In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the baseball day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.
I learned the Truth at 15
The Pittsburgh Pirates took some frustrations out on the Philadelphia Phillies yesterday. They scored 15 runs on 13 hits, including five home runs. One game doesn’t negate the Pirates recent swoon but it felt good to be on the right side of a blowout for the first time in a long time.
Former Pirates’ pitcher A.J. Burnett visited with the team prior to the game. The visit seems to have had a huge impact on Andrew McCutchen as he hit two solo home runs. Following his second, he gestured towards Burnett in the stands. When your baseball team is heading towards a non-playoff season, it’s important to enjoy the good moments. 2016 won’t be fondly remembered for a lot of Pirates’ fans but even mediocre seasons have good games and moments. It’s pretty cool that McCutchen promised Burnett two home runs and delivered. Once again, this doesn’t make up for McCutchen’s struggles but it’s still a nice moment and worthy of celebration.
McCutchen not only made Batman proud, he made out Twitter followers proud as he easily won our Player of the Game Poll:
The #Pirates blast the #Phillies tonight 15-2 with a big 9th inning. Who was your Player of the Game?
— Jason Rollison (@jrollisonpgh) September 16, 2016
That’s Pretty Kuhl
Chad Kuhl had a good bounce-back performance as he went six innings, allowed two runs on four hits and struck out five. The outing will probably be overshadowed by the offensive explosion. Kuhl has struggled recently, so it’s very good to see him pitch well again. The playoffs are mostly out of reach, so Kuhl is auditioning for a 2017 rotation spot.
Kuhl had plenty of support, since his hometown Bear, Delaware, is less than hour from Philadelphia. Clint Hurdle said the moment must have felt like a Little League game for Kuhl. The friends and family were loud and entertaining as they cheered for their favorite Pirate. There is a lot to be cynical about this team right now but if you didn’t smile watching Kuhl’s family reacting to his pitching, there’s something wrong with you.
Baseball Talk on the Web
ESPN asks whether it’s good to be an early MLB clincher or not
Yahoo Sports reports Padres GM suspended 30 games after MLB probe into Red Sox trade
Forbes has an article about how MLB would respond if their players protested the National Anthem
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