Spiraling Out of Control

I like these afternoon games because I can tune in for the radio broadcasts and listen while I plug away at work.

Yesterday was an epic collapse, not just to give up the 7-0 lead, but the manner in which they did so.

After Mr. Sunshine damn near had an orgasm on air when Walker hit his homerun to put the Bucs up by 6 I thought to myself, wouldn't it be funny if Mr. No Run Support Maholm managed to blow this one after all those game that he pitched well, but not well enough to win.

Beltran's 3 run homer in the 3rd was a little disappointing, but acceptable. You throw strikes with a big lead, and sometimes you get dinged for it. Maholm got out of that inning and you figured he’d still be able to hold a 4 run lead down, no problem, right?

Beltran got things going for the Mets again in the 6th with a lead off double, but then after walking J-Bay, Maholm got Pagan to fly out and the runner moved over on a ground out by Paulino. It seemed that the Bucs would escape unscathed. Evans walking to load the bases should have been the sign right there that Maholm was done. Instead he was left out there to dry by his manager and gave up two bloop singles to cut the lead down to 7-6.

A coworker at this point then commented that Diaz’s error could be costly because Tejada moved to 3rd and could now score on a wild pitch or passed ball. That is exactly what occurred and I then proceeded to ask that same coworker for Powerball predictions for Saturday night. IF the #s come up 7-18-26-43-51 PB-44 you will never see me blogging again, I’ll be living down on some Caribbean Island somewhere starting Monday.

I don’t think it took great clairvoyance at this point though to realize that this was not going to end well for the Pirates. Any time Jogging Ronny Paulino can give up 3 stolen bases in the 1st two innings and be the relatively stalwart defensive Catcher for the game, you know your team has a problem.

The 8th inning provided more Super Trooper level shenanigans for the Buccos. The aforementioned fatso Paulino managed to single to start the inning. Then things got Area 51 level weird. I’m going off of memory of half-heartedly listening here, but I believe the Mets brought in a pinch runner for Usain Bolt Ronny Paulino and a pitcher to presumably lay down a sac-bunt. Pitcher fails to do so, but in the process draws a balk that moves the runner to second with no sacrificial lambs needed. So the backup catcher is brought in to pinch hit, since he would have to be entering the game anyway next inning to replace Paulino. A wild pitch is then uncorked by the Bucs hurler, moving the runner to 3rd. The replacement batter then manages to draw a walk, so you have 1st and 3rd, no outs after a solitary single, and a sac fly draws in the run and moves the runner to 2nd on a dumb play by McCutchen to not just throw to the base. 8-7 Mets. Next guy up is walked intentionally. The guy after him is walked unintentionally. Bases loaded again. For the inning that is 5 runners, 7 batters up , and 1 statistical at bat so far. The next guy fouls out, but then the eventual game winning run is walked in with the Bases loaded.

The way the Pirates blew this game is beyond mind boggling. It stretches the fabric of space time relativity and makes you wonder if the team is just plain cursed with some sort of evil voodoo hex.I know Maholm has pitched statistically well and it’s not all his fault when the team doesn’t score runs around him. Call me old school though, but I think there is something to be said for pitching well enough for your team to actually secure the W. He isn’t pitching these games in a statistical bubbledome. It’s an actual real life competition where you are part of a team trying to outduel the other guys on the field. He is very well compensated to get out there and be a competitor. I just don’t see any fire in his eyes or blood in his guts.

A lot of the local media I’ve listened in the past 24 hours have given him, and the Pirates, a pass on this latest blowup as an “anomaly” and “one of those things that happen in the course of a baseball season.” I’m here to tell you folks, it’s kind of attitude that has us staring down the long road to a 19th, and most likely a 20th losing season in a row for this ballclub. I’d rather have some lunatic raving about how they need to blow things up and start all over after a loss like this, then a resigned acceptance that this is one of those things that just happens.

Anytime fans get up some semblance of hope, the Pirates stomp a boot back down on their face.
I, for one, am horribly sick of it.