Pittsburgh Pirates Takeaways & Throwaways – Bucs Drop Out?

The Pittsburgh Pirates lost to the Washington Nationals 10-7 on Sunday. Here are the TnTs from a game that may have sealed the Bucs’ fate.

The Pittsburgh Pirates lost today to the Washington Nationals by a score of 10-7. The game itself was a back and forth affair, and 17 pitchers were used. Here are the Takeaways and Throwaways from a game that likely sealed the team’s postseason fate.

Takeaways

• Josh Bell continues to impress. Though he went hitless, Bell scored two runs by drawing two walks. He continues to show a very patient approach beyond his years.
• Jung Ho Kang had a big day, going 2-for-4, smacking his 20th home run of the year and driving in three. After struggling somewhat upon first returning, Kang has rounded into form, and his September slashline stands at .345/.506/.690.
• Wade LeBlanc pitched a scoreless inning of relief, striking out the side. When first acquired, LeBlanc’s 2017 future with the Pittsburgh Pirates may have been an afterthought, but there is now some intrigue around him.

Throwaways

• Before the game, general manager Neal Huntington confirmed that Tyler Glasnow would get two starts over the waning days of the season, with the first being today. Glasnow did not do himself any favors today, lasting just three innings while giving up four runs – three of which were earned. The furor to call up Glasnow earlier in the season has now faded into a distant memory.
• Felipe Rivero, too, can testify to the realness of the struggle. The left-hander took the loss and the blown save after allowing five earned runs and only retiring one batter. In the month of September, Rivero has been solid but not as dominant as when he first arrived in Pittsburgh. In the season’s last month, Rivero has allowed eight hits and three earned runs in 10 innings going into today’s action.
• Finally, the throwaway that looms the largest. The New York Mets and San Francisco Giants both won today, severely damaging the Pittsburgh Pirates’ feint 2016 playoff hopes.

W – Shawn Kelley (3-2)

BS/L – Felipe Rivero (1-5)

S – Mark Melancon (43)

Line of the Game

With the caveat that the Line of the Game goes to the batting or pitching line that impacted the game the most, it is hard to give this “award” to anyone other than Rivero. The left-hander exited with an ugly 0.1 IP/ 4 H / 5 ER / 1 BB / 1 HR line.

Player of the Game

Hop on over to our twitter feed to cast your vote for today’s Player Of The Game!

The #Pirates lose to the #Nationals 10-7. Who is your Pirates Player Of The Game?

— Jason Rollison (@jrollisonpgh) September 25, 2016

Next Up

To add insult to injury, the Chicago Cubs come to PNC Park for a four-game series starting tomorrow. NL Cy Young Candidate Kyle Hendricks (15-8, 2.06 ERA) will face rookie Chad Kuhl (5-3, 3.73 ERA).