Month: May 2025

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Pirates Morning Report: Pirates Shut Out Reds, The Only Way They Can Win

Final Score: Pirates 1 Reds 0

Why The Pirates Won: It sure as hell was not the offense. The Pirates have won 2 of their last 8 games. In both wins, the Pirates have shut out their opponent. This time it was Bailey Falter, Dennis Santana, and David Bednar who combined for the shutout. Falter pitched a strong 7 innings. He gave up 4 hits, walked none, and struck out 5. He threw only 79 pitches. I thought he would come out for the 8th inning. He did not. Dennis Santana pitched a clean 8th inning. I thought he was going to get a 2-inning save. He did not. David (Smiling) Bednar came in to get the save. He started out by giving up a leadoff single. I thought here comes another blown save. He got Santiago Espinal to ground into a 4-6-3 double play. This brought Elly De La Cruz to the plate. I thought he might hit a home run. He did not. He hit a big high fly ball down the left field line. Alexander Canario managed to turn this into a slipping, sliding acrobatic catch to end the game. The four-game losing streak was somehow over. The offense was its normal embarrassing self, but there were a few positives. They only struck out 4 times. They had 6 hits and 4 walks. They could only produce 1 run with all of that base traffic. Part of the problem: the Pirates grounded into 3 double plays to lead the league at 47. I wonder what that record is.

Key Moment Of The Game: In the first inning, Falter gave up a leadoff triple to T.J. Friedl. He was able to get out of the inning with the Reds not scoring. The second out was the big out, striking out De La Cruz. He retired the next six batters in a row over the next two innings. In the top of the fourth, Espinal led off with a double. He retired the 3, 4, and 5 hitters easily. There was not a ball hit over 80 MPH, and he struck out the last batter to end the inning. He only gave up two more hits. He faced one batter over the minimum thanks to a double play ball. Bryan Reynolds got the big hit in the bottom of the sixth to drive in the only run of the game.

Next Game: This afternoon, Reds in Pittsburgh. Last night, the starting lineup brought back memories of Derek Shelton. No IKF and no Nick Solak. Not playing Solak is the Pirates developmental departments policy of learning by observation. How has that been working out? Instead, we had Jared (The Dead Tree) Triolo and Adam (Playing For The Pirates Makes Me Look Good) Frazier. David Bednar closed the game rather than Santana, who has not blown a save yet. We can only hope that there may be some showcasing involved. The Phillies need a bullpen guy with closing experience. At one point this year, the Pirates had 6 players that had OPS+ over 100, which is above league average. Now, they have only 2. Joey Bart is right at 100. Oneil Cruz, who was once at 154, is now down to 116. Even though it is obvious this team needs help, there looks like there is none on the way. In a way, it is too bad they won last night. This offense is so awful. The Pirates have players in AAA that are better. One thing is for sure; they could not do any worse. Let’s give Gorski a chance. For the sake of humanity, trade him.

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Pirates Morning Report: It Was Not A Coincidence

Final Score: Pirates 1 Reds 7

Why The Pirates Lost: It would not have made much of a difference, but it was another bullpen implosion. Namely the Bobbsey Twins, Holderman and Bednar. Bednar came in the 8th and gave up 2 runs on 3 hits. He struck out 2 and walked none in 2/3 innings of work. This raised his ERA to 5.40. Holderman came in the 8th and got the final out. He came back out for the 9th and got blasted. He gave up 3 runs on 3 hits. He walked 2 and struck out 1 because the umpire felt sorry for him. He left the field with a sparkling ERA of 9.00. It was not a coincidence that the Pirate bullpen had their best run when Bednar was in AAA and Holderman was on the IL. I had so much hope for Holderman but not anymore. The Pirates need to do what they have to do and get them off the team. Of course, they won’t. I wrote at the outset that it really did not make any difference because the Pirate offense is horrific. They are in the process of rewriting the record books—all in a negative way. This pathetic effort saw them get 1 run on 5 hits. They were 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position and left 5 men on base. For the 2nd consecutive game, they got worse as the game went on. In the last 5 innings, they sent the minimum number of batters to the plate. Their only hit was erased immediately by a double play ball. They only sent 3 balls to the outfield. They were able to keep their strikeouts to single digits at 8. They have now lost 4 in a row.

Key Moment Of The Game; It was simply when the Reds scored their 4th run. You knew right then that the game was over. The Pirates have not scored over 4 runs all month. In their last 24 games, they have scored 4 runs 6 times, 3 runs 7 times, 2 runs 3 times, 1 run 4 times, and they have been shut out 4 times. The Pirates do nothing about it. No one is held accountable for such an awful performance. Other than the manager, the coaches are the same, and the players are the same. We have played 30% of the season. If the Pirates continue at this pace, their record would be 50-112. Who would have thunk it?

Next Game: Does anybody really care? It’s tonight against the Reds, a matchup that, on the surface, seems less than thrilling. Fans are left wondering if any changes will be made to the lineup or strategy, but I doubt it. The hitless wonders will just continue their dismal performance, dragging on and on without any signs of improvement. It’s truly disappointing to witness such a team struggle so deeply, leading to an utterly deplorable situation that has fans shaking their heads in disbelief. The air is thick with frustration and uncertainty as we anticipate yet another lackluster effort on the field. This is setting up to be the worst season in Pirate history. The Pittsburgh Pirates have been playing baseball since 1891. They have had 10 one hundred loss seasons. Five of them have been since 1985. Four of them this century. The worst team in Pirate history during the modern era was the 1952 Pirates. The won only 42 out of 154 games and finished 54 and 1/2 games out of first place. This team can do it. It would be the true Bob Nutting legacy.

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Pirates Morning Report: Skenes Dominant, Pirates Still Lose

Final Score: Pirates 0 Phillies 1

Why The Pirates Lost: The Pirate offense continues to get worse. This is hard to believe but true. Teams are so confident against the Pirates that for the third time in the last 9 games they have brought in a pitcher for the bottom of the 9th with an ERA of around 7. In all 3 instances, they got the save in a one run game. The offensive stats are mind-blowing. They struck out 14 times. Oneil Cruz may have had the 4 worst plate appearances of anybody in baseball this season. He struck out 4 times. He swung at the ball 10 times. He had 3 foul balls and 7 swings and misses. If this is due to his back, then he needs to go on the IL. At least they need to get him out of the leadoff spot. Please put McCutchen there. Henry Davis got a hit to raise his average to .150 to reach the Triolo line. After 5 innings, the Pirates had 5 hits. They would get one hit in the last 4 innings. They ended the game by having 5 of the last 6 batters strike out. They were 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position. What is amazing about that is they got 4 runners in scoring position. I read somewhere that the Pirates are closing in on the record for most games in a row without scoring over 4 runs. All of this offensive incompetence wasted Paul Skenes’ most dominant outing of the year. He relied more on his fastball and it paid off. He was touching 100 MPH again. His control was back. He threw 102 pitches, and 71 were strikes. He threw an 8-inning complete game, giving up 1 run on 3 hits. He struck out 9 and walked 1. It was a great performance. Too bad it was wasted on the Pirates.

Key Moment Of The Game: The score was 1-0 going into the top of the 7th. The Pirates actually got something going. Ke’Bryan Hayes walked. Alexander Canario singled to left field. It was right here that the Pirates showed they are one of the worst teams in baseball. One of their talent-blocking free agent signings, Adam Frazier, bunted the ball right back to the pitcher, who easily threw the runner out at 3rd base. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, on a 2-1 count, swung at a pitch high and inside. He grounded into a routine double play. Only on the Pirates is a 2 balls 1 strike count not a hitter’s count. All of the great hitters through the years look for a pitch high and tight to drive somewhere. Yeah, right. The Pirates went quietly the rest of the way.

Next Game: Tonight, Reds in Pittsburgh. The Pirates are at home for the next 7 games. They play 3 against the Reds and 4 against the Brewers. The competition becomes somewhat easier. Despite their gigantic offensive problems, the Pirates went 3-6 against the beasts in the East. They don’t seem to be doing anything about their offensive woes. They do not seem to be doing anything about some of their bullpen issues. A major league roster has 26 players. You can easily say that 6 players on the Pirates should not be on this team. That is almost a quarter of the team. Here is the list: Triolo, Davis, Pham, Frazier, Wentz, and Rainey. Without even activating anyone from the IL, the Pirates have the players to replace them that are better. I have written about this many times, but this will be the last. The Pirates have the talent. They just choose not to play them to save a few bucks.

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Pirates Morning Report: A Disappointing Day

Final Score: Pirates 2 Phillies 5

Why The Pirates Lost: Again, the offense was pretty much non-existent. Until Bryan Reynolds hit the 2-run homer in the top of the 9th, they had only 3 hits. They never got a runner in scoring position the entire game. They struck out 11 times. They continue to let Carmen Mlodzinski start. This time he went 3 and 1/3 innings, giving up 4 runs on 7 hits. His ERA is a crisp 5.67. When will it ever end? The results of the game were the last of many disappointments. Spencer Horwitz was activated today. The first disappointment was that Matt Gorsky was sent down. Tommy Pham or Jared Triolo should have left the team. The second disappointment was the starting lineup. It looked like Shelton was back. No Canario. Nick Solak should have been the 2nd baseman and Canario the left fielder. The third disappointment was the selection of the B squad to come out of the bullpen for the second straight day. Joey Wentz led them. He had pitched the night before. Tanner Rainey came in again later. Neither one should be on the team. It was just lucky that the Phillies only got 5 runs in the game. Part of that may have been due to the fact the Phillies knew that it was all they needed. The Pirates have not scored 5 runs for 22 games. This was by far the worst game the Pirates played under Don Kelly.

The Key Moment Of The Game: The score was 2-0 Phillies in the bottom of the 4th. The Phillies had 2nd and 3rd with one out. Joey Wentz entered the game. He took just 2 pitches, both pretty much right down the middle, to give up a single making the score 4-0. Once the 4th run crossed the plate, you knew the game was pretty much over. It took Wentz another 4 pitches to get and out and give up a double to make the score 5-0. Efficient but lousy. The Pirates never threatened to make a game of it. They sleepwalked through another loss.

Next Game: This afternoon, Phillies in Philadelphia. The Pirates still have a chance to go 4-5 against 3 of the best teams in the National League. Paul Skenes goes for the Pirates. The Phillies are starting Mick Abel, who is making his Major League debut. A rumor is going around the league. The rumor suggests that teams are lining up their top AAA pitcher. They want them to debut against the Pirates. Just about anybody can get the Pirates out. If the prospect can’t do it, then the team knows that he needs more seasoning. It is also another way to get a young pitcher some confidence pitching in the Majors. At least the Pirates are doing some good somewhere. They are helping other teams develop their prospects. They sure can’t develop their own.

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Pirates Morning Report: Bullpen Implosion

Final Score: Pirates 4 Phillies 8

Why The Pirates Lost: The bullpen completely collapsed. Here are the horrific numbers. In 4 innings of “work,” they gave up 7 runs on 5 hits. They walked 5 and struck out 2. The bullpen turned a 3-1 Pirate lead into an 8-3 deficit in just 2 innings. Ryan Borucki faced 3 batters, walking 2 and hitting another, forcing in 2 runs. The Phillies scored 4 runs on 1 hit, and that should have been an error. Tommy (Please DFA Today) Pham got a late jump on a blooper. He ran like he had 2 bricks in his back pocket. Despite all that, he got to the ball. He had it in his glove and then dropped it. It was probably ruled a hit because IKF was out there trying to make the catch. It distracted Pham, but there really is no excuse for not making that play. Joey Wentz got touched up for 3 runs the next inning, and the game was over. Alexander Canario, who is swinging a hot bat, hit a 3-run homer to give the Pirates that 3-1 lead they squandered. Maybe the Mets weren’t so smart after all. Also, the crow I will be eating tonight will be grilled. Given the opportunity, Canario is making the most of it.

Key Moment Of The Game: Colin Holderman came in the bottom of the 6th. He faced the minimum batters thanks to a double play ball after giving up a single. He came out for his 2nd inning of work in the 7th. This is not the norm for Holderman, but I admit I was all for it. He got the first out of the inning. Then he walked the next batter. His recent bad luck continued with the Pham fiasco. That’s when Borucki came in and decided to give the Phillies the game rather than have them earn it. After 3 batters, the Pirates brought in 32-year-old Tanner (I Have Never Pitched Well In The Majors) Rainey. He walked in another run. You may be wondering why the Pirates used essentially the B squad out of the bullpen. They had just come off a day of rest. They are probably anticipating the Mlodzinski start tonight. It is a mystery why they don’t bring up all those good to great arms they have in AAA. Oh well. They still need one more win.

Next Game: This evening, Phillies in Philadelphia. The Pirates need to salvage one more win to go 4 and 5 on this tough 9-game stretch. It looks like Spence Horwitz will be activated today. My hope, but not my expectation, is that Tommy Pham will be DFA’d. It will be interesting to see who the Pirates let go. The other big expectation is when will the Pirates break the 4-run barrier. This is what it is like to be a Pirates fan. Forget about wins and losses. Please DFA this player and please score more than 4 runs. We are bursting with anticipation.

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Golf: Don’t Become A Slave To Your Pre Shot Routine

All golf instruction recommends having a pre-shot routine. The pre-shot routine allows you to treat each shot the same way. The pre-shot routine lets you execute better when the shots become more important as the round progresses. Your long game, short game, and putting pre-shot routines will each be a little different. I do agree that it is very important to have a pre-shot routine. I feel, however, that many golfers will never vary their pre-shot routine no matter what the situation. They are also reluctant to change their pre-shot routine as a way to improve their game. They are very rigid when it comes to the pre-shot routine. In other words, they become a slave to the pre-shot routine. What winds up happening is that something that is supposed to help their game winds up making their game worse. I will use my own pre-shot routines for each phase of the game as examples.

For the long game, I have two basic pre-shot routines depending on how I am swinging the club. If my swing is good, I take a small practice swing. It is about 1/5 the length of a normal backswing. Sometimes early in the round, I feel a little stiff. Or I think my swing is off. In such cases, I will take a full practice swing. For both, I start out by standing behind the ball to help line up the shot. Then I take my address position at the ball. I take one look at the target. Then I will make my swing. Sometimes, I run into trouble when I take that first look at the target. I will feel I am aimed a little right. Or my stance is not quite right. If I make the final adjustment, I will usually hit a good shot. If I don’t, then the shot is usually not so good. This does not happen often, but sometimes I have to make two adjustments. In either example, this is a departure from my usual routine. When I do it, the shots are better.

With the short game my routine changes. This is the routine I use when things are going well. I will discuss later what I do when things are going very badly like with the chip yips. I stand behind the ball trying to imagine the shot I want to hit. On all short game shots, I use my practice swings to try to get a feel for the shot. I do not have a set number, but I take anywhere from 3 to 6 depending on the shot. While I am doing that, I am also trying to picture the shot. Once I am confident that I have a good feel for the shot, I take my address position. I look at my spot I want to hit 1 or 2 times. Then, I execute the shot. I do this for any shot that is going to need less than a full swing. Off topic for a moment. The high shot chip shot that helped for a while with the chip yips ran its course. I am back to normal chipping of hitting low running shots. Sigh.

My putting pre-shot routine is similar to my short game routine. I line up the putt from behind the ball. I rarely look at a putt from behind the hole. On extremely long putts, I will walk up to the hole. This helps me get a lay of the land close to the hole. I take one practice swing looking at the hole. The practice swing will be one that I would use to make the putt. Once I settle in for the putt, I focus on the line. I take only one look at it. I want to make certain the putt goes on this line. I look down at the ball and instantly stroke the putt. Sounds nice and simple because it is. As in the short game, this is what I do when things are going well. What if they are not?

Players are always looking at their swings and techniques in all facets of the game to improve their swings. They rarely look at something like the pre-shot routine to help improve their score. I have changed my routine right in the middle of a round. This change has helped turn around many a round that seemed headed down the drain. In the long game, I have completed my entire pre-shot routine from behind the ball. I do this instead of performing it from the side. I have had rounds where I do not take a practice swing. In the short game, I will take just one practice swing. This swing has nothing to do with the shot I am planning. I will remove the practice swing. I will take many more looks at the line before I hit the pitch or chip. In putting, I will take my practice swing while looking at the ball rather than the hole. I will try to make the stroke I want on the practice swing. All of these changes have helped me do better on the golf course. I achieved this without changing anything about my swing or technique. I believe that everyone should have a pre-shot routine for every phase of the game. Don’t be afraid to change it when things are not going well. You will be surprised by the results. It is not good to be a slave.

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Pirates Morning Report: Essentially A Bullpen Game Shut Out

Final Score: Pirates 4 Mets 0

Why The Pirates Won: Not letting the other team score is a big step. Bailey Falter had a rough 1st inning even though he did not give up a run. He gave up a single and walked 2. More importantly, he threw 32 pitches. He made it into the 4th but could only get 2 outs. He gave up 2 more hits and walked 3 more. He left with the bases loaded. In came Chase Shugart. He threw one pitch. He got Jose Azocar to hit a soft line drive right to Ji Hwan Bae in center field. He went on to throw 2 more scoreless innings. He gave up one hit and did not walk a batter. The rest of the bullpen was just as solid over the last 3 innings. They only gave up 2 hits. The bullpen did not give up any walks. One of the hits was erased when Pete Alonso tried to stretch a single into a double. He was thrown out easily by Alexander Canario. Speaking of Canario, he left the one hundred club by going 2 for 4. The fates were looking more kindly on the Pirates in this game. The Mets hit some balls really hard, but they were always right at a Pirate. All in all, it was a very nice 4-0 win.

Key Moments Of The Game: Falter wiggled off the hook in the first inning. Then, the Pirates made 2 quick outs on 5 pitches to start the top of the 2nd. IKF singled to left field. Matt Gorski fell behind in the count 0 and 2. The next two pitches were in the upper part of the strike zone. They were both well inside the confines of the plate. They were both called balls. The fifth pitch was the first real ball of the at-bat. Gorski fouled off the next pitch. Given life not once but twice, Gorski hit the 7th pitch into the left field seats. The Pirates had a 2-0 lead. Luck was on their side on that one. In the top of the 5th, the Pirates added 2 more runs. Ji Hwan Bae had a bunt single to lead off. Jared Triolo hit the first pitch into the seats. The score was now 4-0 Pirates. The Mets never really threatened to make a game of it. The Pirates are now 3-3 against 2 of the beasts from the east.

Next Game: Tomorrow night, Phillies in Philadelphia. The Pirates wind up this 9-game stretch against the Phillies. Andrew Heaney will be starting for the Pirates. We may see Spence Horwitz making his 2025 debut. It will be interesting to see whom the Pirates send down or DFA. The Pirates need one win in Philadelphia to go 4-5 against the top 3 Eastern Division clubs. They have been in every game of the first 6. Will the offense ever get going? Even though they won last night, they still could not get by the 4-run barrier. They need the 100 club to shrink. Right now, it stands at 4 members. At least with Kelly, some of them are not playing. If this team is going to make any noise, that needs to continue.

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Pirates Morning Report: Taking Incompetence To The Highest Level

Final Score: Pirates 1 Mets 2

Why The Pirates Lost: The offense painfully scored 1 run on 7 hits and 5 walks. They had a runner on 3rd base with one out 3 times and did not score. Once they had 1st and 3rd with no outs and did not score. The only run they did score came after there were 2 outs. A single and double followed by 2 walks allowed the Pirates to get a run. They were 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position. They stranded 12 runners. The hundred club came through with 4 hits. Alexander Canario had 2 hits. They now have a new member in Bryan Reynolds, whose average fell to .198. He has not gotten a hit in his last 19 plate appearances. Of course, almost all of this happened when Mitch Keller was pitching. He pitched 7 strong innings, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits. He struck out 8, walked 1 while throwing 96 pitches. This offense is mind-boggling to say the least. The Pirates have played 43 games. They have scored over 4 runs 6 times. They have not done this in the month of May. In 12 games this month, they have scored 4 runs twice. They have finally done it. They are dead last in runs per game. They have managed to score fewer runs than the Colorado Rockies. They are a half a game ahead of the Chicago White Sox. Yet management does nothing to help and improve this team. There are at least 3 players in AAA that are better than what the Pirates have now. You could argue 4 or 5.

Key Moments Of The Game: In the top of the 4th, the Pirates had first and third with no one out. Alexander Canario, Jared Triolo, and Ji Hwan Bae all struck out. Canario struck out on three pitches, having swung and missed at all three. At least they were all in the strike zone. Triolo swung at all four pitches he saw, with only two in the strike zone. Bae took a strike, swung at a ball at the knees, and struck out on a pitch almost in the dirt. Kodai Senga struck them out on 10 pitches. In the top of the ninth, the Pirates had second and third with one out. Bryan Reynolds took a called third strike right down the middle of the plate. The Pirates are 2-3 under Don Kelly, and every game has been a one-run game. If there are no changes, I do not think this club will ever start hitting.

Next Game: Tonight, Mets in New York. The Pirates get to see tonight what can happen when you really coach players. Clay Holmes will start tonight for the Mets. Holmes, in 91 games with the Pirates, had an ERA of 5.57. In 119 innings, he walked 84 batters. His ERA+ was 76; in other words, he was a below-average reliever. He went to the Yankees. The Yankees, unlike the Pirates, have coaches. Pitching in Yankee Stadium, a hitter’s ballpark, half the time, his ERA dropped to 2.69 over the next 4 years. In 217 innings, he walked 69 batters. His ERA+ was 154. He was 54% better than a league-average pitcher. He signed as a free agent with the Mets, who turned him into a starter. He is now 5-1 with an ERA of 2.74. His ERA+ as a starter is 142. It’s not that the Pirates lose talent. Even when they have talent, they do not know what to do with it. The Pirates will get a firsthand look at that tonight.

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Pirates Morning Report: Even Their Luck Is Bad

Final Score: Pirates 3 Mets 4

Why The Pirates Lost: It is a broken record, but the offensive struggles continue. The sad part is that the Pirates are doing next to nothing about it. Why is Henry Davis still on this team? Not only is he bad at the plate, but he still cannot make a tag. Bryan Reynolds is mired in the worst slump of his career. The Pirates continue to bat him 2nd in the lineup. Why? All of this contributed to 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position, leaving 8 men on base. On top of all that, the Pirates’ luck is even bad. In the bottom of the ninth, Francisco Lindor hit a ground ball up the middle that was going to be the 2nd out. It hit the edge of the 2nd base bag and scooted under the glove of Isiah Kiner-Falefa. They called this an error. This led to the Mets eventually getting the walk-off win. Paul Skenes had a solid outing, but it was no gem, as some people liked to call it. He only had one 3 up, 3 down inning. He gave up 6 hits and walked 3. It is the same old same old with Skenes anymore. No pitches touching 100 MPH and not sharp command. He essentially danced through the raindrops. The bullpen pretty much failed. They gave up 3 runs in 2 and 2/3 innings. This was another tough loss to start the Don Kelly era.

Key Moments Of The Game: In the bottom of the 7th, Caleb Ferguson enterrd the game with the Pirates leading 2-1. He promptly hit a .239 hitter with his third pitch. The runner stole 2nd. The next batter hit the ball 77 MPH but beat it out to put runners on 1st and 3rd. Lindor struck out. Juan Soto hit a ground ball 76 MPH right down the first base line, and the run scored with the runner moving to 2nd base. Colin Holderman entered the game. Pete Alonso hit a hard ground ball off the glove of Ke’Bryan Hayes. IKF retrieved the ball and threw it home. The runner scored because Henry Davis didn’t know how to position himself to make a tag. The Mets had not hit a ball out of the infield and scored 2 runs. They took the lead 3-2. More bad luck for the Pirates. The Pirates tied the game 3-3 in the top of the 9th. With the score tied 3-3, they had runners on 1st and 3rd with one out. Up stepped Bryan Reynolds. He had not hit a ball over 88 MPH and struck out in 4 at-bats. True to form, he hit his 4th ground ball under 88 MPH for a double play, ending the inning. Pinch hitting for him would have been a bold move at that time. It was not to be.

Next Game: Tonight, Mets in New York. The Pirates will face Kodai Senga and his 1.16 ERA. Do you think the Pirates’ bats will get healthy tonight? Maybe this will be a surprise night for the Pirates. They will break out against one of the hottest pitchers in baseball. They should give Bryan Reynolds a couple of days off. This is one time where rest could be helpful. You have to wonder if that shoulder may still be bothering him. To add to the offensive pessimism, Mitch Keller is pitching for the Pirates. They don’t score runs for him at all this season. Look out for the shutout.

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Pirates Morning Report: A Huge Win

Final Score: Pirates 4 Braves 3

Why The Pirates Won: They did not give this one away, although they tried. On offense, they were just good enough. They got 4 runs on 10 hits and 4 walks. They were 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position. They left 11 men on base. All is forgiven when you win. Carmen Mlodzinski pitched his best game of the year. He went 5 and 2/3 innings, giving up only 4 hits and 1 walk. He threw 83 pitches. The bullpen faltered in the 8th inning. Both Tanner Rainey and Joey Wentz combined to give up 3 runs in only 1/3 inning of work. Hopefully, both of them will be sent down soon. Another hero was Ryan Borucki, who pitched 2 innings, giving up only 1 hit. It looks like we have the manager. Now we need some players. Let’s hope Cherington will make some moves. I am not optimistic, but it needs to be done. Many people think this team is dead in the water. That 100 losses is a foregone conclusion. I know it is only 3 games. This team has a completely different vibe to it. There are players in AAA that could really help this team. A trade could really help this team. Come on, Cherington, get off your ass and do something. If they can win at least one game in New York and one in Philadelphia, then I see real hope for this season.

The Key Moments Of The Game: After the game on Saturday, the bottom of the 9th was the key to the victory. The Pirates were able to get runners on first and third with nobody out. Bryan Reynolds, who is mired in a horrible slump, grounded weakly to 2nd, moving the runner to second base but not scoring a run. Quite frankly, the Braves made a tactical error by walking Andrew McCutchen intentionally. He had not come through the day before. The Braves had his number. One thing is for sure: they did not have Joey Bart’s number. He went 4-4 the game before. He was 2 for 4 in this game. Bart hit a hard ground ball between short and third. The shortstop made a great stop but could not get the runner at the plate. At first, Bart was awarded a hit, but it was changed to a fielder’s choice, and I am not sure why. Regardless, the Pirates had their hard-earned win and are headed to New York with some momentum.

Next Game: Tonight, Mets in New York. The Mets have been floundering a bit, going 5-5 in their last 10 games. Paul Skenes is going for the Pirates. His luck is due to change. It all adds up to a Pirate victory tonight. It would be a great way to start this road trip. It would be so nice to see some changes in the Pirate roster this week. Under Don Kelly, we have seen some surprises. Matt Gorski and Alexander Canario have been given opportunities and have done okay. Not great, but better than the players they replaced. Hopefully, we can win 2 out of the next 6 games.