Carolina Bucco wrote: ↑Thu Aug 31, 2023 3:06 am
This doesn't really make any sense, but the Pirates are 20-19 going back to July 18.
They came out of the All-Star break 0-5, but since then they've somehow played winning baseball ... despite having only 2 starting pitchers, not hitting and not play sound fundamental baseball.
I can't explain it.
They are 4-4-3 in their series since the 5 game losing streak coming out of the ASG break. They were never swept in the series they lost, and were 1-3 in a 4 game series they lost. But they swept one series they won. So that balanced everything out. You added the last game of the Cleveland series, which was the win that ended the 5 game losing streak, which gave the 20-19 total. They are 20-24 since the ASG break, and their series record would then reflect a 4-6-3 tally, with being swept once in a three game series.
I think people still can't get April out of their heads, and that 5 game losing streak coming out of the gate also is subconsciously affecting peoples thought process with them. That happens with Steelers training camp right around the corner. Bad timing.
We've had guys get blown up on the mound, but other guys have been pitching well. We also have a staff of pitchers where many of them hit uncharted inning territories, and we saw some regression with that. They caught their second winds, and are pitching well.
They also have bad optics trading Stephenson, when we have Bolton who can't seem to get anyone out. Our return was Alika Williams, who makes the whole thing look even worse, but he was never supposed to be up right now. And he wouldn't be if Triolo had any ability to play second base, but having him there and Peguero at shortstop was a disaster up the middle.
So that's my take on it. Once people form a position, they don't let it go, despite the evidence to the contrary staring them right in the face. It's like how so many fans so badly wanted the young guys up, and were convinced it had nothing to do with them not being ready for MLB yet, but instead the tired old "avoiding super 2" rant. Now those guys come up, who weren't ready and showed it, some being sent back down, it's shifted to "they didn't draft well and they don't develop well" thing again.
Yet, as you pointed out, 20-19 (I like the 20-24, which I think is pretty good considering what you mentioned about the starters) seems to be totally lost on people.
They're Pirates fans. They'd rather find a reason to bitch about the front office and coaching staff. Results on the field be damned. I mean, WWD has a countdown thread for not losing 100 games. They won their 61st game last night. It wasn't till game 160 last season when that occurred. yet somehow, people don't think this team hasn't improved dramatically?
28 games to go. If they play at the pace they have since the ASG break, they will end up 73-89.