Category: sports

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: When Things Are Going Bad They Really Go Bad

Final Score: Pirates 0 Orioles 2

Why The Pirates Loss: The punchless wonders could only get 3 hits and 2 walks. They only had 3 at bats with runners in scoring position and of course they were 0 for 3. Roansy Contreras pitched a solid 7 innings giving up 2 home runs that barely left the park. The Orioles only had 1 at bat with runners in scoring position. It was a nice rebound performance by Contreras, but it was simply not enough, when you pitch for the no run Pirates. The only good thing you could say about this game is that for the 2nd game in a row the Pirates did not make an error. According to Joe Block the Pirates have not scored this few of runs over a 12 game stretch for 115 years. He must have been waiting for that stat because he said it before the Orioles even began celebrating. The Pirates fell to 21-19 with no end in sight. All you can say about this streak is it has been, for the most part against the better teams in baseball, namely the American League East.

Key Moment Of The Game: With 2 out in the top the 7th, with Taylor Wells cruising along on a 1 hit shutout, the Pirates were able to draw back-to-back walks. This brought Miguel( I Can’t Believe That I Am In The Major Leagues) Andujar to the plate with his .165 batting average. On a 2-1 pitch he unbelievably hit a ball deep to right field that Anthony Santander stumbled and bumbled his way to the wall, leaped up, and caught the ball right in the webbing of his glove. As bad as the Pirates are, a play like that, and you know that when things are going bad, they really go bad. For the Pirates, they just have to keep their head down and keep plowing away.

Next Game: This Afternoon, Orioles in Baltimore. I wrote when they embarked on this road trip that if they went 2-3 it would be miraculous. So far, there have not been any water into wine moments. Mitch Keller takes the mound for the Pirates after his excellent complete game shutout, the only game the Pirates have won in the last 12. Everything has to come to an end as they say, but you have wonder if this hitting slump ever will. Maybe 2024.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: DUJ IN Mid-Season Form

Final Score: Pirates 3 Orioles 6

Why The Pirates Loss: Dwayne Underwood Junior, yes, I wrote it out in its entirety, because he deserves it, had a sterling performance last night. He came in the game with one out, a runner on second and the score tied 2-2 in the bottom of the 7th. When the 8th inning was over the score was 6-2 as he gave up the hit that took the lead and then a 3 run homer to give the Orioles their 6 runs. Dwayne now has a sparkling ERA of 5.40. For a while, I thought I was wrong about DUJ, like I am wrong, so far at least, about Velasquez, but I guess not. I wrote last year, that if DUJ was still on the team this year, the Pirates were not serious about winning. He did have some good moments, but now he is back to normal and getting whacked at will by opposing batters. DFA or IL, hopefully, not too far off in the future. The Pirate’s attack was as anemic as ever, although they did make things a little interesting in the 9th. They did score 3 runs for the second consecutive game, managing 7 hit to go along with 2 walks but struck out 12 times. Johan Oviedo pitched 5 plus innings only giving up 1 run but walked 5, giving up 4 hits. A somewhat better performance but not like he was doing early in the season. Just like the Pirates, as they now fall to 21-18.

Key Moment Of The Game: Allowing DUJ to come out for the 8th inning. Maybe the Pirates thought that he would stink and better to know in May than in August. There were certainly better pitching options in a tight game. I kind of doubt that this will be his last appearance as a Pirate, but we can only hope. Yes, he is misunderstood Underwood. What’s misunderstood is that he can pitch.

Next Game: Tonight, Orioles in Baltimore. Roansy Contreras will get the start and he has not been super sharp lately, giving up 9 runs in a little over 10 innings, with 7 walks. This was not the Contreras we saw last year. The Pirates need him to get back on track and the bats to do something for God’s sake. Will tonight be the night?

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Can They Come Out Of This Slump?

The Pirates start a 5 game road trip tonight in Baltimore. The Pirates have lost 9 out of 10 games and there have been various issues, but it’s the offense that has hit rock bottom. They have averaged 1.5 runs per game during this stretch. You are not going to win many games only scoring that many runs, thus the Pirates are 1 and 9. The naysayers have been out in full force with the typical, who didn’t know that, the Pirates stink again, and you knew this was too good to be true. The odds of the Pirates coming out of this in the next 4 weeks in my view is a flip of the coin. Heads the Pirates continue to collapse and around the 60 game mark will be under .500. Tails the Pirates will find a way to get back on track and start to play at least .500 ball or better and will be about 4 to 7 games above .500. One good thing is the Pirates have 4 days off from now until June 1. It will give them at various intervals to collect themselves and reset. Will see if yesterday’s off day has any positive effect. So, what could happen?

Heads: There is no question that the injuries to Oneil Cruz and Ji Man Choi have had a major impact on the Pirates offense. When the season started the 13 position players were all of major league caliber. Canaan Smith-Njigba was the only player who disappointed, and he was sent down. What has been brought up is not major league quality. Josh Palacios, Miguel Andujar, Chris Owings, Mark Mathias, and Tucupita Marcano are all nothing but AAA players. The only one that the jury is still out on is Marcano, who has yet to prove that he can hit Major League pitching. Mathias is back down in the minors but the other 4 are on the team and that is a lot of offensive weaklings to be carrying on a team that desperately needs to score runs. The Pirates are not going to bring up any top prospects until that date in June comes around when they won’t get that year’s credit of service. As ridiculous as this is, it is just part of the baseball way today. Unless one of these 4 players can get on some kind of surprising hot streak, the Pirates record at the 60 game mark will be about 28-32.

Tails: So, what needs to happen if the Pirates are going to come out of this slump. Jack Suwinski needs to get back to being the Jack Suwinski he was during the first 28 games. That is something that could happen. Ke’Bryan Hayes needs to get his OPS+ up over 100. Possible but not likely. Ji Hwan Bae needs to start being more selective and get his on base percentage up to about 350 like it was in the minors. This could happen. There does not seem to be much help in AAA. What the Pirates need is a hard hitting outfielder. This is the least likely thing to happen, but they could make a trade. Who would be a good trade piece. In my view Ke’Bryan Hayes. He is a superior glove but does not look like he is ever going to be much of a hitter. A team that has plenty of hitting but needs a defensive 3rd baseman would be interested in Hayes. He has a great team friendly contract. If the bat is big enough even throw in one of our relievers. The Pirates need to run the bases better. Could Austin Hedges get some breaks at the plate. I know he is a horrible hitter, but he has hit some balls that were crushed that wound up being caught. Like a lot of things hitting can be contagious and once they start hitting it could continue until that magical June date that will allow them to bring up some more Major Leaguers. Hopefully by then, it will not be too late.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Well, At Least They Scored 3 Runs

Final Score: Pirates 3 Rockies 4

Why The Pirates Loss: Even though they scored 3 runs, at least that streak is broken, the offense still really did not do much. They had 6 hits and 6 walks but could not do much with it, as they continue to run themselves into outs. They only had 4 at bats with runners in scoring position and had 1 hit. Compare that with the Rockies who had 8 hits and 4 walks but had 14 at bats with runners in scoring position. Rich Hill cruised for 3 innings then had an inning like Ortiz did where nothing went right and an error, this time by Hill, opened up the floodgates to allow 3 runs to score. The Pirates continue to slump and the record falls to 21-17

Key Moments Of The Game: This one had many including the error by Hill that allowed the Rockies to tie the game after the Pirates had taken a 3-0 lead after 3 innings. It boiled down to this. The Pirates loaded the bases in the bottom of the 6th on a walk, a single and a walk. They could not score. In the top of the 7th the Rockies loaded the bases with a walk, a single and a walk. They were able to push across one run. Not a great performance, but in this instance, it was enough to win the game. The Pirates simply do not have enough players that are capable of hitting major league pitching. They are unwilling to bring players up that are capable of hitting major league pitching because of contract control. The injuries are beginning to take it’s toll. This could be a prolonged stretch.

Next Game: Tomorrow night, Orioles in Baltimore. The Pirates will get a much needed day off today. They have lost 9 of their last 10 games and most of them have not been close. Yesterdays was, but the other 8 losses were by an average of 5.5 runs per game. All phases of their game has declined with the offense leading the way. Since the 29 game report the Pirates have loss 8 of 9. All their stats have tumbled but none as much as the offense. OBP fell to 10th from 3rd. OPS+ was 4th in baseball now is 14th. They are now 11th in Runs per Game down from 5th at the 29 game mark. They have a 5 game road trip coming up. Going 2-3 would be miraculous.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Maybe Marcano Needs Glasses

Final Score: Pirates 1 Rockies 10

Why The Pirates Lost: There were lots of issues with this game, but the Pirates have scored 2 or less runs for 9 consecutive games. The amazing thing is they are looking worse not better. Even though they only got 4 hits they did manage to get 6 walks. Every time they got runners on base they decided to have a bad at bat. Jason Delay, Bryan Reynolds and Carlos Santana were particularly bad when runners were in scoring position. They were 1 for 8 as a team with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base. Then we have the case of Tucupito Marcano. He whiffed on a throw from Carlos Santana, missed timed a jump on a line drive and then struck out on a ball that almost hit him in the head. Maybe he just can’t see. Either that, or he is the example of being a great AAA player and that’s as high as he can go. The Pirates DFA Chase De Jong so he can start his broadcast career, and this gave DUJ so much confidence that he got scorched for 4 runs on 4 hits and a walk in one inning of “work”. The winning streak stopped at one.

Key Moment Of The Game: It was the top of the 4th and I’m not even going to go through it. Only to write that this is where Marcano forgot to catch the ball and the Rockies got a bunch of bloops and soft liners and scored 4 runs, with only 1 being earned. Luis Ortiz got touched up for 7 hits but deserved a better fate. Despite all the action in the 5 innings he pitched, he only threw 77 pitches. This made the score 5 to 1 going into the bottom of the 4th, but you knew that this game was over.

Next Game: This afternoon, Rockies in Pittsburgh. When will the Pirates score 3 runs in a game? That is the burning question that is on everyone’s mind at the moment. Will it be this week? Will it be this month? Are their iPads malfunctioning? Does Apple have it in for the Pirates. Is there something wrong with their bats? Is sabotage a possibility? Could April have just been a plot by the National League to let the Pirates hit, just to fool their fans into thinking this could be a good team. If so, they did a great job because this team looks lost now. Maybe the Pirates should put all 13 pitchers on the field and see what they can do at the plate. I would love to see DUJ bat. I really have not lost faith in this team. It just seems like it.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: The Offense Still Stinks But They Won

Final Score: Pirates 2 Rockies 0

Why The Pirates Won: A great performance by Mitch Keller enabled the Pirates to snap their 7 game losing streak. He pitched a 4 hit complete game shutout, striking out 8 and walking only 1 batter on 103 pitches. He finished strong by retiring the last 10 batters he faced. The Pirate’s defense was solid for the game, looking much better overall with Chris Ownings at shortstop and Castro back at 2nd. The Pirates offense did put some runners on base with 7 hits and 4 walks but hit or ran into 4 double plays. All in all, another weak performance by the Pirate batters but great pitching saved the day. The bottom line is the Pirates snapped that 7 game losing streak.

The Key Play Of The Game: Simple the 2 run home run by Rodolfo Castro with no outs in the bottom of the 7th. Castro, who has been shaky defensively playing shortstop, hit an 0-1 fastball straight away over the centerfield wall for a home run and the Pirates finally took the lead 2-0. Keller was not about give up the lead and the Pirates were never threatened, winning 2-0.

Next Game: Tonight, Rockies in Pittsburgh. Luis Ortiz takes the mound for the Pirates, a 24 year old raw talent with a fastball that can reach 100 MPH. He made a few starts last year and looked pretty good except for 1 start. Exchanging Ownings for Mark ( You Mean I Have To Take The Field) Mathias may be a bigger move than it would first appear. I would assume they may platoon him with Marcano at shortstop and Castro’s days there are over. He may get even more playing time if Marcano gets into his usual hitting funk. Whatever the Pirates do, Ownings is certainly a defensive upgrade from Mathias. I wrote yesterday that scoring 3 runs was more important than winning. If the Pirates had lost yesterday, 6-5 I might have felt better than I do now, but getting past the losing streak was huge. It gives the offense one more day to come out of their slump. Let’s start a winning streak.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Where Have All The Hitters Gone

Final Score: Pirates 1 Blue Jays 10

Why The Pirates Lost: Just a continuation of a slump that just keeps on ticking. The Pirates for the 7th consecutive game failed to get more than 2 runs. They did leave 10 men on base as they got 8 hits with 3 walks. As bad as the hitting is, the pitching is worse. Chase De Jong was in the broadcast booth during a spring training game saying he would like to do this for a living. His broadcast career should start tomorrow, because he sure can’t pitch. He has a nice ERA of 10.61. The top of the 9th looked like batting practice for the Blue Jays. Contreras had a bad outing giving up 5 runs in 5 innings on 9 hits and 3 walks. This will end sometime. Let’s hope it is before June 1.

Key Moment Of The Game: In the top of third with one out Matt Chapman singled to left field. Brandon(I Have Been Reincarnated As Lou Gehrig For The Weekend) Belt took an 0-2 fastball and laced into centerfield for a hit. Whit Merrifield then took a 1-2 curveball, that was grooved right in the middle of the plate, into the leftfield seats to make the score 4-0, and you knew that the 7th straight loss was a lead pipe cinch, even without Chase De Jong coming into the game.

Next Game: Tonight, Rockies in Pittsburgh. Will the Pirates score at least 3 runs tonight. I think that is more important than winning the game. In the 7 losses the Pirates have score 9 runs. They have score 2 runs in 3 games, 1 run in 3 games and have been shutout once. When the Pirates were going good in one of the pre-game openings, John Wehner said the Pirates have no weaknesses. I think we found one John old buddy. You hope the Rockies will be just what the doctor ordered. The Pirates are 20-15. They got there a little differently than I thought they would, but this is just about how good I thought this team would be. Let’s hope they show it before it is too late.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: No Turn Around Last Night

Final Score: Pirates 2 Blue Jays 8

Why The Pirates Lost: Another horrible pitching performance by Johan Oviedo. He went 5 innings giving up 7 runs on 10 hits and walking 3. His breaking “stuff” was stuffless as the Blue Jays just rocked it for 4 doubles. Oviedo certainly appears lost for the moment. The Pirates still cannot score more than 2 runs and really did not show much life at the plate, getting only 5 hits. Jack Suwinski did hit a home run but that was about it for the punchless Pirates. It was a discouraging performance all the way around. The bullpen is about the only part of the Pirates that is still performing well. They only gave up 1 run in the last 4innings with the B squad. It was an easy win for the Blue Jays sending the Pirates to their 6th straight loss.

Key Moment Of The Game: In the top of the first the Blue Jays got the first 3 batters on base via a single, walk, and another single to take a 1-0 lead with nobody out. Oviedo got the next 2 batters out and looked like he might get out of the inning with the weak hitting Brandon Belt coming to bat with his .172 average. Oviedo got ahead on the count 1 and 2 by blowing a 97 MPH fastball right by him for strike 2. Let’s just do that again. Oh no, pitching sequence dunce, let’s try an 88 MPH slider, that was scorched for a double, making it 3-0 in the blink of an eye. Alejandro Kirk, proving that some teams think a catcher should be able to hit, laced another double deep to center field to make the score 4-0 and the game was over.

Next Game: This afternoon, Blue Jays in Pittsburgh. Roansy Contreras will see if he can stop the slide. It’s time to send Miguel Andujar packing. It’s time to give Jason Delay more playing time. It’s time for the Pirates to get into a more aggressive hitting mode. They are taking way too many strikes. Yes, there have been balls that were called strikes, out of the zone, especially in Tampa, but they were not that far off that swinging at them could have resulted in hits. It’s time for the Pirates to dig down deep.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Running On Empty

Final Score: Pirates 0 Blue Jays 4

Why The Pirates Loss: When you do not score you do not win. There is no question, the Pirates have had some other issues on this 5 game losing streak, but the bottom line is they are just not hitting. They have scored just 6 runs on 26 hits over the last 5 games, and you are not going to win many games with that average. The worst scoring team in baseball is the Miami Marlins, averaging 3.38 runs per game and are playing .500 ball. Compound that with some base running blunders and the Pirates had the perfect recipe for another loss. Rich Hill pitched his typical weird game, giving up 4 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks. He still managed to have some rocket shots hit right at someone.

Key Moment Of The Game: With all the base running mistakes the Pirates made, the Blue Jays made one in the first inning but did not pay for it. With one out in the top of the 1st inning Bo Bichette doubled. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled to left field and Bryan Reynolds pick up the ball in mid to shallow left field just when Bichette was rounding the 3rd base bag. Even though there was only one out, the third base coach waved the runner home and Reynolds threw a weak 3 hopper to the plate that still made it a close play. Any kind of legitimate throw and he is out at the plate. You never know, a big defensive play may have gotten the Pirates untracked. This would be the only run the Blue Jays would need, as the Pirates went quietly down to their 5th straight defeat.

Next Game: Tonight, Blue Jays in Pittsburgh. No question, the Pirates are having a rough stretch right now. The key will be how long will it last. More injuries with Bae and McCutchen having ankle problems is not going to help. All it takes is one game to right the ship. Speaking of rough patches Johan Oviedo takes the mound having given up 11 runs in his last 2 starts. He needs a good game which might lead to a double turn around tonight. One final thought: I have neither the time nor the inclination to go into it, but Greg Brown knows nothing about baseball despite watching it his entire life. The sound will be off the rest of the season. I cannot afford to throw a brick at the TV set.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Oh, Solo Home Run

Final Score: Pirates 2 Rays 3

Why The Pirates Loss: Two words, Zach Eflin, another pitcher who has suddenly found it, after 7 years of just average performance. Over 7 innings he gave up no runs, 3 hits, no walks, and struck out 10, while only using 80 pitches. This improved his record to 4-0 with an ERA of 2.25. The Rays hit 3 solo homers and with that kind of pitching, it was enough to send the Pirates to their 4th straight loss. The Pirates made it interesting in the 9th to close the gap to 3-2 but could not push across the tying run. Things just got worse when Vince Velasquez had some kind of elbow pain and had to leave the game after the 3rd inning. There are no more updates on the Pirate website which is about as current as getting updates on the Civil War. At the very least you have to figure he is going on the IL and missing at least 2-3 starts. It could be worse the way the Pirates luck has been going.

The Key Moment Of The Game: The Pirates offense was even worse yesterday as they limped into the 9th inning trailing 3-0. The Pirates started getting some breaks. With one out Tucupita Marcano got hit with a pitch on an 0-2 count. Then Taylor Walls got greedy on a ground ball by Bryan Reynolds trying to get a double play by tagging Marcano before throwing to first and dropped the ball. McCutchen struck out, but Carlos Santana roped a double into right center field to score 2 runs. After a walk, Connor Joe struck out to end the game, with the Pirates not taking full advantage of the Rays generosity.

Next Game: Tonight, Blue Jays, in Pittsburgh. Hopefully, home cooking will get the Pirates back on track. This begins a 6 game homestand against the Blue Jays and the Rockies. The Pirates must go at least 4-2. Despite all the problems, the Pirates are still in 1st place. Rich (The Hit Where They Are Pitcher) Hill will take the mound for the Pirates. This does not give you a warm fuzzy feeling with the strong hitting Blue Jays. Will we snap the streak tonight, only The Shadow Knows.