The Pittsburgh Pirates lost the final home series of the season to the Chicago Cubs. In a perfect metaphor for 2016, the final game was declared a tie because of rain.
The Pittsburgh Pirates played their final home series of a disappointing 2016. They lost to the Chicago Cubs, which was a major theme of the year. For the most part, this series played out like the other ones. The Cubs handily won it and had their way with the Pirates. The Pirates did put up a bit of a fight but the talent of the best team in baseball won out.
A combination of rain and a mediocre team kept the fans away from PNC Park for this series. It very much felt like a series played in 2010. The previous three seasons featured packed houses to end the season as the Pirates were fighting for the division title in basically all three seasons. It feels bad to be playing pointless baseball in September for the first time since 2012. However, at least the Pirates showed a bit of fight. Jameson Taillon did a great job in keeping the Cubs off the board in his start. Potentially setting a bit of a tone for 2017. It might feel low now but this organization still has a bright future. The young pitching should develop into something respectable and a lot can happen between the end of this year and the beginning of Spring Training 2017.
Jameson Taillon did a great job in keeping the Cubs off the board in his start. Potentially setting a bit of a tone for 2017. It might feel low now but this organization still has a bright future. The young pitching should develop into something respectable and a lot can happen between the end of this year and the beginning of Spring Training 2017. It’s easy to let cynicism consume you. One bad season doesn’t undo the progress this organization has made.
Hero of the Series
I debated naming Jameson Taillon my hero because of his stellar start for about two seconds. This one is fairly obvious for anyone that watched the series. John Jaso hit for the first cycle in PNC Park history and is the obvious Hero of the Series.
Jaso’s performance in game three of the season was impressive. He went 4-5 with a home run, five RBIs and two runs scored. Hitting for the cycle is always a cool moment, especially when it’s a player that isn’t exactly known for his speed. He legged out the triple to complete the cycle, which made it all the more memorable. Jaso has been very good since he moved to the bench following Josh Bell’s callup. He’s been especially good during the month of September. Hitting .295/.354/.591/.945.
The cycle completes a fairly good turnaround for Jaso. He struggled mightily in the middle of the season before losing his job. His good play likely saved his spot on the team for 2017. He should make a valuable bench piece since I imagine Josh Bell will see most of the playing time at first base. For a bulk of the second half, Jaso wasn’t exactly Mr. Popular to the fans. He struggled and look really lost at times. It’s great to see him bounce back and finish the season strong.
Goat of the Series
During the Pirates fall from contention, I’ve kept repeating the biggest positive from this season is the young pitching getting a chance to gain experience. I still stand by that but one of those young pitchers pitched extremely poorly in this series. Initially, my gut told me to lambast Ryan Vogelsong for another poor outing. However, at least he managed to last five innings. The trend recently for the Pirates has been pitchers getting pulled early. Chad Kuhl continued that in game one, which is why he is my Goat of the Series.
Kuhl lasted only three innings but allowed five runs on eight hits with two walks. He let the Cubs jump ahead early and they never looked back. Kuhl has struggled during September, pitching to a 5.82ERA with a 1.59WHIP. The league has certainly adjusted to the young righty and it’ll be interesting to see how he adapts going into 2017.
I am not going to criticize Kuhl too much as the experience he gains now is honestly more valuable than the results. He’s a solid prospect for a reason and he will learn from this. I imagine he will come to Spring Training 2017 with a different approach as pitching is about how you adapt to failures. Kuhl will have all offseason to figure out what worked at the Big League level and what didn’t. The struggles he is going through now will make him a better pitcher in the long run.
Final Thoughts
PNC Park will not be open again until Opening Day 2017. The Pirates did not have a very strong home season as they went 38-42 in front of their home crowd. From 2013-2015, PNC Park provided a huge home field advantage for the team as they went a combined 154-89 over the previous three seasons, which is an average record of 51-30. The Pirates simply played below the line all season but there’s no excuse to be so poor at home, especially down the stretch.
I doubt anyone is going to really put much emphasis on the final series of a losing season but the Pirates can do something they’ve failed to do over the last three years and that is knock the Cardinals out of the playoffs.
As it stands, the Cardinals currently trail the San Francisco Giants by one game for the second Wildcard spot. Since the Pirates aren’t going to the playoffs, may as well kill the dreams of your biggest rival while you’re at it. The Pirates have had opportunities to win three straight NL Central titles and each season they finished behind the Cardinals. Petty revenge is still revenge. If the Pirates are able to win this series, they likely end the Cardinals’ dream of a 12th World Series championship.
Up next
As I said, the Pirates finish up the 2016 season with a visit to Busch Stadium to take on the Cardinals. Game one features Tyler Glasnow taking on Carlos Martinez. First pitch is scheduled for 8:15pm.
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