Official Game Thread - 5/10 - Bucs vs Cubs

[Surgnbuck]

Tellez being soundly booed before he even gets to the plate

[Doc]

The Bucs had something going there with a Reynolds walk but McCutchen, Cruz, and Tellez can only manage two strikeouts and a fly out. Nice try, though.

[Surgnbuck]

Cruz steps up and it’s “Hello. How are ya? See ya tomorrow.

He's tired of being the only one contributing tonight. Figured might as well try and hit one across the river.

[JollyRoger8]

If we hadn’t called up Gonzales we would have been shut out once again. When will this team slump end?

[Bobster]

This was the 23rd game in a row where the Pirates scored in 2 or fewer innings.

[Doc]

I'm as guilty as anyone for taking some of my frustrations out on the players, but I shouldn't. They're just not very good major league players. What we're getting from them is about what they're capable of doing. Occasionally, someone will do something out of the ordinary, like get an extra base hit, or follow a player who gets a hit by getting one himself, but we shouldn't expect those things often.

This collection of players is a great example of why contraction of MLB should be considered.

[bucs607179]

I'm as guilty as anyone for taking some of my frustrations out on the players, but I shouldn't. They're just not very good major league players. What we're getting from them is about what they're capable of doing. Occasionally, someone will do something out of the ordinary, like get an extra base hit, or follow a player who gets a hit by getting one himself, but we shouldn't expect those things often.

This collection of players is a great example of why contraction of MLB should be considered.

Agree 100%. On another message board I said pretty much the same thing. My point was when you add another MLB team you just let 25 AAA guys become major leaguers. The argument I got was that the population keeps growing so there should be more available guys who are major league level. I do not agree with that.

[bucs607179]

Not sure how good Skenes will turn out but I feel bad for him and Jones. They are going to have zero run support.

[Bobster]

I'm as guilty as anyone for taking some of my frustrations out on the players, but I shouldn't. They're just not very good major league players. What we're getting from them is about what they're capable of doing. Occasionally, someone will do something out of the ordinary, like get an extra base hit, or follow a player who gets a hit by getting one himself, but we shouldn't expect those things often.

This collection of players is a great example of why contraction of MLB should be considered.

This is why I value batting averages. They are strong indicators of the frequency with which players hits safely. Critics will pick the numbers apart but when you see a .300+ hitter, you can expect somewhat frequent hits. Even a 3-game span of 1 for 4, 1 for 4 and 2 for 5 is .308 (4 for 13). That doesn't seem like a great deal of hitting, so think about the .200 hitters. That's the occasional hit with a lot of 0-fers.

So the Pirates have Tellez (currently .194). Added to the team after batting .219 and .215 the past 2 years.
Taylor (.222). Added to the team after batting .220 last year with a career BA of .238.
Grandal (.154). Added to the team after batting .234 last year, .202 the year before that and a career .236 hitter.
Oliveras (.222). Added to team after serving KC as utility OFer with career .257 BA.
Bart (.195). Career .217 hitter.

These players were added to a roster that had Suwinski (.171) who "hit" .202 and .224 in his previous 2 seasons, Davis (.162 prior to being optioned) who "hit" .213 last year and 37-year-old Cutch (.175) whose .256 last year was hit best since 2018 after hitting .222 and .237 in 2021 and 2022. Triolo gave them reason to be hopeful after hitting .298 last year. But he looks like a different player now at .210. Reynolds is always a threat because of past production. But he's currently a .240 hitter. That's the same BA that has kept Hayes on the bench since Tuesday.

Cruz has been hitting steadily. So has Joe, but he often sits (the twisted logic of Cherington and Shelton). So essentially, the Pirates send out a daily lineup of players for whom the likelihood of a hit is very small. And barring HRs, a combination of hits from such players in the same inning is required to score. In any given game, there is little reason to expect the Pirates to get enough hits to score enough runs to win. The last time they played a game in which they scored in more than two of the innings was April 14. They are 6-17 since then. New addition Gonzales provided the only run-scoring inning last night. They need a lot of new blood on this roster because most of the players currently on it have only proven that they lack the ability to contribute offensively. There is no reason to expect different results.

[Doc]

I'm as guilty as anyone for taking some of my frustrations out on the players, but I shouldn't. They're just not very good major league players. What we're getting from them is about what they're capable of doing. Occasionally, someone will do something out of the ordinary, like get an extra base hit, or follow a player who gets a hit by getting one himself, but we shouldn't expect those things often.

This collection of players is a great example of why contraction of MLB should be considered.

This is why I value batting averages. They are strong indicators of the frequency with which players hits safely. Critics will pick the numbers apart but when you see a .300+ hitter, you can expect somewhat frequent hits. Even a 3-game span of 1 for 4, 1 for 4 and 2 for 5 is .308 (4 for 13). That doesn't seem like a great deal of hitting, so think about the .200 hitters. That's the occasional hit with a lot of 0-fers.

So the Pirates have Tellez (currently .194). Added to the team after batting .219 and .215 the past 2 years.
Taylor (.222). Added to the team after batting .220 last year with a career BA of .238.
Grandal (.154). Added to the team after batting .234 last year, .202 the year before that and a career .236 hitter.
Oliveras (.222). Added to team after serving KC as utility OFer with career .257 BA.
Bart (.195). Career .217 hitter.

These players were added to a roster that had Suwinski (.171) who "hit" .202 and .224 in his previous 2 seasons, Davis (.162 prior to being optioned) who "hit" .213 last year and 37-year-old Cutch (.175) whose .256 last year was hit best since 2018 after hitting .222 and .237 in 2021 and 2022. Triolo gave them reason to be hopeful after hitting .298 last year. But he looks like a different player now at .210. Reynolds is always a threat because of past production. But he's currently a .240 hitter. That's the same BA that has kept Hayes on the bench since Tuesday.

Cruz has been hitting steadily. So has Joe, but he often sits (the twisted logic of Cherington and Shelton). So essentially, the Pirates send out a daily lineup of players for whom the likelihood of a hit is very small. And barring HRs, a combination of hits from such players in the same inning is required to score. In any given game, there is little reason to expect the Pirates to get enough hits to score enough runs to win. The last time they played a game in which they scored in more than two of the innings was April 14. They are 6-17 since then. New addition Gonzales provided the only run-scoring inning last night. They need a lot of new blood on this roster because most of the players currently on it have only proven that they lack the ability to contribute offensively. There is no reason to expect different results.

Great post, Bobster. I want to scream every time I hear someone say that Batting Average is a useless stat. I'll go to my grave thinking it's the best measurement of a hitter. I know that getting on base, without making an out, is the objective but, even when I was in Little League, I never believed my coaches when they said a walk was as good as a hit. A walk guarantees one base and very rarely directly results in a run. A hit can be multiple bases and can immediately result in multiple runs. Every single person who's ever picked up a bat would prefer getting a hit over earning a walk. The guy standing at the plate is called a "hitter" not a "walker".

When I looked at the box score this morning, the players' batting averages were a glaring indication of the team's collective inability. There's no player in the line-up who creates fear for a pitcher. If someone gets on base, there's little to be concerned with by who follows. There are three position players who could make the 26-man roster of the top teams: Reynolds, Hayes, and Cruz, and they wouldn't necessarily be starters. Everyone else would be in the minor leagues or out of baseball if there were as little as two fewer teams. They're the very type of player who comes to mind when I hear the term, "Replacement Player".

That's why I can't blame the players for not producing like those on good major league clubs. We have fringe major league players. The good major league players are more expensive, which is the deciding reason every single time why none of them are here in Pittsburgh. That's a directive from the owner. Until he's no longer here, it'll remain the way it is. I'm very, very close to deciding that I'll never attend another game as long as he's the owner. I know he doesn't care about that but I have a choice as to how I spend my money and I'd prefer he get none of it.