Final Score: Pirates 1 Giants 8
Why The Pirates Lost: Mike Burrows had a horrible start. He went 4 and 2/3 innings, giving up 6 runs. He gave up just 5 hits, but 3 of them left the park. He walked 3. He was probably discouraged when he saw the starting lineup. Oneil Cruz was the DH. He has never done well DHing. Three members of the AAA gang were starting. They went 2 for 10 with a walk. They struck out 5 times. Nice game Suwinski, Triolo, and Davis. With batting averages of .120, .166, and .168, you can see why the Pirates would want them playing a lot. The lineup did not disappoint. The Pirates scored 1 run on 7 hits. They struck out 13 times. The only player that did not strike out was Horwitz. They were very passive, taking 27 strikes for the game. Reynolds and Suwinski each had an at-bat where they never swung at a pitch and struck out. They were putrid with the last 20 batters getting 2 hits and a walk. They got 4 hits in the bottom of the 3rd and scored only one run—pathetic. It was the Triple P offense at peak performance. The Pirates were bad in the field, making 2 errors. This is what happens when a third of your starting lineup should be in the minors.
Key Moment Of The Game: It came in the bottom of the 3rd inning. At that point, the Giants had taken a 2-0 lead on a 2-run homer by Christian Koss. After Jared Triolo was called out on strikes, what else, the Pirates got 4 straight hits. Because of conservative baserunning, they only scored 1 run. This brought up Oneil (I Don’t Like DHing) Cruz. He struck out on 4 pitches. He swung at 2 pitches outside the strike zone. Nick Gonzales swung at the first two pitches way inside and out of the strike zone. He worked the count to 3-2 but ended the inning by grounding out. For all intents and purposes, it also ended the game. The Pirates never threatened again. The Giants went yard on Burrows two more times and blew the Pirates away.
Next Game: This afternoon, Giants in Pittsburgh. Andrew (I Miss My Clone) Heaney goes for the Pirates this afternoon. He is going up against Robbie Ray, another left-hander. They are mirror images of each other. Ray is 9-5. Heaney is 5-9. Ray gives up 2 fewer runs per game than Heaney. Ray does everything significantly better than Heaney. The Pirates should win easily. That’s the way it’s been going lately. I am guessing we might see just 2 of the AAA boys today. Canario should play. Davis will sit. Suwinski might sit because of a lefty starter. Another reason to think we will win.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 