Chapman has gotten the results a lot more consistently lately, but he's just a struggle to watch. You can still see how badly the hitters can be fooled when he's pitching, but the wildness makes him below the elite level he was for so long.
Regardless, took care of business and gave Skenes a chance to slam the door on an important series W. Icing on the cake is that the Reds might have choked away a lead late in their game.
It is what it is. With Bednar hurt and Stratton hurt, we have to use him. He is a nightmare matchup for hitters, still.
Interesting to see McAdoo get promoted from H-A to AA.
Greensboro has a few college hitters that torched that league (McAdoo, Cimillo, Ross) where a lack of promotion speaks volumes about how the Pirates view these guys as prospects. It was kinda shocking that Brannigan didn't break camp with Altoona but he's justified the staff's decision with a very mid performance so far.
Also we are nearing returns from Bae and Bart. Both of which are badly needed. Bart should be getting 70% of starts and will offer some needed help for the bottom of the order. I also think Bae has earned a month-long look as an everyday CF once he is back. The stats didn't bear it out in his short sample size but he looked like a much more dangerous hitter in 2024. Suwinski is lost again and Taylor has been our worst offensive player most of the year.
I would even consider dropping Taylor for Palacios but I think the team has to consider its reputation with future free agents to some extent. This goes for Grandal vs. Delay as well. I think Palacios was an underrated part of our .500 August/September run last year and put together some good ABs against righties and lefties. Maybe a Joe phantom DL stint is in order to get him right, and give Palacios a 2024 look with the big club.
