In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates
Yesterday the Pittsburgh Pirates had a well deserved day off. Days off always feel a little underwhelming coming off a series victory but that’s the schedule this year. The Pirates played some good baseball against a pretty solid Milwaukee Brewers team, so hopefully that can continue against a struggling 9-23 Chicago White Sox team.
The White Sox are in the middle of a fairly aggressive rebuild, so their struggles aren’t exactly a surprise but like any Big League team, they have some talented players. These are some of the players that could give the Pirates some trouble:
Jose Abreu. Any list of talented and dangerous White Sox players should begin with first baseman, Jose Abreu. Abreu is putting together another very solid season. Currently he is slashing .262/.331/.475/.806 with seven home runs and 17 RBIs. He hasn’t quite hit his stride yet but he is still THE most dangerous hitter in the White Sox lineup.
If the Pirates want to contain Abreu, the key is to keep the bases empty when he is at the plate and feed him a steady diet of power pitches. Abreu has a career slugging percentage of .522 but against power pitches, he slugs a career low .475. He still hits .272 but limiting such a dangerous power hitter to singles is preferable than him taking you deep.
Nate Jones. The White Sox have a fairly mediocre bullpen. The team has a bullpen ERA of 4.32, which puts them firmly in the middle of the pack in the American League. However, one of their pitchers has been pitching like an elite reliever and that is Nate Jones. Jones currently has a 2.03ERA in 13.1 innings pitched. Like many relievers, he has a plus fastball with an average velocity of nearly 97MPH, so that is his primary weapon.
The key to beating Jones is take pitches on the the outer third of the plate if you’re a LHH. However, if he gives you one low and inside, take advantage. Pitches in that location have an average exit velocity of 110.2MPH. So if you are going to get some extra base hits against Jones, that’s your best opportunity.
The Chicago White Sox are not a very strong team right now, but you cannot overlook them. They have a few talented pieces and their players are in the Big Leagues, so on any given day, they can beat you. The Pirates need to bring the same intensity they did against the Milwaukee Brewers. Otherwise, this could be a disappointing series.
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