Month: June 2024

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Pirates Win Pitching Duel

Final Score: Pirates 1 Reds 0

Why The Pirates Won: Both starting pitchers, Hunter Greene, for the Reds, and Mitch Keller for the Pirates were dominate. Greene pitched 6 and 1/3 innings giving up 2 hits, walking none, striking out 9 but was not that efficient throwing 106 pitches. The Pirates only had 3 at bats with runners in scoring position. Keller was just a little bit better going 7 plus innings giving up 2 singles, did walk 2, struck out 7 while throwing only 83 pitches. The Reds only had 4 at bats with runners in scoring position. Only once did each team get a runner to second with less than 2 outs. It was one of the most dominant pitching performances by both pitchers for the year. Great defensive plays were not even needed. The Reds had only one ball that was hit over a 100 MPH and that was a pop up. The Pirates had 4 over 100 MPH. Their 3 hits and a line out by Hayes that the centerfielder made a comfortable running catch. This was the poster child for a game of soft contact. The game only took 2 hours and 8 minutes. The Pirates took the series to hold onto 3rd place in the Central.

The Key Moment Of The Game: Bryan Reynolds took a high outside change up and drilled it 407 feet over the left centerfield fence with 2 out in the bottom of the 8th to give the Pirates that cherished 1-0 lead. It extended his hitting streak to 17 games and gave the Pirates the lead with 3 outs to get. Bednar came in the top of the 9th and shut it down easily to gain his 16th save.

Next Game: Tomorrow, the Rays, in Pittsburgh. These are not the Tampa Bay Rays of old, floundering 5 games under .500. No pitchers have been announced so there is no telling what the Pirates are going to do. They will have all day today and tomorrow to think about it which is really scary. This is a team that we have the potential to sweep. Can we finally get a hot streak? Who knows? Only the Shelton knows.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Just Can’t Seem To Get Any Real Momentum

Final Score: Pirates 1 Reds 2

Why The Pirates Lost: Baily (Not My) Falter pitched a very good game going 7 innings allowing 2 runs, on 7 hits, walking 2, striking out 3 while throwing only 80 pitches. I was a little surprised that they took him out because of how overworked the bullpen is. The sterling performance by Falter was not enough as the Pirates could score only 1 run on 4 hits. Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a solo home run for the only Pirate run in the bottom of the 7th. The Pirate bats were pretty silent as Reynolds had 2 hits and McCutchen the other one. Six of the nine starters went hitless. They were at bat only one time with a runner in scoring postion. The Pirates just cannot seem to get any momentum going to go on a hot streak. Perhaps tomorrow they can win the rubber match in the blazing heat.

Key Moments Of The Game: In the bottom of the 6th Michael Taylor was robbed of a home run by Reds left fielder Spence Steer. In the bottom of the 8th Oneil Cruz led off the 8th with a 102 MPH line drive that was caught. Andrew McCutchen walked. Bryan Reynolds who has been red hot lined one 106 MPH deep to centerfield. Centerfielder Stuart Fairchild made a very nice running catch of the ball but it was not spectacular. For whatever reason McCutchen was all the way around to third base and was thrown out easily to complete the double play. It may have not made any difference but what a base running gaffe.

Next Game: This afternoon, Reds in Pittsburgh. Mitch. Keller will be going for the Pirates today and it will be brutally hot. It is a big game today but will the Pirates management team act like it is. Will they rest Bryan Reynolds? Who knows? Only the Shadow Shelton knows.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Homestand Off To A Good Start

Final Score: Pirates 4 Reds 1

Why The Pirates Won: Paul Skenes was solid if not spectacular going 6 innings giving up 1 run on 6 hits, walking 1 while striking out 7. Not the most efficient outing as he took 96 pitches to do it. The bullpen was even better giving up only 1 hit and no walks over the last 3 innings. The A team strikes again. The Pirates won the battle of the first inning outscoring the Reds 3-1. Two out lightening struck again in the next inning as McCutchen and Reynolds had back-to-back doubles after 2 were out. That was enough for Skenes and the mighty bullpen. The Reds helped out by getting runners picked off 1st in two consecutive innings, both with no outs at the time.

Key Moment Of The Game: The top of the sixth Skenes did have some struggles. Elly De La Cruz led off the inning with a single. Paul Skenes on a great move picked off Cruz for the first out. Jeimer Candelario hit a sharp 107 MPH liner right at Conner Joe for the 2nd out. Spencer Steer singled to left. Paul Skenes issued his only walk and if not for the pick off the Reds would have had the bases loaded with one out. Skenes got out of the inning on a weak tapper back to the mound and the Reds never really threatened again.

Next Game: Tonight, the Reds in Pittsburgh. Barry Falter starts tonight and again he draws the best pitcher on the Reds in left hander Nick Lodolo. With a left hander going I use to say that was good since that meant Tellez would not play. I am sure he won’t tonight. What I will be curious about is that as long as he on this hot streak will there be a game against a righty that he will not play. All I can is say there better not be. This will be another indication if the Pirate management team is really serious about winning. You know that this streak will not last forever. Can somehow, someway the Pirates get on a roll? I just don’t know. Maybe that pathetic blowout lost to Rockies will turn things around.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Surprisingly Easy Win For The Pirates.

Final Score: Pirates 8 Rockies 2

Why The Pirates Won: Josh Fleming, the previously DFA left hander, pitched a solid 4innings, and the Pirates brought back 2 out lightening to score a nice win against the Rockies. It was another bullpen game for the Pirates and this time the B team did ok. Although if Carmen Mlodzinski keeps pitching the way he has been lately he might be graduating to the A team. In his last 7 games he has an ERA of 0.93. The win enabled the Pirates to continue to hang around .500 and move up to a tie for 3rd with the Reds. The offense came alive late, scoring the first 6 runs after two were out including 5 in the top of the 6th to break the game open.

Key Moments Of The Game: The Pirates were leading 1-0 going into the bottom of the 5th and Josh Fleming started the inning to face two left-handed batters. Good strategy but did not work as he gave up singles to both, to put runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs. In came Mlodzinski and in 6 pitches he was out of the jam. On the 4th pitch he got a double play ball and on the 6th pitch a ground out, maintaining the Pirates lead 1-0. In the top of the 6th the Pirates had runners on 2nd and 3rd with two out. Jared (Big Disappointment) Triolo singled in two runs. Jack (I Can’t Believe They Keep Playing Me) Suwinski got a single to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Michael (At Least I Can Field) Taylor had the at bat of the game. He had a 9 pitch at bat where he fell behind in the count 1-2. He fouled off pitches working the count to 3-2 and walked on a pitch that should have been called a strike, which would have ended the inning. That brought up Jason (I Get No Love) Delay, who was making his first start of the season. He lined a ball into the right centerfield gap to clear the bases to break the game open 6-0. The Pirates added 2 more in the 7th and the B squad shakily brought the game home giving up 2 runs on 5 hits but had enough sense not to walk anybody.

Next Game: Tonight, the Reds in Pittsburgh. The Pirates have 12 games left this month, 6 at home and 6 on the road. They have the next 2 Thursdays off and July 1. They play the Reds 6 games, 3 at home and 3 on the road. They play 3 with the Rays at home and 3 with the Braves on the road. If this team is going to be taken seriously, they need to go 8-4 during this stretch. Are you listening Derek (The Shadow) Shelton?

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Good God, 16-4 To The Rockies

Final Score: Pirates 4 Rockies 16

Why The Pirates Lost: The Pirates allowed a Rockies team to score 16 runs with a starting lineup that had 5 batters that were not hitting .200. What this game shows is that you cannot build a team by only acquiring low end free agents and pitchers that are on waivers. The Pirates will need a win today in order to have a .500 road trip. Supposedly they are going to have another bullpen game. After last night, good luck with that. The Pirate broadcast booth was gushing over Jared Jones, blaming everything on Coors field, and hoping the Pirates would get on a roll since they have such good pitching, before the onslaught started. By the time the game was over there were two crows sitting in front of them. This game would have been bad enough if this were the Dodgers, Braves or Phillies, but the Rockies??????

Key Moments Of The Game: This was not a key moment but certainly an embarrassing one. Both Gandal and Jones fell asleep at the wheel and the Rockies stole home on a throw back to the pitcher. The Rockies did produce a lot of runs after 2 were out. You have to give them some credit for that. I also did not see them laughing in the dugout, which was quite sporting of them.

Next Game: This afternoon, Rockies in Denver. I put about as much effort in this blog as the Pirates did playing last night. The Pirates have 7 players on the short-term IL. They are dropping like flies. Even though they are playing the Rockies, a win today will be shocking. This team may get on a roll all right, but I think it will be called a slump. My only hope is that sometimes in the world of sports a blowout loss or win will have the opposite effect of what you would expect. Last year when the Pirates got off to that amazing start, it ended with a double-digit win over the Washington Nationals. From that point on, the Pirates went into a major slump that ended their season. Could it happen the other way around this year? Highly unlikely but you never know.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: The Steel City Just Needs To Be At A Higher Elevation

Final Score: Pirates 5 Rockies 2

Why The Pirates Won: The Pirates brought out the long ball with Bryan Reynolds, Andrew McCutchen, and Jack Suwinski all going deep last night in the thin air. Another bullpen game with Luis Ortiz being the bulk man for the 2nd time was very effective. Ortiz went 5 innings, giving up one run on 7 hits, walking no one, while striking out 3. The Pirates were only leading 2-1 going into the 7th when Jack Suwinski hit the big 2 out 2 run homer to give the Pirates a nice lead at 4-1. The top 7 batters in the lineup all got hits, as the Pirates cranked out 9 hits to go along with one walk to put 5 runs on the board. Pirate pitching also gave up 9 hits and walked 4 but as we shall see Colorado showed why they are 21 games under 500.

Key Moments Of The Game: In the bottom of the third with one out, the Rockies got a double and a single to put runners on 1st and 3rd with one out. On the second pitch of the at bat Ezequiel Tovar grounded into a double play to end the inning. Things only got worse for the Rockies in the 5th. The Rockies opened the inning with a single. Charlie Blackman hit a ground ball down the first base line that woke up Rawhide Rowdy, but too late, that went down the right field line for an 82 MPH ground ball double. Imagine, they put this guy in late in the game for defensive purposes. But the Rockies got stupid by sending the runner home from third on a short pop fly to right field. Connor Joe threw out the runner easily to complete the double play. Tovar tripled in the run, but instead of the Rockies being ahead 2-1 with one out and runner on third, they had a runner on 3rd with 2 out and the score was tied 1-1. The next batter grounded out to Rawhide Rowdy which would have been an interesting play at the plate, but instead was just the third out. McCutchen untied the game the very next inning with a long home run and the Pirates were on their way to an opening game win in the series.

Next Game: Tonight, Rockies in Denver. Jared Jones will start tonight, and we will see how his stuff plays at higher altitude. According to assistant coach Greg Brown, Paul Skenes is not going to pitch until Monday, so who knows what the Shadow has up his sleeve for Sunday. Forget about a series win or sweep. The Pirates so desperate for money are going to have Skenes skip a day just so he can pitch at home. What an organization.

Posted on

Just One?

Daily writing prompt
Describe one of your favorite moments.
View all responses

I have been fortunate enough to have many favorite moments in my life. Describing just one would not do the other moments justice. Obviously, there are some moments in your life that are bigger and more important than others, but that does not mean that they did not give you joy and happiness and will be etched into your brain until the day you die. So in chronological order here they are.

Bill Mazeroski’s home run in the bottom of the ninth of game 7 to win the 1960 World Series over the mighty Yankees.

My first hole in one July 31st 1968

My second hole in one June 13th 1970

Franco Harris’s Immaculate Reception December 23, 1972, my Dad’s birthday.

My wedding day December 14, 1974. Even though it ended in 1999, still one of my favorite days.

Graduating from Veterinary School June 1975.

Birth of my daughter July 7th 1977. That’s right 7-7-77. I will remember that date even when I’m senile.

Opening my veterinary practice October 15th 1980

First day of opening new veterinary building that I had built Oct 15th 1983

My third hole in one July 23rd 1988

Taking my daughter to college September 16th 1996

My fourth hole in one November 3rd 2003

My fifth hole in one August 7 2005

The births of all 3 grandchildren May 4, 2007, July 22, 2009, and January 16th, 2015.

Last but certainly not least, an albatross (a 2 on a par 5) May 3, 2018

I would say that this list is not complete, but it covers quite a lot. It has been a great run and hopefully I will have a few more favorite moments to come. If not, this has been quite enough. I am one lucky man.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Right On Two Out Of Three

Final Score: Pirates 3 Cardinals 4

Why The Pirates Lost: Yesterday I wrote that I thought Henry Davis, Nick Gonzales and Oneil Cruz would not start for various stupid reasons, and I was right on the first two. Gonzales the hottest hitter on the team could have been used as the DH. He could have been used as a pinch hitter in the 9th. Instead, he was not used at all because the Pirates play these games as if they are meaningless. I should feel grateful that they at least scored 3 runs and got off the 2 run schneid. The Pirate offense got 7 singles and 5 walks but could only produce the 3 runs. This was not enough as Mitch Keller gave up two long balls on his way to pitching 6 innings, giving up 4 runs on 8 hits. He did not walk a batter and struck out 4. Not a bad performance, but with the pathetic lineup that started he needed to be better than that. The last 5 batters in the order did not have a batting average higher than .210 or an on base percentage of .290. League average is .241 and .311 Jack Suwinski did not put a ball in play striking out 3 times and walking once. The other 4 did not too bad, getting on base 7 times. It all added up to a frustrating loss for a fan, as the Pirates continue not to play the best players.

Key Moment Of The Game: The lineup card was huge again. In the bottom of the 3rd with the game still scoreless, Masyn Winn got a one out triple. Keller struck out the next batter for the 2nd out. Paul Goldschmidt worked the count to 3-2 after falling behind 1-2. Keller left a 93 MPH cutter over the plate thigh high, and Goldschmidt blasted it over the right center wall to make the score 2-0. Keller got touched up for a run in the 4th, got out of a jam in the 5th, but gave up the leadoff home run in the top of the 6th which was the margin of victory for the Cardinals. The loss kept the Pirates firmly entrenched in last place.

Next Game: Tonight, the Rockies in Denver. The Pirates have not announced who is going to start the game. Who knows what they are going to do? Maybe they will start Grandal. The last two games have been lost even before the Pirates have taken the field. The lineups were bizarre. The Pirates lost 2 out of 3 to a Cardinal team that is floundering and old. I will just have to assume we are in for a really weird weekend, and I don’t think the high altitude will have anything to do with it.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Poor Lineup Construction

Final Score: Pirates 2 Cardinals 4

Why The Pirates Lost: Did the Pirates think that Sonny Gray was left handed. The splits on Gray are right handed batters hit .168 and left handed batters hit .243. He has walked lefties 12 times and righties 8 times. So, what do the Pirates do, they start a lineup with only 2 left handed batters. Connor Joe hits .288 against lefties and .235 against righties. Edward Olivares hits .246 against lefties and .212 against righties. Neither one of them should have been in the lineup against one of the best right hand pitchers in the National League. The Pirates scored only 1 run off of Gray and 2 runs for the game. Are the Pirates about to start on another stretch of games where they only score 2 runs a game for about 10 to 12 games in a row? I would have loved to have been at the meeting that was responsible for that lineup card. Baily Falter had another mediocre outing, getting knocked around for 8 hits that resulted in 3 runs, in just 4 innings of work. There were two possible significant things that happened in this game. Henry Davis hit a home run. Will this give him some confidence and momentum to start hitting. We probably won’t know today because at 24 years of age Henry is just not physically able to catch a day game after a night game. Kyle Nicolas, who I felt should have been sent down immediately, pitched a dominant 2 innings striking out 5 of the 6 batters he faced with no walks. He only got to a 3-ball count once. There is no question Nicolas has great stuff, but you have to get it over the plate. Hopefully he has found something, and this was not just some fluke.

Key Moment Of The Game: When The Shadow took out the lineup card and the 1st inning. The Pirates started the game with a walk and Bryan Reynolds doubled to put runners on second and third with no one out. From there, Gray struck out the side on 10 pitches, on his way to retiring 12 batters in a row. In the crazy NL Central the Pirates fell from second to last in one night.

Next Game: This afternoon, Cardinals in St. Louis. Mitch Keller goes for the Pirates as they try and win their third series in a row. I am sure the Pirate brass will be meeting early to construct another stupid lineup. My guess is that they will think that both Nick Gonzales and Oniel Cruz will need a rest. After all, they got 3 of the Pirate 6 hits last night. Plus, they are at that fragile age of 25.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Unbelievable Win

Final Score: Pirates 2 Cardinals 1

Why The Pirates Won: Good question. They were outhit 8 to 3, gave the Cardinals 4 outs in the bottom of the 9th, did not get a hit until the 7th inning, but still managed to win. Paul Skenes had another solid performance going 6 and 1/3 innings giving up 5 hits, no walks, while striking out 8. Both he and Miles Mikolas pitched a perfect 1st three innings. Mikolas gave up a walk in the 6th before giving up a hit in the 7th inning. Both pitchers pitched out of 1st and 3rd, nobody out jams, Skenes in the bottom of the 5th and Mikolas in the top of the 7th. The bullpen was able preserve the win, despite giving up a home run in the bottom of the ninth. They slipped into 2nd place, with four teams all within one loss of each other.

Key Moments Of The Game: Both pitchers getting out of those 1st and 3rd nobody out jams was huge. The game boiled down to the 9th inning where both teams failed to execute properly, with the Pirates being able to overcome their mistakes. With the Pirates pathetic bats, you knew that they were going to need help and they got it from Ryan Helsley and Cardinal catcher Pedro Pages. Helsley walks of all people Jack Suwinski on 4 pitches no less. A single and another walk loaded the bases with no outs. Connor Joe hit a line drive that drawn up shortstop Masyn Winn knocked down but rushed his throw that one hopped the catcher, who dropped the ball, allowing the Pirates to finally score. Oneil Cruz hit a sacrifice fly and the Pirates led 2-0. Bednar came in the bottom of the 9th and immediately, like first pitch immediately, gave up a home run, making the score 2-1. He got a strike out and a pop out in the next 7 pitches. He walked the next batter on 4 straight pitches. The game seems to be over on a strike out, but replay showed catcher interference putting runners on 1st and 2nd. Right here is where you thought the Pirates are going to blow it. However, Bednar strikes out the next batter on 6 pitches, giving the Pirates an unbelievable victory.

Next Game: Tonight, Cardinals in St. Louis. Baily Falter goes tonight for the Pirates. He will face Sonny Gray who has not looked all that great his last 2 starts. The Pirates did get some stiff from the Yankees to go to the bullpen. Good God. Can Falter keep the momentum going? Stay tuned.