Padres fans crying about Isiah Kiner-Falefa HBP forgot last week's Pirates moment

With the Pittsburgh Pirates down 2-0 to the San Diego Padres in the top of the seventh inning, shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa got on base after being hit by a pitch. Well, sort of.

The call was a rather controversial one, as Kiner-Falefa appeared to lean his left elbow in at the last moment so that the ball would just barely graze his elbow protector.

Kiner-Falefa got lit up on social media for his action in the game, but it ended up being a non-factor; while he managed to steal both second and third, the Pirates' lackluster-at-best offense couldn't even get him home. Pittsburgh went on to lose the game, 3-0.

Admittedly, it wasn't a great look for Pittsburgh. Kiner-Falefa's move could even be considered baseball's version of flopping. But the Pirates have now lost nine in a row – that's right, the hit-by-pitch didn't even have an impact on the outcome of the game – and desperate times call for desperate measures.

At least this time, a botched HBP call actually went the Pirates' way against the Padres

Now, let's journey back to the second game of the Pirates' last series against the Padres on Aug. 7. The Pirates had a 6-5 lead in the top of the eighth inning when Luis Arráez came to the plate to face Aroldis Chapman with one out.

With a 1-2 count, Arráez was hit by a high pitch from Chapman. The Pirates challenged that Arraez had swung at the pitch and that the ball had actually gone off his bat and not his arm (and it looked like that was indeed the case). The challenge was upheld, though, and Arráez reached base safely.

Now, neither this botched call nor the one on Kiner-Falefa would end up having an impact on the final outcome in their respective games. But it's a reminder that the Pirates have been on the losing end of these calls before (recently, and against the same opponent). But the Padres are firmly in possession of a Wild Card spot, while the Pirates are seven games back. So, yes, it was a bad call ... but maybe just get over it?

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