PIRATES Bucs have Fogg simulating games to get extra workout

The Pittsburgh starter is 0-3 with a 17.00 ERA this season.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Major league teams rely on simulated games during spring training to get extra work for a pitcher recovering from an injury or who gets off his normal throwing schedule because of a rainout.
For Pirates right-hander Josh Fogg, the simulated games didn't end when spring training did.
To try to get Fogg (0-3, 17.00 ERA) untracked, the Pirates are taking the unusual step of having him throw two simulated games between starts.
Fogg threw 53 pitches in a session Friday and plans to throw again Sunday before starting Tuesday against the Astros. Fogg didn't retire a batter during a 12-1 loss Wednesday to the Cubs, allowing six consecutive batters to reach base during an eight-run first inning.
Trying to be patient
Manager Lloyd McClendon is trying to be patient with Fogg, who was expected to be the Pirates' No. 3 starter. But McClendon said there must be results at same point, which means Fogg might be one or two more bad starts away from a trip to the minors.
Fogg is trying to make a series of corrections, such as finding the right landing point on his delivery and regaining the bite on his sinker and the proper feel for his changeup.
"It's a lot of stuff at one time, but it all boils down to just getting my foot down on the ground in the right position," Fogg said. "I've got to get my sinker moving the way it's supposed to go, get it sinking again, and keep the curveball sharp. It's real minor stuff, but it's stuff I know I need to do."
Several times during Friday's session at PNC Park, pitching coach Spin Williams and manager Lloyd McClendon interrupted Fogg to help him locate the right landing spot.
For a finesse pitcher such as Fogg, who relies on deception rather than speed, strong mechanics and location are a must for him to be successful.
"My sinkers have been cutting more than anything else, they haven't been sinking," Fogg said. "They're flattening out and when you're not hitting the bottom part of the bat with a sinker, you know you're doing something wrong."
Throwing between starts with hitters in the batter's box is much preferable to throwing in the bullpen, Fogg said.
"You get a little better read of what the hitters are actually doing, what the swings look like," Fogg said. "You can throw perfect bullpens all day long and not actually know that."
The Pirates have switched the times of two September home games against the Houston Astros to avoid going against football games at nearby Heinz Field.
The Sept. 11 game will start at 1:35 p.m., not 7:05 p.m., to accommodate Pitt's night home opener against Ohio University. The next day, the Astros-Pirates game will start at 7:05 p.m., instead of 1:35 p.m., because the Steelers open at home against Oakland.
Around the bases
Thursday's rainout against the Cubs pushed back LHP Oliver Perez's next start from Friday to Sunday. McClendon didn't want to give any extra days off to RHP Kip Wells, who started Friday, or RHP Kris Benson, who will stay on schedule and pitch Saturday. ... Benson is 3-2 with a 2.34 ERA in seven career starts against the Reds. ... The Cubs' eight-run first marked the biggest first inning against the Pirates since the Braves scored 10 times during a 11-2 victory in the second game of a June 12, 1953, doubleheader. ... The Pirates still haven't decided when OF Jason Bay (shoulder surgery) will begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment. He has been at their extended spring camp in Bradenton, Fla., since the season started. ... Triple-A Nashville catcher J.R. House homered in three consecutive games Tuesday-Thursday. Reliever Mike Gonzalez has a 1.93 ERA for the Sounds. ... Reds CF Ken Griffey Jr. attended the funeral of maternal grandfather Curtis Littleton on Friday in Donora, Pa., and was not available to start the Reds-Pirates game.