Sun May 3 2015 | 10:57 | Pierzynski out of lineup Sunday against Reds |
Pierzynski is out of the lineup Sunday against the Reds, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. |
It looks like a fairly routine rest for Pierzynski, who was behind the plate for the first two games of the series. The 38-year-old has been a pleasant surprise for the Braves with three homers, 14 RBI, and a .400 on-base percentage over 60 plate appearances, but his advancing age and .340 BABIP make him a prime regression candidate as the season wears on. |
Thu Apr 30 2015 | 14:52 | Pierzynski not in lineup Thursday against Reds |
Pierzynski is not in the lineup Thursday against the Reds. |
Pierzynski will give way to Christian Bethancourt after starting three straight and seven of the team's last eight games. The 38-year-old Pierzynski has now hit safely in 12 straight games to begin the season, with three home runs and 14 RBI, and it appears he will continue to not only serve as the primary option behind the plate but also as the Braves' cleanup hitter when in the lineup. |
Tue Apr 28 2015 | 23:16 | Pierzynski extended hitting streak to 11 games Tuesday against N... |
Pierzynski extended his hitting streak to 11 games Tuesday against the Nationals, recording a hit in all four of his at-bats and driving in four runs. |
Pierzynski has been in and out of the lineup to start the year, taking turns at catcher with Christian Bethancourt, but he's been hot to start the year. In his 11 starts, he has 12 RBIs and is getting on base 40.5 percent of the time. |
Sun Apr 26 2015 | 10:47 | Pierzynski not in lineup Sunday against Phillies |
Pierzynski is not in the lineup Sunday against the Phillies, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports. |
Pierzynski has caught four straight games for the Braves, but will give way to Christian Bethancourt for Sunday's afternoon contest. The 38-year-old has collected seven hits over those four starts, and is slashing .382/.432/.706 to start the 2015 season. |
Thu Apr 23 2015 | 02:28 | Pierzynski extended season-opening hitting streak to six games W... |
Pierzynski extended his season-opening hitting streak to six games Wednesday, going 3-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in a loss to the Mets. |
Whenever he's gotten in the lineup, Pierzynski has just hit, hit and hit some more -- he's gone 9-for-23 (.391) so far with three homers and a 2:2 BB:K. NL-only owners are surely paying close attention. |
Sun Apr 19 2015 | 10:11 | Pierzynski will be out of lineup Sunday against Blue Jays |
Pierzynski will be out of the lineup Sunday against the Blue Jays. |
Pierzynski had drawn the previous two starts behind the plate with right-handers starting for the opposition, but Christian Bethancourt will reenter the lineup Sunday while lefty Daniel Norris takes the hill for the Jays. Given their usage trends over the past handful of games, it appears the two catchers may have fallen into a soft platoon, with Pierzynski receiving the larger share of the at-bats by virtue of being the left-handed batter. That arrangement could make Pierzynski a worthy addition in two-catcher or NL-only formats, if he's still available. |
Wed Apr 15 2015 | 00:54 | Pierzynski 2-4 with second home run of season in Braves' 8-2 los... |
Pierzynski went 2-for-4 with his second home run of the season in the Braves' 8-2 loss to the Marlins on Tuesday. |
The 38-year-old has now homered in two of his first three starts to begin the season. Meanwhile, Christian Bethancourt is just 4-for-18 in the early going, but Bethancourt has hit safely in each of his last four games. For now, the team seems content to go with the younger, more defensively gifted Bethancourt as its primary option, but Pierzynski could make it more of an even timeshare if he keeps producing at the dish. |
Thu Apr 9 2015 | 11:25 | Pierzynski provided all game's offense Wednesday, hitting two-ru... |
Pierzynski provided all the game's offense Wednesday, hitting a two-run homer off the Marlins' Tom Koehler to deliver a 2-0 win. He also drew a walk. |
A nice game for Pierzynski, who slotted fifth in the lineup in his season debut. He'll continue splitting time behind the plate with Christian Bethancourt until one of them pulls away with the primary job. |
Wed Apr 8 2015 | 16:36 | Pierzynski will bat eighth for Braves on Wednesday against Marli... |
Pierzynski will bat eighth for the Braves on Wednesday against the Marlins, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. |
Pierzynski remains in a split with Christian Bethantcourt for reps behind the plate. He will finally get his first chance of the season Wednesday, but the situation figures to remain fluid moving forward. |
Tue Mar 31 2015 | 15:18 | Pierzynski batting .344 (11-32) with one double, two RBI, four w... |
Pierzynski is batting .344 (11-for-32) with one double, two RBI, four walks and one strikeout through 13 spring training games. |
Less than a week now before Opening Day, and manager Fredi Gonzalez still hasn't indicated how the playing time behind the plate will be split during the regular season. Christian Bethancourt homered Monday, giving him seven extra-base hits this spring to Pierzysnki's one, but Pierzynski has a 4:1 BB:K while Bethancourt is sitting at 0:7. Given where the Braves are at as an organization, it would make sense if they gave the youngster the majority of the starts early on, though it's still possible Bethancourt and Pierzynski are deployed in a relatively even timeshare. |
Wed Dec 24 2014 | 13:59 | A.J. Pierzynski: Agrees To One-Year Deal With Braves |
Pierzynski agreed to a one-year deal with the Braves on Wednesday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. |
Pierzynski will give the Braves a veteran presence behind the plate to spell the youngster in Christian Bethancourt. The two figure to share time behind the plate, and the Braves now have the luxury of having both a left-handed and right-handed catcher. |
Tue Oct 14 2014 | 12:40 | Pierzynski in lineup for Tuesday's game against Giants |
Pierzynski is in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Giants. |
Pierzynski will get the start in place of Yadier Molina, who is sidelined with an oblique injury. Pierzynski will catch John Lackey and bat sixth against Giants starter Tim Hudson. |
Fri Oct 10 2014 | 15:22 | Pierzynski will be on Cardinals' NLCS roster |
Pierzynski will be on the Cardinals' NLCS roster, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. |
Pierzynski was left off the team's 25-man roster in the NLDS, but he'll take the spot of Sam Freeman this round. He likely won't see a lot of playing time, if any, but his inclusion on the roster is at least noteworthy after his limited playing time down the stretch. |
Wed Oct 1 2014 | 16:58 | Pierzynski not included on Cardinals' NLDS roster |
Pierzynski was not included on the Cardinals' NLDS roster, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. |
Pierzysnki barely played in September, logging all of 14 at-bats after Yadier Molina's return from the DL, so this by no means comes as a surprise. Tony Cruz will serve as the lone backup to Molina in the NLDS, and while Pierzynski could still be an option should the team advance, he may have played his last game with the Cardinals and perhaps in the majors. |
Thu Aug 28 2014 | 15:56 | Pierzynski will likely see playing time dwindle come Friday, whe... |
Pierzynski will likely see his playing time dwindle come Friday, when Yadier Molina (thumb) is expected to be activated from the disabled list. |
As one of the game's best two-way players, Molina doesn't figure to yield many starts to his backups down the stretch, especially as the Cardinals continue to battle a bevy of teams for a playoff spot. Pierzynski may have to settle for as little as one or no starts per week, if the team doesn't release the veteran outright. |
Wed Aug 27 2014 | 10:01 | Pierzynski out of lineup Wednesday against Pirates |
Pierzynski is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Pirates. |
After he started behind the plate Tuesday night, Pierzynski will receive the day off for Wednesday's early start. Tony Cruz will be behind the plate in his place, catching for the third time in four games. |
Mon Aug 25 2014 | 16:57 | Pierzynski out of lineup Monday against Pirates |
Pierzynski is out of the lineup Monday against the Pirates, MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch reports. |
Backup Tony Cruz will serve as the catcher Monday for starter John Lackey, as the Cardinals look to fend off the Pirates and gain ground on the NL Central-leading Brewers. |
Sun Aug 24 2014 | 11:32 | Pierzynski not in lineup Sunday against Phillies |
Pierzynski is not in the lineup Sunday against the Phillies, Fox Sports Midwest reports. |
Pierzynski sits Sunday following a 1-for-5 night at the plate in an extended Saturday night game. Tony Cruz gets the start in his place and will bat eighth for the Cardinals. |
Fri Aug 22 2014 | 16:01 | Pierzynski out of lineup Friday against Phillies |
Pierzynski is out of the lineup Friday against the Phillies. |
Tony Cruz will step in to catch starter Adam Wainwright, pushing Pierzynski to the bench for the third time in five games. It appears as though the playing time behind the plate for St. Louis will continue to be split fairly evenly. |
Sun Aug 17 2014 | 11:51 | Pierzynski out of lineup Sunday against Padres |
Pierzynski is out of the lineup Sunday against the Padres. |
Pierzynski seems to have settled into a timeshare with Tony Cruz, as Cruz will have caught four of the last eight games for the Cardinals. The 37-year-old Pierzynski does have two multi-hit games so far in August, and has one home run since being acquired by St. Louis in late-July. |