Pittsburgh Pirates Wake-Up Call – At Least No Shutout?

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

The Pirates fell to the Braves 3-1 last night after putting up a combined 20 runs in the first two games of the series. Unfortunately for the Pirates, Julio Teheran showed up and out-dueled Francisco Liriano, who also showed up last night. Teheran is easily the best starter on the Braves’ staff, and while he’s fallen off a bit this season, he’s still an above average pitcher in this league. It’s a surprise him and Freddie Freeman are still even on this Braves’ team which has traded away all of its other young, talented pieces.

The offense for the Pirates just went stale last night, but that was bound to happen. Unfortunately, it happened on a night when Liriano rebounded for a quality start and against a horrible Braves team. It’s good to see Liriano rebound, however, especially after seeing Gerrit Cole rebound against the Cubs. Those two guys need to return to top of the rotation form, and if they do, watch out.

Jung Ho Kang continues to be a force since coming off the disabled list. He already has five home runs this season, and although his solo shot in the ninth last night inning didn’t impact the game, it helped the Pirates avoid being shut out for the first time this season. His return has not only strengthened the lineup, but has had a positive impact on the bench, in turn, as well.

Arquimedes Caminero has to go. It seems like when he comes into the game, bad things happen. He allowed a run last night, raising his ERA on the year to 5.74, which is terrible for any pitcher, and even worse for a reliever. He’s appeared in 18 games this season (which seems like a lot already), and has allowed at least one hit in all but three of those appearances. Maybe his ERA is severely impacted by an April 13th outing in which he allowed four runs, but he still hasn’t seemed comfortable in any outing this year. There have to be better options in Triple-A.

Yesterday’s Player of the Game

Hey #Pirates fans! Who was your player of the game from tonight's 3-1 loss to the #Braves?

— Jason Rollison (@jrollisonpgh) May 19, 2016

Make sure to watch for this poll on our twitter feed after each game.

Baseball Talk from Around the Web

• Bartolo Colon is reportedly being used by a woman who claims that her two children are his. Colon has been married for 21 years and has four children with his current wife.
• In lighter news regarding Colon, the Mets’ pitcher filed a trademark for the nickname “Big Sexy.” Colon got the nickname from his teammates last season during their run to the World Series.
• The Phillies are off to a surprising start this season. Jonah Keri of CBS Sports gives a few reasons why. Tell me if this Phillies team sounds like the 2011 and 2012 Pirates’ teams; I sure think it does.

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