The Pirates rebounded in a big way Tuesday night as they defeated the Padres 7-1 after losing 5-0 on Monday. The Pirates were led by an incredible 6.1-inning start from Cy Young winner Paul Skenes. The Pirates offense returned the favor with 12 hits and seven runs against a very good Padres bullpen. The Buccos will aim to take the series Wednesday with Mitch Keller taking the mound and to end this homestand with a single loss. Here are our three takeaways from this big Pirates win against a team that they have struggles with over the years.
Paul Skenes Knows How to Right the Ship
It would have been very easy for the Pirates to drop two straight games, especially facing off against an extremely talented pitcher in Nick Pivetta. Instead, Paul outduels Pivetta and goes 6.1 strong innings with six strikeouts and one earned run. He could’ve easily finished the 7th as well, finishing the day with an efficient 87 pitches and he had a no-hitter through five. The Padres could’ve had 18 innings against Paul tonight and still would not have touched his stuff. His fastball was moving, generating six of his eight whiffs with the pitch, almost challenging Bubba Chandler to do the same from yesterday. The Pirates being able to stop prolonged losing streaks by having guys like Skenes step in and win the game with their arms is how you steal away wins from the good teams in this league.
The Attitude This Team Has is Refreshing
Paul Skenes and Bubba Chandler have both pitched pretty well this year, especially in their last four starts combined. So it’s fun to hear them talk with positivity while also longing for something ever better. If you asked any Pirates fan if they would take 7-4 to start the year, every single one would take that without a second thought. Despite this, it is refreshing to hear them talk about how things can get better. Both have gone on record about how they can play better, and Skenes was on record tonight saying that he believes our best baseball is yet to come.
There is a clear joy that is contagious within the clubhouse, with the most visual aspects being the cones and welding mask. Yet unlike previous years, there is a clear belief that this team can make the playoffs. We have come a very long way from Wil Crowe giving us lectures about how hard the team is trying despite being extremely bad. For once in ages, I actually want to hear what this team has to say.
Gregory Soto: The Unsung Hero
The Pirates added Gregory Soto for seven million dollars in the offseason as their premier left handed bullpen arm. Soto was somewhat of an unknown last year, as he was very susceptible to giving up home runs and was very unreliable. Despite these uncertainties and very little excitement around him being here, he has been an elite level reliever early on in the season. Through his first seven games he has posted a 1.23 ERA and a whopping 13 strikeouts. He has worked well in tandem with Dennis Santana to make an untouchable back end of the bullpen. Things will go very well for this team if they are able to put games on ice after the 7th inning with an elite 1-2 punch to finish off the last few innings of games.
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