OnlyBucs

Hernandez relieves Ortiz.

Before he throws a pitch, Hernandez balks home a run. 2-1 Mets.

I`m really thinking about the best bats available, soon. These starters could be special

I'm sure the Mets appreciated Shelton's favor to them of pulling Jones at 59 pitches. When Shelton's not in it to win it, why should we care?

A double brings home the third run. If the Pirates can’t come back to win this game, these two losses in New York are going to sting.

A walk loads the bases. Two down.

Finally, the third out. Mets lead 3-1 after seven.

Jorge Lopez in to pitch the 8th for the Mets.

Bucs go quietly in the 8th. Still 3-1 Mets.

I stopped caring when Jones was lifted. If you're trying to win, you don't pull an unhittable pitcher at 59 pitches when you're hanging on with only 1 run yourself. Especially when Jones has not even had a 90-pitch game this year and didn't seem a likely candidate for an extreme pitch limitation. This is the kind of decision a GM makes. And Cherington always seems to prefer to be in development-mode. He can point to this loss and explain that they are still developing Jones. As if losing the game didn't matter. Because as long as a GM remains in development-mode instead of contention-mode, he can't be deemed a failure for not being a serious contender. The Pirates like to try players in different positions, with different batting orders, with frequent rest, while looking at numerous pitchers each game. That's Grapefruit League ball. And the best thing about the Grapefruit League is that losing doesn't matter. And that's how the Pirates are managed. They did this last year too. So even when they got off to a good start, it didn't last. They've currently lost 5 of the last 7. I predicted 77 wins this year. I think they have the talent to do better but not the heart and desire of the management team.