The Pirates gave me a weird feeling for the vast majority of today’s game: complete confidence that they would win the game. The bullpen game was going splendidly, and the offense did enough to pull the game away, and Mason Montgomery came in for the 9th. I had absolutely no thoughts about losing and was ready to go into postgame talking about a nice team win. Mason Montgomery had other ideas as he surrendered 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th, and the Tigers won on Justin Verlander retirement day. It was the first run Mason had given up in exactly 2 months, slipping up after an insane run of dominance. Even worse, my prediction of 83 wins can no longer come true because of today’s results. Watch the B Team break down the game in further detail here:

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Take Oneil Cruz Out Immediately!

What are we doing here? I am famously Mr. Defend the Manager Man, and yet I am sick to my stomach with Don Kelly‘s decision to let Oneil Cruz stay in the game briefly today. Cruz injured himself sliding for about a ball in center field and was clearly in some discomfort after the play. Despite the team playing for nothing, he was allowed to stay in and take another at bat. Even if there is nothing serious, I cannot fathom why we aren’t protecting him at all costs. Cruz missed almost all of 2023 with an ankle injury and was hurt for 2 months this season. He is a vital part of this lineup, and risking further injury for a meaningless game in September boiled my blood more than actually losing the game. There is no reason to even entertain letting him stay in the game; I don’t care how much he protests.

Yohan Ramirez Is Incredible

Yohan Ramirez pitched a clean inning and a third today and passed 100 strikeouts on the season. He has been the most consistent arm in the bullpen this season, which is absurd to think about when he has a reputation of being Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde on the mound. Assuming this is his last start, he appeared in 66 games, pitched 85 innings, and maintained a 2.86 ERA throughout the entire year. What a story and redemption arc for someone who had been cut from the Pirates 2 separate times before this year. It took him until his age of 31 season, but he has finally established a real role on a decent team in Major League Baseball. He doesn’t even walk that many people anymore; his WHIP is at 1.19, and his stuff is so filthy he prevents those base runners from crossing the plate. For a season of turbulence from the bullpen, Yohan has been there to steady the ship on a consistent basis.

Mason Montgomery Wasn’t Perfect and That Makes me Sad

Not much to write here, just that Mason finally gave up earned runs for the first time in exactly 2 months. Before today, July 26th was the last time Montgomery was responsible for runners crossing the plate, so some may say he was due to allow some. Hard to get mad at him, especially since the game means nothing in the grand scheme of things. It would’ve been an amazing talking point to enter the offseason with over 2 months of relief perfection, but I will settle for having a top 10 closer in the entire sport.