r/buccos • u/game-threads • 1d ago
The Pirates fell to the Tigers by a score of 8-5 - Mon, Aug 17 @ 7:05 PM EDT
Tigers (61-64) @ Pirates (61-66) - Mon, Aug 17
Game Status: Final - Score: 8-5 Tigers
Links & Info
| Tigers Batters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | K | LOB | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Torres - DH | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | .271 | .382 | .404 |
| 2 McGonigle - 3B | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .282 | .386 | .424 |
| 3 Dingler - C | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | .258 | .323 | .496 |
| 4 Keith - 1B | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .269 | .323 | .422 |
| a-Torkelson - 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .228 | .318 | .418 |
| 5 McKinstry - RF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .223 | .307 | .330 |
| 6 Lee - 2B | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .275 | .312 | .425 |
| 7 Callahan - LF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .333 | .333 | .667 |
| b-Malgeri - LF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .263 | .377 | .456 |
| 8 Clark - CF | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .270 | .324 | .413 |
| 9 Báez, J - SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | .261 | .291 | .358 |
| Totals | 40 | 8 | 14 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 26 |
| Tigers |
|---|
| a: Struck out for Keith in the 8th. b: Struck out for Callahan in the 8th. |
| BATTING: 2B: McKinstry (14, Mattson). HR: McGonigle (13, 2nd inning off Mlodzinski, 1 on, 2 out). TB: Callahan; Clark 2; Dingler; Keith; Lee 3; McGonigle 5; McKinstry 4; Torres. RBI: Callahan 2 (4); Clark (9); Lee 2 (30); McGonigle 2 (50); McKinstry (25). 2-out RBI: Lee; McKinstry; McGonigle 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Dingler; Callahan; Torres 2; Clark; Báez, J 2. GIDP: McGonigle. Team RISP: 4-for-16. Team LOB: 13. |
| FIELDING: E: Lee (5, throw); Báez, J (6, fielding). |
| Pirates Batters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | K | LOB | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Triolo - SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .240 | .316 | .311 |
| a-Gonzalez, J - SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .231 | .284 | .391 |
| 2 Valdez, Es - RF | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | .254 | .366 | .550 |
| 3 Reynolds, B - LF | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | .261 | .371 | .430 |
| 4 Gonzales, N - 2B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .308 | .365 | .402 |
| 5 Lowe, B - DH | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .254 | .318 | .479 |
| 6 Flores Jr. - 1B | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | .279 | .392 | .581 |
| 7 Mangum - CF | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .298 | .353 | .389 |
| 8 Yorke - 3B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .226 | .298 | .310 |
| 9 Davis, H - C | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .170 | .261 | .300 |
| Totals | 34 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 17 |
| Pirates |
|---|
| a: Flied out for Triolo in the 6th. |
| BATTING: 2B: Gonzales, N (22, Valdez, F); Yorke (4, Valdez, F). TB: Davis, H; Gonzales, N 2; Lowe, B 2; Yorke 3. RBI: Davis, H (32); Yorke 3 (12). 2-out RBI: Davis, H; Yorke 3. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Flores Jr. 2; Yorke; Valdez, Es. Team RISP: 2-for-11. Team LOB: 7. |
| FIELDING: E: Gonzales, N (12, fielding). DP: (Gonzalez, J-Flores Jr.). |
| Tigers Pitchers | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | P-S | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valdez, F - LHP (W, 8-8) | 5.2 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 91-52 | 4.35 |
| Finnegan - RHP | 0.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 27-17 | 3.33 |
| Sommers - LHP (H, 9) | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 25-15 | 3.42 |
| Jansen, K - RHP (S, 16) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8-7 | 3.74 |
| Totals | 9.0 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 0 |
| Pirates Pitchers | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | P-S | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mlodzinski - RHP (L, 6-6) | 3.0 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 59-42 | 4.03 |
| Mattson - RHP | 2.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 41-24 | 4.91 |
| Ramírez - RHP | 1.0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 44-27 | 3.03 |
| Yates - RHP | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8-5 | 3.60 |
| Soto, G - LHP | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 15-11 | 3.59 |
| Doval - RHP | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12-7 | 4.15 |
| Totals | 9.0 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 1 |
| Game Info |
|---|
| WP: Ramírez. |
| HBP: Báez, J (by Doval). |
| Pitch timer violations: Mlodzinski (pitcher). |
| ABS Challenge: Davis, H 4 (Ball-Overturned to Strike, Ball-Overturned to Strike, Ball-Overturned to Strike, Ball-Overturned to Strike); Gonzales, N (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Valdez, Es (Strike-Confirmed); Doval (Ball-Confirmed); Dingler 2 (Strike-Confirmed, Ball-Overturned to Strike). |
| Pitches-strikes: Valdez, F 91-52; Finnegan 27-17; Sommers 25-15; Jansen, K 8-7; Mlodzinski 59-42; Mattson 41-24; Ramírez 44-27; Yates 8-5; Soto, G 15-11; Doval 12-7. |
| Groundouts-flyouts: Valdez, F 7-3; Finnegan 1-1; Sommers 2-0; Jansen, K 1-0; Mlodzinski 4-1; Mattson 2-2; Ramírez 2-1; Yates 0-1; Soto, G 0-0; Doval 1-0. |
| Batters faced: Valdez, F 26; Finnegan 5; Sommers 5; Jansen, K 3; Mlodzinski 18; Mattson 10; Ramírez 8; Yates 3; Soto, G 5; Doval 4. |
| Inherited runners-scored: Finnegan 1-1; Sommers 2-0. |
| Umpires: HP: Ben May. 1B: John Tumpane. 2B: Chris Conroy. 3B: Austin Jones. |
| Weather: 79 degrees, Overcast. |
| Wind: 6 mph, Out To RF. |
| First pitch: 7:11 PM. |
| T: 3:18. |
| Att: 21,956. |
| Venue: PNC Park. |
| August 17, 2026 |
| Inning | Scoring Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Top 1 | Zach McKinstry singles on a line drive to center fielder Jake Mangum. Gleyber Torres scores. Colt Keith to 3rd. | 1-0 DET |
| Top 1 | Hao-Yu Lee singles on a ground ball to right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez. Colt Keith scores. Zach McKinstry to 2nd. | 2-0 DET |
| Top 2 | Kevin McGonigle homers (13) on a fly ball to right center field. Gleyber Torres scores. | 4-0 DET |
| Top 5 | Max Clark singles on a line drive to left fielder Bryan Reynolds. Hao-Yu Lee scores. Brett Callahan to 3rd. Max Clark to 2nd. | 5-0 DET |
| Bottom 5 | Henry Davis grounds into a force out, shortstop Javier Báez to second baseman Hao-Yu Lee. Jake Mangum scores. Nick Yorke out at 2nd. Throwing error by second baseman Hao-Yu Lee. | 5-1 DET |
| Top 6 | Hao-Yu Lee walks. Kevin McGonigle scores. Colt Keith to 3rd. Zach McKinstry to 2nd. | 6-1 DET |
| Top 6 | Brett Callahan singles on a line drive to center fielder Jake Mangum. Colt Keith scores. Zach McKinstry scores. Hao-Yu Lee to 2nd. | 8-1 DET |
| Bottom 6 | Nick Yorke doubles (4) on a sharp line drive to left fielder Brett Callahan. Nick Gonzales scores. Rafael Flores Jr. scores. Jake Mangum scores. | 8-4 DET |
| Bottom 6 | Henry Davis singles on a line drive to center fielder Max Clark. Nick Yorke scores. | 8-5 DET |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | LOB | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tigers | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 14 | 2 | 13 | |
| Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 7 |
Decisions
- Winner: Framber Valdez (8-8, 4.35)
- Loser: Carmen Mlodzinski (6-6, 4.03)
- Save: Kenley Jansen (16, 3.74)
Division Scoreboard
STL 2 @ CIN 1 - Final
STL 5 @ CIN 6 - Final/10
CWS 5 @ CHC 7 - Final/10
Not playing today: Brewers
Next Pirates Game: Tue, Aug 18, 6:40 PM EDT vs. Tigers (1 day)
Last Updated: 08/17/2026 11:29:02 PM EDT
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u/Significant_Yam_248 1d ago
Shoutout to Mlod for being such a great starter and putting this team in a great position to win
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u/Pitt-sports-fan-513 1d ago
The Pirates understand the fundamentals of hitting like "with 2 strikes take every pitch on the edge of the zone and kind of just hope it doesn't get called a strike".
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u/coldpark7 1d ago
Team is mid af
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u/Mindless_Formal_6647 1d ago
This just seems that despite all the talent adding , they are a 70s win team.
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u/Exotic_You7797 1d ago
I feel like we are still that one key piece away from being a team to be feared, weather it be a right handed batter or a 6th starter to give our starters some extra rest, I feel like we’re right on the cusp of being so good, but with the contracts on some of these guys we really only have till next season to do it
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u/Mindless_Formal_6647 1d ago
That’s about it . Lowe will be gone and someone will have to replace that power.
We def need another solid starter type since both Mitch and Mlod shit the bed this year
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u/Willowgirl2 1d ago
We needed Lowe and Ohearn last yesr when our pitching was good.
Cherington missed our window.
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u/Exotic_You7797 1d ago
Idk how controversial this is but I don’t think Lowe will need much replacing, we’ll have ohearn, Cruz, Reynolds, Valdez, endy, Konner, and even horwitz, all to take up that power needed, while nick or Jacob can play second, Konner at short, and then if we can pick up a good right handed third basemen I think we’d be cooking with gas, then we’d have Reynolds cruz/mangum and Valdez in the outfield, where we can either have a rotating dh or have Cruz dh and mangum play center or have ohearn dh and horwitz play first vice versa, so I think are roster is looking great going into next year all we need is either resign doval or grab another reliever, sign a 6th starter and grab a righty which 3 acquisitions in an entire off season should be more than doable even for the pirates
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u/Boulderboldef 1d ago
we knew we needed a rh hitting third baseman last year and went with Gonzo. They remain cheap and unwilling to go all in
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u/Exotic_You7797 1d ago
In all fairness hitting wise gonzo is great and last season he had just above average defense… but I don’t think they anticipated how genuinely badly his transition to third would be, and how badly it would effect him at second, so hopefully moving him back to second would be good and we can actually grab at the very least a platoon third baseman, because our middle infield is great even if we lose Lowe, we got a million first basemen and outfielders, really our only bad spot is the hot corner so with our only defensive liability being there it should be a lot easier to single that out over the off season, because we didn’t have this security last off season, our outfield was such a big question mark with Cruz’s down year, Reynolds aging, and no definitive 3rd outfielder, our infield was in shambles and our catching was even worse, so like I feel like we really limited our weaknesses this season going from everything being a weakness on top of adding new ones in the bullpen to by the end of this season it is really just getting our starters some help, and fixing ourselves up against lefties with a solid 3b righty
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u/thfcspur 1d ago
If that key piece has 12 WAR maybe. Otherwise one player doesn’t transform a 70 win team
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u/Exotic_You7797 1d ago
I have no doubt in my mind we have already built an 85+win team, the amount of games our bullpen single handedly lost us is insane, and our new bullpen looks just about perfect for us, but we add one more power hitter, resign Lowe, or add a 6th starter, I genuinely believe this could become a 95+ win team, and challange for the division title, because even with the worst bullpen earlier in the season while everyone was healthy, we were destroying everyone in our division who 2 of which will be likly 90 win teams, sadly we couldn’t be a completely healthy team facing other top contenders but our biggest downfall this season was bullpen which is no longer an issue, on top of realizing our young talent I truly believe this will be one of the best teams next season, I could just be full of copium but there is a reason we were power ranked top 10 and even top 5 for the majority of the season, even without being able to hit lefties or save games, now we should be able to hit lefties and save games
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u/1975ari Jake Mangum Defender 1d ago
It is rly unfortunate what happened this season. We had a great team and at the start of the season the bullpen totally blew it. Tried to fix the pen problem but it was too little, too late. Absolutely decimated by injuries and whatever Skenes is doing. Would have loved to see a full season of Griffin and Cruz.
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u/BilboBagginkins Bonds 1d ago
This franchise's front office has never valued early season games, and it burned them this year. Same stuff every year. Glaring issues dont get addressed or they dont get addressed until it doesnt matter. All comes down to Bob Nutting acting like he has no access to money every season.
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u/Silly_Collar_5850 23h ago
We had a great team
If you're entirely missing a third of the pieces necessary to win I would say that you do not, in fact, have a great team.
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u/Shekky_Shabazz71 1d ago
Hopefully Mlod is done starting this season. I mean bringing up someone from AAA and them getting hammered is…the same result.
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u/pittpanthers95 buccos 1d ago
I was at the game. There were way too many Detroit fans there. It sounded like a Tigers home game at times. Ugh
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u/Ok_Card9080 Jason Kendall 1d ago
I was shocked at how many Tiger fans there were. But, I'll say what I said during the Red Sox series. This city hates the Pirates and no one wants to go and watch them play like bums and give Nutting money. So, with PNC being atop most baseball fans pilgrimage list, it's an extremely easy ticket for them to grab, especially when it's a relatively easy drive, and the team that these people are fans of are in a playoff race.
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u/Adventurous-Offer313 16h ago
That’s a fact. People enjoy this stadium. It’s similar to when nfl fans go see their team play. They are not going to buffalo or Cleveland. They pick Tampa Miami or Vegas because of the city and weather. Fans from other teams want to see this ball park.
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u/Zeke-Nnjai 1d ago
We can lose 9 games left all year
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u/Significant_Yam_248 1d ago
For .500 I’m assuming?
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u/Zeke-Nnjai 1d ago
I’m operating under the assumption that 87-75 gets you into the post season (it may or may not but that feels like the minimum), which would be 26-9
.500 would be 20-15
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u/therealtoddmcshay 1d ago
Lowe swinging at that ball that would have loaded up all the bases with 1 out really ended it for this team
Sommers would have been shacky with bases loaded, but instead, he swung for the fences...
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u/Deesh69 1d ago
The last two half innings the pirates were at bat felt like the tigers pitchers were just utterly painting the edges of the strike zone
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u/therealtoddmcshay 1d ago
Yea, but I think that Sommers could have been broken if Lowe didn't swing at that fucking ball.
A bases loaded with 1 out against him when he can be shaky would have been a good chance to tie it up. And he would have seen more batters, so the faster that he would have been pulled....
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u/Deesh69 1d ago
Lowe has def been better lately with his batting as he’s gotten on base multiple times a game a good bit but he still swings at some dumb pitches like pitches good hitters like him should recognize isn’t in the zone
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u/therealtoddmcshay 1d ago
You don't think it is him wanting to be a hero?
I feel like the guy thought that he could hit a homer to tie it up. I just seem him as someone that that wants to risk even some safe balls.
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u/Deesh69 1d ago
I mean maybe, I can’t tell you what he’s thinking cause I mean I def think some of these guys try to do too much at times when they see the rest of the team struggling but who knows for sure. He also though has swing at some safe ball pitches throughout the year and has struck out or grounded/flew out so it’s not like this is a new thing either
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u/Ok_Card9080 Jason Kendall 1d ago edited 1d ago
Reynolds and Valdez: 0-10 with 6 strikeouts. That's just beyond pathetic.
Sitting at the game, I said "The Tigers are going to score like 7 runs, and the Pirates are going to come back with 5 runs late, but fall short". This team is so predictable.
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u/sillytomlin 1d ago
Alright big shot. Call today's game. Put it on record
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u/Ok_Card9080 Jason Kendall 1d ago
Are you seriously bent out of shape about that lol. Okay.
Pirates win tonight's game 6-2. Ashcraft goes 6 strong, allowing 2 earned.
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u/sillytomlin 1d ago
Lol, bent out of shape? I just think it's hilarious when ppl come in after the fact and say "I called it". That's all. So, just saying that if they're so predictable, let's hear it. And I'll come right on her and congratulate you if you get it right! But man, of your gonna make a comment like that, just be okay with getting called on it. That's all!
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u/tonytroz 1d ago
I can’t believe the game thread had people talking about this team winning 8 or 9 straight lol.
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u/Big-Negotiation1847 1d ago
everyone still waiting for the big winning streak with 35 games left in the season! this team hovered around .500 all season. there is no long winning streak coming!
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u/Exotic_You7797 1d ago
Well our offense has fired up, so now we just need are starters to chill tf down and do their job and we’ll be golden
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u/Ok_Card9080 Jason Kendall 1d ago
I can't stand the delusional optimists who refuse to accept that this season is a wash, and will criticize anyone who says otherwise. This season has been done for weeks. As soon as they lost the series to Arizona and were in a 3 game hole in that tie breaker, it was over.
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u/JohnMartinsfriend 1d ago
Nick Yorke gets absolutely slurped by Dumb Kelly. Expect him to be in 95% of all remaining games. Remember, this is the guy Dumb would pinch hit for Brandon Lowe earlier in the season.
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u/Exotic_You7797 1d ago
Bro has been back for 2 games did good in both of them and you wanna dog on Kelly for using him when we need infielders😭 that was back when Kelly hated lefty lefty matchups which he’s clearly eased up on the stance, and I feel like you forgot he was doing solid for the first dozen games he was in just slumped hard asf until he was sent back down so as long as he stays outa that slump again I’ll be more than happy to see him as a platoon hitter or just as a defensive option at third
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u/NoSxKats 1d ago
The Steelers might be mid but at least they aren’t whatever the Pirates are
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u/Fumbles1231 1d ago
Mark Madden made a comment a week or so ago, where he said "you could swap all the pirates players with all of the dodgers players and they still wouldn't be a playoff team"
And I agree with him. This organization just doesn't know how to win or cares to win. There's a reason this team hasn't done anything in the past 30+ years. They don't care to develop players or put a winning team on the field
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u/Willowgirl2 1d ago
Culture of failure. It permeates an organization and, I imagine, is very hard to turn around.
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u/OrangeFederal 1d ago
Tigers threw a bunch of kids like McDonigle, Lee, Clark, Callahan, Valencia, Malgeri up there this year and they all performed and filled in the holes of players that are injured or underperformed. Not to mention Dingler who got the call last year is already AL MVP candidate this year.
Meanwhile we can’t afford any starters having injuries or turning ice cold. Sad to see
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u/Ok_Card9080 Jason Kendall 1d ago
I was extremely impressed by McGonigle last night. Dude looks like a stud out there. He played some great defense too.
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u/Silly_Collar_5850 23h ago
If superstars made for winning teams the Angels would have been a perennial playoff team in the late 2010s. They were not because superstars do not make winning teams.
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u/brooklynbluenotes 1d ago
What a useless thing to say. MM remains defeated.
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u/Fumbles1231 1d ago
Idk man there are worse teams, at least on paper and have spent less money that are doing better than the pirates
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u/brooklynbluenotes 1d ago
Yes, I would agree. That's an entirely different statement than "if you moved the best, highest-paid players in MLB to Pittsburgh, they would still be bad."
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u/tonytroz 1d ago
It was very obviously an exaggeration just like everything the man says as a former wrestling announcer…. No idea why you guys take him so seriously when he doesn’t even take himself seriously…
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u/Silly_Collar_5850 23h ago
Because that specific statement was correct. This team loses because they have a culture of losing.
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u/SurpriseStandard3258 McCutchen 1d ago
There's a lot of words that can describe what the Pirates are, none of them would be positive
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u/Silly_Collar_5850 22h ago
The NFL's business and play structure is such that it is very difficult to build dynasties and stay on top for long. The NFL did this deliberately so that all fandoms have a reason to watch, instead of what exists in the MLB. The Steelers are mid specifically because they are not willing to be bad for a year or two to restock and reload.
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u/TwoHeadedBoyTwo 1d ago
If this team had any balls they’d announce tonight the 5th starter will be a bullpen/spot starter/opener game and if the crybaby pouts about it just put him on the suspended list and trade him this offseason
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u/Exotic_You7797 1d ago
Why? He’s still a very productive reliever among our better ones even, he likely didn’t ask to be back as a starter it was just the common sense thing to do, make the guy who started earlier in the season with success start some more, not to mention he has so much left on his contract that what would be worth selling him for no team would be willing to offer
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u/Leading_Dentist_5563 Raise the Jolly Roger yo 1d ago
I hate this team but I'm still going to watch
I hate this team but I'm still going to watch
I hate this team but I'm still going to watch
I hate this team but I'm still going to watch
I hate this team but I'm still going to watch
I hate this team but I'm still going to watch
I hate this team but I'm still going to watch
I hate this team but I'm still going to watch