Final Score: Pirates 0 Giants 2
How The 2023 Pirates Did: The bullpen pitched a nice game, giving up only 2 runs on 4 hits and 5 walks, while striking out 12. Mercano, Castro and Reynolds got 4 of the 5 hits but overall, it was just another bad day for the bats. Oneil Cruz had a particular bad day with the bat, striking out twice and grounding into a double play. The Pirates struck out 10 times and have struck out the 3rd most in baseball this year, heading for second place at this pace. The Pirate hitters are pretty much pathetic. At one time this year they were hitting the long ball but now have fallen to 17th in that category. OPS+ they are 27th and they are 28th in on base percentage. Hitting is just not in their DNA right now. It is a concern moving forward but it would be nice to see a game where the 28 and 29 year old rejects do not play.
Key Moment in The Game: Any time a Pirate came to bat with a runner in scoring position, you knew they were not going to get a hit. In the last 3 games they are 1 for 24 when a runner is in scoring position.
Next Game: Late afternoon, Giants, in San Francisco. The Pirates are 2 and 7 on this road trip. The bats have been very quiet on this trip and are unlikely to perk up tomorrow. The Pirates have been shutout 3 times in the last 9 games. They have been able to salvage at least one game per series, so who knows. Let’s hope that Cruz perks up a little bit if he gets to play. After all it is Sunday crazy lineup day.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 