Month: June 2024

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Poor Fundamentals and Bad Strategy

Final Score: Pirates 1 Braves 2 in 10 innings

Why The Pirates Lost: It all happened in the 10th inning which I will get to. This featured two of the best pitchers in the National League, Paul Skenes and Max Fried. Their performances were eerily similar. They both went 6 innings giving up 1 run on 6 hits. They were both tough when they needed to be, not giving up a hit with runners in scoring position. They both seemed to have trouble with the mound. As they like to say on MLB Now, were the Braves up to no good, trying to throw a young pitcher off. If they were, it also seemed to throw their own pitcher off. Skenes threw 102 pitches and Fried 103 pitches. Skenes walked 2, Fried walked 3. The only big difference was Skenes struck out 9 including the last 3 batters he faced, while Fried struck out 4. This game boiled down to the 10th inning and it showed why the Braves are who they are, one of the top 3 or 4 teams in the National League, and why the Pirates are in the depths of mediocrity.

The Key Moments Of The Game: Edward Olivares had moved to third with one out in the top of the tenth. A wild pitch sent Olivares home and he would have been safe, but he made the worst slide since Gregory Polanco. The umpire called him safe because there was no way he could have been out. However, the replay showed he was clearly out. He could have gone in headfirst. Hell, he would have been safe if he had just run across the plate. There was no catcher at the plate, and he was tagged from behind. Good God. We go to the bottom of the 10th and now the WINNING run is on 2nd base with nobody out. Even the Pirate broadcast booth knew what to do. Unfortunately, the Pirate bench did not. Maybe Shelton didn’t realize that Olivares had been called out. Adam Duval’s run meant nothing. You could just walk him or at the very least give him four pitches out of the zone and see if he chases. With runners on 1st and 2nd you open up the possibility of a double play and the force out at third. Certainly, what you don’t do is throw 2 pitches right down the middle of the plate, like Kyle Nicolas did. Duval, auditioning to become a Pirate, took the first one. The second one he cracked to the base of the wall and the game was quickly over. Again momentum lost for the Pirates. What were they thinking? Only the Shadow knows.

Next Game: Late this morning, Braves in Atlanta. The Pirates will probably get swept today. They should be made to drive back to Pittsburgh in a bus without air conditioning. At least send the coaching staff on it.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: It Was Like He Never Left

Final Score: Pirates 1 Braves 6

Why The Pirates Lost: Martin Perez made his first start in over a month, and it was not good. In 4 innings he gave up 6 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks. He had the same issues that he had when he went on the IL on May 26th. He was working from behind a lot as he could not locate his pitches. With the Pirates trying to conserve innings with the young pitchers he better correct this soon. The Pirate bats were silenced by Charlie Morton pitching 6 and 1/3 innings giving up only 3 hits and walking 1. The only good news was Bryan Reynolds extended his hitting streak to 24 games by getting a seeing eye ground ball through the infield in his last at bat in the 8th inning. Ke’Bryan Hayes did get a couple of hits so maybe he might be coming out of his funk. No such signs for Oneil Cruz going 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts. As a team the Pirates struck out 13 times. Keep on processing boys.

Key Moment Of The Game: It was 1-0 going into the top of the 3rd when the Braves broke it open quickly. In 19 pitches the Braves went single, walk, single, double, single to make the score 5-0 and this game was over. They were able to add a 5th run in the inning to make the score 6-0. The Pirates never really threatened to make a game of it.

Next Game: This afternoon, Braves in Atlanta. Two big guns are going today, Paul Skenes vs. Max Fried. The only hope for the Pirates is that in his last 3 starts Fried has not gone past the 6th inning and only pitched 5+ in two of them. With one of the best lefties in the game going, I do not expect to see Oneil Cruz in the lineup. I normally do not agree with that, but in this case, Cruz is in such a funk right now, I don’t think he will come out of it against this guy. The series in Cincinnati started out badly and the Pirates won the next two. Could this happen again against the mighty Braves. Who knows? Only the Shadow Shelton knows.

Posted on

Habits

What are your daily habits?

The definition of habit is an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary. To begin as they happen, my first daily habit is to wake up. It may be the most important. Without that, there are no more habits. After waking up I know I am breathing. Next I move, walking, go to the bathroom, urinate, and go downstairs. Drink coffee, use my I pad, go back upstairs, have a bowel movement, put eye drops in, shave, floss, brush my teeth, take a shower and meditate. I will eat food, do some kind of activity that takes me through the day, which includes being on the desk top computer. I will urinate at other times throughout the day. Eat food, watch TV, put eye drops in, brush my teeth, urinate and go to bed. Those are the things that I know I do every single day. There are many things that I know I do almost every day. That was not the question. Most people think of habits as things they do with the adjective good or bad in front of it. It is hard to develop good habits and difficult to break bad habits. Another way to put it is to say it is easy to get addicted to bad habits and hard to get addicted to good habits. Why is that? Now THAT is a great question. If I only had the answer.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: The Offense Continues

Final Score: Pirates 6 Reds 1

Why The Pirates Won: Luis Ortiz finally got a chance to start and did not disappoint. He went 6 strong innings giving up 1 run, 4 hits, walking no one, striking out 7, while throwing 85 pitches. Kyle Nicolas followed that up with 2 innings of hitless ball, walking one. Aroldis Chapman pitched the 9th to complete an excellent pitching day for the Pirates. The offense didn’t do to bad either getting 6 runs on 10 hits, led by Rawhide Rowdy and Andrew McCutchen, who each hit a home run. Jack Suwinski and Jason Delay went a combined 3 for 6, driving in the other 3 runs.

The Key Moments Of The Game: The Reds had just tied the game in the bottom of the 3rd, when Rawhide Rowdy led off the the top of the 4th by taking a 3-2 pitch and sending into the seats to immediately take back the lead 2-1. In the top of the 5th Delay doubled followed by the McCutchen homer to give the Pirates a 3 run cushion. In the top of the 6th, Delay got a big 2 out double to drive in 2 more and the Pirates breezed to a series win that they needed desperately. The lineup was good today and all I can say is, it’s about time.

Next Game: Tomorrow, the Braves in Atlanta. The 3 game series begins in Atlanta. Hopefully the Pirates can win one for a 3-3 road trip. No pitchers have been officially announced. This day off today is critical for the Pirates brain trust to have plenty of time to screw this up.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: What A Difference A Week Makes

Final Score: Pirates 9 Reds 5

Why The Pirates Won: A week ago today Mitch Keller and Hunter Greene had one of the best pitcher’s duel of the year, each giving up just 2 hits. Last night they would have been happy if they had just given up 2 runs a piece. Greene seemed to be under the weather but the Reds didn’t seem to care. Keller took 104 pitches to struggle through 5 and 2/3 innings. Granted there should have been some outfield plays that could have been made, especially by Michael Taylor, but Keller walked 3, hit a batter, and had only one inning where he retired the side in order. The Pirate offense took advantage of Greene’s stomach problems belting him around for 6 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks. I was surprised he came out for the 2nd inning. The Reds are dumber than the Pirates. It was a much needed win for the Pirates.

Key Moments Of The Game: After Andrew McCutchen walked to start the game, Greene got Bryan Reynolds to foul off the first pitch. He turned around and vomited on the mound. After much discussion he stayed in the game. Reynolds worked the count to 3-2 and then hit a slider out of the park to give the Pirates a quick 2-0 lead. The Pirates added another run thanks to a Rawhide Rowdy stolen base and Nick Gonzales single. The Reds allowed Greene to throw 3 more innings. It only took him 93 pitches to do it. He gave up 3 more runs in the 3rd. In the bottom of the 3rd after 1 out, the Reds loaded the bases thanks to a Cruz error and Keller hitting a batter, then walking another one. Keller struck out the next 2 batters to keep the Reds from getting back in the game. The Pirates added 3 more runs and the Reds made it somewhat interesting, but the Pirates handily evened the series.

Next Game: This afternoon, Reds in Cincinnati. Somebody please tell Derek Shelton that there is a day off tomorrow and nobody needs a rest. McCutchen seemed to hurt himself on his last at bat, but that should be the only player who might not play. The Pirates need this win heading to Atlanta.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Waiver Built Bullpen Gets Blasted

Final Score: Pirates 5 Reds 11

Why The Pirates Lost: After getting back into the game 5-3 The Shadow Shelton decided to try the waiver bullpen Justin (I Can’t Get Anybody Out) Bruihl, Dennis (The Yankees Gave Up On Me) Santana, and last but certainly not least, Daulton (Batting Practice Pitcher) Jefferies. In 3 innings of “work” they gave up 6 runs on 7 hits. They ended the night with ERA’S of 9.53, 7.34, and 14.93 respectively. Probably the only one surprised by their performances was Derek Shelton. This game just like the game before was handed to the opposing team on a silver platter.

Key Moment Of The Game: The Pirates in the top of the 5th battled back from a 4 run deficit to cut the lead to 5-3 on a RBI single by Yasmani Grandal and a force out by Oneil Cruz. Despite the game being close, Shelton decided to go with the waiver bullpen when there were plenty of options available. Not only that but he puts in another left hander, when the Reds whole lineup is geared up to hit left handed pitching. The result is Bruihl gets one out and the Reds bounce right back to get their 4 run lead again.

Next Game: Tonight, the Reds in Cincinnati. Mitch Keller and Hunter Greene will repeat their match up of last week where neither pitcher gave up a run. We know that Mitch Keller will have to repeat that performance if he expects to get win number 9.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Offensive Offense

Final Score: Pirates 1 Rays 3

Why The Pirates Lost: Another poor lineup card where the Pirates did not play Gonzales and McCutchen in a supposed big rubber game of a series. Even tough McCutchen is 37 he is just batting and not playing the field and only the Shadow Stupid Bone Headed Shelton would know why you would not play Gonzales. This is an offense that has not gotten more than 5 hits in a game for the last 5 games. The Tampa Bay pitching staff is ranked 27th in baseball according to ERA+. All of this, wasted another strong performance by Paul Skenes. He went 7 innings giving up 1 run on 7 hits, walking 1, while striking out 8. In a nutshell, it is hard to win when you don’t play your best players, especially when they are playing well.

Key Moment Of The Game: It was the top of the 8th when Colin Holderman got touched up for the 2 runs to give the Rays the insurmountable lead of 3-1. The hardest hit ball was the sacrifice fly out. The other big moment was when Shelton turned in that pathetic lineup card. The Pirates continue to keep and play players that should either be in AAA or DFA. With the trade deadline coming and the owner Mr. Nuthead saying the Pirates are going to make some moves, it is really scary to think what those might be.

The Next Game: Tonight, the Reds in Cincinnati. This is the start of a six game road trip against the Reds and Braves and guess what, they have an off day on Thursday. This will be their 6th off day since May 20th. Do you think they play softball that day and that’s why these players need days off besides the scheduled day off? Who knows? Only the Shadow Shelton knows.

Posted on

Self Care

How do you practice self-care?

First off I meditate once daily for 15 to 20 minutes in the morning. I walk anywhere from 3 to 4 miles a day and I swing a short weighted golf club 50 to 100 times per day. I try to eat as healthy as I can but could probably do better because I love food. Meditation is the most useful because it relaxes the mind and the body. The rest of self care is a mental process. You must accept yourself including all of your faults. You must be aware of what is going on around you externally and internally. Trust your instincts and feelings and never second quess decisions. Then appreciate all the things that you have and all the blessings that have been bestowed upon you. That is the way everyday should start and end. If you do that it will be the key to a good nights sleep which is the final but maybe the most important part of self care.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Edging The Rays

Final Score: Pirates 4 Rays 3

Why The Pirates Won: After getting off to a shaky start Jared Jones pitched a solid 7 innings giving up 2 runs on just 3 hits, waking 3, striking out 8, while throwing 94 pitches. Holderman and Chapman got shakily through the 8th and 9th. Chapman had to pitch the 9th because David Bednar had left sided tightness. The game ended with the tying run on 2nd base as Chapman got the last batter to ground out to end the game. The offense had just enough to give the Pirates the win. The last 17 batters went down in order.

Key Moments Of Game: Jones’ ability to come back from giving up a run on hit batsman, a walk, a wild pitch, and ground out was a big key. Especially after he almost killed Amed Rosario on the 3rd pitch of the at bat by hitting him in the eyeball with a 100 MPH fastball, with one run already in. He was able to get the next guy out, and from that point on it was like a new pitcher had taken the mound. He struck out the 8 batters over the last 6 innings. Oneil Cruz got the Pirates immediately even with a 445 ft. home run that went into the river on a fly. In the bottom of the 3rd, the Pirates had taken the lead 3-1, with runners on 1st and 3rd and one out. Nick Gonzales hit a rather weak ground ball to third that the Rays tried to unsuccessfully turn into a double play. Cruz scored the 4th and deciding run of the game. It was nice of the Rays not to try and throw Cruz out at home. Considering the Pirates did not get a man on base the rest of the game, if they don’t score there, they probably lose.

Next Game: This afternoon, Rays in Pittsburgh. The Rays go from the frying pan into the fire facing Paul Skenes this afternoon. Can this kid pitch great every time. Who knows? Just like in the case of Bednar’s left side tightness, only the Shadow Shelton knows for sure.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: A Contrast In Managers

Final Score: Pirates 3 Rays 10

Why The Pirates Lost: Make no question about it things went the Rays way last night. They got 17 hits and did hit 3 home runs but many of their hits snuck through the infield or were bloopers. The Pirates offense remained inept getting only 5 hits. The Pirates were still in the game going into the 6th inning and that is where we saw the contrast in managers.

Key Moments Of The Game: The score was 4-0 Rays going into the bottom of the 4th. Ryan Pepiot had been pretty much in control of the game. He walked the first two batters to start the inning. Ke’Bryan Hayes singled in the first Pirate run, putting runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs. Pepiot did get Connor Joe to pop out. Suwinski doubled to make the score 4-2 and after a walk to Grandal to load the bases out came Kevin Cash to get his pitcher. Reliever Colin Poche got out of the jam in one pitch getting McCutchen to ground into a 5-4-3 double play. Contrast that with the top of the 6th and the score still 4-2 Rays. Luis Ortiz had pitched 3 and 1/3 innings giving up 3 runs on 5 hits including a home run to Josh Lowe. The inning started with 2 singles followed by a force out at 2nd putting runners on 1st and 3rd. Ortiz struck out the next batter and up stepped the aforementioned LEFT HAND BATTING Josh Lowe. Josh Fleming was warming up in the bullpen. Against lefties Lowe is hitting .167. Ortiz had thrown 76 pitches, the most all year. Shelton never moved. First pitch Lowe homered for the second time, both off Ortiz, making the score 7-2 and the game is over. He still doesn’t take him out until another double is given up. What makes this even worse, according to Joe Block, the Rays bullpen was used a lot the day before and the Pirates with the day off had a well rested bullpen. Thanks to Derek (How Many Pitches Had He Thrown) Shelton, they are still well rested.

Next Game: This afternoon, Rays in Pittsburgh. Another momentum killing loss for the Pirates last night. Jared Jones is getting the start today and let’s hope he turns it around. His last 7 starts, which is half of his starts, his ERA is 4.97. He needs to get back on track especially with this offense. This team could be named the Treadmill Pirates. The legs are moving fast, with the exception of Rawhide Rowdy, but they are going nowhere.