Pittsburgh Pirates Drop Rubber Match Against Cubs

Following a 4-3 loss on Sunday afternoon the Pittsburgh Pirates have dropped their first series of the 2021 season

Sunday afternoon the Pittsburgh Pirates were looking to take the rubber match of their season-opening three-game series against the Chicago Cubs. The Pirates sent out the birthday boy Mitch Keller to face off against Zach Davies in Sunday’s pitching matchup. This season Keller will be looking to take a step forward and show why he was once a top-50 prospect in all of baseball.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned for Keller and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Following a 4-3 loss against the Cubs on Sunday, the Pirates are now 1-2 following a series loss against the Cubs to start the 2021 season.

Mith Keller

I know, I know, Keller has just 17 starts under his belt, so patience needs to be there with the Pirate organization as well as the fans. Today, however, Keller seemed to be the same old Keller we’ve seen in the previous 16 starts. Keller looked wild and inconsistent throughout most of his start. He faced 16 batters and worked behind in the count to 12 of the 16 batters.

His inconsistency was very clear when he needed 31 pitches to get out of the 1st inning. In the amount of innings he pitched, Keller managed to get nine swings and misses, and there were times when you saw his elite stuff, but it was few and far between, unfortunately. Keller threw 77 pitches in 3 innings of work, allowing 3 runs on two hits, four walks, four strikeouts and a home run.

I’m not saying Keller is done by any means. In fact, I believe there is still a lot of potential in his right arm. I just want to see Keller look fearless out there and start trusting his “ace” worthy stuff. Posture and face movements are very telling in a person, and to me, Keller looks fearful and doubtful.

The Bullpen

Saturday afternoon there was not much praise to go around from the bullpen other than Luis Oviedo impressing in his MLB debut. Sunday afternoon the Pittsburgh Pirates would need to go with the bullpen most of the day following Keller’s poor start, and Chris Stratton would be the first man to come on.

Stratton is the type of pitcher I think anyone would want in the pen due to his versatility to either be a long man or go just one inning. Today Stratton went just one inning thanks to the no DH in the National League this season and he looked extremely sharp. Stratton retired the side in order and managed to strike out one batter. This was a well needed efficient inning after Keller dragging nearly every inning he pitched.

Next to come on for the Pirates was the former Cub pitcher Duane Underwood Jr. After pitching a 1-2-3 inning in his Pirate debut on Thursday, Underwood Jr. retired the side in order once again in his first inning of work on Sunday afternoon. Following a lead off double and a ground out to start his second inning of work, an error by Phillip Evans led to Underwood Jr. being charged with a run.

Lefty Sam Howard came on to try and get the remaining two outs of the 6th. After a wild pitch and two walks Howard loaded the bases. He then pulled off some Houdini magic, getting a double play with a comebacker right to him. It wasn’t the prettiest of innings, but the way Howard kept his composure is very commendable. Keeping this game to just a 2-run deficit was very big.

Kyle Crick, who was activated off the paternity list on Sunday morning, was next up making his regular season debut. Crick looked amped up, which explains several pitches to lefties going extremely inside. He gave up one walk and had a wild pitch but other than that; he looked ok. He settled down against the heart of the order and got out of the inning unscathed. The Pittsburgh Pirates need guys like Crick to lead this team both on the field and the clubhouse, and today for Crick was a good step.

Mars High School product David Bednar came on to pitch the 8th inning. Staying true to his Spring Training form, Bednar looked sharp. Bednar pitched a 1-2-3 inning, needing just 12 pitches to do so. His breaking stuff is nasty, and his heater looks lively.

The Bats

Today was rather uneventful for most of the game until we reached the 6th inning for the Pirate bats. In the 6th inning, we saw the red beard Colin Moran hit an opposite field home run driving in two runs. Moran, in general, had a good day today with a homer and double, showing true patience at the plate.

Another Pirate bat that showed up today was Evans. He went 3-4 driving in the third run of the game, making it a 4-3 game at the time. I’m really glad Evans has found a role on this team and look forward to him getting some playing time in the absence of Hayes.

YOU KNOW WHAT REALLY GRINDS MY GEARS?! (Angry Pittsburgh accent.) When home plate umpires cost games/at-bats. Several examples today of clear balls being strikes, and I truly think the ump cost us this game. Polanco showed tremendous patience at the plate in the 8th inning, and because of bad calls, he was forced to swing at borderline pitches resulting in a crushing inning-ending double play.

I’m usually never one to complain, but good lord, today’s officiating was atrocious. The Pittsburgh  Pirates fell to the Cubs today, dropping the series, and now head to Cincinnati to play three before coming home to play these same Cubs. The score was 4-3.

Final Thoughts

• Mitch Keller looked rough again
• It’s time to start the conversation about robo umps
• Phillip Evans is a nice option
• David Bednar is my closer
• I HATE THE CUBS!