0 comments by Pat Lackey on 8/22/2014
The Pirates are a game behind the Braves, 2 1/2 games behind the Giants, 4 1/2 games behind the Cardinals, and six behind the Brewers. That means that their playoff chances are small and their shot at winning the NL Central is on life support. Really, the only way that they have any chance at […]
0 comments by Pat Lackey on 8/20/2014
Once you’ve lost seven games in a row, you can’t win them all back at once. The only thing you can do on the eighth day is to ensure that you don’t lose an eighth game in a row. It’s a baby-step, for sure, but it’s a necessary baby step. I don’t know if the Pirates […]
0 comments by Pat Lackey
One week ago, the Pirates were 64-55. They were 1 1/2 games behind the Brewers and in the first wild card position, 1 1/2 up on the Cardinals and 2 up on the Giants. They were a comfortable four games up on the Braves and Reds, and five up on the Marlins. All of this […]
0 comments by Pat Lackey on 8/19/2014
So … that happened. Image: jenny downing, Flickr
0 comments by Pat Lackey
Both yesterday and today, I thought about writing a post that sums up my frustrations with this Pirate team at the moment, talking about why the Pirates falling apart this year seems more frustrating to me than the epic, painful, disastrous collapses of 2011 and 2012 (note: more frustrating, not “worse” or “more painful” or […]
0 comments by Pat Lackey on 8/18/2014
The most important Pirate game of the year was over before it even started. Jason Heyward hit the first pitch out of the park. Andrelton Simmons hit the sixth pitch out of the park. Chris Johnson singled in a third run on the 15th pitch. Gerald Laird singled in a fourth run on the 24th […]
0 comments by Pat Lackey
Ike Davis has not been a particularly great acquisition for the Pirates this year. I guess he’s provided the Pirates some Garrett-Jones-level production for slightly less money than Garrett Jones would’ve cost, but Garrett-Jones-level production these days is about replacement level, which is squarely where Davis sits in his few months with the Pirates. You […]
0 comments by Pat Lackey on 8/17/2014
Look, I don’t know what to say other than that this game was beyond exasperating. The Pirates scored two runs in the top of the sixth, but after they did that they still managed to score zero runs after loading the bases with nobody out. The umpires didn’t help, as Ike Davis took a pitch […]
0 comments by Pat Lackey
It is really hard to watch the Pirates’ season potentially slip away due to a pitching staff that has been obviously deficient since Day 0 of the 2014 season. It was clear in spring training that their starting pitching depth was suspect, and it’s been clear since May that the bullpen is not nearly good […]
0 comments by Pat Lackey on 8/16/2014
One day after Neil Walker’s second start in the month of August for a back injury that’s kept him inactive for two weeks but not on the disabled list, Walker is out of the lineup again tonight. I’m honestly speechless; the Pirates have had a pretty bad habit of keeping short rosters due to injured-but-not-disabled players […]
0 comments by Pat Lackey on 8/15/2014
After hurting his back sometime after the Pirates’ game against the Diamondbacks on August 1st, Neil Walker finally returns to the starting lineup tonight in the cleanup spot as the Pirates take on the Nationals in an important series for the overall National League playoff picture. Walker’s return isn’t the only news, either; Jordy Mercer […]
0 comments by Pat Lackey on 8/14/2014
After watching Stolmy Pimentel and Brandon Cumpton turn close games into sure-fire losses on back-to-back days, the Pirates acquired John Axford from the Indians this evening. It doesn’t appear that the Indians will get anything in return for Axford other than salary relief, as the Pirates are now on the hook for what’s left of […]
0 comments by Pat Lackey
It’s getting difficult to write about the Pirates with Andrew McCutchen and Neil Walker still out of the lineup, because every day is some variation on, “Well, what can you really do?” We’ve seen this script a few times before in the last week and a half; Francisco Liriano pitched pretty well, but the offense […]
0 comments by Pat Lackey
After avoiding much of Detroit’s vaunted rotation for 75% of this series (the 2014 version of Justin Verlander is not exactly what I’d call intimidating), the Pirates will match up with Max Scherzer at 1:08 this afternoon in Comerica. The Pirates will counter with Francisco Liriano, who’s been really excellent in his last five starts. […]
0 comments by Pat Lackey on 8/13/2014
For all of the good things that Neal Huntington and his front office have done for this Pirate franchise in the past few years, it’s easy to wonder if maybe they aren’t a victim of their own hubris when it comes to the Pirate bullpen in 2014. The Pirates have had plenty of luck finding relievers […]
0 comments by Pat Lackey
The Pirates and Tigers transition from Pittsburgh to Detroit tonight, and the Tigers will be sending 23-year old rookie Buck Farmer out to the mound for his Major League debut. Farmer was a fifth round draft pick (as a senior) by the Tigers in last year’s draft and was slow-rolled by the Tigers through their […]
0 comments by Pat Lackey on 8/12/2014
The Pirates’ box score is fun tonight. Starting at the top of the lineup, Josh Harrison had one hit, Gregory Polanco had one hit, Jordy Mercer had one hit, Russell Martin had one hit, Starling Marte had one hit, Gaby Sanchez had one hit, Ike Davis relieved Gaby Sanchez part way through the game and […]
0 comments by Pat Lackey
This is the last Pirates/Tigers game scheduled to be played in PNC Park this year, and the Pirates and Tigers are both locked in razor-thin playoff battles. There is also quite a bit of rain in the forecast for Pittsburgh this evening. This could be a long night. The Pirates made a roster move this […]
0 comments by Pat Lackey on 8/11/2014
I suppose we could debate whether or not this game was exactly what the Pirates needed at this point in time, but the honest truth is that the Pirates really just need wins right now and this game represents their fourth win in seven games since Andrew McCutchen went down with his rib injury. Obviously there […]
0 comments by Pat Lackey
After nearly a full week of playing with a 23-man roster, the Pirates announced before the game that Andrew McCutchen will be placed on the 15-day DL retroactive to last Monday, freeing up a roster spot for Casey Sadler to help shore up the bullpen. Presumably Sadler will only be around until the weekend, when […]
