Tonight's Game: *sigh* Mitch Keller walked the first Cubbie and he scored two outs later on Kris Bryant's double. On the plus side were two whiffs and 17 pitches, so... It took Zach Davies nine tosses to sit the Bucs down. A leadoff single in the second led to no Chicago mayhem. Two walks around an Erik Gonzalez two-bagger loaded the sacks with no outs. Jake Stallings singled home a pair, but Anthony Alford & Kells couldn't help the cause. Then two-out lightning struck: Adam Frazier doubled, Phil Evans walked, Bryan Reynolds doubled (one hop and over The Notch wall) and Redbeard singled. That made it 7-1 and brought in Alec Mills, who got out of it after a free pass. Mitch liked it as he tossed a clean third while the Pirates reverted to SOP. The Cubs got an infield rap in the fourth before the Pirates parlayed a HBP, walk and single into nada thanks to a 6-4-3 DP in between.
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| Kells showed his stuff tonight - photo 2020 Pirates |
Chi-Town bookended a couple of singles around an out in the fifth before Mitch worked out of it, just ahead of an approaching rain front. Dillon Maples got the call and the ball. Jake walked with an out and moved up on a wild pitch but went no further. In the sixth, Duane Underwood was waved in (Keller was at 80 pitches with a line of a run on five hits, one walk and seven K) and walked the leadoff man on four pitches with a six-run lead *grrr* but recovered to get a pop and pair of whiffs as the drizzle began. Phil the Thrill gave the fans one when he banged his third dinger, a solo shot, into the bullpen. Duane bopped the first batter in the seventh, but a DP, nicely turned by Fraze, and punch out cleaned that up. Jason Adam struck out the side. Clay Holmes climbed the bump in the eighth, and an infield rap, stolen base and two-out flare cost him a run. The rain was pretty steady now, but they played on as Brian Workman sloshed to the hill. Fraze and Phil singled with an out but stayed put. Michael Feliz was tagged for a leadoff two-bagger, then settled in to shut the gate. Raise it, finally!
A good day for the Bucs, one that should help mentally pick the boys up, especially Mitch. Today was a step in the right direction. His command wasn't great - he was up a lot - but he filled the strike zone and looked aggressive and confident. A little more of that attitude should go a long way.
Notes:
- Fraze, Phil the Thrill and Redbeard each had two hits; every Pirates starter reached base and scored, chased home a run or both except for Alford.
- Not only was the seven-run outburst in the second the Pirates biggest inning of the year, but it's the first time they've scored over five runs in a game this season.
- Anthony Alford is 0-for-15 with 12 whiffs in seven games. CF was his spot to lose, but he's sure opened the door for Dustin Fowler (.200 w/seven K in 15 AB) or whomever Plan C may be.
- Bucco hurlers must love the stretch: the Cubs put their leadoff runner on in seven innings.
- It was another whiff-fest: Chicago batters went down 14 times; Buc batsmen 11 times.
- The Pirates pre-game featured a moment of silence honoring Phil Coyne.
Tomorrow's Game: RHP JT Brubaker goes against RHP Trevor Williams in a quick homecoming visit for Willy on getaway Sunday. The game starts at 1:05, will be carried on AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan, and for those there, the final magnetic schedule/facemask handout.
Hopeful signs for Keller tonight. Re: Alford, he strikes me as the quintessential toolsy athlete that likely isn't really a baseball player, but everyone keeps running him out there in the hope that his athleticism will translate into production on the field. It seems to me there's only one way to truly find out about a guy like that, and that's to put his name in the lineup more or less every day for the first 30 or 40 or 50 games of the season. That way, he doesn't have to worry so much about playing his way into the lineup, and maybe if he can relax a bit, he might figure it out.
ReplyDeleteMy guess is that he won't, and that he is a WYSIWYG guy at this point. Meaning, he's basically a 5th outfielder - pinch runner type of player who you can stash in Triple A for a year or three and bring him up here and there, particularly in a pennant race. Like the Bucs used to do with Matt Alexander back in the day. Again, though, only one way to know for sure. Running him out there in dribs and drabs, especially when he's missed a lot of time over the years with injuries, isn't going to tell the tale or help him or the team.
Yeh, hopefully Keller's light turns on; so far, I'm kinda excited about Luis Oviedo, too. As for the Alford/Fowler thingie, I think the Bucs just took a flyer on a thin spot. I think you're right that they'll have a 60-day window to prove or disprove themselves; that's when Oliva/Swaggerty will have some competitive ball under their belts again after camp (the last two years for prospects, sheesh, no development time at all).
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