If there is a team which needs a break more than the Pittsburgh Pirates, I would love to hear who.
That’s because there is no one who needs a break more desperately then them, especially after playing uninspired baseball in an 8-3 loss Sunday to the St. Louis Cardinals.
It was a team which looked tired in every way and played like it, too.
Sure there can be many excuses made for the loss but flat out the Pirates just need a day to get right again.
Pirates manager Clint Hurdle only agreed with the general point without saying as much.
“I think it would be against the law if we had to play any more in a row,” he said. “It’s good timing.”
When looking for ways to try and stay upbeat, the Pirates offered tired and overused cliches to illustrate how they will get back to form.
“You take it one start at a time,” Hurdle offered on his team’s pitching. “We just find ways to continue to work and get a little better.”
“Just wash it out and get ready for the next day,” Andrew McCutchen said. “That’s all you can do.”
Sunday, Jon Niese allowed eight runs on 11 hits. Both were season highs for him and this after not having allowed more than two runs in a start since May 9.
“This was one of the days I felt better pitching but that’s how this game goes sometimes,” said Niese. “Some breaks didn’t go my way.”
Hurdle’s feeling was that not much went Niese’s way. Niese was not lacking strikes, that much was for sure but his location left a lot to be desired. Several mistakes were elevated and the Cardinals made him pay.
Despite this, Niese had the following to say about his biggest regret.
“I didn’t use the sinker as much today and that frustrated me the most at the end,” Niese said.
While of course it means he would have liked more ground ball outs this also reflects on how short handed the Pirates are at catcher.
Erik Kratz had all kinds of video and oral sessions talking about Niese and the other pitchers and eight runs were allowed.
It was the first time these two were a battery and it showed. A lot was left to be desired.
“When you put eight runs up on the board, it’s not exactly what I was looking for,” Kratz said.
A reset button is needed in a big way and continuing to perform as flatly as the Pirates dos over the Cardinals series is unacceptable for what this team desires to do.
The schedule ahead is tough and each team remaining in June has a playoff spot. The excuses need to stop, opposing teams will play with no mercy
