Final Score: Pirates 4 Twins 12
Why The Pirates Lost: Mike Burrows had a horrific outing. In 1 and 1/3 innings, he was blasted for 6 runs on 5 hits. He walked 3 and threw 56 pitches. The rest of the staff got rocked for 6 more runs on 9 hits. It took them 7 and 2/3 innings to give up those runs. I would be remiss if I did not mention the day Byron Buxton had. He went 5 for 5, hitting for the cycle. He drove in 2 runs and scored 3. The Pirates did manage to score 4 runs, but you know how that is. When a team gets a big lead, giving up a few runs is not a big deal. They definitely had the B squad going out of the bullpen. Through 7 innings, the Pirates had scored 3 runs on 3 hits. This was no offensive breakout for the Pirates. Jack Suwinski hit a home run. Overall, this was just a simple and total blowout win for the Twins. Thank God for the All-Star Break.
Key Moment Of The Game: The bottom of the 2nd was the blowout inning. Mike Burrows had escaped the bottom of the 1st unscathed. He was not so lucky in the bottom of the 2nd. He got the first out of the inning. It would be the last out he got that day. He walked Royce Lewis on 7 pitches. The four balls were nowhere near the plate. To speed up the game, he hit Ty France on the fourth pitch. Oscar (The Grouch) Morin came to the mound to impart some wisdom. He must have told him to groove a curve ball on the first pitch. That’s what he did, and Cody Clemens smashed it into the seats. It was 3-0 Twins. Buxton then took the 3rd pitch of the at-bat and ripped a triple. Willi Castro hit a little dribbler toward the mound that scored Buxton. Burrows showed his control issues are not just in pitching. He threw the ball away, sending Castro to second. It was 4-0 Twins. He walked the next batter on 5 pitches. All four balls were more than a foot outside the strike zone. Only a Pirate would have swung at any of them. Ryan Jeffers singled on the first pitch he saw, and it was 5-0. Mercifully, Burrows was taken out of the game. Seven batters in a row reached base safely. The Twins added another run to make it a 6-run inning. They did not need to, but added 3 more in the third, and the rout was on. The Pirates did score 4 runs, but the Twins did not really care.
Next Game: This afternoon, Twins in Minnesota. Mitch Keller is supposed to start for the Pirates today. Rumor has it that he has prayed to God that they may change their minds and let someone else start. This team has hit a new low. They have lost 8 games in a row to teams that most likely will not make the playoffs. All three have a chance, but right now the Mariners barely have the last spot. It would be nice to see them snap the streak today. It is not likely to happen. What a season.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 