OT: Raise the Jolly Roger: (False) Hope Springs Eternal

[DanielPlainview]

Curious what the issue is with Archer.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Just tuning in. I guess Archer is hurt?

Gotta get the runs here, Burnes has not been good this year. And as I type that, double play. Brutal.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

I have a bad feeling that was our chance to crack through in this one. Leadoff guy on, not the ideal time for Melky to roll over on one. I know I'm a broken record, but dingers are necessary, especially in Miller Park and especially against Chacin. This would be a tough one to take.

Hader threw a lot of pitches last night, so I doubt he'll be used for both the 8th and 9th. Marte and Bell have been quiet tonight, and we need them to show up... sucks to have so little margin for error that you can't have guys take nights off, but it's where we are at. Let's hope the bullpen can at least give them a shot to strike.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Guess the speculation on Archer is that he tweaked his oblique, which is bad news if true.

I was sure that this rando new utility callup was going to hit a three run bomb there. Time for the offense to put up or shut up.

 

[td_ice]

2-2 now

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Report is that it's the hip with Archer, which I think is more promising than the oblique.

This feels like an ominous inning. Hurdle is making the right call by using his best reliever against the heart of the order, in the 8th and not in a save situation, so you know it's gonna backfire.

Seems like both offenses have been very quiet tonight. Really wish Bell or Moran could have at least put one in the gap.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Hot damn, that was probably the most dominant Vazquez has been all year.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

NEWMAN!

 

[td_ice]

We aren't the only team poor at fundamentals.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Time to see if Vazquez can lock this down. His stuff looked pristine, but two innings are never anything close to a guarantee, and as they just mentioned, Hiura crushed him for a huge HR a few weeks back.

This would be a monumental win, especially with Archer just going 4. C'mon Felipe.

 

[td_ice]

Sick, sick, sick.

 

[TNT87]

Raise it!

 

[wheelz87]

Great win!

 

[td_ice]

Raise it!!

What a great win!!

 

[ImporterExporter]

Big, big win.

Vasquez was Mariano great there.

God we could get such a massive haul for him next month.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Raise the Jolly Roger!

Always love to feel like you are stealing one on the road, especially game one of a series, but worth noting at least two things: 1) Vazquez was cheat mode video game level good tonight, and 2) can't say enough about Newman – in addition to the power showing up, he's got outstanding contact skills and enough speed to create havoc whenever he's up there, even on weak contact. He is quite literally the optimal leadoff guy, he's better than I ever could have imagined.

 

[DanielPlainview]

That's a stolen win and a big one. Only downside is Vazquez will probably not he available tomorrow. Kind of shows how little faith Hurdle has in Holmes and Hartlieb (not that I blame him).

 

[td_ice]

Potash is the worst.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

I'm so happy that Hurdle went with the smart move and got thoroughly rewarded. I guess in some kind of Pavlov dog situation, it's not like this is going to retrain him, but nice for a night. Tomorrow will definitely be interesting, but at the very least we have a win in our pocket and the chance to really start turning the tide with a series win. If it were a save situation or even just a late lead, I hope that Hurdle goes with Feliz. I am still very cautious about trusting him, but his numbers have been phenomenal, and the stuff looks like it's ticked up a little bit.

Feliz could be a sneakily important piece to emerge for us, with Kela being out of the picture and in any case gone after the year. Crick is almost always very inefficient when he pitches, so having another reliable guy with overpowering stuff would be a huge boost.

But we also need to be outgunning the Brewers in Miller Park, especially guys like Marte, Bell, Moran. Their bats are not going to stay cold forever, but maybe in this series we have some luck and timing on our side. If that's the case, can you imagine how crazy things would be if we swept and the Reds swept the Cubs? The whole division could be within 1.5-2 games of each other.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Frustrations about Archer aside, this is good news. The last thing we need is more injuries, especially something like an oblique.

Difficult to guess much more at this point, have to just wait on a report in the next few days. Agrazal's turn is slated for Monday, and Keller's will be tomorrow or next Thursday, so either would take some juggling, and Agrazal would require a DL stint for Archer.


Padres are up on the Cardnals 2-1 in the 7th, which would make for a nice cap to the night.

 

[DanielPlainview]

I kind of want them to drag the Archer thing out to the break. Give Agrazal another couple of starts to see if he's legit.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

This is the Pirates team we were robbed of seeing due to injuries. No way do we lose all those games the way we did if healthy(pitchers putting us in 6-7 to zero hole right away).

Keep it going . we have the ingredients. Bell is a MVP candidate. Two guys who will get ROY votes . And a pitching staff coming back to form. How Lyles performs tomm will seal that....if hes back then we are set.

 

[NewAgeOutlaw]

I see the hot streak leading ultimately to heartbreak that we all ordered has arrived.

Actually, I am one of those fans who is still happy that having a winning season and missing out on the playoffs like last year is now considered a disappointment for Pirates fans.

This offense is a treat to watch, too. Replacing J-Hay and Mercer with the youth has turned out really well.

 

[Mario_is_BACK!!]

Potash is the worst.

Potash is the GOAT (I say this as someone who he’s had an outsized influence on in my life). Robbie I is a joke, he’s honestly awful.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Buccos getting hot just like I am heading to town. I am happy