Category: sports

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Pirates Morning Report: Strange Winning Pattern

Final Score: Pirates 6 Royals 3

Why The Pirates Won: For the fourth game in about the last 10 days the Pirates started a game by not getting a man on base for an extended period. They have gone 5 and 1/3, 6 and 1/3, 3 and 1/3 and last night went 4 innings before getting a man on base. What is interesting is they won 3 of those 4 games. In this game they went into the 8th inning trailing 1-0. They were able to score 2 in the 8th and 4 in the 9th to win going away. The Pirates had an opener game with Colin Selby starting and going a perfect 2 innings. Luis Ortiz pitched his best 5 innings in a long time giving up just 1 run on 3 hits, 2 walks, while striking out 5. Colin Holderman pitched a clean 8th, with Cody Bolton finishing the game despite the fact that Greg Brown wanted to waste David Bednar and bring him in with the score 6-3. Doesn’t he realize we are playing the Royals, probably not.

Key Moment Of The Game: Key moment brought to you by Ke’Bryan Hayes. It doesn’t get more key than a 2 run, 2 out, home run in the top of the 8th inning, when trailing 1-0. The Pirates added on nicely in the 9th with a 3 run rocket by Liover Peguero that even Greg Brown knew was a home run right away. This proved to be the margin of victory as the Royals did add 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th.

Next Game: Tonight, Royals in Kansas City. Can the Pirates sweep the lowly Royals. They are sending Andre Jackson to the mound. If he pitches well, it will be interesting to see how high the Pirates let his pitch count get. He should be stretched out pretty well by now. The Pirates have an off day tomorrow. It will be a much better off day if they can win their third in a row.

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Pirates Morning Report: Boy, Do The Royals Stink

Final Score: Pirates 5 Royals 0

Why The Pirates Won: Johan Oviedo pitched one of the best games of the year shutting out the Royals on just 2 hits, walking 2 and striking out 5. The most amazing thing about the performance was that the Royals never got a man into scoring position. Thanks to a double play, he faced only 18 batters over the last 6 innings. The Pirate offense had a nice game getting 5 runs on 12 hits and 4 walks. They scored a run in the 2nd, a run in the 3rd, and added on nicely in the 7th and 8th. Ke’Bryan Hayes went 4-4 with a WALK, and finally became a league average hitter. If he can maintain that he could become a major asset to this team. I am one never to judge wins. After all the Oakland A’s took 2 out of 3 against the Pirates and then went into Milwaukee and swept the Brewers. However, this does not change the fact that the Royals really stink. They are the perfect definition of a team in malaise. That’s not to say that they won’t win the next 2 games, because the Pirates are just a notch above them, but they are just playing out the string if last night was any indication.

Key Moment Of The Game: The Pirates were nursing that 2-0 lead going into the top of the 7th and really had not done much since the 3rd inning. The inning opened well enough with Alfonso Rivas getting a double to left. Then Alika (Why Am I Playing In The Major Leagues) Williams laid down a horrible bunt and Rivas was thrown out at third base. Bae flied out and it looked like the Pirates had messed up another opportunity. But alas, singles by Hayes, McCutchen and an infield hit by Palacios where the pitcher was slow to cover 1st base netted the Pirates 2 runs, which pretty much iced this game. A nice start to the road trip.

Next Game: Tonight, Royals in Kansas City. As of now the Pirates don’t have a starting pitcher listed on the web site. At least the bullpen is well rested. Could we get a sweep on the road? Only the Shelton knows for sure.

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Pirates Morning Report: Setting Small Goals

Final Score: Pirates 1 Cubs 10

Why The Pirates Loss: It was a total team effort. They couldn’t hit, couldn’t pitch, and couldn’t field. The Pirates could only manage 4 hits and 2 walks. It was amazing that they had 5 at bats with runners in scoring position. Of course, they were 0 for 5. Josh Palacios got 2 of those hits to bring his sparkling batting average up to .211. I thought Ben Gamel was bad. The Pirate pitching staff gave up 10 runs for the second straight game, all of them earned. They “only” walked 3 this game. This will be one of the goals for today’s game, try and keep the Royals in single digits. They put one of the worst fielding teams you could imagine on the field yesterday just to ensure defeat. Even though there were no errors committed, there were many balls that should have been caught or fielded that were not. It is part of the Pirate philosophy, on the job training at the Major League level. What purpose the minor leagues serve for the Pirates, God only knows, or maybe the Shelton knows.

Key Moment Of The Game: When the Pirates took the field. That lineup brought back memories of 2022 it was so bad. I think the Pirates have an eye on that draft lottery again. Despite the last 2 lopsided wins for the Cubs, they left town very sad, knowing they only have 3 more games with the Pirates. They are cursing the balanced schedule.

Next Game: Tonight, the Royals in Kansas City. It’s hard to believe but the Pirates are going on a 6 game road trip where both teams have worse records than them, the Royals and Cardinals. The Pirates will have to dig deep to find ways to lose to these two teams. If by some way they could take 2 out of 3 from the Royals, they would have their best month since April. The anticipation is unbearable.

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Pirates Morning Report: Give Him A Bus Ticket

Final Score: Pirates 6 Cubs 10

Why The Pirates Lost: Osvaldo Bido gave one of the worst pitching performances of the year and that’s saying something with this staff. Osvaldo started the top of the third inning with the Pirates leading 1-0 and in a short, or should I say long, 2 and 1/3 innings he gave up 8 runs. He gave up those runs, the Cubs certainly did not earn them. In the top of the third he walked 4 batters, 2 of which forced in runs. In that inning, the Cubs scored 3 runs on just 1 hit. Then in the top of the 5th he gave up 5 runs on a walk, 2 singles, a double, and a triple and the Pirates were behind 8-1. The Cubs were able to get those 8 runs on just 5 hits. He did keep the ball in the ballpark. Hopefully this morning he is getting on a bus for Altoona. He doesn’t even belong in AAA let alone in the Majors with his sterling 6.36 ERA. The Pirates tried to make a game of it scoring 5 runs in the bottom of the 7th, 4 of them after 2 were out. The Cubs added 2 in the top of the 9th for enough cushion to take the excitement out of the game. The Pirates are now 3-3 on this homestand.

Key Moment Of The Game: When Osvaldo Bido took the mound, the game was over. Oscar Marin came out and told him to throw strikes, but he did not listen. That should be enough to send him down to Altoona. You have to wonder why they left him in the game. Who knows, only the Shelton knows. I am sure the Cubs wish they had about 10 more games with the Pirates.

Next Game: This afternoon, Cubs in Pittsburgh. At least today, the Pirates know who is starting, Baily Falter, who has not pitched bad since coming to the Pirates. He had a great outing last time out pitching 6 innings giving up only 1 run on 3 hits. We will see if he can throw strikes at least.

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Pirates Morning Report: They’re Playing The Cubs

Final Score: Pirates 4 Cubs 5 in 10 innings

Why The Pirates Lost: They’re playing the Cubs. The Pirates did not play a bad game, but it was not good enough to beat the Cubs, losing to the Cubs for the 7th straight time. The offense was not great, but they did manage to score 4 runs on just 6 hits and 5 walks. Josh Palacios crushed a home run into the Allegheny to tie the game 3-3 in the bottom of the third but did little else the rest of the game. He has had some big moments for the Pirates, but the bottom line is this, is slash line is 207/247/384, with an OPS+ 68. He is 32% worse than a league average hitter. He needs to go. The opener pitching rotation worked pretty well, although I do not know why they did not use Borucki to start the game. He was up during the game, so he was available and has had good success as the opener. Andre Jackson after getting off to a slow start pitched very well giving up just the 2 runs on 6 hits, walking no one, striking out 2. Overall, not a bad performance by the Pirates, but it fell one run short.

Key Moments Of The Game: It may be simplifying things just a bit, but this game boiled down to 2 bloops that contributed to or directly led to Cubs’ runs. The first was by Yan Gomes in the top of the 2nd. He blooped a ball that had an exit velocity of under 60 MPH into right field that got him on base, eventually scoring the 3rd run of the game. The second came in the top of the 10th by a Pirate nemesis, Ian Happ. This blooper was scorched at 71.4 MPH and then was muffed by Connor Joe to let another run score, providing the margin of victory for the Cubs. It would be hard to say if the runner on third, where he would have been if not for the Joe error, would have scored on the fly ball to Suwinski. We will never know. What we do know is that the Cubs continue to beat the Pirates. If this continues the Cubs should send 1% of their playoff checks to the Pirates.

The Next Game: Tonight, Cubs in Pittsburgh. The other Pirate major league starter Mitch Keller will take the mound tonight. This is Star Wars night. Maybe in another universe, the way the Pirates think would make sense. Will the Cubs make it 8 in a row? Who knows, only the Shelton knows.

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Pirates Morning Report: Pirates Return The Favor

Final Score: Pirates 4 Cardinals 6

Why The Pirates Lost: In the first game of the series the Cardinals started a AAA pitcher who really was not doing all that well, so the Pirates thought they would return the favor. Luis Ortiz was called up from AAA despite the fact that he had not really pitched all that well since being sent down in July. The Cardinals rocked him pretty good, and he did not help himself by walking 5 batters in 3 and 1/3 innings. In that time, he gave up 5 runs on 7 hits and was fortunate that it was not worse. His fastball never came close to 100 MPH which it did many times last year. After falling behind 5-0 the Pirates tried to fight back, getting the score to 5-2 with the 2nd run coming on a Ke’Bryan Hayes home run. Although the Pirate offense did score 4 runs, they were 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men stranded. No big two out hits yesterday.

Key Moments Of The Game: Trailing 5-2 going into the bottom of the 6th the Pirates were able to load the bases with one out. Jason Delay hit a weak ground ball that was able to score one run and move the runners to 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs. Up steps Ke’Bryan (I Pay Greg Brown 500 A Day To Say All Those Good Things About Me) Hayes to the plate. He gets ahead of the count 2-0 but can only hit a weak ground ball to second to end the inning. At least the pitch was a strike. In the top of the 9th the Cardinals were able to score a big insurance run without hitting a ball out of the infield. Jason Delays protective cup must weigh a ton. It is the only explanation I know of, that could explain on how slow he is to get out, and field a ball out in front of the plate. The Pirates were able to score a run in the bottom of the 9th, but that insurance run took a lot of pressure off the reliever.

Next Game: Tonight, the Cubs in Pittsburgh. The Pirates have lost all six games to the Cubs so far this season. It would be nice to see them turn that around. It will be interesting to see how a team that has a lot to play for performs against a team that is just playing out the string. Again, the Pirates do not know who the starting pitcher will be.

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Pirates Morning Report: Look Out Two In A Row

Final Score: Pirates 6 Cardinals 3

Why The Pirates Won: Johan Oviedo pitched an inefficient but effective 5 innings giving up just 1 run, 5 hits, 1 walk while striking out 5. His fastball did touch 97 MPH occasionally and overall, it was a decent performance compared to his last two outings. It took him 97 pitches to throw 5 innings. The Pirate batters, after going 9 up and 9 down against Adam Wainwright, put up a run in the 4th and put a big 5 spot in the bottom of the 5th. The score was 2-1 in the bottom of the 5th with 2 outs and runners on 2nd and 3rd. Bryan Reynolds lined a double down in the right field corner, followed by a line drive home run into the left field seats by Andrew McCutchen to quickly make the score 6-1. The bullpen was shaky again but was able to preserve the win. The Pirates have won 2 in a row. The next thing you know you will be hearing about hurricanes in California.

The Key Moment Of The Game: The Pirate bullpen already had given up a run in the top of the 6th inning to make the score 6-2. In the top of the 7th the Cardinals really got things going. With 2 outs the Cardinals singled home a run to make the score 6-3. Out goes Dauri Moreta and in comes Colin (I Don’t Like To Throw My 100 MPH Fastball) Holderman. He promptly gives up a single and a walk to load the bases for Willson Contreras. Contreras had just doubled his last at bat to drive in run number 2. The first pitch was close and called a strike. The second pitch was ball. The third pitch was simply a ball that was called a strike. It was at least 4 inches low. Now in the hole 1-2, Contreras struck out on a high 99 MPH fast ball and then was ejected from the game. A nice break for the Pirates. Holderman pitched a clean 8th, which was more surprising than the Pirates winning 2 in a row. Bednar got the save and the Pirates will be looking for the sweep today.

Next Game: In about 90 minutes, Cardinals in Pittsburgh. The desperate for starting pitching Pirates are going with Luis Ortiz today, who has not been lighting up at AAA. It will be interesting to see if his fastball his back to being close to 100 MPH. Could these Pirates possibly win 3 in a row. Who knows? Only the Shadow knows.

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Pirates Morning Report: Pirates Show They Can At Least Hit AAA Pitching

Final Score: Pittsburgh 11 Cardinals 1

Why The Pirates Won: The Cardinals put a AAA pitcher, with not that great of a record, on the mound and the Pirates lit him up for 8 runs on 8 hits, 4 walks, with the Cardinals making an error to help things along. Everybody had a pretty good day except the horrendously slumping Jack Suwinski. He struck out 3 times, once with the bases loaded where he took all 5 pitches, a Turtle move by the way. With only 2 legitimate starting pitchers on the team the Pirates went the piggyback route this time and did well. Thomas Hatch pitched the first 3 innings giving up 2 hits and one walk. Bailey No Falter Insurance, sorry I just couldn’t help it, pitched the final 6 innings only giving up 1 run, 3 hits, walking 2, while striking out 8. He picked up his first win of the season. The pitching was more impressive than the hitting since they did it against major leaguers. It was a nice touch to see Josh Palacios have a big game, a home run and 5 RBI’s in front of his family.

Key Moments Of The Game: The Cardinals did have some traffic on the base paths in the first 2 innings of the game. Looking like the Pirates, they could not get the big hit or fly ball to knock in at least one run. Starting with the 3rd inning, other than giving up the home run, the Pirate pitchers retired the next 13 batters in a row. The Pirates broke it open in the bottom of the 4th highlighted by the Palacios 3 run home run. Similar to the Pirates the home run was preceded by a mound visit by the pitching coach, that did not help whatsoever. It is easy to see why the Cardinals are in last place similar to the Pirates.

Next Game: Tonight, Cardinals in Pittsburgh. The Cardinals are sending Adam Wainwright to mound tonight, and he has really been struggling. Maybe the Pirates should bat Jack Suwinski all 9 times and see who comes out of their slump first. Johan Oviedo, one of the two starting pitchers the Pirates have, takes the mound. Which Oviedo will we see? Only the Shadow knows for sure.

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Pirates Morning Report: Turning Back The Clock

Final Score: Pirates 7 Twins 4

Why The Pirates Won: Andrew McCutchen turned back the clock and had a big game going 2 for 5 with a home run and 5 RBI’s. Mitch Keller pitched a solid, but not brilliant, 6 innings giving up 2 runs, 7 hits, walking 1, while striking out 12 batters. The bullpen was shaky throughout but managed to get through the game, preserving the win to even the series. I admit, the way this game started, it looked to me like the Pirates were just going through the motions. They went down in order the first 5 innings with 4 of the first 6 batters striking out. Andrew McCutchen showed what veteran leadership is all about.

The Key Moments Of The Game: The Pirates made the first out in the top of the 6th for the 16th consecutive out. They had just come off of a very frustrating game the night before where they could not drive in any runs. They were trailing 2-0 going into the 6th inning. After they made the first out, things started going their way, big time. Liover Peguero hit a dribbler down the third base line and went to second on a throwing error by the 3rd baseman. Jason Delay hit a little bloop in no man’s land in left center field to put runners on 1st and 3rd with one out. Then, stop the presses, Ji Hwan Bae walked. In fact, double stop the presses, he walked twice in this game, which may be the most significant thing that happened. Bryan Reynolds who had a tough day at the plate struck out on 3 pitches, 2 of which were out of the strike zone. You had to feel that here we go again, another missed opportunity. However, McCutchen found a hole just to the left of the 2nd base bag and it tied the game 2-2. Ke’Bryan (If Bae Can Walk Maybe I Can Start Too) Hayes lined a sharp single to left field and Bae’s speed beat the slightly off target throw, giving the Pirates a 3-2 lead. The Pirates added a run in the 8th and McCutchen hit a huge, in more ways than one, 3 run home run which proved to be the margin of victory. The bullpen barely hung on but did, and the Pirates have a chance at a .500 road trip.

Next Game: This afternoon, Twins in Minnesota. It’s a rubber match today with Pirates looking like they are doing a bullpen game and the Twins trotting out of all people, Dallas Keuchel. Let’s hope he does not find his form today. Even with Keuchel pitching I will be surprised if the Pirates take the series. Those are the kind of surprises that you like however, and my heart is strong.

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Pirate Morning Report: Not The Way To Score One Run

Final Score: Pirates 1 Twins 5

Why The Pirates Lost: The Pirates typical formula, mediocre pitching and terrible hitting when it counted. The Pirate booth said that Andre Jackson pitched great. Here are his numbers, you decide. He gave up 2 runs on 4hits, walking 3, striking out 6 in 4 and 1/3 innings of work. Not an awful performance but great, come on. The bullpen gave up 3 runs in the other 3 and 2/3 innings. I guess compared to the lousy bullpen he was great. Not to be out done, the batters were even worse. They could only muster 1 run despite getting 9hits, 3 walks and a hit batsman. They stranded 11 runners while going 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position. Quite a performance. There is one thing I will never understand, and the Pirates are not the only ones that do this. When a batter is in a major slump, the team continues to bat him in a key position in the order. Jack Suwinski has been struggling mightily over the last 30 games hit a paltry .129 with an even more embarrassing OBP of .234. Despite this the Pirates have batted Suwinski lead off, which may have started this whole mess, and clean up. How about putting him 8th or 9th until he comes out of it. Right now, he is nothing but one big rally killer. Kyle Schwarber is going through the same thing, although not as bad as Suwinski, and the Phillies continue to put him at the top of the lineup.

The Key Moment Of The Game: The Pirates were trailing 3-0 going into the top of the 7th inning. It looked like they may be getting something really going when they opened the inning with a walk, a double, and a bloop single to make the score 3-1 with first and third and nobody out. Then we had to painfully watch this. Ke’Bryan (Even Though I Have Been “Hot” My OPS+ Is Still Only 91) Hayes took a strike, fouled a strike, and fouled out on a ball 6 inches outside. Jack (My Hero Is Daniel Vogelbach) Suwinski, took a strike, took a ball, swung at a ball that was low, and took a 3rd strike that was well inside the strike zone. Last but certainly not least, Henry (The Last Time I Played Right Field I Was 10 Years Old) Davis, swung at a strike, took a ball, fouled off a pitch 6 inches inside and struck out on a pitch 6 inches outside. Inning over and so was the ballgame.

Next Game: Tonight, Twins in Minnesota. The Pirates are 1-3 on this road trip and look to be headed for 1-5. Mitch Keller starts tonight, a real starting pitcher, something the Pirates are finding hard to come by. Thank God for the DVR.