doumit
was 1-5 with a key single in the 9th to move the tying run to third base and a brilliant slide into second on Jason Bay's
dribbler to prevent a game-ending double play when the Bucs were still down by one. His batting average is a team-leading
.324. Because of the depleted bullpen, a late-game thumb injury to Adam LaRoche and some bench issues with Doug Mientkiewicz
getting ejected for arguing a call on a Luis Rivas play at second, in the 10th inning Doumit was moved to first base and Raul
Chavez caught for Denny Bautista.
| Slugger |
|
| Ryan Doumit fouls off a pitch July 9 against the Astros |
Leading all NL catchers...
July 10, 2008 -- As of July 9, Ryan Doumit leads all National League catchers
with a .592 slugging percentage, according to a game fact posted on the jumbotron during one of his at-bats against the Houston
Astros in the final game of the Houston series at PNC.
Doumit went 2-4 against the New York Yankees in the July 10 make-up game at PNC Park, where
the Buccos won it 4-2, taking 2 of 3 in the drawn out interleague series.
Takes a beating, keeps on batting
July 8, 2008 -- There's something about Ryan Doumit
behind the dish when Phil "Dead to Me" Dumatrait is pitching. He becomes a magnet for the ball to ricochet off him like one
of those superballs in the machine in the foyer of the restaurant that your kids beg two quarters for and then bounce around
the kitchen until something breaks. In the 10-7 win Monday at PNC Park against division foes the Houston Astros, Doumit took
a ball off the mask, a ball of his throwing hand, and a few banging around on him like a pinball, artfully seeming to miss
most of his protective gear. Dumatrait happens to own that bad pitch that put Doumit on the DL for a fractured thumb earlier
this season. Anyone sense a pattern here?
Superhero that he is, Doumit, right after getting that zing in the throwing hand, hit a two-run
homerun that hit the second to top row of outfield seats in right field, taking the Pirates line from a losing score of 7-6
to 8-7. The Pirates would go on to score two more unanswered runs.
To see what MLB calls "Doumit's monster homerun" and his 11th of the season, click the
link below.
As for the beaten catcher behind the plate, he showed up in the same spot the next night, batting,
for the second night, in the three-spot.
Doumit's monster homerun No. 11
| Doumit one of five with 10 home runs this season |
|
| photo thanks to Kenneth Ung |
For only the second time in franchise history...
July 5, 2008 -- The Pirates have five players -- Xavier Nady, Jose Bautista, Jason Bay,
Ryan Doumit and Nate McLouth -- with at least 10 home runs in the team's first 84 games for only the second time in franchise
history. The 2006 club first accomplished the feat. - according to MLB.com
| Out at the plate |
|
| Doumit tags out Encarnacion |
One game at a time
July 2, 2008 -- The Pittsburgh Pirates took the series, two of three
games, from the Reds at Cincinnati. In game three, a 9-5 win, Xavier Nady hit two home runs, a solo shot and the second
longball with Doumit on base. Ryan went 2-4 with two singles and scored three runs, reaching once after being hit by a pitch.
With July 3 off before a three-game stand against those Brewers
in Milwaukee, Ryan leads the team in batting average with .341 and Nady is right there at .323.
Going into this series the Pirates have two starting pitchers (Ian
Snell and Phil "Dead-to-me" Dumatrait), a relief pitcher (Frankie Osoria) and now our beloved closer (Matt Capps) on the disabled
list. As has been Manager John Russell's plan all season, the Buccos plan to battle for 27 outs every game. The Pirates now
have five hitters with 10 home runs just two games after the midway point, including Nady and Doumit, and lead the National
League in outfield performance.
| Man of Steel |
|
|
| Photo graciously shared by Kenneth Ung |
That 'Man of Steel' thing is catching on!
June 30, 2008 -- In a MLB article for Fantasy
411 Baseball, Pirates starting catcher Ryan Doumit is described as "Breakout slugger displaying superhuman power in Pittsburgh."
First, www.ryandoumit.com takes full credit for starting Superman references, and, as we said in elementary school "Called it!"
The important thing is the respect and recognition for No. 41 is growing. And deserved.
As the "Unusual suspects" report goes, "Doumit's
2008 breakout can largely be attributed to his sharper approach at the plate. The 27-year-old has struck out just 21 times
in 156 at-bats this year compared to 59 flameouts in 259 trips to the dish a season ago as his K rate has fallen from a ghastly
23.4 percent to a respectable 13.5 percent."
The report also calls Doumit's signature superhero tactic: Fighting through a slew of injuries to become the best catcher you've never heard of.
The link to the full article is below.
Unusual Suspects: Fantasy 411 report on Doumit
Defining the first half
June 29, 2008 -- The Pittsburgh-Post Gazette profiled
the first half of the Pirates 2008 season with a "best and worst" list in several categories, from best pitcher and worst
pitcher to best win, worst loss. There's a link below this excerpt to lead you to all of it, but two of the "bests" included
Ryan Doumit.
Best personnel move: Neal Huntington received
credit throughout the industry for acquiring Tyler Yates for a fringe prospect, as well as building a solid bench from scrap.
But his most important move came in the winter, when he correctly identified McLouth and Ryan Doumit as impact players.
No decision was more important in creating what, stunningly, became the No. 5 offense in the majors.
Best quote: "We let 'em know we weren't going
to be pushed around in our own house. Especially by Randy Johnson." That was Doumit on June 9, right after that argument between
the Big Unit and Doug Mientkiewicz emptied the benches and bullpens. The Pirates beat Arizona, 5-3, and appeared to enjoy
it thoroughly.
On the Pirates: Reeling rotation defined first half
Ryan Doumit joins dad in book signings
June 28, 2008 -- Ryan Doumit's dad, Pete Doumit, made two booksigning appearances
in the Pittsburgh area on Friday and Saturday, June 27-28, promoting his book "What I Know about Baseball is What I Know About
Life."
Learn more about Mr. Doumit's book and the forward, written by Ryan, on the "Baseball Book"
page, new to this site. It's in the lefthand navigation bar.
Pittsburgh's Mr. Negative praises Ryan
Administrator's note: I really can't just
post the following column without prefacing it. Ron Cook is a columnist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Look up "arrogant
and snarky" on Wikipedia and his picture may be the first search result. Columnists get paid to irritate people, and when
it comes to Pittsburgh sports in general, Cook is a leader in that game. Never more so than with the Pirates. The fact that
this is overall complimentary about Ryan Doumit is as astonishing to me as Kevin Costner showing up in my office later in
a baseball uniform, carrying a latte and asking if I want to find a quiet place to talk. That said, this kind of generally
positive feedback on Superman's play in Pittsburgh is remarkable given the source, so it has to be here. --Andrea
Pirates should build around Doumit
By Ron Cook, From the Post-Gazette
June 27, 2008 -- With July speeding toward us
by the minute, trade speculation involving the Pirates is increasing. Would you give up Jason Bay? Xavier Nady? Damaso Marte?
John Grabow?
I'd trade any or all of 'em for the right return,
but I wouldn't part with Ryan Doumit.
He's my one untouchable, more so than Nate McLouth
and Matt Capps.
The more I watch Doumit, the more I love him
as a player.
Do you have any idea how valuable a switch-hitting
catcher with power is?
I know the downside to Doumit. He has been injury-prone,
almost to the point of being beyond belief. There are few worse things you can say about a proud athlete. Cal Ripken Jr.,
when asked about his famous iron-man streak, always said he was most proud of the fact his teammates could count on him every
game. Doumit's teammates have not been able to count on him. In his parts of four seasons with the Pirates, he has been on
the disabled list five times with injuries ranging from a bad left hamstring to a sprained left wrist to a right high ankle
sprain to -- this season's problem -- a fractured left thumb. In his first eight full professional seasons, he played more
than 100 games just twice.
Meet the anti-Ripken.
But some of Doumit's injuries can be attributed
to immaturity. It's nice to think he's taking better care of himself now that he realizes the potential money that's out there
for him. Neal Huntington, the Pirates' first-year general manager, challenged him in the offseason to come to spring training
in better shape. He did just that and won the starting job from -- everyone applaud -- the bemoaned Ronny Paulino.
It's also easy to believe that Doumit's luck
has to change. Late last season, he missed almost a month with his wrist injury, was activated for a game against the Chicago
Cubs Sept. 8 and his ankle was sprained in that first game back and was done for the year. Really, how much does one guy have
to suffer?
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