146 Comments

What a game! Takeaways:

1. We scored 5 runs! That's a win.

2. How does Cruz not score on a soft single to RF by Alika in the 2nd? Answer: He's a horrible base-runner. That's one run we didn't score.

3. Telez holds the ball too long as Contreras is

hung up betw 2nd and 3rd. His throw is too late,

Contreras scores on next hitter or two. That's one

run that Brewers shouldn't have scored.

4. BRey misses catch in RF. Why is he wearing sun glasses on a cloudy gray day? Ball hit his glove, very catchable. Another run Brewers shouldn't have scored.

5. Jack makes great catch in LF except ball comes out after sliding on ground. That's another run that Brewers would not have scored.

6. Gary Sanchez HR in 8th was the play of the game of course. He deserves a Lot of credit to hit Chapman's 102 OPPO field! Hard to blame Chapman, he was throwing gas on the paint.

In hindsight, 4 FB's in a row is going to eventually get hit. He should have shown Sanchez a slider or offspeed during the AB. Keep him honest.

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Welp.

*

The Stump Is Gone.

*

I've had some crazy stuff going on around here and as soon as I lose my focus, WHAM, the Buccos plummet back to some form of normalcy.

Got a few things to say though. Bullpen game the other day looked prospectively good. Watch that. It'll happen again.

*

And it's time for THREE DAYS WORTH OF CARROTS ON THE HOUSE!!!!

The Pirates have 13 down. And 68 to go.

They have sunk to .500 and are in 4th place, 4 games out of first.

from 4/14's win 9-2 vs. the Phils:

@> One Carrot for Cutch for making it 300 in Philadelphia

@>@> Two for Mike Wazowski for the granny.

@>@>@> Three Carrots for Keller for a 7 inning quality start

from 4/22's 4-2 win over the Brewers

@> One for Cruz, finally on the board going 3 for 4 with a double

@>@> Two for Cutch, who is startin' to simmer, going 3 for 4 with his second homer

@>@>@> Three for J.Jones who is juuuust filthy

from the 4/23 win (2-1) over the Brewers

@> One Carrot for the bullpen, accepting tonight's vegetable portion is David Bednar, who appears to be back.

@>@> Two more for Cutch, who went 2 for 4 with anudder homer.

@>@>@> Three Carrots for Bailey Falter, who looks something of a find with 7 strong innings of 1 run baseball on 3 hits and 8 strikeouts.

The Carrot Tally So Far:

Falter 9

Joe. 7

Jones. 6

Gonzales. 6

Cutch. 5

Keller. 5

Ortiz. 4

Tellez. 4

Chapman. 3

B.Rey. 3

M. Perez. 3

Flemming. 3

Bednar. 2

R.Ryan. 2

Suwinski. 2

Davis. 2

Bart. 2

Williams. 2

Cruz. 1

Contraras. 1

Hernandez. 1

Oliveras. 1

Hayes. 1

Triolo. 1

What it all means, I just don't know. Call it Wabbit-Metrics!

-------------------------------------------------

" A rooty! A tooty! A ruta! A zoota! And a 'What's Cookin' Doc?"

-Wabbit

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Hudson Head is a puzzle. Hitting .147 with an .841 OPS. Someone send this kid to a hitting guru to help him make slightly better contact. I'd take a 3TO guy from him if he can hit ~.210 with a big OPS number.

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Forget Hudson Head, what’s Sammy Siani gotta do to get some attention?!

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Keep hitting. Avoid Ks.

Up until this season, Siani has had a disconcertingly bad K rate. Now, you don't really sweat that with a 5th rounder in high-A. But, it also doesn't score him too many points just because he had a good month.

If he sustains it through draft time, then Siani would be a logical promotion to Altoona once people start bumping up to make room.

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Oh shit! I hadn't caught his name in the box score to catch his numbers. Hope that keeps up. Why only 40 ABs though?

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No clue, haven't read his name mentioned yet anywhere!

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On “happier?” news, just bought tickets to the Sunday game and Jones is scheduled. 5 hour drive and something I’ve never seen before, a $25.75 convenience fee and $3.50 order fee….. not to mentioned that I bought good seats….. I guess this’ll be the only game I’ll catch all year….Hopefully JFJ shoves and Cruz splashes one….

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Cuchina vitale serves the best food in the whole city

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Coming into this series I would’ve been ecstatic to split with the division leading Brewers, but man the series win was right there. Poor defense, shaky bullpen, spotty hitting. Business as usual.

Do you think Joey Bart looks at Henry Davis in the dugout and thinks “it could always be worse.. at least I wasn’t FIRST overall..”

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Another funny quote, in fact the headline at DK's site: "We went for the win." Like it's something they'd never done before.

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Didnt get to watch the game, but seems like Tellez was laughable again. Isnt brandon belt just out hanging waiting to be signed despite an OPS over .800 last year? I know money and shit but the brewers signed gary and hoskins, meanwhile we got tellez and grandal. Vastly different in impact/potential while not all that different in cost

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The Brewers got Gary Sanchez. Tellez and Grandal combined add up to Gaby Sanchez.

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Lol well played

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If Cherington isn't on the phone with Belt right now kicking the tires on what it would take for him to come to Pittsburgh, he needs to be placed in a mental institution.

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I liked CJ Cron 2 and 3 years ago for his power, but am guessing PNC probably wouldn't work for him.

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MLB Trade Rumors suggests that the Red Sox made him an offer the other day as a temporary replacement for Casas. I don't think he has much left, but a couple of years ago, he was good, even given the Colorado stat inflation.

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This is funny:

"Shelton said he doesn’t think Rowdy Tellez’s struggles at the plate are affecting other areas of his game."

Who effing cares? There IS only one area to his game.

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That's too bad because his defense could really benefit from being affected in any way possible.

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He also defended Rowdy for not having his foot on the bag when the throw came right to him. He said Rowdy was making sure the ball didn't get by him. Rowdy should start with his foot on the bag period. Take it off if the throw goes wide. I feel like Shelton thinks we just keep getting dumber and actually believe some of that crap.

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So . . . Pirate first basemen can't be expected to catch the ball and step on the base at the same time? What about walking and chewing gum?

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How can he actually defend what he said with a straight face? So really what Shelton is saying is that Triolo never should have thrown the ball, even though the batter would have been out.

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Just another Shelton comment showing how out of touch he is with reality or he just enjoys trying to gaslight fans.

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Translation... "He is this bad every day.... nothing to see here."

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Well at least Roansy's stuff is playing up in the pen.

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Well 💩. Still 13 down and now 136 to go………on to SF and a new opportunity to get a willing streak going!

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They might be "willing" Bob but just not able to get a streak going, lol.

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Lol! It’s still spring so hoping eternally!!! Maybe Bart will have the series go his life to torture the Giants for letting him loose 😁😁

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A winnable, even sweepable series. Too many blunders and walks kept the door open.

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Very, very sloppy play by both teams... actually. Not impressed with either team and not sure how both are .500 or better at this point in the season.

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Do we all realize that nearly one-quarter of the Pirate’s total 2024 payroll is being spent on four free agent signings? Chapman, Tellez, Taylor and Grandal together make $20.2 million of the total $83 million. Everyone can decide for themselves just how wisely BC has been spending.

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Shelton obviously doesn’t think we can score two in the 9th. I know players like him, but bringing in Contreras is the type of move people used to justify by saying we’re not trying to win.

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It’s kind of difficult when no one in the pen is really pitching well. Even the guys everyone had faith in has looked shaky at best.

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Damn man. This bullpen.

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That was ball 4 MAT

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