Pittsburgh Pirates Wake-Up Call: A more balanced cup of Coffee

In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the hated Milwaukee Brewers 9-3 to win the series. If you’re so inclined, you can see our Takeaways and Throwaways from the game. The game featured a lot of offense as pretty much everyone in the lineup contributed to the score, but there were two very obvious main storylines from the game.

A more balanced cup of coffee

Gregory Polanco continues to impress so far in the young season. He was dynamic in the ballgame, going 3-4 with a walk, one RBI and three runs scored.

Polanco has always had the physical tools, but hasn’t put it all together yet, but so far this season he has been a much more patient and effective hitter. He isn’t trying to force anything during at-bats and is simply taking what the picture is giving him. It’s absolutely fantastic to see a young player growing before our eyes.

Five good innings and JUAN poor one

Juan Nicasio had a much better outing than in his previous start against the Tigers. He went six innings, allowed three runs on five hits and struck out six. He really kept the Brewers in check, save for a rough fourth inning where he allowed three runs and walked two batters.

Nicasio looked inhuman during Spring Training, but it was completely unrealistic for anyone to expect him to pitch like that during the regular season, but if he can continually go six innings and limit the damage, he’ll be a very effective back of the rotation starter until the Pirates’ top pitching prospects are ready for their call-ups.

Yesterday’s player of the game

There were plenty of candidates to choose from, so it’s not surprising that the player of the game poll is fairly close. Here are the results from yesterday’s game:

It's time for the #Pirates player of the game fan Twitter poll after 9-3 win! #RaiseIt #RTJR #RaisetheJollyRoger

— Jason Rollison (@jrollisonpgh) April 17, 2016

Make sure to watch for this poll on our twitter feed after each game.

Baseball Talk from the web

Eric Gustfsson of isportsweb says the lack of power is the reason for some of the Pirates’ early season struggles.

Call to the Pen discusses Clint Hurdle‘s comments that he believes someday there will be a female Major League Baseball player.

Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette gives updates on the health of Jung Ho Kang and Jared Hughes as both prepare to start rehab assignments with Triple-A Indianapolis.

Thanks for checking us out here at Pirates Breakdown. Please make sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook for the best Pirates coverage all year long!