2019 Pittsburgh Pirates Season Thread

Postby **Ad@m** » Tue Apr 16, 2019 9:36 pm

5-3

Marte with a 2-run HR in the top of the 10th

Postby **Ad@m** » Tue Apr 16, 2019 9:44 pm

RTJR!!!!

Postby **shafnutz05** » Tue Apr 16, 2019 9:49 pm

At this current juncture, I don't think there's any way that you can put either Rodriguez or Kela into the game to try and hold a lead. I think I would put Crick back into the setup role and give Burdi the 7th with a lead. Kela and Rodriguez can still be used in late inning situations, just not when they are trying to hold a lead.
He blew another one, this time in the 9th. Hurdle is a genius.

Kela is a disaster. You cannot trust him at all.

He has four blown saves already...and no saves. that is insane.

Postby **Freddy Rumsen** » Tue Apr 16, 2019 9:57 pm

Only if Nutting would spend money the Pirates would win.

#ohwait

Postby **willeyeam** » Tue Apr 16, 2019 10:25 pm

Go Bucs

Postby **Morkle** » Wed Apr 17, 2019 8:34 am

Only if Nutting would spend money the Pirates would win.

#ohwait

lmao, let's wait until the end of the year. I don't think 9-6 is anything to brag about yet.

Postby **Troy Loney** » Wed Apr 17, 2019 9:04 am

It is an interesting fine line this organization is running on right now.

Big picture, 9-6 without two of their most important lineup pieces (Polanco and Dickerson). Not to mention that 9-6 could easily be 12-3 had they not blown three 8th inning leads thus far. That said, everyone of those 9 wins required pulling some teeth. In the long run, to prevent a collapse, the offense or the bullpen will have to get much better. I think that they will both be much better in May, but at the same time, the starting pitching is over achieving so the improvements to the bullpen and offense will also have to compensate for that drop.

But the corollary to all of this, they could have better prepared for dealing with injury by spending some money this offseason. God knows where they would be absent this start from melky right now.

Postby **DigitalGypsy66** » Wed Apr 17, 2019 9:31 am

Polanco and Diaz are both hitting well in their rehab stints, so that's good news. Cervelli looks like he needs a rest, or begin the player/coach portion of his career.

Postby **willeyeam** » Wed Apr 17, 2019 9:36 am

this is your monthly reminder that Diaz is better than Cervelli

Postby **Morkle** » Wed Apr 17, 2019 11:57 am

It is an interesting fine line this organization is running on right now.

Big picture, 9-6 without two of their most important lineup pieces (Polanco and Dickerson). Not to mention that 9-6 could easily be 12-3 had they not blown three 8th inning leads thus far. That said, everyone of those 9 wins required pulling some teeth. In the long run, to prevent a collapse, the offense or the bullpen will have to get much better. I think that they will both be much better in May, but at the same time, the starting pitching is over achieving so the improvements to the bullpen and offense will also have to compensate for that drop.

But the corollary to all of this, they could have better prepared for dealing with injury by spending some money this offseason. God knows where they would be absent this start from melky right now.

lol, I think you say something like this every year, and in my mind I always think you say it with some kind of shock they didn't do anything.

Postby **shafnutz05** » Wed Apr 17, 2019 12:33 pm

I think that they will both be much better in May, but at the same time, the starting pitching is over achieving so the improvements to the bullpen and offense will also have to compensate for that drop.

You would know better than I, but hasn't this been the pattern virtually every season? Bats start ice cold, starting pitching is en fuego, and they both start to revert back to where they are expected to be? I swear it has followed this same pattern at least the last few years dating back to the playoff runs.

Postby **Troy Loney** » Wed Apr 17, 2019 12:50 pm

I think that they will both be much better in May, but at the same time, the starting pitching is over achieving so the improvements to the bullpen and offense will also have to compensate for that drop.
You would know better than I, but hasn't this been the pattern virtually every season? Bats start ice cold, starting pitching is en fuego, and they both start to revert back to where they are expected to be? I swear it has followed this same pattern at least the last few years dating back to the playoff runs.

I don't think they've ever entered the season with as strong a rotation as this.

The playoff years were marked with Burnett, Liriano and Cole anchoring the rotation, which they would supplement with reclamation projects like Volquez and Worley. And they also had guys that were completely erratic here like Morton and Locke.

So the status quo was generally for them to enter the season with gaping holes that they had patched over in the offseason, and would either be filled by a prospect or deadline acquisition in summer. In the McCutchen years, the offense was predicated solely on whether he was hitting or not. These years were also a sort of dead ball era as umpires were calling a giant strike zone, so they could get by with McCutchen and his cast of scrubs.

The offense this year is running on fumes, losing Dickerson and Chisenhall was not ideal, but Chisenhall lives on the DL so that's a plant corn situation, but otherwise it truly seems like they were ok treading water until Polanco got back, problem with that being, Polanco is chronically inconsistent and you are doomed if you are counting on him curing your ails.

@Morkle , right I have expressed surprise in the past that they were unwilling to use financial resources to add to the team. I think last offseason, it was the need to spend to add a 3B. My comment today was not surprise, but more commenting on the flaw of their model. I am resigned to the notion that this team does not view FA as the method for filling long term holes on the roster.

Postby **MrKennethTKangaroo** » Wed Apr 17, 2019 1:54 pm

I was a bit skeptical about the starting rotations potential, but so far it has exceeded pretty much everyone's expectations.

Postby **Ad@m** » Wed Apr 17, 2019 10:03 pm

RTJR!!!

Postby **willeyeam** » Wed Apr 17, 2019 10:04 pm

Raise it. Is it me or do we totally own Detroit?

Postby **Freddy Rumsen** » Wed Apr 17, 2019 10:27 pm

Pirates now 4-2 in extra innings.

Postby **MrKennethTKangaroo** » Wed Apr 17, 2019 10:35 pm

Part of being a good team is beating bad teams. Who cares if the reds and tigers are bad?

Postby **willeyeam** » Wed Apr 17, 2019 10:37 pm

Part of being a good team is beating bad teams. Who cares if the reds and tigers are bad?

Haters gonna hate

Postby **MrKennethTKangaroo** » Thu Apr 18, 2019 12:04 am

Jae Hwan Bae was suspended 30 games for domestic abuse. What the hell is wrong with that guy

Postby **dodint** » Thu Apr 18, 2019 12:08 am

Trying to get promoted?

Postby **Dickie Dunn** » Thu Apr 18, 2019 12:26 am

Jae Hwan Bae was suspended 30 games for domestic abuse. What the hell is wrong with that guy

New thing or in relation to his legal issues from last year?

Postby **Troy Loney** » Thu Apr 18, 2019 5:51 am

Raise it. Is it me or do we totally own Detroit?

I just saw that the pirates have the best inter league record since 2013.

Postby **Troy Loney** » Thu Apr 18, 2019 5:52 am

The offense was painful to watch again, but 4 scoreless innings from the bullpen is a recipe for victory in the league right now.

Postby **MrKennethTKangaroo** » Thu Apr 18, 2019 6:47 am

Jae Hwan Bae was suspended 30 games for domestic abuse. What the hell is wrong with that guy
New thing or in relation to his legal issues from last year?

Everything i have read has been vague, but from reading through the prior pirate threads, the legal incident from last year stemmed from some events in 2017. So perhaps he is finally getting suspended for that. Or it could be something new. Who knows

Postby **Dickie Dunn** » Thu Apr 18, 2019 9:58 am

Jae Hwan Bae was suspended 30 games for domestic abuse. What the hell is wrong with that guy
New thing or in relation to his legal issues from last year?
Everything i have read has been vague, but from reading through the prior pirate threads, the legal incident from last year stemmed from some events in 2017. So perhaps he is finally getting suspended for that. Or it could be something new. Who knows

Looks like that's what it stems from. He paid a fine related to the 2017 incident and is now being suspended for it.

Trying to get promoted?

Somehow, you are actually correct. It was looking like he was going to spend this year in a short season league, but five days ago the Pirates promoted him to Greensboro. The clock on his suspension starts now. Had they kept him on the short season roster his suspension wouldn't have started until June.