Pittsburgh Pirates Wake Up Call – It’s Like Deja Vu All Over Again

In Pirates Breakdown’s Daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates

Ouch Redux

Last night the Pittsburgh Pirates lost another devastating game to the Baltimore Orioles 9-6. For the second straight night, Tony Watson blew a save in the ninth inning before the team lost via an extra-inning walk-off.

Things looked pretty much locked up for the Pirates when Jose Osuna hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning. The Pirates had a 6-1 lead and were cruising. However, Johnny Barbato allowed an eighth-inning run before running into trouble in the bottom of the ninth. Which set the stage for Tony Watson to come in and drive Pirates’ fans even more insane.

Usually blown saves are a surprise, albeit a terrible one. I am pretty sure every single person not named Clint Hurdle knew Tony Watson was going to allow the Orioles to the tie the game. I don’t want to harp on Tony Watson too much but he’s most definitely the story once again. Whatever is wrong with him has nothing to do with the ninth inning and everything to do with his mechanics. He should lose his job to Felipe Rivero but don’t expect that to magically fix what’s ailing him.

Salt in the Wound

Following Watson’s blown save, Felipe Rivero came in and pitched an easy, scoreless 10th inning. He was also warming up in the ninth inning. I am not normally one to criticize a manager but it’s absurd that Rivero was not given a chance to pitch in the ninth inning. I get you want Watson to regain his confidence but he’s a grown man. If he can’t handle being removed from a game when he’s struggling then he clearly doesn’t belong in the Big Leagues.

I will never forget how dominant Tony Watson was fro 2011-2015 when he was the most underrated relief pitcher in the league but that was a long time ago. He’s now a struggling closer that can’t seem to do his job. Even when he’s earned saves, they’ve seldom been easy. He only has FOUR 1-2-3 innings on the season. So it isn’t like Watson has been the victim of bad luck in his blown saves. He has simply been below the line, even when the team has won. You can’t really trust him to pitch right now. A far cry when he always took the ball and did his job.

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