147 Comments

The system is so weird right now. On the one hand, there’s all the high end pitching, especially Skenes and Chandler, plus Barco is off to a great start. On the other hand, the lineups below AAA are really hurting, and with the exception of Lonnie White and maybe Brannigan, the people who need to succeed (Johnson, Polanco, Nolasco) are off to really slow starts. At least Greensboro is winning games, but Bradenton is 1-8.

I don’t know what’s going on with Termarr. Off his performance in big league camp the assumption was he would start the year at Altoona. Well, not only is he at Greensboro, but he’s four for 30 with no extra base hits.

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Nice story on the dad and son who caught the 300th HR ball and turned it over to Cutch. Only Pirate fans in that section

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There’s great video at pirates.com of the father and son giving him the ball, and Cutch’s interaction with them. They didn’t ask for a single thing in return, but Cutch gave them a bat signed over the the kid. Really nice all the way around.

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Nick Kurtz with 2 HR's and 3 walks today. He's been insane the last couple of weeks. JJ Wetherholt with a couple HR's over the weekend.

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I'm holding on to hope that Montgomery will be there at 9 but he's definitely playing his way up the board

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Montgomery's my favorite realistic pick. I think Condon, Bazzana, Wetherholt and Kurtz will go before pick 9. It's still a while to go but Jac, Montgomery, Smith, Burns and the prep Griffin look like the realistic players to be available at the 9 spot, but which one, who knows lol.

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Congrats to Cutch...

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Just watched the end of the brewers-Os game and the announcers said it was the 96th straight series that the Orioles did not get swept. That seems remarkable to me.

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I just realized, though, that there is a huge caveat to this that evidently the O's announcers chose not to mention--they were swept by the Rangers in the postseason last year ;)

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I always used to think that winning or sweeping series was the key to a season, but im growing to think I have undervalued how important it is to not get swept- even just the mental win of knowing you didnt go and get dominated every game

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I wonder if how a team does in the final games of series is a useful measure of the quality of the manager. It would seem easy for the players to start looking ahead, especially on get-away games, but the manager needs to keep the team focused. That might be especially true when the series is lost and the team is just trying to salvage a game.

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How much ground does that cover though? This year and last year where they won 101 games. That’s gotta be…60 series? And then in 2022 they won 80-odd games. Still impressive though.

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Even the best teams, though, will have a bad series like when we swept the Dodgers in '22. I've never heard that stat tracked, but it struck me as impressive which is probably why their broadcasters noted it 3-4 times as they closed out the game.

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That’s a good point. As good or great as the dodgers and Braves have been, they haven’t done it

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Well they got through a tough stretch at 5-4 and should have been 6-3. So far so good.

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Whoop whoop!! Raise it!!! 11 down and 146 to go!!

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Not many days you’ll win comfortably with 15 strikeouts from the lineup. I’ll take it though 👍

I think there is blessings and curse both wrapped into the season opening philosophy of working counts, working rotations and seeing a crap ton of pitches. In some ways and times it has helped….other times it just means they’re watching grooved pitches early in counts then having to take protect swings against crap pitches once they are in a hole.

I think it’s one of those things they may have to chess-match with a little bit. Every now and then, whether for a couple innings at a time or a couple games, just come swinging. Then back to patient. Can’t afford to let the league have any type of 100% book on you for any habit, good or bad, methinks.

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The league average rate of swinging at pitches in the zone is 65%.

Your 2024 Pittsburgh Pirates have swung at 63.5% of pitches in the zone.

I promise you, absolutely promise you, opposing clubs aren’t zeroing in on one and a half pitches for every hundred.

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10 of those strike outs came from 3 guys, lol.

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Split series in philly honestly feels like a huge win in my book

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With Bednar bouncing back, Jack’s granny, and Cutch’s milestone, it will be a happy bus ride to NYC.

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Yep. The Phillies are skuffling a bit right now, with Harper and some others still trying to find their form, but any time that you beat Wheeler, it is a legitimate win.

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Good win today especially when your 1-2 hitters go 0-10 with 6k's, lol

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Agree, and we've been in every game so far this season. Love the competitive baseball we're playing.

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Seven runs coming from 3 homers. Who'd thunk it.

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The lumber company is coming out

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Three outcome team.

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Reverse jinx from the guy bitching about the hitters with averages less than .200. 4 runs and 6 rbis from Cutch and Suwinski.

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Hell yeah cutch, congrats to a pittsburgh hero!

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I'm glad the 300 suspense is over. Congrats Cutch!

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Absolutely! Glad he notched it, since you just never know…. Would have been a little storybookier yet if it could have been at PNC, but can’t win em all. 🙂

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Milestone for Cutch

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300

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Good shit ke

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