What: Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Where: Miller Park
When 8:10 EST
The Pirates close out their penultimate road trip of the season looking to sweep the Brewers in Milwaukee for the second time this month. Tonight, a sweep is not just a luxury, it is a necessity. With the hole the Pirates have dug for themselves, every game is a must-win. The Bucs are 3.5 back with 11 games to go, including three against the team they're chasing, the Cardinals. Buckle up and hope for a miracle.
The Bucs will start Ryan Vogelsong on the hill tonight, which is an interesting move. I find it interesting because I'd be interested to know why Clint Hurdle entrusts this guy with a game at this point in the season, when a single loss could all but eliminate us. Yeah, Vogey was a great story coming back from his injury, and he pitched very effectively for a while there. But that stage has long passed. He is simply not pitching well at all right now, and sending him out there doesn't seem like it is putting us in the best position to win a game. The guy has a 7.01 ERA in his last seven starts, and he hasn't made it past the fourth inning in any of his past three. It's hard to be optimistic about tonight, but, hey, the Brewers are bad, and our offense and bullpen have been doing well lately.
The Pirates lineup:
Adam Frazier 2B
Starling Marte LF
Andrew McCutchen CF
Gregory Polanco RF
Jung Ho Kang 3B
Sean Rodriguez SS
David Freese 1B
Francisco Cervelli C
Ryan Vogelsong P
Frazier is atop the lineup once again. Starling Marte was originally slated to hit leadoff tonight, but Jordy Mercer was scratched from the lineup due to right forearm discomfort, which led to Adam Frazier being inserted into the lineup, and Hurdle likes Frazier better at leadoff than Marte (understandably so).
Speaking of Marte, he's back. He's been dealing with back issues lately, and was recently cleared form any structural damage.
The Brew Crew are starting righty Chase Anderson. Anderson has had a lackluster season, but in his last 15 games he's had a very respectable 3.74 ERA, including a cool 2.73 in his last 7. He started at PNC Park on 9/4, and pitched five scoreless en route to a win.
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Endgame: Pirates 4, Brewers 1
WP: Chad Kuhl
LP: Jimmy Nelson
SV: Tony Watson
The Pirates jumped out to an early lead once again, and recorded another workmanlike victory in Milwaukee. That's six wins in a row at Miller Park, this streak coming after a string of ten consecutive losses there.
Last night, the story on offense was Josh Bell and Adam Frazier getting on base. Tonight, the story was Andrew McCutchen and Sean Rodriguez staying hot and driving in runs. 'Cutch homered (24) in the first and has hit .400 with 12 hits and 12 RBI over his last seven games. S-Rod knocked in a pair in the first and homered in the fourth, and has hit .301 over his last 30 games, and .333 over his last 15.
Gregory Polanco had two hits, which is nice to see, as he has been struggling of late. He's hit just .235 over his last 30 games. Hopefully this is just a minor slump; Greg is a huge part of this team moving forward.
Chad Kuhl turned in a very solid start, giving up just five hits and one run over six innings. The Pirates will take that line any day. Meaningless game in September in Milwaukee, Wild Card Game at PNC. Six innings, one run is solid. Kuhl will keep getting looks here down the stretch and this will probably put him in a pretty good position for Spring Training.
The Bullpen had another spotless night. Juan Nicasio, Felipe Rivero, and Watson each pitched a scoreless inning. They surrendered just two hits between the three of them. This is a big reason why a six inning start is acceptable for this team. The 'pen can lock it down if you can hold off until the seventh.
The Pirates currently sit 3.5 games back of the second Wild Card spot. The Mets and Cardinals are currently tied for that spot. Even after gaining a game tonight, the Pirates' chances remain extremely slim. However... if they can gain a game over the next eight, they will hold their fate in their own hands in St. Louis.
LP: Jimmy Nelson
SV: Tony Watson
The Pirates jumped out to an early lead once again, and recorded another workmanlike victory in Milwaukee. That's six wins in a row at Miller Park, this streak coming after a string of ten consecutive losses there.
Last night, the story on offense was Josh Bell and Adam Frazier getting on base. Tonight, the story was Andrew McCutchen and Sean Rodriguez staying hot and driving in runs. 'Cutch homered (24) in the first and has hit .400 with 12 hits and 12 RBI over his last seven games. S-Rod knocked in a pair in the first and homered in the fourth, and has hit .301 over his last 30 games, and .333 over his last 15.
Gregory Polanco had two hits, which is nice to see, as he has been struggling of late. He's hit just .235 over his last 30 games. Hopefully this is just a minor slump; Greg is a huge part of this team moving forward.
Chad Kuhl turned in a very solid start, giving up just five hits and one run over six innings. The Pirates will take that line any day. Meaningless game in September in Milwaukee, Wild Card Game at PNC. Six innings, one run is solid. Kuhl will keep getting looks here down the stretch and this will probably put him in a pretty good position for Spring Training.
The Bullpen had another spotless night. Juan Nicasio, Felipe Rivero, and Watson each pitched a scoreless inning. They surrendered just two hits between the three of them. This is a big reason why a six inning start is acceptable for this team. The 'pen can lock it down if you can hold off until the seventh.
The Pirates currently sit 3.5 games back of the second Wild Card spot. The Mets and Cardinals are currently tied for that spot. Even after gaining a game tonight, the Pirates' chances remain extremely slim. However... if they can gain a game over the next eight, they will hold their fate in their own hands in St. Louis.
Preview 9/21/2016 Pirates vs. Brewers
What: Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Where: Miller Park
When: 8:10 EST
After last night's victory, the Pirates found themselves with a very slim shot at the second Wild Card berth. It will take a miracle to get there, but there is a chance. For the Pirates to make the playoffs, a number of things all need to occur in just the right way. The Pirates need to gain two games on the Cardinals leading up to their season-closing series in St. Louis. The Pirates would then need to sweep that series. All the while, the Giants would need to stay behind or tied with both the Pirates and the Cardinals. As you can imagine, there is a very low chance of all of these things happening. Until it is mathematically impossible, though, the Bucs are still in it. Every game is huge. One loss at the wrong time could take this challenge from daunting to impossible. With the Cubs and Nationals coming to town next week, it is imperative that the Pirates take care of things in Milwaukee.
The Bucs will start rookie righty Chad Kuhl on the mound. Kuhl has been consistent in all of his time in the Majors; he has a 3.97 ERA this season, including 3.86 in his last seven games. He's averaged 5.2 innings per start, which is a solid number. The Pirates will want him to deliver at least that tonight, because their bullpen was taxed last night due to a short start by Stephen Brault.
The Brewers' starter, righty Jimmy Nelson, has had a disappointing year. He had high hopes after a strong rookie season in 2015, but he has struggled his way to a 4.42 ERA in thirty starts this year. Certainly not horrible numbers, but not what the Brewers were looking for out of their promising young pitcher. He's recorded a terrible 5.84 ERA in his last seven starts, so he is trending downward. The Bucs should be able to do some damage here.
The Pirates lineup:
Adam Frazier LF
Josh Bell 1B
Andrew McCutchen CF
Gregory Polanco RF
David Freese 3B
Francisco Cervelli C
Sean Rodriguez 2B
Jordy Mercer SS
Chad Kuhl P
The Bucs got a lot of production from their top three of Frazier-Bell-'Cutch last night, and they'll look for that again tonight. David Freese is hitting just .200 in his last seven games, and it seems like Hurdle is letting him play his way out of it with Kang on the bench.
Where: Miller Park
When: 8:10 EST
After last night's victory, the Pirates found themselves with a very slim shot at the second Wild Card berth. It will take a miracle to get there, but there is a chance. For the Pirates to make the playoffs, a number of things all need to occur in just the right way. The Pirates need to gain two games on the Cardinals leading up to their season-closing series in St. Louis. The Pirates would then need to sweep that series. All the while, the Giants would need to stay behind or tied with both the Pirates and the Cardinals. As you can imagine, there is a very low chance of all of these things happening. Until it is mathematically impossible, though, the Bucs are still in it. Every game is huge. One loss at the wrong time could take this challenge from daunting to impossible. With the Cubs and Nationals coming to town next week, it is imperative that the Pirates take care of things in Milwaukee.
The Bucs will start rookie righty Chad Kuhl on the mound. Kuhl has been consistent in all of his time in the Majors; he has a 3.97 ERA this season, including 3.86 in his last seven games. He's averaged 5.2 innings per start, which is a solid number. The Pirates will want him to deliver at least that tonight, because their bullpen was taxed last night due to a short start by Stephen Brault.
The Brewers' starter, righty Jimmy Nelson, has had a disappointing year. He had high hopes after a strong rookie season in 2015, but he has struggled his way to a 4.42 ERA in thirty starts this year. Certainly not horrible numbers, but not what the Brewers were looking for out of their promising young pitcher. He's recorded a terrible 5.84 ERA in his last seven starts, so he is trending downward. The Bucs should be able to do some damage here.
The Pirates lineup:
Adam Frazier LF
Josh Bell 1B
Andrew McCutchen CF
Gregory Polanco RF
David Freese 3B
Francisco Cervelli C
Sean Rodriguez 2B
Jordy Mercer SS
Chad Kuhl P
The Bucs got a lot of production from their top three of Frazier-Bell-'Cutch last night, and they'll look for that again tonight. David Freese is hitting just .200 in his last seven games, and it seems like Hurdle is letting him play his way out of it with Kang on the bench.
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Endgame: Pirates 6, Brewers 3
WP: Jared Hughes
LP: Matt Garza
SV: Tony Watson
The Pirates got on the board early tonight, thanks to another productive game from Adam Frazier and Josh Bell at the top of the lineup. Those two seem to be working quite well in that spot. The duo combined for four hits and a walk over eight at-bats. In the top of the first, they both were on base for Andrew McCutchen, who seems to be finding himself late in the season here. 'Cutch drove in both runners with a sharp line drive to left, one that we are accustomed to seeing when Andrew is feeling good at the plate. Bell also drove in a pair on a line drive single in the fifth.
The Bucs did a good job of getting to Garza, something they by all means should have been able to do. Garza is not having a strong year, and the Bucs took care of business. They roughed him up for eight hits and five earned runs over just four innings of work. They didn't do much of anything against the Brewers' 'pen -- only one run off of rookie righthander Ben Rowen-- but they had already done enough damage.
On the Pirates' end, Brault was inefficient and was hit hard at times, but he kept it from getting out of hand. Four innings, five hits, and three earned runs is not a line you want to see in a big game, but we'll cross that bridge the next time we have a big game.
The Bucco Bullpen did a great job the rest of the way, only allowing two hits in the final five innings. Juan Nicasio, Antonio Bastardo, and Watson recorded two strikeouts apiece.
The Pirates started off their series at Miller Park strong, with a workmanlike victory. The Bucs drew even at 75-75, and now need to finish with a .500 record or better in their remaining games to secure a winning record. While the club's Wild Card hopes seemed to be dead as of a couple of weeks ago, they still are technically alive, albeit hanging by a thread. After Tuesday's action, the Pirates are 4.5 games back of St. Louis for the second Wild Card berth. That is quite a mountain, but there's a silver lining: The Pirates close the season with three games in St. Louis. If they can gain two games over the next nine, they will hold their fate in their hands during that final series.
Preview 9/20/2016 Pirates vs. Brewers
What: Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Where: Miller Park
When: 8:10 EST
The Pirates will start 2016's final series in Milwaukee tonight. They find themselves in a race, though not the one they were hoping to be in a few short months ago. Instead of racing for the division title or a Wild Card berth, they find themselves racing just to get a winning record. At 74-75, the Bucs are in danger of having their first losing season since 2012. 2012, of course, capped a record streak of twenty consecutive losing seasons. While all players and team officials, and most fans, will tell you that all they care about is making the Playoffs and winning a World Series, I think that deep down, everyone wants the Pirates to finish above .500 and avoid the bitter taste associated with that twenty year streak.
With thirteen games left, the Pirates need to go 8-5 to finish 82-80. It's doable, but with the Nationals and Cubs on the upcoming schedule, taking care of business in Milwaukee is a must.
The Pirates will start lefty Stephen Brault. Brault has had his ups and downs this year. After debuting on July 5th, he's made starts here and there but never really stuck in the rotation. His 3.90 ERA seems at least passable, but a few of his starts inspired little to no confidence in his ability to pitch well in big games against good teams. While that is certainly not the situation Brault finds himself in tonight (the Brewers are out of the race completely -- this game doesn't matter for either team), it is still worth noting. At this point, the Pirates are essentially holding tryouts for next year's starting rotation. They intend on playing big games throughout the 2017 season, and they need to know which pitchers to put their stock in. If Brault can't put up good numbers on nights like tonight, there is little hope that he will be trusted with a rotation spot next season.
The Pirates Lineup:
Adam Frazier LF
Josh Bell 1B
Andrew McCutchen CF
Gregory Polanco RF
Jung Ho Kang 3B
Francisco Cervelli C
Sean Rodriguez 2B
Jordy Mercer SS
Stephen Brault P
Frazier leading off again presents another interesting audition. Josh Harrison is on the DL for the rest of the season, and his health, combined with his erratic play this season, have many wondering what is best for the Pirates as far as their 2017 second base position goes. One of the non-Harrison options is Frazier, who has shown great speed and a knack for getting on base. It's hard to say whether the Pirates would consider starting Harrison on the bench in 2017, but Frazier is an option to play innings at 2B and the Pirates are getting him at-bats here as an extended audition. Another player who could get innings at 2B next year is Alan Hanson. Hanson hasn't received much playing time, which leads one to believe that his chances of getting serious playing time early next year are slim. He's one to keep an eye on though.
Rodriguez is coming off a monster week in which he hit four homers. As much as he's struggled at times, and punched water coolers at others, he's proven himself to be a useful guy to have around. I'd bet on the Pirates resigning him this winter.
Don't expect to see much of Starling Marte the rest of the season. His back has been acting up, and the Pirates' no. 1 priority with him should be having him at 100% on April 1st, 2017.
The Brewers will start righty Matt Garza. The Pirates know him extremely well. He's pitched to a 4.22 ERA this season. Pirates who know him well, like Mccutcheon, Mercer, Polanco, and Cervelli, should be able to hit him. But getting shut out over seven innings by Matt Garza would be a very Pirates-At-Miller-Park thing to do. We'll see.
Where: Miller Park
When: 8:10 EST
The Pirates will start 2016's final series in Milwaukee tonight. They find themselves in a race, though not the one they were hoping to be in a few short months ago. Instead of racing for the division title or a Wild Card berth, they find themselves racing just to get a winning record. At 74-75, the Bucs are in danger of having their first losing season since 2012. 2012, of course, capped a record streak of twenty consecutive losing seasons. While all players and team officials, and most fans, will tell you that all they care about is making the Playoffs and winning a World Series, I think that deep down, everyone wants the Pirates to finish above .500 and avoid the bitter taste associated with that twenty year streak.
With thirteen games left, the Pirates need to go 8-5 to finish 82-80. It's doable, but with the Nationals and Cubs on the upcoming schedule, taking care of business in Milwaukee is a must.
The Pirates will start lefty Stephen Brault. Brault has had his ups and downs this year. After debuting on July 5th, he's made starts here and there but never really stuck in the rotation. His 3.90 ERA seems at least passable, but a few of his starts inspired little to no confidence in his ability to pitch well in big games against good teams. While that is certainly not the situation Brault finds himself in tonight (the Brewers are out of the race completely -- this game doesn't matter for either team), it is still worth noting. At this point, the Pirates are essentially holding tryouts for next year's starting rotation. They intend on playing big games throughout the 2017 season, and they need to know which pitchers to put their stock in. If Brault can't put up good numbers on nights like tonight, there is little hope that he will be trusted with a rotation spot next season.
The Pirates Lineup:
Adam Frazier LF
Josh Bell 1B
Andrew McCutchen CF
Gregory Polanco RF
Jung Ho Kang 3B
Francisco Cervelli C
Sean Rodriguez 2B
Jordy Mercer SS
Stephen Brault P
Frazier leading off again presents another interesting audition. Josh Harrison is on the DL for the rest of the season, and his health, combined with his erratic play this season, have many wondering what is best for the Pirates as far as their 2017 second base position goes. One of the non-Harrison options is Frazier, who has shown great speed and a knack for getting on base. It's hard to say whether the Pirates would consider starting Harrison on the bench in 2017, but Frazier is an option to play innings at 2B and the Pirates are getting him at-bats here as an extended audition. Another player who could get innings at 2B next year is Alan Hanson. Hanson hasn't received much playing time, which leads one to believe that his chances of getting serious playing time early next year are slim. He's one to keep an eye on though.
Rodriguez is coming off a monster week in which he hit four homers. As much as he's struggled at times, and punched water coolers at others, he's proven himself to be a useful guy to have around. I'd bet on the Pirates resigning him this winter.
Don't expect to see much of Starling Marte the rest of the season. His back has been acting up, and the Pirates' no. 1 priority with him should be having him at 100% on April 1st, 2017.
The Brewers will start righty Matt Garza. The Pirates know him extremely well. He's pitched to a 4.22 ERA this season. Pirates who know him well, like Mccutcheon, Mercer, Polanco, and Cervelli, should be able to hit him. But getting shut out over seven innings by Matt Garza would be a very Pirates-At-Miller-Park thing to do. We'll see.
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