Official Game Thread - 8/18 - Bucs @ Dodgers

Bobster21 · Post by **Bobster21** » Thu Aug 19, 2021 2:54 am

Polanco's back to the Mendoza line.

Bobster21 · Post by **Bobster21** » Thu Aug 19, 2021 3:08 am

After tonight Brubaker will be 4-13 with 41 games left to play. He could easily have 8 more starts. They are going to have to monitor that closely to avoid having him saddled with a 20 loss season.

GreenWeenie · Post by **GreenWeenie** » Thu Aug 19, 2021 3:14 am

7E535E4F48594E0E0D3C0 wrote: Brubaker needs to give up 1 more HR to tie for the NL lead. I'm confident he can do it!

I'm confident he can do it tonight.

Bobster21 · Post by **Bobster21** » Thu Aug 19, 2021 3:20 am

Today is Clemente's birthday. Greg Brown mentioned that Clemente once had 3 doubles in a game vs Don Drysdale. That was the thing about Clemente. Watching or listening to the games, it didn't matter who the opposing pitcher was. Even if the rest of the Pirate lineup appeared overmatched, you always felt Clemente had the advantage over every pitcher. I remember listening to KDKA the night Clemente broke Bob Gibson's leg with a line drive. Gibson was so tough he stayed in the game to face 3 more batters (but walked 2 of them) before leaving. Gibson was one of the greatest pitchers and toughest guys ever to play in MLB. But Clemente had such talent that he lined a Gibson pitch back at him and broke his leg.

Bobster21 · Post by **Bobster21** » Thu Aug 19, 2021 3:22 am

784D5A5A51685A5A51565A3F0 wrote: Brubaker needs to give up 1 more HR to tie for the NL lead. I'm confident he can do it!

I'm confident he can do it tonight.

He does it! And after walking the relief pitcher to add an extra run.

JollyRoger · Post by **JollyRoger** » Thu Aug 19, 2021 3:24 am

Just another year when the only significant dates on the Pirates calendar are:

1) Opening Day

2) Draft Day

3) Trade Deadline

4) Opening of Steeler Training Camp

ArnoldRothstein · Post by **ArnoldRothstein** » Thu Aug 19, 2021 10:44 am

587578696E7F68282B1A0 wrote: Since July 17 the most frequent starts by Pirates are Reynolds-28, Hayes-27 and Polanco-26. Two players who prominently figure in the team's future and one who will be gone next year.

The Polanco situation is unusually similar to Matt Morris in 2008 - a veteran player who looked helpless the year before, no one in the minors pushing him, and the team did nothing in the offseason to create a plausible backup plan. Morris, of course, was released after a month, but a starting pitcher is much harder to hide.

SteadyFreddy · Post by **SteadyFreddy** » Thu Aug 19, 2021 11:15 am

The Pirates are now 30-68 since being 12-11 at the end of April. I was thinking they would get to my prediction of 54 wins with no problems at all. Now I’m not so sure. The Pirates are now 2-15 in August so far and have essentially only won 2 games in the last 3 weeks.

rucker59@gmail.com · Post by **rucker59@gmail.com** » Thu Aug 19, 2021 11:18 am

57706165607D42766160607D040 wrote: The Pirates are now 30-68 since being 12-11 at the end of April. I was thinking they would get to my prediction of 54 wins with no problems at all. Now I’m not so sure. The Pirates are now 2-15 in August so far and have essentially only won 2 games in the last 3 weeks.

Wow, I had not realized how bad it’s gotten.

Bobster21 · Post by **Bobster21** » Thu Aug 19, 2021 11:54 am

707761696770373B42656F636B6E2C616D6F020 wrote: The Pirates are now 30-68 since being 12-11 at the end of April. I was thinking they would get to my prediction of 54 wins with no problems at all. Now I’m not so sure. The Pirates are now 2-15 in August so far and have essentially only won 2 games in the last 3 weeks.

Wow, I had not realized how bad it’s gotten.

Also, they are 4-18 since trading Frazier. As nonexistent as their hitting generally is, they at least had the league leader in hits. Frazier and Reynolds were their only threats to get hits. Take away half of that and things could only get worse.