OT: Raise the Jolly Roger: Apollo, you wanna to ring the Bell?

[DJ Spinoza]

Taillon's not going to throw for a month. On top of everything else, that might be the straw that guarantees the middling to low end of mediocrity.

 

[wheelz87]

KEEP IT TO A SINGLE DUMB***

 

[Scandale du Jour]

What a bad read by Polanco.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

The Buccos are stuck in a spiral of sucktitude.

 

[cheesedanish87]

Girardi calling the game.

I wonder if their is anyway we could do a switcheroo and have Girardi and Hurdle switch jobs.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

Well I called it. As lost 9 of last 10? Knew coming into this series they would turn things around. Hired a new hitting coach...constant talk in the media about serious changes just in time for us. Always gives a team a spark at first at least.

Seems like we face those kind of teams alot. Couldnt wait til next series to make a big change?

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Booooooom Bell!

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

Booooooom Bell!

Looks like he is back to his rookie season when it comes to power. Good to see...now if we could get healthy or not have 10 guys out at a time at leaat would be a start. One comes back two more leave.

If you factor in how long it usually takes for that injured player to be consistent...thats what killed us so far the most. Id take 14-15 considering. We dont really know how good this team can be if they were all healthy. Something we got lucky with last year for the most part(yet guys like Bell struggled). Polanco was playing his best before he got hurt. Missed time this year. Bell is playing his best right now. Marte's record in and out of the line up says enough. Melky being a good surprise. Reynolds . Thats 5 guys out of the 8 who could make an impact if fully healthy...at once. Frazier not being what he was last year hasnt helped.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Bell again! Game tied!

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

Hes back

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Hes back

And that was QUITE the bomb! 450 ft.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

And that was QUITE the bomb! 450 ft.

Glad to see this new hitting coach not having him try 500 different approaches and just do what hes best at...that simple.

And most fans thought Bell was done before his career even started.

Soph slumps are real....all about that 3rd year if you have a solid rookie season.

Like I was saying in the other post...imagine if this team was fully healthy with how good Bell is playing this year. Even tho Polanco and Marte are back...its gonna be a minute before making an impact on a consistent basis.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

f***ing Kang

 

[Empoleon8771]

The Pirates deserve to lose this game because of the god awful bench management of Hurdle.

 

[lordstanley91]

The Pirates deserve to lose this game because of the god awful bench management of Hurdle.

True that. Let’s pinch hit the guy that has an absurd strikeout rate when we need a ball in play. It’s genius!

 

[Scandale du Jour]

And... another injury

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Newman! Super clutch hit! 5-4 Bucs!

 

[lordstanley91]

True that. Let’s pinch hit the guy that has an absurd strikeout rate when we need a ball in play. It’s genius!

And another Kang K

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Raise it!

 

[ChaosAgent]

So with Taillon and Archer out right now...

Are both Kingham and Liriano in the rotation right now? Seems like my guy Brubaker is on an express train to Tommy John sadly. Are there any non-Keuchel pitchers still available?

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Yes, I would assume with Lyons and Neverauskas called up, at minimum we will see some spot starts from Kingham and Brault or Liriano. Haven't closely been keeping track of things since I left the EST, but that would seem to make the most sense. Kingham probably deserves the shot. I'd actually like to see what we could get out of Rookie Davis, although it looks like he got hit really hard in his most recent start, and generally hasn't been going deep in games.

If Taillon basically doesn't come back from this injury soon after his rest period, I think the season is effectively toast. It's just too much to overcome on top of everything else. This win could be a huge momentum swing that at least allows us to stay hot enough to tread water in the division, but it's hard to have any confidence for a four game series vs the Cardinals with a hobbled rotation.

It sure would be a pretty quintessential Pirates situation if the offense really started to come around and score bunches of runs while we are cobbling starts together out of Liriano + Neverauskas or whatever. Really would have been nice to absorb those 8 losses over more like a 20 game stretch – keeps us in the division mix for longer. Everything right now is about how many games we can stay within striking distance, and for how long, hoping essentially that we can just be pesky enough to stay relevant, and cobble together a 1/2 season of solid health and performances up and down.

FWIW, Brault and Kingham are listed as the probable pitchers for the two games with the Rangers. We're 6-4 in our last 10 overall, and 3-1 on this little 7-game stretch vs the AL West teams. Somehow taking all of these games would be a huge boost, especially heading into what right now looks like a death trap, with 10 road games, 4 in St. Louis, 3 in Arizona, and 4 in San Diego. Getting back to 3 over .500 right now and then hopefully going 4-6 or 5-5 in that stretch should likely still keep us around 4 back in the division, especially if we can somehow pull off a sweep in St. Louis (and we at least will have all three of our actual starting pitchers for those four games).

 

[ChaosAgent]

I hope Cora's awful decision to not send Frazier doesn't lose us this game.

 

[lordstanley91]

I hope Cora's awful decision to not send Frazier doesn't lose us this game.

It will

 

[lordstanley91]

Pirates really know how to waste quality starts. I just don’t get it. We have to play small ball but have only 13 steals on the year and don’t send Frazier there in the 6th.

 

[lordstanley91]

And neverauskas is poop