The NL wildcard has really heated up and now the AL wildcard is getting interesting with the Tigers just 1.5 games behind the Twins, and the Mariners only 2 back.
"The one thing about this Pirates team is that they fight until the last out."
-Kevin Young
Do we have evidence that they're better than any other team in this regard? I did a quick check of the other NL Central teams simply going with BR's comeback wins. We have 28, the Reds 26, the Cards 28, the Cubs 31, and the Brewers 37.
Other NL teams that are within a game or two of us are the Nats with 35 comeback wins and the Giants with 34 comeback wins.
So is that really "the one thing about this Pirates team"? (Note, I like KY but I'm weary of the baseless cheerleading from the booth.)
Sure looks like just the opposite. The Pirates have prattled throughout the Cherington Era of Failure that they're "competing" and that they're always "in the games." The last month or so, it hasn't seemed like that at all. Most of their losses were pretty much over by the middle innings. They seem to be playing mainly for the season to end.
Sad to see about 1/3 the comments on a Skenes game thread a month and a half after the deadline. And most of these are rightfully negative. I turned the game off after Skenes was done. There was no point in watching offensive futility any longer.
Kittredge is one of those pitchers who has over-achieved! I mean he looks like he's had too much to drink, has a bad back, and can barely lift his lead leg to throw towards the plate. Not to mention the homeless person beard.
It's actually impressive that GMBC managed to somehow downgrade from Suwinski in RF by giving up 2 prospects. David Littlefield stands in awe at this type of inept prowess as Bryan de la Cruz tells Matt Morris, "hold my beer!""
I think if we had a baseball guy as president or an owner who cared about winning, Cherington would be out after the season. Even Cherington acknowledged that they need to do better faster, but there is nobody above him that will hold him accountable.
The trade deadline stuff should be the icing on the cake. The idiot gave up a slew of legitimate prospects to pick up Yorke, a 7.5 million guaranteed contract, and a pile of irrelevant spare parts. This can't continue... trading away legitimate major-leaguers for rule 5 eligible riff-raff... drafting like garbage... not developing any hitters... not having any legitimate prospects for years from Latin America... and now trading away the few legitimate prospects that they have for a pile of junk.
But, reason to believe that he will have to sacrifice Derek Shelton after 5 years of ineptitude. We add almost 6 WAR of Rookie SP to the Rotation, and Cruz comes back from losing almost all of 2023 and we are still 8 games under .500 when the WC teams are around 13 games above .500. Adding a lot of quality and being further away from competing!
Nutting is a businessman, and somebody has to be sacrificed to save face, salvage the fan support, and show the players that ownership wants to win!
When you look at getting nearly 10 WAR from Skenes, Jones, and Cruz that we didn't have last year, it emphasizes what a poor job Cherington did with the rest of the roster.
Cherington is impressively bad! He's the GM that smarmy lady who inherited the Indians from her dead husband would have employed to run the team out of town for sure.
I think that it is important to observe that Olivares was putting up a 74 OPS+ and that de la Cruz is putting up a 77 OPS+, and that Olivares was a -.9 fWAR player, whereas de la Cruz is only a -1.0 fWAR player in twice as many ABs. So there is some progress here.
It was, but this ump has had a generous strikezone the whole game for both teams. The Cardinals have adjusted. The Pirates... well... they do what they always do.
My favorite part of this Pirates' season has been watching guys like Joe or Grandal watch a center-cut meatball go right by them on the first pitch and then swing at something 2 feet off the plate later in the AB. It is just so hard to hit when you are always behind in the count, and it is the story of this offense that replays night after night.
The NL wildcard has really heated up and now the AL wildcard is getting interesting with the Tigers just 1.5 games behind the Twins, and the Mariners only 2 back.
"The one thing about this Pirates team is that they fight until the last out."
-Kevin Young
Do we have evidence that they're better than any other team in this regard? I did a quick check of the other NL Central teams simply going with BR's comeback wins. We have 28, the Reds 26, the Cards 28, the Cubs 31, and the Brewers 37.
Other NL teams that are within a game or two of us are the Nats with 35 comeback wins and the Giants with 34 comeback wins.
So is that really "the one thing about this Pirates team"? (Note, I like KY but I'm weary of the baseless cheerleading from the booth.)
Sure looks like just the opposite. The Pirates have prattled throughout the Cherington Era of Failure that they're "competing" and that they're always "in the games." The last month or so, it hasn't seemed like that at all. Most of their losses were pretty much over by the middle innings. They seem to be playing mainly for the season to end.
Skenes throwing over to 1B three times caused him the Loss. Maybe only the second time I remember seeing that. Tough loss.
Thank you Pirates. That was thoroughly NOT enjoyable.
Sad to see about 1/3 the comments on a Skenes game thread a month and a half after the deadline. And most of these are rightfully negative. I turned the game off after Skenes was done. There was no point in watching offensive futility any longer.
Kittredge is one of those pitchers who has over-achieved! I mean he looks like he's had too much to drink, has a bad back, and can barely lift his lead leg to throw towards the plate. Not to mention the homeless person beard.
The Cardinal organization has struggled past 2 years and they are still superior to us.
Not that it matters since we can’t score, but nice cleanup of Borucki’s mess by Holderman
From dela Cruz play to IKF play......we get to see the very good with the ugly......nearly every game.
It's actually impressive that GMBC managed to somehow downgrade from Suwinski in RF by giving up 2 prospects. David Littlefield stands in awe at this type of inept prowess as Bryan de la Cruz tells Matt Morris, "hold my beer!""
I think if we had a baseball guy as president or an owner who cared about winning, Cherington would be out after the season. Even Cherington acknowledged that they need to do better faster, but there is nobody above him that will hold him accountable.
The trade deadline stuff should be the icing on the cake. The idiot gave up a slew of legitimate prospects to pick up Yorke, a 7.5 million guaranteed contract, and a pile of irrelevant spare parts. This can't continue... trading away legitimate major-leaguers for rule 5 eligible riff-raff... drafting like garbage... not developing any hitters... not having any legitimate prospects for years from Latin America... and now trading away the few legitimate prospects that they have for a pile of junk.
It should be the icing but it won't be with Williams and Nutting in charge.
But, reason to believe that he will have to sacrifice Derek Shelton after 5 years of ineptitude. We add almost 6 WAR of Rookie SP to the Rotation, and Cruz comes back from losing almost all of 2023 and we are still 8 games under .500 when the WC teams are around 13 games above .500. Adding a lot of quality and being further away from competing!
Nutting is a businessman, and somebody has to be sacrificed to save face, salvage the fan support, and show the players that ownership wants to win!
When you look at getting nearly 10 WAR from Skenes, Jones, and Cruz that we didn't have last year, it emphasizes what a poor job Cherington did with the rest of the roster.
Quite a feat, to put together a team that's unwatchable even with Paul Skenes on the mound.
Cherington is impressively bad! He's the GM that smarmy lady who inherited the Indians from her dead husband would have employed to run the team out of town for sure.
I think that it is important to observe that Olivares was putting up a 74 OPS+ and that de la Cruz is putting up a 77 OPS+, and that Olivares was a -.9 fWAR player, whereas de la Cruz is only a -1.0 fWAR player in twice as many ABs. So there is some progress here.
If he were on a good team he might well be some thing like 15-0 or 14-1….
Borucki is Boroken.
Well per gamecast that was well outside.
It was, but this ump has had a generous strikezone the whole game for both teams. The Cardinals have adjusted. The Pirates... well... they do what they always do.
Andre Pallante...
Career K/9 6.36.
Tonight vs Pirates K/9: 12
I’m so tired of watching these guys strike out again and again and again and again.
They've refined three-true outcome baseball done to two: BB or K.
Right…different story if we were mashing dongs at any reasonable clip…although I personally don’t enjoy that form of baseball.
My favorite part of this Pirates' season has been watching guys like Joe or Grandal watch a center-cut meatball go right by them on the first pitch and then swing at something 2 feet off the plate later in the AB. It is just so hard to hit when you are always behind in the count, and it is the story of this offense that replays night after night.
I'd wager a large sum of money that Haines is gone. Finally.
Love the stones that paul has
I don't love the nibbling tonite.
Generous call on E-6. I think that is a good call by the cards scorer, and will change it to a hit once Cards have a clean hit.