2016 Pirates

[thedddd]

Ok this pitching staff needs a major overhaul. The fact you score 7 runs in the first and then let the Braves back in the game!

 

[WVUinVegas]

Pirates pitching has an OPS-against on the road of .843, piss poor.

 

[Darkstone42]

Congrats to Wilfredo Boscan for making his Major League debut and having a pretty solid one!

 

[Darkstone42]

Gregory Polanco has 54 hits this year. 26 of them have been for extra bases. Considering he's hitting over .300, that's pretty impressive.

 

[Darkstone42]

The Bucs may be flawed as a team, but man can they hit.

 

[Darkstone42]

There are no breaks in this lineup for an opposing pitcher, no matter who's in there. Even the pitchers have been among the best hitting pitchers in baseball this year.

 

[Darkstone42]

Of the 12 position players we can expect to be with the team all year, only Cervelli (98) and Stewart (91) have been below league average as hitters. Cervelli's in a bit of a slump, but his defense has been excellent, and Stewart only has 45 PA, so even that's not a big deal.

Matt Joyce is already at 1.0 WAR off the bench. Everyone but Stewart has been worth at least half a win to this point. Polanco's been a superstar, Marte's been just shy of one, and we still haven't seen the usual McCutchen yet.

 

[thedddd]

Well who would have thought at this point in the season Jeff Locke would be there second best starter. Yeah the offense is good top to bottom but I am really looking forward to Taillon, Glasnow or Kuhl now. They need something to take pressure off of Cole.

 

[Darkstone42]

Well who would have thought at this point in the season Jeff Locke would be there second best starter. Yeah the offense is good top to bottom but I am really looking forward to Taillon, Glasnow or Kuhl now. They need something to take pressure off of Cole.

There's something wrong with Liriano. There has to be. He hasn't just forgotten how to pitch. Something must be off.

 

[thedddd]

There's something wrong with Liriano. There has to be. He hasn't just forgotten how to pitch. Something must be off.

If there isn't anything physically wrong I wonder if the issues revolve around the fact his prior success was hitters going after bad pitches and him also getting the called strikes. Wonder if this season it is occurring less? His contact rate is up and his swinging strike rate is down.

 

[Darkstone42]

If there isn't anything physically wrong I wonder if the issues revolve around the fact his prior success was hitters going after bad pitches and him also getting the called strikes. Wonder if this season it is occurring less? His contact rate is up and his swinging strike rate is down.

His fastball location heat map is much different this year than the past couple. He's been missing with it over the inner half a lot, whereas the past couple he's stayed exclusively away. I think that's making his sliders look less tempting, and the reason they're not getting chased.

 

[Darkstone42]

Today's home plate umpire, by the way, has been embarrassingly bad. Pitches in the zone called balls, pitches well off the plate called strikes, and a lot of them. They let Smith get away with a couple clear balks, too, and it cost us McCutchen at first. (He actually started his pitching motion, turning in, flexing his front leg and starting to lift it, then moved to first. There's no way that's not a balk.)

 

[redskin4209]

Our pitching is in crash mode guys. There's something wrong with Watson also. he is having a rough month. Time to call up the young guns. We obviously have to trade some people to make room. Nicasio and Locke look expendable to me.

 

[Darkstone42]

Our pitching is in crash mode guys. There's something wrong with Watson also. he is having a rough month. Time to call up the young guns. We obviously have to trade some people to make room. Nicasio and Locke look expendable to me.

We need Nicasio in the bullpen. Taillon will get the call first, Nicasio will go to the pen. Then Kuhl, and Locke to the pen. I'd rather have those two in there than the likes of Luebke, Lobstein, Scahill, and Schugel. Boscan can stay.

 

[Darkstone42]

Taillon will debut tomorrow against Syndergaard!

 

[thedddd]

We need Nicasio in the bullpen. Taillon will get the call first, Nicasio will go to the pen. Then Kuhl, and Locke to the pen. I'd rather have those two in there than the likes of Luebke, Lobstein, Scahill, and Schugel. Boscan can stay.

I totally agree. I truly hope Taillon pitches well to keep the starting position most of the season. Kuhl I can see getting the call up over Glasnow but in a perfect world both would come up.

 

[redskin4209]

We need Nicasio in the bullpen. Taillon will get the call first, Nicasio will go to the pen. Then Kuhl, and Locke to the pen. I'd rather have those two in there than the likes of Luebke, Lobstein, Scahill, and Schugel. Boscan can stay.

I concur my bad. How did I look over those guys. I notice you did not mention Glasnow. Is he still having control issues. Any word on Josh Bell, he's a local kid.

 

[Darkstone42]

I concur my bad. How did I look over those guys. I notice you did not mention Glasnow. Is he still having control issues. Any word on Josh Bell, he's a local kid.

Glasnow's still having command issues, yeah, and his changeup simply isn't any good. His ERA is low because his stuff is electric and AAA hitters aren't as disciplined as Major Leaguers, but he'd probably be only a bit better than Nicasio as a best case scenario. Kuhl, on the other hand, has three pitches and command of each of them, so he's likely more ready and will be the one to get the call.

 

[redskin4209]

We need Nicasio in the bullpen. Taillon will get the call first, Nicasio will go to the pen. Then Kuhl, and Locke to the pen. I'd rather have those two in there than the likes of Luebke, Lobstein, Scahill, and Schugel. Boscan can stay.

Well Darkstone42 I don't think I like the likes of Watson or Hughes either. All of this mess is expendable.

 

[thedddd]

After last night it proves that Nicasio is needed in the Bullpen along with Taillon staying in the Majors.
Shame they blew a pretty good first start for him.