5-6-24 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on X
I was very much so looking forward to seeing Mike Trout play in person for the first time, but alas, the generational talent is on the shelf and will miss the series in Pittsburgh. The Pirates are on a 3-7 stretch, but have won two straight and took the series from the Rockies. The Angels are 2-8 in their last 10, just got dealt a blow losing their only real reason for winning in Trout.
The Angels enter this series carrying a staff ERA of 4.90 good for 27th in baseball, while the Pirates rank 10th with 3.64. The Angels have been better offensively, but for perspective, they just lost the guy who hit 10 of their 36 homeruns, so the Pirates 26 isn’t as far behind on paper as it might seem.
This is a series the Pirates absolutely should win, despite how they’ve played, no matter how long a cold stretch they’ve been on, if the Pirates want to be in that middle class in baseball that reaches .500 and competes for a ticket to the dance it’s a series they must win.
5-6
Angels – Tyler Anderson (L) – 2-3, 36.1 IP, 2.23 ERA, 27 Ks/15 walks, 1.07 WHIP
Pirates – Mitch Keller (R) – 2-3, 40 IP, 5.18 ERA, 39 Ks/15 walks, 1.48 WHIP
5-7
Angels – Patrick Sandoval (L) – 1-5, 32 IP, 5.91 ERA, 38 Ks/163 walks, 1.69 WHIP
Pirates – Quinn Priester (R) – 0-2, 16.1 IP, 3.31 ERA, 11 Ks/6 walks, 1.29 WHIP
5/8
Angels – Jose Soriano (R) – 1-4, 28.2 IP, 3.77 ERA, 26 Ks/15 walks, 1.29 WHIP
Pirates – Martin Perez (L) 1-2, 40 IP, 3.15 ERA, 31 Ks/13 walks, 1.38 WHIP
Angels:
Nolan Schanuel, the 22 year old Angels 2023 first round selection was a bit of a surprise to already be here, but after a slow start, he’s really come on. In his last 15 games he’s slashing .339/.383/.464 with a couple homers. The kid doesn’t strike out much with only 21 total on the season and in his past 15 games and 56 at bats he’s only K’d 8 times. Quite the story, looking forward to getting eyes on him.
Pirates:
It’s Connor Joe ’til it ain’t. The most remarkable thing about Connor is how damn consistent he’s been all season long, even while the sky was falling all around him offensively, Joe just keeps kicking. Let’s look at him this way. His past 30 .290/.372/.480, past 15 .289/.347/.489, past 7 .292/.346/.458, I mean, split his performance up however you like, he’s been incredibly steady and steady rarely equates to extremely good, but Connor is for sure pulling it off.
Angels:
Oh, how about Brandon Drury, a guy many Pirates fans thought they should pursue in the offseason, in his last 15 he’s slashed .160/.204/.240 and it’s gotten even worse in his last 7, .077/.107/.077. He probably shouldn’t be a starter, but he’s playing like one, so he must be held to that standard. Hey, we’ve been there, like yesterday actually right?
Pirates:
There are plenty of candidates, but I’ll go with Edward Olivares. After contributing early and providing some power, Olivares has been arguably the worst hitter in the Pirates lineup, no, really. Look at his last 15, .160/.236/.280. What? That’s not bad enough? Something something Rowdy?? OK, here’s his past 7 putrid efforts .087/.192/.087. Plenty of time to hate Rowdy, spread the, um… love.
Key Injuries
I mean, Mike Trout. Mic Drop. He’s out, we’re sad.
The Pirates are looking for rest and second opinions on Ryan Borucki and Marco Gonzales. Too early to tell if we’re going to see either pitcher return this season, too early to scratch them from the team’s plans.
What To Watch
The Angels pitching is abysmal, which I’ll fully admit doesn’t always add up to runs for our swashbuckling heroes of the North Shore, but their bullpen and rotation both are vulnerable to even a halfway competent attack. I will say, the Angels tossing two lefties at the Pirates is helping them out, but it also might interfere with Oneil Cruz, Jack Suwinski and Rowdy Tellez who are desperately trying to, some more successful than others, bust out of this thing.
Tyler Anderson in particular has all the tools to shut down this team. His mix is effective against both sides of the plate and he knows how to paint the corners which plays into all the Pirates worst impulses to be overly patient.
It’ll also be interesting to see Jose Soriano. The Pirates selected him in the Rule 5 draft years ago as he was recovering form Tommy John, a bet on a big talent, but he eventually became a 40-man casualty and the Angels reacquired him. He does have great stuff, it just hasn’t translated yet. Still, it’ll be cool to see some of what the Pirates hoped they might be stealing way back when.
Steel City Pirates 