In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Pirates have hit a bit of a rough patch. They’ve lost their past three series, and the latter two were against average teams at best in the Marlins and the Angels. The offense went stale, and the Pirates don’t seem to be able to win low-scoring games at this point in their season. The Pirates have fallen back to 9.5 games behind the Cubs, but still sit in the second Wild Card position. It’s not time to panic yet, but this next month will certainly be a defining one for the Pirates.
For one, Jameson Taillon and Tyler Glasnow should be up before the calendar turns to July. They should both improve the rotation and, in turn, improve the bullpen. The first logical date to see one of them (likely Taillon first) would be next Sunday, June 12th, a game in which Juan Nicasio is scheduled to start. Nicasio will certainly be the first man out of the rotation, and hopefully he pitches better out of the bullpen.
Second, the Pirates are about to enter a brutal stretch of games. They only play one more series against a sub-.500 team before the All-Star break (not counting one makeup game at Colorado). Here’s their run of series in June: vs. Mets, at Cardinals, at Mets, at Cubs, vs. Giants, vs. Dodgers, at Mariners, with one game at Colorado sandwiched in. That’s brutal, and we’ll have a good idea of where this team stands in terms of playoff contention once July hits.
The biggest story-line this week (outside of the MLB Draft) for Pirates’ fans has to be Neil Walker‘s return to Pittsburgh tomorrow night. It will be an emotional night for him, certainly, and he’ll be facing Jon Niese, who faces his former team for the first time since he was traded as well. Walker has had a very good offensive season for the Mets so far, as he’s already hit 13 home runs, while Niese hasn’t done too hot for the Pirates. Walker will get a standing ovation, I’m sure, and he should. And there will always be a sect of fans who firmly believe Walker should have never been traded. It will be an interesting night, but after the first at-bat for Walker, it should be all baseball from there on out.
Yesterday’s Player of the Game
Who was your Player of the Game from today's 5-4 #Pirates loss the the #Angels?
— Jason Rollison (@jrollisonpgh) June 6, 2016
Baseball Talk from Around the Web
- Yesterday the Dodgers designated Carl Crawford for assignment. Crawford is slashing .185/.230/.235 this season; yes, that slugging percentage is correct.
- According to the Orange County Register, David Freese wanted to remain an Angel after last season. He was disappointed not to return, and that he didn’t even get an offer.
- Mike Axisa of CBS Sports picks out a few other Padres that could also be traded now that James Shields is gone. Some could be fits for the Pirates…
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