Tag: pittsburgh pirates

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Pirates Morning Report: Eight Runs Not Enough This Time

Final Score: Pirates 8 Brewers 11

Why The Pirates Lost: This was a complete pitching failure. Johan Oviedo and Roansy Contreras combined for 7 and 1/3 innings giving up 11 runs, 12 hits, and walking 4. Both pitchers just can’t seem to get any consistency going. At one point the Brewers led 10-0. The Pirates made it interesting scoring 2 in the 6th and 6 in the 8th to make it 11-8 but went quietly in the 9th to fall 4 games below .500.

Key Moment Of The Game: In the bottom of the 8th, the Pirates had a runner on 2nd base with 2 outs and had only scored 1 run to make the score 11-3. The Pirates went on a tear. Jack Suwinski hit a home run to quickly make it 11-5. Conner Joe walked, Henry Davis singled, moving Joe to third. Davis went to 2nd on a wild pitch. Tucupita Marcano tripled to make the score 11-7. Jared Triola doubled off the Clemente wall to get the Pirates within 3. Rodolfo Castro who has not looked good at the plate for the last 3 weeks struck out on a 3-2 pitch about 4 inches outside the zone and the inning was over. The Pirates made the Brewers sweat for a moment but it was not enough and the winning streak was over at 4.

Next Game: This afternoon, Brewers in Pittsburgh. I really look at this as a must win for the Pirates. They need this to win a division series. They need it for their psyche. A 5-1 home stand is a must after the hole they put themselves in. This has been the weekend of the veteran and you can’t get more veteran than Rich Hill. Hopefully he will have his at them ball working and the Pirates can pull out the win.

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Pirates Morning Report: Santana Walks It Off

Final Score: Pirates 8 Brewers 7

Why The Pirates Won: For the second straight game the Pirates fought back from a 4 run deficit and in this game they did it twice. The offense came alive for 8 runs and 11 hits. The Pirates were 5 for 15 with runners in scoring position. It was a big day for the veterans. Thirty six year old Andrew McCutchen and thirty seven year old Carlos Santana went 6 for 10 with 2 home runs and 5 RBI’s, on a day when the youthful Pirates were having a hard time. The game turned out to be an impromptu bullpen game for the Pirates, as Osvaldo Bido could only go 3 and 1/3 innings giving up 4 runs on 4 hits and a walk, while throwing 73 pitches. The bullpen gave up 3 more runs over the last 5 and 2/3 innings. It was Carmen Mlodzinski who shut down the Brewers the last 2 innings that enabled the Pirates to get back in the game.

Key Moment Of The Game: The Brewers had to go with the B squad for the bullpen and the Pirates finally made them pay. Leading 7-5 going into the bottom of the 9th, the Brewers had to rest closer Devin Williams and brought in Matt Bush to pitch. Ji Hwan Bae opened with a single. One out later McCutchen doubled him home to make it 7-6. Henry Davis grounded out. On the next pitch Carlos Santana blasted a home run into the Allegheny River and the Pirates had the walk off win to go to 39-42.

Next Game: This afternoon, Brewers in Pittsburgh. The big comeback win for the Pirates keeps the momentum going. They have now won 4 in a row and the last 2 have been come from behind victories from 4 runs down. The sweep of the Brewers is still in play and they need it. They need it to help erase the memory of the previous 13 games and give them confidence going into the tough 7 game road trip coming up.

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Pirates Morning Report: Getting A Helping Hand

Final Score: Pirates 5 Padres 4

Why The Pirates Won: Good fortune and a helping hand from the Padres enabled the Pirates to come away with a 5-4 victory and sweep the series. The Pirates trailed 4-0 going into the bottom of the 4th. The comeback started here with a run, they added another one in the bottom of the 6th and topped it off with 3 in the 7th to complete the comeback. Henry Davis was the star with 3 hits, driving in 2 runs, including the go ahead run, and scoring a run. Luis Ortiz did not have his best best stuff yesterday giving up 4 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks in just 4 and 2/3 innings. For the 2nd straight day the bullpen shutdown the Padres not allowing them to score a run. The record improved to 38-42

Key Moments Of The Game: Another game where the Padres could not come through with 2 outs and the Pirates did with a little help from the Padres. In the top of the 5th after one out Juan Soto walked. Manny Machado flied out. Xander Bogaerts singled and Jake Cronenworth walked to load the bases. The Pirates brought in Ryan Borucki and his 40 ERA. He got Brandon Dixon on one pitch to fly out to center and then pitched a scoreless 7th inning. Pretty miraculous. Going into the bottom of the 7th the Pirates trailed 4-2. Castro walked and Jared Triola singled to put runners on 1st and 3rd with nobody out. Jason Delay hit a hard shot up the middle that took pitcher Tim Hill’s glove off. He had time to get the runner out at second but elected to throw to first and did get the out. Suwinski hit a soft chopper down the first base line that Hill fielded but no one was really on first base and Hill threw the ball into right field allowing the Pirates to tie the game 4-4, with Suwinski winding up on 2nd base. Luis Garcia came in and got McCutchen to ground out. Henry Davis got the big 2 out hit, a blooper down the right field line and the Pirates had the lead 5-4 that the bullpen preserved for their 3rd win in a row.

Next Game: Tonight, Brewers in Pittsburgh. The Pirates must keep the momentum going and do some payback to the Brewers. Sweeping the Padres was huge and they took advantage of the breaks that they got. They need to at least take 2 out of 3 which will get them right back in the race.

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Pirates Morning Report: Pirates Win The Battle Of The Bullpens

Final Score: Pirates 7 Padres 1

Why The Pirates Won: After 6 innings the score was 2-1 Pirates and both starters were done. Each team had to turn the game over to the bullpens for the last three innings. The Pirate bullpen which has been having a rough time came through last night giving up no runs on 3 hits and a walk. The Padre bullpen got touched up and I do mean lightly touched up for 5 runs in the bottom of the 7th, as the Pirates won their second in a row to go to 37-42. Carlos Santana hit another home run, this time in the first inning to give the Pirates a quick 2-0 lead. Mitch Keller after a slow start hung in there giving up only 1 run in the top of the 6th.

Key Moments Of The Game: Even though the final score was rather lopsided, it could have been much closer if some things had gone a different way for both teams. Keller after getting 2 outs in each of the first 2 innings, ran into trouble. In the first the Padres had 1st and 3rd but failed to score when Xander Bogaerts grounded into a force out short to 2nd. In the top of the 2nd the Padres had 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs but Ha-Seong Kim flew out to left field failing to score again. In the top of the 7th everything went right for the Pirates. Nick Gonzales got an infield hit that the shortstop lost his balance fielding the ball making the throw late. Jack Suwinski walked. Jared Triolo got hit in the hand while trying to bunt. This is where the Padres lost 2 arguments. Did the ball hit the bat first but regardless did Triolo pull his bat back fast enough. The answer was no but the umps thought he did. Instead of the at bat continuing, the Pirates had the bases loaded and nobody out. Josh Palacios hit a line drive to right field that Tatis barely short hopped scoring the Pirates 3rd run and the bases were still loaded with nobody out. If the bunt play had been ruled correctly and Tatis makes the play the Pirates would have had 1st and 2nd with 2 out. If everything had gone exactly the same way the score would have been 4-1 rather than 7-1. It could have been a much more tense top of the 9th inning.

Next Game: This afternoon Padres in Pittsburgh. The Pirates are going to be going for the series sweep. I know, it is hard to believe. The Pirates had some really good breaks last night and maybe that will help them turn this thing around.

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Pirates Morning Report: Not Getting Hedges Out=Loss

Final Score: Pirates 9 Padres 4

Why The Pirates Won: If you cannot keep Austen Hodges off the bases you are going to lose. He got 2 hits(not a misprint), a walk, and on base by catcher interference. This will probably be the last time in his career that he gets on base 4 times in one game. The Pirate bats woke up hitting 3 home runs, by Suwinski, Santana, and Gonzales, who also added a triple. Overall the Pirates had 15 hits for their most offensive game in at least a month. Rich Hill got knocked around for 4 runs, 9 hits but had his at them ball working and was able get through 6 innings. Roansy Contreras had some shaky moments, but managed to shut out the Padres over the last 3 innings. The Pirates win the first game of the series to improve to 36-42

Key Moment Of The Game: It was the bounce back 2nd inning, after the Padres scored 3 runs in the top of the inning. The Pirates had scored 2 runs and had runners on 1st and 3rd with one out. Josh Polacios hit a line drive to center but was not deep enough to score the runner from third base. It looked like the Pirates were up to their old tricks and going to strand the runner on third base. However, Andrew McCutchen got the key 2 out hit allowing the Pirates to tie the game. The next inning they led off with back to back homers and the Pirates were on their way.

Next Game: Tonight, Padres in Pittsburgh. A good start to the home stand but cannot get too excited yet. Keller against Blake Snell who has been pitching well lately. Last night was the best game the Pirates have played in a long time. Can they get on a roll? Only time will tell.

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Pirates Morning Report: It’s Over

Final Score: Pirates 3 Marlins 1

Why The Pirates Won: Luis Ortiz pitched one heck of a game. After giving up 1 run on 3 hits and a walk in the first inning, he shut out the Marlins for the next 7 innings on 4 hits and a walk. He kept the Pirates in the game as they struggled for 8 innings. In the top of the 9th, they rallied for 3 runs to take the lead. Josh Palacios started the 9th off with a little soft liner to left field for a base hit. One out later Andrew McCutchen hit a swinging bunt down the third base line for a hit. The Pirates immediately pulled off the double steal. Then Connor Joe hit a sharp ground ball to the shortstop, and he did not make the play to plate, which allowed the Pirates to tie the game 1-1. That was followed up by a solid base hit by Carlos Santana for the Pirates to take the lead 2-1. Henry Davis and Tucupita Marcano followed with singles and the Pirates had a 3-1 lead. David Bednar pitched a clean 9th for the save and the losing streak had come to an end. Going into the 9th the Pirates had only 2 hits and then got 5 hits to score the 3 runs. Do you believe in miracles?

Key Moments Of The Game: There were two deciding moments to this game. The Marlins had the bases loaded and 1 out in the top of the first with a run already in. They hit into a double play that ended the inning and Ortiz would go on to pitch his gem. Next was the hard hit ground ball to the shortstop in the top of the 9th by Connor Joe. The decision not to try to get the runner trying to score may have cost the Marlins the game. It is something we will never know but it looked to me that he would have thrown him out. Those two plays were the difference in the game.

Next Game: This afternoon, Marlins in Miami. The losing streak is over, but will the Pirates build any momentum off of this thrilling win. If they can get a split in this series, then I would say yes. I know it is a very very very small sample size, but Henry Davis looks like the real deal. He seems to have a focus and drive that this club really needs. I hope I am right about him.

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Pirates Morning Report: The Pattern Is Broken

Final Score: Pirates 4 Giants 14

Why The Pirates Lost: A complete pitching collapse with 2 horrible innings. Rich (The Old) Hill gave up 5 runs in the 2nd and Cody(The Young) Bolton gave up 8 in the 7th in just 1/3 inning of work. I don’t know if this is good news but the Pirates broke the pattern of winning the first game of the series, which they have done over the last 3 series. Then they would lose the next 2 to lose the series. Now, of course, they could be swept. The offense did a little better but still only produced 4 runs with Jack Suwinski hitting 2 useless home runs. They were 1for 9 with runners in scoring position or they may have gotten closer when it was still a game. One oddity,especially in today’s game, the Pirates did not walk and struck out only 3 times. They had 7 non home run hits so they put the ball in play 31 times.

Key Moment Of The Game: Probably the 2 run, 2 out homer by Austin Slater to make the score 5-0 in the bottom of the 2nd. Let’s face it, in a game like this there really aren’t any “key moments”. They did manage to cut the lead to 6-3, but Cody Bolton decided to throw batting practice and it was a blowout.

Next Game: Tonight, Giants in San Francisco. There is no question things look mighty bleak for the Pirates right now. Sometimes a game like this is the game that can turn things around. Remember, this slide started right after the Pirates blew out the Nationals 16-1. The Pirates will need to step it up in every phase of the game if they are going to turn this around. Or maybe we are just going to need another calendar flip to June to get back on track.

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Pirates Morning Report: The Pattern Continues

Final Score: Pirates 3 Mariners 6, in 10 innings

Why The Pirates Loss: The Pirates failed at the plate in situational hitting. They were 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position. They failed to move runners over in key situations. The Pirates continue to bat Ke’Bryan Hayes too high in the order and in this game it cost them dearly. Luis Ortiz was not efficient only going 5 innings, throwing 99 pitches. He gave up 3 runs, 5 hits, walking 4, while striking out 6. He gave up 2 home runs that barely left the park. Another hard luck day for the young right handed. The Pirates lost their 3rd series in a row in the same bizarre manner. They win the opening game. They lose the next 2 games in the series. One they lose by a wide margin. The other they lose in heart breaking fashion. After the great start, the Pirates stand at 26-26.

Key Moments Of The Game: In the top of the 9th, the Pirates had a runner on 2nd with nobody out and failed to score. They were worse in the top of the 10th, having runners on 1st and 3rd with nobody out and failed to score. In the 10th, Connor Joe may have had the worst at bat of the season, taking 2 strikes, then striking out on a ball in the dirt. The Mariners knew what they were doing when they walked Rodolfo Castro to load the bases to get to Hayes. He did hang tough but ended up striking out to leave runners in scoring position with 2 out for the fourth time. The Pirates chose Robert (They Think I Can Still Pitch) Stephenson to start the bottom of the 10th and you knew the game was over. He threw an 86 MPH slider right in the heart of the plate and Eugenio Suarez crushed it for the walk off home run. Hayes got the same type of pitch in the top of the inning and chose to take it for a called strike. Enough said.

Next Game: This afternoon, the Giants in San Francisco. Rich Hill takes the mound today for the Pirates and you almost hope they lose today to break the pattern. They say all things must come to an end but I don’t know about this stretch that the Pirates are on. They just can’t seem to get any momentum going. There have been many factors but they are just not playing good baseball and they are paying the price.

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Pirates Morning Report: It Was Just A Blip

Final Score: Pirates 0 Mariners 5

Why The Pirates Lost: The Pirates went from 7 home runs to 2 hits and 17 strikeouts. Suwinski, Hayes, and Santana each struck out 3 times. They did manage 3 walks but were 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position. Vince Velasquez could only go 2 innings before having elbow discomfort again. His whole day was nothing but bad luck. The offense went south big time and the Pirates fell to 26-25.

Key Moment Of The Game: It looked like Velasquez might get out of the 1st inning with only 1 run scoring after giving up opening doubles back to back to start the game. He got the next two batters to fly out. On the first pitch to Eugenio Suarez, he checked his swing, and blooped a hit just over the head of Bae to score the 2nd run. The Mariners added 2 more hits to extend the lead 3-0. We did not know at the time that the Pirates would be reverting back to their punchless selves. The game was essentially over after one inning.

Next Game: This afternoon, Mariners in Seattle. Luis Ortiz will take the mound for the Pirates today coming off his best career start. Can the Pirates finally win a series? If they don’t they will drop to .500. Maybe this will be a one game hitting slump. Yesterday was just a plain old depressing loss. Today, just has to be better.

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Pirates Morning Report: From Punchless To Punchout

Final Score: Pirates 11 Mariners 6

Why The Pirates Won: The Pirates exploded for a record tying 7 home runs. Mitch Keller did not have his best stuff last night and did get roughed up for 6 runs, 7 hits, 2 walks, while striking out 8. What is amazing is that the Pirates let him come out for the 7th inning this time. He promptly gave up a walk and a home run to make the score 10-6. Since we won, we won’t need the long nonsensical explanation we got the last time when they took him out after 6 innings. They must have loved the way he was pitching from the stretch last night, since he got to do it so much.

The Key Moment Of The Game: In the top of the 5th Bryan Reynolds tripled in 2 runs with nobody out. The next 2 Pirate batters made outs that did not score the run, and it looked like for the 2nd time in the game they were not going to get a runner in from 3rd with less than 2 outs, and the score would remain 4-2. Jack Suwinski ended all that thinking when he took a 1-1 curveball and smashed it into the right field seats. Ke’Bryan Hayes followed with another homer and the Pirates had a 7-2 lead. They continued to add onto their lead and won the game fairly easily.

Next Game: This Afternoon, Mariners in Seattle. Vince Velasquez makes his return to the rotation today hopefully to start up right where he left off. This is the third series in a row that the Pirates have won the first game. In the previous two they lost the next 2 games. That pattern needs to stop today. Will the offense continue to produce or was this just a blip, like before, on the radar. This will determine their success.