113 Comments

I hope they get no hit 2-3 more times down this stretch. I hope zero season tickets get sold this offseason. I hope Nutting actually finally loses some money next season. Fuck this team.

Expand full comment

It’s imperative to understand that Pirates ownership views the franchise as a family entertainment company with a ball club appended to it. Their theory of profitability is have a nice venue for families to come out for pierogie races, bobble heads, and fireworks night. Their target customer is someone who wanders around the ballpark ordering hot dogs and ice cream, brings their dog for Dog Night so they can have Fido wear a Paul Skenes mustache and take pictures to upload to their Instagram.

This isn’t me talking shit. The team president said as much in an interview with The Athletic.

Contrast this “business model” with the current paradigm that informs Wrigleyville, the Battery in Atlanta, and what Middleton is investing in around CBP in Philly, where a winning, or at least competitive, ball club is the draw to get people to come down to the sports district for even greater entertainment spending at various hotels, casinos, restaurants, and bars.

Financially as well as baseball-wise, other MLB clubs are playing chess; the Pirates are playing Connect 4.

Expand full comment

THIS 👆

Expand full comment

When you view the team through this lens, a lot of their “baseball” decisions start to make sense.

Expand full comment

Not even Connect 4. They're playing Candy Land!

Expand full comment

Chutes and ladders reminds Bob more of profits go up and to the right so he prefers that one.

Expand full comment

Stop this candy land slander!

Expand full comment

Holy shit! I didn't even pay an ounce of attention and they go a single error from a perfecto?! What a pathetic ballclub. A's will be in the playoffs before this bunch will be.

Expand full comment

that´s it

thats got to be it

changes coming tonight

Expand full comment

Big changes!! MAT is scheduled to pitch in the next game!!

Expand full comment

What changes? Shelton pretty much had to throw German because BC didn't give him another option. And they just won a road series regardless of being no-hit.

If it hasn't happened by now, it's not happening tonight.

Expand full comment

When there's empathy for Sheltie's situation, it's not great.

Expand full comment

Oh please they have no shame.

Expand full comment

So Cruz didn’t run that out. Bench him! That is so unacceptable especially in that situation. Love the talent, hate the attitude.

Such an embarrassing loss and last week that 18-8 pie in the face was just as bad.

BC needs to look in the mirror. That’s three no-hitters in 4 years against us BTW. Absolutely unacceptable.

Expand full comment

So completely fitting of this team.

Expand full comment

That right there has to be completely unacceptable. He just took the no-hitter like he had no choice in the matter. I wouldn't bench him. I'd have him out taking fly balls in CF for three hours tomorrow and gap every one of them so he has to run

Expand full comment

Please no hit us!!

Expand full comment

Third appearance for Rowdy in 12 days. I think that says it all about being an uncompetitive team in year 5. Flat out joke, flat out embarrassing. Does Nutting want to be bothered though, with press conferences for new GM, new manager......nah, the status quo is more comfortable for him.

Expand full comment

Why should Nutting be bothered? He is a business man not a sports fan. As long as he is banking millions, and he is, he will continue to not care.

Expand full comment

tonight´s the night to fire shelton if they no hit us

Expand full comment

Tellez pitching so much may be amusing, but it shows what a clown show the Pirates are. This is not a major league team.

Expand full comment

So true! Just a failure from the top on down. Everyone in this organization should be ashamed but I know that's not the case.

Expand full comment

If Shelton had any awareness of this he would not have brought Tellez in. I would have sent a message to my team by bringing in my best option to make sure they knew we weren’t quitting and had no intention of being a laughingstock.

Expand full comment

Derek Shelton has been a laughingstock his entire life.

Expand full comment

Right? They shouldn't be overusing their best bullpen arm like this!

Expand full comment

Nice night for Hank........hit a couple foul pop ups to the catcher. I'm seeing no improvement nor any difference in his approach after being down in AAA. Maybe someone will ask BC what did Indy accomplish.

Expand full comment

Found him a lighter bat, apparently.

Expand full comment

Should be another crackerjack postgame from Shelton. We have to play better. We need to execute better. We have to put this behind us. Imanaga was really sharp. German wasn't locating his pitches. The weather was against us. Blippetty blippetty blippetty blippetty blippetty.

Expand full comment

How about Shelton stepping up to the mic and says, I quit!!!!

Expand full comment

Maybe Skenes finish 3rd in the rookie of the year vote and he won’t gain a year. I know, I’m an awful, selfish fan.

Expand full comment

That would be nice, but I’ve decided the silver-lining to losing a year is the greater sense of urgency it would hopefully create.

Expand full comment

There will be no sense of urgency from these goobers ever.

Expand full comment

He still leads in WAR by a fair amount. It’s funny that popular opinion seems to be going toward the two Jackson’s but Skenes’ WAR is 5.1 the other 2 are under 4.

Expand full comment

As of right now, the bWAR/fWAR on each is:

Merrill 3.5/4.2 = 7.7

Chourio 3.5/3.7 = 7.2

Skenes 5.1/3.3 = 8.4

Going forward, if we assume Skenes only goes 5 innings per start while the Jacksons keep raking, they should both overtake Paul.

Expand full comment

There aren’t that many games left. Why are you assuming they would overtake him? Sure, if Skenes falters, but if he keeps pitching well even in only 3 or 4 more starts, seems to me he would still lead.

Expand full comment

On May 31, Merrill's fWAR was 0.8 and Chourio's was 0.0. So they've earned 3.4 and 3.7 fWAR respectively in 3 months. Both could be over 5 by end of season.

Skenes was 0.7. He's earned an additional 2.6 fWAR in that same period. He might earn an additional 0.7 or 0.8, but unlikely more than that. So his fWAR ceiling is about 4.

I don't know how voters will use bWAR vs fWAR, but if both Jacksons are around 5 and Skenes at 4, I imagine that will be very meaningful.

Expand full comment

Why the wide disparity between BR and Fangraphs? That’s kind of crazy.

And why are you dismissing BR and only using FWAR?

Expand full comment

fWAR uses FIP for pitchers in WAR, while bWAR doesn’t. So bWAR is based on results, and fWAR is based on projections. fWAR thinks Skenes results are better than they should be.

Expand full comment

I'm following online now. Were both of those sixth inning errors legit, or was there a little no-hitter saving going on?

Expand full comment

I’d say legit. On the first IKF would have been out if the throw hadn’t pulled the first baseman off the bag. On the second, Paredes may have gotten an in-between hop but the ball went in and out of his glove.

Expand full comment

Thanks! (for some reason I can't like posts on here, but I would have if I could)

Expand full comment

Will for you.

Expand full comment

Can you also like your post to me? Thanks in advance

Expand full comment

So much for winning the season series.

Expand full comment

I actually hope we are no-hit tonight. It would be the perfect punishment for throwing that out there tonight. MAT is a great guy but he is finished. German is finished. Don’t tell me the team is going all out when the roster proves the management is not going all out.

Expand full comment

When this game was TBD I hoped that Michael Burrows would be making this start. Ironically, I would have been fine if he gave up seven runs over three innings

Expand full comment