Pittsburgh Pirates Takeaways & Throwaways – Not a Supersonic Night

In a game that showed more promise than the outcome suggests, the Pirates drop the first of two in interleague play versus the Seattle Mariners 2-5.

Takeaways

• Smart Hitting – Even though it doesn’t show it necessarily in the score, the Pirates hitting showed flashes of brilliance. Polanco put down a perfectly executed bunt – which benefited from a lucky bump right along the foul line to stay “in” in the fourth. Then Matt Joyce “hit it where they weren’t” to beat the shift for a lead-off single in the fifth. And then there was the seventh – in which Polanco ripped a double into left, followed by a scorching triple by Marte – finally getting the Buccos on the board. But they weren’t done. David Freese singled on a line drive to center, bringing Marte home and rookie Adam Frazier, who started at second, singled to advance Freese to second. If the hitting we saw in this game had the pitching support it deserved, the Pirates would be a lot closer to the Cubs right now.
• The Lee Out at Home – Kyle Seager hit a line drive double to center. In a perfectly executed relay, Andrew McCutchen expertly fielded the drop and threw to Jordy Mercer, who relayed it precisely to catcher Chris Stewart who was perfectly positioned to tag the Big Boy out at home. New York agreed, upholding the call, which the Mariners challenged. This is the Pirates team as we know and love them – every man doing his part, playing his role.

Throwaways

• Death by Fifth Inning – In yet another game the wheels really fell off for the Pirates in the fifth inning. Things were still in hand, with Seattle ahead by two. Then after Niese gets two routine outs, he walked right fielder Franklin Gutierrez and then on a wild pitch to second baseman Robinson Cano, Gutierrez advanced to second and easily comes home on a Cano single. That was followed up by a line drive home run by DH Nelson Cruz, scoring Cano. First baseman Dae-Ho Lee and third baseman Kyle Seager both singled before Niese was pulled and Arquimedes Caminero finally notched the last out against catcher Chris Ianetta. The Pirates need pitchers who can go deeper into the game. Period.
• Umpiring – After spending most of last week frustrated with the umpiring at PNC, it got no better for manager Clint Hurdle, was ejected in the fifth for arguing the hair-trigger ejection of hitting coach Jeff Branson from the Pirates bench. Clint can be cranky at times, but really? The calls weren’t so terrible, but to pull a trigger that fast is ridiculous. We heard during Monday’s game the team works to make sure to report to MLB not just bad but good moments by the umpires as well. It’s safe to say June won’t have so many love letters.

W– Hisashi Iwakuma (7-6)
L– Jonathan Niese (6-6)
S– Steve Cishek (18)

Line of the Night: Gregory Polanco had a walk, a bunt single, a double and a strike out on the night getting two hits and one run. And this as DH with a troublesome hammie.

Next Up: More #LateNughtBUCN – Pirates rookie righty Jameson Taillon (1-1), in his fifth Major League start, faces the Mariners’ veteran Wade Miley (6-3) at 10:10 pm tonight.