In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.
Brault fears no Red
Last night the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-2. Over the last few years, the Reds have been a huge thorn in the Pirates’ side, so any win is a good one. Gregory Polanco was the MVP on the offensive side but Steven Brault was the hero in my opinion. The young lefty battled through five innings, allowed one run on three hits and struck out three. A spot starter’s job is to keep the team in the game and try to save the bullpen as much as possible and by that metric, Brault did amazingly.
The game of baseball has little moments that often decide games and last night’s game was no different. Before Polanco gave the Pirates the lead, Brault provided the game’s BIG moment. The Reds had two men on with two outs and Joey Votto up at the plate. Five pitches later, the mighty Joey Votto struck out and the threat was over. Brault stared down one of the game’s greatest hitters and never wavered from his attack. He didn’t pitch scared and as a result, he kept the game tied. I am not usually one to care about a pitcher’s win/loss record but if anyone “deserved” a win, it was Steven Brault last night.
El Coffee Continues his hot start
The Cincinnati Reds had a golden opportunity to take another game in PNC Park but Brault refused to give in. Following Brault’s gutsy pitching, Gregory Polanco made sure the Pirates didn’t miss their moment. With Josh Harrison in first base, Polanco gave the Pirates the lead for good with one mighty swing:
Through the first six game of 2018, Polanco is one hot cup of coffee. Polanco is hitting .286/.448/.714/1.163 with two home runs, nine RBIs, and five runs scored. It’s no secret that with the trade of Andrew McCutchen, Polanco needed to take the next step forward and this start is exactly what he and the team needed.
Polanco has been an effective but unspectacular big leaguer since his 2014 call-up but he and the Pirates expected a superstar. So far, Polanco seems like a much more aggressive hitter. In the past, he seemed very passive and that resulted in a lot of missed quality pitches. Polanco is swinging at whatever he views as HIS pitch and it doesn’t matter if the count is 0-0 or 3-0 and that is good news for the Pirates and their fans.
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Pirates Guide – the perfect gift for a Pittsburgh Pirates fan
Our 280-page Pittsburgh Pirates 2018 season preview book is now available on Amazon in e-book and paperback formats! CLICK HERE to learn more. Makes a perfect gift for any Pirates fan in your life.
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