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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.

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Pirates Morning Report: Yes, It Was A Fluke

Final Score: Pirates 2 Brewers 5

Why The Pirates Lost: The Pirates decided to hold auditions rather than try to win a ball game. In the long run, it was not a bad decision. They went with the B squad two nights in a row. Yohan Ramirez and Colin Holderman came in to pitch the 8th and 9th. They were only trailing 3-2. Maybe they wanted to see if how they pitched the game before was a fluke. It was. Although, to be fair to Holderman, the Pirates went circus act in the field. AAA boy Jared Triolo hurt his chances for a promotion. He went 0 for 4 and had 2 errors in the field. All of this may have been more significant if the Pirate offense had been more of a factor. They ended the game by going 17 up and 17 down. The Brewers had an amazing 20 at-bats with runners in scoring position. They were only able to get 3 hits and left a whopping 12 men on base. I think it was that constant pressure that made the Pirates finally wilt. The Brewers had 10 hits, 5 walks, 1 hit by pitch, and reached base 3 times on errors. It was audition night in Pittsburgh last night. It probably cost them the game, but I was fine with it. After all, I hadn’t bought a ticket.

Key Moments Of Game: The Pirates had Quinn Priester on the ropes in the first 4 innings. However, they did not put him away. He gave up 5 hits and a walk. The Pirates scored 2 runs but should have scored more. In the first, they had 1st and 2nd with one out but failed to score. In the 2nd, they scored a run and had a runner on 2nd base with no outs. They did not add on. In the 3rd, Tommy Pham doubled home the 2nd run with one out. He was stranded. The 4th inning started with an Oneil Cruz single. Joey Bart was hit by a pitch. Nick Yorke grounded into a double play. This started a streak of 17 up and 17 down. The B squad got back to normal, and the Pirates lost.

Next Game: Tonight, Brewers in Pittsburgh. Mitch Keller goes for the Pirates tonight. He is going up against Brandon Woodruff. Coming off shoulder surgery, he got off to a great start. His last three outings have been bad. He has pitched 14 and 1/3 innings, giving up 16 runs on 20 hits. Three of the runs have been unearned. Maybe the Pirates can take advantage. There are 20 games left in the season. As bad as this season has been, if the Pirates go 12-8, they will have the same record as last year and the year before. What a wacky season.

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Pirates Morning Report: The B Squad Barely Hangs On

Final Score: Pirates 5 Dodgers 3

Why The Pirates Won: Paul Skenes shut the Dodgers down in grand style. He gave up 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 8 over 6 innings. He had only a few balls hit hard off of him. Dalton Rushing just missed hitting a home run. He raised his record to 10-9 while lowering his ERA to 1.98. Cy Young award here we come. The B squad had to get through the last 3 innings. Yohan Ramirez had one of his better outings. He went 1 and 2/3 innings, giving up 1 hit and striking out 2. Evan Zisk managed to get Ohtani to end the 8th. The ninth was shaky. Dauri (Counterfeit Money) Moreta started the inning. Mookie Betts greeted him with a home run. He struck out Freddie Freeman. He gave up 3 straight singles to make the score 5-2. Don Kelly brought in Colin (I Can’t Believe He Is Putting Me In) Holderman. On the 2nd pitch, he got Hyeseong Kim to hit a soft liner to Tommy Pham. Miguel Rojas singled to left to make the score 5-3. The Dodgers had removed catcher Dalton Rushing from the lineup for light-hitting Ben Rortvedt. Even Holderman made him look silly. He took 2 called strikes. He swung at a ball in the dirt to end the game. Right after the game, Ben Cherrington called the Dodgers about a trade. Rortvedt for Henry Davis. The B squad had barely survived. The Pirates had their sweep. The 3 AAA musketeers had an okay day. They went 3 for 11 with an RBI.

Key Moments Of The Game: The Pirates made the most of their opportunities. They were 4 for 11 with runners in scoring position. The Pirates made it 1-0 in the 3rd with a single, 2 wild pitches, and a single. It was still 1-0 going into the bottom of the 5th. The Pirates started the inning with 3 straight singles to make the score 2-0. Nick Gonzales, making an aggressive move, went to 3rd on a single to left. Bryan Reynolds alertly went to 2nd on the throw. Tommy Pham struck out. Then the Dodgers made a tactical error by intentionally walking Andrew McCutchen. The intentional walk is much more controversial than it used to be. The Dodgers paid dearly for this one. Nick Yorke took the first pitch, lining it down the left field line for a double. The score was now 4-0. Canario hit a weak ground ball to 1st to drive in the 5th run. It was enough to get the sweep.

Next Game: Tonight, Brewers in Pittsburgh. Quinn Priester goes for the Brewers—another pitcher the Pirates failed to develop. I am sure he will have extra incentive tonight. Jared Triolo continues to hit; he is getting close to a promotion. If I give it to him, there will be only 2 AAA boys left. No question the Pirates are playing better. The real question is why? I hope it is not because these games are basically meaningless. If this continues, I do not think we will see any changes in the organization. Oh Lord.

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Pirates Morning Report: Dodgers Becoming Pirate Like

Final Score: Pirates 3 Dodgers 0

Why The Pirates Won: The Dodgers became pirate-like by not cashing in on many scoring opportunities. They were 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position. They left 10 men on base. They had 5 hits and 6 walks but did not push a run across. The Pirate offense was not much better, but at least they did score. Bryan Reynolds and Andrew McCutchen hit solo home runs. Joey Bart, who went 3 for 3, drove in the 3rd run with a clutch 2-out double in the 6th. Jared Triolo was the only AAA player to play and went 0 for 4. It took Braxton Ashcraft 71 pitches to get through 3 innings. Somehow, he kept the Dodgers from scoring. Mike Burrows pitched the next 3 innings, giving up only 2 hits and a walk. Evan Sisk gave up a hit and a walk. Mattson and Santana pitched two perfect innings to complete the shutout.

Key Moments Of The Game: The Dodgers went down in order in the 1st, 4th, 8th, and 9th. They had plenty of traffic on the bases in the other 5 innings. By far the most bizarre was the bottom of the 2nd. Freddie Freeman singled to right on a 3-2 pitch. Ashcraft got ahead of the next hitter, Teoscar Hernandez, 1-2. He worked the count to 3-2. He walked. Ashcraft got ahead of the next hitter, Alex Call, 1-2. He walked him on a 3-2 count. The next batter was AndyPages, who brutalizes the Pirates at an 11 for 16 clip. He worked the count to 3-2. He struck out on a slider that was a foot outside. This was a huge break for the Pirates. Alex Freeland worked the count to 3-2. He took a called 3rd strike. Enrique Hernández flew out to right field to end the inning. This inning would just start the frustration for the Dodgers. Third inning, bases loaded, two outs, no runs. Fifth inning, 1st and 3rd with one out, no runs. Sixth inning, runner on 1st, one out, no runs. Seventh inning, 1st and 2nd, 2 outs, no runs. Are you sure these teams did not switch uniforms?

Next Game: Tonight Dodgers in Pittsburgh. Paul Skenes goes for the Pirates tonight. This gives some hope for a sweep of the Dodgers. The B squad in the bullpen will have to come through for that to happen. Skenes could go the 9 innings, but that’s very unlikely. Blake Snell is going for the Dodgers. That means the 3 AAA Musketeers will probably be playing. Even with Skenes, that is a lot of negatives to overcome. It will be a big surprise if the Pirates pull off the sweep.

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Pirates Morning Report: Finally Taking Advantage

Final Score: Pirates 9 Dodgers 7

Why The Pirates Won: The Pirates finally took advantage of what a team gave them. The Pirates were out-hit by the Dodgers 12 to 8. The Pirates received 8 walks. Four of those walks scored directly. Two more led to runs being scored. The Pirates were 5 for 11 with runners in scoring position. The AAA boys contributed mightily to the win. They went 3 for 9 with 4 RBIs and 3 runs scored. The Pirate pitching got beat up pretty good, but I would call it a gritty performance overall. Bubba Chandler pitched innings 3 through 6. He gave up 3 runs on 6 hits, including 2 home runs. One was Shohei Ohtani’s 46th of the year. The Pirate team has hit 100 home runs. Chandler never backed down, striking out 3 and not walking a batter. The Pirates absorbed two comebacks by the Dodgers. They came back from 4-0 to tie the game. The Pirates took a 7-4 lead in the 6th. The Dodgers cut it to 7-6 in the top of the 7th. The Pirates took advantage of some more walks and added a run in the 7th and the 8th. The 9th was shaky, but Dennis Santana held on to give the Pirates a 9-7 win.

Key Moment Of The Game: The Pirates had taken the lead 7-4 in the bottom of the 6th. Isaac Mattson came in to start the 7th. Just like everybody else, he got lit up early. A single and a double put runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out. Mookie Betts was the next batter. He grounded out to short, and a run scored, moving Ohtani to third. Freddie Freeman hit a sharp ground ball back to the mound. The Pirates were able to get Ohtani in a rundown with Freeman moving to 2nd. Will Smith was the batter. With the count 1-2, an up-and-in fastball glanced off his bat right into the glove of Henry Davis. The umpire missed it entirely. Apparently, this is not reviewable. He should have been out. With new life, Smith singled up the middle to make the score 7-6. Mattson retired the next batter on a ground out to end the inning. The Pirates added on and held on for a nice 9-7 win over the vaunted Dodgers.

Next Game: Tonight, Dodgers in Pittsburgh. Shohei Ohtani goes for the Dodgers tonight. It was nice to see that the Pirates finally brought up Nick Yorke. He got a hit and did not look bad at first base. The Pirates are surprisingly 5-2 on this brutal stretch of games. They actually looked like a baseball team last night, showing grit and guts. I hate to be Mr. Negative here, but if the Pirates go on a bit of a tear in September, let’s say 16 and 8, it could save BC’s job. I do not think that this is a good thing.

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Pirates Morning Report: Coming Down The Home Stretch

The season is mercifully winding down. There is less than a month to go. There are only 24 games left. The Pirates’ record is 61-77. If by some miracle they go 12-12, they would not lose 90 games. When the season is over, it will mark the strangest 12 months in this century for this franchise. From the offseason to the regular season, the Pirates made poor decisions. They also made some of the worst moves at the trade deadline. When you go back to the start of the ’24 season, there was genuine hope for this team. It is all gone now. There is no use in trying to figure out what the Pirates are going to do. First of all, to do that, you start on the assumption that a team wants to win games. You would also think they want to put their players in the best position to succeed. You only have to go back to this weekend. It’s clear that this is all not true when it comes to the Pirates.

Three things happened this weekend that show the Pirates have no interest in improving their team and winning games. First, they put Isiah Kiner-Falefa on waivers. He was picked up by the Toronto Blue Jays. The cost to the Blue Jays: zero. The Pirates could have gotten something for IKF at the deadline, even if it was a low-end prospect. The second thing is they brought up Cam Devanney. During his minor league career, he has played over 400 games at shortstop. He has played 3rd and 2nd base, but not even half as many games. In his major league debut, where do the Pirates put him? At third base. Finally, Jack Suwinski and his 49 OPS+ go on the IL with an injured groin. Who do the Pirates bring up? The recently acquired Ryan Kreidler. Somehow, someway, the Pirates found a player worse than Suwinski. In 211 plate appearances, he has a slash line of .138/.208/.176 for an OPS+ of 10. He’s worse than 90% of the hitters that are playing the game right now. He is even worse than Henry Davis. The Pirates are going to get to expand the roster starting tomorrow. Maybe they can find someone over 35 years old to make McCutchen and Pham feel better. I can’t wait to see the new additions to the team. Do you think they need to clean house?

This team is 16 runs behind the 29th place Rockies, who have played 1 game less. They are 19 runs behind the Guardians, who have played 3 games less. The Pirates have had 13 players that have had a significant amount of at-bats. Only 3 have shown an improvement in their OPS+. One of them, Henry Davis, couldn’t really get any worse; in 2024, his OPS+ was 30. This year, so far, it is 48. The other two are Triolo and Pham. The other 10 players have gotten worse. Gonzales, McCutchen, and the departed Ke’Bryan Hayes are close to equaling their 2024 performance, so there is time for them to have a better OPS+. The other 7 have had significant drops: Joey Bart -36, Spencer Horwitz -22, IKF -15, Oneil Cruz -21, Bryan Reynolds -22, Alexander Canario -57, and Jack Suwinski -16. Hitting coach gone. Going into the ’23 season, Ben Cherrington has stated that the offense needs to improve. While we are not going to ignore trying to improve in other areas, the offense will be our main emphasis. He said the same thing going into the ’24 and ’25 seasons. The offense has gotten worse. GM gone. If Cherrington goes, that would mean Don Kelly would go. I think he has done an above-average job in managing these bums. A new GM would want to put his man in charge of the team. Kelly just has too much stink on him from this awful current regime. They have to go. A new philosophy for player development: at least one that says when you bring a player up, play him more than once every 5 games. For the fans, the good news is that there are only 24 games left. I am fairly confident I can get through them without getting physically ill. I have a feeling that this homestand may put that to the test. The announcement of players 27 and 28 today may cause some nausea. What an organization.

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Pirates Morning Report: Snake Bit Keller

Final Score: Pirates 2 Red Sox 5

Why The Pirate Lost: Mitch Keller has had his ups and downs this season, especially in the 2nd half. One thing has been consistent: Keller pitches badly, he loses. Keller pitches great, he loses. The only negative thing you could say about his outing yesterday was he was not efficient. It took him 90 pitches to get through 5 innings. He gave up no earned runs on 4 hits. He struck out 7 and walked one. He hit a batter that proved costly. As unusual, he deserved a better fate, like being traded at the trade deadline. Instead he lost his 13th game of the season. He got no offensive support. The Pirates struck out 12 times. They had only 6 hits. Their first run was a total gift. They got 3 walks and a wild pitch to score. The AAA boys had an ok day. They went 2 for 12, with Alexander Canario hitting a home run in the 7th for the Pirates’ 2nd run. Henry Davis, while the Pirates’ broadcast was singing his praises, had a particularly bad game. He led off the 3rd by striking out. He swung at one ball chin high. He struck out on a pitch that was a foot low and outside. His next at-bat, he came up with runners on 2nd and 3rd and 2 outs. He grounded out on a ball that was 2 feet outside to end the inning. It was smoked at 68 MPH. In his last at-bat, he struck out. This time he did not mess around. He swung at all 3 pitches that were not in the strike zone. He did manage not to swing at a ball that was in the dirt. After the game, he said something was in his eye or he would have swung. He thinks it is important to speed up the game. It was another lackluster performance by the Pirates in another game where they could have made a statement. I guess you could say they did.

Key Moment Of The Game: The Pirates had just gotten their gift run in the top of the 5th. In the bottom of the inning, everything went wrong. It opened with a Nick Gonzales throwing error. Keller did get the next batter to fly out. Then Carlos Narvaez hit an 83 MPH soft liner that bounced in the stands for a double. The next batter grounded out to score the run. Keller hit Alex Bregman, putting runners on 1st and 3rd with 2 outs. Jarren Duran hit a 103 MPH so-called inside the park home run, making the score 4-1. Alexander Canario got an extremely late jump on the ball. He was probably thinking, “Will I ever hit another home run?” instead of paying attention to what was going on in the game. Then Oneil Cruz let the ball go right between his legs when it bounced off the wall. It was quite a joint effort by those two to allow the speedy Duran to circle the bases. Canario answered his own question by hitting a home run in his next at-bat. The Pirates threatened in the 8th. Canario struck out this time. He swung at a pitch that was in the dirt to end the inning.

Next game: Tomorrow, the Dodgers in Pittsburgh. Despite this last game that you knew was going to happen, the Pirates were 4-3 on the road trip. They did much better than I thought they would. They need to go at least 2-4 to win 6 of these 13 games. They do play better at home. Can they avoid the 0-6 disaster against the 2 best teams in the National League? Thank God they have a day of rest before the home stand. Bryan Reynolds even has two days’ rest. His decrepit 30 year old body will be ready to go come Tuesday.

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Pirates Morning Report: Pirates On A Roll

Final Score: Pirates 10 Red Sox 3

Why The Pirates Won: For once, the Pirates took full advantage of a team’s generosity. The Red Sox walked 7 batters and committed 2 errors. The Pirates had 12 hits, which enabled them to put 10 runs on the board. Johan Oviedo went 5 innings, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits. He struck out 6 while walking 3. The bullpen did protect the big lead, but it was definitely shaky. Oneil Cruz hit his 19th homer, and Bryan Reynolds had 3 RBIs. The only AAA player to play was Triolo; he went 1 for 3 with a walk and scored 3 runs. The Pirates have won 8 of their last 10 games and are now 4-2 on this road trip. No matter what happens today, they will have a winning road trip. It would be so nice to see them go 5-2. Another opportunity for a big psychological win. It will be interesting to see how hard management tries to win the game.

Key Moments Of The Game: With a 6-run lead, you would not have thought there would be any key moments. Mike Burrows pitched the worst 2 innings to just give up 1 run. Remember, you are in Fenway Park and this is the Pirates. Burrows came in to start the bottom of the 6th. The Pirates had just scored 5 runs in the top of the 6th. It took Burrows 44 pitches to get through 2 innings. His line read 1 run on 5 hits. That does not tell the story. He got a ground out to start the bottom of the 6th. The Red Sox got 3 straight singles to make the score 9-3. Runners were on 1st and 2nd with one out. Burrows hit the next batter to load the bases. This brought up weak-hitting David Hamilton to the plate. I am not familiar with the Red Sox bench. I would have thought a pinch hitter may have been warranted here. He immediately became someone the Pirates would be interested in. With the bases loaded, he took the first two pitches for strikes. He was able to work the count to 2-2 before striking out. This brought up No. 9 hitter catcher Carlos Narvaez. Burrows fell behind 3-0. He got away with throwing the next 4 pitches right down the middle of the plate. Narvaez went Pirate mode and took the last one for strike 3. In the bottom of the 7th, Burrows gave up an opening single. Alex Bregman hit a low line drive that Cruz made a great diving grab. That was followed up by another single, putting runners on 1st and 2nd. Trevor Story flied out to rather deep center field. Masataka Yoshida hit a 106 MPH knuckling line drive to right field. It was right at Bryan Reynolds. He battled the ball and was able to grab it just before it hit the ground. After those two innings, you felt it was not the Red Sox’s day. They could have easily gotten back in the game. The Pirates felt safe enough to bring Yohan Ramirez into the game to start the 8th. The Red Sox did not threaten the last two innings.

Next Game: This afternoon, the Red Sox in Boston. Mitch Keller will go for the Pirates as they “try” to go for the sweep. Whatever it is, Fenway Park seems to bring out the best in these Pittsburgh Pirates. They will be heading home to play the Dodgers and Brewers. The Pirates are not playing on Labor Day. A gift from MLB to the Pittsburgh fans, allowing them to have a happy Labor Day. Thank you, MLB.

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Pirates Morning Report: Man, Was That Quick

Final Score: Pirates 4 Red Sox 2

Why The Pirates Won: For 5 innings Fenway Park was rockin’. Payton Tolle was making his Major League debut. He was mowing the Pirates down. He had given up one hit and walked 2. He struck out 8. In the top of the 2nd, he gave up a fluke double to Andrew McCutchen. This put runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs. He then struck out the next two batters on 7 pitches. He got Peguero to fly out to end the threat. The fans went crazy. Meanwhile, Paul Skenes was looking like Paul Skenes. The Pirates were looking like the Pirates. This all added up to a 2-0 lead for the Red Sox after 5 innings. The mood was festive. In the top of the 6th, Tolle got the first out. There was more hootin’ and hollerin’. In the next 7 pitches, he gave up singles to Nick Gonzales and Bryan Reynolds. Tolle was removed from the game, receiving a standing ovation. The Red Sox brought in Greg Weissert. In 4 pitches, he gave up back-to-back doubles to Tommy Pham and McCutchen. This gave the Pirates a 3-2 lead. The air was completely sucked out of the stadium. Suddenly, a big debut party became a sell out funeral. Skenes gave up a single in the 6th. He was erased on a caught stealing. Replay overturned a safe call. Skenes got a nice borderline call for a called 3rd strike to end his night. He gave up 1 earned run on 7 hits. He struck out 6 and walked 1. The bullpen protected the lead. The Pirates had a surprising opening game win.

Key Moments Of The Game: It was a big clutch performance by Paul Skenes. He kept his cool while all around him were panicking. In the bottom of the 2nd, after one out, he gave up 2 singles. He got out of that jam nicely. He got the next batter to hit into a force play. A steal of second put two runners in scoring position. He struck out the next batter. In the bottom of the 3rd, Alexander (I Can’t Field Or Hit But I am On The Team) Canario dropped a pop fly to center. I got it, I got it. Clang, I dropped it. A single put runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs. Skenes got out of that jam by getting Alex Bergman to hit into a double play, putting a runner on third with 2 outs. He got Jarren Duran to fly out to end the inning. In the bottom of the 4th, the Red Sox finally broke through thanks to an Isiah Kiner-Falefa throwing error. This put runners on 2nd and 3rd with two outs and the Red Sox leading 1-0. Skenes got a ground ball out to end the inning. Skenes gave up a home run to open the 5th. This gave the Red Sox a 2-0 lead. It was a party-like atmosphere at Fenway until the party-pooping 6th inning. The Pirates came away with a 4-2 win.

Next Game: Late afternoon, Red Sox in Boston. I would be remiss if I did not mention the AAA boys. They lost a member as Jack Suwinski went to the IL with an injured groin. I don’t think he got hurt swinging at pitches. The way the Pirates heal, I would assume he is out for the season. The remaining three had their typical game against the Red Sox last night. They went 1 for 9 with a walk. They did drive in the 4th run in the 8th to give the Pirates a little insurance run. Their ranks are down to three now. I just have a feeling the games are not going to be as much fun to watch. I can’t remember the last game when none of them started. It could happen soon. I am very sad.

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Pirates Morning Report: Never An Urgency To Win

Final Score: Pirates 1 Cardinals 4

Why The Pirates Lost: The offense is back to normal. They are passive, taking 28 strikes. At one stretch, Liover Peguero saw 9 pitches in two at-bats and took them all. He struck out on 6 pitches and did not swing at one. I hear that Daniel Vogelbach is his personal advisor. They are pathetic, swinging at 18 balls that were out of the strike zone. They are putrid, going 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position, stranding 8 men on base. Only one AAA boy started, Suwinski, and he went 1 for 3. Triolo pinch-hit for him in the 9th and singled. The AAA boys did better than the team. Braxton Ashcraft pitched a nice 5 and 2/3 innings. He gave up 1 run on 4 hits. He struck out 5 and walked 1. He had thrown just 73 pitches. There was a runner on first with 2 outs. Don Kelly made the move to take him out. He decided to replace him with the worst reliever in the history of baseball, Yohan Ramirez. Maybe I exaggerate a little there. However, his ERA after this awful performance is a whopping 6.56. There were other options out there for the Pirates. They were lucky in the 6th. Ramirez hit a batter. The next batter parked a ball 384 feet, but to dead center field. Cruz made the catch to end the inning. The Pirates just could not stand their good fortune. They brought Ramirez out for the 7th. There is no good excuse for that move. This organization never has a real urgency to win. Taking the Cardinals 3 out of 4 games in St. Louis would have been a huge psychological boost for this team. Pirate management does not care. Ramirez came out for the 7th and got slaughtered. Of course, he walked the first batter he faced in the 7th. In just three pitches, he allowed a double and then a home run. Before you could say, “Why is he on this team?”, the score was 4-1. They took him out, but it was way too late. The Pirates never threatened in the 8th and 9th.

The Key Moments Of The Game: Like the Cardinals the game before, the Pirates could not take advantage of early opportunities. Tommy Pham hit a home run in the first, demonstrating what you can do when you swing at a pitch in the strike zone. After the home run, the Pirates managed to get 2nd and 3rd with one out, but they could not score. Cruz popped out, and Bart flew out. In the top of the 2nd, a leadoff walk and single put runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs. Isiah Kiner-Falefa has been one of their hottest hitters against the Cardinals. So what do the Pirates do? They have IKF bunt, moving the runners up to 2nd and 3rd with one out. The next two batters struck out, and the Pirates never threatened again for the rest of the game. The Pirates guaranteed a loss when they brought out Ramirez to pitch the 7th inning, and he did not disappoint.

Next Game: Tonight, Red Sox in Boston. This starts a brutal 9-game stretch for the Pirates. Three games against Boston on the road, three games against the Dodgers at home, and finally three games against the Brewers at home. Paul Skenes is going for the Pirates tonight. Will the Red Sox be another notch on his belt? Even if they are, it will not guarantee a victory for the Pirates with that offense. It has been brutal the last 2 games. We will see how many runs they score in these next 9 games. I am betting under 18.