Game thread Sept 6 vs Reds

Bobster21 · Post by **Bobster21** » Sun Sep 06, 2020 5:52 pm

1. Erik Gonzalez (R) SS

2. Adam Frazier (L) 2B

3. Bryan Reynolds (S) LF

4. Colin Moran (L) 1B

5. Gregory Polanco (L) RF

6. Josh Bell (S) DH

7. Ke'Bryan Hayes (R) 3B

8. Cole Tucker (S) CF

9. John Ryan Murphy (R) C

Bobster21 · Post by **Bobster21** » Sun Sep 06, 2020 6:07 pm

It annoys me how Joe Block heaps praise for routine things. Gonzalez opened the first with a bloop to CF. It had a good chance to drop in so he was running hard to 1B. The CFer dove but couldn't catch it and the ball bounced past him and rolled at least 10 feet behind him. As soon as the ball got behind the CFer I expected Gonzalez to get to 2B. That's a no-brainer and any player who failed to do that would be guilty of loafing. Gonzalez made it to 2B easily and Block was effusive with his praise.

"And Gonzalez reading that all the way! LOVE that hustle!"

Unless he was running with his eyes closed he couldn't help reading that the ball was not caught and got behind the CFer who was still laying on the ground where he dove and the ball had to be picked up by the RFer. It's hard to imagine any player, pro or amateur, adult or child, who would not have taken 2B when the ball got past the diving CFer.

SteadyFreddy · Post by **SteadyFreddy** » Sun Sep 06, 2020 8:50 pm

Yea Block is extremely annoying I mute the TV when he is on most of the time. He was very irritating in that 9th inning when the Pirates were rallying just spewing out dumb useless things out of his mouth that were completely irrelevant to the game. You can tell both Walk and Wehner get very annoyed with him when they are in the booth with him. As for the game nice win and good to see the young guy like Hayes and Tucker have good at bats to win the game. Nice first week for Ke’Bryan Hayes obviously still a long way to go in his career but so far he looks like he belongs and can be a nice player for the Pirates moving forward in the next few years.

maher.timothy20@gm · Post by **maher.timothy20@gm** » Sun Sep 06, 2020 9:08 pm

I came into this season thinking Polanco might finally come into his own. He had a pretty decent 2018 and I thought maybe now that he's fully over his injuries we'll see that he's better than we thought.

Silly me.

WildwoodDave · Post by **WildwoodDave** » Sun Sep 06, 2020 10:41 pm

2F232A27306C362B2F2D362A3B707202252F420 wrote: I came into this season thinking Polanco might finally come into his own. He had a pretty decent 2018 and I thought maybe now that he's fully over his injuries we'll see that he's better than we thought.

Silly me.
Nice win- raise it!

skinnyhorse · Post by **skinnyhorse** » Mon Sep 07, 2020 4:28 am

Watch ing K. Hayes it's obvious he's not over matched. He has been in the minors 5 years and is almost 24 years old before they brought him up. It looks like to me he should have been up 2 years ago or sooner. F. Tatis is 21 years old and was brought up at age 20. This has been a pattern here for years and I think it is one of the reasons we have such a awful record over the last 20 plus years. Maybe it started with Aramis Rameriz early call up and failures and the Pirates still have some of those coaches influences in the organization. I think Bell would have been better if he had come up earlier. Obviously Glasnow should have been called up years before they brought him up. That had to play a role in his confidence. The only player I remember coming up after a year or less was Garret Cole, and that was certainly an aberration. Pitchers especially are left in the minors to long. A pitcher only has a certain number of pitches and wasting those pitches in the minors is just stupid. A great arm has no business wasting in the minors.

GreenWeenie · Post by **GreenWeenie** » Mon Sep 07, 2020 9:58 am

The sooner they're up, the sooner they're out. We hang onto the Polancos and Doumits of the world. That's why we've had the awful record over the past 20 years.

Bobster21 · Post by **Bobster21** » Mon Sep 07, 2020 12:31 pm

6D584F4F447D4F4F44434F2A0 wrote: The sooner they're up, the sooner they're out. We hang onto the Polancos and Doumits of the world. That's why we've had the awful record over the past 20 years.
I think that's the key. The Pirates are always reluctant to start the clock on a prospect because they are never ready to compete. They keep waiting for a miracle to make their noncompetitive team competitive and justify bringing up a prospect who could help while using up some of his control.

Bobster21 · Post by **Bobster21** » Mon Sep 07, 2020 12:43 pm

The 9th inning worked out yesterday despite once again having a guy at 3B go on contact for a senseless out. Tied 2-2 with Hayes at 3B and Tucker at 2B, the runners break on a ball hit back to the pitcher. Of course Hayes is an easy out but at least stayed in a rundown long enough for the batter to reach 2B. So it's still 2B and 3B with 1 out. The same as if the runners held their bases and the play was made pitcher to 1B. But if Hayes had not been able to stall in the rundown long enough to get the batter to 2B it would have been 1B and 3B with 1 out and a potential inning ending DP situation created for the Reds defense.

Joe Block explains to us that the reason they break on contact is so that Hayes can stay in a rundown long enough to have the same situation (2B and 3B) as if they hadn't gone at all and the batter was out at 1B. I guess Block knew there was an absolute 100% guarantee that Hayes would stall long enough to get the batter to 2B. But, absent Block's perfect 20/20 hindsight, there was no reason to take that risk. Nothing to gain and more to lose if they end up 1B/3B with 1 out rather than 2B/3B with 1 out. With no outs tell the runners to make sure the ball gets thru the drawn in infield.

Smh at the Pirates' mind boggling strategies and Joe Block's ignorance. At least they won this won.

GreenWeenie · Post by **GreenWeenie** » Mon Sep 07, 2020 12:50 pm

5E737E6F68796E2E2D1C0 wrote: The sooner they're up, the sooner they're out. We hang onto the Polancos and Doumits of the world. That's why we've had the awful record over the past 20 years.
I think that's the key. The Pirates are always reluctant to start the clock on a prospect because they are never ready to compete. They keep waiting for a miracle to make their noncompetitive team competitive and justify bringing up a prospect who could help while using up some of his control.

I think you're right....but, missing 50% of the equation.

Yinzers focus on the left side- entry; rarely focusing in the right side.

Been that way since before Barry Bonds. Maybe as far back as Parker.

Inexperience might get you to the playoffs. It will never win the World Series. If it has, then prove me wrong.

Only once in the past 20 years has the Pirates roster been older than the champion. That was one of the years when the Giants won. And, it wasn't by much.

Why is that?

Because experience and salary are related.