Couple of Comments

MaineBucs · Post by **MaineBucs** » Fri Apr 21, 2023 7:08 pm

1. Watching the series with the Rox brought back bad memories from last year's Pirate season when way too many position players took to the mound in blow-out losses.

2. Anyone miss Choi? Current roster has better balance, however the overall defense from the middle infielders is a concern.

3. The starters going deeper in games is helping to provide cover for a bullpen that really could use a healthy Garcia. I hold my breath everytime Crowe and Moria (spelling) enter the game. They also don't seem to have much faith in Stephenson.

4. Other teams have signed their younger starters to extensions since the season has started. In spring training I advocated that the Bucs go this route with both Keller and Contreras. I continue to believe that signing both would be good lomg term moves.

5. At least through the first 20 games, I am glad that Cutch is demonstrating that I was wrong regarding his signing.

6. The season is only 20 games or so old, but the pitch clock and similar rules associated with speeding up the game have been integrated into the flow of the game pretty seamlessly.

7. The ball-strike calls of many umpires continue to be a glaring problem. As long as I can remember most umpires had their own strike zone, however most were fairly consistent in how they called pitches. Conversely, now, all too often, an umpire's strike zone seems to change from pitch to pitch.

8. This year's 13 - 7 start is quite unexpected. Sure would be great if the Buc's could see the first of June and be at least 10 games above .500. Winning baseball sure is a lot more enjoyable than the alternative.

SyrBucco · Post by **SyrBucco** » Sat Apr 22, 2023 2:10 pm

Crowe is a bit of a problem. I think he's well-regarded in the clubhouse and gives a good effort. But how many guys do we need to wield the mop? Something's got to give when De Jong is ready to return. If Crowe has an option, he may be gone from Pittsburgh.

He hasn't pitched well since last May.

Bobster21 · Post by **Bobster21** » Sat Apr 22, 2023 2:19 pm

1B313A0A3D2B2B27480 wrote: Crowe is a bit of a problem. I think he's well-regarded in the clubhouse and gives a good effort. But how many guys do we need to wield the mop? Something's got to give when De Jong is ready to return. If Crowe has an option, he may be gone from Pittsburgh.

He hasn't pitched well since last May.
Crowe has 9 BBs in 9.2 IP. Moreta is even worse with 9 BBs in 8 IP.