Pittsburgh Pirates Wake Up Call – Day Time Frustration

In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates

More of the Same

Yesterday the Pittsburgh Pirates lost to the San Francisco Giants by a score of 5-3. With the loss, the Pirates dropped the series to the Giants and have lost 20 of their last 26 games. It’s basically a comedy of errors and sadness for the Pirates right now. The team isn’t playing well and their win/loss record reflects that.

Jon Niese did not pitch well once again. He went six innings, allowed five runs on seven hits and struck out four. His season ERA is 4.93 with a FIP of 5.56. Horrifyingly enough that means Niese’s ERA is actually better than it probably should be. Niese has allowed nearly two home runs per nine innings, which when coupled with his 3.2BB/9 rate is a recipe for disaster.

Not only did Niese pitch poorly but the Pirates couldn’t muster much offense on the day. They scored three runs on five hits, but went 0-4 with runners in scoring position. The Pirates had chances to tie the game or even take the lead, but they weren’t able to cash in and as a result, they lost the game. The Pirates were leading 1-0 early and had first and third with nobody out, but struck out three straight times and the threat was over. The Giants took the lead soon after for good. Baseball is a frustrating game.

Here is the result from our player of the game Twitter Poll:

Who is your #Pirates Player Of The Game in today's 5-3 loss?

— Jason Rollison (@jrollisonpgh) June 23, 2016

Hot Seat?

Whenever a sports team struggles, it gets to a certain point where fans wonder if certain people in the organization should be on the hot seat and it’s no different with the Pirates. People are wondering Pirates’ GM Neal Huntington should have his job status questioned and personally I think that’s a little ridiculous.

Huntington absolutely had a pretty poor offseason in regards to the pitching staff, but if you want to point out the bad, you have to point out the good. Matt Joyce, David Freese and Neftali Feliz have been excellent additions.

I think it takes more than a bad half season for a guy to be on the hot seat. Sports fans are often very reactionary and “what have you done for me lately” but thankfully management teams aren’t that way; except the Cleveland Browns.

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