After getting blanked by yet another left handed starter, the Pirates rallied and won Saturday after by tallying up 6 runs off the Cardinals pitching. Led by a Rafael Flores 3 run home run in the top of the 5th, the Pirates looked comfortable and in control all game. The Bachar/Mlodzinski worked well together for a solid 5 and 2/3 innings of work, and the bullpen afterward shut down the Cardinal offense. Watch Doug and Tyler break the game down in further detail here:
Hit the Ball Over the Fence
One of the biggest contributors to the Pirates falling out of the playoff picture was a putrid offense. The thing that noticeably dropped off was the home run production the team enjoyed for the first half of the season. Today, home runs win them the game with 4 RBI’s off the bat of Flores and Lowe. Flores is playing himself into a major league role almost exclusively from his ability to take pitchers deep, and Brandon Lowe is well on his way to clearing 30 home runs in a season yet again. The Pirates don’t have the contact skills to play like the Brewers; they need to keep relying on slugging and hitting bombs to beat the opposition like they did today.
Do Not Let Brandon Lowe Leave Pittsburgh
Brandon Lowe hit his 28th home run of the season today and got to his 81st RBI. Lowe has been let down this season, as he is the only one who has consistently put forward game-winning performances all season. His ability to keep the home runs coming is something the 2027 Pirates cannot afford to lose. When you look at the roster for next year, you have to hope that Griffin is the truth and can replace his production. I prefer to have an elite middle infield by having those 2 start the season together again. Give him 3 years, let him choose his yearly salary, and everyone is happy. An .800 OPS with 30 bombs a season plus elite defense is simply not available much around the league. Especially as a 2nd baseman, you simply cannot do better than Brandon Lowe. Make him a pirate until he retires.
Mason Montgomery is Absurd
Since June 1st, Mason Montgomery has pitched 32 innings. Over that stretch, he has a 2.64 ERA, 59 strikeouts, a FIP of 1.39, and only 12 walks. We all talked in the offseason of how good Mason would be with control and this is the final result. He is developing into an elite reliever before our very eyes. He is so cool and reliable that watching him come in and close games out is calming, which is not what we got from closers earlier in the season. Today was no different, as he easily dispatched the Cardinals in order with 2 K’s to close out the victory. The 2027 Pirates need a lot of work to compete, but closer and the backend of the bullpen seem to be figured out quite nicely.
Comments· 0
No comments yet — be the first to weigh in.