Tag: Pittsburgh Pirates.

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Pirates Morning Report

FINAL SCORE: PIRATES 8 CUBS 7 IN 10 INNINGS

WHY THE PIRATES WON: DESPITE HAVING ANOTHER BIZARRE LINE UP, CHANG BATTING IN FRONT OF CRUZ AND BATTING MADRIS 9TH, THE PIRATES OVERCAME A VERY BAD BULLPEN PERFORMANCE TO PULL OUT THE WIN. IT’S NOT OFTEN WHEN A TEAMS DH HAS A LOWER BATTING AVERAGE THAN MOST PITCHERS DID, WHEN THEY HAD TO HIT. THE SHADOW SHELTON AGAIN SAT ON HIS HANDS AND WATCH A RELIEVER STRUGGLE, KEEPING HIM IN THE GAME WAY TOO LONG. THIS ALLOWED THE CUBS TO ERASE AND OVER COME A 4 RUN DEFICIT IN THE TOP OF THE 8TH INNING TO TAKE THE LEAD 7-6. THE PIRATES BATTLED BACK TO TIE THE GAME ON A MICHAEL CHAVIS LEAD OFF HOMER IN THE BOTTOM OF THE INNING.

KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME: MICHAEL CHAVIS’S GREAT GROUND BALL PICK UP AND QUICK THROW TO THE PLATE TO NAIL THE CUB’S RUNNER IN THE BOTTOM OF THE 10TH. THIS ENABLED THE PIRATES TO KEEP THE CUBS SCORELESS IN THE 10TH INNING WITH THE RUNNER ON 2ND RULE. THIS PUT A LOT MORE PRESSURE ON THE CUBS IN THE BOTTOM OF THE INNING WHICH THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO OVERCOME. THE PIRATES WERE ABLE TO JUST SQUEEZE THAT WINNING RUN HOME ON THE CHAVIS BLOOPER.

NEXT GAME: TONIGHT, RAYS IN TAMPA BAY. NORMALLY THIS WOULD NOT BE A GOOD PLACE FOR THE PIRATES TO GO, BUT RIGHT NOW THE RAYS HAVE A LOT OF INJURIES AND WITH THE PIRATES NEW BLOOD THEY COULD DO PRETTY WELL. MITCH KELLER IS STARTING TOMORROW NIGHT AND HE IS STARTING TO LOOK LIKE A PITCHER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS PIRATE CAREER. THE BIG STORY IS, THERE ARE FOUR PIRATES ON REHAB ASSIGNMENTS IN THE MINORS. BEN GAMEL WILL BE SOON, WHILE KEVIN NEWMAN, JOSH VAN METER, AND YOSHI TSUTSUGO ARE CURRENT. TUCUPITA MARCANO IS STILL ON THE COVID IL. SO, WHO STAYS AND WHO GOES OR GETS TRADED? I DON’T KNOW WHAT THE PIRATES ARE GOING TO DO AND THEY PROBABLY DON’T EITHER. HAYES MAY HAVE TO GO ON THE IL. IN MY VIEW THERE ARE FOUR PLAYERS WHO NEED TO GO DOWN, OR SIMPLY GO. DIEGO CASTILLO NEEDS MORE SEASONING AND NEEDS TO GET HIS CONFIDENCE BACK AT THE PLATE. SAME THING CAN BE SAID FOR CAL MITCHELL. TSUTSUGO AND CHANG SHOULD GET A GREYHOUND BUS SCHEDULE, BECAUSE THEY JUST NEED TO LEAVE TOWN. THAT PUTS GAMEL, NEWMAN, VAN METER AND MARCANO BACK ON THE TEAM. GOD ONLY KNOWS WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN THE WAY THE PIRATES THINK. THEY MAY EVEN SEND CRUZ BACK DOWN, NOTHING WOULD SURPRISE ME. WHO KNOWS, ONLY THE SHADOW KNOWS.

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Pirates Morning Report

FINAL SCORE: PIRATES 5 CUBS 14

WHY THE PIRATES LOST: RECIPE FOR DEFEAT. FIRST BRING UP A BRYCE WILSON CLONE AND WATCH HIM GET RACKED FOR 10 RUNS IN 4.1 INNINGS. DON’T PLAY HAYES AND SUWINSKI. PLAY CHANG AND MITCHELL. LEAD OFF WITH CRUZ WHEN HE HAS HAD SUCH SUCCESS BATTING 6TH. MANAGEMENT WAS DETERMINED TO LOSE THIS GAME AND THEY SUCCEEDED. THIS SHOWS NO RESPECT FOR THE GAME OF BASEBALL AND THE FANS. NOTHING MORE NEEDS TO BE STATED.

KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME: WHEN DEREK SHELTON GOT OUT OF BED AND DECIDED THAT THE PIRATES WERE NOT GOING TO WIN TODAY NO MATTER WHAT.

NEXT GAME: THIS AFTERNOON, CUBS IN PITTSBURGH. LET’S HOPE THAT WHAT WE SAW BEFORE THE GAME LAST NIGHT, THE STARTING LINE UP, WILL NEVER BE SEEN AGAIN, BUT I DOUBT IT. THIS NOT TRYING TO WIN GAMES IS SO BLATANT, THAT I CAN’T BELIEVE MLB WILL NOT INVESTIGATE. THIS IS AN EMBARASSMENT TO THE GAME AND BORDERS ON GAME FIXING. YOU HAVE TO WONDER IF SOME OF THE PIRATE BRASS ARE NOT BETTING ON THE GAMES.

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Pirates Morning Report

FINAL SCORE: PIRATES 7 CUBS 1

WHY THE PIRATES WON: WHEN MICHAEL PEREZ GETS A HIT, LET ALONE A HOME RUN, YOU KNOW IT’S GOING TO BE YOUR DAY. GREG BROWN WAS WONDERING WHY PEREZ WAS STARTING OVER HEINEMAN, SAYING THAT THE SHADOW MUST HAVE HAD A HUNCH. IT IS REAL DIFFICULT PLAYING A 111 BATTING AVERAGE OVER A 125 AVERAGE. IT REALLY DOESN’T MATTER WHICH CATCHER YOU PLAY, THEY BOTH STINK. ROANSY CONTRERAS WAS NOT DOMINANT BUT STILL HELD THE CUBS TO 1 RUN OVER 5 INNINGS. THE BULLPEN COASTED IN FROM THERE, PROTECTING THE 6 RUN LEAD, MAKING SURE THE CUBS DID NOT MAKE THINGS INTERESTING. ANTHONY BANDA HAD ANOTHER GOOD TWO INNING OUTING. THE DFA THAT WASN’T. WHEN THINGS ARE GOING YOUR WAY, THEY ARE GOING YOUR WAY. WITH ALL THE HYPE ABOUT ONEIL CRUZ, THE PLAY OF BLIGH MADRIS HAS GONE SOMEWHAT UNDER THE RADAR. HE HIT HIS FIRST CAREER HOME RUN AND LOOKS REAL GOOD IN THE FIELD. PEOPLE WERE SAYING THAT YOU COULD NEVER REPLACE COLE TUCKER IN RIGHT FIELD. ALL IN ALL, ANOTHER REAL SOLID WIN FOR THE PIRATES.

KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME: WITH 2 OUT IN THE BOTTOM OF THE FIFTH, ONEIL CRUZ CAME UP BIG AGAIN GETTING A BASE HIT TO DRIVE IN RUN NUMBER 4. WHEN HE TRIED TO STEAL SECOND, A BAD THROW INTO CENTER FIELD, ALLOWED DANIEL VOGELBACH TO SCORE THE 5TH RUN. SPEAKING OF THE TURTLE HE HAD A BIG GAME WITH A DOUBLE, SINGLE, TWO WALKS, DROVE IN 2 RUNS AND SCORED ANOTHER. IT WAS ANOTHER EXHAUSTING GAME FOR THE TURTLE. I THINK HE MUST BE RESTED TOMORROW OR IT COULD AFFECT HIS HEALTH.

NEXT GAME: TONIGHT, CUBS IN PITTSBURGH. I KNOW WE ARE PLAYING THE CUBS, BUT WITH THE ADDITION OF CRUZ AND MADRIS, THERE SEEMS TO BE A NEW ENERGY TO THIS TEAM. EVEN THE TURTLE SEEMS TO BE RUNNING FASTER. THERE IS A LOT OF REHAB ASSIGNMENTS GOING ON IN INDIANAPOLIS THIS WEEK. YOU HAVE TO WONDER WHAT THEY ARE REHABBING FOR. SURELY, NOT TO PLAY BASEBALL FOR THE PIRATES.

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Pirates Morning Report

FINAL SCORE: PIRATES 12 CUBS 1

WHY THE PIRATES WON: MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL WELCOME TO PITTSBURGH. FOR THE FIRST TIME THE PIRATES CAME AS CLOSE AS THEY HAD COME ALL YEAR IN FIELDING A MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM. THE ONLY EXCEPTION WAS CATCHER. THIS HELPED J. T. BRUBAKER GET HIS FIRST WIN OF THE YEAR. THE NEW PLAYERS PERFORMED LIKE THE MAJOR LEAGUE PLAYERS THEY ARE. IT WAS, BY FAR, THE BEST NIGHT OF BASEBALL THIS YEAR. HEATH HEMBREE SHOWED HE HAS NO PROBLEM PROTECTING AN 11 RUN LEAD, CONGRATS TO HEATH. THE ONLY BUMMER WAS THE REALIZATION THAT WE COULD HAVE BEEN WATCHING THIS ALL YEAR. LIKE I WROTE YESTERDAY, BETTER LATE THAN NEVER.

KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME: IN THE BOTTOM OF THIRD WITH THE BASE LOADED ONEIL CRUZ RIPPED, AND I MEAN RIPPED, A LINE DRIVE, RIGHT PAST THE CENTERFIELDER TO SCORE ALL THREE RUNNERS TO PUT THE PIRATES AHEAD 7-0 AND ESSENTIALLY THE GAME WAS OVER. DANIEL (THE TURTLE) VOGELBACH WHO SCORED FROM SECOND ON THE PLAY, IMMEDIATELY HAD TO TAKE OXYGEN, AND THERE WAS SOME QUESTION HE WOULD SURVIVE. IT MAY BE TOO HOT TOMORROW FOR HIM TO PLAY. WHAT A GREAT NIGHT FOR BUCCO BASEBALL.

NEXT GAME: TONIGHT, CUBS IN PITTSBURGH. WELL, THE PIRATE MANAGEMENT TEAM DID ONE HELL OF JOB DEVELOPING ONEIL CRUZ IN THE LAST 2 MONTHS. WHAT A TRANSFORMATION, FROM BARELY A TRIPLE A PLAYER, TO AN OVERNIGHT STAR. YEAH, RIGHT. THE PIRATES WILL HAVE A LOT OF HOUSECLEANING TO DO IN THE COMING WEEKS. THE YU CHANG ERA IN PITTSBURGH IS NOT OVER AFTER ALL. I AM SO HAPPY. REALLY THOUGH, NOTHING COULD RUIN THIS NIGHT, NOT EVEN YU CHANG.

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Pirates Morning Report:

FINAL SCORE: PIRATES 4 GIANTS 3

WHY THE PIRATES WON: TWO WORDS, JACK SUWINSKI. A 3 HOME RUN GAME WITH THE LAST ONE BEING THE GAME WINNER IN THE BOTTOM OF THE 9TH. THERE WERE OTHER KEY CONTRIBUTORS AND MIRACULOUS HAPPENINGS. MICHAEL PEREZ GOT A HIT. HOY PARK HIT THE OTHER HOME RUN THAT ACCOUNTED FOR THE 1ST PIRATE RUN. I MAY AGAIN TRY TO TURN WATER INTO WINE. MITCH KELLER PITCHED ANOTHER GOOD GAME. I THINK THAT THERE IS LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL FOR THAT YOUNG MAN. IF HE CAN FIND HIMSELF IT WILL BE A TREMENDOUS LIFT FOR THIS PITCHING STAFF. THE PIRATES HAVEN’T WON MANY GAMES LATELY BUT WHEN THEY HAVE IT’S BEEN QUITE THRILLING.

KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME: INTHE FIRST INNING, THE FIRST 4 BATTERS FOR THE GIANTS GOT ON BASE AND THE SCORE WAS 2-0. KELLER GOT OUT OF THE INNING WITH NO FURTHER DAMAGE. FROM THAT POINT ON THE GIANTS NEVER SNIFFED THE PLATE. THE GIANTS WILL NEVER BE ACCUSED OF AGGRESSIVE BASE RUNNING AND IN THIS GAME, IT FINALLY CAUGHT UP WITH THEM. A NICE FATHER’S DAY WIN FOR THE PIRATES.

NEXT GAME: TONIGHT, CUBS IN PITTSBURGH. IT LOOKS LIKE ONEIL CRUZ IS GOING TO BE CALLED UP BUT REMEMBER THAT DOESN’T MEAN THEY WILL PLAY HIM MUCH. UNDER THE NEW AGREEMENT IF A ROOKIE IS CONSIDERED TOP 3 THEN HE GETS CREDIT FOR THE YEAR SERVED. IF THAT HAPPENS WITH CRUZ THEN THE PIRATES WOULD HAVE KEPT HIM DOWN THERE FOR NOTHING. I AM SURE HE WILL GET PLENTY OF REST AS ONE OF THE KEYS TO HIS “DEVELOPMENT”. WHAT A BUNCH OF PIRATE B.S. OH WELL, BETTER LATE THAN NEVER. I WONDER IF THEY WILL BAT HIM 9TH. I DON’T CARE I’M STILL EXCITED. COULD THIS BE THE END OF THE YU CHANG ERA IN PITTSBURGH. IF IT IS, I WILL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE VIDEO TRIBUTE.

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Pirates Morning Report

FINAL SCORE: PIRATES 5 GIANTS 7

WHY THE PIRATES LOST: OVER THE LAST TWO DAYS WE HAVE SEEN WHAT GOOD TEAMS DO AND WHAT BAD TEAMS DO. IT IS A SIMPLE FORMULA FOR THE BAD TEAM PIRATES. WHEN THEY PITCH, THEY DON’T HIT AND WHEN THEY HIT, THEY DON’T PITCH. TODAY THE PITCHING WAS NOT VERY GOOD. THE PITCHING COMBINATION OF JOSE QUINTANA, WILL CROWE, CHRIS STRATTON, ANTHONY BANDA, AND LAST BUT CERTAINLY LEAST, HEATH HEMBREE GOT TOUCHED UP FOR 7 RUNS ON 10 HITS AND 9 WALKS. SURPISINGLY, THE ONLY ONE TO HAVE A GOOD OUTING WAS BANDA. WITH THE SCORE 6-5, THE SHADOW BROUGHT IN HEMBREE TO PITCH THE NINTH, TO MAKE SURE THAT THE GIANTS WOULD GET THAT MUCH NEEDED INSURANCE RUN. IT WAS NICE TO SEE DIEGO CASTILLO HAVE A BIG DAY WITH A 3 RUN HOME RUN AND 4 RBI’S. HE IS IN A HORRIBLE SLUMP. THE KIND OF SLUMP THAT GETS YOU SENT DOWN TO AAA TO SEE IF YOU CAN GET YOUR STROKE BACK. THIS MIGHT GET HIM BACK ON TRACK.

KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME: AFTER THE TURTLE’S HOME RUN TO MAKE THE SCORE GIANTS 6 PIRATES 5, THE PIRATES PUT RUNNERS ON 1ST AND 2ND WITH ONE OUT. CAL MITCHELL THEN LACED A BALL TO DEEP CENTER AND MIKE YASTRZEMSKI RAN IT DOWN FOR THE SECOND OUT. IF HE COULD HAVE PULLED THAT JUST A TOUCH, IT WOULD HAVE SCORED 2 RUNS. THE PIRATES LOADED THE BASES BUT COULD NOT SCORE. THEN SHELTON BROUGHT IN HEMBREE TO ENSURE THE LOSS.

NEXT GAME: THIS AFTERNOON, GIANTS, AT PITTSBUGH. YU CHANG HIT 2 FLY BALL OUTS, SO IT IS PRETTY MUCH A GIVEN HE WILL START AGAIN. I AM SURE IT WILL BE CRAZY LINE UP TIME, AS THE SHADOW WILL GIVE THE GIANTS EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO GET THE SWEEP.

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Pirates Morning Report:

FINAL SCORE: PIRATES 0 GIANTS 2

WHY THE PIRATES LOST: THE PIRATE OFFENSE CONTINUES TO BE OFFENSIVE TO WATCH. THEY ONLY GOT 2 HITS AND MOST OF THE NIGHT SWUNG AT THE BALL WHEN IT WAS NOT IN THE STRIKE ZONE. THE HIGHEST BATTING AVERAGE OF THE LAST 6 BATTERS IN THE PIRATE LINE UP WAS .212 WITH THREE OF THEM BELOW .200, WHEN THE GAME WAS OVER. THE PITCHING WAS GOOD BUT IT DID NOT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE WITH THE INCOMPETENT BATS OF THE PIRATES.

THE KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME: WHEN DEREK SHELTON HANDED THE UMPIRE THE LINE UP CARD, THE GAME WAS OVER. THE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS WERE NO MATCH FOR THE GIANTS.

NEXT GAME: LATE THE THIS AFTERNOON, GIANTS IN PITTSBURGH. IF THE PIRATES CONTINUE TO PLAY THE SAME PLAYERS IT IS VERY POSSIBLE THAT THE PIRATES MAY NOT SCORE A RUN FOR THE ENTIRE SERIES. YU CHANG, THE TURTLE, AND WHOEVER CATCHES ARE VERY UNLIKELY TO GET A HIT FOR NEXT 2 DAYS. MAYBE IF THEY CAN TAKE 0-0 INTO EXTRA INNINGS, THEY CAN GET A RUN WITH A GUY ON 2B WITH NO ONE OUT.

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Pirates 62 Game Report

When I last analyzed the Pirates 32 games ago their record was 13-17. The next 32 games the Pirates struggled to 12-20, to go 25-37. Most of the downward trend can be attributed to the offense or lack thereof. The pitching and fielding did improve somewhat but not enough to counteract the putrid bats. The Pirate management team continued to sabotage the season with some of their dim-witted moves, that contributed mightily to the June swoon. Let’s take a look at each segment of this downtrodden Pirate team

Hitting: This is where the Pirates team really suffered. Their OBP was 17th in baseball at the 30-game mark and plunged all the way to 28th. A similar situation existed for their OPS+ and their average runs per game, which both fell to 28th in MLB. They were 19th and 23rd. Thank God, the Oakland A’s and Detroit Tigers exist. Just about everyone contributed to this lack of offense. Bryan Reynolds has been hot lately, but for most of this period, he looked very bad at the plate. They have 5 players that could be considered above average hitters and one of them Ben Gamel is on the IL. A lot of these players are not Major League quality hitters and never will be. The Pirates inability to create any offense and score runs is the biggest reason this team is 12 games below .500 and looking like the downward spiral will continue for the rest of the season. There does not seem to be much hope, for these bats to improve given the current roster.

Pitching: The pitching showed some improvement, but again had one bad game where they gave up 18 runs, which does skew the stats somewhat. They did improve during this stretch of games. In runs allowed per game, they went from 29th to 25th. Their ERA+ went from 27th to 24th. FIP rounded out the overall improvement of the pitching, going from being 25th in the league to 23rd. Not great improvement, but improvement none the less. The bull pen has done a nice job, which is why the Pirates are 8-6 in one run games. They have 8 pitchers that have an ERA+ over 100. Overall, the pitching is shaping up ok for Pirates. The starting pitching has been particularly good for the most part. Hopefully, the pitching will continue to hold its own for the rest of the season. They better.

Fielding: Their defensive efficiency rating went up 2 places to 24th from 26th. Some of this was due to the fact that they played outfielders in the outfield. Most of the Pirates defensive issues are caused by players playing at positions they have not had a lot of experience. A great example is Rudolfo Castro. In 22 games he played shortstop in all or part of 19 games. In his minor league career, he played the vast majority of his games at second base. They don’t have as many defensive metrics in the minor leagues but let’s just use good old fielding %. In the minors at second base his fielding % was 961 and at shortstop 912. The Pirates played him at short for all those games when it was unnecessary. They played a lot of infielders out in the outfield for no apparent reason other than to lose games. The Pirates have done nothing to find a first baseman.

Management: I am not even going to get into all the mistakes they have made in player development, that would take an entire blog. The current team is enough to show that this regime has no interest in winning or even being competitive this year. Here is list of the current Pirate players who should not be in the Major Leagues. This list includes many players on the IL. The Pirates are one of the few teams in baseball that when one of their players get hurt, it improves the team. In no particular order they are Michael Perez, Daniel Vogelbach, Yoshi Tsutsugo, Yu Chang, Tyler Heineman, Jake Marisnick, Heath Hembree and Anthony Banda. That is a lot of DFAing the Pirates would have to do if they are really going field a major league team. The sad part is, when these are players are available, they play them all the time. This keeps any young player off the field and can only hinder his development. The perfect example is when they brought up Travis Swaggerty. Why? He only had 9 plate appearances and 6 of those were against left-handed pitchers. They had 4 outfielders for the 3 positions but why couldn’t they have rotated them as the DH. Play 3 of them in the outfield and DH the other one. How did anything that happened to Travis Swaggerty help his development. The answer is nothing. It is the perfect time to find out if Swaggerty can cut it in the majors. There is plenty of room for him on this team. As I wrote before, you could write a book on this regime’s pathetic thinking. Hopefully they can judge talent better than they can handle it. Will the next 30 games be just as bad. I guess you should ask Yu Chang, the key to next 30 games. Or maybe Vogelbach, the Turtle would know. Certainly, any of the eight minor league level players, the Pirates have, will help keep this team heading toward the basement of the National League.

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Pirates Morning Report:

FINAL SCORE: PIRATES 6 CARDINALS 4

WHY THE PIRATES WON: IT WOULDN’T HAVE HAPPEN IF NOT FOR A LITTLE HELP FROM THEIR FRIENDS, THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS. THEY BOTCHED 2 BUNT PLAYS IN A ROW WITH THROWING ERRORS, WHICH ALLOWED THE PIRATES TO SCORE 2 RUNS IN THE TOP OF THE 2ND. ROANSY CONTRERAS DID NOT HAVE HIS USUAL PINPOINT CONTROL AND GOT TOUCHED UP FOR 3 RUNS IN 4.1 INNINGS. A FLY BALL IN THE TOP OF THE 5TH THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN CAUGHT SEEMED TO OPEN THE GATES FOR THE CARDINALS, AS THEY SCORED 3 RUNS TO TIE THE GAME 4-4. DAVID BEDNAR’S SHUT DOWN 8 OUT SAVE PRESERVED THE WIN, ENDING THE PIRATES 9 GAME LOSING STREAK.

KEY MOMENT OF THE GAME: WITH 2 OUT AND NOBODY ON IN THE TOP OF THE 7TH, WITH THE PIRATES LOOKING LIKE THEY WERE ON THEIR WAY TO NUMBER 10 LOSS IN A ROW, TUCUPITA MARCANO SINGLED TO LEFT FIELD. BRYAN REYNOLDS THEN HIT THE GO-AHEAD HOME RUN TO GIVE THE PIRATES A 6-4 LEAD, THAT THEY NEVER RELINQUISHED. IN A GREAT PITCHER-BATTER BATTLE, CARDINAL PITCHER, ANDRE PALLANTE, THREW JUST ONE TOO MANY CURVE BALLS AND REYNOLDS BLASTED THE LAST ONE IN THE RIGHT FIELD STANDS.

NEXT GAME: FRIDAY NIGHT, GIANTS IN PITTSBURGH. THE PIRATES STAND AT 25-37, SO IT WILL BE TIME FOR THE 62 GAME REPORT LOOKING AT ALL ASPECTS OF THIS PIRATE TEAM. THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT WITH CHANG, VOGELBACH, PEREZ, AND HEMBRE LEADING THE WAY.

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Pirates Morning Report:

THE FINAL SCORES: 1ST GAME: PIRATES 1 CARDINALS 3

2ND GAME: PIRATES 1 CARDINALS 9

WHY THE PIRATES LOST BOTH GAMES: I THINK THIS SUMS IT UP BEST. ON THE DAY THE PIRATES HAD 60 AT BATS, SCORED 2 RUNS, ON 8 HITS AND HAD 13 TOTAL BASES. PAUL GOLDSCHMIDT OF THE CARDINALS HAD 8 AT BATS, SCORED 4 RUNS, ON 6 HITS, AND HAD 15 TOTAL BASES. THE PIRATES HAD 4 ERRORS IN THE FIRST GAME, INCLUDING 3 THROWING ERRORS BY DIEGO CASTILLO. WOULDN’T YOU LIKE TO SEE HIM AND YU CHANG PLAY CATCH? SPEAKING OF YU CHANG, HE HIT A HOME RUN IN THE FIRST GAME FOR THE ONLY PIRATE RUN. IT WAS THE JAW DROPPING MOMENT OF THE GAME, POSSIBLY THE SEASON. IN THE 2ND GAME BRYCE WILSON SHOWED WHY HE IS THE LEADING CONTENDER FOR AAA PITCHER OF THE YEAR. HE SURE AS HELL CAN’T PITCH IN THE MAJORS.

THE KEY MOMENT OF THE GAMES: IN GAME 1, THE BIZARRE BALK CALL THAT EVENTUALLY ALLOWED THE CARDINALS TO SCORE A RUN, AND A 3-0 LEAD. IT DID GIVE THE CARDINALS A NICE CUSHION, THAT THEY DID NOT REALLY NEED. KEY MOMENT IN GAME 2, BRYCE WILSON TOOK THE MOUND.

NEXT GAME: TONIGHT, CARDINALS IN ST. LOUIS. CONTRERAS IS SCHEDULED TO PITCH, SO THE SHADOW WILL HAVE TO WORK EXTRA HARD TO COME UP WITH A LINE UP THAT IS BAD ENOUGH TO ENSURE THE 10TH LOSS IN A ROW. AFTER WATCHING HIM FOR ONE INNING, I AM SURE THE LINE UP WILL INCLUDE THE TURTLE PLAYING 1ST BASE TO START A GAME. YU CHANG WILL BE THERE TOO, TO MAKE SURE THE STREAK CONTINUES. THE PIRATES ARE BACK IN CONTENTION FOR ONE OF THE TOP 3 DRAFT PICKS FOR NEXT YEAR, ALTHOUGH THE CUBS ARE GOING DOWN WITHOUT TRYING ALSO. THE PIRATES ARE STILL IN 3RD PLACE IN THE DIVISION. COULD SHELTON GET MANAGER OF THE YEAR, ONLY THE SHADOW KNOWS.