Month: June 2025

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Pirates Morning Report: Will It Ever End?

Final Score: Pirates 1 Cubs 2

Why The Pirates Lost: I am running out of words to describe this offense. The Slumber Company is too easy. I have come up with the Triple P offense. Passive, Pathetic, Putrid. Yesterday, the Pirates took 22 pitches for strikes, compared to 15 for the Cubs. It is somewhat of an improvement. Seven players took 3 strikes each. Reynolds swung at every pitch in the strike zone. Gonzales took one strike. Swinging at strikes is not a guarantee for success. Reynolds went 0 for 4. Gonzales did have a 2 for 4 day. Only 3 Pirates had hits. The other 6 Pirates went 0 for 18 with 2 walks. Why on earth would a team walk Tommy Pham twice? Andrew McCutchen hit a home run in the 1st for the Pirates’ only run of the game. After the home run, it took the Pirates 17 batters to get another hit. They had one at-bat with a runner in scoring position. The Triple P Offense was at its best yesterday. All of this wasted another excellent day for the pitching staff. Mike Burrows had his best outing, going 5 and 1/3 innings, giving up 1 run on 5 hits. He struck out 8 while walking none. Ryan Borucki did give up the home run to Dansby Swanson that was the difference in the game. Braxton Ashcraft pitched 2 hitless innings and threw just 18 pitches, with 14 being strikes. The Pirates have played 72 games. They have done nothing to improve their hitting. Not one position player has been removed from the team for poor performance. There is no end in sight.

Key Moments Of The Game: The Cubs’ offense did not exactly light it up. They did show what good clubs do to score a run. After Nico Hoerner singled to open the 3rd inning, the Cubs caught a break. Matt Shaw popped a ball up foul toward the stands behind first base. Nick Gonzales looked like he had a bead on it. Suddenly, he lost it in the sun. Jared Triolo stood there and watched the whole thing. During the at-bat, Hoerner stole second. Shaw, given the 2nd chance, grounded out to the right side, moving Hoerner to 3rd. Ian Happ followed with a sacrifice fly to tie the game 1-1. Tommy Pham opened the 6th with a walk. He was picked off during the next at-bat. The 7th inning was the Pirates’ only chance. McCutchen singled to start the inning. He was erased on a double play. This was followed by singles from Gonzales and Hayes, putting runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 outs. Henry Davis was at the plate. He worked the count to 2-2. He was called out on strikes on a ball that was at least 2 inches outside. You have to protect, but the umpires must not like Henry Davis. The Pirates never really threatened in the last 2 innings.

Next Game: This afternoon, Cubs in Chicago. Mitch Keller goes for the Pirates today. It is hard to believe, but Keller gets the least run support of any of the Pirate pitchers. Maybe that will end today. On the other hand, I just can’t see the Triple P Offense coming to life. Maybe the Pirates can shut out the Cubs today. I think that has more of a chance of happening. The Pirates have a record of 7-6 this month. They have scored more than 3 runs 4 times. They lost one of those games. They have 3 wins where they scored just 2 runs. Don’t listen to that Pirate broadcast booth when they say the Pirates’ offense is improving. IT IS NOT! It is strictly Triple P

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Pirates Morning Report: Offense Still Stinks.

Final Score: Pirates 2 Cubs 1 in 10 innings

Why The Pirates Won: This was the battle of the passive bats. The Pirates eked out the win. The Pirates took 25 pitches for strikes. The Cubs outdid them by taking 28 pitches for strikes. Each team only scored 1 run in the first 9 innings. The Pirates scored a run in the top of the 10th with the ghost runner on second. The Cubs could not even do that, giving the Pirates a 2-1 victory. Paul Skenes was undone by the foul balls. There were 24 foul balls. It took him 95 pitches to get through 5 innings. He gave up 4 hits and walked 2. It was far from his best stuff. It was a gritty performance in rainy conditions. The Pirate offense continues to amaze. They only had 6 hits in 10 innings. They were 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position. They did walk 3 times and kept their strikeouts at 7. It was a nice and fortunate win for the Pirates. The road trip is at 1-1. Can they get at least 2 wins in the next 5 games? Will they ever start swinging the bats? I mean that literally.

Key Moments Of The Game: After breezing through the first 2 innings, Paul Skenes had a rough 3rd inning. He did not give up a run but threw 35 pitches to get through the inning. He faced 5 batters. On the last 4 batters, he reached 3 and 2 counts. He gave up a single and a walk. In the bottom of the 4th, he gave up a 2-out double. In the 5th, it took a great relay to throw the runner out at the plate. The Cubs had a runner on 1st with 2 outs. Kyle Tucker laced a line drive into left-center field. Oneil Cruz quickly got to the ball and fired a low and fast throw to Isiah Kiner-Falefa. He made a great short hop pickup. He fired to home with a perfect one-hopper to Henry Davis. Davis applied the tag. The runner was out by 3 feet. It ended the inning. Paul Skenes was done for the day. Each team scratched out a run in the 8th inning. Both runs scored on balls that were not hit out of the infield. The Pirates had the bases loaded with nobody out in the top of the 10th. They scored only 1 run. It did not come back to haunt them. Bednar shut the Cubs down in the bottom of the 10th to get the save.

Next Game: This afternoon, Cubs in Chicago. Matthew Boyd goes for the Cubs. Another tough pitcher with an ERA of 2.89. He is a lefty. It will be interesting to see who the Pirates send out there. Mike Burrows is going for the Pirates. He has looked better in his last 2 outings. He better have his A game today. Even that may not be good enough with these batting weaklings.

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Pirates Morning Report: The Passive Pirates

Final Score: Pirates 2 Cubs 3

Why The Pirates Lost: A bizarre starting lineup. No Hayes, no Gonzales, and no Davis. The batters went into passive mode again. This time they took 26 pitches for strikes. Spencer (Not Horawitz) Horwitz led the way, taking 6 pitches for strikes. Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Tommy (Yes, I Sleep Fine At Night) Pham were next with 4 each. Neither team lit it up last night. Both teams had 4 hits each. The Cubs took 14 pitches for strikes. They hit 2 home runs. Peter Crow-Armstrong hit a 2-run shot in the bottom of the 4th. It was a 5-pitch at-bat. He took no strikes. What is it with all these hyphenated names? Seiya Suzuki hit a solo home run in the 6th. He took one strike on a 2-0 count. He hit the next pitch into the seats. Andrew Heaney pitched a decent game. He gave up 3 runs on 4 hits. The Cubs never got a runner in scoring position in the entire game. When you pitch for a team that likes to stand there and look at strikes, you must perform better. Shame on you, Andrew Heaney.

Key Moments Of The Game: Crow-Armstrong’s home run was on a changeup that was chin high. Suzuki’s was on a changeup that was at the top of the strike zone. Mistakes by Heaney, and he paid the ultimate price. The Pirates had their one and only chance in the top of the 7th. Up to that point, Jameson Taillon had given up 1 hit and 2 walks. The hit came in the 1st inning. Bryan Reynolds opened the inning with a flyout. The Pirates woke up. Spencer Horwitz doubled on the first pitch of his at-bat. Adam Frazier singled him home on the 2nd pitch of his at-bat. IKF singled to move Frazier to 2nd. The Cubs brought in Brad Keller. Tommy Pham was the next batter. Don Kelly let him bat. Why, I do not know. Pham did not disappoint. He struck out taking 2 strikes, including the 3rd strike. Keller decided to help the Pirates. He hit the next batter, Brett Sullivan, who is supposedly a catcher. Then he walked Jared Triolo on 4 straight pitches to force in a run. This brought up Oneil Cruz. Keller struck out Cruz with one strike that was called. It was right down the middle, about 3 inches above the knees. At least he struck out swinging. The Pirates did not get a man on base in the last two innings.

Next Game: This afternoon, Cubs in Chicago. Hopefully, the Pirates will get serious today and play their best players. Paul Skenes is starting for the Pirates today. Man, this Pirate offense is so bad. Despite the Pirate broadcast propaganda, the fact remains that the Pirates are last in runs scored per game. They are worse than even the Colorado Rockies. They are 29th in home runs. They are 2nd most in grounding into double plays. They are 29th in total bases. They are last in slugging. They strike out the 5th most. If it is good, the Pirates are at the bottom of the league. If it is bad, the Pirates are at the top of the league. No changes are ever made unless someone gets hurt. You just can’t believe that this organization wants to win.

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Pirates Morning Report: Nice Home Stand But Acid Test Coming

Final Score: Pirates 5 Marlins 2

Why The Pirates Won: The Marlins helped some by throwing the ball around. This gave the Pirates their 1st run. They had gotten 3 hits in the inning but did not score thanks to a double play. The Marlins corrected that with their wild throw. McCutchen hit a 3-run homer that gave the Pirates a 4-0 lead. The homer put him ahead of Roberto Clemente on the Pirates’ all-time home run list. Bailey Falter pitched just 5 and 1/3 innings but was solid. He gave up 1 run on 5 hits. He walked one and struck out 3. His pitch count was good at 71, but he was looking a little shaky. Don Kelly made great use of the bullpen. He brought Dennis Santana in a high-leverage situation in the 6th inning. It was proper use of the bullpen rather than just plugging guys in for certain innings. There is still a long way to go, but Kelly is managing himself into a permanent job. The bullpen shut out the Marlins the rest of the way. It was good to see the Pirates add on in the 8th. They ended the home stand at 6-3. They now go on a 7-game road trip. They face the division-leading Cubs for 4 games. Then they go against the division-leading Tigers. If this team is to be taken seriously, they need to go at least 3-4 on this trip. Will they truly ever get a consistent offense? That is the question.

The Key Moments Of The Game: This game boiled down to the top of the 5th through the top of the 6th. Falter got the first 2 outs of the 5th inning. The 2nd out was a line drive that just happened to find his glove. Then things got dicey. He gave up a single and a double to put runners on 2nd and 3rd. He walked the next batter on 5 pitches. The Pirates were only ahead 1-0 at the time. This brought catcher Agustin Ramirez to the plate. Falter fell behind Ramirez 2-0. He had thrown 6 straight balls. The next pitch was on the outside of the plate, thigh high. Ramirez ripped it 107 MPH but right to Bryan Reynolds to end the inning. In the bottom of the 5th, Ke’Bryan Hayes led off with a single. He moved to second on a weak ground ball out by IKF. Oneil Cruz walked. McCutchen smoked a 1-1 splitter on a low line drive. It just cleared the fence. This gave the Pirates a sudden 4-0 lead. Heriberto Hernandez opened the 6th by hitting a home run. Falter got the next batter to ground out. Don Kelly had seen enough. He brought in Braxton Ashcraft. He made things interesting right away with his lack of command. He gave up a walk and a single. This put runners on first and third. He got the next batter to ground out. Spencer Horwitz did not field the ball cleanly. A run scored, but there were now 2 outs and a runner on second. Ashcraft walked the next batter. This is where Kelly brought in what I consider his bullpen ace, Dennis Santana. He came through by striking out pinch hitter Kyle Stowers on 4 pitches. The Marlins never threatened after that.

The Next Game: Tonight, Cubs in Chicago. The Pirates open a 4-game series against the Cubs tonight. Andrew (No, I’m Not Related To Bailey Falter) Heaney will start for the Pirates. The Pirates catch a break that the same team won’t see the clone lefties twice in a row. Another Pirate head-scratcher putting those two back to back. The Pirates are unlikely to receive the gifts they got from the Marlins. This will be an interesting week for the Pirates. Will they continue to have some momentum, or will they lose all 7 games? Stay tuned.

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Pirates Morning Report: The Slumber Company Returns

Final Score: Pirates 2 Marlins 3

Why The Pirates Lost: Back in the 70’s, the Pirate offense was referred to as the Lumber Company. Welcome to the new version, the Slumber Company. Even during this modest 4-game winning streak, they did not do much unless the other team helped them out. This offense is mind-boggling. At one point last night, with the exception of 2 walks, they went 18 batters without getting a hit. Why anybody would walk a Pirate batter is beyond me. Henry Davis continues to be a mystery. Just when you think he might have found something, he has a game like last night. He hit one ball fairly hard but was caught in left field. He struck out and popped up into a force play. Then, with a chance to drive in the tying run in the bottom of the 9th, he failed miserably. With 2nd and 3rd and one out, he hit a 198-foot pop-up. Mitch Keller continues to get no run support. He pitched okay. He went 6 innings, giving up 3 runs on 8 hits. He struck out 4 and walked none. He had the so-called quality start. Again, he had trouble getting the 3rd out.

The Key Moments Of The Game: Keller started out the 3rd inning by giving up a single and a home run to give the Marlins a 2-0 lead. These things happen. The top of the 4th opened with a single by Otto Lopez. It only took Keller 4 pitches to get the next 2 outs. He wild-pitched the runner to second base. On the next pitch, Eric Wagaman drove it to centerfield for a single. This drove in the run to make it 3-0. It was essentially the difference in the game. Ke’Bryan Hayes opened the bottom of the 8th by shockingly hitting his 2nd homer of the season. Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a sharp ground ball. The third baseman made a very nice play to record the first out of the inning. It turned out to be significant. Oneil Cruz woke up from his 7 and 3/4 game nap. He hit his 13th home run. In his previous 34 plate appearances, he had 6 walks and 14 strikeouts. He had only put the ball in play 14 times. He had one extra-base hit. The Pirates had 2nd and 3rd with one out in the bottom of the 9th, but as we know, they failed to score. The Marlins were not all that helpful last night.

The Next Game: This afternoon, Marlins in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, this is the rubber match of the series. It is a big one. A 6-3 home stand sounds much better than 5-4. The Pirates are headed for a very tough 7-game road trip. Another reason why a win would be big for this team. Bailey (It’s Not My) Falter goes for the Pirates. He did not have the greatest outing last time. He usually bounces back from them. The real question will be, can the slumber company wake up to score more than 2 runs? The game is in the afternoon. Let’s hope it’s over before their bedtime.

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Pirates Morning Report: Four In A Row

Final Score: Pirates 10 Marlins 3

Why The Pirates Won: The offense came to life. The Pirates scored 10 runs on 15 hits. They walked 3 times, striking out just 6 times. All nine players in the starting lineup got at least one hit. Andrew McCutchen and Adam Frazier led the way with 3 each. Everyone either scored a run or drove one in. Bryan Reynolds drove in 3 runs. Mike Burrows only went 4 and 1/3 innings. He gave up 2 runs on 4 hits but did walk 3. He struck out 6 throwing 66 pitches. I was a little surprised he was taken out in the top of the 5th. Burrows had given up a leadoff double. Nick Gonzales made an error that put runners on 1st and 3rd. Jesus Sanchez hit a sacrifice fly that only went 276 feet to make the score 4-2. Don Kelly made the move, bringing in Chase Shugart. Shugart, even though he walked one, got out of the inning. The Pirates broke open the game in the bottom of the 6th, and the bullpen coasted home from there. The Marlins and Pirates committed a combined 5 errors. Everything is good when you win your 4th in a row.

Key Moments Of The Game: The Pirate bats were quiet the first two innings. Things changed in the third. The Pirates loaded the bases with a walk, a single, and a walk to start the 3rd. Andrew McCutchen hit a little dribbler that the pitcher whiffed on. The game was tied 1-1. Bryan Reynolds, on a 1-2 count, cleared the bases with a triple to right-center field. He was on 3rd with no outs. Unfortunately, he was stranded there. You hoped that this would not come back to haunt the Pirates. It did not. The Pirates scored 4 in the bottom of the 6th. This was due in part to the Marlins throwing the ball all over the field. This happened on a Ke’Bryan Hayes bunt that scored two runs. The Pirates added single runs in the 7th and 8th. The Pirates had a rare blowout win for their 4th in a row.

Next Game: Tonight, Marlins in Pittsburgh. Mitch Keller goes against Sandy Alcantara. Alcantara missed all of last year due to Tommy John surgery. This year has not gone well so far. The 2022 Cy Young winner has an ERA near 8 this season. With Keller’s luck this season, let’s hope he does not get well tonight. The Marlins did contribute to the Pirates’ win last night. Their walks and sloppy fielding contributed to many of the runs. Hopefully, all of this will continue for a 5th win in a row. We will take them any way we can get them.

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Pirates Morning Report: Pirates Sweep Phillies

Final Score: Pirates 2 Phillies 1

Why The Pirates Won: Paul Skenes pitched another gem, going 7 and 2/3 innings. He gave up 1 unearned run and 2 hits. He struck out 7 and walked 1. The Pirates botched a relay play that allowed the Phillies to score their only run. The Pirate offense, anemic as ever, pushed across 2 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks. They struck out 12 times. Both teams made some outstanding plays in the field to help their pitchers. This was the best weekend of baseball the Pirates played all season. This game boiled down to two half-innings: the bottom of the 8th. During this inning, the Pirates managed to scratch out a run. In the top of the 9th, the Pirates made a bold move.

The Key Moments Of The Game: The score was 1-1 going into the bottom of the 8th. Oneil Cruz led off the inning against the left-handed starter, Cristopher Sánchez. Sánchez had Cruz’s number the whole game. He struck him out twice and got him to ground out weakly to second. I would not have minded if Don Kelly had pinch-hit for him. Sánchez surprisingly walked him on 4 pitches. Only the first pitch was close. Sánchez was replaced by Orion Kerkering. Cruz stole second on the 2nd pitch of Andrew McCutchen’s at-bat. McCutchen, on the 5th pitch, blooped a soft liner just out of the reach of 2nd baseman Bryson Stott. Cruz stumbled approaching 3rd base but turned on the jets and beat the throw to score the go-ahead run. The Pirates added a walk and a hit by pitch to load the bases. Mixed in around that were three strikeouts, so the Pirates led 2-1 going to the ninth. Braxton Ashcraft stayed in to pitch the 9th. Bryson Stott hit a hard ground ball down to first. Jared Triolo made an outstanding play. He got the first out. Trea Turner took the first pitch he saw and ripped it down the left field line for a double. This is where the Pirates went against baseball logic. They intentionally walked Kyle Schwarber. This put the go-ahead run on 1st base. Generally, you never want to put the go-ahead run on base. This time it worked beautifully for the Pirates. Alec Bohm hit a weak chopper just to the left of the mound. Nick Gonzales crossed second base to make the grab. He stopped his momentum and came back to touch 2nd base. He gunned on to first to easily finish the double play. Just like that, the Pirates had swept the Phillies. They won the last two games by the identical score of 2-1. Ashcraft got the first win of his career.

Next Game: Tonight, Marlins in Pittsburgh. The team that the Pirates opened this dreadful season with, the Miami Marlins, come to town. If the Pirates are ever going to turn the season around, this is the time to do it. They are 4-2 on the home stand. If they can sweep the Marlins, it will give them some real momentum for the first time all year. The Marlins are 15 games below .500. The offense needs to finally snap out of it if the Pirates are going to pull this off. It would be nice to see some new blood infused into this team. We all know that is not going to happen.

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Pirates Morning Report: Henry Davis, Is He For Real?

Final Score: Pirates 2 Phillies 1

Why The Pirates Won: For the second straight game, the Pirates and the Phillies played a game with similar patterns. Each team scored a run by the time the third batter in the lineup made an appearance. Through 6 innings, both starting pitchers had similar lines. Ranger Suarez gave up 1 run on 4 hits. He struck out 4 and walked 1. Andrew Heaney gave up 1 run on 3 hits. He struck out 5 and walked 0. Both pitchers gave up a lot of hard-hit balls. Suarez gave up 6 balls over 95 MPH. Heaney gave up 7 balls over 95 MPH. They always wound up being hit right at someone. In some cases, some brilliant defensive plays were made. Each team scored 1 run in the 1st inning. The score remained that way until the pivotal 7th inning.

Key Moments Of The Game: In the top of the 7th, Andrew Heaney gave up a leadoff double. He wild-pitched the runner to third. He appeared to suffer some kind of leg injury. In came the recently called-up Isaac Mattson. There was a runner on third with no outs. He fell behind Nick Castellanos 3-0. Mattson threw 3 perfect strikes to Castellanos, who did not swing at one of them. One out. The next batter was J.T. Realmuto. On the second pitch, he flew out to very shallow right field. The runner on third stayed put. Two outs. The Phillies sent up pinch hitter Bryson Stott. Stott worked the count to 3-2. He then lifted a high fly ball to Alexander Canario in center field to end the inning. Mattson had pitched out of the jam. Henry Davis came up with one out in the bottom of the inning. On the very first pitch, he drove a changeup 401 feet to left-center field for a home run. This gave the Pirates a 2-1 lead. Dennis Santana and David Bednar protected the lead well. They retired the Phillies in order in the 8th and the 9th.

Next Game: This afternoon, Phillies in Pittsburgh. The Pirates go for the sweep today. Let that sentence sink in for a while. Paul Skenes goes for the Pirates today. The only thing that might stop Skenes today is the weather. The forecast is for a lot of rain. The Pirates won two close, hard-fought games in a row. Granted, they are catching the Phillies at the right time. They are without Bryce Harper. They have lost 9 out of 12. It does not take away the fact that these were the two best games the Pirates played all season. Henry Davis is above a .200 batting average. His OPS+ is 91, the highest it has ever been. He had a nice 7-game run where his average went from .118 to .222. Then he went hitless in 13 at-bats, striking out 6 times. In the last 2 games, he has gone 4 for 7 with 2 home runs. If the Pirates play today, he should be catching for Skenes. If he can somehow turn his career around, it would be a huge plus for this beleaguered team. With injuries abounding at the catching position, this will be his best shot. Let’s hope that he succeeds.

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Pirates Morning Report: Walking It Off Against The Phillies

Final Score: Pirates 5 Phillies 4

Why The Pirates Won: In an odd game where each team scored in the same inning, the Pirates eked one out. The Phillies scored one in the 1st, one in the 3rd, and two in the 4th. The Pirates did the same thing. The Pirates brought out the long ball for a change. Bryan Reynolds hit a solo shot in the 3rd. Henry Davis had a big game for the 2nd time after replacing the starting catcher. This time, he hit a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 4th to tie the game 4-4. He went 2 for 4 for the game. Maybe that is the key for Davis: don’t bring him in until the 3rd inning. Barry Falter just did not have it. It took him 65 pitches to get through 3 and 2/3 innings. He gave up 4 runs on 5 hits while walking 2. He was constantly working from behind in the count. The bullpen did not give up a hit in the last 4 innings. They struck out 5, including David Bednar striking out the side in the top of the 9th. This evened their home stand record to 2-2. It was a hard-fought win that this team desperately needed.

Key Moments Of The Game: The Pirates’ ability to come back every time the Phillies took the lead was remarkable. In the bottom of the 9th, Adam Frazier led off the inning with a little 68 MPH bloop single to left. Jared (They Know I Can’t Bunt) Triolo hit a 75 MPH blooper to right center field that fell in. This put runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs. Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a perfect bunt down the 3rd base line. It had left-to-right spin on it. This kept the ball fair as it died just to the right of the third base foul line. The bases were now loaded with nobody out. This brought Oneil Cruz to the plate. He had already taken 4 balls for strikes in the game. This time he took two more to strike out. They were not even borderline pitches. Right then, you thought the Pirates were not going to score. Nick Gonzales worked the count to 2-2. You thought he was going to strike out, too. Instead, he lifted a fly ball that was plenty deep. It went to left field and scored Frazier with the winning run. The Pirates had good fortune in that inning. All I can say is it is about time. The Phillies have lost 8 out of their last 11 games. Let’s hope the Pirates can make it 10 out of 13.

Next Game: This afternoon, Phillies in Pittsburgh. It will be a couple of left-handers going. Ranger Suarez for the Phillies and Andrew (Falter Clone) Heaney for the Pirates. Let’s hope that Heaney does better than his clone did last night. Henry Davis is not going to go away quietly. He is trying not to be a major bust as an overall number 1 pick. With the Rodriguez injury and Bart on concussion protocol, he should get more playing time. One thing is for sure: this will be his last hurrah. You never know; he may just be able to snap out of a major batting slump. It could only do the Pirates some good if he could.

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Pirates Morning Report: Swing And A Miss, Sometimes

Final Score: Pirates 2 Astros 8

Why The Pirates Lost: The other day the Pirates had a complete win. Last night was a complete loss. They did not commit an error, which was the only positive of this game. The Pirates struck out 16 times. The first four batters struck out to start the game. They were only called out on strikes 3 times. I guess you could say that was a positive. They were swinging, although there were a couple of times there were check swings. Mitch Keller got racked up pretty good. He gave up 6 runs on 8 hits. He struck out 5 and walked 1 in 6 and 1/3 innings. The offense only managed 2 runs on 5 hits. They put 17 balls in play. The Pirates started Triolo and Pham. Both had good games, reaching base 5 times between them. Triolo had 2 hits and a walk. Pham had 2 walks. I don’t care. Canario and Rodriguez should have played. Rodriguez has hardly played any baseball for about 21 months. He needs to play. The same thing can be said of Canario. In this particular game, it really did not make any difference. Still, it certainly hurt any progress that they might have made. Henry Davis, in his last 13 at-bats, has not had a hit. He has struck out 6 times. Looks like that mini hot streak was just a fluke. They kept it close until the 7th. They are 1-2 on the home stand.

Key Moment Of The Game: The lineup card pretty much sucked. You have to wonder why Mitch Keller came out for the 7th inning. The score was 4-2 Astros. Through 6 innings, he had given up 4 runs on 6 hits. There were a lot of hard-hit balls against him. His pitch count was good at 79 pitches. The bullpen was well-rested. There were lots of options. He should have at least been taken out after the opening single. He was not. He did get one out. He gave up a double to Jeremy Pena to make the score 5-2. Pena then stole third. He scored on a deep sacrifice fly. The Pirates did not control the Astros’ running game. It cost them 2 runs. The quicker we forget this one, the better.

Next Game: Tonight, Phillies in Pittsburgh. The big bad Phillies come to town for a weekend series. They have been in a funk, lately. They are 3-7 in their last 10 games. I don’t know if this is good news or bad news. It could mean they are about to come out of it with a vengeance. Bailey Falter is going for the Pirates and Skenes is scheduled to pitch Sunday. The weather looks iffy for the entire weekend. There is nothing iffy about the Pirates’ lineup card. It stinks.