Bump this thread when your Pittsburgh Buccos are above the Mendoza Line

[MicroBob]

Pirates are showing all the signs of a team that can exceed expectations and "run hot" all year. They win by 1 or 2 runs, then lose by 7 or 8. Keep bunching up all those runs allowed into single games like that guys! Note that it's the 50th Anniversary of the 1960 World Series team which was the most lopsided run differential against a team that ended up winning. Let Mazeroski and the boys be your inspiration!

So for this team right now we have:
7-7 record overall with a runs scored difference of 54-91. Wow.

All 7 of their losses have been by 6 or more runs. That alone is pretty amazing.
4 of the losses have been by 8 or 9 runs.
5 of their 7 wins have been by 1 or 2 runs.

On the 5 games of the homestand so far...outscored 15-26 yet with a 3-2 record.

When the Buccos get down 6-0 I think it's okay to root for the other team to pile it on. Might as well get those runs allowed out of the way. Save the somewhat feeble offense for the games that are realistically winnable.

Who's with me?!

[bones]

In between 16 hours of Ben discussion, John Raynor was on a sports talk show yesterday and stated that the ridiculous run differential was a testament to how good this team really is since they can win the close ones.

[Jimmy Proffett]

Wow Pirates getting outscored 26-1 by Milwaukee in this homestand, and there's still 3 innings to go.

Edit: 32-1 and counting

[bones]

Only 1 error on the game, so that's a positive.

[Jimmy Proffett]

Final tally: 36-1

A record for 3-game series?

[Quadstriker]

Thar she blows.

[MicroBob]

I was there!!

It was hilarious. Worst shutout loss in the 120+ year history of the Pirates. All-time worst shutout loss in MLB history was 22-0 so we were pretty close to that. Amusingly, one of the 22-0 games was a Pittsburgh win over Chicago in 1975.

Anyway, amazing game for all the wrong reasons.

Weather was nice. And I caught a t-shirt from the bazooka gun of the Pirate Parrot and also came close to a couple foul balls. My catch on the t-shirt was a pretty good one. Surprised myself a little bit actually.

Beat: The t-shirt was a small which couldn't fit me if I lost 40 pounds. So my girlfriend's Mom got herself a new Pirates shirt.

The pitching on this team is just frightening. Some of the guys in AAA have ERA's around 5 so don't seem like they're really ready. But the arms on these bullpen guys are going to fall off...and they can't get anybody out anyway.

Team's morale has to be awful. A really long time for some of those players to have be standing out there in the sun while their pitchers were going at a snail's pace and giving up hit after hit. What few fans were left cheered when Milwaukee scored 20 which had to make the Buccos feel even worse....not that I can blame though nor should the players. The whole thing was just so retardedly comical.

[MicroBob]

Team ERA after 15 games = 7.23

Wow.

[Richard Tanner]

Originally Posted by MicroBob

It's the minor leagues. The vast majority of fans
don't care about the standings or the prospects or any of that stuff. It's just family entertainment for a fun night at a nice ballpark. But Indianapolis Indians water bottles are definitely a bonus!

Don't know if I mentioned it but I was such a huge fan of the old Bush Field where Indy played. Haven't been to Victory Field there yet. I know it's nice and all. But Bush Stadium was really special. Possibly my favorite ballpark of all-time actually and this is coming from someone who has probably been to over 100 ballparks. It just had such a wonderful feel.

Oh I realize most are there for fun ad its AAA but with the quality of pirates minors right now it should be going better.

As for Bush, yeah that place was great. Victory Field is pretty nuts though its actually my fav.

[Richard Tanner]

Originally Posted by MicroBob

The pitching on this team is just frightening. Some of the guys in AAA have ERA's around 5 so don't seem like they're really ready. But the arms on these bullpen guys are going to fall off...and they can't get anybody out anyway.

Doesn't seem ready isn't even close. Indy pitching is spectacularly bad right now. I'm looking forward to Alderson getting to indy but other than that PIT fans are left waiting.

[MicroBob]

Richard - "Spectacularly bad" would be an improvement for the Pirates right now. I mean...team ERA of over 7. Having an ERA of 5 in AAA is worth bringing up right now. Buccos in a stretch of 42 games in 44 days and they frequently have starters fail to make it past the 5th....and the guys that are coming in are throwing 40+ pitches...not 15 in a single inning or something.

Their arms are going to fall off and they need to switch some guys around I think. Giving up 10 or 20 runs all the time kind of wears out everyone.

Daniel McCutchen was terrible for his 3rd start in a row and has an ERA somewhere around 15. Charlie Morton is 0-3 with an ERA of 16.55. 3 starts, 10.1ip, 23h, 19er, 4hr. One or the both of those guys MIGHT have one more start left in them and if they perform like that again I think those moves need to be made too.

[MicroBob]

Pic of me after I made my fabulous catch on the t-shirt

[Richard Tanner]

So who do the Bucs pull up? Lincoln is prob ready for a shot. Hansen and Karstens maybe. After that people are going to need to show more imo.

Edit: Sick shirt ldo. Caught a inflatable lotto ball for some tickets once. Great feeling.

[MicroBob]

Just to clarify: The shirt is the wrapped up thing in the rubber-bands that I'm holding. It's not the yellow jersey that I'm wearing. As I said, the t-shirt was a freaking small so I couldn't wear it anyway. Would have preferred to catch one of the hot-dogs that they bazooka into the crowd instead. But, alas, I was destined to get the t-shirt.

As for pitchers...yiikes. Indy's team ERA is about 6. I don't think Lincoln is really ready to be honest. But they might as well call him and give him a start anyway and perhaps move McCutchen or Morton to the bullpen or AAA (fwiw, I think Morton has it in him to turn this around...but whether he actually will I have no idea).

Ohlendorf hopefully returning from his back issue at some point would be nice (and hopefully he won't suck). As I said, 42 games in 44 days in a pretty tough stretch for a corps of pitchers that burns through so many pitches.

They evidently have called up Jakubasus from Indy and he is going to start Saturday at Houston. Went 6-7, 5.32 with Seattle last year. So I guess maybe Russell is listening to me? (actually, it appears it is in place of the injured Ohlendorf)

Russell is other-worldly patient with his guys and the losing sometimes but I just can't see him sticking with McCutchen and Morton in the rotation if they continue to give up 6 runs in 4 innings on pretty much every start.

I wouldn't call up Karstens with an 8 ERA at Indy. But one of the other relievers like Bass or Veal could trade places with a Pittsburgh guy just to help out if that's what it comes to.

Obviously what they really need is a couple of starters to actually last into the 7th or something. Maholm goes Friday against a weak hitting HOU team (.227 team average) so it all works out with a lot of potential actually. Maholm has gone 6, 5 and 6.2. Sunday it's Morton and his dazzling 0-3, 16.55 numbers.

[shootwillus]

I have never caught a shirt...but, I caught a hot dog once:

Guess what...not an actual hot dog!!!

It is a hot dog shaped "slug" with a coupon for one free hot dog taped around it. Very very disappointing....


Anyway, D. McCutchen just isnt a big league pitcher...maybe never will be. His stuff is high 80's and somewhat flat.

Morton has amazing stuff when it works... unfortunately, he either has a mental implosion after two innings or maybe 2 innings is all he has in him. At least, imho, Morton may be able to be re-purposed into the bullpen.