Pittsburgh Pirates Hero and Goat – Dead in the Water

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ playoff hopes were dangling by a thread. Following this Reds’ series, their playoff hopes are dead.

The Pirates are in a September-swoon. There is no debate about it, Collapse 2016 is fully underway. The Pirates needed to win this series and they failed miserably. The Reds looked more like the team fighting for a playoff spot while the Pirates looked like they want the season to end.

2016 began with a lot of promise and while the season isn’t technically over, the Pirates are badly limping to the finish line. It’s been one of the worst Septembers in recent memory. Since 2013, September has been where the Pirates put their foot on the gas towards playoff berths. In 2016, they are the ones getting choked out. They aren’t just getting beat, they’re getting embarrassed. Following a game one victory against the Reds, the Pirates dropped three straight to a team that is quite simply one of the worst in the league. There is no excuse for such a poor effort and the Pirates deserve to be watching the playoffs from home.

Hero of the Series

The Pirates played a mostly terrible series, losing the final three games. They were also embarrassed in game four of the series 8-0. There was pretty  much one solid highlight of this series and that was the great performance of Ivan Nova. Which is why he is my Hero of the Series.

Ivan Nova has been the highlight of a fairly dreadful second half of the season. He continued his excellent pitching with a complete game victory against the Reds. Nova allowed one run on six hits, struck out four and finished the game with under 100 pitches. He pretty much willed the Pirates to victory and was easily the best part of the Reds series. Watching Nova pitch to contact and keep the defense in the game is a thing of beauty. Strikeouts may be “sexier” but a pitcher that works fast and gets outs is a-okay in my book.

When the Pirates traded for Nova, I think most people expected him to perform better than he did with the Yankees. As it turns out, we could be looking at J.A. Happ version 2.0. Nova has easily been the Pirates most consistent starting pitcher since he was acquired at the trade deadline. The Pirates are absolutely fading but Nova has nothing to do with that. He’s pretty much kept the Pirates in every game and looks to be pitching himself out of the Pirates’ price range this offseason.

Goat of the Series

When your team loses three out of four to one of the worst teams in the league, there is plenty of blame to go around. Despite the poor play, the Pirates had a chance to at least split the four games but they completely gave up in game four. The lack of effort was best represented by Andrew McCutchen. He is my Goat of the Series.

I think Andrew McCutchen is one of the greatest players in franchise history and his rise to glory is a huge reason the Pirates have turned it around since 2013. However, his play this season has been very poor. No game really encapsulated more than the final game of this series. McCutchen went 0-1 at the plate with two walks. That’s completely fine but his play in the outfield was horrendous. He misplayed a couple balls that resulted in triples for the Reds and committed one fairly terrible error. It was really hard to watch.

I know it might seem a bit unfair to name a guy Goat based on one game but McCutchen is the leader of this team and should be held to a higher standard. There is no excuse for lack of effort and at times yesterday, that’s what it looked like to me. It could be frustration boiling over as the team is currently in its worst funk since 2012. Either way, there is no excuse for his defensive effort in the ballgame. He’s the team leader and should set an example, not make the same mental mistakes as a rookie. He should be better and is simply put, below the line.

Final Thoughts

Entering this series the Pirates were only technically still in the playoff race. I don’t think it’s even fair to call their final stretch of games a pennant race anymore. Their playoff chances are pretty much dead and buried but the team must at least try to have a winning season. If not for themselves, then for the fans that pack PNC Park on most nights. I know an 83-85 win season isn’t a goal but when you’re at this point in the season, it’s the best you can hope for. Play out and try to finish strong. At least make the final handful of games fun for the fans.

The effort in the series against the Reds was pathetic. The Pirates have had an amazing run from 2012-2015 and while I don’t think the good times are gone forever, they certainly are for this season. A lot of people used the term “bridge year” to describe this team and I fought it for most of 2016. However, it appears those people were right. The Pirates simply played out this season with 2017 and beyond in mind.

The best comparison I can make is last year’s Baltimore Orioles. From 2012-2014, they averaged 91 wins and made the playoff twice. In 2015 the team went 81-81 and were fairly mediocre. The Orioles have rebounded big time this season and are on the cusp of making the playoffs once again. It’s important to remember that one poor season doesn’t mean the Pirates are done as contenders forever.

Up Next

The Pirates won’t have time to lick their wounds as they begin a road series against the Philadelphia Phillies tonight. Gerrit Cole makes his return to the pitching mound against Jeremy Hellickson. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm.

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