In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates
An annoying game
Last night the Pirates lost a tough game to the San Diego Padres 5-4 in a game the ended after 2am Pittsburgh time. It was an annoying game where once again the Pirates had opportunities to score a lot of runs, but the RISP problems struck again.
The most pivotal moment in the game may have happened in the first inning as the Pirates had a chance for a crooked number from the start, but Gregory Polanco grounded into an inning ending double play. Which was a theme of the evening.
The other big moment happened in the eighth inning as Andrew McCutchen was up with a chance to at least tie the game, but much like Polanco, grounded into a backbreaking double play. The Pirates then went quietly in the ninth inning to lose the game.
Wild and crazy Frankie
Francisco Liriano did not have a good outing last night as he struggled through 4.1 innings, allowed four runs on six hits and walked five.
He did however have a couple quality at-bats and even drove in another RBI. When Liriano first got to the Pirates, he looked completely disinterested in hitting and he was pretty much an automatic out for his first couple seasons in Pittsburgh. From basically June of 2015 to present day he’s has completely changed his approach and been one of the best hitting pitchers in the league. He is now officially a #PitcherWhoRakes.
The theme for Liriano early this season has been control and he has not had it. It seems like every time he releases the ball, he doesn’t really know where it’s going. Not sure if the lack of control is injury related, but the Pirates cannot survive with Liriano walking multiple batters per inning.
What’s a balk anyway?
In one of the weirdest moments of the young season, the Pirates appeared to have scored a run on a balk, only to have the call reversed. Clint Hurdle then went out and calmly discussed the reversal with the umpires, they convened and reversed the reversal and the Pirates were indeed rewarded a run on a balk.
This strange sequence of events lead to Padres manager, Andy Green coming out, arguing with the umpire and getting ejected. It was bizarre and really is a testament to how there is a fine line between a balk and a regular pitching delivery.
Baseball talk from the web
John Perrotto of USA Today asks if Andrew McCutchen is poised for another MVP run?
Enjoy Deadspin trolling the crap out of the St. Louis Cardinals
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