◆NEWSPirates Notes: Keller, Pitching Pursuits, Lineup◆ROSTERSigned free agent RHP Enmanuel Nunez to a minor league contract◆STATPaul Skenes ranks 4th in the NL in strikeouts (200)◆STATNick Gonzales ranks 4th in the NL in batting average (.303)
◆NEWSPirates Notes: Keller, Pitching Pursuits, Lineup◆ROSTERSigned free agent RHP Enmanuel Nunez to a minor league contract◆STATPaul Skenes ranks 4th in the NL in strikeouts (200)◆STATNick Gonzales ranks 4th in the NL in batting average (.303)
Inches away from a sweep of a pitiful Giants team, the Pirates manage to take the rubber match this afternoon by the score of 5-2. Small ball ruled the day as the Pirates managed to score 5 runs despite recording 5 hits and none of them going for extra bases. the bullpen game was executed to perfection, with the only runs being surrendered by Khristian Curtis. the Pirates have clawed their way back to 3 games under .500 and 5 games out of a wild card spot. Watch Cody and Doug break the game down in detail here:
Oneil Cruz didn’t get a single hit today. He went 0-1 and struck out. Despite this, he was the heart of the offense and was involved in most of the Pirates’ offense today. He walked 3 times, drove in a run, scored a run, and stole a base today. Somehow, despite not getting a hit, he was the most valuable player in the lineup today. This shows the value of employing players with tools that Oneil provides on a nightly basis. Even when he isn’t slugging home runs, he is causing chaos on the base paths, working his way on base, and engineering runs for a struggling offense. Extending Oneil Cruz and Brandon Lowe is better for this team than any potential free agent signing.
2 of 3 Isn’t Good Enough
We have reached a point where 2 of 3 from bad teams isn’t going to cut it anymore. The Giants are one of the easiest teams the Pirates have left, and they had every chance to win all 3 games and be within 4 games of a playoff spot. Instead, we sit here with 22 games left in the season and 5 games out. Even if they do go on a big run down the stretch, they have to beat out 4 teams above them for said spot in the playoffs. Sweeping the Angels is a must as the basement of the American League is rolling into town this weekend. Give us a 7-game win streak to make us believe that this is possible; instead, all we are doing is giving Ben Cherington excuses to potentially keep his job after a big disappointment.
Spencer Horwitz Wake Up Buddy
How the mighty have fallen. Before Spencer Horwitz was sidelined with a prolonged injury, he was by far the Pirates’ most consistent hitter since the start of 2025. When he came back from his injury, his OPS was solidly in the mid-800s. After another disappointing 1-5 today, his OPS sits at a mediocre . 724. Spencer plays first base and does not provide much value to the team outside of his bat. While he’s been excellent for large stretches of his Pirates career, having a league-average bat who doesn’t hit for power or provide speed can’t be starting 1st base for a team with contending hopes. Reynolds and Horwitz are both taking up valuable real estate on top of the order and getting the most at bats. What they have been providing in August and September is unacceptable for what we’ve seen from both players.
Comments· 1
The Debate
Should the Pirates give Khristian Curtis September starts even while chasing the wild card?
TheBigGaberAll-Star· 69d ago
We need Reynolds and Horwitz to hit their respective strides in the home stretch.
With Doug Ford and Cody Kohlman.
Chapters
Key takeaways
1
Brandon Lowe is built for Yankee Stadium and will get paid there in 2027. The Pirates will let him walk and go the cheaper route, with Nick Gonzales moving back to second base.
2
If Oneil Cruz keeps this up next season, the Pirates won't be able to afford him. This year's injury might be their last chance at a cheaper deal.
3
It's September, so let Khristian Curtis start games and find out if he's ready. Starting him over Bachar wouldn't be waving the white flag.
4
Don't give a rookie his first career start while the Pirates are trying to gain ground in the wild card race. Save it for late September, since they win bullpen games anyway.
5
Andy Van Slyke has multiple Gold Gloves, multiple All-Star picks and played on winning teams. He should have gone into the Pirates Hall of Fame before Jack Wilson and should get in next year.
Hello and welcome to the North Shore Nine podcast presented by FanDuel.
This is the NS9 postgame show powered by Primanti Brothers.
The Buccos win 5-2, take the series from the Giants.
And Doug, it's nice to get a series win, right?
Yeah, you needed a sweep, but you got to get the series win.
You got to at least do that.
I was looking at these lineups that San Francisco put out.
These lineups are affectionately known throughout the industry as Ben Cherington lineups.
I had to do some research to see if Ben Cherington was secretly also running San Francisco at the same time because those are some Ben Cherington lineups right there.
But yes, so I think we should have taken all three.
We had plenty of opportunity to do that in that mid-game loss, middle of the series loss.
But it's a win.
It's as Jim Rosati just pointed out, that's three straight series wins.
How can you not be happy about that, Doug?
How can we not be happy about three series wins?
No, I'm happy in the moment.
I'm happy in the moment.
I would say it's mostly meaningless.
I was going to say I was being sarcastic.
No, I know, but it's still possible that the Pirates could make this meaningful.
It seems unlikely.
There's no evidence, and I doubt it.
But it could happen.
Teams have won 10 games in a row before.
Not this one, but Doug, they win today 5-2.
A lot of walks in that one and this one today.
So that's why the title at the bottom here is Walk in the Park because, holy crap, both teams just drawing walks left and right.
And I think we'll start with the Giants pitching.
Just Tidwell.
Not able to get it together there in the first couple of innings.
Just walked everybody and walked in two runs.
He hit Mangum to bring in a run.
And as I'm watching it, in my head, I'm like, you know what?
This is what good teams do, right?
They let the bad teams beat themselves.
And the Pirates have done that a lot themselves this year, but it was nice to see it on the other side.
It was nice to see them take advantage of the pitching mistakes that Tidwell was making today.
The Pirates of the past and sometimes of the past week would, strike their way out of that, right?
Instead of taking – this kid is giving you free passes.
Take the free passes.
Don't be swinging out of your shoes.
Don't be swinging for stuff off the plate.
Don't watch pitches down the middle, that thing.
It's like – and, yeah, they got the walks.
You can't call it an offensive explosion, but, again, let the guy beat himself.
Let him throw those pitches.
You want to get to that Giants bullpen.
Because their Giants bullpen is probably as bad or worse in his lineup.
So, yeah, they did what they were supposed to do.
So, it was great to see them use a little patience and not go to – not to try to get another 15 strikeout game.
Yeah, two of the Pirates' five runs scored today were off of walks.
I just – I really need to point that out because I was looking at the walk rate today and it was just – holy crap.
Like, this is a lot.
Like, the Pirates walked a total of seven times today.
And, on the flip side even, the Pirates walked five people.
So, it wasn't just the Giants putting guys on base.
The Pirates did as well.
It was like – it was almost like a lazy Sunday game in the middle of the week is what it felt like to me.
it's getaway day, and now it's the funny thing about getaway day.
Back in the past, there wouldn't have been this many walks because umpires just called everything strikes because they had a fight to catch.
now that – Yeah, some – the way they're grading the umpires and, of course, the ABS challenges and stuff, they can't do that anymore.
But, yeah, you would have watched this game in 1992.
There would have been no walks.
The umpires would be calling stuff a foot off the plate.
Right.
Yeah, like, this just felt like one of those games would be a great one to be in the ballpark for.
You don't really got to pay attention to much and have a beer, hang out with the fellas, and have a great day.
But, luckily the Pirates win, and I just want to keep going on the offense here since we did start with the walks to begin with.
I believe Greg Brown said at the end of the broadcast that they scored every single run today without the help of a hit.
So, like, you had the two walks, and then the rest of the runs were from either an error or sacrifices.
And I tried to find the last time the Pirates were able to do that.
Google AI helped me out a bit and basically said, hey, the MLB doesn't track this.
But the last time they did win a game without registering a single hit, which isn't the same, but it was that Reds game, I believe it was in 2022, where they won one to nothing.
Yeah, the no-hitter, where they won one to nothing.
The no-hitter, yeah.
So, I don't know if this is a historic thing, because, like I said, Google AI says the MLB doesn't track these types of things.
But it seemed pretty rare.
MLB doesn't have to track it.
AI is supposed to know every day.
So, again, once again, AI fails.
Yes.
And that makes me happy.
Me too.
I don't like it.
But get your hashtag, raiseitsin, at the end of the show.
We're going to give away those sandwiches.
Continuing on with the offense here, Doug.
Spencer Horwitz almost had a really nice home run when they had, I believe it was, Jack Wilson in the booth.
I love Jack Wilson.
Can I just say I love Jack Wilson?
Yes.
You can always say you love Jack Wilson.
We all love Jack Wilson.
But that's something that I've been wanting to see from Horwitz, because he's not really been in a slump, but he's not been himself lately.
Yeah.
And I thought that rocket was about to be what brought him out of it.
Unfortunately, it was about three or four feet foul.
Yeah.
Hard to see, but.
He's had one extra base hit since he came back, and that was in his first game.
Right?
So, he is in a slump.
he's, his OPS now is down to 721.
he was up there for, 789.
so, he's been scuffling a little.
I've noticed with him both last and this year is that he is a slow starter.
he started slow with us.
Part of it was injury, but then he was really good in the second half.
Even this year, the first, it wasn't as long as it extended, but his first two couple weeks were a little rough, and then he just started slapping doubles all over the place.
So, I feel comfortable that he'll get rolling again.
But, yeah, it takes him a little while to get into his room.
Yeah, then another guy to note is Nick Gonzales gets another hit, keeps himself in contention for that batting title, Doug.
Hopefully, he can stay up there, but I think it's going to be pretty hard to beat a rise in Philadelphia.
But, Nicky G just gets hits, man.
Like, I know I call him the butcher because he gets RBIs.
No RBIs today.
Oh, I thought he called him the butcher because of how he fielded at the ball.
That nickname may really apply.
If you turn it into a negative, I guess you can.
But they won today, and we're not going to be negative, Doug.
But, no, these are the types of hits that he gets.
He just puts it in play.
The way he's changed himself as a hitter from going from this guy that people were saying he was going to win batting titles, but it was going to be because he's hitting doubles, hitting home runs, hitting those extra base hits.
He's now become the guy that's like, I'm just going to get on base by any means necessary, and that means hitting a dinker one way or the other, or just getting on with the hit like he did today,
Yeah, he's had a really – at the plate, he's just having a terrific season.
There's no denying it.
It's a breakout season.
Hopefully, it's real.
His on-base percentage is 372.
yeah.
he's, like I said, he's second in the league for the batting tonight.
I think he's five points back.
But, that – it's unlikely.
But that could be made up in a weekend, right?
Iras goes hit list for two games, and Nick has two-hit games, and he's been having multi-hit games like crazy.
I think he can get really close really fast.
They've been playing him out of position all year.
That's not his fault.
hopefully they can figure out something to get him in the right position next year.
I'd still love to see Brandon Lowe back.
But, Nick could definitely – Yeah, Doug, I don't think it's going to happen.
No, I don't.
It does not seem to be the thing we do.
I'm already telling everybody that Brandon Lowe is going to – he needs to get a big old check from the New York Yankees because I think he's built for that stadium.
Oh, my God.
He'll have 40 home runs there.
Exactly.
Like, he's built for that stadium.
I'm already – in my mind, Brandon Lowe in 2027 and beyond is a New York Yankee.
But for now – And the Pirates have the perfect excuse.
He's not – we need to put him in a better position to succeed.
And he's a very good hitter.
You know what I'm saying?
He's competing for batting titles as advertised.
So, yes, we love Brandon Lowe and his contribution.
But we think it's best for the organization.
It's time to go with the cheaper route.
Right.
And going forward with Nick Gonzales I think would be the right move.
And I don't know that changes anything defensively for him.
But I definitely think he would be way more comfortable at second base.
So, maybe that just, helps him get into an even better rhythm.
he's already – the best hitter on the team for average.
But if he can be really comfortable in a position that he's used to, I think you could see – if this is a breakout, I think next year is the solidification of Nick Gonzales.
again, he has definitely figured out how, to hit to all fields.
And, he's making more contact.
He's doing all the stuff.
And I guess Jim – that's not a bad idea, Jim.
But will they do that?
I don't know that a certain owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates has the money in his pocket to do that.
So, good luck.
Hey, we can hope.
I'm just going to sit here in reality.
That's what Jim expects to happen because he loves his expected stats.
But I live in reality, and I know that won't happen.
So – I'm surprised that Jim wants Gonzalez.
I don't know his exit velocity is good enough.
No, he's saying he wants to re-sign Lowe.
I know, but I'm saying I'm surprised Jim wants to – he wants to get rid of Gonzalez.
Yeah, I guess that's why his exit velocity isn't good enough.
And he's just – I know Neal touched on it the other day.
He's just become exactly what we wanted him to be.
And today, in a game where you had two pitchers on either side or two pitching staffs on either side that were really just out of whack, except for one that we'll get to later, he was just patient.
He wasn't forcing anything.
He was like, pitch to me.
He seemed like a veteran up there.
And that's what I think we've been waiting to see from Oneil Cruz.
And it's here.
Yeah, this is – what we wanted is his whole game.
We wanted the focus and, the attention to detail and being engaged and being involved in every at-bat and every play.
And that's what we're mostly getting now since he's been back.
He's still going to have moments, right?
He's still going to have phenomenal catch early in the game.
And then a pop-up is going to drop in the middle of him and some other side in the game.
– but, yeah, my goodness.
And, he gets walked and he steals like I'm the first – knowing that Mangum's up there and that they're going to be wanting Mangum to get him over.
He's like, screw that.
I'm getting second base.
and he steals second.
I did bet on him to lead the majors in stolen bases.
He's going to have to steal about 25 more really fast.
But, he's got 26 stolen bases and, he missed two months.
he's having – he was having a really good season before he got hurt and he's picked right up where he left off.
And, Neil has said it a couple times over the past couple days.
And let's hope we get it for the rest of the season.
Yeah, finally seeing this guy really come into his own and they're going to have to think about what contract do you give a guy like him.
I talked to a buddy last night about this and I was like, he's got an injury history.
Maybe the Pirates use that in their favor to get a cheaper deal.
But he's slowly becoming a top star in the league.
He plays for the Pirates, so not a lot of people are paying attention.
Harder to get noticed, yeah.
Yeah, it's harder to get noticed.
But the way that he's playing right now and the way he played at the beginning of the season before the injury, he was really playing himself into a great position to be a top outfielder in Major League Baseball.
Maybe not with the glove, but the bat certainly.
Well, yeah.
we've been saying it for a couple years.
Like, if they don't sign him soon, he's going to outprice himself, right?
And the Pirates have been lucky.
He's been a little – as far as contract-wise, he's been inconsistent.
This year he's had the injuries, so the numbers won't be as good.
And they might – next year in arbitration, it might be – they might be able to get away with something.
But, again, if he continues on this track next season, he's going to be very hard for the Pirates to afford.
Yeah.
Well, Doug, do you have anything else to add offensively?
Mangum had a – you know what I'm saying?
Mangum had the – the – The mayhem was out today.
Yeah, exactly.
So, that was a little fun.
Yeah, it was – again, I think it was more the Giants pitching staff than the Pirates offense today.
But they took advantage of it, and that's what you want them to do.
Yeah, and then it came down to pitching, and the pitching wasn't that sharp.
Yeah, it only yielded two runs, so.
Yeah, it's always nice to see the Mangum mayhem whenever it's not happening to us.
like, it's nice to see the other team miss – throw a ball to first base, and the ball goes all over the place, and then we score a run or get a guy in scoring position.
That's always nice to see.
I'll say it again.
We saw that too.
I'm not convinced that Ben Cherington isn't running the Giants too.
Because, they look like a Ben Cherington team of the past six seasons.
Well, Buster Posey has his critics, that's for sure.
Understandably so.
Understandably so.
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But all right, let's get into the pitching, Doug.
The Pirates went with a bullpen game today.
We all knew this was happening, except for apparently Ryan, who in our group chat was like, when did they say they were doing a bullpen game?
And we all, we had to tell him they announced this on like Sunday.
Yeah, I should say this has been news all week.
Thursday is a bullpen game.
And Ryan is our bullpen guy.
But we'll have him slide.
So somehow he let that slide under his radar.
But today the Pirates start out with Lake Backer.
He goes two and a third.
He pitched okay.
He had two walks, three strikeouts.
He was looking pretty good.
nothing to really complain about.
He had five whiffs.
Kept the, he really kept Devers at bay.
And that impressed me.
And that's key, right?
That's the guy you have to, avoid in this lineup.
Not let beat you.
Yeah, Backer, I...
Go for it.
I'm just going to say, he's, I think, open.
This is his third or fourth game.
He's open.
He's done, he does a fine job.
it's, he's been a very solid workmanlike pitcher for us.
You're not blown away by this or blown away by that.
But in the end, what did he go?
Two and a third?
Yep.
Two and a third.
Yeah, two and a third.
Scoreless innings.
he does exactly what he's supposed to do.
Yeah, so great performance by him.
Like I said, the walks.
this whole game was littered with him.
But he started it out, really.
And then Iser comes in for two outs.
Sorry, I almost said two innings.
Let up a hit.
Got a strikeout.
Wasn't in for long, obviously.
He just got out of that inning for...
I'm scared every time he comes here.
Yeah, that's a guy that, I think we all saw the update that he was coming back from AAA.
And we were like, okay, hey, September call-ups are here.
You're going to have more guys on the roster.
He's a guy that's that fringe anyway.
And you need help in the bullpen.
So I get it.
I did.
Why wouldn't you bring up Curtis?
Curtis came up because of the IL fan.
Curtis is your dog.
Yeah, but he wasn't brought up in the September call-ups.
He was brought up because Kirby Yates was put on the injured list.
So Curtis should have been up here three weeks ago.
So anyway.
Well, yeah.
So I hear you, and I know we've had this discussion that, yes, he should be given an opportunity.
But my thought process of why Curtis wasn't called up is because I think they're trying to work him into being a starting pitcher instead of a guy in the bullpen.
But he does come in a long relief role today.
Goes three innings, gives up one hit, two earned runs, three walks, two strikeouts, and six whiffs.
All right, Cody, let me ask you this.
If they're trying to see him as a starting pitcher, why did he start today?
The Pirates have had ample opportunity.
Do you think he's ready for that?
It's September.
I don't care if he's ready.
Let's find out if he's ready.
Right?
it's, you know what I'm saying?
Like, first of all, he's been effective when he comes and pitches.
You're right.
I'd rather see him than I start, right?
I'd rather see him than Bachar.
But, and Bachar's been fine.
I don't mind.
But it's like, yeah, I think they should be trying him as a starter, too.
Let him start games.
Now, Doug, let me throw this back at you, though.
Okay.
He comes in to start, right?
And gives up those two runs.
This game starts out 2-2.
Does it go the same way?
Are the Pirates able to do what they did today?
Do they have the momentum?
But maybe if he starts, he's more motivated, puts more pressure on himself, and he goes 5-shutdown.
we could play the what-if game, right?
Exactly.
There's a lot of what-if, and I get it.
And I get the concern and the want to see him start if that's what the goal is.
I just don't know if he is comfortable starting an MLB game yet.
And maybe we see it at the end of September.
I'd love to see that.
I think that's the right place to do it.
At the end of September, when this team is most likely out of this wild card race, and it doesn't really matter, give the young guy a shot.
But right now, this team's trying to win games.
And I don't think you throw a rookie out there for his first start in his career when you're in a position to try and gain ground in the wild card.
Granted, yes, they came into the day, what, 5-and-a-half back?
It's a near-impossible feat.
But if they did that and waved the white flag, we'd be here saying, well, what the heck?
They threw that rookie out there.
We weren't trying.
Threw in the white flag before this thing even started.
So it's a catch-22, right?
You either do the wrong thing by not starting the guy, or you do the wrong thing by waving the white flag.
I don't think you're waving the white flag by pitching a pitcher that's had a nice season, has been effective in his major league appearances.
So I think waving the white flag is pitching ice shirt.
in a game when, so it's, I guess it's all a matter of perspective.
But, I'm mad at you right now because you're making me agree with Jim Rosati.
So, you know.
And Jim feels, Jim feels the same way.
We're both mad at you for making us agree.
I'll be honest.
I have not paid close attention to Khristian Curtis in the minor leagues.
You guys say he's been pitching, starting for four years in the minors.
That's great.
That's not the major leagues.
That's not Major League Baseball.
That's not Rafael Devers across from you.
things could be, it could be vastly different.
And I just found out the other day, double A balls are different than Major League balls.
They have different seams.
Like, there's a lot of differences here.
it's all, you don't know what's going to happen unless you try it.
And I do think that he deserves an opportunity to start.
I just don't think you do it whenever you're really trying to win games to go to the playoffs.
And like we discussed before this game, this post game, Doug, the Pirates do really well in these bullpen games.
So why chance it?
Why put out a guy that you don't know how he's going to do as a starter in the majors yet and risk that when or maybe you don't know.
But the numbers say, the analytics that the Pirates love to look at, tell them, hey, we're pretty good in bullpen games.
So why don't we just do that?
Yeah, but he could start a bullpen game.
Right?
So you want, so, okay.
So you don't want him to go five innings.
You just want to see him for the first two.
You don't want him to see him as a starter.
You want to see him as an opener.
Well, no.
I want him to start the game and then his pitching, how few pitches he throws, how many innings he goes, how effective he is, determines how long he stays in.
So if he can get you five, fantastic.
But I feel the same way with, Bucker can't get you five because he's not stretched out.
But Curtis could.
from my approach to an opener is that I always want the opening pitcher to pitch as much as possible.
Right?
As far as he can go.
Push himself, stretch himself to his limits.
So, yeah.
again, he was the bulk guy today.
He pitched more innings than anybody else, I believe.
Yes, he did.
He pitched three.
So, that's all.
I don't think pitching him is waving the white flag at all.
And bullpen games have been effective for the Pirates.
And to be fair, I don't think it's a white flag either.
I just know it can be perceived that way.
Yeah.
But when, tell me, like mostly in my lifetime, the Pirates have not been concerned with optics and how the fans view things.
This administration in particular does not care what we think.
Does not care about the fans at all.
that you would think that they're playing in an empty stadium at all times the way they approach things.
And they're keeping the stadium as empty as possible.
Yeah,.
I'm not sitting here trying to defend the organization and their choices because they make a lot of poor ones.
It's just with the organization and the people in the front office and management that we have, logically what's coming out of my mouth makes sense.
It's not, it doesn't make sense to me, but with the people in charge and how they've run things, that's what makes sense to me.
Yeah.
Yeah.
it's part of the problem with having a.
And I want to go back to this that you put on the screen.
I think a lot of people on Facebook would think that's waving a white flag because they don't know who Khristian Curtis is.
But anyway, I'm not, don't do this to me.
I am just seeing, I was going to call you through the lens.
I'm just seeing reality through the lens of this front office.
It's not pretty.
I don't like, I don't like the picture I see, but it's the one that's there.
That's the, they're the guys that are in charge.
Yeah.
I almost forgot.
It is.
Am I just going to get, am I just going to get into an argument with Jim in the chat here?
I get it.
He's the number seven prospect in the, in the system, but guess what?
Bubba was the number one prospect in the system last year.
He pitched okay.
And then he started out this year.
He couldn't find his own.
So what, like, I don't understand what you're trying to say here.
That's all I got.
I think he's just saying he's an effective, I don't disagree with that.
Right.
But I just, we don't think it's waving a white flag.
Some people may, but those people are crazy.
How are we going to round this out, Doug?
We had, Yohan Ramirez came in for an inning, got a strikeout.
Luke Weaver came in for an inning, got a strikeout.
That looked great.
Luke Weaver, that was great because he's struggled and it was very nice to see him do that.
So, and it was nice to see Ramirez bounce back.
Right.
And I know I wasn't on for that post game, obviously, but the one where Weaver came in and gave up a couple runs, I think it was.
That seemed very odd.
It was a very weird situation.
I have a feeling, and I don't know if it was said, I think it may have been.
They talked about it a little bit on the broadcast, but I was getting things ready here.
I've been doing it.
He wasn't supposed to go that day, and that's why it didn't go well.
Somebody else was lined up.
They couldn't go, and that's why they went with Weaver.
And that, I wouldn't hold that against him.
Sure, you can count this as a bounce back, but I think his last appearance where that happened, it's like they just set him up to fail.
So I don't want to count that against him at all.
Yeah, they said he wasn't feeling well that day, and then he wasn't supposed to pitch the eighth because Evan Sisk was supposed to pitch the eighth, and then Evan Sisk melted down.
He didn't get the appropriate time to warm up.
So, yeah, there was a lot of factors.
But what he did today was nice to see, right?
Because he hasn't pitched as well as he was pitching with the Mets since he's been with us, and you get worried that he gets piratitis, and he gets it faster than most people.
It takes a little longer than that.
So, like I said, if they're going to make any run, I don't think they will.
You're going to need Luke Weaver having one, two, three eighth innings.
Yeah.
Well, luckily, we have Weaver next year, too.
Yeah.
But then we have Montgomery, who comes in.
I believe he gets the save, right?
He does.
Yeah, it was five toms, three reps.
Again, one strikeout, gets out of it.
He had two whiffs.
Weaver also had two whiffs.
Just a super effective bullpen game from the Pirates.
And like we mentioned, like we touched on, it seems like a format that they thrive in.
They don't like to do it.
We don't like to see it.
But when they do it, they don't seem to lose a lot.
Well, yeah, for the past couple of seasons, it's, that's what we need to ask AI.
It's like, how, what is their record in bullpen games?
Because it seems like they do pretty well with these most of the time.
it's again, when you're a fan of the Pirates and Ben Cherington is your general manager, you start thinking, oh, man, we're going to have three bullpen games a week.
But this way, we don't have to pay any starting pitchers.
so, but yeah, I long for the days of pitchers going seven innings.
it's just more fun.
It's fun to have those big horse aces, guys you can count on, what Braxton Ashcraft has been doing this year, that thing.
But that's not baseball today.
Certainly not Pittsburgh Pirate baseball.
We're going to roll these things out.
And, but at least when they do, they give themselves a pretty good chance.
Yep.
Well, Doug, anything else you got to say?
I think these people are getting hungry.
Yeah, they are.
They want their sandwiches.
I do want to just ask one quick question.
I love Jack Wilson, but should Jack Wilson be in the Pirates Hall of Fame before Andy Van Slyke?
Yeah, it doesn't make sense to me.
I love Jack Wilson.
I grew up watching Jack Wilson.
He's like, he was my shortstop growing up.
Yeah.
But the stories of Andy Van Slyke and, that all the guys in the 90s.
Yeah.
I don't know if you do Jack Wilson ahead of that.
I'm not at all mad.
And I congratulate you, Jack Wilson.
I love you.
You were like the best teammate on that team for years.
that was while he was playing, there was some jerks, to their other teammates more than what we saw.
And, he's great.
He should have won a couple of gold gloves.
The numbers back that up.
But that was when you gave it to a guy based on reputation.
So Omar Vizquel was getting it or, it's that thing.
I love him.
But Andy Van Slyke, come on.
he multiple gold gloves, multiple all-stars, played on winning teams.
So he better get in next year.
And I feel like at least from my perspective, because I was a baby in the 90s.
I was born in 97.
So what I know about the 90s pirates is that there's a lot of animosity.
Like, obviously, they're competitive early on, but it was like people were butting heads with Bonds and, like, butting heads with Leyland and, like, a lot of things happening.
So maybe people just aren't over it yet.
Maybe there's some, hard feelings towards the organization.
And like we discussed, it's hard not to have hard feelings the way that they operate.
But who knows?
And, hey, it could even just be they asked Andy, and he was like, I got something planned that weekend.
Can't do it.
And then that's it.
I feel like those logistical things happen all the time for things like this.
Yeah, well, and it's the other thing is, like, I want all the guys that deserve to be in to be in now.
But if they do that, they're going to run out of guys to put in.
You know what I'm saying?
Because it's like there's not a lot of guys from this century, that are going in.
So they got to spread the older guys out a little bit.
Yeah.
But next year, hopefully.
But all right, Doug, let's give away some sandwiches.
Who's going to win our first pair of sandwiches?
Thanks to the people that gave jewels, too.
We never.
Oh, yes.
Sorry, I didn't see them.
I was too busy arguing with Doug and Jim in the comments.
Doug, you want to try and pronounce that one?
I was going to say Eliupakake.
Eliupakake.
I don't know.
There's some pakake in there.
Congratulations.
I think you're a first time winner because I think I would remember that name.
First time I've seen the name.
Congrats.
Yeah, congrats.
Send your information about your Permanis account to us, and we will get you those sandwiches.
Let's draw our second winner today, Doug.
Who we got?
Guardian Printy.
Congrats.
That's an OG, I'm pretty sure.
Congrats, Guardian Printy.
All right.
Congratulations.
Remember all the stuff you're supposed to do, like, subscribe, download the app.
I guess, are they doing NS9 live tonight?
I believe so.
But, yeah, make sure to our winners, make sure you email us at northshore9 at gmail.com.
Spell out 9-N-I-N-E.
That way, we'll actually get your email.
But congrats to you guys.
And like Doug said, like, subscribe, show tonight, I believe.
Jim's not in the comments section anymore, so he can't tell me I'm wrong.
Yeah, I think that I'm sure there is.
So, yeah, check that out.
Make sure, man, I'm telling you, check out Alex Stumpf.
He's just been on fire.
He really is.
I know I said this earlier, it was Sunday or whatever, but, man, he has just been fantastic.
He's just been a great addition this season to what we're doing.
And you're missing out if you're not checking him out each day.
Great way to start the day.
Yep, I agree.
I agree.
And I know last show I was on, some people asked about the hat.
The hat is live on the merch store.
Go to the merch store and get there through the app, through the website, northshore9.com.
Go check it out.
Got other stuff in there, too, if you're interested.
But, yes, the hats are available if you'd like one.
I feel like I announced that in the Discord, and I haven't announced it anywhere else.
And this was where people actually wanted them.
Are we ready for Steelers football?
I could care less.
I'm so out of football.
I don't even care.
It's just, oh, whatever.
Well, this baseball season has beat the life out of us.
So, we're going to have to, we need the Steelers to have a hot start.
Just give me a lazy Sunday.
Give me a lazy Sunday.
Easy 21-10 win.
Like, that's all I need every Sunday.
But, all right, Doug, let's get out of here.
Thank you all for watching, and hopefully we see you tonight for NS9 Live.
All right.
Yeah, thanks, guys.
Oh, wait.
We didn't do FanDuel.
We didn't do FanDuel.
FanDuel.
FanDuel.
Oh, gosh.
Oh, I won on FanDuel today.
I did bet.
I bet the bullpen game.
I thought I did FanDuel, but I did not.
We got to get that in.
The Pirates are favorited tomorrow.
They're minus 190 on the money line.
Pitcher's not announced yet.
Over-under is eight and a half.
So, do with that information as you will.
But, Pirates are favored against the Angels, who are now under new ownership.
So, maybe.
Yeah, that might be the lift.
Work around that.
Are the Angels going to be up and up because they got new ownership?
Are they going to be down because they liked the old ownership?
I don't think they did.
They did not.
Mike Trout's already come out and said, woo-hoo, I'm excited.
Right.
So, check out those odds on FanDuel, as well as the rest of the MLB and other sports.
Betting lines.
But, yes, Doug, let's get out of here.
We've been talking for too long.
Our shows always go long.
They do.
All right.
Everybody, have a good one.
I blame me, too.
We'll see you guys.
All right.
That wraps up this episode of North Shore Nine.
Thanks so much for tuning in.
Whether you're listening on the podcast or catching us on YouTube, if you enjoyed the show, please give this video a thumbs up.
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Thanks again for all your support, and Let's Go Bucs.
Thanks again for all your support, and Let's Go Bucs.
Comments· 1
Should the Pirates give Khristian Curtis September starts even while chasing the wild card?