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Pirates Morning Report: Reynolds Saves The Day

Final Score: Pirates 6 Twins 5

Why the Pirates Won: The bullpen had one of their best games of the year. The Twins helped the Pirates score 3 runs in the first. The Pirates were able to overcome another Don Kelly blunder. Jared Jones made his first start since the end of 2024, and it was like he never left. Once again, he was plagued by the home run ball. In 4 and 1/3 innings, he gave up two of them, which accounted for 3 of the 5 Twins runs. He gave up 5 runs on 7 hits, striking out 6 and walking 2. After 3 innings, the score was 5-4 in favor of the Twins. The bullpens handled essentially the last 5 innings of the game. The Pirates bullpen, namely Wilber Dotel, for 3 of those innings, did not allow a run on one hit with no walks. The Twins bullpen matched the Pirates, giving up only 1 hit through the 8th inning. Oneil Cruz hit a long 450-foot home run into the river in the 3rd inning to cut the lead to 5-4. This game boiled down to the bottom of the 8th and the bottom of the 9th.

Key Moments Of The Game: In the bottom of the 8th, the Twins tried their darndest to give the game away, but the Pirates just refused to take it. Anthony Banda walked Oneil Cruz on 4 pitches. Konnor Griffin hit a ground ball to short. In his hurry to try to turn the double play, Twins 2nd baseman Luke Keaschall did not secure the catch, and the ball went off his glove, getting no one out. This allowed Cruz to go to 3rd base. They charged the error to the shortstop, but that should be changed. Konnor Griffin quickly stole 2nd base. This left the Pirates with 2nd and 3rd, with no one out, thanks to the Twins. Endy Rodriguez, after taking 2 balls, took a strike, fouled off a strike, and then swung at a pitch about chin high. The Password was next up. HOLD YOUR HORSES. The wheels were churning in that vacuum between Don Kelly’s ears. He sent Jake Magnum up to pinch hit. Magnum is 0 for 12 as a pinch hitter and rarely hits a deep fly ball. Password should have batted. I would have been less upset if Ozuna or the new guy Tyler Callihan had batted. Sure enough, Magnum slaps a ball to the first baseman, and Cruz was easily thrown out at home. Jared (Why Wasn’t I Pinch Hit For) Triolo flew out to right to end the inning. In the bottom of the 9th, Spencer Horwitz got an infield single to lead off. After one out, Bryan Reynolds took a 2-2 pitch and drilled it 422 ft. into the left field seats to save the Pirates from an embarrassing loss. The weekend sure does look brighter now.

Next game: Late afternoon, the Twins in Pittsburgh. It will be Mitch Keller vs. Bailey Ober, two right-hand pitchers with almost identical stats. The only place Keller has a clear edge is in home runs allowed. Keller has given up 4 home runs to Ober’s 9. Ober has won one more game, 6. They both have 2 losses. Keller’s ERA is 3.64, while Ober’s ERA is 3.94. Keller has pitched 2 and 1/3 more innings. Ober has given up one more hit. Keller has struck out 3 more batters but has walked 2 more. Pretty freaky, huh? Looking at this, the Pirates should win this afternoon by hitting the long ball. We will find out. Last night’s win may be the one that gets this team going. Circle that one on your calendar.

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Pirates Morning Report: No Luck Skenes

Final Score: Pirates 2 Cubs 7

Why the Pirates Lost: Paul Skenes pitched a solid 5 and 1/3 innings, but some poor defense and bad luck did him and the Pirates in. Of course, the bullpen stunk again. Skenes gave up 3 runs, with only 1 being earned. He struck out 10 but did walk 3, which contributed to his 103 pitch count. The Cubs did not hit a ball over 93 MPH off of him. This should have been the making of another Paul Skenes gem, but it was not to be. The bullpen made sure the Pirates would lose by giving up 4 runs on 4 hits, walking 3 while striking out 2 in 3 and 2/3 innings of “work”. Brandon Bidois and Yohan Ramirez were the Cubs’ players of the game. The Pirate offense was not much better, scoring only 2 runs while going 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position. Apparently, Don Kelly gave an emotional speech after the 10-4 drubbing the Cubs had handed the Pirates the game before. I guess it didn’t work because the Pirates just went through the motions for this game.

The Key Moments Of The Game: The Cubs scored their 1st run of the game in the top of the 4th when Paul Skenes tried to field a weak comebacker with his bare hand but failed. This put runners on 1st and 2nd with two out. Seiya Suzuki hit a broken bat bloop over shortstop to drive in the run. The runner who scored had walked. In the top of the 6th with one out, Skenes walked another batter. Then newcomer Tyler Callihan and Jared Triolo decided to throw the ball around for errors on consecutive plays, and the Cubs had a 2-0 lead. Suzuki hit a double play ball that the Pirates couldn’t turn, and the lead was 3-0. The Pirates were able to cut the lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the inning. Bryan Reynolds homered, and The Password singled, followed by a Callihan double. The bullpen collapsed in the 8th and 9th, and the Pirates lost a very big game.

Next Game: Tonight, the Twins are in Pittsburgh. Derek (The Shadow) Shelton returns to Pittsburgh. Maybe the Pirates will get some spark to beat him. The last two days have been very disappointing for the Pirates. Injuries are starting to become prevalent. Konnor Griffin and Nick Gonzales seem to be banged up and will miss some time. According to WAR, the Pirate bullpen is ranked 25th in baseball. It will get a boost with Carmen Mlodzinski moving to the bullpen as Jared Jones will make his first start of the year coming off elbow surgery. If the Twins sweep the Pirates, they will have a better record than the Pirates. The Twins are in a rebuilding year. Nobody knows what the Pirates are doing, including the Pirates.

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Pirates Morning Report: Tale Of Three Struggling Relievers

Final Score: Pirates 4 Cubs 10

Why The Pirates Lost: Simply put, a complete and utter pitching failure. Bubba Chandler continued to have problems. He went 5 innings, giving up 4 runs on 8 hits, walking 2 and striking out 5. It took him 91 pitches to get through 5 innings. After 5 innings, the game was tied 4-4. The top of the 6th saw the first of 3 struggling relievers entering the game. Yohan Ramirez, who is making me look better every day, came in to relieve Evan Sisk with 2 outs and 2 on. He got Nico Hoerner to hit a soft liner that Konnor Griffin was able to corral. He unfortunately stayed in to start the top of the 7th. He hit Michael Busch on a 3-1 count. Alex Bregman hit a rather high ball down the left field line that looked like it might be caught by Bryan Reynolds. He could not get to it and it fell in for a double. Ian Happ took the very first pitch and parked it over the Clemente wall, making it 7-4 Cubs. Mason Montgomery was warming up, but Kelly elected not to use him to pitch to Ian Happ. Happ’s splits are distinctly better against right-handed pitching, even though he is a switch hitter. After giving up a single to Seiya Suzuki, Ramirez was pulled in favor of struggling reliever no. 2, Justin Lawrence. The very first pitch that Lawrence threw was parked into the seats by Michael Conforto, and the Cubs led 9-4. The rest of the inning was a mess, with one more run scoring. Lawrence started the 8th, got two outs, and was relieved by struggling reliever no. 3, Dennis Santana. Although he did not give up any runs, in the course of 1 and 1/3 innings, he walked 2 and hit a batter. After all the dust cleared, the final result was Ramirez ERA 4.75, Lawrence ERA 5.32, and Santana 4.94. Not what you’re looking for when it comes to bullpen pitchers.

Key Moments of the Game: Bubba Chandler had a shaky first inning, and the Cubs were able to score 2 runs. Naturally, 2 walks were involved. A good start was exactly what the Cubs needed in their slumping state. He then gave up 3 singles in the 2nd for another run. The Pirates scored their 3 runs in the bottom of the 3rd on a Brandon Lowe 3-run homer. In the fourth inning, the Cubs and Pirates each scored a run. The Cubs on back-to-back doubles after 2 were out. The Pirates tied it on a solo home run by Konnor Griffin. Then came the disastrous 7th inning with the bullpen collapse. When and if the Pirates address their bullpen issues remains to be seen. For now, it is costing them game after game after game. At this rate, it will probably cost them the playoffs.

Next game: Tonight, Cubs in Pittsburgh. As the Pirates like to say, it is Paul Skenes day. Skenes is coming off two mediocre starts. This is a big game for the Pirates; they need this series win against the Cubs. Although it would not have made much difference with the way the bullpen performed, you have to wonder why Konnor Griffin did not lead off. It was such a success. His splits are not much different righty vs. lefty. The Pirates are truly amazing. They took forever to get Oneil Cruz out of the leadoff spot. They scored 12 runs with Griffin leading off, but they don’t lead off with him the next day. They used an opener twice with Mlodzinski pitching and gave up just 2 runs over 18 innings. Why not do it every time he pitches. They do not add any bullpen help and even sent the wrong guy down to the minors. You don’t need to look any further than the managerial team’s decision-making to know why this team is only 2 games over .500. Oh yeah, I forgot Marcel Ozuna still bats 7th or even higher in the Pirate order. This is to make sure that the Pirates don’t score too many runs.

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Pirates Morning Report: They Did Not Ignore The Reverse Splits

Final Score: Pirates 12 Cubs 1

Why The Pirates Won: They did not ignore the reverse splits this time, starting all three of their left-handed batters against lefty Jordan Wicks. It really paid off as the Pirates came flying out of the gate, scoring five runs in the first, with Oneil Cruz and Brandon Lowe getting base hits. Esmerlyn Valdez capped off the inning by hitting a two-run home run to give the Pirates a 5-0 lead. Cruz, Lowe, and Spencer Horwitz went 7 for 10 for the game. There were some at-bats against right-hand pitching, but it was good that the Pirates had the lefties in the game. Wicks settled down to pitch three good innings, only giving up two hits and striking out the side in the bottom of the second. The roof collapsed in the bottom of the fifth when the Pirates got to him and Ryan Rolison, another lefty, to score three runs. They scored single runs in the sixth and seventh and a pair in the eighth. For the third straight game, the Pirate pitchers held an opponent to one run. The Cubs had many opportunities early to get back into the game but could not get out of their own way. For the game, they were 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position, leaving 11 men on base. It was another frustrating day for the Cubs as they lost their tenth game in a row.

Key Moments Of The Game: After the Pirates took the lead 5-0, the Cubs had a couple of innings where they could have gotten back in the game. They started the 2nd off with back-to-back doubles by Alex Bregman and Ian Happ to get a run. On a fly ball out to not-so-deep right field, Happ tried to go to third but was thrown out by Garcia. Suddenly, there were 2 outs and the bases were empty. In the top of the 4th, the Cubs opened with 2 singles by Michael Busch and Bregman. Ian (Larceny In His Heart But Lead In His Feet) Happ hit into a 6U-3 double play. Ashcraft got another ground ball out to end the inning. The top of the 5th was like their last chance, getting runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 outs. Nico Hoerner struck out. The Pirates broke it open in the bottom of the inning. With the score 8-1, the Cubs loaded the bases with one out in the top of the 6th but still could not score. The Pirates won easily and are now 3 games over .500.

Next Game: Tonight, Cubs in Pittsburgh. It will be Jameson Taillon vs. Bubba Chandler. Both pitchers are struggling. Chandler did strike out 11 in his last outing, but he still had trouble finding the plate. Taillon has given up 12 runs in his last two starts. The Pirates have finally gotten Oneil Cruz out of the leadoff spot. I know it is an extremely small sample size, but he has gone 5 for 7. I guess you could say that the Pirates at least did this before June. The Cubs are on a 10-game losing streak—something that seemed impossible about a month ago when they were reeling off all of those home victories in a row. Can the Pirates extend their misery two more games? You can see that the Cubs are pressing. This losing streak has collectively gotten into their heads. It is an interesting thing to watch.

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Pirates Morning Report: Pitchers Do It Again

Final Score: Pirates 2 Cubs 1

Why the Pirates Won: For the second straight game, the Pirates’ pitching staff held the opposition to one run. This time they had to because the Pirate offense scored just two runs. Carmen Mlodzinski pitched an effective five innings, giving up the one run on five hits while walking three. The Cubs had only two at-bats with runners in scoring position. Wilber Dotel came in and pitched three strong innings out of the bullpen. He only gave up one hit and struck out four while walking none. He was able to get his first Major League win thanks to a seventh-inning home run by none other than Henry Davis to make it 2-1 Pirates. It was his fourth home run of the season. While he really did not have anything to do with the scoring, Oneil Cruz had a nice game going 2 for 4, batting fifth and playing center field. This is what he should do for the rest of the season. We can only hope and pray. Gregory Soto pitched a clean ninth to earn the save and send the Cubs to their ninth straight defeat.

Key Moments Of The Game: The Cubs made some noise after 2 were out in the top of the 2nd. They got back-to-back singles and a walk to load the bases. This brought up Dansby Swanson to the plate. Mlodzinski struck him out on 4 pitches, with the last pitch being a beautiful sweeper. In the top of the third, the Cubs were able to get runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 outs. Michael Conforto hit a soft liner down the left field line that The Password was able to corral. The Cubs got a home run in the top of the 5th to tie the game but could never really put up a threat the rest of the game. They had some chances early but could not get the big hit. This is what happens when you are in the midst of a losing streak.

Next Game: Tonight, the Cubs are in Pittsburgh. The Pirates are sending Braxton Ashcraft to the mound tonight. He is on a bit of a roll; his ERA this season is 2.89. The Cubs are countering with lefty Jordan Hicks, who they just called up from AAA. He has a lifetime ERA of 5.21 in a 26-game career. On paper, this does not look like the matchup the Cubs need to snap a 9-game losing streak. He is another lefty who has reverse splits: left-handed batters are hitting .327, while righties are hitting .279. It will be interesting to see how many left-handed batters play for the Pirates, as they tend to ignore reverse splits. All losing streaks have to end sometime. Will the Pirates help the Cubs end theirs tonight?

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Pirates Morning Report: The Pirates Do It Again

Final Score: Pirates 4 Blue Jays 1

Why The Pirates Won: For the fourth time this season, when the Pirates hit .500, they won their next game. This time, they prevailed with the long ball and clutch pitching. Spencer Horwitz and Oneil (Who Cares) Cruz each hit solo home runs. Esmerlyn Valdez hit a two-run shot in the top of the sixth to extend the Pirates’ lead to 4-1. Mitch Keller danced through the raindrops for six innings, retiring the side in order only twice. In the second, it took a great play by Jake Magnum to achieve that. Every inning had the potential to be worse, but the Blue Jays were 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base. Keller threw 101 pitches to get through the six innings. He gave up one run on four hits, walked three, and hit a batter. The Pirate bullpen continued the clutch pitching to protect the lead. The Pirates avoided the sweep and are heading home one game over .500.

Key Moments of the Game: The Pirates brought in Yohan Ramírez to pitch the bottom of the 7th, and he made sure that the Blue Jays had a chance to tie the game. He got the first out. Brandon Valenzuela lined a double down the right-field line. George Springer walked on five pitches. Even Don Kelly had seen enough; he brought in Mason Montgomery. In one of his best outings of the year, he got two ground ball outs to end the inning. He retired the side in order in the bottom of the 8th, striking out two. In the bottom of the 9th, Gregory Soto just had to make it interesting. After one out, he hit a batter and walked a batter. He got George Springer to pop out and struck out Gary Varsho to end the game. The Pirates got four walks during the game, and the last one proved very costly. Endy Rodríguez picked up his second walk of the day. He was on base when Valdez hit his first home run and hit of his Major League career. That extra run seemed huge when the Blue Jays threatened in the 7th and the 9th.

Next Game: This afternoon, the Cubs are in Pittsburgh. The Cubs come to town today on a surprising 8-game losing streak. During the streak, the Cubs’ pitchers have given up 51 runs. It would seem highly unlikely that the Pirates will be able to extend their streak to 12. We have Bubba (What’s the Strike Zone) Chandler going in one of those games. Will the Pirates ever get on a roll? This would be a great way to end the month by winning 7 out of 8 at home. The bullpen needs to find some footing. Yesterday, even though Cruz DH’d again, he at least did not lead off. That is a step in the right direction. Dare we hope that he does not lead off the rest of the season? Can Kelly the thinker figure it out? The Pirates need to go on a run.

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Pirates Morning Report: Not Looking Good

Final Score: Pirates 2 Blue Jays 5

Why the Pirates Lost: Paul Skenes put together his second straight mediocre start. He went five-plus innings, giving up a whopping nine hits, including a leadoff home run to start the game and four doubles. He struck out just two batters and was charged with four runs, raising his ERA to 3.00. Just two starts ago, it was below 2. The offense did not do much better, getting only five hits and two walks to score two runs. For the second straight game, they failed to get a hit with runners in scoring position, going 0 for 6. They struck out 12 times. Oneil Cruz did not start but had two plate appearances. He struck out both times on eight pitches and made contact with the ball once, fouling off a pitch. He seems as disinterested as a player could get. It is obvious that the Pirates need some serious bullpen help. Maybe it is time the Pirates moved Cruz to get some. The Pirates are 2-3 on the road trip and 26-26 overall. Every time they have been at .500, they win to keep from going under. I am not so sure they will do that today.

Key Moments of the Game: After Paul Skenes gave up the leadoff home run to George Springer, he settled down and pitched a solid 5 innings. He gave up 4 hits and walked one batter with no runs scoring. In the top of the 6th inning, the Pirates got some two-out lightning when Bryan Reynolds singled and Marcell (DH Extraordinaire) Ozuna doubled to score Reynolds. This tied the game at 1-1. This was the time Skenes needed to shut down the Blue Jays to maintain what little momentum the Pirates had. He could not even get an out. Before you could say that Paul Skenes is human, the Blue Jays had 4 straight hits and took a 3-1 lead. Skenes was gone, and the Pirates had lost their 2nd straight game to the Blue Jays.

Next game: At noon, Blue Jays in Toronto. The game is on Peacock today in something called the early bird special or some other ridiculous thing. The Pirates will try to have a .500 road trip and avoid dropping below .500 for the first time since the opening of the season. This team is certainly in a funk right now. Yes, the bullpen has been really bad, but the offense has been about as inconsistent as it can be. The Pirates continue to put out some horrible lineups and batting orders. This has finally caught up with them. A win today would help as they head home to face the Cubs for four games and the Twins for three. As usual, management has done nothing to help this team so far. If this team stays the same personnel-wise for the next four weeks, a very talented team may have been mismanaged into a last-place club. Thank you, Don Kelly and Ben Cherington.

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Pirates Morning Report: Bad Defense + Bullpen Collapse = Loss

Final Score: Pirates 2 Blue Jays 6

Why the Pirates Lost: They played horrible defense. The bullpen could not keep the game close, namely Dennis Santana. The offense contributed by having some of the most inept hitting of the year. Oneil Cruz and Konnor Griffin had particularly bad games, going 0 for 8 with 5 strikeouts. The Pirates, as a group, were 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position. The Pirates’ website states that Bubba Chandler threw a gem. It was better than he usually does, but it was far from a gem. Granted, he did strike out 11 Blue Jays. He was the victim of horrible defense in the 3rd inning that led to 2 unearned runs. It took him 99 pitches to get through 5 innings, as he still walked 3 batters. With this bullpen in its current state, you need a starter to go more than 5 innings. The bullpen managed to get through the 6th and 7th shakily without giving up a run. Santana had the disastrous 8th. He gave up 3 doubles that scored 3 runs and this game was history.

Key Moments of the Game: In the bottom of the 3rd, the Blue Jays had 1st and 3rd with nobody out. Catcher’s interference and a single to center put the Blue Jays in business. The next hitter hit a ground ball down to first. Spencer Horwitz, instead of looking back at the runner and stepping on the bag to at least get one out, chose to try to get the runner at third who had come down the line. The only problem was he did not know what he was doing. Instead of going directly at the runner until he made a move, he threw the ball way too early. Not only that, but he threw the ball about 6 feet over Nick Gonzales’s head. This type of play is taught to little leaguers when they are 11 to 12 years old. Horwitz must have missed that practice. The Blue Jays scored a run and had runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs. One out later, a double made the score 3-1 Blue Jays. Just so that Horwitz would have no doubt about how bad of a play he made, the exact same play happened in the top of the 7th. With two singles, the Pirates had 1st and 3rd with no outs. They not only hit one ground ball but two ground balls in a row to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first. He must have been at that practice because, each time, he looked the runner back and then stepped on the bag to record outs. Let’s hope Horwitz saved those plays on his iPad. The Pirates walked away from that inning scoring no runs.

Next Game: This afternoon, Blue Jays in Toronto. Paul Skenes goes for the Pirates today. The Blue Jays counter with Patrick Corbin, the veteran left-hander. This will be an interesting lineup today. Cruz should get a rest after last night, even though he has done well against left-handers. The Pirates continue to try and ruin Oneil Cruz. He is not a leadoff hitter, and he has performed badly as a DH. For his career, he has had 93 plate appearances as a DH. He has 14 hits and 11 walks. That is a batting average of .171 and an OBP of .269. In the last two years, he is even worse, with 2 hits and 3 walks in 31 plate appearances as a DH. I am sure the Pirates will continue to lead him off and DH him periodically. The Pirates constantly put Cruz in situations where he does not excel. The Pirates should do him a service and just trade him so he can become a superstar. I can’t wait to see Henry Davis bat today either. The odds are 8-1 that he does not get a ball past the pitcher. Can the Pirates pull out a win today even with Skenes pitching with the team that is going to take the field? Highly unlikely, although I suppose Skenes could throw a complete game shutout.

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Pirates Morning Report: Davis Homers, Ozuna Big 2 RBI Hit, Not a Misprint.

Final Score: Pirates 6 Cardinals 2

Why the Pirates Won: Henry Davis hit a home run, and Marcell Ozuna went 2 for 4, driving in 2 runs to make the score 4-1 in favor of the Pirates. When those two perform like that, it completely demoralizes a team; you know right then that it is not your day. It didn’t hurt that Braxton Ashcraft spun another superb 7 innings, giving up 1 run on 4 hits. He struck out 9 and walked 2 while throwing 98 pitches. The bullpen allowed 1 run, but the Cardinals never really posed a significant threat to win the game. The Pirates’ offense came alive for the 2nd straight game, scoring 6 runs on 10 hits, along with 2 walks and a hit batsman. They extended their lead nicely, adding 2 runs in both the 6th and 7th innings. All in all, it was a nice series win for the Pirates despite the goofy lineup they started, just as we all knew they would. As the Cardinals found out, sometimes it is just not your day.

Key Moments of the Game: Wilber Dotel came on to pitch the bottom of the 8th. After getting the first out, he gave up 3 straight singles to make the score 6-2. There were runners on 1st and 2nd with one out. If the Cardinals could get another hit, they would be starting to crawl back into the game. Dotel threw 4 straight 4-seam fastballs, all around 99 MPH, to strike out Nolan Gorman. He took 5 pitches to strike out Masyn Winn, with 4 of those being 4-seam fastballs. The last one was 100 MPH. Dotel is just 23 years old. Left-hander Mason Montgomery pitched the 9th and ended the game on a double play. The bullpen got the job done. Another reason the Cardinals knew it was not their day.

Next game: Tonight, Blue Jays in Toronto. The question is: can Bubba Chandler finally pitch a good game? The Blue Jays may be just what the doctor ordered. They are 24th in runs per game, 26th in slugging, and 27th in OPS. They still aren’t as bad as last year’s Pirates, but they are not hitting, to say the least. Of course, Chandler needs to find the plate. Wilber Dotel was brought up this week, and I was all for it. What I could not understand was why Isaac Matson was sent down. He was far from the worst-performing pitcher this year. There have been 13 pitchers who have pitched 10 innings or more for the Pirates. Matson ranks 6th in FIP, 9th in ERA, and 11th in WHIP. Not great, but far from being the worst pitcher on the team. I am sure his send-down was more about pitchers not having any more options than his performance. Naturally, the Pirates are not going to say that. I would have DFA’d Justin Lawrence. If some team would have taken him, I do not think it would have been a big loss. Even the way Yohan Ramirez has pitched lately would have been a good choice. Hopefully, it won’t take long for Matson to “find” himself and get back up here. Maybe Chandler will do the same tonight.

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Pirates Morning Report: Pitchers Make Comeback

Final Score: Pirates 7 Cardinals 0

Why The Pirates Won: The Pirate pitching staff woke up last night and shut out the Cardinals. It is not to say that there was not a hairy moment or two but shut them out they did. The offense pounded out 15 hits and scored 7 runs, which was more than enough. The last 4 batters in the lineup, Konnor Griffin, Endy Rodríguez, Jhostynxon Garcia, and Jake Mangum, put together an impressive game. As a group, they went 10 for 18 with 2 walks, scored 5 runs, and had 2 RBIs. I wonder if they will get to play again. Carmen Mlodzinski pitched an odd, inefficient but effective 5 innings. He gave up 0 runs on 4 hits, walking 1 and striking out 1, while throwing 95 pitches. Then came the wild 6th inning.

Key Moments of the Game: The Pirates scored a run in the top of the 6th to make the score 3-0. Up to that point, the Pirates had missed some opportunities to score more runs. Yohan (Why Didn’t I Get Sent Down) Ramirez was elected to start the bottom of the 6th. He got the first batter to ground out. Alec Burleson singled to right. Ramirez then hit Jordan Walker. He was efficient at least, taking only 3 pitches to put runners on 1st and 2nd. He walked Nolan Gorman on 8 pitches, with only 2 actually finding the strike zone, to load the bases. He fell behind Masyn Winn 3 and 0. I thought the bullpen was about to blow another one. Somehow, he managed to throw 3 balls in the strike zone. Winn took one, fouled one, and missed one to strike out. Cesar Prieto swung at a very high fastball and lined it deep to right field. Jake Mangum made a twisting, turning catch on the ball right at the wall, or the game would have been tied. The bullpen did not give up a hit after that, and the Pirates broke it open in the 8th to win going away.

Next Game: This afternoon, the Cardinals, in St. Louis. Braxton Ashcraft will take the mound for the Pirates as they try for the series win on the road. Other than the shaky sixth inning and leaving 11 men on base, it was a solid win for the Pirates last night. Garcia, who from this point on will be referred to as The Password, seems to be an all-around good player. His first name sends spell check into a frenzy, and I am afraid it may blow up my computer. The Pirates will probably follow that silly rule of not letting a catcher play when a day game follows a night game. We most likely will see Henry Davis in the lineup today. There could be other strange day time lineup moves. It could cost us the series.