Final Score: Pirates 3 Nationals 4
Why The Pirates Lost: In the first inning, the Pirates scored 3 runs on 3 hits, a walk, and a hit by pitch. For the next 8 innings, they had 2 hits and walked 6 times. They could not add on. They were 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position. They went 24 batters before they got their next hit. The slumber company at its best. Mike Burrows had a bad 2nd inning, giving up 3 runs on 3 hits and a walk. He was allowed to throw 60 pitches, but only by 1. The Pirates did not win a series on the road. Cam Devanney did not get the opportunity to put a ball in play. Oneil Cruz had 2 hits to push his average up to .204. He did not go below .200. Holderman was not allowed to pitch. Other than Ji Hwan Bae, it was not a bad Sunday lineup. On another note, I must apologize for going Greg Brown mode on yesterday’s original post. I wrote that Bubba Chandler gave up 3 hits when he gave up only 2. I wrote the Pirates snapped a 6-game losing streak when it was 7. I corrected the errors. All I can say is too much college football and golf.
Key Moment Of The Game: The game remained tied 3-3 for 5 innings. In the bottom of the 6th, the Nationals had runners on 1st and 2nd with one out. They did not score. In the bottom of the 8th, Isaac Mattson walked the first batter. He got the next batter to fly out. Daylen Lile took a high and inside fastball and drilled it into left center field. After hustling over to get the ball, Oneil Cruz let the ball get by him. This allowed the runner to score from 1st base and Lile to go to third. Mattson got the next two batters to pop up to keep the score 4-3. The Pirates made it interesting in the 9th. Nick Yorke and Bae struck out to start the inning. Why Bae was not pinch-hit for, I will never know. Triolo walked and Spencer Horwitz singled to put runners on 1st and 3rd. With the game on the line, Bryan Reynolds took the first two pitches for strikes. After he took a ball, he finally swung at one. Unfortunately, he missed, and the game was over. The winning streak was over at one.
Next Game: Tonight the Cubs, in Pittsburgh. The Pirates open their final homestand of the season, proving that there is a God. They are calling this fan appreciation weekend. I assume they are giving away things, etc. What the Pirates should do is give every fan who attends the games $1,000. Even if all three games sell out, it would only cost the Pirates a little over $100,000. It would be interesting to see if the games would even sell out. That is the least the Pirates should do with the product they have put on the field. Of course, we all know they are not going to do that. Just like they are never going to sign a player that is capable of hitting 30 home runs.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 