Author: vet4golfing51

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Pirates Morning Report: Taking Incompetence To The Highest Level

Final Score: Pirates 1 Mets 2

Why The Pirates Lost: The offense painfully scored 1 run on 7 hits and 5 walks. They had a runner on 3rd base with one out 3 times and did not score. Once they had 1st and 3rd with no outs and did not score. The only run they did score came after there were 2 outs. A single and double followed by 2 walks allowed the Pirates to get a run. They were 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position. They stranded 12 runners. The hundred club came through with 4 hits. Alexander Canario had 2 hits. They now have a new member in Bryan Reynolds, whose average fell to .198. He has not gotten a hit in his last 19 plate appearances. Of course, almost all of this happened when Mitch Keller was pitching. He pitched 7 strong innings, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits. He struck out 8, walked 1 while throwing 96 pitches. This offense is mind-boggling to say the least. The Pirates have played 43 games. They have scored over 4 runs 6 times. They have not done this in the month of May. In 12 games this month, they have scored 4 runs twice. They have finally done it. They are dead last in runs per game. They have managed to score fewer runs than the Colorado Rockies. They are a half a game ahead of the Chicago White Sox. Yet management does nothing to help and improve this team. There are at least 3 players in AAA that are better than what the Pirates have now. You could argue 4 or 5.

Key Moments Of The Game: In the top of the 4th, the Pirates had first and third with no one out. Alexander Canario, Jared Triolo, and Ji Hwan Bae all struck out. Canario struck out on three pitches, having swung and missed at all three. At least they were all in the strike zone. Triolo swung at all four pitches he saw, with only two in the strike zone. Bae took a strike, swung at a ball at the knees, and struck out on a pitch almost in the dirt. Kodai Senga struck them out on 10 pitches. In the top of the ninth, the Pirates had second and third with one out. Bryan Reynolds took a called third strike right down the middle of the plate. The Pirates are 2-3 under Don Kelly, and every game has been a one-run game. If there are no changes, I do not think this club will ever start hitting.

Next Game: Tonight, Mets in New York. The Pirates get to see tonight what can happen when you really coach players. Clay Holmes will start tonight for the Mets. Holmes, in 91 games with the Pirates, had an ERA of 5.57. In 119 innings, he walked 84 batters. His ERA+ was 76; in other words, he was a below-average reliever. He went to the Yankees. The Yankees, unlike the Pirates, have coaches. Pitching in Yankee Stadium, a hitter’s ballpark, half the time, his ERA dropped to 2.69 over the next 4 years. In 217 innings, he walked 69 batters. His ERA+ was 154. He was 54% better than a league-average pitcher. He signed as a free agent with the Mets, who turned him into a starter. He is now 5-1 with an ERA of 2.74. His ERA+ as a starter is 142. It’s not that the Pirates lose talent. Even when they have talent, they do not know what to do with it. The Pirates will get a firsthand look at that tonight.

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Pirates Morning Report: Even Their Luck Is Bad

Final Score: Pirates 3 Mets 4

Why The Pirates Lost: It is a broken record, but the offensive struggles continue. The sad part is that the Pirates are doing next to nothing about it. Why is Henry Davis still on this team? Not only is he bad at the plate, but he still cannot make a tag. Bryan Reynolds is mired in the worst slump of his career. The Pirates continue to bat him 2nd in the lineup. Why? All of this contributed to 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position, leaving 8 men on base. On top of all that, the Pirates’ luck is even bad. In the bottom of the ninth, Francisco Lindor hit a ground ball up the middle that was going to be the 2nd out. It hit the edge of the 2nd base bag and scooted under the glove of Isiah Kiner-Falefa. They called this an error. This led to the Mets eventually getting the walk-off win. Paul Skenes had a solid outing, but it was no gem, as some people liked to call it. He only had one 3 up, 3 down inning. He gave up 6 hits and walked 3. It is the same old same old with Skenes anymore. No pitches touching 100 MPH and not sharp command. He essentially danced through the raindrops. The bullpen pretty much failed. They gave up 3 runs in 2 and 2/3 innings. This was another tough loss to start the Don Kelly era.

Key Moments Of The Game: In the bottom of the 7th, Caleb Ferguson enterrd the game with the Pirates leading 2-1. He promptly hit a .239 hitter with his third pitch. The runner stole 2nd. The next batter hit the ball 77 MPH but beat it out to put runners on 1st and 3rd. Lindor struck out. Juan Soto hit a ground ball 76 MPH right down the first base line, and the run scored with the runner moving to 2nd base. Colin Holderman entered the game. Pete Alonso hit a hard ground ball off the glove of Ke’Bryan Hayes. IKF retrieved the ball and threw it home. The runner scored because Henry Davis didn’t know how to position himself to make a tag. The Mets had not hit a ball out of the infield and scored 2 runs. They took the lead 3-2. More bad luck for the Pirates. The Pirates tied the game 3-3 in the top of the 9th. With the score tied 3-3, they had runners on 1st and 3rd with one out. Up stepped Bryan Reynolds. He had not hit a ball over 88 MPH and struck out in 4 at-bats. True to form, he hit his 4th ground ball under 88 MPH for a double play, ending the inning. Pinch hitting for him would have been a bold move at that time. It was not to be.

Next Game: Tonight, Mets in New York. The Pirates will face Kodai Senga and his 1.16 ERA. Do you think the Pirates’ bats will get healthy tonight? Maybe this will be a surprise night for the Pirates. They will break out against one of the hottest pitchers in baseball. They should give Bryan Reynolds a couple of days off. This is one time where rest could be helpful. You have to wonder if that shoulder may still be bothering him. To add to the offensive pessimism, Mitch Keller is pitching for the Pirates. They don’t score runs for him at all this season. Look out for the shutout.

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Pirates Morning Report: A Huge Win

Final Score: Pirates 4 Braves 3

Why The Pirates Won: They did not give this one away, although they tried. On offense, they were just good enough. They got 4 runs on 10 hits and 4 walks. They were 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position. They left 11 men on base. All is forgiven when you win. Carmen Mlodzinski pitched his best game of the year. He went 5 and 2/3 innings, giving up only 4 hits and 1 walk. He threw 83 pitches. The bullpen faltered in the 8th inning. Both Tanner Rainey and Joey Wentz combined to give up 3 runs in only 1/3 inning of work. Hopefully, both of them will be sent down soon. Another hero was Ryan Borucki, who pitched 2 innings, giving up only 1 hit. It looks like we have the manager. Now we need some players. Let’s hope Cherington will make some moves. I am not optimistic, but it needs to be done. Many people think this team is dead in the water. That 100 losses is a foregone conclusion. I know it is only 3 games. This team has a completely different vibe to it. There are players in AAA that could really help this team. A trade could really help this team. Come on, Cherington, get off your ass and do something. If they can win at least one game in New York and one in Philadelphia, then I see real hope for this season.

The Key Moments Of The Game: After the game on Saturday, the bottom of the 9th was the key to the victory. The Pirates were able to get runners on first and third with nobody out. Bryan Reynolds, who is mired in a horrible slump, grounded weakly to 2nd, moving the runner to second base but not scoring a run. Quite frankly, the Braves made a tactical error by walking Andrew McCutchen intentionally. He had not come through the day before. The Braves had his number. One thing is for sure: they did not have Joey Bart’s number. He went 4-4 the game before. He was 2 for 4 in this game. Bart hit a hard ground ball between short and third. The shortstop made a great stop but could not get the runner at the plate. At first, Bart was awarded a hit, but it was changed to a fielder’s choice, and I am not sure why. Regardless, the Pirates had their hard-earned win and are headed to New York with some momentum.

Next Game: Tonight, Mets in New York. The Mets have been floundering a bit, going 5-5 in their last 10 games. Paul Skenes is going for the Pirates. His luck is due to change. It all adds up to a Pirate victory tonight. It would be a great way to start this road trip. It would be so nice to see some changes in the Pirate roster this week. Under Don Kelly, we have seen some surprises. Matt Gorski and Alexander Canario have been given opportunities and have done okay. Not great, but better than the players they replaced. Hopefully, we can win 2 out of the next 6 games.

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Pirate Morning Report: A Gift

Final Score: Pirates 2 Braves 3 in 11 innings

Why The Pirates Lost: The Pirates simply gift-wrapped this one for the Braves. The Pirates’ offense was anemic as ever. This game, they turned it into an art form. Some of these stats are mind-boggling. They had 9 hits, 6 walks but only scored 2 runs. They were 2 for 18 with runners in scoring position. They left 14 men on base. The top 3 in the batting order went 0 for 14 with 5 strikeouts. Despite this historic ineptitude, the Pirates barely lost this game. The game went into extra innings. The pitchers did a brilliant job for 10 and 2/3 innings. They allowed 2 runs on 5 hits. It ended on the wildest of wild pitches. Chase Shugart threw the ball behind and over the head of the batter. The third and deciding run scored. Don Kelly got ejected in the top of the 6th inning in his second game as manager. He is now only 161 games behind Bobby Cox. This was a tough loss to swallow. In the immortal words of Derek Shelton, “We are happy that we are competitive.”

Key Moments Of The Game: The Pirates had so many opportunities to win the game that it is hard to call them key moments. There was none better than in the bottom of the 9th. The first two batters, Oneil Cruz and Tommy Pham, walked. Andrew McCutchen was at the plate. On a 1-1 count, the pitcher threw a slider on the lower outer third of the plate. Instead of trying to go with the pitch, he pulled it. McCutchen should have done better than this. He hit a perfect double play ball. Henry Davis hit a weak ground ball, what else, to end the inning. The Pirates had a runner on third with one out in both extra innings. They failed miserably in trying to win and tie the game. After the stirring victory the night before this one was really hard to take.

Next Game: This afternoon, Braves in Pittsburgh. What makes last night’s loss even more galling is that Chris Sale is pitching for the Braves today. He had gotten off to a slow start, but his last outing was lights out. Cruz suffered a back injury. This will be a good day to take off. Despite the manager change, the Mlodzinski experiment continues. We will see if Don Kelly will give him more of a leash if he is pitching well. Can he go at least 6 innings for God’s sake? There is no question the Pirates have their work cut out for them if they are to get a series win.

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Pirates Morning Report: The One Hundred Club Comes Through.

Final Score: Pirates 3 Braves 2

Why The Pirates Won: This was a game that could have had a plethora of headlines. The Kelly Era Begins. My God, Ji Hwan Bae is back. After looking at the original starting lineup, the headline could have read, Are you sure Shelton was fired? At the last minute, Tommy Pham was scratched. Two players that I think should not even be on the team came through last night. Hence the headline, the one hundred club comes through. Yes sir, the dynamic duo of Jared (.150 average) Triolo and Alexander (.136 average) Canario each hit solo home runs to lead the Pirates to a scary 3-2 win over the Braves. Andrew McCutchen drove in the other run with a 2-out double that barely missed being a home run. Bailey Falter pitched 6 strong innings, giving up just 2 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 3 batters. Don Kelly did show that Derek Shelton was gone. He was on top of the game. He had Caleb Ferguson warming up in the bullpen in plenty of time. Kelly brought him in to face the left-hand pinch hitter Alex Verdugo. Ferguson struck him out. Good golly, Miss Molly, we have ourselves a manager. His biggest move was putting Dennis Santana back in the closer role. He should have never been taken out of it. Yes, he almost blew the save. That is the key word, almost.

Key Moments Of The Game: The Pirates only had 5 hits and no walks. They made the most of them by scoring 3 runs. This is a far cry from scoring 1 run on 10 hits and 4 walks. They did strike out a lot, but no game is perfect. I thought one of the big moments of this game was the very first inning. The Pirates were reeling from a 7-game losing streak. Falter got one out in the 1st. He then gave up a single and a walk. The 4-5 hitters were coming up for Atlanta. Falter got them to pop out and strike out to end the inning. Big hits there, and the Pirates fall behind right at the start of the game. After a somewhat shaky 2nd inning, Falter retired 12 of the next 13 batters he faced. The Pirate bullpen danced through the raindrops the last 3 innings but held on to snap the 7-game losing streak. They have win number one as they face the beasts from the East. They desperately need to find a way to win 3 more.

Next Game: This afternoon, Braves in Pittsburgh. Andrew Heaney, coming off a couple of bad starts, will take the hill for the Pirates. Even though the Pirates won, the offensive woes continue. Now that the losing streak is over, the players may loosen up a little bit. The offense could come alive. Ji Hwan Bae is back on the team. He would have been the last player that I would have brought up. Maybe with Kelly, as the manager, Bae will somehow find himself. He was not lighting it up in AAA like he was last year. If this guy could somehow find himself and have some kind of offensive production, it would be a major boost to this team. There does seem to be some managerial hope. How will that translate into wins? Only time will tell. Man, it sure would be nice to get those IL players back sooner rather than later. It was rather invigorating to see a solid baseball game played by a team called the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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Pirates Morning Report: Shelton Fired, Now What

Derek The Shadow Shelton was fired yesterday as manager of the Pirates. I am going to miss calling him the Shadow. There are many out there cutting Shelton a lot of slack. They are saying he had no players to work with. MLB Now even stated that he was a good manager. He was not a good manager; he had major weaknesses. He was a horrible in-game strategist. He would bring in the wrong pitcher or not bring in a pitcher at all when one was needed. He did not pinch-hit enough when the matchup called for it. He played the wrong players. He would not have guys warming up in the bullpen when they should have been. He managed the bullpen badly; he would have guys rested too much or overused them. He ignored high-leverage situations and would bring in an ineffective reliever. His worst sin as a manager is that he did nothing to protect his players. Rather than admitting his own mistakes during a game, he would criticize players about their execution. He was especially hard on pitchers. I am not sure if he was totally responsible for this, but those starting lineups and batting orders were horrible. Shelton is a thing of the past. Will other changes be made?

As I always say, here are the changes that need to be made but probably won’t happen. There are 13 position players on the team. Here are the ones that should be promptly removed from the team: Enmanuel Valdez, Tommy Pham, Adam Frazier, Henry Davis, Jared Triolo, and Alexander Canario. I know this is almost half the team. There are four players that are coming off the IL shortly: they are Spencer Horwitz, Nick Gonzales, Endy Rodriguez, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. It is hard to say when these players will be activated. I am not too sure we can wait for that to happen. I would bring up Abrahan Gutierrez to replace Henry Davis. He is a AAA catcher with a slash line of .320/.370/.380. Not a lot of power, but he gets on base. Next, and hold on to your hats, I would bring up Jack Suwinski. Since going down to AAA, he is slashing .294/.405/.529. I would make sure that he never sees a left-handed pitcher for at least a month if he lasts that long. Bye-bye, Canario. I would bring up 30-year-old 2nd baseman Nick Solak. He is killing it in AAA. His slash line is .361/.423/.581. Triolo, take the train. Last but certainly not least, I would bring up Nick Yorke. He had an injury issue early but seems fine now. His slash line is not as impressive: .258/.333/.392. He certainly would do better than Tommy Pham, who just needs to be cut loose. Frazier and Valdez I would keep until the IL reinforcements come in. The One Hundred Club needs to hit the road.

The pitching situation is even worse with the talent that is down in AAA. The Mlodzinski experiment would end, and Bubba Chandler would be brought up right away. Carmen Mlodzinski would move to the bullpen. Tanner Rainey would go to AAA. Even though I do not think that Joey Wentz has done that bad of a job, I see no need to have 3 lefties in the bullpen. Down he goes, and I would bring up Mike Burrows and his 3.18 ERA. I would have short leashes on Kyle Nicolas and Colin Holderman. I like Holderman’s new approach with increased usage of the fastball. He had some bad luck in his last outing. He may be on the comeback trail. Regardless, the Pirates have so many arms down in AAA. If these two pitchers falter, they can be replaced.

We will see if new manager Don Kelly makes any changes to the batting order. Despite Oneil Cruz’s success at the leadoff spot, I still think Andrew McCutchen should lead off, as his experience and leadership could set a strong tone for the game. The Pirates are trying to create another Kyle Schwarber. They tried with Jack Suwinski, whose struggles at the plate might be attributed to the pressure of expectations, probably contributing to his downfall. Cruz should bat either 3rd or 4th, where his power and slugging capabilities can truly shine and have more of a chance of driving in some runs with men on base. It will be interesting to see if there is any uniqueness to the Pirate lineup tonight and how it reflects Kelly’s vision for the team moving forward. I am sure of one thing: the players will give more of an effort for Kelly than they did this year for Shelton, as a fresh approach can often reinvigorate a team’s spirit. I am not sure if this will translate into more wins. They are going to face a brutal stretch of games, which will test not only their skills but also their resolve as a team. If they can even go 4-5 over these next 9 games, then I think there may be hope yet for the season. I would see even more hope if the above changes were made to the team and if they could develop a more consistent offensive strategy. Finally, could there really be a trade that will help this team’s offense? Who knows? I write it for the last time: only The Shadow knows.

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Pirates Morning Report: Seventh Loss In A Row

Final Score: Pirates 0 Cardinals 5

Why The Pirates Lost: The Pirates were shut out and only had 4 hits for the second consecutive game. They struck out 10 times and had 1 walk. Their starting lineup was not all that bad. The exception was Tommy Pham, but he got one of the hits. Mitch Keller pitched ok, but with this team, it is not good enough. The bullpen gave up 2 runs in the 9th. The Pirates were never in the game. Their record fell to 12 and 26. They are 29th in runs per game; only the Rockies are worse. They are 24th in on-base percentage. The Toronto Blue Jays are the only team that has hit fewer home runs than the Pirates. They are 29th in slugging and 29th in OPS+. The bottom line is the Pirate offense has been awful all year. They are 22nd in the league in runs allowed per game. The pitching has not been all that great. Some of this could be due to being under so much stress to pitch well. The pitchers know the Pirates are not going to score a lot of runs. The Pirate pitching staff doesn’t do too badly in Fielding Independent Pitching, ranking 15th. The Pirates are 15th in Defensive Efficiency. It is the offense that is making this club 14 games below .500.

Key Moments Of The Game: There is no doubt the Pirates have been very bad all season. This game was a game of bad luck to boot. Since the Pirates did not score any runs, this wasn’t a bad game to have bad luck. Keller struck out the first batter in the bottom of the 3rd. He then gave up a walk to Victor Scott II. Lars Nootbaar singled to right center field. Scott was breaking on the pitch and scored all the way from first base. The score was 1-0. Masyn Winn hit a 58 MPH blooper right down the right field line. It was a double. The score was quickly 2-0. This would be all the runs the Cardinals would need. They got a seeing-eye ground ball single off Colin Holderman in the bottom of the 8th to extend the lead to 5-0. The Cardinals brought in another reliever with an ERA of around 7 to pitch the 9th inning. Of course, the Pirates went down quietly to lose their 7th straight.

Next Game: Tomorrow night, Braves in Pittsburgh. Things are not going to get any easier for the Pirates. The next 9 games are against the beasts in the NL East. A weekend home stand against the Braves, followed by a 6-game road trip to the Mets and Phillies. This is by far the worst Pirates team of this century. The sad part is it would not have to be this way. The Pirates should just play the best players they have in the organization. This includes pitchers. The Pirates made no legitimate free agent moves this past off-season. This franchise under Bob Nutting has always been cheap. For whatever reason, this year they have become downright miserly. More on that tomorrow. We will see if any moves are made today.

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Pirates Morning Report: The One Hundred Club

Final Score: Pirates 1 Cardinals 2

Why The Pirates Lost: The One Hundred Club did not disappoint. The Pirates started three players with batting averages under .150. Jared Triolo, Henry Davis, and Alexander Canario lived down to expectations. They went 0 for 8 with 3 strikeouts and a walk. Why anybody would walk one of those three God only knows. Henry Davis is being called Paul Skenes’s personal catcher. I hope he gets over that. Why would you want anybody that is as bad as he is? He is hitting .133 and is below average behind the plate. Skenes was solid as usual but again not spectacular. He certainly deserved a better fate. He gave up 2 runs on 3 hits. He struck out 6 and walked 4. One of the walks cost him. He threw 102 pitches over 6 innings. No fastball touched 100 MPH. Paul Skenes is still a stud, but he is not throwing like he did in 2024. It’s a fact, Jack. The Pirate offense was even worse than usual. Ke’Bryan Hayes had a decent game. He went 2 for 4. He doubled home the Pirates’ only run. This happened with 2 outs in the top of the 6th. In the bottom of the 6th, the Cardinals did the Pirates one better. Skenes got the first two outs of the inning. Nolan Arenado singled to left. Willson Contreras walked on 5 pitches. The 2024 Skenes would have challenged him. On the very first pitch of the at-bat, Alec Burleson lined a double down the left field line. It scored both runners, making the score 2-1.

Key Moment Of The Game: The Cardinals were very confident. They believed the Pirate bats were so ineffective that they brought in Gordon Graceffo. Graceffo has appeared in 6 Major League games in his career. His ERA was right around 7. You would think there might be some nerves playing here. The score is 2-1 in the bottom of the 9th. But alas, the Cardinals knew who they were playing. Adam Frazier started the fiasco by swinging at two of the four pitches that were out of the strike zone. The fourth pitch out of the strike zone he smashed 80 MPH on the ground to the second baseman. Enmanuel Valdez swung at the first pitch that was just above ankles and grounded out to first base. Joey Bart lined the first pitch he saw right to the center fielder, and the game was over. Bart’s pitch at least was right down the middle. The Pirates gave one of the most inexperienced pitchers possible a 6-out save. Only 2 of those 6 pitches were in the strike zone. Enough said.

Next Game: This afternoon, Cardinals in St. Louis. The Pirates will try to avoid their 7th loss in a row. Sonny Gray will pitch for the Cardinals. Liover Peguero went 1 for 3 yesterday, and every ball he hit was 100 MPH or greater. He probably won’t play today. They asked Mitch Keller if he wanted Henry Davis as his personal catcher. After he stopped laughing, he said, “No way.” Thursday, the Pirates do not play. I hesitate to call this an off day. If the Pirates lose today, could this be Derek Shelton’s last game? Even “The Shadow” doesn’t know that one.

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Pirates Morning Report: An Amazing Outing

Final Score: Pirates 3 Cardinals 6

Why The Pirates Lost: Another anemic offensive performance. Five members of the starting lineup did not get a hit. The Pirates were able to get 7 hits and 4 walks but not much production. Bryan Reynolds hit a home run after a Cruz dribbling infield hit. The rest of the hits and walks produced 1 run. They were 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position and left 8 men on base. Hayes, Triolo, and Pham hit one ball out of the infield and did not get a hit. Carmen Mlodzinski had his typical start, going less than 5 innings, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits. His ERA is still above 6. The bullpen gave up the rest of the runs. Chase Shugart had one of the most interesting and worst outings of the year.

The Key Moments Of The Game: The Pirates led 3-2 going into the bottom of the 6th inning. They had scored the run in the top of the 4th. They had the bases loaded with one out. They had a chance to break the game open. Jared (Why Do I Keep Starting) Triolo grounded into a double play to end the inning. Ryan Borucki got the first out in the 6th. Chase Shugart entered the game. To be fair, Shugart has pitched very well this year for a 28-year-old who has never pitched in the majors before. He threw 6 pitches to Nolan Arenado before walking him. The 6th pitch he threw to Wilson Contreras was hit 111 MPH into the seats, and the Cardinals led 4-3. His first pitch to Nolan Gorman was a strike. Shugart’s next 4 pitches were hit for a single, single, single, and a double. The Cardinals stretched the lead to 6-3. In 11 pitches, he had given up 4 runs on 5 hits. He did not retire a batter. Efficiency at its worst. The Pirates put some traffic on the base paths in the 7th, 8th, and 9th. As usual, they left all of the runners on base and did not score a run. Oneil Cruz had 4 walks a couple of games ago. They may have been the worst thing for him. He has struck out 3 times in the last 2 games. Each time was on a called third strike right down the middle of the plate.

Next Game: Tonight, Cardinals in St. Louis. Paul Skenes goes tonight for the Pirates. Skenes is not having a Cy Young season so far. He is going up against the one team that has given more problems than any other team in the league. I, for one, will be watching his velocity. It would be nice to see him shut down the Cardinals. It would be nice to see the young players start. It would be nice to see some young players come up from AAA. It would be nice to see the Pirate organization care about winning games. Can they at least send Triolo down? Please, pretty, pretty please. I would even go 3 games without saying anything negative about Derek The Shadow Shelton.

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Pirates Morning Report: Wow! It’s Hard To Believe

Final Score: Pirates 0 Padres 4

Why The Pirates Lost: Let’s just go in chronological order. Another lousy lineup. Young players wasting on the bench. Andrew Heaney getting racked up for 4 runs on 8 hits. He walked 4 and struck out 3. He threw 100 pitches. He did all of this in just 3 and 2/3 innings of work. The offense was even more inept. They could not score a run despite getting 8 hits and walking twice. Striking out 12 times does not help. Cruz had a horrible game. In the 2nd inning, Ke’Bryan Hayes got picked off 2nd base for the last out of the inning. In the bottom of the 6th, they had 2nd and 3rd with one out and could not score. In the bottom of the 7th, Matt Gorski hit a triple with one out. Jared (I Don’t Really Understand Baseball) Jones hit a ball in the only place that would not score a run. He hit it to third base, and Machado threw out Gorski at the plate. Mercifully, Andrew McCutchen struck out to end the game. If he would have gotten on base, we would have seen Alexander Canario with a batting average of .132 pinch-hitting for Henry Davis with an average of .143. Why I would not know. I guess Shelton’s brain was on fire. In the last 21 innings against the Padres, the Pirates scored 1 run. They achieved this on 14 hits, 10 walks, and one hit batter. This may be the worst performing team the Pirates have had this century.

Key Moments Of The Game: Heaney had given up only one run in the first inning despite loading the bases. In the top of the 2nd, Elias Diaz hit a solo home run to start the inning. Brandon Lockridge doubled. Fernando Tatis popped out. Luis Arraez hit a soft line drive that just made it past the infield grass. Triolo did not know how to field it properly. Once he finally got the ball on one hop, he did not know what to do with it. By the time he threw to first, Arraez was safe. It was the key play of the game. Manny Machado struck out. This would have been the third out if Triolo understood baseball. This allowed Xander Bogaerts to double in the 3rd and 4th runs of the game. You knew that this lineup was not going to score 4 runs. The second inning was not over and the game was over. The Padres coasted the rest of the way, just trying to avoid injury. It was an easy series sweep for them. One of the Padres players was overheard saying, “Man, we thought the Rockies were bad, but this is unbelievable.”

Next Game: Tonight Cardinals in St. Louis. I have seen worse Pirate teams in my lifetime, but none that are this lackadaisical or so unfundamentally sound. Their performance on the field is marked by an alarming number of baserunning blunders, leaving fans shaking their heads in disbelief. They throw the ball everywhere but where they should, resulting in countless mental and physical errors. To make matters worse, they have no knowledge of the strike zone. They swing wildly at pitches that are clearly out of reach. They can’t score even when a team is conceding them a run, showcasing a baffling inability to capitalize on scoring opportunities. Management can’t even create a legitimate 5-man starting. They are the third-worst team in baseball. The White Sox are gaining ground. This only amplifies the Pirates’ incompetence. I was pessimistic when the season started, but I did not see them being this bad. They seem to be doing nothing to right the ship, maintaining a level of mediocrity that is hard to comprehend. At least Tommy Pham has reset. I don’t even know what that means, but I’m happy for him. This season is a disgrace to baseball. The franchise with so much potential is at the bottom of a pit that they may never get out.