In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.
Post Opening Day Blues
So, the Pittsburgh Pirates lost their 2017 Opening Day tilt against the Boston Red Sox by a score of 5-3. You can see our Takeaways and Throwaways from yesterday’s game here.
We cautioned yesterday that Opening Day was still just one of 162, but that does not take the sting away for fans. By and large, many are keeping the one game in perspective. But with the customary post-opener off day, fans and the Pirates alike will have to wait to exorcise the minor demons set loose in the opener.
Let’s talk about those demons. Andrew McCutchen might want to go about getting back on track, and in a hurry. The right-fielder went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, including a pivotal one to end a scoring threat. While the sample size is still small, the quicker that McCutchen can string together some quality at-bats, the more likely he will not start pushing to perform.
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Josh Harrison will also look to avenge his free-swinging ways. Harrison did not carry the strikeout burden that McCutchen did on Opening Day, but rather his transgressions came in the form of not seeing many pitches consistently. Harrison did a great job of that early in the game, but later when it was more needed, he faltered. He will always be a free swinger, but if he can find a way to just work in 1-2 more pitches per at-bat, the cumulative results will be very welcomed.
Jameson Taillon will unfairly carry the burden of a Pittsburgh Pirates starter needing to go six innings. The lack of that ability in the 2016 starting rotation to do so led to an overworked bullpen. While this year’s bullpen is markedly improved over last year’s, if Taillon can find his way through the sixth inning, many may feel a bit better about the starting rotation.
Again, these “blues” are present after just one game. That one game will not mean very much in the grand scheme of things. But this team’s success will be built brick-by-brick and game-by-game. For this club to have any deigns on a postseason birth, a better start than has been seen to this point is a must. In that light, these items listed matter more than they should after just one game.
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