The Pittsburgh Pirates dropped another series and fell further out of Wildcard contention. They were, however, able to end the longest losing streak of the season.
The Pittsburgh Pirates needed to have a good series against the St. Louis Cardinals to stay technically in the race. They didn’t but they were able to finally put an end to their losing streak. That counts for something, right? This series really stings because the Pirates were a blown Tony Watson save away from winning two out of three and really making the final stretch of games a bit more interesting. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that well and team lost the series and most likely put an end to any hope of a fourth straight postseason appearance.
Game two of this series will go down as easily the most deflating loss of the season. The Pirates battled back from 5-0 down to take a 6-5 lead into the ninth inning. Then it all went to hell. It’s hard to say what that win would have meant to the team but losing it hurt and very likely ended any hope the Pirates may have had in winning the second Wildcard spot.
Hero of the Series
Despite the series loss, the Pirates had some very good performances. It wasn’t like they got outclassed in all three ballgames. They played well enough to win at least two out of the three games but they still lost. Still, good performances deserve praise, even in defeat. My Hero of the Series is Jung Ho Kang.
Jung Ho Kang went 6-for-9 (.666) with three home runs, five RBIs, and four runs scored in the series. He very nearly catapulting the Pirates to victory in game two and hit the game-winning home run in game three. He was absolutely outstanding in the series, despite only starting two out of the three games.
Kang appears to finally be hitting his groove since returning from injury. He had a great start to his 2016 season before injuries and off-field issues derailed it. It seems he is finally be returning to the form that made him a Rookie of the Year candidate in 2015. The Pirates may not be playing good baseball right now but that is not the fault of Jung Ho Kang. He’s been fantastic and hopefully he continues the good play and can help the Pirates at least finish the season strong.
Goat of the Series
I try really hard to pick different players each series for the most negative part of this recap format but sometimes that is really difficult. I really wanted to pick anybody else for this “award” but it was too obvious and once again needed to be pointed out. The Goat of the Series is once again Tony Watson.
I like Tony Watson a lot. He’s been one of the elite relievers in this league since 2012 but there is no escaping the fact he’s been poor since taking over as the closer. He pretty much cost the Pirates a series victory with his blown save on Tuesday night. I know one-run leads are difficult but you need to shut the door in that situation. Watson allowed three home runs during the entire 2015 season, he allowed three home runs to the Cardinals in the ninth inning Tuesday.
Watson’s ERA is still a respectable 3.17 but his FIP of 4.63 indicates that he’s actually been lucky and his numbers should likely be worse. Even before taking over as the closer, Watson had his hiccups this season and pitching the ninth inning has exacerbated those flaws. I don’t want to harp on Watson but his pitching has been below part, to say the least. I doubt the Pirates remove him as the closer but it’s certainly something they should consider. If he continues to struggle for the rest of 2016, Spring Training 2017 should feature an open audition for the closer’s role.
Final Thoughts
The Pirates currently have one win in September and that’s not the time to play your worst baseball of the season. Pending a miracle run, this will be the first time since 2012, the Pirates won’t be playing the NL Wildcard Game. I know fans have grown tired of the one-game playoff but we’ve definitely gotten used to postseason baseball in this city so this year feels really disappointing.
Don’t let negativity consume you too much. I know it’s easy to think this is the end of the run but this organization does have a ton of talent and with a decent offseason, the Pirates should be contenders again in 2017. They are in a much better position and one mediocre season isn’t going to doom the franchise and put them on another multi-year losing seasons streak.
The season isn’t over, even if the playoff hopes mostly are. The Pirates still have games left to play. Heck, maybe they get hot and make the last few weeks exciting for the fans. Stranger things have happened. The Pirates will open up a four-game series against the Cincinnati Reds tonight. Ivan Nova takes on Dan Straily. First pitch is at 7:05pm.
Series Result: Pirates lose 2-1
2016 win/loss record: 68-69
2016 series record: 21-20-3
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