Anecdotally, Jeff Locke always seems to come with strong starts whenever Pirate fans are ready to drop him from the rotation. His last two starts (out of a total of three in 2016) have been brutal, and as such, he’s been the focus of much Pirate-fan-related angst over the rotation through the season’s first month. Normally that would make me think that he was due for a Jeff Locke Troll Special; a strong start that reminds you why the Pirates don’t mind him in the fifth starter’s spot.
I am not entire sold that that’s what we’re going to see tonight. Locke’s command of the strike zone has been abysmal this year, and he’s facing the Rockies in Denver tonight. I have no idea what kind of bullpen is available behind him tonight; Vogelsong, Lobstein, and Feliz are all almost certainly getting a night off, Arquimedes Caminero probably is, as well, and AJ Schugel might be. That leaves Watson, Melancon, and Scahill, and not much else.
This is where I mention that Coors Field and Chase Field with the roof open are not much different, and that as a result of that the Rockies are near the top in a number of NL offensive categories. I’m not saying the Pirates can’t win tonight, I’m just saying they probably can’t do it if they play the way they’ve been playing (at least as it relates to the pitchers).
The good news is this: most people are acting like the Pirates are already out of the NL Central race, and they’ve found a way to win five of their last eight games. The Rockies are not the cream of the National League crop and the Pirates will continue to score runs this week. It’d be nice to see them not need 10+ runs to win, but if they do need that many, well, at least there’s a chance they’ll score them.
First pitch tonight is at 8:40. That’s an early start time compared to San Diego and Phoenix, but gird yourself for a late night anyway.
