Pittsburgh Pirates Hero and Goat – A Long National Nightmare

The Pittsburgh Pirates played the Washington Nationals in their final weekend home series of 2016 and it didn’t go well.

This series was 2016 in the nutshell. The Pittsburgh Pirates showed a lot of fight but the results simply weren’t there. The Pirates managed to win game one in dramatic, walk-off fashion but that proved to be the highlight of the series. The effort was there for the Pirates in this series but sometimes effort isn’t enough.

The game one walk-off may have been one of the most memorable games of 2016. Former Pirates’ closer Mark Melancon blew his first save as a member of the Nationals before the Pirates won in extras. It was a thrilling game and really a form of poetic justice. Melancon has been lights out since becoming the Nationals’ closer so blowing a save against his former team was pretty memorable.

I want to be disappointed over losing this series but I’m just not. I think we’ve all accepted 2016 is a lost season, so it’s hard to get worked up over series like this.

Hero of the Series

Despite the series loss, there were good elements to this series. We saw some good offensive performances and some decent middle relief. The starting pitching was absolutely terrible, which is what lead to the series loss. The biggest highlight of the series was Jung Ho Kang, which is why he took home the Hero of the Series.

Kang went 5-10 (.500) with four RBIs and two walks. He was absolutely outstanding at both the plate and in the field. He really has turned it on big time during September. The team may have faded from playoff contention but Kang has been incredible. In only 97 games this year, Kang has 20 home runs and 59 RBIs. He’s somehow managed to improve on his incredible rookie season while playing fewer games.

Kang hit a pretty big slump in the middle of the year but since then he’s been playing at an All-Star form. The Pirates definitely have plans of contending in 2017 and Kang will be a huge part of that. If he can build on this strong finish and carry it over into next year, the Pirates will absolutely have a chance at popping champagne next October.

Goat of the Series

While Jung Ho Kang and the rest of the offense put on a show, the starting pitching was dreadful. No pitcher personified the disappointment more than Ivan Nova. Which is why he is the “winner” of the illustrious Goat of the Series.

Prior to the series, there were talks of Ivan Nova and the Pirates taking part in extension talks. The rumor was that Nova and his agent requested a five-year, $70 million deal. Pro tip, if you’re a pitcher requesting a big deal, best to now follow it up with a stinker of a performance.

Nova went four innings, allowed six runs (five earned) on eight hits. It was one of his worst performances as a Pirate and continued the theme of poor starting pitching. Recently the Pirates’ starting pitchers cannot go late into ballgames and just cannot get outs. Nova had been the exception to the poor pitching but his last two starts have left a lot to be desired. I doubt this will impact how much money he gets this offseason but it’s certainly not helping his cause very much. It’ll be interesting to see how Nova responds to his string of poor starts as you know he wants to do well and cash in on his success the way J.A. Happ did at the end of 2015.

Final Thoughts

It’s hard to get overly frustrated with series defeats right now. The Pirates have been spiraling downward for the last month, so losing to a good Nationals team isn’t a huge deal. The Pirates just have to play their young players and hope they can build towards 2017. That’s pretty much the only saving grace of a disappointing 2016 season. Take some lumps now and hope it leads to Tyler Glasnow, Jameson Taillon, Adam Frazier and Chad Kuhl playing huge roles in playoff success in 2017 and beyond.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not quitting on this team or indifferent to their failures. However, it’s important to take everything in context. There’s no difference between a 79 win non-playoff season and an 83 win one. It’s best to simply let the season play out and let young players gain experience. I know I keep repeating that but that’s pretty much the most important thing right now.

We all wanted a fourth straight playoff berth but missing this year isn’t the biggest deal. The system has plenty of depth and there will be opportunities for playoff success in the years to come. The key is to remain level-headed and understand that one poor season does NOT negate the strides this organization has come during the Neal Huntington era. You might be angry now but this is still a team going in a positive direction.

Up Next

The Pirates will play their final home series of the season as the Chicago Cubs come to town. Game one will feature Chad Kuhl taking on Kyle Hendricks. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm.

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