Final Score: Pirates 1 White Sox 10
Why The Pirates Lost: It was a blowout. In every phase of the game the Pirates stunk. Poor baserunning, weak hitting, lousy pitching, and lackluster fielding. When the game was still in doubt, Oneil Cruz made a baserunning blunder. He failed to tag up on a fly ball to left that Michael Taylor made a diving catch on. He would have scored the first run of the game for the Pirates. They only had 5 hits. They were 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position. The last 20 batters of the game got 1 hit and 2 walks. The Triple P offense at its best. Bailey Falter gave up 4 runs on 6 hits. He walked one and gave up 2 home runs. Braxton Ashcraft gave up 2 runs on 2 hits. He walked 4 in just 1 inning. Yohan Ramirez gave up 4 runs on 2 hits. He walked 2. All told, the Pirates pitching gave up 11 hits and walked 7. Even though the Pirates weren’t charged with any errors, they were dropping and misplaying balls all night. The Pirates looked like they took 4 years off, not just 4 days. I think you would have seen better baseball if you watched a film of an old-timers game. Thank God they were playing the White Sox. It might have been 20-1.
Key Moment Of The Game: Bailey (I’ve Tried Everything) Falter had another bad first inning. He got the first outs of the game on just 8 pitches. He gave up a home run to Edgar Quero on a 3-1 pitch that was pretty well grooved. That was followed by a walk and a double that scored the 2nd run of the game. Luis Robert Jr. singled and the score was 3-0. The White Sox got 2 out lightning to score 3 runs. The Pirates cut it to 4-1. It would have been 4-2 if Cruz had not made his blunder. From that point on, the White Sox kept adding on thanks to the generosity of the Pirates’ pitchers. By the 7th inning stretch, it was 10-1 White Sox. It was a laughable return home for the hapless Pirates.
Next Game: Does there have to be? Yes, I’m afraid so. Tonight, White Sox in Pittsburgh. Mike Burrows goes for the Pirates, bringing with him the hopes of a fan base eager for a standout performance. The offense remains dormant, leaving many fans frustrated as they watched another lackluster game unfold. Please start Liover Peguero tonight. Why bring him up if you are not going to play him? He can’t do any worse than what’s out there. There’s a strong case to be made for giving him a chance to play. One run on five hits. One run on five hits. One run on five hits. The Pirates’ formula for winning baseball.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 