Final Score: Pirates 9 Astros 11
Why The Pirates Lost: Forget about two out lightning. This was a two-out tsunami. The Pirates were leading 9-5 going into the bottom of the 8th. Mason Montgomery started the inning. He struck out the first two batters. The Astros, from that point, were able to put 8 consecutive batters on base. They scored 6 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks to take an 11-9 lead. Essentially, the tsunami destroyed Mason Montgomery and Gregory Soto. This was all preceded by another great day by the offense. Henry (Automatic Out) Davis hit a grand slam home run. Nick Gonzales hit his 2nd home run of the year and drove in 3 runs. The Pirates put up 9 runs on the board, but it was not enough. Paul Skenes did his Bubba Chandler impression, taking a whopping 109 pitches to get through 4 and 2/3 innings. He gave up 3 runs on 7 hits, walking 1 and striking out 7. He is in a bit of a funk right now. It happens to everybody, but hopefully he will come out of it soon. One of the worst parts of this game was that it took 3 hours and 42 minutes to play. It was a slow, painful death for this bullpen. Despite what the Pirates broadcast booth says, the Pirate management has really done nothing to try and solve the bullpen problem. The bullpen has not only performed badly but has been mismanaged. They went too long with Yohan Ramirez, and he gave up a two-run homer on his 37th pitch. Why wasn’t Evan Sisk brought in for the 8th inning? He had not pitched since Saturday. The way things are right now, the bullpen will be the reason the Pirates do not make the playoffs.
Key Moments Of The Game: This was a game of 2-out run scoring. Henry Davis’s grand slam came with two outs. The Astros scored 10 of their 11 runs after two were out. It was only fitting that the Astros tied the game on a wild pitch by Soto. In the bottom of the 5th, the Astros opened the inning with two singles. Skenes struck out the next two batters. For the second game in a row for Skenes, Don Kelly came out to the mound to talk to Skenes. For the second time in a row, the next batter got a hit. Just stay on the bench, Kelly; you are disturbing the guy’s rhythm. He just got through striking out two batters. If you’re not taking him out, what are you going out for? Skenes knows more about pitching than you will ever know. All you did was throw him off his game two games in a row.
Next Game: Tonight, Astros in Houston. Jared Jones will be making his second start of the season. I guess the plan is to piggyback him with Carmen Mlodzinski. Maybe it would have been better to abandon that plan and bring Mlodzinski in last night. What do you think? Last night was nothing new. The Pirates have been giving away games all year. It does not look like anything is being done to stop it either. Crucial game tonight as the Pirates will be heading to Atlanta. The Pirates are heading for a stretch of six games where they will be playing against the big boys. The Dodgers and the Braves have no trouble accepting gifts.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 