Pittsburgh Pirates in 2024 -- Let the Youth Movement Reign!

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Heretic

Son of the Sun

Tue, Jul 9, 2024 1:22 PM
posted by Ironman92

Keller should’ve been there

I'd agree. His April kind of sucked, but in May/June/so far July, he's been one of the top guys in MLB. And picked up win #10 yesterday. Probably turned into a question of do you pick the guy who's been mostly really good over a full half of a season or the phenom who'll put eyes on the TV screens who's been great, but over a shorter period of time. Going off what my brain says should be the case, it'd be Keller; but understanding that baseball needs to get better at marketing their young players (part of which is on those players; I remember how Mike Trout's prime didn't really get the mainstream splash that a comparable athlete in other sports would have received due to Trout not being comfortable in a "look at me" role), I get why Skenes was the pick.

Really, when I think about it, if the team had a consistent league-average offense this year, they'd be up there with the Brewers at the top of the division. Starting pitching has been very strong with Jared Jones also having a good rookie first half and Bailey Falter being a more-than-serviceable back-end guy, but the offense just disappears. Recent series with the Mets had outputs of 14, 2, 2 and 8. Balance that out and it's a four-game sweep, but as it was, it was a 2-2 draw with one of the other many mediocre teams fighting to be in the wild card race.

QuakerOats

Senior Member

Thu, Jul 11, 2024 1:50 PM

Will it be a sellout in Milwaukee this afternoon .........with Skenes on the hill for the Bucs and the Brewers in first place? 

QuakerOats

Senior Member

Thu, Jul 11, 2024 4:19 PM

Skenes no-hitter through 7 innings; 11 k's, 1BB.  Then they pulled him; 99 pitches.  Reliever gave up 2 singles in the 8th, and a walk -- bases loaded now, 2 out.  Hope they don't blow it. 

Heretic

Son of the Sun

Thu, Jul 11, 2024 5:03 PM

Fortunately they didn't. Holderman made things a bit tense, in part due to the offense doing virtually nothing against a mediocre at best starter, but at least was able to strike out his way out of that inning and Chapman slammed the door in the 9th.

Skenes now 6-0 with a 1.9 ERA. And tied Nolan Ryan as the only MLB starter in history to have two straight outings of 6 or more innings, 0 runs and 11  or more Ks. Which I guess goes to show that the stat nerds can come up with a milestone over absolutely anything that happens anywhere. 

EDIT: 0 hits, not 0 runs. So, even more impressive.

Heretic

Son of the Sun

Fri, Jul 12, 2024 11:37 AM

Just read on Twitter that Skenes will start the All-Star game for the NL. The world gets to see its new overlord in action!

Ironman92

Administrator

Fri, Jul 12, 2024 1:16 PM
posted by Heretic

Just read on Twitter that Skenes will start the All-Star game for the NL. The world gets to see its new overlord in action!

He’ll face Henderson/Soto/Judge I imagine 


QuakerOats

Senior Member

Fri, Jul 12, 2024 2:58 PM
posted by Ironman92

He’ll face Henderson/Soto/Judge I imagine 


2 k's and a popout

geeblock

Member

Sun, Jul 14, 2024 5:05 PM

Cheap bastard owner was on my flight to Pittsburgh today from Ft. Lauderdale, no wonder we won’t sign any players. (Southwest)

Ironman92

Administrator

Sat, Jul 20, 2024 4:58 PM


Pirates are a hot ticket!

Heretic

Son of the Sun

Sat, Jul 20, 2024 5:07 PM

Dang, I was there last month for 2/3 of their games with the Reds and it was $48 or so for those seats on the first base area where it's $128.

I know it's a weekend series instead of mid-week, when I was there. And I think they're having some sort of festival in Pittsburgh this weekend, also. So that might be driving up the price somewhat, but roughly $80 more for a seat is kind of wild, regardless.

Ironman92

Administrator

Sat, Jul 20, 2024 6:45 PM
posted by Heretic

Dang, I was there last month for 2/3 of their games with the Reds and it was $48 or so for those seats on the first base area where it's $128.

I know it's a weekend series instead of mid-week, when I was there. And I think they're having some sort of festival in Pittsburgh this weekend, also. So that might be driving up the price somewhat, but roughly $80 more for a seat is kind of wild, regardless.

Ton of Philly fans is a nice part of it


Heretic

Son of the Sun

Tue, Jul 30, 2024 6:02 PM

Team even has been buyers to a (for them) nice degree as the trade deadline approaches.

Got Bryan De La Cruz from Miami because you can't have too many Cruz/De La Cruz guys in one division. And also because, other than Reynolds, the outfield has been a HUGE part of the overall offensive struggles.

And picked up Isiah Kiner-Falefa from Toronto, who should make up for the injury loss of Nick Gonzales at 2nd, who started well, but had been slumping for a good while. Although that was blunted a bit by how, when he did get hits, they were clutch ones.

1

Ironman92

Administrator

Tue, Jul 30, 2024 6:09 PM

Congrats


Meanwhile the Reds call up a kid, he earned player of the week honors and now we get to watch 3-4 other guys not be able to do what he did.

Tonight we are using our top defensive infielder (it’s not close) and using him as the DH….again.

Day before Elly was given a scheduled HOME game of the day after going 3/3 with 4 SB. Just a giant FU by the dumbasses in button up shirts and slacks wearing numbers guys.


Edit: and the guy we traded for (Austin Slater) who was the reason Rece Hinds NL POTW was called up and then sent back down. Now Slater has been moved to the Orioles and Hinds remains in AAA

Heretic

Son of the Sun

Tue, Jul 30, 2024 6:42 PM

posted by Ironman92

Congrats


Meanwhile the Reds call up a kid, he earned player of the week honors and now we get to watch 3-4 other guys not be able to do what he did.

Tonight we are using our top defensive infielder (it’s not close) and using him as the DH….again.

Day before Elly was given a scheduled HOME game of the day after going 3/3 with 4 SB. Just a giant FU by the dumbasses in button up shirts and slacks wearing numbers guys.


Edit: and the guy we traded for (Austin Slater) who was the reason Rece Hinds NL POTW was called up and then sent back down. Now Slater has been moved to the Orioles and Hinds remains in AAA

Man, they already sent Hinds down? I knew he'd fallen off after that great start and I knew the scouting report on him was kind of a "boom or bust" thing that, well, about every power guy is nowadays, but that was super-quick. I had seen Elly was out during a home game.

I do know I heard what the Reds were doing was called a "soft sell". I know dumping off Montas was a good idea. At least for my ears. Seems like the last 2-3 times I've watched a Reds game with a Reds fan friend, he was starting and it didn't take long for the pure rage to start flowing out of him, lol. And the last time or two, it was even deserved!


Ironman92

Administrator

Tue, Jul 30, 2024 7:23 PM
posted by Heretic

Man, they already sent Hinds down? I knew he'd fallen off after that great start and I knew the scouting report on him was kind of a "boom or bust" thing that, well, about every power guy is nowadays, but that was super-quick. I had seen Elly was out during a home game.

I do know I heard what the Reds were doing was called a "soft sell". I know dumping off Montas was a good idea. At least for my ears. Seems like the last 2-3 times I've watched a Reds game with a Reds fan friend, he was starting and it didn't take long for the pure rage to start flowing out of him, lol. And the last time or two, it was even deserved!


Yeah, he had to fall off. As soon as he had 3 not great games IN TOTAL, he was shipped down. Batting .315 with a 1.200 OPS. 


QuakerOats

Senior Member

Wed, Jul 31, 2024 3:44 PM
posted by Heretic

Team even has been buyers to a (for them) nice degree as the trade deadline approaches.

Got Bryan De La Cruz from Miami because you can't have too many Cruz/De La Cruz guys in one division. And also because, other than Reynolds, the outfield has been a HUGE part of the overall offensive struggles.

And picked up Isiah Kiner-Falefa from Toronto, who should make up for the injury loss of Nick Gonzales at 2nd, who started well, but had been slumping for a good while. Although that was blunted a bit by how, when he did get hits, they were clutch ones.


Pleasantly surprised that the Bucs went into mini-acquisition mode. 

Hope they can stay in the hunt.


Heretic

Son of the Sun

Thu, Aug 8, 2024 12:28 PM
posted by QuakerOats


Pleasantly surprised that the Bucs went into mini-acquisition mode. 

Hope they can stay in the hunt.


Welp, it was fun while it lasted, but these last few days of watching them snag defeat from the jaws of victory against other wild card contenders has kind of killed the enthusiasm. Late-inning relief has been beyond shaky with Bednar back to giving up runs and Holderman forgetting how to pitch.

Heretic

Son of the Sun

Sun, Aug 11, 2024 7:37 PM

Jesus fucking christ, fuck this fucking team for not being able to close out one fucking game in the goddamn late fucking innings. 1-8 over the last nine, with most of those losses coming down to the very end.

On a brighter note, August 11 is the latest in the season they've made me meltdown over their fucking ineptitude in a few years.

QuakerOats

Senior Member

Thu, Aug 15, 2024 2:11 PM

10 straight down the tubes .........didn't see that coming.

Heretic

Son of the Sun

Wed, Sep 25, 2024 6:07 PM

With the season lost and nearly mercifully concluded, we HAD to just have one more case of PIRATES GONNA PIRATE.

In a move they said was designed to work out more younger players (for a whole 5-6 games despite the team being out of contention for longer than that...and one of those "young" players being Joshua Palacios, who is 30 and is not in tonight's line-up, meaning that actually playing him might not be a priority), the team DFA'd Rowdy Tellez and Michael A. Taylor. And are trying to pretend it's just a coincidence that they DFA'd Tellez when he was 4 plate appearances away from triggering a $200K bonus.

Ironman92

Administrator

Wed, Sep 25, 2024 6:43 PM
posted by Heretic

With the season lost and nearly mercifully concluded, we HAD to just have one more case of PIRATES GONNA PIRATE.

In a move they said was designed to work out more younger players (for a whole 5-6 games despite the team being out of contention for longer than that...and one of those "young" players being Joshua Palacios, who is 30 and is not in tonight's line-up, meaning that actually playing him might not be a priority), the team DFA'd Rowdy Tellez and Michael A. Taylor. And are trying to pretend it's just a coincidence that they DFA'd Tellez when he was 4 plate appearances away from triggering a $200K bonus.

Weak AF to cut Rowdy then


Heretic

Son of the Sun

Thu, Sep 26, 2024 12:20 PM
posted by Ironman92

Weak AF to cut Rowdy then


Yeah. With Taylor, it's one thing. He hasn't hit all year except for about the first week, he got DFA'd once and was kept around mainly for veteran presence and helping Oneil Cruz adapt to moving to the outfield. If anything, they could/should have dumped him a bit earlier and given his limited playing time to someone younger with a potential future in the organization.

Tellez started horribly, but then was one of the best hitters for a couple months as they worked into playoff contention and then fell off as the team fell off. While, unlike Taylor, being a regular presence in the line-up the entire way. Good enough for 421 PAs, but not 425. But just a coincidence, according to management! Nothing to do with that extra money!!!

QuakerOats

Senior Member

Thu, Sep 26, 2024 2:07 PM

Hopefully his $3.2 million in contract salary eases the pain.  But still, a tough look publicly.