Tag: Loss of control

Final Score: Pirates 0 Diamondbacks 9

Why the Pirates lost: Bubba Chandler had another frustrating start. Yohan Ramirez reverted back to his career ways. The bats were silent, getting only two hits for the game. Bubba Chandler gave up two runs in the first but should have only given up one. Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz let a fly ball go between them. It seemed like Reynolds should have caught the ball, but for some reason, he backed off. This allowed the Diamondbacks to score the second run of the inning. Chandler did not allow another run but walked six batters in five innings, throwing 92 pitches. Somehow, Chandler has got to start getting the ball over the plate. Ramirez came in during the bottom of the sixth. After getting the first out, his outing turned into a disaster. Here was the sequence that broke open the game: he walked a batter, hit a batter, gave up a double, hit another batter, and gave up another double to make the score 5-0. Both doubles were not hit hard, but they were on a line and well placed. Two more runs scored on a ground ball and a sacrifice fly as the Diamondbacks broke open the game, 7-0. The Diamondbacks had 4 doubles and a triple for the game.

Key Moments of the Game: The Pirate batters looked awful against Eduardo Rodriguez. They managed to have seven at-bats with runners in scoring position but failed to get a hit. The first inning set the tone for the game. Geraldo Perdomo made a nice over-the-shoulder catch on a little blooper by Oneil Cruz to open the game. In the bottom of the first, the Pirates had the outfield mishap that allowed an extra run to score. The Pirates could not muster any offense, and when the bullpen collapsed, this game was over. It was not a great start to the road trip.

Next Game: Tonight Diamondbacks in Arizona at 9:40. Paul Skenes is going for the Pirates tonight. This is something you don’t say very often, but he is looking for a bounce back start. The same thing could be said for the offense. There has to be at least a little bit of concern over the Pirate pitching which was supposed to be the strength of this team. Last night was the 10th game out of 36, and 9th out of the last 21, that the Pirates have given up 6 or more runs. Is it because of an adjustment period to a new pitching coach? Is it just a bad stretch that part of every team goes through. The biggest concern is if it continues, management won’t do much to stop the bleeding. No matter what the problem is here, this staff needs to find the answer and find it fast.