In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the baseball day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.
Last week in this space, we asked if the Pittsburgh Pirates had a pulse.
Now, there is no question. At six games back of a Wild Card spot with 21 games left to play, these listless Pirates have all but punched their ticket to an October that will not include postseason baseball.
The reasons for this are many and varied. And we here at Pirates Breakdown will undoubtedly spend time performing an autopsy on the 2016 club in the near future. For now, it has become entirely fair to wonder what this team thinks about itself. The Pirates are 2-9 in their last 11, a slate that started with a demoralizing walk off loss to the Chicago Cubs. Despite that, there was reason for hope. Milwaukee and Cincinnati were to hit PNC for seven games between them. These were very winnable games, and were looked at as a much needed elixir for Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes.
Not only did the Pirates lose more of those games than they lost, but they gave three games to the lowly Reds in which the team appeared to be lifeless.
Many will blame the general manager. Many will blame the manager.
But one look at the 8-0 loss to the Reds yesterday should spin everyone’s focus of their ire back onto the field.
The Pittsburgh Pirates Against Tonight’s Starter
With 21 games to go, the Pirates will need to go 13-8 to ensure a winning season. They’ll start towards that goal against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizen’s Field. Here is a look at how the Pirates do against Phillies starter Jeremy Hellickson, who they will face tonight.
| Name | PA | AB | H | 2B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Jaso | 9 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .125 | .222 | .250 | .472 |
| David Freese | 8 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .125 | .125 | .250 | .375 |
| Starling Marte | 6 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .167 | .167 | .333 | .500 |
| Andrew McCutchen | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | .333 | .667 | .333 | 1.000 |
| Gregory Polanco | 6 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .333 | .333 | .667 |
| Francisco Cervelli | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Chris Stewart | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Josh Harrison | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .333 | .333 | .667 |
| Pedro Florimon | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .500 | .500 | 2.000 | 2.500 |
| Matthew Joyce | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Jung Ho Kang | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Jordy Mercer | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Total | 54 | 50 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 11 | .160 | .222 | .280 | .502 |
Yesterday’s Player of the Game
After each game – win or lose – We put out a poll on Twitter asking for your choice for Player of the Game honors. Here is the poll from yesterday.
The Pirates fall to the Reds 8-0. Who is your player of the game?
— Jason Rollison (@jrollisonpgh) September 11, 2016
Baseball Talk On The Web
- Our friends over at Jays from the Couch have a detailed look at Devon Travis‘ development
- Peter Gammons notes that established, veteran relievers are right in the thick of many of the playoff races.
- Travis Sawchik of the Trib notes that part of Ivan Nova‘s success has to do with pitching in PNC Park.
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