Fogg remains in rotation.

[redsrbetter]

Pirates Notebook: Fogg remains in rotation
Thursday, August 11, 2005

By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

DENVER -- The Pirates pondered a change to their starting rotation, but they decided against it.

For now.

Josh Fogg will make his scheduled start this afternoon against the Colorado Rockies, and Ian Snell will remain in the bullpen. There remains, though, a strong indication from management that that could change at any time.

General manager Dave Littlefield and manager Lloyd McClendon met Tuesday at Coors Field. Neither discussed specifics of their discussion, but pitching -- including Fogg's status -- apparently were among the topics.

"You think about every possibility when an individual struggles," Littlefield said last night. "As we say in the business, everything is subject to change. You're always considering what you can do to make an individual better or, if you feel you've given him enough time, if it's time to look at something different."

And why no switch?

"Right now, we're going with Fogg."

Whatever can be made of management's view, it cannot be interpreted as an emphatic endorsement of Fogg, who is 1-4 with a 5.65 earned run average in his past 12 starts.

Meanwhile, management is speaking of Snell in hopeful tones.

Asked if he plans to use Snell as a starter at some point this season, McClendon replied: "Sure. I'd like to see him start two or three more times. I'm not sure how that's going to play out. But I'm intrigued by his stuff."

He also described Snell's assignment to the bullpen as being "for right now."

Since Snell was promoted from Class AAA Indianapolis June 26, he has made two starts and nine relief appearances, including last night. That, Snell said, has not allowed him to feel nearly as comfortable as he did as a full-time starter in the minors.

"I just want to help the team," Snell said. "If they want me to stay in the bullpen, that's fine with me, even though I'd rather be a starter. If they want me to start, I'll start. But I want to stay in one place. That way, I can have my rhythm. I'm not staying in one place right now, so it's not really helping me focus."

Snell is coming off a poor start Sunday at PNC Park, having allowed six runs in two-plus innings. Since then, he said, several teammates have offered encouragement, including starter Mark Redman and relievers Rick White and Jose Mesa. Shortstop Jack Wilson made Snell a CD-ROM of Pedro Martinez highlights to inspire him.

"They really lifted my spirits," Snell said.

There remains uncertainty as to whether Snell will become a starter or reliever for the long term. Standard baseball thinking has it that a starter needs to be bigger than Snell -- 5 feet 11, 180 pounds -- to maintain stamina over the course of a 30-start season.

Snell apparently is not a subscriber to such thinking.

"Size doesn't matter at all," he said. "Look at Pedro. Look at Roy Oswalt. There are a lot of short pitchers out there. And I've never had a problem with my arm. I have faith in God. If you don't have that faith, you'll never stay healthy. I know I can start. I just don't have any confidence right now. Hopefully, I'll get that back soon."

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05223/552237.stm

[awefullspellare]

I remeber when he was gonna be star in my friend's mind. Pirates have had some bad luck with some of these guys.