Pittsburgh Pirates Wake Up Call – Depressing Dog Days

In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.

Seeing Red

Last night the Pittsburgh Pirates once against lost to the Cincinnati Reds 5-2. To be honest, the game never really felt that close. The Pirates cannot figure out the Reds this year. The Reds are 36-62 against opponents other than the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates have ONE win in nine games vs. their NL Central Rivals. It’s hard to really say the Pirates are in the race anymore and a large part of that is failing to take advantage of lesser opponents.

There is zero reason for the Pirates’ struggles against the Reds and this isn’t really a recent trend. During the 2013 season, the Pirates went 11-8 vs. the Reds and famously dispatched Cincinnati in the NL Wildcard Game. Since the day Johnny Cueto dropped the ball, things have changed for the worse. From 2014 until the present day, the Pirates are 26-40 against the Reds. The Pirates .394 win percentage against the Reds is their worst against any NL Central rival in that same time span. It’s hard to say why the Pirates struggle so mightily against the Reds but it is most certainly frustrating, especially if you’re a fan of the black and gold.

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“We didn’t make many. That’s what I think about it,”

The above quote is Andrew McCutchen’s thoughts on the Pirates’ trade deadline moves. I don’t think takes much of a leap to see that the former MVP is unhappy with the current direction of the team. The Pirates current roster didn’t help themselves with a poor showing the week leading up to the deadline. Had the team performed better, perhaps Neal Huntington would have been more willing to add more impressive pieces fo the fold. However, they entered the deadline having lost their last two series and really didn’t look overly impressive. As a result, the team traded Tony Watson and added Joaquin Benoit. Not exactly major moves and certainly not enough to catch the streaking Chicago Cubs.

Maybe the NL Central race being close was simply a mirage? Were the Cubs always going to catch fire and run away with the division for the second straight year? If I am being completely honest, it was probably inevitable that the Cubs were going to get hot. On paper, they are the most talented team in the division and of course are defending World Series Champions. Maybe, it didn’t matter what moves the Pirates made at the deadline since they were never going to catch the super-talented Cubs.

If the above paragraph filled you with rage, good, that means you’re still passionate about the Pittsburgh Pirates. I am not saying the Pirates should have sold the farm for this one year but it would have been nice to see the team act at least a little aggressive at the deadline. The NL Central was winnable, especially if the Pirates added a couple decent pieces. By being super passive at the deadline, the Pirates essentially said they were giving up on this season. I don’t care what Neal Huntington says in his press conferences or on TV, he officially punted on the 2017 season. If the Pirates continue to limp to the finish and don’t do much to improve for 2018, I wouldn’t be surprised if the seats of Neal Huntington and Clint Hurdle get a bit warmer. However, that’s a problem for another day.

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