In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the baseball day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.
Facing a daunting six-game road trip against the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants, the Pittsburgh Pirates responded by continuing their resurgence. The club captured a 5-1 record on the mini road trip.
Perhaps most encouragingly, the club finally got greedy and completed a sweep, something they have not been able to do this season. Credit to manager Clint Hurdle for pressing the right buttons at the right time. His decision to pinch-hit Matt Joyce for Ivan Nova after just four innings pitched paid huge dividends. With a day off following the game, Hurdle also emptied the bullpen, pitching Tony Watson for a third consecutive day.
Overall, from the manager to the 25th-man, the Pittsburgh Pirates are again a team with something to play for.
He’s Back
Andrew McCutchen launched a two-run home run to deep left-centerfield yesterday. The shot ended up being the difference in an eventual 6-5 win.
[mlbvideo id=”1061917983″ width=”400″ height=”224″ /]The home run was a welcomed sight for Pittsburgh Pirates fans, but there are other factors that tell us that McCutchen is back.
As I mentioned to our pal Josh Taylor on the Trib Live Radio Pirates Pregame Show (podcast link), there are other – and perhaps more tangible – pieces of evidence to that fact.
In the game previous, McCutchen’s line looked pedestrian to the naked eye. He went 2-3 with a walk, a triple, and a run scored in the club’s 4-3 win on Tuesday. It is those types of batting lines that tell us that McCutchen has come a long way from the “0-for freaking-4” days.
The home runs and RBIs will come. If yesterday is any indication, they will be here sooner rather than later. For now, take solace in the fact that McCutchen is seeing the ball better and putting forth an excellent overall approach.
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 result.
#Pirates sweep the Giants after today's 6-5 win. 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
- Josh Taylor’s latest column over at Trib Live underscores just how different this Pittsburgh Pirates team is from its earlier incarnation.
- The New York Mets are starting to feel cursed. Their latest round of bad news has Zack Wheeler dealing with a flexor strain.
- Call To The Pen highlights the excellent 2016 rookie class.
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