In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the baseball day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have now won their fourth straight series. Andrew McCutchen and Jung Ho Kang are resurgent. Jameson Taillon continues to look impressive, and the bullpen is firing on all cylinders.
Add it all up, and Pirates fans have to be happy with their team’s standing. Having already won the series against the San Francisco Giants by way of last night’s win, now is the time for the club to get greedy and go for the sweep to further bolster their Wild Card resume.
Something For Everyone
What struck me most about last night’s win was the myriad contributions from various Pittsburgh Pirates. McCutchen had a typical McCutchen batting line, even if he did not directly factor into the scoring. Kang’s home run was particular impressive. The ball made contact off of the top of the barrel, but Kang was still able to power it over the fence to centerfield.
John Jaso even got into the act with an opposite field RBI. Josh Harrison made several spectacular plays in the field late in the game.
Taillon in particular impressed me with his bounce-back ability. After a rough first inning that saw the Giants touch him for two runs, Taillon responded by striking out the side in the second.
Bulldog mentality, indeed.
The Pittsburgh Pirates versus today’s starter
Today, the Pirates wrap up the Giants series with a 3:45 PM EST first pitch. Here now is a look at how the team fares against today’s Giants starter Matt Cain.
| Name | PA | AB | H | 2B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew McCutchen | 21 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | .222 | .333 | .278 | .611 |
| David Freese | 14 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | .222 | .308 | .333 | .641 |
| Josh Harrison | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Jordy Mercer | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .333 | 1.333 | 1.667 |
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 poll, still in progress! Cast your vote!
#RaiseIt The Pirates defeat the San Francisco Giants 4-3! Who is your player of the game?
— Jason Rollison (@jrollisonpgh) August 17, 2016
Keep an eye out for our POTG polls on our twitter feed after each game, win or lose.
Baseball Talk on the Web
- Our pal Matt Gajtka has a great Q&A with Pittsburgh Pirates Farm System Director Larry Broadway, a name more fans should be familiar with. ($)
- Speaking of the farm, several West Virginia Black Bears (short-season A level) took part in the New York Penn League All-Star Game. Here is a recap.
- If you missed it, rumored Pirates trade target Nathan Eovaldi will have surgery, missing the rest of this season and 2017 as well.
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