Pittsburgh Pirates Wake-Up Call – Quality Series Win

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

The Pirates were not able to pull off a four-game sweep of the Dodgers yesterday as they fell 5-4 in the final game of the series. The Pirates now sit three games under .500, but have an easier series coming up against the Mariners compared to the absurdly difficult stretch they’ve faced during the rest of the month of June. The Mariners are a .500 club now after starting the year off well. However, the travel to the west coast could throw a wrench into the series for the Pirates.

Before we move forward, let’s take a look back at yesterday’s game. It was another example of the Pirates blowing an early lead. Francisco Liriano continues to struggle and could find himself as the first man out of the rotation should Tyler Glasnow get called up, or even as trade bait if the Pirates are sellers at the deadline. He’s clearly experiencing confidence issues with not being able to locate his pitches, and that’s something that might require an off-season to fix. Liriano allowed all of the Dodger runs on the day and the bullpen actually pitched well. Juan Nicasio pitched three shutout innings and has not pitched four shutout innings since being moved full-time to a bullpen role, one that many envisioned as the best role for him coming into the season. Hopefully Nicasio is the long relief arm that the Pirates have desperately needed all season long.

Now the Pirates look forward to the rest of their schedule. They have a five game stretch here that they need to take advantage of: two against the .500 Mariners and three against the Athletics in a west coast swing. Neither team is very good and after those two, the Pirates close the first half of the season out with series against the Cardinals and the Cubs, two obviously much tougher series. Finishing the first half at .500 or above should be a clear goal for the Pirates.

Baseball Talk from Around the Web

• The Nationals called up top pitching prospect Lucas Giolito yesterday. He’ll make his major league debut against the Mets on Tuesday.
• In the latest All-Star Game ballot, the Cubs have five starts, including the entire infield. The Pirates, well, have no starters.
• The Angels have a couple of pitchers that could return from Tommy John surgery sooner than expected due to an experimental procedure. They could be back in 12 weeks! That would certainly be an incredible procedure if it works out.

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