I did not get to see the 9-0 shellacking the Pirates took last night thanks to a power outage that lasted from 5:30 PM to 2:00 AM. I never like to write about a game that I did not see. The box score tells a story. For the third straight game, the Pirate pitching staff got blasted. Andrew Heaney had his first bad outing. He went 4 and 1/3 innings, giving up 4 runs on 5 hits and walking 3. One unique thing about the game is that the Pirate staff did not strike out a batter. The bullpen, with the exception of Kyle Nicolas, pretty much stunk. In 3 innings of work, they gave up 5 runs on 5 hits and a walk. For the game, the Cubs hit 4 home runs, 1 triple, and 3 doubles. Seiya Suzuki missed hitting for the cycle by not getting a single. The sad total read 9 runs on 13 hits and 5 walks. The Pirates could not score even though they did collect 7 hits to go along with 3 walks. They only struck out 6 times. They were 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position and left 9 men on base. They did load the bases in the bottom of the 5th. Bryan Reynolds took 2 of 3 strikes to end the inning. In the bottom of the 6th, they had 1st and 3rd and one out. This time it was Matt Gorski who took all 3 strikes. He is quickly adapting to the Pirate philosophy of not swinging at strikes. It looks like I did not miss much. Tonight they go at it again with you-know-who starting again. Why? PLEASE SOMEONE TELL ME WHY? Maybe I will get lucky and we will lose power tonight.
Pirates Morning Report: Off Day Thoughts
The Pirates were off yesterday, but the Pirate management team does not consider these rest days. After all, the Pirates have to travel, and as we all know, this can be exhausting for people in their mid-20s. The Pirates stand at 11-18 right now. They are in last place, 6 games out of first place. Baseball Reference has listed their chance of making the playoffs at 0.2%. Quite frankly, I feel that is optimistic. Most of the Pirates’ problems have been on offense. Surprisingly, they have played pretty good defense. They are currently ranked 14th in Defensive Efficiency, which is in the top half of the league. The pitching has been good, giving up an average of 4.43 runs per game. This places them 15th in the league. In any important offensive statistic, the Pirates ranked as high as 23rd and as low as 28th.
Here is one interesting fact about the Pirates offense. The Pirates have 4 players: Joey Bart, Oneil Cruz, Andrew McCutchen, and Enmanuel Valdez that have OPS+ over 100. This means they are all above league-average hitters. Cruz leads the way with an impressive OPS+ of 154. Until they had recent slumps, Bryan Reynolds and Isiah Kiner-Falefa were above league average. At the present moment, these are the 6 best Pirate hitters. They have not seen the most action. In fact, McCutchen, Bart, and Valdez are 7th, 8th, and 9th in plate appearances, respectively. Who is ahead of them? Of course, Tommy Pham and Adam Frazier. They have OPS+ of 41 and 79. Tommy Pham has come to the plate 11 more times than McCutchen. He has come to the plate 24 more times than Valdez. Frazier has come to the plate only 5 fewer times than Pham. This dynamic duo has combined for a batting average of .216 and has slugged .273. The third member of this hitting trifecta is Ke’Bryan Hayes. His OPS+ is at 73. He carries the robust average of .235 and is slugging a whopping .306. The excuse for playing him is his great glove, but he is playing a corner infield spot that is usually reserved for a big bat. The only reason Frazier and Pham are playing is so management can justify signing them. They do not care that these two are basically out machines. Pham has even batted leadoff. It’s not really like the Pirates don’t have players that can hit. They are just not given the opportunity to hit.
For the next 18 games, with the exception of the Cardinals, the Pirates are going to play teams that are over .500 or made the playoffs last year. They have 9 games at home and 9 games on the road. The only way this team is going to make any headway during this time is by playing the best players. That means we should not see much of the following players: Tommy Pham, Adam Frazier, Henry Davis, Alexander Canario, and Jared Triolo. Triolo playing against left-handed pitching is ok. I would rather give Valdez a shot at left-handed pitching than see Frazier on the field. The starting lineups on this last road trip, with the exception of Frazier and Pham, were pretty solid. We have to get rid of the exceptions if the Pirates have any chance of salvaging this season.
Pirates Morning Report: Dodger Blowout In Game 3
Final Score: Pirates 2 Dodgers 9
Why The Pirates Lost: It was the Dodgers being the Dodgers. They lit up Pirate pitching for 9 runs on 14 hits. They had 5 walks and only struck out 3 times. It was an awesome offensive show: two home runs and one double. They scored in 4 of the 8 innings they batted. This is what made Derek Shelton’s decisions on Saturday night so bad. The top of the bullpen did not even need to be used yesterday. On Saturday, the Pirates had a legitimate chance to win the game. Shelton did not use his top bullpen guys in a tie ballgame. Holderman pitched yesterday. This should have been his first appearance since coming off the IL. He should not have appeared Saturday night in the bottom of the 8th in a 4-4 tie. Even though they hit two home runs in the top of the 1st, you knew the game was over by the bottom of the second inning. The Pirate offense digressed as this series went on. Yesterday, they went 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position. They struck out 12 times, stopping their single-digit strikeout streak.
Key Moment Of The Game: The Pirates had 2 home runs in the top of the first. Andrew McCutchen and Enmanuel Valdez hit the home runs. This allowed them to take a 2-0 lead. Just like in the previous game, the Dodgers fought back in the bottom of the inning. This time they did it with a vengeance. Barry Falter walked Shohei Ohtani, which was almost the smartest thing he did. The next 5 batters did not hit a ball under 94 MPH. After the dust cleared, the Dodgers had taken the lead 4-2. They had a runner on 1st base with one out. Max Muncy grounded into a double play on the first weakly hit ball of the inning. The Dodgers just kept adding on with one in the second. They scored 3 in the 5th and 1 in the 6th to build the 9-2 lead. The Pirates ended the road trip 3-3, which is a miracle in itself.
Next Game: Tomorrow night, Cubs in Pittsburgh. The Pirates open a 6-game homestand. They will play 3 with the Cubs and 3 with the Padres. They have not announced Tuesday’s starting pitcher. That could be scary. Again, the Pirates bring up someone and then do not play him. Matt Gorski has not been in the starting lineup for the last 3 games. The man he would have played for is hitting .184 with an on-base percentage of .265. The league average is .314. He is only 49 points worse than the league average. But please do not start Gorski. Just let him develop on the bench while a washed-up player plays. Pirate thinking at its best.
Pirates Morning Report: Shelton Loses Another One.
Final Score: Pirates 4 Dodgers 8
Why The Pirates Lost: Why do you bring in a guy in the bottom of the 8th of a 4-4 game who just came off the IL? This pitcher was not pitching well before he went on the IL. You are playing the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Your team is playing well. You won the first game of the series. Your bullpen has not been overly stressed thanks to some great starting pitching. Welcome to that hollow space between Derek Shelton’s ears. In walks Colin Holderman to the bottom of the 8th when there were many other options. The results were horrendous. He gave up a home run, a double, and a walk. He was pulled, but it was too late; the damage had been done. Joey Wentz came in and promptly gave up a 3-run homer to pinch hitter Enrique Hernandez. The game was essentially over. All of this wasted a pretty good performance by the Pirates. Adam Frazier did have a bad throwing error that allowed the Dodgers to take a 2-1 lead in the 1st. The offense had an acceptable game, scoring 4 runs on 8 hits and 4 walks. They did have 9 strikeouts, their highest total of the road trip. They were in this game until Derek Shelton decided to lose it.
Key Moments Of The Game: It was the ability of the Dodgers to break back in the bottom of the inning that the Pirates took the lead. Oneil Cruz hit his 4th leadoff homer of the season, giving the Pirates a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the 1st, the Dodgers scored 2 runs. The Pirates took a 3-2 lead in the 5th when Oneil Cruz singled in 2 runs. Tommy Pham, who is starting to hit a little bit, almost had a baserunning gaffe. He stopped at 3rd base for some unknown reason but went home when the throw went to 2nd. In the bottom of the 5th, the Dodgers tied the score. Freddie Freeman got the big 2-out hit. The Pirates took the lead 4-3 in the top of the 7th. They had the bases loaded and no one out but could only muster one run. In the bottom of the 7th, the Dodgers tied it 4-4. The Pirate players put in a solid effort. Unfortunately, their effort was wasted by one of the worst managers in baseball, Derek “The Shadow” Shelton.
Next Game: This afternoon (Thank God) Dodgers in Los Angeles. The late-night baseball is over for a while. Barry Falter goes against Tyler Glasnow. The Pirate lineup should be a doozy today. I will not even speculate. They are off on Monday. I wonder if Shelton even knows that. Holderman has said that he is ready to go since he only threw 14 pitches. Shelton said, “That’s great, there’s not much on the line anyway. Just a series win against the Dodgers on the road.”
Pirates Morning Report: Ensuring A .500 Road Trip
Final Score: Pirates 3 Dodgers 0
Why The Pirates Won: Another great pitching staff performance led by Paul Skenes. Skenes went 6 and 1/3 innings giving up no runs on 5 hits. He struck out 9 and did not issue a walk. The only negative was he threw 108 pitches. The bullpen took over the game, going the last 2 and 2/3 innings without giving up a hit. I am not too sure about putting David Bednar back in the closing role so soon, but time will tell. The bullpen is now ranked 8th in all of baseball. The offense did just enough to get 3 runs across against one of the hottest pitchers in baseball. Oneil Cruz, Ke’Bryan Hayes, and Enmanuel Valdez drove in the runs. The offense only had 6 hits but drew 5 walks. They only struck out 7 times. All of a sudden, this is an offense that is putting it in play. With the win, the Pirates will at least have a .500 road trip. I thought this was not possible when they left for the west coast.
Key Moments Of The Game: After the 1st inning, Paul Skenes never retired the side in order. In the bottom of the 4th, Freddie Freeman opened the inning with a double, moving to third on a Bryan Reynolds error. Skenes bore down and got the next 3 batters without allowing a run. He stopped all momentum that the Dodgers had if they had scored. Those last 5 innings Skenes pitched were a clinic in clutch pitching. The Pirates scored 2 of their 3 runs when 2 were out. Enmanuel Valdez got the big hit in the first, which gave the Pirates an early 1-0 lead. Ke’Bryan Hayes had the other big hit to make the score 3-0 in the top of the 5th.
Next Game: Tonight, Dodgers in Los Angeles. Mitch Keller goes tonight for the Pirates. Hopefully, the Pirates will finally score some runs for Keller. I hope to see two lineup changes: Joey Bart at catcher and Matt Gorski in left field. The rest of the lineup should be the same. For the first time all year, the Pirates have a little momentum. Having a stable starting lineup has been the key. Will the Pirates management team realize that? They had better, because they are going up against another tough pitcher, Roki Sasaki. We do not want to see Pham, Davis, Triolo, or Canario in the lineup tonight. Any chance the Pirates have depends on it.
Pirates Morning Report: It Was Just One Of Those Games
Final Score: Pirates 3 Angels 4
Why The Pirates Lost: Other than starting Carmen Mlodzinski, the Pirates did not do a lot wrong. Mlodzinski had his typical start. He threw 3 strong innings, giving up just one hit. In the last 2 innings, he gave up 3 runs on 4 hits. He brought his ERA down to a sparkling 6.95. How to turn a solid reliever into a mediocre starter 101. When will this disaster end? The offense had its moments but could not get the big hit. They were 1 for 5 with runners in scoring position. Overall, it was not a bad offensive performance. They struck out only 5 times. Matt Gorski hit a solo home run in his first major league at-bat of his career. He started at first base, but it would be nice to see him get a lot of action in left field. Oneil Cruz opened the game with a home run for the third time this year. Don’t look now, but the Pirates have a .300 hitter in Joey Bart. The brightest spot of the game was the bounce-back outing of Kyle Nicholas. He came in the 6th inning with the score tied 3-3. He pitched two innings of hitless ball with no walks and 3 strikeouts. Even though Greg Brown wouldn’t say it, I will write it: way to go, Kyle. This was by far the best loss of the season for the Pirates. They just were not destined to win this game. It’s too bad because they are headed for the big bad Dodgers.
Key Moments Of The Game: Another solid starting lineup for the Pirates. Canario in left field could be argued, but it was a lefty going. Hopefully, he will be the next player sent down to Triple-A. After Cruz’s home run in the first, the Pirates had runners on 1st and 3rd with one out. They could only manage 1 run. In the top of the third, the Pirates had runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out. They were unable to score. Hayes popped out, and Alexander Canario struck out swinging at 3 balls out of the strike zone. Remember, the Mets are not stupid. The Pirates went through a stretch where 11 straight batters were retired. With one out in the top of the 9th, Adam Frazier got a gift single. The Angels botched a pop-up down the right field line. IKF struck out. Oneil Cruz rocketed a Kenley Jansen cutter at 119.6 MPH to right field. Mike Trout took only a couple of steps to his left. He made the catch that ended the game. This was a tough one.
Next Game: Tonight, Dodgers in Los Angeles. If the Pirates can salvage one of these 3 games, they would have a .500 road trip. Paul Skenes goes tonight for the Pirates. He has been solid but certainly no Cy Young so far this year. Maybe he can have his best game of the year. He probably will have to because the Dodgers are pitching Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He is 3-1 with an ERA of 0.93. One thing in the Pirates’ favor is that the Dodgers have been floundering just a bit. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games. Hopefully, the Pirates will continue to put their best players on the field. Miracles do happen.
Pirates Morning Report: Pitching Continues To Take Over
Final Score: Pirates 3 Angels 0
Why The Pirates Won: Andrew Heaney continues to shine this year. Another great start going 6 innings, allowing no runs on just one hit. He struck out 9 and did not walk a batter. The bullpen took the game the rest of the way, allowing only one additional hit. Over the last 14 innings, the Pirates pitching staff has shut out the Angels on just 2 hits. While the offense was not quite as potent as the game before, it scored 3 runs on 11 hits. They were only 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position. They left 8 men on base. They kept their strikeouts in single digits again with 8. Oneil Cruz hit a long 463 ft. home run for one of the runs. Bryan Reynolds drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the 3rd. Of all people, Tommy Pham added an insurance run in the top of the 9th. He did it with a broken bat blooper up the middle. The Pirates are off to a surprising start on this road trip. If they can get the sweep, which is unlikely considering who is pitching, they will have a guaranteed .500 road trip.
Key Moments Of The Game: The Pirates did indeed start the same lineup two nights in a row. This lineup played another solid game. Even though the Angels only had 2 hits, both were one-out doubles. After the double in the 5th, IKF dropped a soft liner for an error. This put runners on 1st and 2nd with one out. Luis Rengifo hit the ball hard but right at Oneil Cruz for the 2nd out. Heaney struck out the next batter to end the threat. In the top of the 9th, the Pirates had a 3-0 lead. Dennis Santana gave up a one-out double. IKF this time made a nice play on a ground ball by Zach Neto for the 2nd out. Santana got Mike Trout to hit a big pop out to short left field to end the game. A nice start to the west coast trip.
Next Game: Tonight, Angels in Anaheim. Carmen Mlodzinski goes tonight for the Pirates. Why, I do not know. The Pirates will be facing Tyler Anderson. Since he left the Pirates, he has been one of the better left-handers in baseball. He was an All-Star in 2022 and 2024. Other than Paul Skenes, he has had a higher ERA+ than any Pirate starter. If the Pirates win this game, it may give them momentum. This is true even though they play the next 3 games against the Dodgers. The lineup will probably have Henry Davis behind the plate (bad). Jared Triolo at first base (good). The rest of the lineup should be the same. The Pirates may decide that Tommy Pham needs a rest. After all he is older than McCutchen who the Pirates treat like he’s 50 years old. Even though a left-hander is pitching, Cruz should start in center field. Our biggest hope is that this Angels batting slump continues. I just have this bad feeling that tonight’s starting lineup will be a doozy. Could they start Jack Suwinski against a left handed pitcher? No way. Don’t bet against it.
Pirates Morning Report: Starting The Best Players
Final Score: Pirates 9 Angels 3
Why The Pirates Won: They started their best 9 players. Only one starter had a batting average under .200. What’s harder to believe is that 6 starters had an OPS+ over 100. No one on the bench had a batting average over .160. The result was the Pirates’ biggest offensive production of the young season: 9 runs on 18 hits. Eight of the nine starters had at least one hit. They only struck out 6 times. Andrew McCutchen had a big 3-run home run. They added to their lead in the 5th and 9th innings. Barry Falter had an uneven 4 innings, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits. He had to leave the game with lower back tightness. The bullpen continues to shine. They pitched the last 5 innings without giving up a hit, let alone a run. The Pirates did not make an error and made many sparkling plays in the field. This was by far the Pirates’ most complete game.
Key Moments Of The Game: The lineup was the best of the year. I might have some issues with the batting order, but finally, the best team was on the field. In the top of the 4th, McCutchen had a great 7-pitch at-bat. It ended with him blasting a 3-run homer to give the Pirates a 5-1 lead. The Pirates broke the game open in the top of the 9th with 3 runs to take a 9-3 lead. This allowed the Pirates to take Dennis Santana out of the game after he threw only 3 pitches in the bottom of the 8th. The Angels had a chance to make a game of it that inning. Justin Lawrence had walked 2 batters to put runners on 1st and 2nd with two outs. Shelton actually made the move to bring Santana in. He struck out the next batter on 3 pitches.
Next Game: Tonight, Angels in Anaheim. The surprise pitcher of the year, Andrew Heaney, goes for the Pirates tonight. Tommy Pham seemed to injure his ribs making a great catch to end the game last night, which raises concerns about his availability. Other than that, there is no excuse for not starting the same lineup; consistency is key, especially when facing a formidable opponent like the Angels. The Angels are sending another right-hand pitcher to the mound, and it’s crucial for the Pirates to rise to the occasion. I feel this is the true test of whether the Pirates are genuinely interested in winning. I still would like to see McCutchen leading off, as his experience can set the tone for the game, and Cruz back in the 4th spot brings necessary power to the lineup. I will be satisfied if everybody that started last night will start again tonight, allowing the team to build momentum. However, my guess? It won’t happen, and that frustrates me. Damn.
Pirates Morning Report: The Art Of Grounding Into Double Plays
Final Score: Pirates 4 Guardians 5 10 innings
Why The Pirates Lost: The Pirates did not produce at the plate. They had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the 9th but failed. They could have tied the game in the 10th but did not. This was by far the most competitive game of the series, which made Derek Shelton very happy. He stated after the opening series loss to the Marlins that he is satisfied that the Pirates can be competitive. Essentially wins are not important to him. This goes without saying with the starting lineups he puts on the field. Mitch Keller and the bullpen gave up two 2-run homers to account for the 4 runs the Guardians scored in regulation. In the top of the 10th, the Guardians were textbook in getting the runner home. They moved him over to third with a ground ball to the right side. The runner scored on a sacrifice fly. The Pirate offense was pretty much dormant until the 9th inning. They had scored 1 run on 8 hits. Emmanuel Clase, who was the premier closer last year, is off to a horrible start. Maybe he is not over his playoff meltdown from last year. The Pirates touched him up for 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th to tie the game.
Key Moments Of The Game: With the score tied they had runners on first and second with one out. Andrew McCutchen was at the plate. He took a low outside 1/3 of the plate slider and tried to pull the ball. He grounded it right to the shortstop for an inning-ending double play. This was the first pitch of the at-bat. In the bottom of the 10th, the Pirates were trailing 5-4. The Guardians walked the first batter, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Oneil Cruz came to the plate. On a low outside corner slider, Cruz tried to pull the ball. He grounded right to the 2nd baseman for a double play. This was his first pitch of the at-bat. Both batters could have taken the pitch. Both pitches, even though they were in the strike zone, were located very well. At the very least, they should have tried to go with the pitch and send it to the opposite field. They paid the supreme penalty for the batting mistakes. Maybe they need new I pads. Enmanuel Valdez hit a hard line to right field to end the game. The Guardians had swept the series. At least the Pirates were competitive.
Next Game: Tomorrow night, Angels in Anaheim. The Pirates have a day of rest today. Of course, the Pirates do not count these as rest days. One of the best quotes from Derek (The Shadow) Shelton was that he wanted to keep Oneil Cruz off his feet for a game. That was the reason he was the DH and not McCutchen. West Coast baseball is always a pain in the ass. Some of the “Morning Reports” may be in the afternoon. Six games against the Angels and the Dodgers. This could get even uglier.
Pirates Morning Report: Over Before They Took The Field.
Final Score: Pirates 0 Guardians 3
Why The Pirates Lost: Even with Paul Skenes pitching, this game was lost before it started. The Pirates could not have put a worse team on the field if they tried. They had 4 players who did not have batting averages over .150. They had 2 players with batting averages between .203 and .194. Surprise, surprise, surprise, they got shutout. These illustrious 6 players went 3 for 21, with a pinch hitter hitting .100 adding to the cause. They struck out 6 times and did not walk. Why would they? Pitchers just threw the ball right down the middle. No IKF, McCutchen, or Joey Bart. They never pinch hit when a good opportunity arose. Someway, somehow, the Pirates were more pathetic yesterday than they were the night before. It would seem impossible, but they managed to do it. As you will see, Derek Shelton sat on his hands again.
Key Moment Of The Game: Even with this putrid lineup, the Pirates managed to threaten. Believe me, this lineup was enough to make a buzzard puke. In the bottom of the 6th, Oneil Cruz opened with a walk. Bryan Reynolds singled to left with Cruz hustling to 3rd. Ke’Bryan Hayes battled out an 8-pitch at-bat. He was called out on strikes on a ball that was outside. Enmanuel (I Like Scoring Meaningless Runs) Valdez walked to load the bases. At this point in the game, many players said they heard snoring in the dugout. This explains the absence of a pinch hitter for Tommy Pham. Pham has had 1 hit in his last 11 at bats and is hitting .127 overall. He promptly grounded into a double play on the first pitch of the at-bat. Valdez had the base running blunder in the 9th, getting thrown out at third when trailing 3-0. Everything about this game is questionable. From the starting lineup to base running failures, the question remains: what the hell were they thinking?
Next Game: This afternoon, Guardians in Pittsburgh. The Pirates will try to avoid getting swept today. They will send Mitch Keller to the mound. Keller has not seen the Pirates score a run in his last two outings. Will Jack Suwinski get his third straight start? Strike out three times in a game, you’re startin’ today. Hit a home run and a triple, you’re sittin’ today. You need a rest after all that hard swinging and running. What a thought process this team has. Easily explains why they are 8-14 and just getting worse by the day.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 