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.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 