Pittsburgh Pirates Hero and Goat – Disappointment is Bigger in Texas

The Pittsburgh Pirates played terribly against the Marlins and attempted to bounce back against a former NL Central foe.

The Pittsburgh Pirates came off maybe their biggest road trip of the season and laid an egg against the Marlins. They followed that up with another disappointing series against the Houston Astros. The Pirates dropped two out of three games and really looked underwhelming doing it.

The Pirates have played one good game in the last six and as a result find themselves only two games above .500 at the moment. It’s been a mixture of poor offense and somewhat shaky middle relief. This homestand was an opportunity for the Pirates to firmly cement themselves as a contender. Instead, it has left them on the brink of being of simply being a mediocre baseball club. The Pirates cannot afford to play this poorly during such a crucial point of the season. They need to start stacking wins or they will be denied a fourth straight postseason appearance.

Hero of the Series

Despite the series loss, there was a bright spot. Initially, I thought it would be difficult to top Ivan Nova‘s complete game performance. However, one superstar outfielder was too good to deny him this title. Gregory Polanco is obviously the Hero of the Series.

Polanco’s numbers in the series speak for themselves. He went 7/12 (.583) with two home runs, two doubles, one triple, five RBIs and four runs scored. When five of your seven hits in the series go for extra bases, you know you were locked-in. The Pirates may have lost, but that was no fault of Polanco. He was amazing to watch in the three games. The team might not be playing well at the moment, but no one can deny that Polanco is trying to carry this team. It’s a shame his efforts were for naught as his teammates couldn’t pick up the slack.

The Pirates may have lost, but that was no fault of Polanco. He was amazing to watch in the three games. The team might not be playing well at the moment, but no one can deny that Polanco is trying to carry this team. It’s a shame his efforts were for naught as his teammates couldn’t pick up the slack.

Polanco had a fairly underwhelming July and most of August but has turned that around in a big way. We’re entering the most vital portion of the schedule and while the team as a whole is disappointing, no one can say Polanco isn’t doing everything within his power to push this team into the playoffs.

Goat of the Series

One young superstar of the Pirates carried the team in a big way during the Astros series. Another really dropped the ball and deserves some of the blame for the defeat. Gerrit Cole is my Goat of the Series.

The Pirates split the first two games of the series and had their young stud on the mound with a chance to win the series. Cole was underwhelming, to say the least. He allowed five runs on seven hits in just five innings of work. He had a chance to put his foot down and win the series, but he didn’t. I don’t want to lay it on too thick, but he’s supposed to be the ace of the team. He should more often than not come through when the team needs him. Right now, he simply is not.

Cole has been terrible for all of August. He has a 6.08ERA for the month and opponents are hitting .363 against him. It’s difficult to say what the Cole’s problem is at the moment, but he needs to right the ship soon as he is too important to this team. He needs to be at his best if this Pirates team has any playoff dreams.

Final Thoughts

The Pittsburgh Pirates had a golden opportunity to distance themselves from the Marlins and put a ton of pressure on the St. Louis Cardinals for the second wildcard spot. Instead, they came out flat and have now lost five of six. Going 1-5 on a homestand is bad but at this point in the season, it is inexcusable. A team with playoff aspirations cannot let chances like this slip away.

The Pirates have been a fairly inconsistent team for most of this season but following their west coast road trip, it seemed they finally turned it around. Following this poor homestand, it’s obviously more of the same for this ballclub. The team is still far too unpredictable. Just when you think you have a read on them, they go 1-5 at home. It’s getting to that point in the year where every missed opportunity is another clump of dirt on a dead season.

The team won’t get to dwell on this for too long as they have to travel to the House of Horrors for a four-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers are 56-70 on the season but as we have learned many times, you can throw the records on the window when the Pirates travel to Miller Park. Because of the terrible homestand, this series against the Brewers could prove to be a huge turning point for the Pirates. If this series goes badly, it could be the end for the 2016 Pirates playoff chances.

Chad Kuhl will make the start for the Pirates as he faces Wily Peralta. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10pm.

Series Result: Pirates lose 2-1

2016 win/loss record: 63-61

2016 series record: 20-17-3

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