In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.
Last night the Pittsburgh Pirates basically played a throwaway game. Why do I say that? Well, while the game ended in a loss, it could turn out to be both a short-term and long-term win for the Pirates. I’m sitting here after the game wondering whether Jeff Locke has finally made his final start in a Pirates uniform.
I know, I know, we’ve been wondering that question for years. Many wanted him gone way back when he started to fade in the second half of the 2013 season. But the Pirates kept holding onto him, much to the dismay of fans everywhere. This season we were told that ray Searage was working with Locke to rework his delivery and to hopefully bring better results. Well, that hasn’t happened, and Locke’s ERA has gone up each year since 2013. The last remaining Locke supporters were waiting until the middle of this season to see him replaced by any of the Pirates pitching prospects waiting at Triple-A, and now they have a good option to replace him in Chad Kuhl. Locke being a lefty doesn’t help him with Francisco Liriano already in the rotation, and they can find someone that produces Locke’s results anywhere, even in guys like Kuhl, Jon Niese, or Ryan Vogelsong.
For now, the Pirates need to do the following:
Time to settle on a rotation — Cole, Liriano, Glasnow, Taillon, Kuhl — while exploring a deal
— Joe Starkey (@JoeStarkey1) July 21, 2016
Hopefully the Pirates add a starter, not only to take over the fifth starter position, but to provide a safeguard in case Liriano doesn’t bounce back or Tyler Glasnow doesn’t deliver immediate results.
In other news, Andrew McCutchen had an awful night at the plate, although he was robbed of a hit on the final out of the game. Maybe I was wrong about him turning it around…I’m still giving him more time.
I also still think the Pirates are poised to go on a run here with their easy schedule and players getting healthy. This was a fluke game with Locke on the mound, and it doesn’t hold much water for me.
Around the league there was plenty of news. Clayton Kershaw could miss the rest of the season, which would make a potential Wild Card matchup with the Dodgers all the less formidable. Prince Fielder could miss the rest of the season for a neck injury. And the Indians seem close to a trade for Jonathan Lucroy. That’d make the remaining games against the Brewers a little bit easier.
Yesterday’s Player of the Game
The #Pirates fall to the #Brewers by a final score of 9-5 tonight. Who was your Pirates Player of the Game?
— Jason Rollison (@jrollisonpgh) July 21, 2016
Baseball Talk from Around the Web
- Looking back, David Ortiz‘s final season is rather historic. Dan McCarthy of ESPN breaks down the stats, and it’s worth a read.
- Jonah Keri of CBS Sports gives his full trade deadline preview for the National League. See what he thinks the Pirates should do.
- Daniel Mengden of the Oakland A’s has a rather odd delivery. Eno Sarris of Fangraphs breaks down the pitcher, and how he may be deceptively deceptive.
Thanks for checking us out here at Pirates Breakdown. Please make sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook for the best Pirates coverage all year long!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
