Category: sports

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: The B Squad Comes Through

Final Score: Pirates 2 Reds 1

Why The Pirates Won: Rich Hill pitched 5 dancing through the raindrop’s innings giving up on 1 run on 6 hits and 3 walks. The Reds had 2 runners on base in 4 of the 5 innings. The 4th inning saw only 3 batters but that was because one was picked off 1st base after getting a single. Then the B squad of the bullpen took over the game. Yohan Ramirez pitched the 6th and 7th, giving up 2 hits and a walk, but struck out 4, many of them on balls that almost hit the Red’s right handed batters. Then my old buddy DUJ came in to pitch the 8th and 9th, retiring all 6 batters he faced on just 22 pitches. This was his 10th appearance of the year, and he has had only 2 bad outings. It will be interesting to see who will go when De Jong comes back. The Pirate bats were more or less quiet but got 1 run on an opening triple by Hayes, followed by a sacrifice fly by Reynolds, who had a very nice offensive game getting 2 doubles. In the bottom of the 4th, Carlos Santana and Jack Suwinski had back to back doubles to get the game deciding run.

Key Moments Of The Game: Top of the 1st, 1st and 3rd, 2 outs, no runs scored. Top of the 2nd, 1st and 2nd, 2 outs, no runs scored. Top of the 3rd, 1st and 2nd no outs, no runs scored. Last but not least, top of the 5th, single, strikeout, single and misplayed ball by Bae to score a run and put a runner on 2nd with 1 out, no more runs scored. The Reds were 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base for the game. Simply a game of lost opportunities for the Reds to allow the Pirates to move to 15-7.

Next Game: This afternoon, Reds in Pittsburgh. Another buddy of mine Vince (I Am Going To Prove You Wrong) Velasquez will start, to try and get the Pirates a sweep of the Reds. There is no question the Pirates are on a roll.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: How Do They Do It?

Final Score: Pirates 4 Reds 2

Why The Pirates Won: Another Pirate win when looking at the box score, you have to wonder how did they win that one? The top 4 hitters in the lineup went 1 for 14 with 2 walks. There were a lot of 0fers, as only 4 Pirates got hits. Connor Joe had 3 hits, as he continues to swing a hot bat. The Pirates made 2 throwing errors, one in the 7th and another in the 8th, but the Reds could not take advantage. Mitch Keller got off to a hot start by retiring the first 9 batters he faced. The next 3 innings he gave up 2 runs, 5 hits, walked 1 and hit a batter. The bullpen was able to survive the 2 throwing errors and Bednar pitched a clean 9th to get the save as the Pittsburgh (We Don’t Have To Play Our Best To Win) Pirates went to 14-7.

Key Moments Of The Game: The Pirates only had 6 hits but 2 of them drove in 3 runs. Mark (Pop Gun Arm) Mathias got a big 1 out single in the second to drive in 2 runs. The Pirate base runners were able to get into scoring position thanks to a balk. The Reds really helped the Pirates get the run that took the lead 3-2. Connor Joe singled with one out in the bottom of the 6th, moved to second on a wild pitch, and went to third on a Suwinski ground out to 2nd. Joe scored when the Reds shortstop could not cleanly field a Mathias grounder. As mentioned previously the top of the order only got 1 hit, but that was a big one by Carlos Santana, a 2 out double that drove Andrew McCutchen home from 1st, after he walked.

Next Game: Tonight, Reds in Pittsburgh. Rich Hill will start for the Pirates tonight and has done well since his first 2 disastrous starts. The Pirates are now 14-7 and I feel the most impressive thing about this team has been their unimpressive wins. At least for now, they seem to be able to overcome their mistakes. The competition has not been that great but anybody can beat you, just ask the Phillies and the Rangers.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Winning With 1 Hit Over The Last 8 Innings

Final Score: Pirates 4 Reds 3

Why The Pirates Won: Jet Lag did not set in until about 7:15 PM last night. The Pirates took a big first inning where Connor Jo hit a 3 run homer and Jack Suwinski hit a solo shot to take a 4-0 lead in the 1st inning, and they held on for a 4-3 victory over the Reds to go 13-7 for the season. The rest of the way they managed only 1 hit with a couple of walks, striking out 10 times. Roansy Contreras seemed back to his old form pitching 6 and 2/3rds innings, giving up 1 run, 5 hits, walking 2 and striking out 8. It was his best performance of the year. The bullpen survived the 8th inning and Bednar pitched a clean 9th to pick up the save. It is easy to be critical of this win, but it is a lot better than being shut out by the Rockies, like the Phillies, at home, were last night. Yes, that’s correct, the Rockies.

The Key Moment Of The Game: The top of the 8th the Pirates still held a nice 4-1 lead and Colin Holderman came into pitch. Things began to unravel quickly. Jose Barrero got a swinging bunt single and Holderman threw the ball away allowing him to get to 2nd base. Then a wild pitch moved him to third. Jonathan India singled to right to drive in Barrero to make it 4-2. T. J. Friedl took a 3-2 pitch into right field for another single putting runners at 1st and 2nd. The Reds did a double steal, that the runners got such a big jump, a throw could not be made. Spencer Speer hit a sacrifice fly to score the 3rd run and move the runner to 3rd with only one out. Jake Fraley hit a hard low liner, but right at Ke’Bryan Hayes, who made a nice scoop of the ball, held the runner at 3rd, and threw out Fraley for the big 2nd out. Holderman struck out Tyler Stephenson on 3 pitches to end the inning. Whew!!!

Next Game: Tonight, Red in Pittsburgh. Mitch Keller will start for the Pirates and Graham Ashcraft for the Reds. Ashcraft has gotten off to a great start this season, pitching 6 innings every start and never allowing more than 2 runs. Will the Pirates light up another hot pitcher like they did in Colorado. Let’s hope they get a good night’s sleep. It would have been a heartbreaking loss for the Pirates if the Reds would have come back and won the game. In that first inning, I thought Greg Brown may pass out, he got so excited. I would not be surprised to see him hooked up to some monitors tonight. He said how the Pirates are surprising everybody with their good start. Well, not everybody, oh thy great Pirate shill. The season has a long way to go and there is going to be ups and downs for this team. As the guy who jumped off the Empire State Building said as he went by each floor, so far so good.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Another Blow Out Win

Final Score: Pirates 14 Rockies 3

Why The Pirates Won: This one is easy. Fourteen runs, 18 hits, 5 walks. All the starters got into the act with exception of Bryan Reynolds, who got tossed out of the game for arguing a called strike. Seven of the other 8 starters got at least 2 hits and Jack Suwinski walked twice and drove in a run on a sacrifice fly. It has been an amazing hitting series for the Pirates. The Pirates are 12-7 as they head home for a 7 game homestand. Johan Oviedo pitched a solid 6 innings and sometimes that is a hard thing to do when you have a big lead, but he did it with ease. He did walk 3 batters, which is a more than you would want but he gave up only 1 run and threw only 84 pitches.

Key Moment Of The Game: The fact that the Pirates scored 5 in the 1st and 4 in the 2nd and never let the Rockies even remotely get into the game says it all. They stepped on the the Rockies throat and never let up. I believe this shows a lot about this team. Now for the homestand.

Next Game: Tonight, the Reds in Pittsburgh. Roansy Contreras will start for the Pirates and now that they are at home, they need to keep up the momentum. They will play 4 against the Reds and 3 against the Dodgers. They need to bury the Reds and take two from the Dodgers. They should go 5-2 over these next 7 games if they want to consider themselves a contending team. At the very least they need to go 4-3. Again, it is way too early in the season to look at any set of games as the key to the season, but they need to keep the vibe going. Speaking of vibes, I was right about the “minor” injury to Ji Man Choi when I said he wouldn’t return until July 4th. Now, that seems optimistic. Fortunately, they have plenty of talent to replace him and seem to be doing ok without Cruz. Let’s go Bucs.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: All Is Forgiven When You Win

Final Score: Pirates 5 Rockies 3

Why The Pirates Won: Despite some base running gaffes that cost the Pirates a couple of runs, they had a big 4th inning where they scored 4 runs, and held on to win, upping their record to 11-7. Jack Suwinski had the big night hitting 2 home runs and driving in 3 runs. A bold baserunning move by Tucupita Marcano accounted for the 5th run when he came home on a wild pitch that only got about 20 feet past the catcher. This turned out to be nice insurance in the tense late innings. Vince Velasquez, after a shaky 1st inning, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits, settled down just enough to dance through the raindrops for the next 5 innings without giving up a run. He only gave up one more hit but walked 3 to keep things interesting. He only retired the side in order once, although an error in the 6th by Ji Hwan (Boy Did I Have A Bad Game) Bae, gave the Rockies an extra out. All in all, the Rockies left 10 men on base. Grudgingly, I have to give Velasquez credit for a gritty performance over 6 innings. The bullpen kept the Rockies in check the rest of way but not without a little bit of luck. The Pirates missed many opportunities to extend their lead, but all is forgiven when you win.

The Key Moment of the Game: In the bottom of the 8th with the Pirates leading by 2 runs, the Rockies opened the inning with a double and a single to put runners on 1st and 3rd with no outs, against Robert Stephenson, who had just come into the game to start the inning. He got the next batter to strikeout. Alan Trejo hit a rocket on the 2nd pitch, but right at Ke’Bryan Hayes for the second out. Pinch hitter Mike Moustakas on a 3-2 pitch lined a deep ball to left field that Bryan Reynolds made a nice over the shoulder catch to end the inning. Bednar got the save but gave up a 2 out double before striking out C. J. Cron to end the game.

Next Game: This afternoon, Rockies in Colorado. The Pirates will be going for the sweep and a 5-2 road trip. Johan Oviedo will be starting for the Pirates, who has been pretty spectacular after giving up 5 runs in the 1st inning against the Red Sox. He has given up only 1 run in the last 17 innings. This is already a successful road trip and a sweep would just put whip cream and a cherry right on top. Go Bucs!

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Rocky Mountain High

Final Score: Pirates 14 Rockies 3

Why The Pirates Won: The Pirate bats exploded for 14 runs on 16 hits and 2 walks. Five players had 2 or more hits led by none other than Mark, (No I’m Not Josh Van Meter In Disguise) Mathias with 4. There were lots of singles, but Andrew McCutchen and Jack Suwinski hit homers and Rodolfo Castro added a double. It was very nice to see the Pirates on the right side of a blowout. Rich Hill pitched a solid 6 innings to bring his ERA below the inflation rate. It was a little surprising to see the Pirates bring in Will Crowe in a mop up role the day after he lost the extra inning game in St. Louis. I don’t know if this is a prelude to a demotion or they might have been trying to get his confidence back, but he did not perform that great giving up 2 runs, while walking 2 and hitting a batter. Could he be another future IL member? An unexpected easy win for the Pirates, considering the Rockies were starting their hottest pitcher, to make their record 10-7.

Key Moment Of The Game: Rich Hill getting out of a 2nd and 3rd and no one out situation in the top of the 1st. It certainly looked like the Pirates were going to give back another early lead when Hill got off to the shaky start of giving up a walk and a double to start the game. After getting an out, on a sharply hit ground ball that did not score a run, Hill walked the next batter to load the bases. The he induced Elias ( I Would Still Be The Best Catcher The Pirates Have AT The Moment), Diaz to hit a ground ball down the third base line, that Hayes made a nifty scoop on, stepped on third for one and easily doubled up Diaz to end the inning. Little did we know at the time, the Pirates would explode for 6 runs in the next inning.

Next Game: Tonight, Rockies in Colorado. Vince (Can I Just Pitch Every Game Against The Cardinals), Velasquez will start for the Buccos. It will be interesting to see if he can follow up his good start he had against the Cardinals or is this one of those things, where a pitcher has a hex over a particular team. The Rockies certainly looked in disarray last night. It was more than just the score as they just looked lackadaisical. The Pirates have accomplished my preset goal on this road trip of 3 wins, so any more would be gravy. As we all know just like bacon, everything tastes better with gravy.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Working Overtime For The Win

Final Score: Pirates 6 Cardinals 3 in 10 innings.

Why The Pirates Won: The Pirate bats came alive with 10 hits, including 2 doubles, 1 triple and 2 home runs. They hit a dry spell in the middle of the game where they did not get a hit for 3+ innings. They perked up at the end picking up a run in the 8th with 2 out and scoring 3 in the top of the 10th when Andrew McCutchen led off the 10th with a home run to score 2 runs. They added another run on a Conner Joe triple and a Rodolfo Castro single. Castro had a big game going 3 for 5 with 2 RBI’s. Roansy Contreras pitched a nice 6 innings after getting off to a bad luck shaky start giving up 2 runs in the first inning. He then, shut the Cardinals down the rest of the way, giving up only 3 hits in the next 5 innings. For the game he had 3 walks and 6 strikeouts. It was a good enough bounce back start for the young right hander.

The Key Moment Of The Game: The bullpen took over the game in the bottom of the 7th and almost blew it. Rob Zastryzny started out the inning by giving up a walk and a single, getting one out on sacrifice bunt. Zastryzny walked another batter to load the bases and was pulled, to be replace by Robert Stephenson. He struck out the first batter he faced, but then walked in the go ahead run. The inning ended on a nice play by Ke’Bryan Hayes to get a force at 2nd. Even though the Cardinals managed to take the lead, it could have been a lot worse. The rest of the game the bullpen was solid, and the Pirates improved to 9-6.

Next Game: This afternoon, Cardinals, in St Louis. Mitch Keller gets the start today as the Pirates try to take 3 out of 4 from the Cardinals. Tucupita Marcano joined the team yesterday as Ji Man Choi’s not too serious injury put him on the IL. I’m telling you he won’t be back until July 4th. Marcano was red hot down in AAA but it will be interesting to see if he can continue this at the Major League level. So far, he has not been able to do so. He is a great fielder, if he can only learn to hit.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Untimely Loss

Final Score: Pirates 0 Cardinals 3

Why The Pirates Loss: The Pirates defined the meaning of lack of timely hitting. Everyone got a hit but Conner Joe, but nobody got more than one. There were 7 singles and a double by Austin (I did get a hit in April), Hedges. All of this wasted a very good performance by Johan Oviedo who pitched 7 innings, allowing 1 run, 6 hits, 1 walk, while striking out 10, on only 93 pitches. Just think, if Brubaker doesn’t get injured, he is pitching in Indiana. DUJ came in the 8th inning to seal the deal, but to be fair, the Cardinals just hit the ball where the Pirates weren’t. DUJ has never had an ERA under 4 in his career and it’s nice to see he is right back on track. I still don’t see what anybody sees in this guy. The injuries just keep piling up. Chase De Jong has a back issue and Ji Man Choi has left posterior ankle discomfort. Choi does not believe that it will be serious. He probably won’t play until July 4.

Key Moment Of The Game: There was not one key moment of the game, but the overall lack of timely hitting by the Pirates. They had 7 of their 8 hits in the first 5 innings and had nothing to show for it. Even when they got a hit, it did not turn out well. In the top of the 4th, Mark (I don’t understand why I am in the Major Leagues), Mathias hit a sharp line drive single to right, but Canaan Smith-Njigba, who was on 2nd base, was thrown out at the plate to end the inning. In the top of the 5th, with 2 out, and Austin Hedges on 3rd base, Andrew McCutchen hit a hard line drive to left field that was corralled by Tyler O’ Neill. The Pirates have not had much luck lately as they fell to 8-6 on the season.

Next Game: This afternoon, Cardinals in St. Louis. Roansy Contreras will start today and will be looking for a bounce back start. The Pirates will be looking for that 2nd win on the road trip. It is time to be timely again. It’s too early to tell how Derek Shelton will do this year, but it sure would have been nice to see Carlos Santana or Ke’Bryan Hayes bat when the Cardinals brought in the left hander.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Are You Sure That Was Vince Velasquez?

Final Score: Pirates 5 Cardinals 0

Why The Pirates Won: Vince Velasquez pitched a solid 6 innings allowing no runs, on 3 hits, walking 2 and striking out 6. He was aided by some aggressive swings by the Cardinals and some good to spectacular fielding in the outfield. It really was hard to believe that that was really Velasquez out there to tell you the truth. Apparently, he has had previous success against Arenado and Goldschmidt in the past, holding them both under .200. The bullpen pitched the last 3 innings, giving up only 3 hits and walking 1. They added 4 more strikeouts. The Pirate bats were quiet for the first 5 innings extending their no run streak to 14 innings. In the top of the 6th Carlos Santana and Andrew McCutchen put back to back doubles together and the Pirates had a 1-0 lead. They added a run in the 7th on a McCutchen sacrifice fly. In the top of the 8th the Pirates went back to back again, but this time it was home runs, by Connor Joe and Rodolfo Castro to give the Pirates a 4-0 lead. They added a run in the ninth to win easily and stretch their record to 8-5.

Key Moment Of The Game: It was still a scoreless battle in the bottom of the 4th and Velasquez got the first 2 outs quickly. But then he walked the next two batters, and when the Cardinals pulled a double steal, there were 2 runners in scoring position. Tyler O’ Neil came to bat and on a 2-2 count sent a drive deep into the left center field gap. Ji Hwan Bae made a great running catch crashing into the wall to end the inning. If he doesn’t come up with that ball the Cardinals score 2 runs, and the game could have taken a completely different turn.

Next Game: Tonight, Cardinals in St. Louis. Johan Oviedo will start tonight against his former team. Hopefully, the Cardinals will see what the Quintana rental really cost them. The Pirates have 1 win and need 2 more to make this trip a success. Don’t get me wrong if they could win all 7 road games it would be euphoric, but a 3-4 trip would be just fine. Velasquez seems to have a spell over the Cardinals. We will see what he does on his next start against a non-Cardinal team. If Velasquez has found something it would be a huge boon to this team.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Back To Reality

Final Score: Pirates 0 Astros 7

Why The Pirates Loss: No runs and only 3 hits is never going to win any game. There were a lot of line drives that were caught, and no bloops found any holes yesterday. The Pirates were not destined to win this game. Rich Hill looked like the reincarnation of Cy Young, compared with his previous 2 starts. He pitched 6 innings, giving up 2 runs, on 5 hits, 2 walks, while striking out no one. Hopefully he can build on this performance. The bullpen got racked up in this game. Dauri Moreta had his first bad outing of the season giving up 3 runs, on 3 hits, including a home run, walking 2 and only getting 1 out. Chase De Jong gave up the other 2 runs but at least it took him 1 and 2/3 innings to do it. Rodolfo Castro did not play so the Pirates made no errors. A game to quickly put behind you.

Key Moment Of The Game: The bad 7th inning by Moreta, who had been so effective up to this point. When Alex Bregman hit the 3 run homer, on a pitch that was about as center cut as a pitch could be, to make the score 5-0, Astros, you knew the game was over. No miracles yesterday as the Pirates fall to 7-5

Next Game: Tonight the Cardinals, in St. Louis. Vince Velasquez starts for the Pirates. I see no hope for this guy, but I hope I am wrong. After we go to St. Louis, we are headed for Colorado which is always a tough place to play. It would be nice to see them go 3-4 on this trip which would keep them one game above .500. There is no question this is a tough stretch of games coming up. We will see if this team can keep the vibe going.