Final Score: Pirates 1 Twins 2
Why The Pirates Lost: The Triple P Offense was in full force. They were passive, taking 24 strikes. They got 8 hits, with only one being an extra base hit. Pathetic. They went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, leaving 8 men on base. Putrid. They struck out 9 times. Bryan Reynolds struck out 3 times. Tommy Pham led the way by taking 5 pitches for strikes. With a runner on third, he took all 5 pitches he saw, striking out. They hit 3 balls over 100 MPH. One of those was by Pham, but he got thrown out at 2nd base. Paul Skenes gave up a 2-run home run and took the loss. In 5 innings of work, he struck out 6 and walked 0. There really is not much else to say. I can’t wait for the All-Star break just to take a break from watching this. Even though this was a one-run game, you felt the Pirates never had a chance.
Key Moment Of The Game: It all boiled down to the 4th inning. Isiah Kiner-Falefa got a big 2-out double to knock in a run. He made it to third on the play at the plate. Then Tommy Pham had his magnificent at-bat. He took the first two pitches for balls. He then took 3 straight strikes. All three pitches were well inside the strike zone. None were considered borderline. Looks like he needs another eye exam. Paul Skenes had been perfect through 3 innings. Byron Buxton was awarded a hit on a ball where Ke’Bryan Hayes should have thrown him out. Two batters later, Trevor Larnach took a hanging curve ball on a 3-2 pitch and knocked it into the seats. It was 2-1 Twins and the Pirates laid down and died for the rest of the game. It was an unsuspenseful 7th loss in a row.
Next Game: This afternoon, Twins in Minnesota. If the pattern of this road trip continues, the Pirates will score 1 run in the next game. They will also score 1 run in the game after that. In the first series against the Mariners, they were shut out 3 straight times. In the 2nd series against the Royals, they scored 3 runs in each game. At least Mike Burrows and the rest of the pitching staff know that they have to throw a shutout. Nine losses in a row looks like a lead pipe cinch. The only positive thing. Jared Triolo is no longer on the team.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 