Pittsburgh Pirates Fans: Repeat After Me – It’s Only 15 Games…

The Pittsburgh Pirates have played fifteen games.  Some of the starting pitching the team has faced has been among the best in the game.

Yesterday’s starter for the St. Louis Cardinals wasn’t one of those great pitchers.

Kyle Lohse is an average big league pitcher (evidenced by his career 95 ERA+ and a 4.60 ERA) having a nice early season run thus far in 2012.  Most fans know that even the poorly constructed Pirates teams of the past have had success against the Cardinals 33-year old right hander.  But not the 2012 “Out Machine” Pittsburgh Pirates.

It’s just 15 games.  It’s just 15 games.  It’s just 15 games.  It’s just 15 games.

Wait a minute, maybe Lohse really is one of those stud hurlers after all.  Look at what Joe Sports Fan found:  It’s some Major League Baseball licensed merchandise that proves Lohse is the real deal.  Yeah,  Major League Baseball recognized that Lohse has a sweet ink sleeve.  Everyone knows that MLB wouldn’t do that just to make a few bucks.

Whew. Now we feel better.

It’s hard to write this, but watching some of the players on this offense actually makes us actually miss last year’s putrid offense.  The 2011 team didn’t break any of the 1927 Yankees records, but damn, this is worse than we could have  dreamed.

Other than some bad luck that killed what looked like the start of another late-game Pirates rally in the eighth inning, the bats were once again quiet.  The Pirates have the worst team average – just over the Mendoza line at .204 – in the National League.

The only run of the day came when Mike McKenry led off the eighth with a double and was driven in when Casey McGehee immediately followed with a single up the middle.

The Cards lead was cut to two, but Evan Meek struggled in the ninth, giving up two more runs and setting the final score at 5-1 after the Bucs could do nothing in the bottom of the ninth.  The team looks tight at the plate, and it’s starting to show.  It’s obvious Neil Walker feels the pain.  Walker was visibly upset in the dugout after popping out in the ninth.

We’re still pissed that the Bucs didn’t steal another home series when given another excellent opportunity by Erik Bedard.  He went seven and allowed two earned runs walking four, but striking out seven.  The Buccos lefty was saddled with another loss, thanks to getting just three runs of support in ALL of his starts combined, while not giving up more than two in any of his starts.

Maybe looking ahead at the upcoming Pirates schedule might be the cure.  The Rockies roll into town today.

Wait.  Hold on.

The scheduled Colorado pitcher is how old?  His 80 miles an hour pitches wouldn’t even get a ticket on the PA Turnpike, yet somehow he has an ERA of 2.55?  And it’s going to snow 20 inches?  Yeah, it all makes sense.  It makes perfect %#&@ing sense.

It’s just 15 games….