Month: May 2023

Posted on

Pirates Moring Report: Threes Are Wild

Final Score: Pirates 3 Diamondbacks 8

Why The Pirates Lost: A combination of silent bats and another bullpen failure, namely Robert Stephenson, that led to this defeat. The Pirates had 3 runs, 3 hits, and 3 errors. Roansy Contreras pitched 5 innings giving up 3 runs, 3 hits, 3 walks, and striking out 3. Not everything was 3. The Pirate pitchers managed to throw 5 wild pitches and the bullpen gave up 5 runs in 4 innings. Throwing the ball was a big problem for everybody, as all 3 errors were throwing errors. The Pirate batters did not get a hit after the 5th inning. The top 5 in the batting order went 0 for 17. This game was one of the more discouraging games the Pirates played. They tied it up in the 5th, but the game went quickly downhill from there and they spiraled downward to 24-22

Key Moment Of The Game: Going into the 7th the Pirates only trailed 4-3. Rob Zastryzny was on the mound. After a single and a wild pitch, what else, the Diamondbacks sacrificed the runner to third. Zastryzny got the next batter to pop out. Then the Shadow made his next move bringing in Robert Stephenson for the second straight game in a key situation, despite the fact that he got lit up the day before. However, as Greg Brown pointed out Ketel Marte was 0 for 6 against Stephenson. Big whoop. Showing that a small sample size means nothing, Martel ripped a single to right field to score the 5th run. Then for good measure Stephenson walked the next batter, gave up a double to make the score 7-3 and the game was over. Hopefully, we won’t see Stephenson at all during the Ranger series.

Next Game: Tonight, Rangers in Pittsburgh. Things do not get any easier with the Western Division leading Texas Rangers coming to town. Luis Ortiz takes the hill for the Pirates, and he has had a couple of rough outings in his first 2 appearances of the season. There is no question that the last 2 games were disappointing. The offense went back in hibernation, the defense was shoddy, and the bullpen got rocked. The Pirates will have to dig deep even to have a .500 homestand.

Posted on

Golf Diary

The Round: Played Stonecrest Score 78 Greens in Reg. 10 Putts 34

The Good: Driving was good, and I hit some of my best iron shots of the year. The weather was perfect. Played the last 13 holes 3 over par.

The Bad: For a score that was not too bad, there was a lot. Putting topped the list with 34 putts and one 3 putt green. My short game was bad as I got it up and down only 2 times out of 8 missed green. Even though my driving was good at times, I hit some really bad drives especially at the start of the round. Got off to a bad start by bogeying the 4 of the first five holes. Definitely had more yip issues today than most.

The Luck Of The Round: The luck was pretty good this day other than on the greens. I was always able to find a window to play up the fairway when I was in the wood. I hit one tree and came back in play. Never really had any bad luck.

Next Round: Tomorrow, South Park

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Taking The Ace Out

Final Score: Pirates 3 Diamondbacks 4

Why The Pirates Lost: The Pirate bats put together one good inning and it was not enough. The 3 run bottom of the 3rd saw the Pirates get 2 hits and 2 walks to score their 3 runs. Over the next 6 innings, the Pirates got 3 hits and one walk and failed to score. Mitch Keller was not as sharp as he was the last 2 games but pitched well giving up 2 runs on 3hits and striking out 8 in 6 innings of work. After 2 were out in the top of the 6th, Keller hit a batter then gave up 2 infield hits, but a double steal by the Diamondbacks enabled them to score their 2nd run of the game. The Pirates did not score in the bottom of the 6th and the score was 3-2 Pirates going into the 7th inning.

Key Moment Of The Game: The Pirates did not let Keller come out for the 7th inning. He had only thrown 84 pitches. It was a bit of bad luck that the Diamondbacks had scored the run in the previous inning. This guy is supposed to be your ace. They made the excuse that he did not look good pitching out of the stretch. Well, he wouldn’t have been pitching out of the stretch to start the 7th inning beard breath. No problem with the bullpen being up and warming as he started the inning. If he gave up a hit or walked a batter, then you could always take him out. He had given up a home run in the 1st, but then retired the next 16 batters in a row. He had hit a batter but did not walk anyone. You’re taking out “The Man”. Next time, why don’t you just pinch hit for Bryan Reynolds late in the game with runners in scoring position. It makes about as much sense. Or better yet, send up a pitcher to bat for Austin Hedges. Wait a minute, that does make sense. This loss is squarely on Derek Shelton’s shoulders and the Pirates fall to 24-21 right into 2nd place.

The Next Game: This afternoon, Diamondbacks in Pittsburgh. Thanks to “The Shadow” this turns out to be the rubber match. Roansy Contreras takes the mound and should build on a pretty good last outing. The Pirates will be facing Merril Kelly, the third pitcher in 4 games with an ERA under 3. If recent history is any indication, then this is just what the doctor ordered for those Pirate bats.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Another Hot Starter Crushed

Final Score: Pirates 13 Diamondbacks 3

Why The Pirates Won: For the second straight game the Pirates faced a hot pitcher and sent him packing in less than 5 innings. This time it was Zac Gallen, who had not lost a game since the opener in March., The Pirates simply racked him up for 8 runs on 8 hits and 4 walks, in 3 and 2/3 innings. They added 5 more runs against the bullpen to win going away. There were lots of players who got into the act. Bryan Reynolds hit his first home run in about 6 weeks and drove in 4 runs. McCutchen, Bae, and Hayes all had 3 hits. No one had a bigger game than Josh Palacios, who had 3 hits, a walk and drove in 3 runs, including the 2 that gave the Pirates a 3-1 lead. He plays because the Pirates refuse to play Rodolfo Castro against right handed pitching. This is the first productive game a Castro replacement has had for a long time. Maybe, this will give Palacios a confidence boost and he will start hitting. Johan Oviedo pitched a solid 6 innings giving up 1 run on 2 hits, walking 3 and striking out 7 batters. DUJ came in to start the 7th but developed forearm tightness and had to leave the game after giving up 2 runs in 1/3 of an inning. The rest of the bullpen shut the Diamondbacks down. Another impressive win for the Pirates to send them to 24-20.

Key Moment Of The Game: The Pirates big 7 run inning in the bottom of the 4th was extended on an error by the Diamondbacks third baseman. The Pirates scored 5 more runs after the error to essentially sew up the game.

Next Game: Late this afternoon, Diamondbacks, in Pittsburgh. Mitch Keller takes the hill for the Pirates this afternoon, against Brandon Pfaadt who is making is 4th Major League start. He has not gone past the 5th inning in the first 3 but did pitch well in his last outing against the Giants, giving up only 1 run in 5 innings. The Pirates need to keep the momentum going since we are going with our best pitcher at the moment in Mitch Keller. The bats need to stay hot, so we can put it to the Diamondbacks for the 2nd straight game.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: It Never Fails

Final Score: Pirates 8 Tigers 0

Why The Pirates Won: This looked like a mismatch from the start, and it was with the Pirates winning 8-0. However, it looked like a mismatch for the Tigers. They had one of the hottest starting pitchers Eduardo Rodriguez taking the mound against the historic hitless wonders of the last 2 weeks, the Pittsburgh Pirates. So, what happens? The Pirates light him up for 4 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks in just 5 innings. For the rest of the game the Pirates added 4 more runs on 8 hits to break out of their slump and finish with the miraculous 2-3 road trip and move to 23-20 for the season. They did all of this with Ke’Bryan (Why Do You Think I’m A Lead Off Hitter) Hayes hanging an 0 for 5 collar at the top of the order. Meanwhile the only loud hits the Tigers could muster off Rich Hill were foul balls. Over 6 innings Hill only gave up one cheap off the glove hit, striking out 7 and walking 2, for his best outing of the season by far. In fact, that would be the only hit of the game for the Tigers, as the Pirate bullpen shut down the Tigers over the last 3 innings striking out another 7 batters. The Pirates came that close to pitching a combined no hitter. It was a surprising, but much needed blowout win for the Pirates.

Key Moment Of The Game: The 2nd inning had the look of another Pirate offensive failure. Connor Joe led off with a single. The Pirates caught a break on an 8 pitch walk to Rodolfo Castro when the 7th pitch was called a ball, that looked like it was well in the strike zone. Then the Pirates went back to normal. Ji Hwan Bae laid down a horrible bunt that forced the runner out at third. Chris (Look I’M Only A Triple A Player) Owings takes a called third strike for the 2nd out. Coming to the plate with his .150 average is Austin Hedges. Time to see what’s in the refrigerator. As I start to get out of my chair, there is a crack of the bat, and it appears that Hedges has hit a deep fly ball that may get to the wall. No, it looks like the centerfielder is about to make the catch, I hope there still is some left over chicken in the fridge. Wait! Off his effing glove it goes, and the Pirates score 2 runs and Hedges is actually standing on 2nd base. Hayes is coming up next, definitely go to the fridge now.

Next Game: Tomorrow night, Diamondbacks in Pittsburgh. The Pirates start a 6 game homestand against the Diamondbacks and the Rangers. They need to go 4-2 if this is a sign of righting the ship. Johan Oviedo will make the start tomorrow night and he really needs to make it a good one. It has been a roller coaster season so far, but if someone had told you at the beginning of the season that the Pirates would lose Oneil Cruz for an extended period of time and be 23-20 you would have said hell yeah. They need to make some hay on this homestand.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: No Miracles Last Night

Final Score: Pirates 0 Tigers 4

Why The Pirates Lost: The Pirates continue to be mired in one of the worst run scoring droughts in history. Luis Ortiz was his own worst enemy going only 3 innings with 2 of the 4 runs scoring on his throwing error and wild pitch. The bullpen held the Tigers in check the rest of the way, but it is rather easy to pitch, when you know you have no chance of winning. The Pirates flashed some pretty fancy leather that helped DUJ pitch 2 and 2/3 innings of scoreless ball. The Pirate offense managed 5 hits, 2 walks, and was 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position. They went quietly at the end, with the last 10 Pirates failing to get on base, with only 5 putting a ball in play. Maybe it is some kind of virus. Whatever it is they sure do stink at the plate.

Key Moment Of The Game: Even though 2 runs would have been more than enough for the Tigers to win, Ortiz gifted them 2 runs in the bottom of the 3rd to ensure their victory. The Tigers opened the inning with a hard hit double, followed one out later by an infield single that put runners at 1st and 3rd with one out. Then the fun began. Ortiz on a pick off move that looked like he was trying to throw the ball over like Kent Tekulve, threw the ball away, allowing the 3rd run to score, and moving the runner all the way over from first to third. He threw a wild pitch on the next batter, ensuring another run scoring, giving the Tigers an insurmountable, at least with the Pirates, 4 run lead.

Next Game: This afternoon, Tigers in Detroit. On paper, this looks like the biggest mismatch of the season. For the Pirates we have Rich (The Line Drive Right At Them Master) Hill, going against the Tigers Eduardo Rodriguez, who in his last 35 and 2/3 innings has given up 1 run. Every once in a while, when you see something like this you can get the big surprise. Maybe, this will be the game that the Pirates snap out of it. Maybe Castro will finally get a start. I would still like to know what that is all about. His replacement yesterday Josh Palacios hit into a double play and struck out twice. Will the road trip be miraculous, stay tuned.

Posted on

Golf Diary

The Round: Played South Park Score 76 Greens In Reg. 8 Putts 30

The Good: Drove the ball well again and the iron play although had its ups and downs again was improving. The putting was better but not great. Another ho-hum round with 4 bogies and no birdies. I have gone through stretches like this before, where I just do not make birdies. The irons and the putting are just not sharp enough to take advantage of some holes. Missed 10 greens and was able to get it up and down 6 times.

The Bad: The rough was high compared to last week at the Park and that did make a difference. It was very penal, and you could hit no more than a 7 iron out of the rough at times. The iron game was not crisp as I did not really have many good looks at birds. The bogies were caused by bad iron shots on the front nine and on the back it was another bad iron and a bad drive that led to the other 2.

The Luck Of The Round: One spectacular putt on 9, after a fluffed chip shot, of some 50 feet that went in to save par was definitely lucky. You could say the luck was bad, that the round was horribly slow. Did not have the best lies in the rough.

Next Round: Saturday, South Park.

Posted on

Golf Diary

The Round: Played Cedarbrook Red Score 85 Greens in Reg. 7 Putts 39

The Good: My driving, that was about it. The Irons were ok. The weather was beautiful so I can’t even use that as an excuse.

The Bad: Obviously putting with an atrocious 39 putts. My putting has been very good to mind blowing but not today. I really could not get the speed down and I yipped more today than in a long time. I had 4 three putt greens and only 1 one putt. I really did not play all that well, but even if I putt a little bit, I am going to break 80, which I did not come close to. I started to mess around with an idea about putting and it really mess up the entire process. Why are golfers never satisfied? My short game was bad too, particularly my pitching from about 50 to 85 yards. The chipping was not too bad but even that was erratic and painful. The last 2 days have been painful, but we are finishing up a 4 day stretch of playing with a day off on Wednesday.

The Luck Of The Round: I putted so bad that I can’t even say I had any bad luck on the greens. Luck was no factor on this pathetic round. The bar is calling, and I am taking my funnel. I am walking to the bar so there is not limit tonight.

Next Round: Tomorrow South Park.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: One Win Away From Miraculous

Final Score: Pirates 4 Orioles 0

Why The Pirates Won: Mitch Keller pitched another excellent game. He gave up no runs on 4 hits, no walks, while striking out 13 batters. He went 7 innings throwing 93 pitches with 70 of them for strikes. The bullpen finished the job, but Holderman made it interesting again. For the game, the Pirate’s pitchers struck out 17 Orioles. Even though the offense scored 4 runs they were still pretty putrid getting 7 singles along with 4 walks. I like the fact they put McCutchen in the leadoff spot, even though he did not do much after starting the game with a single and scoring the first run. Anybody is better than Hayes leading off. Hell, even bring the Turtle back. Just kidding, but I do miss him, the master of the 6 pitch strikeout and not swinging at one pitch.

Key Moment Of The Game: The top of the third the Pirates were leading 1-0 when Bryan Reynolds led off the inning by striking out, but was able to get to first base on a bizarre wild pitch that went toward the Oriole dugout. One out later Jack Suwinski walked. Ke’Bryan Hayes got a weak grounder through the right side of the infield to score Reynolds to make the score 2-0, moving Suwinski to third. Tucupita Marcano, for some unknown reason decided to bunt, moving Hayes, big whoop, to second base. Ji Hwan Bae got a ground ball just past a diving 1st baseman, bringing home the 3rd and 4th runs. This was a nice cushion for the Pirate pitchers to work with for the rest of the game. Things were much easier to deal with when the Orioles made some mild threats in the 8th and 9th.

Next Game: Tomorrow night, Tigers, in Detroit. The Pirates are off today and need a split in Detroit to have that 2-3 road trip that I called miraculous, with the way they are playing. Hope they continue to let McCutchen leadoff. The mystery to me is why they are not starting Rodolfo Castro. He seems to be in the doghouse, since the start of the year. From not starting opening day to not starting since he hit the 2 run homer to give the Pirates their only other win in the last 2 weeks. The excuse is he doesn’t do as well batting right handed, along with the fact that his defense has not been great, and I agree completely. But he is way better than Andujar, Owings and Palacios, who combined are hitting .130. When he does not play it means one of them is. It’s just hard to understand the Pirates thinking on that one. Maybe it is some kind of attitude problem or a minor injury that they are not disclosing. Anyway, a much-needed win to send the Pirates to 22-19.

Posted on

Golf Diary

The Round: Played Beaver Valley Score 80 Greens In Reg. 5 Putts 31

The Good: Drove the ball really well at times. Made solid contact with most of the iron shots. The weather was gorgeous.

The Bad: I hit horrible drives on 4 holes that really cost me. The major problem was distance control and club selection. Even though I hit my irons solid, I would come up short or long on most of the holes. That was the main reason for only 5 GIR’s. I finished really bad by bogeying the last 3 holes. The putting was mediocre at best with some very poor green reading. The greens were slow but they were very smooth so that was no excuse. All in all, a come down to earth day on the course. The game just slowly deteriorated the last 7 holes. Death by quicksand.

The Luck Of The Round: I got a good break on the 13th hole a short par 4 when my drive hit a tree about 100 yards from the tee but went back to the fairway and another 100 yards down the hole. I was able to hit a 9 iron on the green and almost made birdie. On the greens I had many putts come close and one lip out for bird, so not a lot of luck on the greens.

Next Round: Tomorrow Cedarbrook Red