Pittsburgh Pirates Wake Up Call – Ugly Wins Still Count

In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.

A Fun 2-1

The Pittsburgh Pirates took part in four different 2-1 games this week. After three straight 2-1 losses to the Cardinals, they clinched a series win against the Yankees with a 2-1 win. The game featured some impressive starting pitching from Ivan Nova and some poor hitting by the Pirates’ offense. The Pirates had the bases loaded with nobody out twice and only managed to score one run. It was frustrating, to say the least.

However, it’s important to have some perspective as the Pirates did win the ballgame and take the series against the Yankees. The Yankees came into the series having won eight of their last 10 games, so they were hot. The Pirates should have scored more runs but an ugly win is better than a pretty loss any day of the week.

Nail Biting Saves

If you only look at Tony Watson‘s surface numbers, you’ll see a pitcher that is doing his job. He’s saved six games and has a 1.13ERA. However, it’s painfully obvious that something isn’t quite right with the Pirates’ lefty. He has allowed multiple baserunners in six out of his eight appearances. He has allowed eight hits and five walks in only eight innings of work. The white-knuckle save attempts are why Watson’s FIP is 6.27. To put it bluntly, Watson has been lucky he hasn’t blown multiple saves already.

The high FIP says you will soon see a regression to the mean. No pitcher can consistently allow baserunners and not allow runs. It’s just not practical when facing Major League hitters. Tony Watson needs to be better and it’s obvious to anyone that has watched him pitch this year.

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