In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates
The Darkest Timeline
Yesterday the Pittsburgh Pirates were beaten by the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 and swept in the three-game series. The Pirates never lead at any point in the series and trailed every single inning. It was a sound beating and really embarrassing for a team trying to stay in the playoff race.
Miller Park continues to be the House of Horrors for the Pirates. The have gone 18-63 since 2007. Even during the playoff years, Miller Park has been unkind, as the Pirates have gone 11-19.
Why can’t the Pirates win at Miller Park? The Brewers are in a full rebuild and still own the Pirates. I don’t think there’s any reason other than baseball is full of stupid randomness.
Despite the fairly mediocre week, there were still some good moments. We asked our followers who they thoughts was the Pirates player of the week:
Who is your #Pirates Player Of the Week?
— Jason Rollison (@jrollisonpgh) August 1, 2016
The Trade Deadline is here
Today is the day! The MLB trade deadline is here and the Pirates remain in an interesting position. They could realistically buy or sell and there are arguments for both.
The Pirates already kickstarted their deadline with the weekend trade of closer Mark Melancon and more moves are likely to follow. The team has been linked to several starting pitchers, including Yankees pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. The Pirates are in a spot where they want to add, but with the season currently heading towards a potentially mediocre ending, they need to be careful with who they trade away.
The Pirates are currently four games out of a wildcard spot on August 1st. That obviously isn’t the best position to be in and while the team obviously wants to make the playoffs, giving up too many young players is not the recipe for success. A lot of people predicted 2016 would be a “transition year” and while the team has talent, health and inconsistent play from too many key pieces could be sinking the season. I think the team makes a trade, but it probably won’t be anything overly aggressive. That’ll anger a lot of people, but short-term failure is sometimes needed for long-term success.
#ThankYouShark
I already mentioned the Mark Melancon trade, but he deserves a bit more than a blip. When the Pirates traded former closer Joel Hanrahan before the 2013 season many were very, very angry.
The Pirates got several players in return, but Melancon was enough to make the trade a win. Melancon was everything the Pirates hoped he would be and more. He was a dominant set-up man and then an All-Star closer. He was also classy off the field. Mark was first class all the way. We all wish Mark well, but he will certainly be missed in a Pirates’ uniform.
Baseball Talk on the Web
MLB alienating entire generation of fans with late-night games
2016 MLB Trade Deadline: Five storylines to watch as the clock winds down
The Indians going all in is what makes MLB’s trade deadline great
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