In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.
In yesterday’s Wake Up Call, I brought up how the Pittsburgh Pirates’ defense needed to be much better for the Bucs to make a serious run at the National League Central division title.
That defense proved extremely costly once again.
Starling Marte turned a routine fly ball off the bat of Brandon Belt into a game-winning, seventh-inning double as the San Francisco Giants defeated the Bucs 2-1 Wednesday afternoon.
Pinch-hitter Miguel Gomez doubled against Tony Watson to lead off the seventh inning and was stuck at third with two outs and Belt coming to the plate. Belt lifted a fly ball to left that was catchable but Marte broke back on the ball. He couldn’t recover as the ball fell to his side as the Giants took the lead for good.
Marte said after the game that he thought the ball was hit hard and the sun and wind played into him not making a play that otherwise should have been routine.
The blunder wasted a very good effort from Pirates’ starter Trevor Williams who gave up just one run and five hits in six innings.
The Pirates couldn’t get to Giants’ starter Jeff Samardzija who allowed only one run and four hits seven innings with eight strikeouts and two walks. Samardzija came into the game struggling, allowing 12 runs in his previous 10.1 innings.
The Bucs scored their run in the second on an Adam Frazier double. Frazier and Josh Harrison each had two of the Pirates five hits on the day.
Pittsburgh has now lost four of five following a six-game win streak. Wednesday’s loss also means they went just 1-5 against the Giants on the season, who came into the series with the second-worst record in all of baseball. That can’t happen if you want to be a playoff team.
The Bucs have an off day Thursday before heading to San Diego on Friday.
The loss drops the Pirates back into fourth place in the division, four games behind the Chicago Cubs as the St. Louis Cardinals have leapfrogged the Bucs for third place.
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John Jaso gets the start in right
The good news for the Pirates is that Gregory Polanco has resumed baseball activities. He was hitting and playing catch prior to Wednesday’s game. No timetable has been given for a possible return, but that has to be taken as a good sign.
The bad new is that Jaso got the start in right and batted FIFTH.
I don’t get on Clint Hurdle‘s lineups too often but to bat Jaso in the middle of the order in a must-win game seems a bit ridiculous.
This is the same Jaso that has one hit in his last 38 at bats. The same Jaso that is hitting .075 in the month of July.
There is very little logic behind Hurdle penciling Jaso in the middle of the order. It’s not like he had a carrer filled with success vs. Samardzija either as Jaso had only six career at bats against the right-hander coming in.
Jaso did have an RBI opportunity Wednesday and struck out to end the inning with a runner at second base.
It is almost a must now that the Pirates look to acquire an outfielder prior to Monday’s non-waiver trade deadline. Hurdle can’t keep running Jaso out there and if he does he can’t bat him in the middle of the lineup, but that is something that hasn’t changed all season and I wouldn’t expect it to start now.
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