Pirates Morning Report: Are They Ready To Turn It Around?

Final Score: Pirates 8 Cardinals 4

Why The Pirates Won: By far their best offensive game and their best game all around. The Pirates finally did something right by piggybacking Carmen Mlodzinski and Thomas Harrington. Harrington did get touched up a little bit. Still, it was a better outing than his first one. Sometimes, it is difficult pitching with a big lead. The bottom line is that the Cardinals really never threatened to make a game of it. The Pirates managed to keep the real bullpen out of the game. Hopefully, this is something they will continue to do in the rotation. With the Pirates, you never know. The offense won this game. The Pirates scored 8 runs on 10 hits. They struck out only 7 times for the game. The Pirates were 4 for 4 with runners in scoring position. They only left 4 men on base. The big contributors were McCutchen, Rodriguez, Bart, and IKF. They had 2 hits each. As a group, they drove in 6 runs and scored 6 runs. It was the second win in a row for these much-maligned Pirates.

Key Moments Of The Game: For the first time this year, the Pirates struck early. Joey Bart hit a home run in the 1st. The Pirates scored 3 runs in the 2nd on 4 hits. IKF delivered the big blow with a two-run single. Ke’Bryan Hayes had a 2-out hit to drive in IKF. Before you could say, “baby, it’s cold outside,” the Pirates had a 4-0 lead. When the Cardinals cut the lead to 4-2, Harrington had his best inning in the top of the 7th. In the bottom of the inning, the Pirates added 4 more runs where no runner was wasted. McCutchen, Bart, and Cruz had the RBIs. The Cardinals picked up a couple more runs to make the final 8-4. By far, the best game of the year for the Pirates.

Next Game: Tonight, Cardinals in Pittsburgh. Weather may be a factor tonight, but if they play, Paul Skenes will get his third start of the year. Can the Pirates turn this thing around? A better question, will management let them turn this around? In my view, a lineup has been established. These are the 7 guys that should be playing every day. Reynolds should play when he is able. Bart, Rodriguez, IKF, Hayes, Cruz, and McCutchen should also play daily. It is time to give Tsung-Che Cheng a shot at short. Move IKF over to 2nd base. Play musical chairs with Suwinski, Pham, and Canario until one of them shows some signs of life. Right now, Pham seems to be perking up a little bit. Whoever is in there, please bat them 8th or 9th. Do not lead off with them or put them in the middle of the order. Management did their first smart thing last night with the piggyback start. They put McCutchen near the top of the order. They scored 8 runs. Do I need to repeat myself? I am almost afraid to see the lineup tonight.