75 Comments

Wild that Skenes is starting. Will probably be some old-timer whining takes dispersed throughout the universe about it.

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He's the newest, hottest thing in baseball. He's got a 100-mph fb, wipeout slider, a splinker, a man's mustache and a smoke show for a GF.

This is the best thing in baseball since ?

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Julio Rodriguez, Corbin Carrol, Wander Franco?

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lol

None of these guys had anywhere near the fanfare of Skenes.

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Wander Franco was the only guy to rank top prospect in baseball two years running ever. Julio last year was the literal face of baseball. I know you like to argue and this is sort of a dumb thing to argue about so I'll leave it at this but those guys were very much _the hottest thing in MLB_ for periods of time until they weren't.

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I agree, it’s silly to argue that Corbin Carroll had as much fanfare as Paul Skenes. lol

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You do you, Catch22. I know you will. You can't help it. Enjoy yourself. It's a gift.

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More like CarroLOL amirite

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Not sure what the heck happened to that dude.

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Yep. Skenes is starting the All-Star game. Break out the bubbly!

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It would be a great day if skenes gets all star starting bid and Ashcraft makes his debut! Has to be him starting tonight right?

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Have a feeling it's going to be Marco. Wish it was Ashcraft.

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Marco was good earlier in the year. Hopefully that’s the version we get.

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I feel like we would have heard he was on the taxi squad or with the team. I’m guessing bullpen game tonight several 2 inning appearances

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Unfortunately, you’re probably right.

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Paul Skenes, All-Star starter.

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Maybe he's earned an update to his BOD photo? Or are y'all thinking he might still get sent back down to Circle City?

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At the game yesterday, I noticed 2 players warming up more than the rest of the team, especially with plenty of sprints getting their legs loose. Palacios and Jack Suwinsiki. Suwinski went 0 for 4 down to a ,181 batting average. He hit a ground ball which would have been a double play for many, but was safe by a fraction of a second. Then he scored the only run of the game from first. I don't care how much you are struggling, sometimes the little things make the difference. Good job Jack.

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Noah Hiles just said on Twitter that Honeywell is getting DFA. I’d imagine it’s for Borucki to return

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Gotta be more than one. They need a starter and Bednar maybe is coming, too.

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What ever happened with German?

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He started in AAA just yesterday or the day before iirc. 5.70ish ERA in AAA though.

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Yeah.. he's been bad, I guess. Anyone catch any of the games? Is he sober, for example?

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Marco probably getting the start tonight.

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After 7 innings of rehab and only giving up 6 runs and 12 baserunners, I guess he has proven himself.

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I'd rather see Ashcraft lol

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I am sure he will be do much better against Major League hitters..........

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Yea I didn’t think of that but that makes sense.

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Honeywell held his onw pretty well the last 2 outings I thought.

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I thought so too. I figured itd be Santana

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Given the way GMBC has managed the bullpen side of the 40-man this season, you can be almost certain that the decision will be a bad one. I have no idea what this fatal attraction to Denis Santana is all about. Seems ridiculous.

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Roansy in over 21 innings with the Angels has an era of 5.06 and FIP of 5.09.

Santana misses bats at an above average rate (27.3%) and has a 3.60 FIP

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Alright... I try to ignore you, but here we go. You always pick some SSS random stat to support being contrarian to everything, and you use different criteria in your SSS every time. Anything to make an argument. Weren't you trying to argue with me before about WAR and pitchers, when I said WAR is not a good measurement for pitchers? Yes... you were your usual obnoxious jerk self. So why not cite WAR for your ridiculous argument this time? Because the SSS WAR for both pitchers doesn't support your point. Weren't you crying the blues when the Pirates DFAed Contreras. Yes... you were (and rightfully so). Now... just to be your usual asshole self... you have decided to pick a fight trying to prove that Santana is somehow better than Contreras. Santana sucks and has for 6 years. Give it up you obnoxious jerk. Stick it in you ass Catch. I'll go back to ignoring you now.

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He saw in in the AL East and that was good enough for Ben. Anyone else notice how many former AL East margins of the roster guys he's snagged?

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Any word on the starting pitcher this evening yet?

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Nope.

There’s nobody available except Fleming or Mlod. Or Fleming AND Mlod. With Priester and Ortiz unavailable for a bulk role, I don’t see how they do this.

I wish they’d go for it and call up Ashcraft. Def hope they don’t call up Marco. No way he’s ready.

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If they are adding a guy, why not Woodford?

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He started two days ago.

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He’s in reserve…sorry.

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Not on the 40 man.

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Marco isn’t either.

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They dfa'd Honeywell

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I'd like to see Ashcraft as well.

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I've been against promoting Ashcraft most of the year but am warming up for a 'get the nerves out of the system' start so when he may be more permanently ready he has already had a taste. I would still want them to say - you will be back in AAA immediately after your start as I do think that is the best place for him for the rest of the year unless he just starts Skening AAA. But given the alternatives and he is already on the 40 man, seems like it might fit. Odds of it happening.. probably about the same as them signing me for a one time old man start.

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Right, just maybe three innings, against a Cherington-level offense. Compared to Marco, who’s clearly not ready, what’s the downside?

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Cherington thinking "Got to give Marco a chance to raise his trade value, besides Crochet is pitching."

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*updated 7/11/24

45 down. 36 to go.

*

Pirates win 1-0 at Milwaukee behind 7 no-hit innings by Baby Skenes and making the most of the only extra base hit of the night. Bucs are in third place, 2.5 games back of the wild card discussion.

*

CARROTS ON THE HOUSE!!!!

*

@> One for Mike Wazowski for getting on base and scoring from first on…

@> One for Granny for driving in Wazowski with a 7th inning double…

@> One for ChapMan for saving it.

@>@>@> Three (3) bushels of baby carrots for Baby Skenes who is in rare historical company. 7 no hit innings. 11 k. 1 bb. Dude is a monster.

*

This is the first loss of a home series in quite some time for Milwaukee, so there are good signs, but it was still two steps forward and one step back. We need to at least start putting together series wins if we’re not gonna go on an outright tear.

*

End of the day, this is still a really fun team to watch and you have a chance to win every day. And with the pitching we’ve got on the shelf - Ashcraft, Bednar, Burrows, Falter, Jones, Stratton, with longer term injuries like Oviedo, Moreta, Gonzales and Broucki - I feel like the future is bright enough.

________________________

“Widdow Hen, I say, I say, I need your love to keep me warm!”

Wabbit

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BA has a two hour podcast up on Spotify regarding the draft with Badler and co. Their discussion on the Bucs and what they’re hearing/opinions is right around the 57 minute mark.

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They're convinced the Pirates want a HS bat, so they think Griffin or Rainer. They're very skeptical the Pirates would want Kurtz, although they seem to think it'd make sense.

The key consideration here is that the HS guys will need a lot of development and the Pirates can't develop hitters.

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Much of it depends on what falls to them. I’ve seen three mocks have three different picks for them: Kurtz, Rainier, Montgomery.

One common theme from discussions the write ups are bats. Given their recent success with arms, I’d be pretty curious with Yesavage if he’s there. And I share your concern with prep bats; Griffin strikes me as an Elijah Greene type.

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Griffin has indeed been compared to Greene. Much concern about this hitting ability and specifically his lack of control of the strike zone.

I’m disappointed if indeed the Bucs are dismissing Kurtz. But this draft is really hard to project at #9 because the mix above them seems so random with teams able to go in many different directions with this draft class.

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Griffin is an unseasoned Honeycutt.

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So…wild honey?

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Raw Honey but Wild Honey would do..

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I wonder if the new farm director is influencing this pick. in a round dominated by college bats, they go with a high school hitter? definite change there

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But Cherington sure would like to give it a try so he can prove how clever he is.

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Man am I rooting hard for Richard Ramirez to make it just for the cringe worthy nicknames. Personally I’m going with Richard “Serial Killer of Baseballs” Ramirez.

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We've already got Grandal shooting serial killer vibes all over

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Night prowler, AC/DC as he walk up song.

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I was using the Pitch Stalker.

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oh, man.

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I'm rooting for him to make because the system needs a good 1B.

The "First Base Stalker" doesn't sound very menacing.

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Hard to say anything more about Paul Skenes, but he just keeps proving what a great 1-1 he was last year. This is the time of year where BC shines - the Draft:

2020 - Gonzales, Mlod, Jared Jones

2021 - Bubba, Solo, LW, Jr.

2022 - TJ, Harrington, Barco, Brannigan, Michael Kennedy, Derek Diamond

2023 - Skenes, Mueth, Reed, Reilly, Woods

Throw in the trade last year to get Bailey Falter.

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no tank?

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Tank tanked.

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I have not given up on Davis. The guy could always hit. He was rushed through the system, injured quite a bit, and then the Pirates change him into a right fielder at the major league level. Absolutely criminal.

If he stays healthy and gets his confidence back, he will hit. Plus he is a catcher (for now) and they almost always take longer to develop. Whether he can do that in the Pirates organization or elsewhere, it’s unclear. But I think he will.

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Jul 12·edited Jul 12

but we tanked that season so that we could pick him

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I've said this before (re-run post), but tanking is the easiest thing, least accountable, and any poor or worse GM can do it, however, it got the Pirates Skenes with just a tad of luck. If they were not tanking they would not have been tied for the third worst record which provided pretty good odds for the top pick. So .. Tank tanking or not at this point if you assume (bad assumption?) to get a generational talent you have to draft high or get lucky (hello Trout), then maybe it was all worth it. I'll get back to you in 5 or 6 years when hopefully this GM or a replacement turns this luck into a championship.

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Anybody know why Chandler went only two innings a couple days ago?

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He has a baby calf and had to take it on an emergency visit to the Vet.

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Good old fashioned fear. Same reason Skenes wasn’t allowed to get the last 6 outs yesterday.

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I read that it's because he was selected to pitch in the Futures game in a few days.

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Probably limiting his innings since he is pitching Sunday at the futures game

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in which he will only pitch one inning in that game

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It's a big thing to these guys.

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