In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.
If you had told people that the Pittsburgh Pirates would be .500 after 62 games, they’d likely be excited. However, the Pirates got here by losing six straight series and 14 of their last 17 games. This team is not good right now and it seems to find new ways to lose baseball games.
Yesterday had all the makings of a Pirates series victory. The Los Angeles Dodgers were forced to use their entire bullpen because of a late injury. The Pirates shelled the Dodger bullpen for seven runs on nine hits, including a four-RBI day from Elias Diaz. Despite that, the Pirates pitching found a way to be worse as they allowed eight runs on 13 hits. The Pirates never really seemed in yesterday’s game, despite the close score. The Dodgers kept pulling ahead, and the Pirates battled back to make it close. Los Angeles pretty much controlled the pace of the game from the first inning onward.
The Pirates have been the most frustrating team in baseball during their recent nosedive. They’ve lost games they probably should have won because their pitching has been absolutely terrible. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the starters or the bullpen, it seems like every day, the team finds a new way to lose a ballgame.
Jameson Taillon once again failed to look impressive. He allowed three runs in five innings but he certainly could have allowed more. If you look at Taillon’s numbers overall, they’re perfectly acceptable. He has a 4.08ERA with a 3.62FIP in 70.2 innings. Those numbers are slightly above league-average, however, Taillon is supposed to be the ace of this staff. He was supposed to take the next step forward towards becoming a legitimate top of the rotation starter and to be frank, he hasn’t. Taillon has had games where he’s looked unbeatable, he has also had games where he’s failed to get through five innings. Every pitcher has bad games, however, the ace should pitch well way more often than not. Taillon is too inconsistent to truly be labeled an ace. Jameson Taillon is still an easy kid to root for and he has mostly been a perfectly fine pitcher but for a number two overall pick entering his second full season in the Big Leagues, it’s time to be better than acceptable.
The Pirates don’t have time to rest up as they begin a series against the Cubs in Chicago this afternoon. The Cubs have survived a relatively slow start and are back near the top of the NL Central standings. For a struggling Pirates team, this is NOT the time to be entering Wrigley Field. The Pirated struggled there during their good years so this may not end well for the Buccos. The Pirates at one point were eight games over .500 and they could leave this Cubs series with a losing record. I want to believe this team will bounce back and win this series but right now I have zero faith in their bounce-back ability. I am hoping for a pleasant surprise but expecting more disappointment.
If you’re still paying attention and are a glutton for punishment, first pitch is scheduled for 2:20pm and Chad Kuhl gets the start for the Pirates.
#BUCSin280
#Pirates lose 8-7 to the #Dodgers. The bullpen remains terrible as of late, giving up 5 runs over 4. Jamo gave up 3 runs over 5 in a *meh* start. The pitching just isn’t good. Diaz homered. Cervelli homered. Harrison had 2 hits. Team back at .500. They are 31-31. #BUCSin280
— Pirates Breakdown (@piratebreakdown) June 7, 2018
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