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Game of his life
Last night the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Detroit Tigers 3-0. The game didn’t have the drama of Sunday’s walk-off win but it featured one of the best pitching performances of the season as Trevor Williams was outstanding. The rookie hurler went seven innings, allowed zero runs on one hit with five strikeouts.
Since the All Star Break, Williams has been the Pirates’ most consistent starting pitcher. Since the break, he has a 2.64ERA in over 30 innings. Trevor Williams does not have the best “stuff” on the team, especially in terms of velocity. He generally hovers around the low 90s and he isn’t going to blow a fastball past many hitters but there’s no denying he may use what he has better than anyone on the team. Personally, I’ve always admired pitchers that don’t have overpowering stuff but get by on command and moxie. Maybe it’s because, during my developing years, Greg Maddux was the best pitcher in baseball so I grew to appreciate pitchers using location as a weapon.
Personally, I’ve always admired pitchers that don’t have overpowering stuff but get by on command and moxie. Maybe it’s because, during my developing years, Greg Maddux was the best pitcher in baseball so I grew to appreciate pitchers using location as a weapon. Williams may never be a Cy Young Candidate but it’s clear he’s developing into a very formidable starting pitcher. I look forward to seeing his continued development for the rest of this season.
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Long hair, don’t care
For most of the game last night, the margin of error was razor thin. The Pirates’ offense was mostly held in check by Jordan Zimmermann as he held the team to one run on five hits. The score was 1-0 until late into the evening. Adam Frazier was standing in the on-deck circle, ready to hit for Trevor Williams, then Clint Hurdle pulled him back in favor of John Jaso. People were typing up their hot takes and demanding Hurdle to be fired right until John Jaso clocked a massive two-run home run to basically put the game away.
John Jaso has been a perfect representation of the 2017 season as he’s been hot and cold. However, as a Pinch Hitter, he’s been absolutely incredible. As a pinch hitter, Jaso is hitting .308/.455/.692/ 1.147 with three home runs in 26 at-bats.
The dreadlocked philosopher may not be the most popular player on the team but he certainly has a purpose. Ideally, he wouldn’t be a regular starter but situationally he’s a pivotal part of this Pirates team. Jaso will have to continue his good work as a pinch hitter if the Pirates wish to re-enter the NL Central race.
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