Category: Uncategorized

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Pirates Morning Report: 24 Innings And Counting

Final Score: Pirates 0 Cubs 4

Why The Pirates Lost: Again, the Pirates scored 0 runs, simple as that. They only had one inning where they had 2 base runners. They had 5 hits, and none were in the same inning. The one inning they had a hit and a walk. They tried to mix up the lineup a little but to no avail. The middle of the order went 0 for 12. The only good thing, these are easy games to analyze. No scoring, no win. The Pirates have not scored a run for 24 innings and fell behind the Cubs into 4th place. Johan Oviedo pitched a decent game giving up 2 runs on 5 hits, walking none and striking out 3 batters, over 6 innings of work. Despite the Pirates woes, the starting pitching has hung in there pretty well considering they get no run support. The bullpen gave up 2 more runs in the last 3 innings, essentially ending the game.

Key Moment Of The Game: When Derek(The Shadow Knows) Shelton filled out the lineup card giving Reynolds and McCutchen a rest. The lineup he put out there really never threatened to score a run. They only had 3 at bats with runners in scoring position. You kind of hope and pray that maybe this is the low point of the season. I am not sure it is, but it would be nice to see this turn this around. Optimism is not running high at this keyboard.

Next Game: This afternoon, Cubs in Pittsburgh. At least the Pirates will be getting it over with early today, and if you’re a Pirate fan your evening will be pleasant. Forget about winning, the big question is will they score a run or stretch the scoreless streak to 34 innings? Hell, I don’t know if I can wait till around 3pm to find out.

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Pirates Morning Report: Welcome Back Buccos

Final Score: Pirates 0 Cubs 8

Why The Pirates Lost: Another offensive disaster as the Pirates could not score any runs even though they had 5 hits and 6 walks. They loaded the bases twice and could not score. They were 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base. Osvaldo Bido had the so-called quality start, going 6 innings giving up 3 runs on 5hits, 2 walks, striking out 7, while throwing 96 pitches. The bullpen came in the 7th inning to seal the win for the Cubs by giving up 5 runs in 2 innings, aided by a throwing error by Ji Hwan Bae. The Pirates have lost 7 in a row and are now in third place 3.5 games behind the first-place Reds. They will have to snap out of this soon if they are going to salvage the season.

Key Moment Of The Game: This was not so much a key moment but a study in contrast as the Cubs scored their first 3 runs after 2 were out in the top of the 2nd inning. There was a runner on first with 2 out, when the Cubs went single, walk, single, single, to score the 3 runs which pretty much wrapped up the game. The Pirates had traffic on the bases through the first 7 innings but could do nothing with it. The last 2 innings they just said the hell with it and went 6 up 6 down to quietly end the game.

Next Game: Does there have to be? I guess so, because tonight the Cubs in Pittsburgh. Everything must come to an end, but I don’t know if tonight the losing streak will be one of them. Marcos Stroman is pitching for the Cubs, and it would not be surprising to see the scoreless streak stretch to 24 innings. Even when the Pirates were trying to lose games the offense was better than this.

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Golf Diary

The Round: Played Indian Run Score 75 Greens in Reg. 9 Putts 29

The Good: When I planned the right shot, I executed it well. My putting was good. I had 3 birdies. My driving has returned to normal. My swing was very good today. My iron game was good, better than I had been doing.

The Bad: I had one double bogey when I hit it into some high grass and had to take a drop. I bogied 5 other holes as I could only get it up a down 3 out of 9 times. I really butchered an easy par 5 which led to a bogey. The short game was just mediocre but I did not do too bad.

The Luck OF The Round: On the par 5 I butchered I had a 10 foot downhill putt for par. I hit it too firm, but it caught enough of the hole to lip out and stop right at the cup. If I don’t hit the hole I am probably about 8 to 10 feet past the hole. I did get a bad bounce on the ball I hit into the weeds on the 3rd hole but I was a little too far to the right.

Next Round: Thursday Highland Springs.

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Pirates Morning Report: Another Team Effort

Final Score: Pirates 2 Brewers 5

Why The Pirates Lost: Even though the this was a team effort the offense outdid themselves in this game. After the Bryan Reynolds home run to give the Pirates a 2-0 lead in the 3rd inning, the next 12 batters went down in order. Jason Delay, our “offensive” catcher had a particular “good” day. His first at bat he came up with the bases loaded with 2 outs and did not swing at 6 pitches to be called out on strikes. The Daniel Vogelbach philosophy of hitting emerges once again. The next time up he stuck out on 3 pitches but at least he fouled one off and swung at the last one, but of course, it was out of the strike zone. The Pirates got their last 2 hits of the game in the 7th inning and Delay came up with 1st and 2nd and 1 out. He did not waste any time, swung at the first pitch out of the strike zone and grounded into a double play. If they did such things in baseball, the Brewers would have given him the game ball. On the pitching side of the ledger Luis Ortiz pitch an ok 4 and 2/3 innings before being removed in the 5th, for another right handed pitcher, after he had just recorded an out. He had only thrown 84 pitches and with the bullpen struggles you would have thought they would have given him a little more, leeway before taking him out. The bullpen went out and handed the game to the Brewers but at least they pitched ok for 2+ innings.

The Key Moment Of The Game: The bottom of the 8th is just too depressing to go into detail, but the bullpen was instrumental in helping the Brewers win the game. Thanks to 3 walks, the Brewers scored 4 runs on just 2 hits and both were singles. The Pirate staff gave up 6 for the game, but those 3 won the game for the Brewers.

Next Game: Tonight, the Cubs in Pittsburgh. After losing 6 in a row the Pirates find themselves in 3rd place 2.5 games behind the Brewers. They are 2 games below .500. Henry Davis is being bought up. They will need more help than that, but it can’t hurt. Will they snap out of it tonight?

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Pirates Morning Report: The Return Of The Hitless Wonders

Final Score: Pirates 0 Brewers 5

Why The Pirates Lost: If you do not score any runs you will not win, as the Pirates were shutout for the 7th time this season. They only had 4 at bats with runners in scoring position and 2 of those were in the first inning. They went 0 for 3 with a walk. Five of the 9 innings they only sent 3 men to the plate. The Pirates had 6 hits and 2 of those did not leave the infield. Mitch Keller had another mediocre performance, but he could have been Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson all rolled into one and the Pirates would not have scored, even if the game went into extra innings. The only good news was Roansy Contreras pitched a nice 2 innings, retiring all 6 batters he faced, with one strikeout. The score was 4-0 Brewers when he came in, so it’s not the same as coming into a tight game. He had to know that the Pirates were not going to score, and game was over.

Key Moment Of The Game: In the top of the 7th with the Pirates trailing 4-0 they somehow managed to load the bases with 2 out, and the Pirates allowed Austin Hedges to bat. I would have rather seen a left handed batter come to the plate, rather than Hedges batting in that situation. He had already struck out and grounded into a double play. Naturally, he popped out for the 3rd out, ending any chance the Pirates had, which I admit was slim, of making a comeback.

Next Game: This Afternoon, Brewers in Milwaukee. Luis Ortiz takes the mound today. Another young Pirate pitcher that seems to be going backwards rather than progressing. The Pirates have lost 5 in a row and have fallen one game below .500 for the second time this season. The last time this happened, they reeled off 6 wins in a row. I would not mortgage the house on that happening this time. I am not too sure that this team will come back. As I wrote before, this is not the same as the May downturn. All phases of the Pirates’ game are awful. They cannot hit, pitch, or field, with no end in sight. Management does not seem inclined to make any moves to right the ship. If they don’t, it will be a long hot depressing summer if you’re a Pirate fan.

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Pirates Morning Report: Pirates Would Rather Give Than Receive

Final Score: Pirates 4 Brewers 5

Why The Pirates Lost: The Brewers and the Pirates may have not set baseball back a hundred years, but they played a very strange game. Both teams had the same amount of hits and runs. At one point in the game both teams had more runs than hits. The Pirates lost because they gave away more than they received, and they received a lot of gifts from the Brewers. It is easy to see why the Brewers had lost 6 in a row and the Pirates have currently lost 4 in a row. Rich Hill muddled through 5 innings giving up 6 walks, 3 hits and 4 runs. He contributed mightily to the Brewers victory. After 6 innings the Pirates had 2 runs on 1 hit and then the fun began.

Key Moments Of The Game: This game came down to two half innings. The bottom of the 1st, Hill walked the first batter. The next batter grounded into a double play, and you thanked the Brewers. The Pirates said, no, no, please take this. Walk, walk, catcher’s interference, Walk, A hit( What The Hell Is That), making the score 3-0 Brewers. It took until the top of the 7th for the Brewers to bring out the gifts. The inning started with a walk, a single, a hit batsmen, why waste all those pitches, to load the bases. Josh Palacios decided he had seen enough and took the game over. He grounded out to third for the force out at home. Ke’Bryan Hays hit a weak ground ball but placed it perfectly past the 2nd baseball to score 2 runs. Palacious hesitated at 2nd base, before deciding to go to third. Baserunning 101, if you are going to third you do not slow down at 2nd base. He was easily thrown out. Instead of having 1st and 3rd with one out, the Pirates had a man on second with 2 outs. A lot of the Brewers’ players in the dugout wanted Palacious to come over to high five him, and the fans wanted him to come out for a curtain call. I don’t know why he didn’t. In the top of 9th Palacious did get a double to set up 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Ke’Bryan Hayes struck out and after a walk, Jason Delay pinch hit for Hedges. Why they did not use Castro I have no idea and Delay looked pathetic striking out to end the game.

Next Game: Late afternoon, Brewers in Milwaukee. Mitch Keller takes the mound and maybe he can pull out a win today for the Pirates. Last night’s game was one that they should have won. This team continues to struggle to play good solid baseball. Early in the season they were able to overcome their mistakes. Now they cannot. What surprises will they have in store for today?

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Pirates Morning Report: This Was An Explosion

Final Score: Pirates 6 Cubs 10

Why The Pirates Lost: A total and complete collapse of the bullpen. The Pirates have given up 21 runs in this series and 16 of them have been by the bullpen. Considering they pitched just 6 and 2/3 innings that’s an average of well over 2 runs per inning. You are not going to win any games at that rate. It is hard to say what has happened to the group unless they just wanted to join the rest of the team and go through a very bad stretch during the season. They have not been over worked. They are just league average when it comes to average number of pitches per game, per relief pitcher, at 19. The offense had a decent enough day, scoring 6 runs, with home runs by Andrew McCutchen, Carlos Santana and Austin Hedges. Austin Hedges hits a home run, and we still lose. Good God. I guess we would have needed some of the 1927 Yankees to come to the plate if we were going to have any chance. Roansy Contreras had another rough outing and I think it is time to send him to AAA to get his confidence back and figure things out. The Brewers are just as terrible right now and we are still 1 game up in 1st place. Go figure.

Key Moment Of The Game: Going into the bottom of the 6th things looked good. The Pirates had a 5-1 lead and Contreras had pitched a solid 5th inning. The Cubs open the inning with 2 singles but the next batter flies out to rather deep left field, but the 1st out is recorded. Contreras falls apart by walking the next 2 batters, including a pitch clock ball 4, and gives up a single to make the score 5-4. Yohan Ramirez comes in and gets the 2nd out on 2 pitches. He craps himself by throwing 4 straight balls that are not even close. He follows that up by giving up 2 more singles with a wild pitch thrown in, and the Cubs lead 7-5. The Pirates get a run in the top of the 7th to make it 7-6 but Colin Holderman seals the deal in the bottom of the 8th, for the Cubs. He gets rocked around for 3 runs, 4 hits and 1 walk in just 2/3 of an inning. That made the bullpen blow-up official.

Next Game: Tonight, the Cubs in Chicago. Not the start the Pirates wanted on this road trip. If the bullpen does not turn this around this will be the point of the season that the Pirates fall out of contention and just play out the season. Oviedo starts tonight to give old man Hill a little extra rest after his 119 pitch performance. Rumor has it that he had to be woke up both games to go from the locker room to the dugout. He was heard mumbling in his sleep that he really liked being a Dodger and playing for Dave Roberts. It’s hell to get old, just ask our President.

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Pirates Morning Report: The Art Of The Infield Hit

Final Score: Pirates 3 Cubs 11

Why The Pirates Lost: The bullpen pretty much lost the game, but it was not an explosion. It was more like death by slowly bleeding out. Bleeding out infield hits and bloopers followed by long 3 run homers that accounted for 6 of the Cubs 11 runs. First inning, a walk an infield hit and boom a home run. Bottom of the 8th, bloop single, that at least got out of the infield, a walk, and a 2nd boom home run. Other than the 2 blasts, the Cubs got 6 infield hits and 2 bloop singles to account for 8 of their 14 hits. Luis Ortiz had another hard luck outing, although some of it was his own doing. He pitched 5 and 1/3 innings giving up 4 runs, on 6 hits, walking 2, and striking out 4. The 2 walks really came back to haunt him as both wound up scoring. This was a brutal game to watch. The Pirates did not play all that bad, but luck was not on their side last night.

Key Moment Of The Game: Despite a disastrous bottom of the 6th, the Cubs were only able to score 1 run, thanks to a Cub runner being hit by a ground ball to end the inning. They still led only 4-3 going into the bottom of the 7th. This inning became even more painful to watch. Yohan Ramirez came on to pitch and he has been pretty good this season. The first batter hit a ground ball that barely got through for a base hit. He got the next batter to fly out. He walks the next batter. Seiya Suzuki hits a hard line drive one hopper just to the right Ji Hwan Bae. I thought the umpire may have screen him out a little on seeing the ball and he was only able to knock it down, which loaded the bases. After getting 2 strikes on Ian Happ, Ramirez threw 3 straight pitches way low and way inside, with the last pitch hitting Happ to send in a run. A ball hit to the right of Ramirez that bounced off his glove scored another run. Ramirez, left the game to be replaced by Zastryzny. After getting one out he gave up a bloop single that drove in two more runs to make it 8-3 and the game was over.

The Next Game: Tonight, Cubs in Chicago. Let’s hope the Cubs used up all their luck in game 1 of the series and the Pirates can win the next two. They are moving Roansy Contreras to the bullpen and bringing up Osvaldo Bido to start tonight. Regardless of the outcome let’s hope that Contreras finds himself in the bullpen. My final comment today is regarding the batting order. Why is it when a batter is struggling that they don’t move him to a lower position in the batting order. Tucupita Marcano in his last 15 games is hitting .229 with an OBP of .229 and they lead him off last night. Great idea. Carlos Santana is hitting .182 and slugging .309 his last 15 games, and they continue to bat him in the clean up spot. Why? All it does is kill potential rallies. I am not saying to bench these guys, but they should be batting 7th and 8th, because we all know who bats 9th, the pitcher, I mean Austin Hedges. Advocates of the DH would say, I am not paying good money to see a pitcher bat. You could say the same thing about Hedges.

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Golf Diary

The Rounds: Played Lake Arthur Score 81 Greens In Reg: 8 Putts 33

Played Rolling Green Score 78 Greens In Reg: 11 Putts 34

The Good: Not much, did hit some good drives and a periodic good iron shot.

The Bad: Putting was not good. Made a nice birdie putt at Lake Arthur of around 20 feet but for the two days I had two 3 putt greens each day. My short game was bad as I did not seem to have much touch either day. Getting it up and down 4 out of 10 times at Lake Arthur and 2 out of 7 times at Rolling Green. I hit too many drives that got me into trouble both days. I had a lot of short iron shots that I did not get that close to the pin. The biggest problem both days was that when I hit a bad shot it was really bad that led to the higher scores.

The Luck Of The Rounds: At Lake Arthur the course was playing hard and fast and you had to bounce a lot of shots into the greens. I had some bad bounces but nothing too crazy. I got what I deserved. Luck was not a factor at Rolling Green.

Next Round: Tomorrow at South Park.

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Pirates Morning Report: Keller Is Back

Final Score: Pirates 2 Mets 1

Why The Pirates Won: Mitch Keller pitched a solid 7 innings giving up only one run on 2 hits, walking 2, and striking out 7. Dauri Moreta pitched a nice 8th inning making a comeback of his own after giving up the big hit on Saturday. Bednar got the save with a little help from the men in blue. The Mets scored in the top of the 4th to take a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the 4th Jack Suwinski led off with a home run to tie the game 1-1. Ji Hwan Bae got a hustling double, and then went to third on a wild pitch. Tucupita(I Don’t Bunt Every Time There Is A Runner On Third Base) Marcano lined a single to right field to score the deciding run. There was no scoring after that, but you had to know that the Pirates would make it interesting before claiming victory.

Key Moment Of The Game: The Pirates had the 2-1 lead going into the top of the 9th with David Bednar coming in to get the save. Francisco Lindor led off the 9th and fell behind in the count 1 and 2. He was able to work the count to 3 and 2, by fouling off 2 more pitches. On the 8th pitch of the at bat Bednar threw him a curveball that hung a little outside, but he got the called strike for the 1st out. If he had not gotten the call, Tommy Pham’s double would have tied the game. The next 2 batters flew out to medium left and center field to end the game. The Pirates had the 6-3 homestand and improved to 34-30 to move into 1st place by a full game on June 12th. How about that sport fans!

Next Game: Tomorrow, the Cubs in Chicago. The Pirates are going to play 10 of their next 13 games on the road, with a brief 3 game homestand against these same Cubs. Nine of the next 13 games will be with division rivals, including 6 with the Cubs and 3 with the Brewers. The Pirates have had a good road record so far this year and will need to continue to do so. Here is hoping that they can at least tread a little water, going 6-7 or 7-6. I guess you can’t feel too bad about losing 2 to the A’s. They just went into Milwaukee and swept the Brewers. Thank you, Oakland A’s. Do you think the sabermetric boys had that one figured out when they were analyzing the balanced schedule at the start of the season?