There is plenty that I could write about the Pirates’ pitching on Wednesday night. I could talk about how Josh Fleming actually looked decent, and whether Derek Shelton pulled him too soon. I could talk about how Luis Ortiz got squeezed at the plate, which led to the winning run being walked home in the 3rd inning. I could talk about how Roansy Contreras still looks very much like a work in progress, while Hunter Stratton has been solid. I could write about the bigger implications of Wednesday’s game as well, such as why the Pirates are still doing bullpen games in Year 5 of the Ben Cherington regime, or why Paul Skenes spent Wednesday pitching in Omaha instead of in the majors.
But there’s little point in pulling the pitching staff apart, looking for problems, when the offense is this bad. The Pirates could only muster 2 runs yesterday against a Milwaukee pitching staff that started BRYSE WILSON. Those runs both came on a homer by Bryan Reynolds, one of about 3 Pirates capable of accomplishing anything at the plate right now. The Bucs could muster only 4 hits and 4 walks against Wilson and the Brewers’ bullpen on Wednesday while striking out 8 times.
Cherington has been the GM of this team since the fall of 2019. The guys he wanted are mostly in place. If the Bucs are going to win under Cherington, it’s going to be with this group of position players, because there isn’t much additional offensive help to be had in the minors. There isn’t much more to say about this offense that hasn’t already been said — the Bucs HAVE to be better at the plate, or everything else is moot.
Bucco Ball 