30 Runs Later

 

On paper, Pirates-Mets should have been cut and dry. The Mets have more pieces, more momentum, more goodwill, and even if they've fallen out of 1st they're still hanging into the race. The Pirates have Paul Skenes and that's about it. So many of their best players just aren't hitting this year. They've been trying to build something and they haven't really gotten anywhere. And as an added bonus for the Mets, they didn't even have to play Skenes during this season. It should have been simple.

Instead, the Pirates scored 30 points, limited the Mets to four, and asserted absolute dominance over a genuinely good Mets team. It is...genuinely very funny. I think, because the Marlins are getting hot, people will try and pitch this as 'the Pirates are catching fire', but I think it was just a case of circumstances lining up. The Mets started two lower-tier pieces [Paul Blackburn and the just-promoted Frankie Montas], couldn't muster anything from their starters and thus got trounced. 

Yet, at the same time, this series was also a showcase of what the Pirates can be when they choose to line up the moments where they're good at baseball. Bryan Reynolds. Ke'Bryan Hayes, Oneil Cruz, Andrew McCutchen, Tommy Pham and Mitch Keller all decided to come together over the course of this series and provide multiple great moments. Pham had a bunch of RBIs. Cruz had a two-homer game today. Hayes had a big day yesterday. Reynolds has slowly been gaining ground at the plate. Keller actually won a game for the first time since March. This is what the Pirates could be if they weren't so preoccupied with settling. Cause you're seeing even some younger players like Henry Davis and Mike Burrows, who are flirting with actually performing well but not ready to commit yet. 

In the absence of truly overpowering seasons, a lot of simply good seasons are setting the tone in Pittsburgh. Bailey Falter isn't the showiest starter out there, and the Phils traded him for this very reason, but with the Pirates he's become a great 'room tone' pitcher. Falter is someone who just chugs along without striking too many people out or overexerting himself too much. He just gets the job done. Right now he's 6-3 with a 3.62 ERA and a 1.218 WHIP. For this team, that's pretty great. He's no Skenes, but Skenes is 4-7. Falter seems to be the guy the Pirates' offense shows up most often behind, and it's given him a season he can be proud of. 

It also helps that the Pirates' bullpen is surprisingly really good. A lot was made of David Bednar's rough start but he's come back around, with a 2.83 ERA and now 11 saves. Dennis Santana and his 1.50 ERA have made a real difference with this team, and I can almost undeniably say that the Pirates are gonna miss him when he's unceremoniously traded to Atlanta in a month. Caleb Ferguson, Chase Shugart, Isaac Mattson, they've all been really nice in relief. Plus they just got Genesis Cabrera, and hopefully he becomes a nice guy for them. Hell, even rookie Braxton Ashcraft seems to be a keeper.

If anything, this weekend showed that even amidst the torture of the Nutting regime, there are still signs of life, and there are still moments where this team can come together. Just not enough of them. Enough to ensure they won't be the worst team in the league, but not enough to actually start anything.

Coming Tomorrow- A rookie power bat who, to his credit, did some damage against my team this weekend.

Tales of the Phils' Itchy Trigger Finger

 

It's wild to me that Bailey Falter's actually been impressive for Pittsburgh this year, despite really only being a bare bones style pitcher in comparison to their other success stories. But then again, that's what he was like in Philly, and that's why we gave him up. He ate innings, and he had some good starts, but Cristopher Sanchez was the showier arm, and they needed someone like Lorenzen who was a proven option. 

Now, I still don't understand why they wanted Rodolfo Castro, seeing as he's done jack shit for the Phils since coming over here, but honestly it was bound to happen. Of course we give up a viable option for a low-market team in exchange for someone who eats roster space. Really the only difference is that the Pirates are at the point where they value a more basic starter like Falter, where as he stood out a lot more next to Wheeler and Nola last year. 

Unsurprisingly, the Phillies giving up on key prospects right before they actually become useful is something that you can see in a lot of places in the league. And yes, I'm gonna name names.

Angels: Mickey Moniak, while not feeling like he should have been a #1 pick, is at least off to a more useful run in LA. Logan O'Hoppe, even if Brandon Marsh was worth it, has been a grade-A catcher for the Angels, and I'm glad he's been able to flesh out there. But most notable as a 'couldn't do crap til he got out of Philly' type? Hans Crouse, who was really well-heralded over here, did nothing, stayed in the minors, and now has a 0.00 ERA in relief for the Angels. Of course.

Astros: I couldn't fathom when we traded for Hunter Pence that we'd be setting up a 10 year long revenge story. Jon Singleton made waves as a rookie, then got into trouble off the field and never got back to the majors. Then the Brewers give him a shot, the Astros get him back, and he's playing for a playoff team and suddenly starting at 1st base over Jose Abreu. I'm happy for him, but it's wild that he's doing this as a Houston success story when we had him first.

Braves: Travis d'Arnaud, as I constantly forget, was a Phillies prospect before he was dealt to Toronto for Roy Halladay, and then to New York for R.A. Dickey. Traded for two Cy Young award winners, and now he's catching a guy who should have won one in Sale. To be honest, though, d'Arnaud only became truly great after getting out of Queens. 

Cardinals: Jojo Romero we at least flipped for Edmundo Sosa, but this year that deal's looking shockingly even. Romero has a 2.61 ERA, and has been a key relief piece for the Cardinals, because of course he has.

Guardians: Carlos Carrasco, famously, even if he's not the menace he was in the mid-2010s.

Mariners: Also famously, J.P. Crawford, who we really thought was the future at SS, wasn't, and became the future for the Mariners after we traded him for Jay Bruce.

Marlins: Famously Sixto Sanchez, even if he's been a disappointment for the Marlins. 

Mets: Jake Diekman became a reliable journeyman reliever right after getting traded out of Philly. I always forget that he was the extra prospect piece in the Cole Hamels deal. Anyway he's been decent for the Mets this year.

Red Sox: Famously Nick Pivetta, who was damn near perfect the other day. It frustrates me that we didn't wait on him, considering how disappointing Brandon Workman ended up being.

Tigers: Matt Vierling, as discussed, has become a key player for the Tigers this year, as someone's finally given an opportunity to play everyday. 

So it's a pretty common factor, seeing the Phillies' prospect dealing coming back to haunt them. Considering the deadline is fast approaching, and the Phils will likely be taking on upgrades, I assume one or more pieces dealt this season may be future entries on this list.

Coming Tonight: He was abysmal to start the season, and then suddenly, like with his team, it clicked.