OnlyBucs

It wouldn't be a Buccos victory without a cringe worthy Robby interview!!! I wish we'd see them a lot more often!

Here's some encouraging news about Cruz from the PG.



As impressive as Cruz’s power has been, the consistency has lacked. That could be changing. He’s now hitting .297 (11 for 37) over his past nine contests, finally syncing the results to match those impressive exit velocities. Cruz has hits in seven of those nine games, with two doubles, two triples and three homers.



“It’s just continuing to learn and grow and swing at the right pitches,” Shelton said. “When he swings at the right pitches, he hits the ball hard. We just have to continue to focus on that.”



https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pir ... 2209060020



Hopefully, Cruz has stopped getting himself out swinging at bad pitches. Last week Bob Walk commented, "he swings at balls and takes strikes." That seemed pretty accurate. If Cruz can combine his raw talent with a good approach at the plate, he can be a dominant force in the lineup. Hopefully, that's beginning to happen.

0937323A2931313A1A3F283B6C5E0 wrote: Raise it up high!  Bucs win.  Bucs win.
Good win-  Seems they play their best baseball against 1st

place teams


That's it, I think you discovered the problem!  They're bored playing against teams not in first place.  That's why they lose so much.

It is beneath the Pirates to play any other team that is not in first place!



They allow themselves to be toyed with by nearly all teams, but then launch a surprising quality of play when facing the best teams.



As referenced by others, hopefully Cruz's recent performance is a sign of good things to come.



I also believe that the team should be doing more to get Mitchell (who admittedly has struggled) more regular at bats, even if it means sitting Gamel more frequently.  Mitchell has hit well at AAA and it is time to see if his prowess at AAA translates to the majors.