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Pirates Morning Report: No End In Sight

Final Score: Pirates 2 Rangers 3

Why The Pirates Loss: It is a broken record. The punchless Pirates continue to be, quite frankly, punchless. Yesterday 8 hits, all singles, and 3 walks could only produce 2 runs. Part of the problem is the lineup construction. Why would you place a batter who has a batting average of .232, an on base percentage of .292 and has an OPS+ of 76 , 24% below league average, and bat him 3rd? Why do the Pirates think that Ke’Bryan Hayes is going to hit? Then why would you bat Chris Owings at all? Don’t tell me he got a hit. It was just a pop up that fell in. His other 3 bats were a double play ball with 1st and 3rd and one out, a failed sacrifice attempt which was pathetic, and finally taking a called 3rd strike, that was right down the middle. Johan Oviedo had a shaky 1st inning giving up 3 runs but settled down to pitch a solid 5 and 2/3 innings. His total line was 3 runs, 6 hits, 2 walks, and striking out 5 batters. It was another game of offensive ineptitude, as the Pirates fell to 25-24

Key Moment Of The Game: After scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning, the Pirate offense did not do much until the bottom of the 8th. After 1 out, the Pirates loaded the bases with 2 singles and a walk with Rodolfo Castro coming to bat to face the left hander, Will Smith. Castro is a better right handed hitter, but unfortunately hit a pop up to short left field, that could not get the run in. Jack Suwinski struck out, ending the inning and essentially the game. By the way, according to Greg Brown, Oneil Cruz made an error in the 6th inning while sitting on the bench. The only thing worse than the Pirate team right now are the Pirate announcers. I do not know what they are looking at but it is not the game. We are almost through May and they still haven’t adjusted to the pitch clock, and probably never will.

Next Game: Friday, the Mariners in Seatle. The Pirates start a west coast road trip, great, not only do we have to watch this kind of baseball but lose sleep in the process. They play 6 against the Seatle Mariners and San Francisco Giants. A 3-3 road trip would be nice but unlikely. It is hard to tell where the Pirates are going to get help with this anemic offense. Nobody in AAA is really tearing it up. Canaan Smith-Njigba is hitting a little better but not much. Travis Swaggerty is just coming off the IL and wasn’t doing that well anyway. A trade seems very unlikely, although they desperately need an outfielder that can hit. A day off today which seems to do them no good. Can’t wait till Friday. Do you see any weaknesses now John Wehner? Oh, brother.

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Pirates Morning Report: Balk and Base Running Blues

Final Score: Pirates 1 Rangers 6

Why The Pirates Lost: Again, a punchless night for the Pirates. Even when they got hits they managed to fall asleep at the wheel. Rich Hill pitched ok but could only get one out in the sixth inning and was charged with 5 runs but 2 of those scored on balks, one of which Hill did not even commit. He threw 98 pitches and struck out 9 batters but his at them ball wasn’t working. DUJ made an appearance and promptly gave up a ball that went to the fence in left and then another that did go over the fence in left in the span of 5 pitches. At least DUJ is efficient.

Key Moments Of The Game: The Pirates were the epitome of ineptitude throughout the game. The 1st inning runner on 3rd, one out could not score. The 3rd inning Ji Hwan (I’m Not Too Sure I Understand All The Rules) Bae singles but then gets picked off first base. McCutchen walks, followed by a Bryan Reynolds double bringing McCutchen home but could have brought Bae home, which would have tied the score. Then in the 8th Bae is on first again but now the Pirates are trailing 6-1 and McCutchen singles to right and Bae is thrown out at second because he thought he would try for third, changed his mind and could not get back into second. The Pirates balked in 2 runs. That was enough to win the game. The score could have been 4-3 after 8 innings if the Pirates knew how to play baseball. Nathan Eovaldi pitched a complete game, but it could have been a lot tougher if the game was as close as it should have been. The Pirates fall to 25-23, struggling to stay above .500.

Next Game: This afternoon, Rangers in Pittsburgh. The Pirates hope to avoid the same pattern of the previous series where they won the first game and then lost the next 2. Johan Oviedo will start for the Pirates, and he is coming off a good outing. The Pirates right now are just making blunders and not hitting with men in scoring position or on 3rd with less than 2 outs. Will today be the day they can really change this around?

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Pirates Morning Report: Two Out Lightening, Big Time

Final Score: Pirates 6 Rangers 4

Why The Pirates Won: Luis Ortiz picked a great time to pitch the best game of his early career, going 7 and 2/3 innings only giving up 2 runs on 5 hits, 2 walks, while striking out 4. He did this against one of the best hitting teams in baseball. The Pirate bats did get 11 hits to go along with 5 walks, but through the first 6 innings could not get the big hit, thus only scoring 1 run going into the bottom of the 7th.

The Key Moment Of The Game: With the score tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 7th the Pirates quickly made 2 outs and you had to figure that it was going to be 1-1 going into the top of the 8th. This looked like it could be the third game in a row that the bullpen would blow. But wait, ye of little faith. Reynolds got a base hit, with Suwinski following that up with a walk. Carlos Santana comes up with the big hit, but Reynolds is thrown out at the plate. Replay reverses the call, and the Pirates lead 2-1. All right, Holderman in the 8th, Bednar in the 9th, the bullpen redeems themselves. Don’t get that hot dog yet. Hayes walks. Tucupita Marcano comes up to the plate and works the count to 2-2. On pitch number 5 he drills it deep over the centerfield fence for his 1st career grand slam. Paramedics had to be called to 3 sections of the stadium. The Pirates led 6-1 over the mighty Rangers. The Rangers made it interesting over the last 2 innings, but the Pirates hung on for a much needed win to get 3 games over .500 at 25-22.

Next Game: Tonight, Rangers in Pittsburgh. The Pirates go up against another hot pitcher in Nathan Eovaldi, who in his last 3 starts has not gone less than 7 innings and missed a complete game by 1/3 of an inning 2 starts ago. He will face Rich (Can I Put Two Good Starts Together At 43) Hill. The last time Hill had this kind of mismatch he pitched his best game of the season. The Pirates are battling. Will it be enough?

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Golf Diary

The Round: Played South Park Score 79 Green In Reg. 7 Putts 31

The Good: Hit some good irons again, even though I only had 7 GIR’s, but I had a lot of balls on the fringe relatively close to the pin. I drove the ball well through the first 10 holes and number 18. The weather was perfect. My short game shots were good even though I only got it up and down 5 out of 11 times.

The Bad: Putting was off again. I missed way too many 4 to 7 foot putts. My chipping and pitching were good, but I could not finish it off by making the putt. Particularly galling was a 3-putt green on the par 5 tenth hole where I had reached the green in 2 and only had about a 15 foot putt for eagle. I was a little too bold on the eagle putt and ran it about 4 feet past the hole. Then missed the comeback putt for a 3 putt par that really took the sails out of the round. I hit my best drive of the day on 10 to set up the approach to the green. For the next 5 driving holes I did not hit very good drives and 2 of them cost me bogies. I did finish with a very nice drive on 18 but by then the round was toast.

The Luck Of The Round: I had a good break on the par 3 8th where I hit a gap wedge really thin but it came out ok within 12 feet of the pin. Had a tough break on the par 5 fourth where my ball just could not get past this little tree. I had a restricted backswing and actually hit the ball better that expected and it went over the green that led to a bogey on a fairly easy hole. Just could not get the ball in the hole although I hit a lot of good putts.

Next Round: May 31 at South Park. Taking a little non golfing vacation over the Memorial Day weekend and won’t be playing until the 31st.

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Pirates Moring Report: Threes Are Wild

Final Score: Pirates 3 Diamondbacks 8

Why The Pirates Lost: A combination of silent bats and another bullpen failure, namely Robert Stephenson, that led to this defeat. The Pirates had 3 runs, 3 hits, and 3 errors. Roansy Contreras pitched 5 innings giving up 3 runs, 3 hits, 3 walks, and striking out 3. Not everything was 3. The Pirate pitchers managed to throw 5 wild pitches and the bullpen gave up 5 runs in 4 innings. Throwing the ball was a big problem for everybody, as all 3 errors were throwing errors. The Pirate batters did not get a hit after the 5th inning. The top 5 in the batting order went 0 for 17. This game was one of the more discouraging games the Pirates played. They tied it up in the 5th, but the game went quickly downhill from there and they spiraled downward to 24-22

Key Moment Of The Game: Going into the 7th the Pirates only trailed 4-3. Rob Zastryzny was on the mound. After a single and a wild pitch, what else, the Diamondbacks sacrificed the runner to third. Zastryzny got the next batter to pop out. Then the Shadow made his next move bringing in Robert Stephenson for the second straight game in a key situation, despite the fact that he got lit up the day before. However, as Greg Brown pointed out Ketel Marte was 0 for 6 against Stephenson. Big whoop. Showing that a small sample size means nothing, Martel ripped a single to right field to score the 5th run. Then for good measure Stephenson walked the next batter, gave up a double to make the score 7-3 and the game was over. Hopefully, we won’t see Stephenson at all during the Ranger series.

Next Game: Tonight, Rangers in Pittsburgh. Things do not get any easier with the Western Division leading Texas Rangers coming to town. Luis Ortiz takes the hill for the Pirates, and he has had a couple of rough outings in his first 2 appearances of the season. There is no question that the last 2 games were disappointing. The offense went back in hibernation, the defense was shoddy, and the bullpen got rocked. The Pirates will have to dig deep even to have a .500 homestand.

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Golf Diary

The Round: Played Stonecrest Score 78 Greens in Reg. 10 Putts 34

The Good: Driving was good, and I hit some of my best iron shots of the year. The weather was perfect. Played the last 13 holes 3 over par.

The Bad: For a score that was not too bad, there was a lot. Putting topped the list with 34 putts and one 3 putt green. My short game was bad as I got it up and down only 2 times out of 8 missed green. Even though my driving was good at times, I hit some really bad drives especially at the start of the round. Got off to a bad start by bogeying the 4 of the first five holes. Definitely had more yip issues today than most.

The Luck Of The Round: The luck was pretty good this day other than on the greens. I was always able to find a window to play up the fairway when I was in the wood. I hit one tree and came back in play. Never really had any bad luck.

Next Round: Tomorrow, South Park

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Pirates Morning Report: Taking The Ace Out

Final Score: Pirates 3 Diamondbacks 4

Why The Pirates Lost: The Pirate bats put together one good inning and it was not enough. The 3 run bottom of the 3rd saw the Pirates get 2 hits and 2 walks to score their 3 runs. Over the next 6 innings, the Pirates got 3 hits and one walk and failed to score. Mitch Keller was not as sharp as he was the last 2 games but pitched well giving up 2 runs on 3hits and striking out 8 in 6 innings of work. After 2 were out in the top of the 6th, Keller hit a batter then gave up 2 infield hits, but a double steal by the Diamondbacks enabled them to score their 2nd run of the game. The Pirates did not score in the bottom of the 6th and the score was 3-2 Pirates going into the 7th inning.

Key Moment Of The Game: The Pirates did not let Keller come out for the 7th inning. He had only thrown 84 pitches. It was a bit of bad luck that the Diamondbacks had scored the run in the previous inning. This guy is supposed to be your ace. They made the excuse that he did not look good pitching out of the stretch. Well, he wouldn’t have been pitching out of the stretch to start the 7th inning beard breath. No problem with the bullpen being up and warming as he started the inning. If he gave up a hit or walked a batter, then you could always take him out. He had given up a home run in the 1st, but then retired the next 16 batters in a row. He had hit a batter but did not walk anyone. You’re taking out “The Man”. Next time, why don’t you just pinch hit for Bryan Reynolds late in the game with runners in scoring position. It makes about as much sense. Or better yet, send up a pitcher to bat for Austin Hedges. Wait a minute, that does make sense. This loss is squarely on Derek Shelton’s shoulders and the Pirates fall to 24-21 right into 2nd place.

The Next Game: This afternoon, Diamondbacks in Pittsburgh. Thanks to “The Shadow” this turns out to be the rubber match. Roansy Contreras takes the mound and should build on a pretty good last outing. The Pirates will be facing Merril Kelly, the third pitcher in 4 games with an ERA under 3. If recent history is any indication, then this is just what the doctor ordered for those Pirate bats.

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Pirates Morning Report: Another Hot Starter Crushed

Final Score: Pirates 13 Diamondbacks 3

Why The Pirates Won: For the second straight game the Pirates faced a hot pitcher and sent him packing in less than 5 innings. This time it was Zac Gallen, who had not lost a game since the opener in March., The Pirates simply racked him up for 8 runs on 8 hits and 4 walks, in 3 and 2/3 innings. They added 5 more runs against the bullpen to win going away. There were lots of players who got into the act. Bryan Reynolds hit his first home run in about 6 weeks and drove in 4 runs. McCutchen, Bae, and Hayes all had 3 hits. No one had a bigger game than Josh Palacios, who had 3 hits, a walk and drove in 3 runs, including the 2 that gave the Pirates a 3-1 lead. He plays because the Pirates refuse to play Rodolfo Castro against right handed pitching. This is the first productive game a Castro replacement has had for a long time. Maybe, this will give Palacios a confidence boost and he will start hitting. Johan Oviedo pitched a solid 6 innings giving up 1 run on 2 hits, walking 3 and striking out 7 batters. DUJ came in to start the 7th but developed forearm tightness and had to leave the game after giving up 2 runs in 1/3 of an inning. The rest of the bullpen shut the Diamondbacks down. Another impressive win for the Pirates to send them to 24-20.

Key Moment Of The Game: The Pirates big 7 run inning in the bottom of the 4th was extended on an error by the Diamondbacks third baseman. The Pirates scored 5 more runs after the error to essentially sew up the game.

Next Game: Late this afternoon, Diamondbacks, in Pittsburgh. Mitch Keller takes the hill for the Pirates this afternoon, against Brandon Pfaadt who is making is 4th Major League start. He has not gone past the 5th inning in the first 3 but did pitch well in his last outing against the Giants, giving up only 1 run in 5 innings. The Pirates need to keep the momentum going since we are going with our best pitcher at the moment in Mitch Keller. The bats need to stay hot, so we can put it to the Diamondbacks for the 2nd straight game.

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Pirates Morning Report: It Never Fails

Final Score: Pirates 8 Tigers 0

Why The Pirates Won: This looked like a mismatch from the start, and it was with the Pirates winning 8-0. However, it looked like a mismatch for the Tigers. They had one of the hottest starting pitchers Eduardo Rodriguez taking the mound against the historic hitless wonders of the last 2 weeks, the Pittsburgh Pirates. So, what happens? The Pirates light him up for 4 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks in just 5 innings. For the rest of the game the Pirates added 4 more runs on 8 hits to break out of their slump and finish with the miraculous 2-3 road trip and move to 23-20 for the season. They did all of this with Ke’Bryan (Why Do You Think I’m A Lead Off Hitter) Hayes hanging an 0 for 5 collar at the top of the order. Meanwhile the only loud hits the Tigers could muster off Rich Hill were foul balls. Over 6 innings Hill only gave up one cheap off the glove hit, striking out 7 and walking 2, for his best outing of the season by far. In fact, that would be the only hit of the game for the Tigers, as the Pirate bullpen shut down the Tigers over the last 3 innings striking out another 7 batters. The Pirates came that close to pitching a combined no hitter. It was a surprising, but much needed blowout win for the Pirates.

Key Moment Of The Game: The 2nd inning had the look of another Pirate offensive failure. Connor Joe led off with a single. The Pirates caught a break on an 8 pitch walk to Rodolfo Castro when the 7th pitch was called a ball, that looked like it was well in the strike zone. Then the Pirates went back to normal. Ji Hwan Bae laid down a horrible bunt that forced the runner out at third. Chris (Look I’M Only A Triple A Player) Owings takes a called third strike for the 2nd out. Coming to the plate with his .150 average is Austin Hedges. Time to see what’s in the refrigerator. As I start to get out of my chair, there is a crack of the bat, and it appears that Hedges has hit a deep fly ball that may get to the wall. No, it looks like the centerfielder is about to make the catch, I hope there still is some left over chicken in the fridge. Wait! Off his effing glove it goes, and the Pirates score 2 runs and Hedges is actually standing on 2nd base. Hayes is coming up next, definitely go to the fridge now.

Next Game: Tomorrow night, Diamondbacks in Pittsburgh. The Pirates start a 6 game homestand against the Diamondbacks and the Rangers. They need to go 4-2 if this is a sign of righting the ship. Johan Oviedo will make the start tomorrow night and he really needs to make it a good one. It has been a roller coaster season so far, but if someone had told you at the beginning of the season that the Pirates would lose Oneil Cruz for an extended period of time and be 23-20 you would have said hell yeah. They need to make some hay on this homestand.

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Pirates Morning Report: No Miracles Last Night

Final Score: Pirates 0 Tigers 4

Why The Pirates Lost: The Pirates continue to be mired in one of the worst run scoring droughts in history. Luis Ortiz was his own worst enemy going only 3 innings with 2 of the 4 runs scoring on his throwing error and wild pitch. The bullpen held the Tigers in check the rest of the way, but it is rather easy to pitch, when you know you have no chance of winning. The Pirates flashed some pretty fancy leather that helped DUJ pitch 2 and 2/3 innings of scoreless ball. The Pirate offense managed 5 hits, 2 walks, and was 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position. They went quietly at the end, with the last 10 Pirates failing to get on base, with only 5 putting a ball in play. Maybe it is some kind of virus. Whatever it is they sure do stink at the plate.

Key Moment Of The Game: Even though 2 runs would have been more than enough for the Tigers to win, Ortiz gifted them 2 runs in the bottom of the 3rd to ensure their victory. The Tigers opened the inning with a hard hit double, followed one out later by an infield single that put runners at 1st and 3rd with one out. Then the fun began. Ortiz on a pick off move that looked like he was trying to throw the ball over like Kent Tekulve, threw the ball away, allowing the 3rd run to score, and moving the runner all the way over from first to third. He threw a wild pitch on the next batter, ensuring another run scoring, giving the Tigers an insurmountable, at least with the Pirates, 4 run lead.

Next Game: This afternoon, Tigers in Detroit. On paper, this looks like the biggest mismatch of the season. For the Pirates we have Rich (The Line Drive Right At Them Master) Hill, going against the Tigers Eduardo Rodriguez, who in his last 35 and 2/3 innings has given up 1 run. Every once in a while, when you see something like this you can get the big surprise. Maybe, this will be the game that the Pirates snap out of it. Maybe Castro will finally get a start. I would still like to know what that is all about. His replacement yesterday Josh Palacios hit into a double play and struck out twice. Will the road trip be miraculous, stay tuned.