Neither team can hold a candle to the Pittsburgh Pirates for just plain bad baseball in 2021.
Quick, name another team who had two massive baserunning blunders where the opposition could be seen on camera laughing after the out was made.
It must be something with games being played in Pittsburgh around federal holidays. Back on May 27, the Chicago Cubs managed to steal a run, then allow the batter (Javier Baez) to reach second when the Bucs forgot how to play “pickle in the middle.”
You all have seen the clip of Baez caught in a rundown between home and first, where not only allowed Wilson Contreras to score from third, but Pirate first baseman Will Craig decided to try and apply the tag, rather than step on the bag. Craig chased Baez all the way back to home plate, where Contreras scored, then catcher Michael Perez threw the ball at an angle where it bounced off Baez and into right field, allowing the batter to take second with no one covering the bag.
Thursday the Bucs welcomed the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers to PNC Park to open a four-game holiday set. In the second inning, Brewer ace Corbin Burnes allowed a leadoff single to Jacob Stallings. The next hitter, Ben Gamel drove a pitch to the warning track in right center, where it was flagged down by Jackie Bradley Jr.
Now Bradley slow-plays the ball as if it left the yard, knowing Stallings would be watching him to see whether or not he could round for third, or retreat to first. Stallings made the turn ever so slightly…then was doubled off at first by Bradley’s throw.
I am not ashamed to admit I was a huge Pirates fan growing up when the likes of Bobby Bonilla, Andy Van Slyke and Doug Drabek were in uniform. Remember, this is before Barry Bonds’ head grew to where planes had to reroute their flight patterns around Three River Stadium.
While I’m thinking about it...screw Sid Bream for all eternity.
JBJ smiles while walking back into position, while the Brewer dugout has a nice laugh, with a few amazed by the absolute strike Bradley made to double up Stallings.
Compare that to May when several members of the Cub dugout nearly fell over the barricade laughing at the Pirates’ lack of fielding fundamentals.
Obviously, Crash Davis’ speech from Bull Durham was lost in translation on the way to PNC Park. Well the Pirates forgot how to throw the ball, their -106 run differential tells you the catcher is not catching the ball enough because the opposing hitter is making contact, and by the same token they’re not hitting with any consistency.
Hell, the Pirates would kill for Andrew McCutcheon to come back just to put a few asses in the seats. While we’re at it, since Bonilla is still under contract with the New York Mets, why not strike up a trade to suit him up at 58 years old?
The Brewers are up by two games on the Cincinnati Reds in the NL Central going into play tonight. With the amount of bad teams in that division, it might as well be a 20-game lead. But hey, that top-5 prospect should look real nice in black and gold in about 5-6 years.
Sorry, as a Clevelander, I just threw up in my mouth a bit admitting anything can look good in black and gold.
-JC24