The Fan Early Morning Show
Why can't the Pirates hit like that regularly?
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On Sports Radio 93-7 the fan, fan of the Morning Show. For the average Joe and when the average Joe wants to shop like a pro, the average Joe can go to see your wholesale, our fan of the Morning Show sponsor. It's a good day. I'd say so. It was a little concerning yesterday. We got a few things to address. And we will do that in time. But I'd like to offer you a chance to communicate with me as well. 4-1-2-9-2-8-9-3-7-0. Have a conversation. Start the conversation. Join the conversation. Do whatever you want. It's early in the morning. We're all waking up. We're all getting ready for the day. And it feels like a good day. Pirates did another one of those shellacings. They put up 12 of them for a reason, one by 10. So we like to, you know, we like days like that when we can wake up and we can look at that score and we could say, yeah. And I remember that. And I watched that game. I'm a happy guy. 4-1-2-9-2-8-9-3-7-0. You can also talk to me on X at callus_33. That's C-A-L-L-A-S_3-3. We have some, yeah, we got some things to talk about here with regard to the Pirates. It was starting to look like, I mean, it was tough. There was a article that came out talking about some anonymous member of the Pirates front office. Was not happy and apparently expressed that much of the front office was not happy with Bob Nutting saying that the Pirates are, you know, are fully prepared and equipped to make acquisitions and thought it was misleading. And yesterday morning before that story even came out, before I was even aware of it, and I was talking about it's time to face the reality and maybe think that the Pirates aren't good enough to make the playoffs this year, maybe it's just not their year. I think we're all starting to face some reality of that with just where they are in the standings and where other teams are and everybody's just so close and the Pirates are just a little bit too far behind to really make a giant impact. They split a series with the Mets. They lost a series of the Cardinals and they lost a series of the Braves. They're most recent series here. So now they're playing the Brewers and they went 12 to 2. A lot of inspiring stories out of that one, Josh Palacios. He's, I like him, I like him being up in the majors and where all of ours was also sent down yesterday. A guy who was back in cleanup for a little while. And it wasn't really hitting the ball. But he had to hit here and there. He wasn't getting extra base hits, I think, was the big storyline for him because we're in the cleanup hitter, usually want a guy with a little more power in there. Maybe he could have succeeded somewhere else. I don't know. Nick Gonzalez was put back into the cleanup spot yesterday and he went two for four, so drove in a run. That was nice to see. The offense was pretty much clicking all the way around. So Winski hit a home run, part with the Grand Slam that really, really created a gap in the score initially. And then the route was on, rally to Les, two for four with the home runs. The offense is a story yesterday's game. And, I mean, they did something similar to when they blew out the Mets in the first game in that four game series that Friday, so a little under a week ago. Pirates scored all their runs in the last two innings of the game. In this case, the Pirates put up six in the sixth inning, so they scored a little bit later and kept piling on later on. They scored one in the seventh and three in the eighth. So it was a pretty solid offensive showing. And they did the thing. I mean, that's the formula that I talk about all the time. They, you know, they should not score all their runs in one inning. And they didn't. They spread it out throughout the entire game. They got two in the third give up that lead pretty quickly. It was a two, two game until the sixth. And then they broke out, scored six. Much in part to the Joey Burke Grand Slam. And, you know, then they just kept scoring from there. They kept putting it on. Why can't they do that every game? Well, that pace isn't realistic. I'll give them that. But why can't they do that? Like, why can't they put up a good chunk of runs at least, at least three days out of the week? You know, score four or five runs at least three days out of a week. That's, that's kind of what I'm looking at. Two or three days, maybe, you know, score some of those big chunks of runs and really give your pitching staff. The opportunity, give them a little leeway, give them a little leash and allow them to work. And it's not, it's not always great playing in those high-intensity games at this point in the season. And right now, the Pirates don't have David Bednar. He's starting to rehab assignment soon. I think he already did maybe with double A, but he's not active as the, as the bottom line. And I mean, who can you trust in Chapman or Holderman to get those saves? I mean, it's a tough situation to be in, but that's kind of what we're looking at right now. You don't want to be put in those situations right now where you're playing in too many close games. Creators don't trust the bullpen right now. Again, I don't blame Chapman for that. I don't blame Holderman for that. I don't blame them for not being able to handle some of those situations. Chapman is aging. Perhaps he can't handle the high-intensity situations that they're in. Holderman, maybe you can trust Holderman. I don't know. He hasn't been putting too many save situations though, so, yeah, it is what it is. But the offense should put the Pirates in better position more often than not to win games and not keep it close or not barely score at all like we've seen. I mean, the Pirates are up though. I mean, this has become a bit of a trend now. And it's back to back games where they scored eight or more runs. You know, it's just odd. I mean, now it's, I mean, it's getting better. It's definitely better than it was before. It feels like this Pirates offense is better than it was before. They splurged for five to beat the Cardinals in that series when they played on the beginning of the month. It was July 3rd. They won five to four. They also scored four in the first game of the series. They're not bad. They erupted in the first game against the Mets. And won 14 to two. So he scored 14 runs. Then they put it back to back twos. Then scored eight and one eight to the final game of that series and I'll score 12 against the Brewers. So there's a little bit more of an eruption now in these games. We're seeing more of a pattern when these guys are on. And if they do end up making the playoffs, which again, I'm not, I'm not too faithful in right now. Or they do rally. There's going to be a heck of a story going in there. Him batting third was an interesting choice yesterday. Well, I see his bad lead off. My coaching got the day off. And not a bad lineup to put out there. Polosius lead off Reynolds second to us for a third. And Nick Gonzales fourth. I mean, that's not a bad one at all. Keep Brian Hayes even started. And this one is the number five. You got to hit hit in five bets. So not, not a bad showing a pretty, pretty solid showing by the offense. Pretty inspiring there. And then Josh Fleming, the opener, Quinn Preister. That was an interesting dynamic as well. And he's, he's part of this story as well struck out eight over six innings. Didn't start. Fleming started as the opener pitched a shutout. I mean, that's misleading. I'm sorry, but he didn't give up any runs in the inning he pitched. He walked three. But Preister, the big story carrying the team through six innings in that game. Big storyline there. And then Dennis Santana pitched the final two. But by that point, it was, you know, it was pretty much all said and done. The pirates were scoring. So, you know, he just mopped up the outs that were left. And, yeah, Preister one, one earned run eight strikeouts over six. Pretty solid. So there's a lot of good that you take from this game. And I mean, that makes me question to him. And the Preister figured out what he was sent down there for a little bit. Started getting some work in. But did, uh, this he just not like being on the mound for the starting portion of the game, but you bring him in in the middle and he's fine. I mean, that's a strategy that if it works, it works. This is very interesting, very interesting. Colin Ray of the Brewers, he gave up seven earned runs. So in his start, it was not great. And then the bullpen give up their fair share later on. Little runs here and there scored. I want every game. And it's not, this is not realistic to think this, but I want, I want every game to feel like these games, that first game against the Mets in that series. This first game against the Brewers in this series, like I wanted every game to feel like that. I mean, it's exciting when they score. I mean, that's obvious. I just wish that they would do it on a more consistent basis. And I don't know exactly what the disconnect is. But part of me still wants to believe that little corner of my heart still wants to believe that this team is good enough to produce runs at a rate where they can make the playoffs and be a team that goes in there and shakes things up. I miss fucked over. The 20 years of losing before is too long. It's too long. I'd say that'll happen again. And that's actually the clock restarted in 2018 because they did finish over 500. But I like exciting baseball. That's my point here. And I know you all like exciting baseball as well. The consensus is pretty clear. When the pirates are on, they're exciting to watch. When the pirates are on, they're on high demand. It's games like yesterday where they put it all together. They've got Placios back up here now and he's been, it's been pretty solid. The homer here hits there. Quinn Preister is coming out of nowhere, you know, pitching out, striking out eight. McCutchen still gets on base when he's in the lineup. Roddy Telez is on. Brian Reynolds is continuing his June and July. He's been pretty solid. Paul Skeens is on the team. I mean, there's just, there's so much good. Coming from this team and it's just, it's frustrating when they don't win because you've seen what they are capable of. They've just got to do it consistently. And maybe that series against the Mets was inspiring because they did score a healthy chunk of runs in two of those four games. Just the other two games they capped out at two and Chapman did blow the save in one of those games. So that's something to factor in two. But give me, give me more of these games like yesterday. Give me more of these exciting games. It feels like they're capable and that's why a little part of me thinks that maybe they can, they can figure something out. And they can pull it together as constructed. But otherwise, I mean, you know, if, if they just keep falling to the median, like they have been all season, it's going to be, it's going to be a long second half and it's going to be another year of no playoffs. Step up to the plate with Xfinity Internet. Get the fastest speeds and low lag streaming for an incredible viewing experience that knocks it out of the park. And you'll have the consistent connection with reduced buffering and freezing. So you can stay in all the action inning after inning. When it's game time, make sure to catch it all with Internet that's powerful and reliable. Stream sports from the best seat in the house with Xfinity because it's only live once. Actual speeds vary and not guarantee many factors affect speed. For factors affecting speed, visit xfinity.com/networkmanagement. This season Instacart has your back to school. As in, they've got your back to school lunch favorites, like snack packs and fresh fruit. And they've got your back to school supplies, like backpacks, binders and pencils. And they've got your back. When your kid casually tells you they have a huge school project due tomorrow. Let's face it, we were all that kid. So first, call your parents to say I'm sorry. And then download the Instacart app to get delivery in as fast as 30 minutes all school year long. Get a $0 delivery fee for your first three orders while supplies last. Minimum $10 per order additional term supply. It's been a three year wait, but the Olympics are back and the CBS Sports Podcast Network has you covered with everything happening in Paris. It's a new era for the US women's national team and attacking third will tackle all the women's soccer action. First cut will keep close tabs on golf while beyond the arc will follow the US men's basketball team on a quest for another gold. And we need to talk now will provide comprehensive coverage of women's athletes at the Olympic Games. Follow and listen to all CBS Sports Podcasts for free on the Odyssey app and wherever you get your podcasts. Tell me what you think, 4-1-2-9-2-8-9-3-7-0. Let's have a discussion. I got a couple of colors on the line now and I'll take them right now. Sure. Why not? Start with this color. Good morning. What's your name? Hey, good morning, Harry. It's Dan from Imperial. How you doing? Good. Good to hear from you again. What's up? Yeah, good to hear from you too. So I just have a question. So, and I mean, I guess I could follow up after you answer. Do other teams switch their lineups as much as the pirates do? And what I mean by that is like, so for instance, I'm hearing different names like every day. You know, and I understand it's based off of statistics, but do other teams switch their lineups like the pirates do? Yeah, from what I've seen, I think so. There are a lot of teams that do a scramble. No, they're not doing well either. A lot of those teams that do. So, yeah, I mean, I think that, yeah, a lot of teams definitely do that these days. Okay, okay. And the reason I asked that, I'm sorry to cut you off there. And the reason I asked that is because, like you just said, you know, I feel like consistency, you know, like, yes, maybe one guy won't perform is good, you know, one night, but then might come back the next night and do just, and do better than the night before. Or whatever. And so I feel like if they would just be consistent with their lineups and put them in the same spot every night, maybe they would like kind of find their niche. You know, I just feel like they're doing too much. Yeah, Dan, thanks for the call. I appreciate it. I mean, that's a fair observation. I will say this though, baseball is a weird sport. And I think some of these teams that have these high analytics to try to get out in front of, you know, ahead of everybody else with doing, doing weird things or doing things. You know, doing weird things or doing more statistical based things. I think they try to do that because, I mean, baseball is weird. And the team like the Yankees, it had a pretty consistent lineup. You know, throughout the year, before these last couple months, I mean, the Yankees have lost 16 or the last 20. And I use them as the bar because they were the first to 50 wins and now they're not even leading their own division. And their lineups been pretty consistent when they were winning and all of a sudden, you know, some injuries happen here and some, you know, and some players stop performing there and all of a sudden, they look really bad right now. So, I mean, it's a, it's an art. I like consistency. And I, I'll be honest with you. I think that they've been consistent to as of late without their lineups been constructed. So, I mean, it's interesting that when they were scrambling McCutchen from like fourth to seventh in the order, that's when I was really getting upset. They've been batting him lead off consistently when he's been in the lineup and I like that. And they've been trying to find the right middle of the order. Yeah, I guess they've been scrambling a bit. Dan, so yeah, maybe you're, maybe around to something there. Yeah, I like to see consistency too, but also, I don't think that consistency after, like, looking at other teams and kind of seeing those other teams, I don't think that consistency necessarily breeds success. Now, not many teams do it anymore. I mean, a lot of the lower end teams here try to scramble the lineup to, to figure out who's the best to play. So, I mean, I guess it just depends. Baseball is such an inconsistent science as well. And a lot of, you know, there's a lot of statistics that try to break it down into a science, but really, I mean, it's, it's such a wild sport and anything can happen. I mean, you got a team like the Pirates, it's hanging around the median in the National League, you know, mixing things up and trying to find the right players and the right formulas. And then you got a team like the Yankees that tried to stay consistent with the players that they had, and they went from, you know, being the first to 50 wins to now not even leading in their division. So, I mean, baseball is a weird sport. So I don't necessarily know if consistency would automatically help them. I just think that I just thought earlier on that it would have. So, that's a good question, though. Keep it, I get you thinking a little bit here on this, on this Wednesday morning. All right, got another caller for one, two, nine, two, nine, three, seven, zero. Good morning. What's your name? Hey, Harry, good morning. It's Chase, even containing how you doing? Oh, I'm doing all right this morning. What's on your mind? Hey, I mean, just add to the previous caller. I think if you have a good team consistency, they have that lineup every day. You look at the last series of the Mets, that lineup didn't change all four games. But with what I actually called, if you look at this season in a microcosm, they blew six or seven games early, the bullpen did earlier in the year. And the hitting definitely has been sporadic. But even last night, you're taking Joey Bart, Swinsky, Triolo, Taylor. I mean, at the bottom of that lineup, sometimes it's like four automatic outs. I just don't think that they've given that this staff has not given them a chance to win, to be successful. I mean, it started in the off season going cheap. That's why we knew that. But now you have a pitching staff that is probably top five in the MLB. And you said, yeah, last night you'll have a night where you explode or Friday night like that. But all year, it's been one, two runs with so much pressure in his staff. I do not understand why they would not go out and at least try to upgrade some kind of depth of positions in his organization. It's just, it's the same old song and dance Harry every year. Now you have a quality staff that if you'd somehow get in a playoff series, you're going to put Keller Jones schemes out there in a three game series or five game series. I like my chances. Yeah, no, I hear you. Thanks for the call. No, I mean, I totally get it. I think the closer to the deadline, there may be more action here from the Pirates, maybe they're waiting. I don't know what to think in that regard. I agree with you. They should add something. But Dorn and I talked about this yesterday on the morning show, Maine. And we talked about even like, what are you going to get? Even if you acquire somebody, is there anybody good enough this season that you really think is going to tip the scale? Lean the balance. Make your offense that much better. And even if your offense gets a little better, the way the National League is so competitive this year, are you going to be able to play well enough with an offensive acquisition, giving up prospects that you have? Are you going to be good enough to make up ground in the wildcard race? The division doesn't seem capable of winning this season. The Brewers are doing really well. It's not impossible, but it's not likely either. So, I mean, that's kind of my perspective on it. Dorn and I were talking about it, and we both agree. What are they even going to get? Is what they're going to give up worth? What they're going to get? Is it going to make them that much better that they're going to win that many more games that they're going to make the playoffs? That's just what you got to ask yourself. And I'm leaning toward no these days, and I'm sad to say that. But I'm leaning toward no. One more caller before I take a break for one, two, nine, two, nine, three, seven, zero. Good morning. What's your name? This is TJ. All right, TJ. What's up? Nothing. You know, I've been saying this for a while, and even when everyone was putting the team down, I said, you know, these guys can hit. They're all pro baseball players. They're, they can hit. I've seen them hit. I've been a Connor. I've been a fan of Connor Joseph to play with the Rockies fan of rowdy to Les since the Brewers. I mean, they're all great hitters. He Brian Hayes can hit. He's shown that and he proved that. Obviously, Brian Reynolds. There's a big. There's a great lineup. It's just. I think that it's hitting when it counts and hitting when it matters. And I think that's the name of the game now with offense being as low as it is in baseball. It's important. I think to hit when it matters hit with runners and scoring position. You know, the frustrating part is. Yeah, they can all hit, but love. You know, if I had a nickel for every time, it's like. Strike out chase one in the dirt pop up in foul territory, then a base hit on the first and there's already two outs and it's like strike out again. You know, you get your lead off man on. You play a little small ball and you can score, but I don't see that happening, but I know they can all hit. I've seen it and I just think it's about hitting when it matters and hitting when it counts. Yeah, thanks for the call TJ. I appreciate it. Yeah, points will take it. Hitting when it matters. Yeah, I got no notes on that. That makes total sense. Yeah, they got to hit when it matters. They got to hit when guys are on and they got to produce those runs within the opportunities there. But that just also makes me kind of, I mean, I hesitate sometimes too because I watch them play and they don't do that sometimes and it just gets really annoying and really frustrating and I get really sad. And that's what makes me think that they're not capable because they can't do that consistently yet, whether the players aren't good enough or whether the players just haven't developed enough yet. You know, some of their young guys still consider Swinsky a relatively young guy that he's technically a veteran now. All those guys that got to, they've got to put it together and figure it out. That's just what it seems like right now. We're hoping that they figure it out and I don't know how much faith I have in them figuring it out down the stretch here. But well, you know, we'll see. I don't know. But you're not wrong TJ. You're not wrong. Points will take and I just, I'm losing faith that they're going to figure it out this season well enough to get back into the race. But there's still a whole, a whole half. There's still a whole half of the year to play. Okay. Let me give you some fan, whether real quick fan, whether brought to you by Sun Chevrolet. It's the Chevy summer drive at Sun Chevrolet up to 7,500 in rebates, terms and conditions are at sunshevy.com today. It's going to be hot. I have 89 low of 70 now thunderstorms in the forecast, 55% chance throughout the area and high winds throughout the mid to late afternoon. Tomorrow I have 83 low of 65, partly cloudy skies expected. Step up to the plate with Xfinity Internet. Get the fastest speeds and low lag streaming for an incredible viewing experience that knocks it out of the park. And you'll have the consistent connection with reduced buffering and freezing so you can stay in all the action ending after ending. When it's game time, make sure to catch it all with Internet that's powerful and reliable. Stream sports from the best seat in the house with Xfinity because it's only live once. Actual speeds vary and not guarantee many factors affect speed. For factors affecting speed, visit Xfinity.com/networkmanagement. It's been a 3 year wait, but the Olympics are back and the CBS Sports Podcast Network has you covered with everything happening in Paris. It's a new era for the US women's national team and attacking third will tackle all the women's soccer action. First cut will keep close tabs on golf while beyond the arc will follow the US men's basketball team on a quest for another gold. And we need to talk now will provide comprehensive coverage of women's athletes at the Olympic Games. Follow and listen to all CBS Sports Podcasts for free on the Odyssey app and wherever you get your podcasts.