Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Milwaukee Brewers – Game 125
Just what the doctor ordered. A team that has no problem pushing around the Charmin Soft Pirates after they got swept by the Padres.
Not sure if you noticed but I took the day off yesterday. Nothing to do with the Pirates. Twitter blackout, no message boards. And this is basically where I’m at.
This team is about as likable as the Baltimore Ravens at this point. No guts, mismanagement, poor personnel moves, it’s all there, for everyone to “enjoy”.
It’s quite striking that Pirates fans are just okay with it though. ”Hey, they are better then we expected!”. Actually no, they aren’t. They haven’t won a god damned thing yet.
I know people think that breaking the streak is a successful season. It’s not. It’s another failure. Sure it’s a step in the right direction, but in the long run winning 82 games is mediocrity at it’s finest. I’m not a fan for mediocrity. I’m a fan to see my team win.
If a team destroys expectations for the first half of the season, over 80 games, and fades one season, they probably weren’t ready.
If a team destroys expectations for the first half of the season for a second straight season, heads need to roll. Whether that’s players, coaches, or front office staff. This can not happen.
Were the Pirates really better than expectations? Probably not. The fact of the matter is Pirates fans are conditioned to expect less then they should. They are conditioned to root for mediocre shit. They are conditioned to whining about the Yankees and other big payroll teams (while ignoring the myriad big payroll failures like the Phillies and Mets).
Pirates fans are conditioned to be soft, just like this team.
First Pitch: 7:05 PM EST
Where To Watch: Root Sports, MLB.TV, FSWI
Mike Fiers, RHP (27)
Out of nowhere Mike Fiers is having a really, really good season. All the more surprising is that he is doing it as a 27 year old rookie.
Bet you didn’t know that rookies could have good seasons in the rotation. Someone should let Clint Hurdle and Neal Huntington know it is in fact possible to succeed without proven Major League success. Shocking I know.
| W | L | ERA | G | GS | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA+ | WHIP | H/9 | HR/9 | BB/9 | SO/9 | SO/BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 0 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2.500 | 9.0 | 0.0 | 13.5 | 9.0 | 0.67 | |
| 6 | 6 | 2.90 | 15 | 14 | 87.0 | 79 | 29 | 28 | 5 | 20 | 86 | 144 | 1.138 | 8.2 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 8.9 | 4.30 |
| 6 | 6 | 2.83 | 17 | 14 | 89.0 | 81 | 29 | 28 | 5 | 23 | 88 | 147 | 1.169 | 8.2 | 0.5 | 2.3 | 8.9 | 3.83 |
The Pirates managed to beat the Brewers and Fiers when he pitched against them this season. Surprising since the Pirates have basically let the Brewers be their daddy for years.
| Date | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | Pit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 29 | @ | LAD | W(1-0) | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1.29 | 89 |
| June | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | Pit | |
| Jun 3 | PIT | L(1-1) | 5.0 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 3.75 | 101 | |
| Jun 9 | SDP | L(1-2) | 6.0 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 4.50 | 91 | |
| Jun 16 | @ | MIN | W(2-2) | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3.60 | 107 |
| Jun 20 | TOR | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3.46 | 17 | ||
| Jun 24 | @ | CHW | 7.1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2.70 | 102 | |
| Jun 30 | ARI | W(3-2) | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 2.29 | 105 | |
| July | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | Pit | |
| Jul 5 | MIA | L(3-3) | 7.1 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 2.31 | 107 | |
| Jul 16 | STL | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2.01 | 112 | ||
| Jul 22 | @ | CIN | L(3-4) | 6.0 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1.96 | 92 |
| Jul 27 | WSN | W(4-4) | 6.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 1.77 | 108 | |
| August | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | Pit | |
| Aug 1 | HOU | W(5-4) | 6.0 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1.88 | 102 | |
| Aug 7 | CIN | W(6-4) | 8.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1.80 | 113 | |
| Aug 13 | @ | COL | L(6-5) | 2.0 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2.63 | 48 |
| Aug 18 | PHI | L(6-6) | 5.0 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 2.90 | 100 | |
| 87.0 | 79 | 29 | 28 | 20 | 86 | 5 | 2.90 |
Note, he has struggled lately. Twelve runs allowed in his last seven innings pitched. That either means he is struggling for real and the league has figured him out, or more likely he will just dominate the free swinging Pirates, striking out at least seven of them.
Strikeout pitchers are basically Kryptonite for the Pirates offense.
Now don’t confuse my usage of the word Kryptonite as a comparison to Superman. There is nothing super about the Pirates offense at this point. Except maybe Garrett Jones. The rest of them? Schmucks.
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