Pittsburgh Pirates Takeaways & Throwaways – Locke, defense struggle

Wednesday’s lineup for the Pittsburgh Pirates featured the first all right lineup (excluding the pitcher) of the season, but things were far from alright once the game began as they drop the second game of the series to the San Diego Padres 8-2. The loss puts the Pirates at 7-8 on the season, so let’s see what we can make of this outcome.

Takeaways

• Offensively Jordy Mercer was one of the few bright spots for the Pirates on Wednesday. In a rare start where he got to occupy the lead off spot he went three for four with a double and drove in a run. Hopefully he can keep producing once he gets bumped back down in the lineup when the team faces a right handed pitcher.
• The bullpen did a great job once they were called upon after Jeff Locke was removed from the game. Kyle Lobstein kept the Padres from scoring for three innings and A.J. Shugel followed with a pair of scoreless innings. The game was out of reach once Lobstein came in, but he and Shugel at least gave the team a chance to get back into it.

Throwaways

• Locke had absolutely brutal innings in the second and third inning, throwing an incredible number of pitches. Four runs crossed the plate for the Padres in the second and another three came around to score in the third. He faced two hitters in the fourth, giving up a home run to Matt Kemp and a walk to Melvin Upton Jr. before Clint Hurdle mercifully put an end to his inning. This was obviously not the type of start Locke wanted and his grip on a starting rotation spot should be in jeopardy going forward.
• With that being said about Locke’s performance, the defense behind him didn’t do him many favors. Misplays by David Freese and Jordy Mercer allowed three of the four runs to score in the second and made Locke add to an already rising pitch count. In the third Andrew McCutchen attempted to cut a ball off hit by Alexei Ramirez but it went behind him, allowing Ramirez to go all the way to third and drive in a run.

W – Drew Pomeranz (2-1)

L – Jeff Locke (0-2)

Line of the night: Instead of one player’s line, tonight we feature the sequence of the two innings that doomed Locke:

Second inning: walk, single, single (run scored), walk, single (run scored), strikeout, single (run scored), single (run scored), double play

Third inning: ground out, double, triple (run scored), single (run scored), wild pitch, strikeout, single (by the opposing pitcher which scored a run), walk

Not much needs to be said here. One bad inning can undo a starting pitcher, two like the kind Locke had on Wedne sday are hard to overcome. He is going to need to impress the next time out, because the pressure will only get worse if he does this poorly again.

Up next: The three game series in San Diego wraps up on Thursday at 9:10pm when Gerrit Cole will try again for his first win of the season and avoid the sweep by the Padres. James Shields will oppose Cole, who is also in search of his first win in 2016. Cole could be in line for a very good start, given his already overpowering stuff and the vastness of Petco Park.