Tag: Disappointments

Final Score: Pirates 2 Phillies 5

Why The Pirates Lost: Again, the offense was pretty much non-existent. Until Bryan Reynolds hit the 2-run homer in the top of the 9th, they had only 3 hits. They never got a runner in scoring position the entire game. They struck out 11 times. They continue to let Carmen Mlodzinski start. This time he went 3 and 1/3 innings, giving up 4 runs on 7 hits. His ERA is a crisp 5.67. When will it ever end? The results of the game were the last of many disappointments. Spencer Horwitz was activated today. The first disappointment was that Matt Gorsky was sent down. Tommy Pham or Jared Triolo should have left the team. The second disappointment was the starting lineup. It looked like Shelton was back. No Canario. Nick Solak should have been the 2nd baseman and Canario the left fielder. The third disappointment was the selection of the B squad to come out of the bullpen for the second straight day. Joey Wentz led them. He had pitched the night before. Tanner Rainey came in again later. Neither one should be on the team. It was just lucky that the Phillies only got 5 runs in the game. Part of that may have been due to the fact the Phillies knew that it was all they needed. The Pirates have not scored 5 runs for 22 games. This was by far the worst game the Pirates played under Don Kelly.

The Key Moment Of The Game: The score was 2-0 Phillies in the bottom of the 4th. The Phillies had 2nd and 3rd with one out. Joey Wentz entered the game. He took just 2 pitches, both pretty much right down the middle, to give up a single making the score 4-0. Once the 4th run crossed the plate, you knew the game was pretty much over. It took Wentz another 4 pitches to get and out and give up a double to make the score 5-0. Efficient but lousy. The Pirates never threatened to make a game of it. They sleepwalked through another loss.

Next Game: This afternoon, Phillies in Philadelphia. The Pirates still have a chance to go 4-5 against 3 of the best teams in the National League. Paul Skenes goes for the Pirates. The Phillies are starting Mick Abel, who is making his Major League debut. A rumor is going around the league. The rumor suggests that teams are lining up their top AAA pitcher. They want them to debut against the Pirates. Just about anybody can get the Pirates out. If the prospect can’t do it, then the team knows that he needs more seasoning. It is also another way to get a young pitcher some confidence pitching in the Majors. At least the Pirates are doing some good somewhere. They are helping other teams develop their prospects. They sure can’t develop their own.