In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates Energized By a Shot Of Jameson
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jameson Taillon earned his first major league win yesterday in grand fashion, but the club itself may have been the biggest winner on the night.
Taillon carried a no-hit bid into the seventh inning, and looked dominant throughout. The rookie needed only 91 pitches to get through eight innings, and did not throw more than 15 pitches in any single frame. The right-hander relied on movement with his two-seam fastball to keep hitters off balance before dropping his 12-6 curveball at just the right time.
Jameson Taillon just struck out Kelly Johnson with this beautiful 95 mph heater with sweet late movement. Wow. pic.twitter.com/3M2DfNDNGZ
— Nick Pollack (@PitcherList) June 14, 2016
This start will be discussed for a long time to come in Pittsburgh Pirates circles. In many ways, the outing was the exact shot in the arm the team needed at just the right time. Coming off an off day that was preceded by a 4-12 stretch, Taillon’s gem energizes the club. Perhaps, it signifies that reports of their demise were greatly exaggerated.
Dueling 2-3 Games
Not to be overshadowed by Taillon, Starling Marte and Jung Ho Kang each had a 2-for-3 night. Both included a two-run home run, accounting for all of the scoring in the game. With Andrew McCutchen slumping with seemingly no end in sight, production from other spots in the lineup is a welcome development. Marte’s run production is lacking despite a solid batting line. For this team to have any designs on a playoff spot, Marte will need to factor into the team’s scoring.
Yesterday’s Player Of The Game
After each game – win or lose – we put out a Twitter Poll to find out who you feel should take home ‘Player of the Game’ honors. Here now is yesterday’s results, for each game.
(This goes down as the most lopsided poll in our POTG history)
Who is your Pirates player of the game from their 4-0 victory over the New York Mets?
— Jason Rollison (@jrollisonpgh) June 15, 2016
Keep an eye out for our POTG polls after each game on our twitter feed after each game, win or lose.
Baseball Talk on the Web
- John Perrotto underlines just how far McCutchen has fallen from his MVP-level production.
- The Hardball Times has a piece on using Statcast data to predict hits.
- MLB.com has a handy 2016 Draft Tracker to keep track of draft signings.
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