Game 110: Cubs 7 Pirates 6

I’m done with Clint Hurdle. Done. I don’t care how much the players like him, I don’t care what kind of great atmosphere he sets in the clubhouse, I don’t care if he’s a quote-a-second machine that the press loves, I’m done.

The Pirates have managed to score in exactly one inning in the last two days. They managed to score in that one inning, because almost the entire rally took place with two outs. Because it took place with two outs, there were no caught stealings, there were no dumb one-out bunts (that’s actually a redundant phrase, “dumb one-out bunts”) and the eighth and ninth hitters were forced to swing the bat and good things happened, because sometimes good things happen when professional baseball players are allowed to play baseball. 

Because of the one fortuitious two-out rally, the Pirates carried a 6-4 lead into the eighth inning. The Pirates have had three relievers that can reliably get big outs in 2011: Joel Hanrahan, Jose Veras, and Chris Resop. Daniel McCutchen started the inning. McCutchen promptly loaded the bases on three batters. Up by two runs, the bases loaded, and nobody out in the eighth inning. If ever a situation existed that called for a shutdown reliever, surely this was it. Jason Grilli entered the game. Aramis Ramirez singled off of Grilli to draw the score to 6-5. Joe Beimel entered the game. He walked Carlos Pena to tie the score at six. Finally after five batters, two runs, and zero outs, Jose Veras entered the game. Veras got a sac fly, a pop-up, and a strike out, but the damage was done and the Cubs had a 7-6 lead that they weren’t going to give up. Joel Hanrahan pitched the ninth inning with a one run deficit.  

Let me reiterate exactly what happened tonight: the Pirates entered the eighth inning with a 6-4 lead. Jose Veras and Joel Hanrahan faced six batters and recorded six outs. The Pirates lost 7-6.

For a week now, Hurdle’s been recklessly bunting and running into outs and mismanaging his bullpen in ways I didn’t even think were previously possible. There’s no reason the Pirates should have lost this game tonight, but they did because Daniel McCutchen and Jason Grilli and Joe Beimel all took the mound before Jose Veras and Joel Hanrahan. The manager should be helping his team win games. Hurdle is actively preventing wins in the middle of the team’s worst stretch of the season. It’s insane and it’s unacceptable and I can’t handle it.