Posts

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Rough Trip From Philadelphia to New York.

Final Score: Pirates 3 Mets 6

Why The Pirates Lost: Oniel Cruz’s at bats summed up this lost. He struck out 3 times, He took 6 strikes, and all 3 swings were out of the strike zone. On his last at bat, again he took a strike, swung at a pitch out of the strike zone, but did manage to hit a ball to right field to end the game. Rowdy Tellez had one excellent at bat to start the top of the 8th. He took a strike, swung at a ball and took a called 3rd strike. Both pitches were well inside the strike zone, far from borderline. Even though they managed 3 runs the offense really stunk out the joint. They only got 3 hits. They walked 7 times but struck out 10. On the defensive side of the ball Henry Davis and Connor Joe excelled. Davis had trouble catching anything and made a lousy effort on a tag play at the plate. Just to go along with the offensive philosophy of the night, he took 3 called strikes in the top of the 9th, with all of them well within the strike zone. Connor Joe caught a ball and just had to toss it into the infield to keep the runners from moving up, but threw in the dirt toward the dugout, allowing the second Met run to score. The Pirates were ahead going into the bottom of the 6th and completely collapsed. The pitching staff gave up 3 runs in the 6th and 3 runs in the 8th as the Pirates lost 6-3 to send their record to 11-6. There can only be one explanation for such an all-round poorly played game. That trip from Philadelphia to New York must have been brutal with the time change and all. If it would have been possible, I am sure that Shelton would have rested anybody that played Sunday, after such a brutal travel day. This was by far their worst game of the year.

Key Moments Of The Game: The Pirates had taken a 3-0 lead in the top of the sixth. Martin Perez had danced through some raindrops but was cruising along pretty well. Then the Mets opened the inning with 2 singles. Perez got Pete Alonzo to pop up in the infield one out. One more single loaded the bases and the Pirates started to crumble from bus lag. Perez walked in the first run. Then a pop up to short right field that Connor Joe managed to catch but then crapped his pants and threw the ball at the same time allowing the second run to score. Shelton then removed Perez in favor of Hunter (I Like To Throw The Ball Right Down The Middle In High Leverage Situations) Stratton. This type of pitching resulted in a double and the score was tied 3-3. Just for good measure he hit the next batter but did manage to get the third out, FINALLY. Then came the Henry Davis show in the bottom of the 8th that sealed the deal for Mets. Aroldis Chapman started the 8th and struck out the first batter. Then Jeff McNeil struck out on a ball low and away that was ruled a wild pitch, but Henry Davis made a half ass swipe at the ball and literally scooted the ball further to the left to allow McNeil to reach first base. It was the key play of the game. Chapman walked the next batter and both he and McNeil stole 2nd and 3rd. A double by Harrison Bader gave the Mets a 5-3 lead. They added another run thanks to the Davis I don’t know how to tag play.

Next Game: Tonight, the Mets in New York. Hopefully the Pirates will be well rested after such an exhausting trip. Jared Jones will take the hill for the Pirates’. The road trip stands at 2-3. I know it has been exhausting for me, just watching them play the way they did last night. I have nothing more to write except I hope there are better days ahead.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Surprise, Surprise, Surprise

Final Score: Pirates 9 Phillies 2

Why The Pirates Won: The Pirate offense got well today hitting 3 home runs and scoring 9 runs. They touched up the Phillies ace Zack Wheeler for 5 runs in just 5+ innings of work. The offense wound up having quite a line, scoring 9 runs on 10 hits, walking 6 times and striking out a whopping 15 times. Oneil Cruz and Michael Taylor led the way striking out 4 times each. The other odd thing was that the top of the order went 0 for 10 with 6 strikeouts. The 3 through 6 hitters picked up the slack, going 8 for 17 with 2 home runs and 6 RBI’s. Mitch Keller pitched not a great but solid 7 innings giving up 2 runs on 8 hits walking no one and striking out 4. Trea Turner was his nemesis hitting a home run and knocking in the other run with a 2 out single. Through 5 innings this was the tight pitching duel that was expected. Despite having an error, the Pirate defense had one of their better games turning 3 double plays and making numerous good plays in both the infield and the outfield.

Key Moment Of The Game: Through 5 innings the Phillies were leading 2-1 and Zack Wheeler was mowing them down. In the top of the 6th, Ke’Bryan Hayes reached first base on an error by the Phillies 3rd baseman when a routine ground ball went right under his glove. Then Rowdy Tellez walked. McCutchen blooped a ball into centerfield and the Pirates had the bases loaded with no outs. Up stepped Jack Suwinski who had not gotten a hit in about his last 12 at bats. On the second pitch, he laced one 106+ MPH into the right field stands for a grand slam and the Pirates suddenly were ahead 5-2, knocking Wheeler out of the box. Later in the same inning Joey Bart launched one into the left field seats and the Pirates now led 6-2. The Pirates added one in the 8th, and McCutchen hit his 300th home run with a man on in the 9th to make the final 9-2. The bullpen pitched a stress free final 2 innings and the Pirates are 11-5.

Next Game: Tonight, the Mets in New York. Martin Perez will start for the Pirates and has had a great start to the season with an ERA of 1.89. The Pirates continue to surprise. When you think they are forfeiting a game by letting Bailey Falter start his 2nd game he essentially pitches a no hitter for 6 innings and the Pirates win. When the Phillies send their ace to the mound to face the slumping Pirate bats, they score 9 runs and hit 3 home runs. These are surprises I can deal with all year. The road trip is 2-2 and now 3-4 seems very realistic.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Losing The Game Of Walks

Final Score: Pirates 3 Phillies 4

Why The Pirates Lost: For one of the few times this year the bullpen failed miserably. The offense was just plain offensive. Oneil Cruz did hit a 2-run homer to drive in 2 runs which at the time gave the Pirates a 3-2 lead in the top of the 5th with no one out. Bryan Reynolds walked and from that point on in the last 5 innings of the game, the Pirates sent 16 men to the plate getting one walk, erased on a double play and a single, striking out 7 times. To say they did not threaten the rest of the game would be an understatement. They were able to get 5 walks, but the Pirate staff outdid them by giving up 7. Chapman for the second straight game had control issues and this time it cost them the lead. Marco Gonzales got the quality start string going again by going 6 innings giving up 2 runs, on 6 hits, walking 3 while striking out 5. There is no question the bats have been in a funk and the pitching, while very good, has not been good enough to overcome it most of the time. The Pirates fell to 10-5 and remain in 2nd place.

Key Moment Of The Game: The bottom of the 9th with the game tied 3-3, Jose Hernandez quickly got ahead of Kyle Schwarber 0-2 but then threw a slider belt high toward the outside of the plate and Schwarber pulled it into right field for a base hit. Hernandez battled Trea Turner after falling behind 3-0 to get the count to 3-2, but after one foul ball, walked him to put runners on 1st and 2nd with nobody out. Even though he struck out Bryce Harper, his first pitch, ruled a wild pitch, got away from Henry Davis and the Phillies had runners on 2nd and 3rd with just one out. Roansy Contreras was brought on and after an intentional walk, the struggling Nick Castellanos, who had already driven in one run, lifted a fly ball over the drawn in outfield to win the game. It was the second tough loss within the last 7 days, and we will see if this team can bounce back.

Next game: This afternoon, the Phillies in Philadelphia. The Phillies will be sending out their big boy Zack Wheeler to the mound. Despite having an ERA of 1.89 he is 0-2. We can only hope that trend continues. This does not seem like it is going to be the day that the sick Pirate offense is going to get well. But then I thought starting Bailey Falter was like forfeiting the game. Mitch Keller will have to have his best start of the year if the Pirates are going to gain a split in the series. The road trip is now 1-2 with 3-4 seemingly slipping away.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: The Phillies Giving A Helping Hand.

Final Score: Pirates 5 Phillies 2

Why The Pirates Won: Thanks to the powers to be, it was a game the Pirates could not have lost, even if they tried. As we all know, thanks to Greg Brown, the Pirates are trying to win games. The Phillies, not the Pirates, had a big hand in the Pirates ability to score. In the 2nd inning the pitcher, Christopher Sanchez was totally responsible for the Pirates 1st run. A walk, an error by Sanchez on a routine come backer to the mound, and two more walks accounted for the run. In the top of the of the 4th Pirates got two good hits to put runners on 1st and 3rd with one out. Henry Davis struck out. Connor Joe hit a ground ball just to the right of Trea Turner, but as he went to field it, he slipped and fell with the ball hopping right over him into left field to make the score 2-0. In the top of 7th with runners on 1st and 3rd with one out, Ke’Bryan Hayes took a called third strike, but the Phillies catcher J. T. Realmuto was crossed up on the pitch, got hit in wrist and the ball got away allowing in the 3rd Pirate run. It wasn’t until the top of the 8th that the Pirates were able to score runs without the help of the Phillies. The Pirates went single, double, single to score 2 runs and stretch their lead to 5-1. Overall, the offense scored 5 runs on 9 hits and 5 walks. It was nice to see Henry Davis have a good game with 2 hits and a walk, scoring 2 runs and driving in a pair. Barry Falter pitched well again giving up 1 run on 4hits but only went 5 innings for some unknown reason, so the quality start streak ended at 7. He had thrown only 71 pitches. The bullpen did fine but did have one scary moment.

Key Moment Of The Game: Going into the bottom of the 8th the Pirates held a 5-1 lead. Josh Fleming got the first out easy enough but then walked the next batter and gave up a single to the next. In came Aroldis Chapman. Bryce Harper hit a low liner to right field that Bryan Reynolds made a diving catch. To make things interesting Chapman walked the next 2 batters to make the score 5-2. That brought up Brandon Marsh who Chapman struck out looking with the bases loaded and the threat was over. Bednar pitched a clean 9th that you knew he would in this game that the Pirates were destined to win. The Pirates improved to 10 and 4 remaining in 2nd place. Last night things went their way in a big way.

Next Game: This afternoon, Phillies in Philadelphia. Marco Gonzales takes the hill for the Pirates. It’s hard to believe that the Phillies generosity will extend to another game but who knows. The bats really did not come alive last night but a win is a win is a win. The Pirates will take them any way they can get them. The rotation continues to be strong and let’s hope we can ride that into some wins, until the offense can get rolling again. The only negative from last night was that Bryce Harper may be coming out of his hitting funk. That could lead to a bad weekend for the Pirates. Road trip 1-1, acceptable road trip 3-4.

Posted on

Very Easy Answer

Daily writing prompt
What are 5 everyday things that bring you happiness?
View all responses

This will be short and sweet and to the point but oh so true.

Waking up. Just good to know that I did not die in my sleep.

Playing Golf. It is all I have ever wanted to do and now I do it almost every day.

Staying Healthy. Another day when I have dodged the bullet of disease.

Consuming delicious food: I do the cooking and I am glad when something really turns out well.

Going to Bed knowing everyone is safe and healthy. Something I cannot control but I am grateful for all my blessings and hope that they will continue. Thanking the higher power.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Gopher Ball Blues

Final Score: Pirates 1 Phillies 5

Why The Pirates Lost: No offense and the pitching gave up 3 home runs that accounted for all 5 Phillies runs. Each team had 7 hits and Pirates even added 2 walks. The difference was all of the Pirates hits were singles and well-spaced out. The Pirates were only retired in order twice. They had chances to get an inning going but there was no 2 out lightening in this game. They struck out 14 times with Andrew McCutchen and Michael Taylor leading the way with 3 each. All of McCutchen’s were called third strikes and at least Taylor got a hit in the 9th which contributed to the Pirates only run. Jared Jones gave the Pirates their 7th quality start in a row giving up 1 run in 6 innings, but the 7th inning did him in, giving up a 2-run homer to Brandon Marsh allowing the Phillies to take a 3-0 lead. Colin Holderman came in to relieve Jones and promptly gave up another 2-run home run, after another Pirate outfield miscommunication, which pretty much sealed the deal. The sad thing is the Pirates kept the Phillies stars pretty much in check. Scharber, Turner, Harper and Realmuto went 3 for 16 with 6 strikeouts. The Pirate record fell to 9-4 to put them in second place in the Central.

Key Moments Of The Game: It was the Pirates inability to get any type of offensive momentum. They were 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position and left 8 men on base. On the other hand, Phillies only had 3 ABs with runners in scoring position and got a home run to drive in 2 runs. They only left 2 men on base. Oh, the power of the long ball. The home runs of spring training for the Pirates when they led all teams, has gone the way of most things in spring training down into the deep abyss. The Pirates are still below average in home runs hit this year. Six more road games to go.

Next Game: Tonight, Phillies in Philadelphia. Barry (Was That Last Start A Fluke) Falter will take the mound for the Pirates hoping to break the 2-game losing streak. With Falter starting tonight this emphasizes Greg Brown’s point the last time Falter started, the Pirates are trying to win games. This eases by beating heart to know this. The Pirates are going to face another left hander in Christopher Sanchez. As I have written before, we all know that offense is a sometime thing, but hopefully this is not the start of a Pirate offensive slump. The last 2 games they have scored 4 runs. It still will be interesting to see how Falter does tonight. Will he be able to keep the ball inside the fences? Should be the key to victory.

Posted on

To Go My Own Way

Daily writing prompt
Describe something you learned in high school.
View all responses

The most important thing I learned in high school was how to handle peer pressure. I am not going into specifics but there were many things my high school friends wanted me to do that I refused to do. It was interesting to see their reaction. Many of them took it personally. The reason I refused to some of the things was because they were illegal. Most of time the reason I did not do something was because I simply did not want to. The other reaction to refusing to do something is that you are afraid to do it. I call it pulling out the fear card. They think by calling you chicken or a coward or whatever, that this will goad you into doing it. What is really humorous about that thinking is that these people don’t realize how much courage it takes to say no. Some people never say no. Even though this did have a tendency to isolate me many times and did curb my social abilities, I have never regretted those decisions. They made me a much stronger person and gave me the ability to make my own decisions and do what I really wanted to with my life, no matter how scary it was. It has contributed heavily to the fact that I have not really kept in touch with any of the people I grew up with. It still does not change the fact that in their own warped way they made me into a stronger and much happier person. See, assholes are not all bad.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Trouble With The Curve.

Final Score: Pirates 3 Tigers 5

Why The Pirates Lost: There were 3 reasons the Pirates lost this game, taking them in order. The lineup card. Why you do not start your most dynamic player in a day game against a right-handed pitcher I have no freaking idea. In this day and age line up cards are made by committee supposedly with the analytic department contributing. You are not playing baseball today. I think this is called rest. I cannot think of one rational reason that Oneil Cruz was not on the field. Secondly, the Tigers to their credit played some unbelievably defense yesterday. It saved them at least 3 to 4 runs. The ninth inning failure. There is no question David Bednar dug is own grave with his control issues but the 3 hits that he gave up went out at the scorching speeds of 75, 53, which gave the Tigers the lead, and 90 MPH. Bednar’s obvious problem was his curve ball. SO WHY IN THE HELL DO YOU KEEP THROWING IT? THIS ISN’T A SPRING TRAINING GAME. Just live and die with you fast ball that day. Who is calling those pitches? You cannot control how the Tigers play defense, but you can control who you put on the field and what pitches you throw. They booed Bednar as he walked off the field, but this loss was clearly on the Pirate management team. It was a shame because it wasted the best pitching performance of the year by Martin Perez and a 2-home run game by Edward Olivares. Perez gave up 1 run on 6 hits, did not walk anybody and struck out 7 going 8 strong innings. This dropped his ERA below 2 for the season.

Key Moment Of The Game: It came in the bottom of the 5th with Pirates leading 2-1. Alika (I Don’t Know Why I Started Either) Williams led off with a single on a 99 MPH liner to left. Jared Triolo hit a 104 MPH ground ball that the Tiger 2nd basement, Colt Keith made a great grab, spun and threw Williams out at second. One out later Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a 102 MPH deep line drive to wall in left that Riley Greene leaped up and grabbed saving a home run. All of the Pirates balls were hit almost 10 to 50 MPH harder than any of the balls that the Tigers hit in the 9th inning. No question, this is hard defeat to swallow, especially with a tough road trip looming. but the Pirates will just have to move on. All we can hope for is that the Pirate management team doesn’t think that Oneil Cruz needs 3 days rest for his prematurely aging 25 year old body.

Next Game: Tomorrow, Phillies in Philadelphia. Jared Jones will make his third start of the year hoping to extend the quality start streak to 7 games. The sad thing is the Pirates are just 4-2 during the streak. The Pirates will play 4 in Philadelphia and 3 in New York against the Mets. If the Pirates can have a 3-4 road trip, I will consider it a success. A lot of this will depend on how much rest this aging young team will need. The management team is burning the midnight oil trying to figure this out. If I was them, I would concentrate more on pitch selection.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: A Team Win

Final Score: Pirates 7 Tigers 4

Why The Pirates Won: Mitch Keller gave the Pirates their 5th straight quality start. He was not great but there were encouraging signs. In 6 innings he struck out 9, gave up 2 runs on 5 hits, while walking 3 but 2 of those were in the first inning. He had the swing and miss pitch going, which is a very good sign. The offense came alive with 3 slumping hitters contributing heavily. Andrew McCutchen, Jack Suwinski, and Bryan Reynolds all had 2 hits each with Reynolds hitting a solo home run in the bottom of the 6th. Conner (The Signing Of The Decade) Joe and Jared Triolo each had 2 hits and 2 RBI’s. Joey Bart singled in 2 runs in the 3rd. He should continue to catch at least until he cools off. Henry Davis needs to chill for a while. The bullpen did get nicked up a little but hung tough when it had to. Aroldis Chapman came in the top of the 8th with runners on 2nd and 3rd, only one out, and struck out both batters to end the threat. Aren’t you glad the Pirates did not sign Baez. Ryder Ryan came into the top of the 9th and got touched up for one run on 2 hits, but you felt that the game was never in doubt, especially when Chapman got out of that jam. It was the best chance the Tiger had to make a game of it. This was a total team win with everyone contributing.

Key moment Of The Game: The bottom of the 3rd inning, the Pirates were leading 3-1 having just scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 2nd. With one out Jack Suwinski singled. McCutchen flew out to right field for the 2nd out. Rowdy Tellez got hit by a pitch and Connor Joe walked to load the bases. Jared Triolo took the first pitched and drilled a single to centerfield to knock in 2 runs, giving the Pirates a 5-1 lead. The 2 out lightening was back, and you had a real good feeling about this game. That feeling turned out to be true, even though the Tigers made it a little interesting, the Pirates had a solid win to go 9-2.

Next Game: This afternoon, Tigers in Pittsburgh. We will see if Martin Perez can keep the starting rotation’s streak of quality starts alive today. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the definition of a quality start, it is going 6 innings and giving up 3 runs or less. I do not know who came up with this, but to show you how times have changed if Warren Spahn or Juan Marichal went only 6 innings and gave up 3 runs people would wonder what was wrong with them. The Pirate pitchers during this streak have done a little more than the quality start only allowing 2 runs at the most during the streak. The worst the Pirates will do on this homestand is 3-2 which is acceptable, but it would be nice to go 4-1 because a tough road trip lies ahead.

Posted on

Pirates Morning Report: Orioles Bulletin Board: Throwing Practice 10 AM Today.

Final Score: Pirates 3 Orioles 2

Why The Pirates Won: This is an easy one. The Orioles committed 2 throwing errors that led to all of the Pirate’s scoring. The Pirates needed some hitting to set up the runs, but the bottom line was the Pirates scored 3 runs on 3 singles. What is ironic is that the Orioles flashed some pretty impressive leather in the outfield and the infield in the last 2 games. Unfortunately, they had trouble throwing the ball after some of these spectacular plays were made. The rotation is definitely picking up as Marco Gonzales gave the Pirates their 4th straight quality start. He went 6 innings giving up 2 runs on 5 hits, striking out 4 and not giving up a walk. The Pirate pitching staff has not given up a walk in 2 out of the last 3 games. Over the last 3 innings the bullpen of Contreras and Hernandez shut out the Orioles on just one hit. The bats were quiet for most of the game as the Pirates only got 7 hits with 6 being singles. Henry Davis although hitless again, did get a crucial sacrifice fly to drive in a run in the bottom of the 5th. The Pirates won the series and improved their record to 8-2. Thank you, Orioles.

Key Moment Of The Game: It was the bottom of the 9th with Pirates trailing 2-1. The inning started with 2 singles, one by Ke’Bryan Hayes and the other by Jack (I Can’t Believe I Got A Hit) Suwinski to put runners on 1st and 3rd with nobody out. Conner Joe walked to load the bases. Rowdy Tellez hit a ground ball to the first baseman and the throw beat Hayes by a mile, but the home plate umpire ruled the runner safe. It is hard to say what happened there. Is the home plate umpire related to Greg Brown. Did he think it was not a force out and the runner needed to be tagged. No matter, instant replay came to the rescue, with the horrible call being overturned to leave the bases loaded with one out. You just had to have that sinking feeling that the Pirates were going to go scoreless with the bases loaded and nobody out for the second consecutive game. This time it was going to cost them the game. Sure enough, Edward Olivares hit a ball up the middle that Gunnar Henderson made a diving stop, touch the bag with his glove and gunned the throw to first to double up Olivares and end the game. Except for one thing, he threw the ball about 5 yards to the left of the bag, and it went into the stands to send both runners home to end the game, giving the Pirates an unbelievable 3-2 win. As Bob Prince use to say, how sweet it is. God, I miss him.

Next Game: Tonight, the Tigers in Pittsburgh. Now that he has seen how it is done, maybe Mitch Keller can keep the quality start streak going for the rotation. Even though it has only been 10 games, it has been one hell of a start to the season. The Pirates have won 3 extra innings games and one 9th inning walk off. In the beginning it was the offense and bullpen and now the rotation is carrying the team. The 3-2 homestand seems like it can be done. Bring those Tigers on baby.