Category: sports

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Pirates Morning Report: Taking Ineptness To The Next Level

Final Score: Pirates 3 A’s 4

Why The Pirates Lost: The Pirates out-hit the A’s 10 to 4. The Pirates drew 4 walks. They only had one inning when they were retired in order. The AAA boys were 3 for 13 with 4 strikeouts. As usual, the Pirates did not hit when it counted. They were 2 for 13 with runners in scoring position. They stranded 11 runners. The A’s hit two home runs, which accounted for all of their runs. They were 1-1 with runners in scoring position. They left 2 men on base. Mitch Keller took the loss to drop his record to 6 and 15. He went 5 innings, giving up the 4 runs on 4 hits. He walked 1 while striking out 4. The bullpen pitched the final 4 innings without giving up a hit. This was mostly the B squad. The outfield flashed some nice leather last night. Suwinski, Cruz, and Reynolds all made some nice running catches. Despite a lot of positives in this game, the Pirates’ offense could only push across the 3 runs in the first inning. It was not enough as the late summer swoon continues.

Key Moments Of The Game: Mitch Keller was perfect through the first 3 innings. He got the 1st two outs in the top of the 4th. Nick Kurtz took an up-and-in strike zone pitch and lofted a high fly ball that just kept carrying. It went 363 feet over the Clemente wall for a home run. The next two batters had higher exit velocities than the home run. In the top of the 5th, Keller committed the cardinal sin of walking a .174 hitter. He walked him on 4 pitches, no less. This put runners on 1st and 2nd with two outs. Henry Davis went out to the mound and had a long conversation with Keller. It must have been about what they like on cheeseburgers. He got behind the next batter, Lawrence Butler, 2-1. He threw a 90 MPH changeup right down the middle of the plate. Butler did not miss it. He hit it 110 MPH and 424 feet for a 3-run homer. The A’s had the lead 4-3. The Pirates had their chances to tie the game but failed miserably. In the bottom of the 7th, with 1st and 2nd and one out, Pham flew out and Gonzales grounded out. You can call the bottom of the 9th Pham’s revenge for not being traded or waived. The inning opened with a double by Rafael Flores. Miraculously, Bryan Reynolds moved him over to third on a ground out. McCutchen walked, putting runners on first and third with one out. Up stepped Tommy Pham with a big smile on his face. He swung at a pitch well outside the strike zone. The next pitch was on the outside corner, a little above the knees. Instead of trying to go with the pitch, he pulled it right to the 3rd baseman. The A’s took their time turning the double play and still had Pham out by 5 feet. Revenge is sweet.

Next Game: Tonight, A’s in Pittsburgh. The Pirates have now lost 12 of their last 13 games. It will be interesting to see the Pirate broadcast booth come up with positive things to say about this team. They should open the broadcast by saying the Pirates have lost 12 of 13 games and they really stink. If they opened like that, do you think it would really keep the gathering down? The Pirates’ offense took ineptness to a new level last night. At least they raised their batting averages some. Good luck tonight, Bubba Chandler. You are going to need it.

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Pirates Morning Report: Sixth Inning Debacle

Final Score: Pirates 4 Cubs 8

Why The Pirates Lost: The Cubs swept the series from the Pirates. The game may have set baseball back 100 years. The first two innings took over an hour to play. Both pitchers were having many problems. In the first 2 innings, the Cubs sent 13 men to the plate. They scored 4 runs on 4 hits, 3 walks, and one hit batter. The Pirates sent 15 men to the plate. They scored 4 runs on 6 hits, 2 walks, and one hit batter. The entire game miraculously took “only” 3 hours and 17 minutes to complete. If they had kept up the pace of the first two innings, it would have taken 4 and 1/2 hours to finish the game. It was amazing that Johan Oviedo was able to go 5 innings after that start. He threw 99 pitches to do it. Matthew Boyd could only go 3 innings, throwing 83 pitches. The Cub bullpen pitched the last 6 innings, giving up 0 runs on 3 hits and one walk. After the 2nd inning, the game settled down with neither team scoring a run the next 3 innings. The AAA boys were 3 for 10 with 4 strikeouts. At one time in this game, the Pirates trailed 4-0. They scored 3 in the first and one in the second to tie the game. It looked like they might pull this game out. Then came the dreaded 6th inning.

Key Moments Of The Game: Yohan Ramirez came in to pitch the 6th. Dansby Swanson hit a soft line drive right back at Ramirez. He gloved it, then dropped it, fumbled it, fell down, and tried to throw the ball from his knees. New first basemen Rafael Flores could not make the pick and Swanson was on base. Error Ramirez. He got the next batter to fly out. Then things got even more bizarre. On a 3-1 count Swanson took off for 2nd. In a nutshell the pitch was called a ball even though it was strike. Bart threw the ball into centerfield allowing Swanson to go to third. Bart did not need to make throw. I can’t blame him too much for that one. He had to think that was strike 2 instead of ball 4. He must have known subconsciously because the throw was terrible about 15 feet right of 2nd base. Michael Busch hit a sacrifice fly to right field to give the Cubs a 5-4 lead. This left a runner on first with 2 outs. Nico Hoerner singled putting runners on 1st and 2nd. Kelly decides to bring in Evan Sisk to face switch hitting Ian Happ. Sisk’s 2nd pitch was ripped up the middle 101 MPH for a single giving the Cubs a 6-4 lead. Justin Turner took a high outside fastball to right field for a single and the Cubs led 7-4. You knew this game was over. The Cubs added another run in the 8th to win going away. The Pirates never threatened as they continued their late summer swoon.

Next Game: Tomorrow night, the A’s in Pittsburgh. What a way to finish the home schedule. The Pirates are playing a Major League team with no home, while Pittsburgh is without a Major League-quality team. I know their Vegas move is a done deal, but I don’t think the Pittsburgh A’s sound all that bad. We can only dream.

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Pirates Morning Report: Given A Methodical Beating

Final Score: Pirates 0 Cubs 4

Why The Pirates Lost: They collected only 3 hits. The Cubs tried to help them by walking 6 and hitting one batter. Why you would walk any Pirate hitter is beyond me. The Pirates made James Taillon, who is an average MLB pitcher, look like Greg Maddux. In 6 innings, he gave up 2 hits. He walked 2, unlike Maddux, and struck out 3. The bullpen walked 4 in the last 3 innings, but of course, the Pirates did not take advantage. Jack Suwinski was activated to join the AAA boys. It was like he never left. His first two at-bats were strikeouts. The first one was swinging on one out of the strike zone. The 2nd one was a called third strike. In his 3rd at-bat, he managed to pound one 312 feet to left field for an out. Of all things, he walked in the bottom of the 9th. Now that’s a pitcher with control issues. Overall, the AAA boys went 0 for 7 with 2 walks. Braxton Ashcraft, who may have the best stuff on the Pirates’ staff not named Skenes, continued to have command issues. He walked 2 in 4 innings of work. It took him 70 pitches to get through 4 innings, giving up 3 runs. The bullpen B squad did okay, giving up 1 run over the last 5 innings. The Pirate “offense” has gone 17 innings without scoring.

Key Moment Of The Game: The first two innings went well for Ashcraft. He was able to manage a one-out walk in the first and a leadoff single in the second. He walked the first batter in the top of the 3rd, and he was caught stealing. You thought this just might be Ashcraft’s day. But then, boom, home run, single, single, and wild pitch, and quickly it was 2-0 Cubs. That would be all they would need to win this one. The Cubs methodically added on with back-to-back doubles in the 4th. Pete Crow-Armstrong homered in the 6th to make it 4-0. Just can’t get away from those hyphens. The Pirates loaded the bases with 2 outs on a single and 2 walks. Jared Triolo ended the game by striking out. He swung at the last 2 pitches below the strike zone. Remember, already two Pirates had walked in the inning. Great process, dead tree. You might be able to get away with that at Indianapolis.

Next Game: Tonight the Cubs in Pittsburgh. Paul Skenes goes for the Pirates tonight. Yippee! I think this will be his next to last start of the season. It will also be the last one before the home gathering. There are not enough people at a Pirate game to call it a crowd. It would be nice if the Pirates would let him pitch longer into the game. They should allow it if his pitch count is low. We will probably see Davis. Suwinski and Triolo tonight. The AAA boys will be well represented. I hear the odds for them to go 0 for 12 with no walks is 5 to 2. The Pirates scoreless streak to stretch to 26 innings is 8-5 odds. They look like sure bets to me. Just 11 games to go. Please God, no extra innings.

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Pirates Morning Report: Sleeping For Eight Innings

Final Score: Pirates 3 Nationals 4

Why The Pirates Lost: In the first inning, the Pirates scored 3 runs on 3 hits, a walk, and a hit by pitch. For the next 8 innings, they had 2 hits and walked 6 times. They could not add on. They were 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position. They went 24 batters before they got their next hit. The slumber company at its best. Mike Burrows had a bad 2nd inning, giving up 3 runs on 3 hits and a walk. He was allowed to throw 60 pitches, but only by 1. The Pirates did not win a series on the road. Cam Devanney did not get the opportunity to put a ball in play. Oneil Cruz had 2 hits to push his average up to .204. He did not go below .200. Holderman was not allowed to pitch. Other than Ji Hwan Bae, it was not a bad Sunday lineup. On another note, I must apologize for going Greg Brown mode on yesterday’s original post. I wrote that Bubba Chandler gave up 3 hits when he gave up only 2. I wrote the Pirates snapped a 6-game losing streak when it was 7. I corrected the errors. All I can say is too much college football and golf.

Key Moment Of The Game: The game remained tied 3-3 for 5 innings. In the bottom of the 6th, the Nationals had runners on 1st and 2nd with one out. They did not score. In the bottom of the 8th, Isaac Mattson walked the first batter. He got the next batter to fly out. Daylen Lile took a high and inside fastball and drilled it into left center field. After hustling over to get the ball, Oneil Cruz let the ball get by him. This allowed the runner to score from 1st base and Lile to go to third. Mattson got the next two batters to pop up to keep the score 4-3. The Pirates made it interesting in the 9th. Nick Yorke and Bae struck out to start the inning. Why Bae was not pinch-hit for, I will never know. Triolo walked and Spencer Horwitz singled to put runners on 1st and 3rd. With the game on the line, Bryan Reynolds took the first two pitches for strikes. After he took a ball, he finally swung at one. Unfortunately, he missed, and the game was over. The winning streak was over at one.

Next Game: Tonight the Cubs, in Pittsburgh. The Pirates open their final homestand of the season, proving that there is a God. They are calling this fan appreciation weekend. I assume they are giving away things, etc. What the Pirates should do is give every fan who attends the games $1,000. Even if all three games sell out, it would only cost the Pirates a little over $100,000. It would be interesting to see if the games would even sell out. That is the least the Pirates should do with the product they have put on the field. Of course, we all know they are not going to do that. Just like they are never going to sign a player that is capable of hitting 30 home runs.

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Pirates Morning Report: Five Runs More Than Enough This Time

Final Score: Pirates 5 Nationals 1

Why The Pirates Won: Bubba Chandler had an excellent bounce-back outing. He went 6 innings, giving up 1 run and 2 hits. He struck out 7 and walked none. He threw 81 pitches to get the job done. The bullpen of Carmen Mlodzinski and Dennis Santana was just as dominant, giving up 1 hit and a walk. Together, they threw 43 pitches. It was an efficient day for the Pirates’ staff. All 3 hits were singles. The Nationals only had 4 at-bats with runners in scoring position. The Pirate offense finally woke up after 7 innings. The AAA boys had a decent game. They went 3 for 11. Jared Triolo hit a home run in the top of the 9th to put a little icing on the cake.

The Key Moments Of The Game: For 7 innings, even this pitching performance looked like it might not be enough. The pathetic Pirate offense only had 3 hits and was being shut out up to this point. The Nationals decided to help the Pirates out in the top of the 8th. They walked two of the first three batters in the inning. Bryan Reynolds hit a sharp ground ball up the middle that deflected off the pitcher toward the 3rd base line. This loaded the bases with one out. Nick Gonzales popped out. It looked like the Pirates were going to blow another opportunity. Andrew McCutchen hit a perfectly placed 89 MPH line drive to right field for a single. This gave the Pirates a 2-1 lead. The Nationals walked Oneil Cruz on 4 pitches, no less, to reload the bases. Jackson Rutledge was brought in to face Nick Yorke. Yorke took a 1-2 high outside sinker and drove it to right field for a base hit. What a novel idea. Two Pirate batters in a row went with the pitch and took it to right field. It resulted in 4 runs. I hope the I pads were working. With the way the Pirates were pitching, that was more than enough to snap the 7-game losing streak.

Next Game: This morning, Nationals in Washington D.C. That’s right, game time is 11:35 AM. Mike Burrows is going for the Pirates today. Can these Pirates win a series on the road? Will Cam Devanney ever put a ball in play again? Will he get the opportunity to do it? Will Oneil Cruz’s batting average finally dip below .200? What will the Sunday lineup look like? Will Burrows be allowed to throw more than 60 pitches? Will Colin Holderman pitch an inning where he does not give up a hit or a walk? There are so many reasons to watch these Pirates. The suspense is killing me.

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Pirates Morning Report: Breaking The Two Run Barrier Not Enough.

Final Score: Pirates 5 Nationals 6

Why The Pirates Lost: Mitch Keller pitched a dominant 5 innings. He had only given up a single and a walk. In the top of the 6th, he gave up a 105 MPH, 402 ft home run to start the inning. He struck out the next batter. He then gave up a 104 MPH single. The next batter crushed a 115 MPH double over Oneil Cruz’s head. This put runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out. Greg Brown must think the only criteria for taking a pitcher out of the game is his pitch count. He was in a state of shock that Keller was taken out after only 62 pitches. Let’s face it, all of a sudden he was getting rocked. Unfortunately, Don Kelly had to go to the Pirate bullpen instead of the Padres bullpen. In comes Evan (I Wish They Would At Least Find Another Left-Hand Reliever) Zisk. He got Josh Bell to hit a ball back to the mound. They were able to get the runner on third in a rundown for the second out. The runner on 2nd did not advance. The blunder was a big break for the Pirates. Zisk took care of that by walking the next batter on 4 pitches to load the bases. Zisk ensured another run for the Nationals. He threw a wild pitch. Frankly, Henry Davis should have caught it. Kyle Nicolas came in to pitch the bottom of the 7th. He was pummeled for a home run, a single, and a double. Dauri Moreta replaced him and quickly gave up a single to Josh Bell. Before you could say this bullpen really stinks, it was 6-3 Nationals. The top of the 9th was the worst yet.

Key Moments Of The Game: Nick Gonzales opened the 9th with a book-rule double to left. Nick York, pinch-hitting for Cruz, singled to right to make the score 6-4. Cam Devanney struck out. Alexander Canario drew an 8-pitch walk to put runners on 1st and 2nd. The runners were wild-pitched to 2nd and 3rd. Joey Bart pinch-hit for Henry Davis. He singled to left. The Pirates were going to tie the game. That is, they were, until Canario made the worst slide into home in the history of baseball. He unnecessarily slid well right of home plate, and he was easily tagged out. Another AAA member, Jared Triolo, popped out to right field to end the game. What a way to go down to your 7th loss in a row. The Pirates certainly are creative.

The Next Game: This afternoon, the Nationals in Washington, D.C. Bubba Chandler will hope for a bounce-back start today. The Pirate offense finally scored more than 2 runs. Maybe this will get them going. Last night’s loss was incompetence at its best. From bullpen failures to baserunning blunders, it was amazing they only lost by one run. This game could have been such a game of redemption. Instead, it was a game of embarrassment. The Pirates just seem incapable of playing fundamental baseball. They have lost 7 in a row. These are not shocking times. A new regime is needed. We all must pray it happens.

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Pirates Morning Report: In The End It Was Quick and Painless

Final Score: Pirates 1 Orioles 2 in 10 innings

Why The Pirates Lost: The Pirates were able to get 27 outs. Unfortunately, they needed 30. For the 2nd consecutive night, they lost in extra innings. They have not scored in 3 extra innings even though they had a runner on second with no outs. This was their 5th straight loss. They have not scored over 2 runs in any of those games. Last night’s game was the worst. They scored 1 run on 2 hits. They walked 3 times. They struck out 10 times. They were more aggressive, swinging at 27 balls outside the zone. They took just 16 strikes. It did them no good. They were 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position. They left 5 men on base. The AAA boys went 0 for 7 with 4 strikeouts. In his last 4 games, Jared Triolo is 2 for 18 with 5 strikeouts and 2 walks. With the exception of Henry Davis, some of this is small sample size. The last 4 batters in the Pirate lineup have batting averages of .176, .115, .067, and .161. Wow! Paul Skenes only pitched 5 innings, throwing just 64 pitches. I can’t get too upset. Why take any chances with him at this point in the season. As usual, he pitched great, giving up no runs on 2 hits while striking out 8. As in the previous game, the extra innings showed why this team is so bad.

Key Moments Of The Game: For the third straight extra inning, the Pirates failed to score. Every time, their leadoff man couldn’t move the runner to 3rd base. Oneil Cruz took 3rd on a wild pitch with one out. Cam Devanney hung in there, having a 9-pitch at-bat. In the end, he took a called third strike. It was well within the strike zone. My suggestion to Devanney would be to spit the gum out. He can’t seem to hit and chew gum at the same time. Ji Hwan Bae had a horrible at-bat to end the inning. He swung at a ball around his eyes on the first pitch. On the 6th pitch, he took one off his shoe tops and hit it weakly back to the pitcher. Talk about expanding the strike zone, from the eyes to the top of the ankles. In the bottom of the 10th, the Orioles quickly put the Pirates and their fans out of their misery. It would have been quicker, but Kyle Nicolas could not get the ball over the plate. Out of 19 pitches, only 7 were strikes. Two of those were chases. He only threw 5 pitches that were in the strike zone. When they got a chance, the Orioles did not mess around. A 4-pitch walk started things off. There was a bunt single after that. Finally, a single down the right field line gave the Orioles their 2nd walk-off extra inning win. Mercifully, there was not an 11th inning.

Next Game: This afternoon, Orioles in Baltimore. The Pirates are finding out it’s tough playing a team that has nothing to play for. At least the game is in the afternoon, so the evening should be enjoyable. During this 5-game losing streak, the Pirates have scored 8 runs. It has been a struggle, especially for the recent call-ups. Johan Oviedo takes the mound for the Pirates. Last night, there was talk about him not feeling well. The rumor has it that he was nauseous. He knows that the only way he will get a W will be for him and the bullpen to shut out the Orioles. The Orioles don’t even have that great of a pitching staff. They are 25th in run prevention. They are ranked the 23rd-best pitching staff in baseball. The Pirates are really awful. I feel 6 in a row is a given.

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Pirates Morning Report: Offense Slumbers Through Another One.

Final Score: Pirates 2 Orioles 3 in 11 innings

Why The Pirates Lost: Both offenses were pretty inept. The Pirates were more inept. For the 4th straight game, the Pirates failed to score more than 2 runs. They have lost all 4 games. They were passive, taking 28 pitches for strikes. Despite getting 5 walks to go along with 5 hits, they only scored 2 runs; pathetic. They struck out 10 times. They were 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position. They left 9 men on base. Putrid. The AAA boys were 0 for 7 with 3 strikeouts and a walk. The Orioles weren’t much better, getting 6 hits and 6 walks. They were 2 for 8 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base. The Orioles struck out 12 times. They took 20 pitches for strikes. They were more aggressive than the Pirates. They chased 21 times compared to the Pirates’ 14 times. All is forgiven when you win, and the Orioles squeaked by. This all wasted a nice combined 7-inning outing by Mike Burrows and Braxton Ashcraft. Burrows went 4, and Ashcraft 3. Burrows gave up 1 run on 2 hits, walking 1 and striking out 6. Ashcraft gave up 1 run on 2 hits, walking 2 and striking out 4. The bullpen had a good game. However, when you play on the Triple P Offense, you had better be great.

Key Moments Of The Game: In extra innings, the Pirate “brain” trust fell asleep at the wheel. The Pirates failed to score in the 10th and 11th. No situational hitting for these boys. If the visiting team does not score during the extra-inning format, they should walk the opening batter in the bottom of the inning. The Pirates failed to do this each time. They even saw the potential benefit of this in the top of the 10th. Jared Triolo was unintentionally walked to start the inning. Spencer Horwitz grounded into a double play. Without the runner on 1st, it simply would have advanced the runner to third with 1 out. The Pirates wound up intentionally loading the bases in each extra inning. Baltimore finally scored in the bottom of the 11th, putting anyone watching this game out of their misery.

Next Game: Tonight, Orioles in Baltimore. Paul Skenes is going for the Pirates tonight. Both teams showed why they are out of playoff contention. I am sure Paul Skenes knows he can only give up 1 run if he expects a W tonight. With this recent stretch, the Pirates solidified their 30th place in runs scored. They are 21 and 29 runs behind the 29th and 28th teams, respectively. This offense is not just bad. It is especially bad. This is 3 years of failure by the Pirates to try and improve the offense. Will anybody be held accountable? I am afraid that will be very unlikely. It is not the Pirates’ way: accountability. Oh well, at least Skenes is pitching tonight.

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Pirates Morning Report: Sometimes It’s Just Not Your Day

Final Score: Pirates 2 Brewers 10

Why The Pirates Lost: Bubba Chandler’s long-awaited first start was pretty much a bust. In 2 and 2/3 innings, he gave up 9 runs on 9 hits. He walked 3 and struck out 3. He gave up some hard-hit balls, but even weak contact seemed to find holes. The Brewers put on a hitting clinic. Most of their hits were to the opposite field. There were 6 balls that were hit between 70 and 85 MPH. Four of those were for base hits. Not only was Chandler not sharp, but his luck was bad also. The Pirate offense put on a clinic too. A clinic on what not to do. They took a whopping 30 pitches for strikes. They swung at 20 pitches outside the zone. This all helped them strike out 12 times. This time the bottom 6 in the order went 2 for 21. The AAA boys went 0 for 6 with 2 walks. Nobody had a worse game than Oneil Cruz. He struck out in all four at-bats. He made contact with the ball just twice out of 16 pitches. Talk about making life easy for opposing pitchers. This series showed how far the Pirates have to go to become a quality club. Are you familiar with the moon? One final note. The Pirates sent down Ryan Kreidler to the minors. He was put on the roster August 31 and saw no action. I thought he might start yesterday. Instead, the Pirates said goodbye. What purpose did that serve? They brought up Ji Hwan Bae. We know what he can do. Nothing good. Oh well, the triple AAA boys got a new member.

Key Moment Of The Game: The Brewers jumped all over Chandler right in the 1st inning. The first 5 batters got 4 hits and a walk to quickly go out in front 3-0. A double play netted a 4th run. In the bottom of the 1st, Jacob Misiorowski walked the first two batters of the game. The Pirates could have gotten right back in the game. Reynolds grounded into a force play, putting runners on 1st and 3rd with 1 out. Nick Gonzales ended the inning by grounding into a double play. The Brewers scored 5 more runs in the next 2 innings, chasing Chandler in the 3rd. The Brewers clinched the series sweep before the 3rd inning was over.

Next Game: Tomorrow night Orioles in Baltimore. The Pirates go on a 6 game road trip. They play 3 against the Orioles and 3 against the Nationals. The Pirates had a nice run going until the Brewers came to town. Now the Pirates are going up against two teams that are in the same boat they are. Neither team has any chance of making the playoffs. The Nationals are 4 games behind the Pirates. The Orioles are 3 games ahead of the Pirates. Two teams, like the Pirates, that are playing essentially meaningless games. It will be interesting to see if the Pirates can hold their own against teams that are not under pressure. A 3-3 road trip would be a surprise.

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Pirates Morning Report: No Knowledge Of The Strike Zone

Final Score: Pirates 1 Brewers 4

Why The Pirates Lost: The offense has gone missing in action again. Maybe they all need to be fitted for glasses. They struck out 10 times. Six times they were called out on strikes. Three times they swung at pitches out of the zone. Only once did they strike out swinging on a pitch in the strike zone. Overall, they took 18 called strikes and swung at 20 pitches out of the zone. Nick Yorke swung at all 7 pitches he saw in one at-bat; only 4 were in the strike zone. Alexander Canario, with runners on first and second and one out, took the first two pitches for strikes. Neither one was a borderline pitch. This all helped Brandon Woodruff come out of his funk. He only gave up 2 hits while striking out 8 in 6 innings. The Pirates were 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position. The last 6 batters in the order went 1 for 20. This ensured that Mitch Keller would go down to his 14th defeat. He pitched well, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits, walking none in 6 and 1/3 innings of work. Despite some improvement in August, the Pirates remain the worst scoring team in baseball. They are 14 runs behind the 2nd worst Rockies, who have played one game less.

Key Moments Of The Game: It was not a good day for Don Kelley. Kyle Nicolas was cruising along, retiring the 3 batters he had faced. Kelley replaced Nicolas with lefty Evan Sisk to face lefty Sal Frelick. The one problem is that Frelick hits lefties and righties the same. Not as much power, but the average and on-base percentage are the same. On deck was Jackson Chourio, who hits lefties 100 points higher than righties. The result: single, home run, 4-0 Brewers. It is a shame no one told Kelley about this. In the bottom of the 8th, the Pirates had a little threat going. Runners were on 1st and 2nd with one out. Kelley pinch-hit for Spencer Horwitz with a left-hander on the mound for the Brewers. The only problem was he pinch-hit for him with AAA Canario. They both hit lefties the same, which is lousy. This would have been the time to bring McCutchen in, who has a .281/.366/.421 slash line against lefties. Canario took 2 called strikes to start the at-bat. He hit into a double play to end the inning. If he had never swung, the Pirates may have been better off. I guess no one informed Kelley of these stats. McCutchen was on deck when the game was over. Quite a contribution.

Next Game: This afternoon, Brewers in Pittsburgh. Bubba Chandler will make his first major league start today. I feel sorry for him. The Triple P offense seems to be back. In the last 2 games, the offense has scored 3 runs on 11 hits. Inefficiency at its best. You have to wonder if the Pirates are finally going to let Ryan Kreidler and his .105 batting average make an appearance. I have heard that he just stays in the locker room and is not allowed to sit in the dugout. He was recalled on August 31. This is September 7th. Let’s hope inactivity can create a miracle. It is more likely that the Brewers will get the sweep. I doubt the Pirates will score a run.