Pirates (7-9) Take the Series and Game 3 in Extras, Reynolds, Moran Lead the Charge

The Pirates looked to bounce back and win the series in Milwaukee today. After Trevor Cahill blew up yesterday giving up 7 runs the Bucs really needed to get some length and preferably quality out of Chad Kuhl.

He delivered 5 innings and three runs which kept them in the game and helped deliver their second series win of the season. This wasn’t a clean start by any measure and Kuhl absolutely still has work to do, especially in the early going of games.

He survived is probably the best way to put it, fortunately for him, he wasn’t the story today. The bats came to play and none more so than the heart of the order. Moran hit an early 3 run shot to leapfrog the Brewers who were up 2-0 and Bryan Reynolds demolished a 446 foot two run shot later.

After Chris Stratton gave up a game tying second homerun on the day to Vogelbach the duo would combine again in extras as Reynolds was the ghost runner driven in by Moran with a ringing double.

Richard Rodriguez pitched 2 scoreless to close out the contest after keeping it tied to get there.

News & Notes

  • The Pirates have won two series, tied one and were of course swept in Cincinnati. The Brewers are crippled right now with Yelich, Wong and Cain all out of the lineup but still impressive especially given how they had been pitching coming in.
  • Bryan Reynolds is on an absolute tear right now, including 2 for 3 with a walk today. He and Moran are a very productive 3-4.
  • Adam Frazier continues to chip away collecting hits and setting the table. This game was no different, he’s just a tough out.
  • Phillip Evans has come back to earth a bit. Nothing to worry about really he still takes good at bats but the league is punching back a bit. Opposition staffs are trying to get him to chase low and while he’s still being patient but his swing doesn’t created damage down there and he’ll have to show it does at some point.
  • Kyle Crick pitched an important 8th inning keeping the score tied and man did his slider look crazy today. Painting the outside corner with balls that looked to be headed for right handers hips. Great to see, he really looks like he’s figured something out.
  • Erik Gonzalez had some really nice swings today and played excellent defense. Quietly, I could copy and paste this just about daily when he plays.
  • Kevin Newman was a late inning replacement today and 1 for 2 with a walk. His hit was still relatively weak contact but it was in the air, which has been a big focus of the staff with Newman since he literally has an average launch angle in the negatives. Good sign.

The Pirates Have Better Options Than Trevor Cahill

In my season preview one of my predictions was that the Pirates rotation would be better by the end of the season than the beginning.

This is why.

I didn’t understand the signing of Trevor Cahill and while I was shouted down pretty quickly with cries that the Pirates needed to eat innings, I never believed that to be something Cahill was capable of providing. Innings hasn’t been his MO and I didn’t expect him at his age to learn a new trick.

That said, if they wanted to use him in the bullpen and spot start should an emergency take place, ok. Using him as a starter is going to go just like it has so far in 2021. One bad, followed by one good and back to bad. Some form of that is going to play out as long as the Pirates want to continue using him like this.

The Pirates have options, Wil Crowe could come up with no changes to the 40-man aside from who would potentially be removed, presumably Cahill himself. Miguel Yajure I could understand wanting to get him some time in AAA and the delay to the start of the AAA season pushes back that timeline. Yajure isn’t a prospect that should be treated cavalierly.

Chase De Jong or even Sean Poppen who just got the call up to replace the injured Michael Feliz are options. De Jong was really good this Spring, Poppen was little more than ok, but it’s hard to see either being worse or at least less consistent than Cahill. Cody Ponce started the season on the IL but here’s a guy who looked good starting last season in limited action, wouldn’t you rather see him?

Point is, they have options and further, without the Brault injury none of this is even happening.

If the idea is to hold out for Brault, we could easily be into July, and that’s if everything goes great in his rehab. C’mon, we’re Pirates fans, everything going great doesn’t happen much.

So what do they do? I mean we have talked all off season and into this early season saying the record doesn’t matter to the overall process, but if you want to learn and grow along the way, being completely swept out of games by the second inning with a guy who absolutely has nothing to do with the future seems at least a little wasteful.

See the Pirates have stated repeatedly that they’ll need all the arms they’ve brought in, and maybe they’re right, maybe we’ll look back on all the starts given to Trevor Cahill come June or July and this will all make sense. Right now though, you have a young team for the most part exceeding expectation in which three out of every five starts leaves you shaking your head.

Chad Kuhl, and Mitch Keller haven’t been much better than Cahill so why ride him right? Well Mitch is someone who the team at least expects to be part of this team moving forward. Chad Kuhl to a degree is as well, if only one more season. Cahill is nothing more than a guy, so if they’re wrong, you’d like to see them pick up and move on.

Now, three starts from a guy who never finished stretching out in the Spring as we sit here on April 18th is probably not enough to really pull the plug, but man I hate to think this just goes on indefinitely.

The funny thing is, the Pirates themselves are the reason many of us don’t want to just watch the inevitable. They brought in better options, younger options, options who have a chance to play a role on this club beyond the deadline this year.

In other words, they shouldn’t be shocked people want to see some of those better options, you know, pitch for the team.

Nobody I know is fooling themselves that the Pirates early season effort and record means the team should compete for the division or anything like that, but it does make it difficult to evaluate everything else on the club while this goes on.

For instance, last night when the game was well out of hand by the second inning, the bats went silent, and the bullpen tossed zeroes. Were the Brewers just happy with their significant lead and looking to get the game over with? Were the Pirates hitters forgoing their patient approach trying to bash the club back into this one?

When your starter gives up a touchdown in the first couple innings, it changes the complexion of the entire game, and while they’re professionals, we can’t pretend it doesn’t change the way things play out. I’ve seen a bunch of 7-1 losses that felt close until a breakthrough happened late in the game, those feel different, and evaluating what has happened feels more genuine.

Think about Brubaker’s start on Friday. All those big pressure situations he fought through wouldn’t have really been pressure packed if he had been given 7 runs in the 2nd inning. Instead he was protecting a slim lead. It showed us something about Brubaker, it also showed us something about the bullpen, even the hitters who kept sticking by the plan. none of that happens if the game is broken out early. He simply has a good start and we leave it there.

Again, the record isn’t important, I really do get it, but I’d like to not assume a blowout loss once every five days, and I’m not someone who is supposed to strap on the cleats and go out there promising the effort and heart that has led to a scrappy offense and bulldog bullpen.

Sometimes the message of keeping a player like Cahill speaks louder than the stated intent of getting better.

It’s one player, it’s not the end of the world, and if I’m being honest it’s probably a bit early to be this irritated with it, but an environment of meritocracy will crumble like a sandcastle at high tide if it only applies to 24 or 25 men.

If I’m the Pirates, I play this out through April, and at the very least put him in the pen if they can’t bear to move on from him.

Cahill’s Rough Start Ends In 7-1 Loss To The Brew Crew

After a enjoyable and relaxing Friday night for Pirates Fans, where it seemed like their team couldn’t do anything wrong, tonight’s game was a quick drop back into the reality of what it’s like to cheer for a rebuilding ball club. Enter the veteran pitcher, Trevor Cahill, whose signing was a little curious at the time, followed up a surprisingly strong performance in his last outing with a first inning that took the wind out of the Pirates’ sails immediately; giving up five runs with two outs on not a lot of hard contact. And for good measure he gave up two more the next inning, which would turn out to be an insurmountable lead for Pittsburgh to overcome.

Cahill’s counterpart, Brett Anderson, did not have nearly as rough of a time with the Pirates lineup as he spread 6 hits out over seven innings; even making up for his team’s miscues at times. Not that Pittsburgh’s hitters put up much of a fight by not even getting one extra base hit; but hey, Anthony Alford struck the ball hard a couple of times.

Now, I realize games like this are going happen from time to time, and more than likely pretty often this season, however, they still aren’t fun to watch. It just makes it hard to stay positive, and keep the eye on the potential prize; which is probably why I found myself looking at Minor League schedules and making plans during the late innings of today’s game.

News and Notes:

  • Bryan Reynolds is hitting for contact the way he was back in 2019; taking what is given to him and placing the ball all over the park.
  • Adam Frazier extended his hitting streak to six games, while going 10 for 24 during this small stretch. The guy is just plain streaky.
  • Sean Poppen put together an unexpectedly solid two innings of relief work; striking out two, giving up to hits and walking none.
  • I am officially pushing a panic button of sorts on Kevin Newman. He’s still not striking, but he isn’t getting hits or drawing walks either. Sit him down for a couple of days, hit the cages and figure it out.
  • Clay Holmes had one disastrous third of an inning against the Reds, but otherwise has looked solid. He has only given up on hit over his last three appearances, over 4 innings of work.

The Pirates won’t have long to let this loss soak in because the two teams are back at it again tomorrow at 2:10 PM EST from Milwaukee, with Chad Kuhl (0-1, 6.75 ERA) on the mound to face off against Freddy Peralta (2-0, .69 ERA) for the Brew Crew.

Unlocking the Talent Blockers

How many players have left the Pirates over the years and upon being interviewed at their new home have mentioned some small tweak as being responsible for helping them reach new territory in their success?

When the issues are mechanical, the onus falls squarely on the coaching staff. They have to identify and correct those issues and for some players it takes more than one coat to cover the wall. For others the issue appears to be more mental and players like this used to almost have to seek out their own sports therapy to work toward improvement.

When the Pirates hired John Baker as the director of Training and Development, it shouldn’t have escaped anyone that his former focus with the Chicago Cubs was as a mental skills coordinator. So, in the early going of the 2021 season, it would seem some players are showing a need for the remedies he used to be in charge of providing.

Mitch Keller is the first name on my mind.

His stuff is great. Not good, not ok, great. He has a bit of a control issue with his high fastball where it naturally wants to finish high, aside from that, it appears to be a willingness issue. The shape of the pitches is right, the action on the pitches is right, the willingness to throw it in the zone isn’t.

Hiring a guy like Baker said to me that the mental side of the game was going to be part of the overall training and development plan for this franchise, and I’m sure it is, but two weeks isn’t a long time to even discover the need, let alone address it.

Anthony Alford is another player who doesn’t look like he has anything solid to stand on. Nothing has worked at the plate and by reading his expression when he steps to the plate, let’s just say we aren’t the only ones who expect failure.

On the other hand, players with fewer tools are succeeding, that has to be even more mentally challenging for the very gifted players who just can’t get out of their own way.

Baseball isn’t an easy game, I mean failing 7 out of 10 times could get you into the Hall of Fame after all. So it stands to reason learning to embrace failure would be rather important.

Joe Musgrove actually alluded to that very fact when reflecting on his time in Pittsburgh, noting that he learned how to deal with failure while here.

I get that, but if the Pirates ever want to compete, they’re going to have to start cracking the code while guys are here and young, not in year 3 or 4 where the progress will benefit the next team far more.

We have no idea what John Baker’s system will look like, I mean we haven’t seen any MiLB baseball since 2019, but you have to figure hammering out some of these types of issues will be part of it.

As with the overall philosophy for development, we should also assume that won’t stop once a player reaches MLB. In other words the future should look more like called up players are mentally prepared for the jump but not expected to need no maintenance once they do.

The mental fortitude is there with Keller. He shows you that by the time he fights through an inning or two. Yesterday he pitched 3.1 innings and this follows his acceptable step forward start versus Chicago where he went 5 and got the win.

He came out Thursday throwing pitches in the zone and got hit hard, then he pulled back, stopped following the glove and then came the walks and missing spots. When the 3rd inning rolled around he was back to where he started and the control and efficiency returned.

It’s in there. Someone just needs to help him figure out what makes it come and what makes it go.

Some guys need to pitch angry and we saw that just last night with Brubaker. Some need to be emotionless, others still respond to the moment. Whatever it is that makes Mitch mentally change the game plan, they need to identify and help him work through it.

Oscar Marin will rightly have the spotlight on him with Mitch Keller, but when the issues aren’t mechanical in nature, I’m inclined to watch how Mr. Baker and his expertise help mold this young player.

He has star stuff, and if we’re to truly believe the Pirates are on a better path a huge part of that story is going to be more players that should contribute to the cause, actually taking that final step from AAA to MLB.

Look at Derek Shelton’s usage of Luis Oviedo. The announcers, twitter fans, facebook fans and even Shelton himself openly question his usage. Everyone understands he’s a rule 5 pick and everyone understands what that means, but the club is clearly not afraid of this kid’s mental makeup. They’re pushing him, they’re challenging him, they’re not afraid to have him fail, and not overly overt when he succeeds. They just expect, and I think we’ve seen, him to press through it.

To his credit, he has, and he looks mature far beyond his 21 years, but that isn’t how this works for everyone. What works for Oviedo, maybe won’t for Keller. What works for Moran, maybe doesn’t for Alford. This is the individualized training that has been talked to since day one of Ben Cherington’s regime and echoed by Shelton repeatedly.

I’m not the type to pretend I have all the answers here, but when you watch a baseball manager handle different guys in different ways it always makes me think he himself is being coached. Derek Shelton himself is learning how to handle players in different stages of development.

For instance, Gregory Polanco goes into an awful stretch at the plate and he sits for a couple days and does cage work. Kevin Newman does the same and plays through it. Greg came back and had a great game, so the assumption is Newman should do the same. Maybe, maybe not.

I’m putting this out because the concern over Mitch Keller has become about more than just evaluating the play of a pitcher. It’s now become a series of armatures psycho analyzing him on social media. Thinking back to his impressive starts at the end of 2020 I remember telling all of you I was very concerned about the walk numbers even while he was no hitting lineups.

Look, I know what I saw when I looked at his face before he threw a pitch against the Padres, and I certainly have an opinion as to how to handle it, the difference is I know enough to know my answer might not be right.

I think the Pirates have no choice but to keep pressing forward, even if the progress they see doesn’t show itself in results, I’d like to believe they know what they’re doing. One thing is for sure, there is more riding on this player for some of the coaching staff than any one other underperforming player.

Step one to being a franchise on the rise instead of the whipping boy for the league is getting more prospects to not just survive that last step but instead thrive through it.

Pirates (6-8) Rock the Brewers 6-1, Brubaker Builds on Early Success

When you’re watching a prospect develop there are milestones along the way. Some of them have formal titles like promotion to the next level. At every stop along the way you look around and realize you’ve moved up, you still see the goal in your sights of being called up to the show.

And then one day it happens, you get the call, for some they look around and feel like they’ve climbed the mountain, with nowhere else to move up they flatline and forget they can still achieve more.

Some prospects reach the majors having never really felt failure. Oh sure they’ve lost or stuck out with the bases loaded but they have always been the guy, were always supposed to be THE guy.

JT Brubaker, many forget and Craig often likes to remind me, was actually rated ahead of Mitch Keller on their way through the system before Brubaker went down with the elbow injury.

JT was the guy. When he got his chance last season he improved from start to finish. When he got to Spring he dialed in and improved as the pre season progressed, and in this start against the Brewers he was snarly. Pitching with emotion. Hunting strikeouts and relishing big situations.

This is maturity. That’s what it looks like. This is that moment when a guy is no longer in ‘trying to stick’ mode, but instead is well on his way to proving he belongs. His name will wind up in pen for the rotation for 2022, and he’s earned it by taking every opportunity given to him.

There are some other young pitchers in the system who could stand to observe what they were treated to this evening in Milwaukee.

After Brubaker, Chris Stratton struggled, loading the bases on 2 walks and 2 Ks giving way to Sam Howard who cleaned it up.

Crick followed with a scoreless inning after a Gregory Polanco 2 run shot to expand the lead to 6-1

Duane Underwood Jr. was called on to get the last three outs with a five run lead and he got the job done with no undue drama.

Back at it tomorrow with Trevor Cahill vs Brett Anderson at 7:10 as the Pirates lead the series 1-0

News & Notes

  • JT Brubaker threw 6 innings of 1 run ball tonight posting the first Quality Start of the season for the Bucs. Hey, until someone tells me this stat is shifting to 5 innings its still a thing ok.
  • Adam Frazier continues to scald the ball, he’s off to a great start to the season and has done it against pitchers on both sides.
  • Big appearance by Sam Howard to get Shaw to fly out harmlessly when called upon in the 7th with the bases juiced. It was the third time Shaw had a chance to impact this game and swing the outcome, but Brubaker stared him down twice and then Howard took care of him in turn.
  • Polanco hits a 2 run bomb in the 8th. And that’s why he plays ladies and gentleman. It doesn’t excuse his overall numbers but that potential to take a game from nervous lead to over is something this lineup needs, even if it’s just for show some nights.
  • It’s not always clean, but the bullpen continues to get the job done.
  • Dustin Fowler chipped in tonight with a hit. He still looks out of sorts at the plate but he’s chipping in here and there and that might just be enough to keep him around. And I say this despite the report that Ben Cherington isn’t ready to pull the plug on Fowler or Alford. Until I see otherwise I just can’t see the choice for Hayes counter move being anyone else.
  • Kyle Crick is still battling wildness, but he put up another zero and has quietly put together a great beginning to the season.
  • Colin Moran drove a pitch opposite field over the wall in the second inning today to get the party started for the Pirates. His approach has made pitching to him a complete pain in the can for every pitcher. Mess around and he’ll walk. Pitch away, ok he’ll give it a poke that way. Pitch away high, ok he’ll go that way with authority. Come inside, fine he’ll turn on it, he’d rather do that anyway. And he doesn’t care which side it’s coming from. This is a guy that Clint Hurdle absolutely hid from left handed pitching for his entire tenure.
  • The Brewers Devin Williams has only given up 3 runs in his MLB career and they are all off the Pirates bats. Colin Moran touched him for a solo shot last season and Polanco got him for his two run jack tonight.

The Revolving Door Of Roster Projections and Suggestions

For anyone that has seen the movie Elf with Will Ferrell, you will probably recall the scene where he runs around in the revolving doors, comes out to the trash can, throws up and proceeds to go right back for more. If you haven’t, you can probably just imagine the times you have gone in a set with a sibling, friend or cousin, and they stopped it on purpose to make you slam up against the glass in front of you or pushed it so fast that it’s hard to keep up.

To me these few scenarios are a perfect analogy of what is happening in discussions about roster decisions for the Pirates right now, with very little of it being caused by the injury of Ke’Bryan Hayes. Much of it stems back to lack of depth at the outfield positions, including the trading of Starling Marte without a clear plan to fill the void in center or left if you moved Bryan Reynolds.

Don’t get me wrong I still believe that trading Marte was the correct decision, it’s just that this move led to some pretty precarious situations in the short term; the Jarrod Dyson signing with the Pirates because their isn’t much out there and failed Cole Tucker Outfield Experiment. Even after a full off- season Pittsburgh has been left with the current Alford/Fowler situation; although I don’t totally blame Cherington for this because I believed that Brian Goodwin would perform better than he did or at least well enough to make it more of a competition. Nevertheless, it is the situation that he and the Pirates are left with; and one that fans like to try to solve, while just putting a similar bandaid on the situation.

Since Phillip Evans had started hitting many people, including myself, have tried to find a full time landing spot in the lineup. Left field is often thrown out as the easiest solution, even though it is a well known fact that this is one of the toughest positions to play at PNC Park; and guess what Phillip Evans isn’t, an outfielder. Neither is Wilmer Difo for that matter. Sure they have that ability in their toolbox, but it is one that is to be used in a utility, not regular, role; although it’s one of the reasons why they are on the roster over other players like Troy Stokes Jr., who actually is one. Right field is the more obvious answer and it has been since little league. Where do you hide your worst defensive outfielder? Right field of course. But, there is a guy there already, who shows us glimpses of why the team isn’t ready to give up on him just yet.

But wait, now Jared Oliva’s back on the scene, fresh from Florida, new swing in tow and on the taxi squad for the nine game road trip. Is he the immediate answer? I would go that far just yet. As a fan of Oliva’s I would like nothing more than to see him jump in and take the position, however I don’t think I am wrong in being concerned about his current abilities. It might serve him better to get back up to speed at the AAA level, rather than being thrown into fire immediately. He does have the benefit of being on the 40-man, a spot that isn’t in any danger, even if centerfield at PNC isn’t in the current plans. No reason to rush the decision, unless he is fully ready to take the field everyday, because right now the active roster has enough fourth outfielders and utility men; including the previously indicated options of Alford, Fowler, Difo and Evans. And not to mention Eric Gonzalez, or even Brian Goodwin.

With all of these names being thrown around and in the mix, it really confuses me that some are still bringing up Todd Frazier as an option on the bench. No one is arguing that Difo, Alford, Fowler and the like are better than Frazier, and honestly none of that really matters. Frazier plays two positions, ones already held down; especially with Hayes almost fully recovered and ready to return from his IL stint. How many at bats could one reasonably expect him to get once Hayes returns, as Moran has shown the ability to hold down first base on more than a platoon basis? His signing was a nice insurance one, in case of a more long term injury or poor play, but it doesn’t really seem necessary to keep holding on at this point.

Also he doesn’t play the position they really need help at; in the outfield.

Pirates Fall As Keller Gets Tagged By The Padres

Following an effective and efficient outing by Mitch Keller on Saturday, Pirates Fans were looking for much of the same from the young right-handed starter this afternoon. Unfortunately these hopes were quickly washed away by a flood of hard contact from the San Diego Padres from the words play ball. After five hits, that included a single, three doubles and a Manny Machado two run homer, Keller and the Pirates quickly found themselves down 4-0. In top of the second things only got worse as a double, a walk, a wild pitch and a single equaled two more San Diego runs. After all was said and done Keller’s day ended with a line of 7 earned runs on 7 hits, 3 walks and 1 strike out on 81 pitches across 3.1 innings.

With the bats, Pittsburgh experienced some success, but couldn’t seem to string enough hits together to get back into the game; even as the Pirates mostly reliable bullpen kept the Friars from completely blowing things open.

In the end, the result was a series split as the Pirates fell to the Padres on a chilly afternoon at PNC Park 8-3.

News and Notes:

  • Just when I thought it could be time to stop being concerned about Keller, a rough outing like this gets the wheels turning again. For example this game pitching in the zone did not seem to be a problem, at least in the beginning, as 51 of his 83 pitches went for strikes. The real issue seemed to be sequencing and execution of the curve, slider and fastball.
  • Anthony Alford got his first hit of the season on a pinch hit 68.7 MPH single, in his 20th at bat of the season. I don’t mean to be a complete downer, but this realistically doesn’t change my opinion of what the Pirates should do with Alford when Ke’Bryan Hayes returns from injury.
  • Colin Moran continued his strong start to the season with a 2 for 4 day. He is really seeing the ball well and is taking it to all parts of the park.
  • I can’t help but continue to worry about Kevin Newman. By in large his defense has been above average, but at the plate, most balls are smacked directly in the ground; causing him to use his speed to try to leg out infield singles or beat a double play.
  • If the Padres left fielder, Tucupita Marcano , didn’t drop a Bryan Reynolds’ line drive the game could very easily have been 8-1.

Tomorrow the Pirates travel to Milwaukee to take on the Brew Crew for a three game weekend series. For Pittsburgh, JT Brubaker (1-0, 1.93 ERA) will take the mound against Adrian Houser (1-1, 1.80 ERA), to begin a nine game road trip.

Pirates, Anderson Spoil Musgrove Homecoming with 5-1 Victory

As sloppy as yesterday’s ballgame was, that’s how tight this contest was played. Joe Musgrove and Tyler Anderson started out for the second lopsided on paper matchup in as many days.

Yesterday Chad Kuhl and Blake Snell traded brutal outings and neither club recovered from the feeling of disarray. Tonight both starters laid the framework for tightened up and professional looking ball.

Tyler Anderson went 5.1 with a couple of walks and two very well timed stikeouts surrendering only one earned run.

Joe Musgrove only lasted 4 innings surrendering one run on Gregory Polanco solo shot over the Clemente Wall. The Pirates set out to continue to be a pesky team at the plate forcing Joe’s pitch count out of control and ultimately stunting his outing.

In the third game of the series the Pirates have put the Padres in a situation where they can ill afford to get into the pen early again tomorrow in the series finale.

News & Notes

  • I’m picturing Derek Shelton and Ben Cherington with one of those giant dice from the Price is Right covered in the names Fowler and Alford to decide who goes. If they’re going to keep Difo the lefty – righty thing hardly matters and the way both of them look at the plate it’s hard to say either deserve much more time. Maybe they can erase a couple of the Fowler blocks after his 1 out single in the 8th.
  • Gregory Polanco 2 for 2 with 2 walks and a home run tonight. Not much to dislike from what he did tonight, he actually looked very in tune at the plate. Nice to see a guy sit for a couple days and respond. Yes I know he stinks, he doesn’t matter, just let him have a night ok.
  • Duane Underwood allowed his inherited runner to score when he came in to replace Tyler Anderson but he shut the door after that completing 1.2 innings of work with 3 strikeouts. Really nice outing from Underwood Jr, with leverage on his plate.
  • The Pirates turned to Sam Howard in the 8th, clearly back end of the pen roles have not been defined, it’s like a carousel thus far. We’ve seen just about everyone get a crack at almost every position in the pen with the exception of closing out a game, which of course has gone to Richard Rodriguez. Howard would deliver a 1-2-3 8th.
  • The Padres are a good baseball team, but without Tatis it’s hard to see just how good. Compared to the Dodgers, it’s hard to imagine they don’t fall short, I think they need an outfield bat and maybe a second baseman. And no, I don’t think Frazier is the answer.
  • The wooers at PNC are the only thing I didn’t miss from having no fans in the stands.
  • Because Shelton was reading my notes before the game was over he double crossed me and went to Stratton for the save in the 9th.
  • Adam Frazier posts a 3 hit game none bigger than his 2 run single in the 8th.
  • Phillip Evans looked human tonight. 0 for 4 with a walk and 2 K’s. Nothing to be alarmed over, he didn’t have many non competitive at bats.
  • The Pirates have opened the home schedule 4-2 with an overall record of 5-7 on the young season. This isn’t the same as being a couple games under .500 in July, but for a team many predicted to lose 120 games, I’d say it’s a fair showing. I’ve said it all along, bad, not historically bad.
  • The win tonight guarantees no worse than a series split against the Padres but the Bucs go for the series win tomorrow afternoon.

Big Joe Returns – With Memories and Second Guesses

Joe Musgrove was a good pitcher here in Pittsburgh. Well, by the end he was a good pitcher. The road to that moniker, ‘good’, was a familiar one for Pirates fans. We’ve watched countless prospects or trade pieces come to the Pirates and start out slow or at the very least take more time than we hoped to blossom.

Joe was a bit different than that, because at every stage of this process he would show you what was there. He’d put it all together sometimes for one great night and he looked like a young Justin Verlander with less velocity.

Bottom line, the Pirates traded what had become a good pitcher for a bunch of prospects and David Bednar who I guess you could also still consider a prospect as well. Because we’re Pirates fans, of course he pitched a no-hitter almost immediately for his new home.

Of course the Pirates and Padres were scheduled for an oddball early season West Coast team matchup.

And of course, Joe Musgrove did the whole “we weren’t far off from being a competitive team” jig and the “We would have enjoyed to stay here and try to compete as a group” referring to himself, Jameson Taillon, Josh Bell and Adam Frazier.

Most of this is standard fare for athletes returning to town. What some read as a dig to Pirates management, I saw as more about a player who genuinely embraced the city and culture of Pittsburgh wanting to make sure his fans and former fans knew leaving wasn’t his choice.

I’m not even going to punt him around for pretending those four players he was referring to including himself were actually close to putting together a winning team.

Here’s why, he isn’t wrong. This team could have kept everyone they moved, Ben Cherington himself has said they had to budget to keep them together if he so chose.

He’s not wrong to assume the team could have been better.

See, that’s not the goal though.

The goal is championships.

I get it I’m writing about the Pirates and I actually said out loud the goal is to win a championship. Look, I’m a fan too, I read a ton of Pirates content. Rarely does anyone mention a championship. We talk about good. We talk about winning a playoff series. Division championships I’ve heard for sure.

But when it comes to talking about the goal of winning a World Series Championship it’s something most fans or writers won’t broach because it comes across as the ramblings of a mad man.

If the goal were to be better and try to sneak into the playoffs, Joe and company had a point, that goal was in sight. He’s dead on that injuries got in the way.

But if he’s honest, I mean really honest, Joe also knows that he himself probably wouldn’t have accepted a moderate extension offer. Joe knows beyond a shadow of doubt Josh Bell wouldn’t have, at least his agent wouldn’t. Joe knows that Jameson staying healthy for the remainder of his contract wasn’t a given and what it would do to them “getting better” if he didn’t.

The stated goal is a championship.

That can’t be done the way the Pirates were headed. There was almost no impact prospect aside from a sparing few and on top of that what they had wasn’t enough. This would have required something else being brought in. See the outfield you see today is still the outfield that would be here unless they did something.

I’m also not sure how a new GM who presides over the team with the worst record in baseball returns the same team with a smile and assurance they were “close”.

The plan was for a near total teardown. Anyone with less than 3 years left of team control on the table. This was done to target high ceiling prospects and to develop the prospects they already had.

You can feel it won’t work, or that Nutting won’t spend when he is asked, or that they had more than I put forward, but you can’t deny this was the plan. It’s been stated, it’s been pushed, it’s been executed in part.

It’s emotional when former players return, especially players like Joe. As I said, he was just starting to put it together, and being a late bloomer on the mound isn’t a great fit for Pittsburgh. I would have been a proponent of extending Joe so the team had some veteran presence for the rotation, but when I look around at what the Pirates had to move to get the much needed prospect depth I can’t say the bridge I’d want him to provide would lead anywhere.

The bottom line is I don’t buy what Joe was selling, as much as I know the actual team in 2021 would be far better than it is. Because I want more than a dropped ball in a Wild Card game, I want it all.

Maybe that makes me an idealistic fool, but I’ve followed this team my entire life and I’ve never seen them try to build like this. Everything in me says this is the only way to overcome the system and give this franchise a shot.

I’ve called for this type of build for years, even as Andrew McCutchen helped bring them out of the dark ages with almost no depth behind him in the system. And after the previous regime traded for ready to play talent and further bankrupted the system it became even more clear this was the only real path forward.

All we needed was someone willing to push the plunger and stop believing they were “close”.

These years of a build aren’t fun for most, I get that. It’s not as much fun, it’s not as exciting, but it is the right way to go.

Unless one night in a Buctober long ago was enough for you, wish Joe and the others well and stop pining for a return to “close”.

Stop buying into impossible rotations of people who were traded for one another.

This is the plan. It’s not changing. It’s already in motion. You don’t have to enjoy the journey as I do, I fully admit I’m weird, but if it works, I guarantee you’ll like the destination.

Pirates Outlast The Padres

In a first inning pitcher’s duel Chad Kuhl prevailed by only allowing two runs, on a leadoff home run and a bases loaded walk; while Blake Snell was chased by the Pirates thanks to some two out magic from back to back doubles off the bats of Jacob Stallings and Erik Gonzalez. Unfortunately he wasn’t unable to qualify for the win as he only made it through 3.2 innings after a throwing error, a wild pitch, five more walks two more earned runs.

Luckily for Pittsburgh their hitters arrived to salvage the win, or at least most of them did. Kevin Newman collected two hits in the leadoff spot, Bryan Reynolds added two of his own and the aforementioned tandem of Stallings and Gonzalez had three a piece. Even Colin Moran got in on the action with a pinch hit RBI single. On the opposite end of the spectrum Wilmer Difo and Anthony Alford-both potential DFA candidates when Ke’Bryan Hayes returns from the IL-combined for seven strikeouts in nine at bats.

As far as the Pirates bullpen was concerned they also outperformed the Padres, although it wasn’t always pretty outside of the 14 pitch two strikeout performance from Chris Stratton; who earned the win in Pittsburgh’s 8-4, 4 hour and 7 minute victory over the Padres.

News and Notes:

  • Jacob Stallings has been a pretty clutch over the past couple of seasons; hitting .472 with 19 RBIs in 35 opportunities with runners in scoring position.
  • The Pirates pitchers combined for 13 walks and 6 strikeouts. On any level that is cause for concern.
  • There were seven hit batsmen between the two ball clubs; including Phillip Evans and Jorge Mateo were both hit twice.
  • Kevin looked a lot more comfortable hitting in the leadoff spot. I would consider keeping him there, even when they are not facing a lefty.
  • I realize RichRod has only pitched 4.1 innings this year, but in this limited work he has looked extremely competent; allowing only two base runners and striking out five.

The Pirates and Padres are halfway through the four game series, as Joe Musgrove (2-0, 0.00 ERA) officially return to PNC Park, fresh off his no-hitter, to take on Tyler Anderson (0-0, 5.23 ERA) at 6:35 PM EST.