Pittsburgh Pirates Wake-Up Call – Split out West

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

The Pirates finished their short west coast swing last night with a big 8-1 win over the Mariners, splitting the two-game series in Washington. The Pirates now sit at 38-41 as they continue their west coast trip by turning to the Oakland Athletics, a team they need to take at least two out of three from before they finish the year with some tough divisional series against the Cardinals and the Cubs.

Last night, Jameson Taillon pitched a gem, throwing six innings of one-run ball, striking out six and walking none. This was a return to the first two quality outings we saw Taillon start his major league career with, as opposed to the next two starts when he allowed four runs per start and didn’t make it into the fifth inning. Taillon’s ERA on the season now sits at 3.86. Keep in Mind Gerrit Cole‘s ERA for his debut season in the majors was 3.22, and I think if Taillon keeps his ERA under four for the year then it’s been a successful first year for him.

The bullpen also pitched a perfect final three innings of the game, as both Neftali Feliz and Tony Watson continue to improve as the season moves along. A.J. Schugel has also quietly emerged as a quality middle relief option. Hopefully the bullpen continues to improve as the season progresses, especially with Juan Nicasio in a long relief role now.

On the offensive side, Sean Rodriguez shined with four RBIs, and Starling Marte and David Freese both had multi-hit games. Marte is emerging into a superstar before our very eyes, and if the Pirates were more competitive this year, he would certainly garner more national attention. Unfortunately, Andrew McCutchen went 0-5 as his never-ending slump continues.

The goal for the Pirates should be to be at .500 or above by the All-Star break. By taking two out of three from the A’s, the Pirates can move to within two games of that goal; a sweep would bring them to .500. But the Cardinals and the Cubs will be a tough finish. If they get clobbered in this stretch, the playoff hopes for Pittsburgh could be all but faded away.

Yesterday’s Player of the Game

With #latenightBUCN in full effect, our Player Of the Game poll is still ongoing.  Follow us on twitter to jump in and vote.

Who is your Player of the Game from last night's 8-1 #Pirates win?

— Jason Rollison (@jrollisonpgh) June 30, 2016

Baseball Talk from Around the Web

• Batter across baseball are hitting home runs at a record pace. What gives? Dave Schoenfield over at ESPN gives some reasons why.
• The Cubs are looking for another lefty reliever for their bullpen. Could Tony Watson be an option for them?
• And former almost Pirates prospect Mark Appel is done for the season after undergoing surgery to remove a bone spur from his right elbow. Appel deciding to not sign with the Pirates was a huge blessing in disguise for the Bucs.

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