Pittsburgh Pirates Takeaways & Throwaways – Syndergaard throttles Bucs

The Pittsburgh Pirates were shut down from start to finish as Noah Syndergaard tossed a gem and the Pirates narrowly avoided being shut out for the first time all season in an 11-2 loss to the Mets.

Takeaways

• John Jaso was really the only positive offensive player for the Pirates tonight. He notched three hits and was one of only three starters not to strike out. Noah Syndergaard essentially mowed down the entire lineup from start to finish.
• Speaking of, Syndergaard dominated the Pirates. He’s been the best pitcher on a phenomenal staff for the Mets this season, and although the Pirates were able to get to him the last time they faced him, they couldn’t this time through. Sometimes an elite pitcher is just on; that’s what makes him elite. There’s no shame when even a great offense like the Pirates have occasionally gets shut down by an elite pitcher. That’s why pitching wins championships.
• The Pirates decided before the game to move Andrew McCutchen to the three hole. It seems to be a move that could be permanent until McCutchen improves (if he does). While the jury is still out on Cutch, who went 0-3 with two strikeouts tonight, I’m intrigued to see how Gregory Polanco will do in his new role as the two-hole guy.

Throwaways

• Jeff Locke was awful tonight. By now, we know his routine: one great start, followed by three or four awful ones. But this season, he’s had arguably the worst year of his career so far. He has a 5.92 ERA, and his K/BB ratio of 1.43 would be the worst of his career outside of his rookie season when he only made four starts. Batters hit him hard tonight and even though his pitch count was relatively low for a while, the results weren’t pretty.
• The bullpen continued to struggle, as the poor middle relief took center stage. Arquimedes Caminero came in with men on base and allowed two runs to score, even if they affected Locke’s line and not his. Then Rob Scahill came in and gave up a two-run home run to Wilmer Flores and an RBI double to James Loney. The Pirates need at least decent middle relief options to bridge the gap to the back-end of the bullpen or else there’s a negative ripple affect that hurts the entire pitching staff, both starters and relievers.
• Eric Kratz is clearly no Francisco Cervelli, and he’s not even a Chris Stewart. He’s essentially just a body until Cervelli returns. Offensively he’s putrid at best; he only has two hits this season and with the Pirates he’s 0-7 with four strikeouts and has yet to get on base. But, more importantly, he doesn’t seem to be up to par as a game caller either. In the two starts he’s made, the Pirates have allowed eight runs and 10 runs respectively. That’s obviously not all on him, but it’s something to keep an eye on moving forward.

Line of the Night

Jeff Locke – 4.0 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 1 HR

There weren’t really any positives to take from the night, but Locke’s night stood out as a big negative. The one positive for him? He only walked one batter.

Next Up

The Pirates try to get a series win against the Mets tomorrow night at 7:10 PM. Juan Nicasio (5-5) faces off against Bartolo Colon (5-3) and hopes to rebound from his poor relief outing recently against the Cardinals last time out.

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