Pirates news and professional analysis
The Pirates made a couple of roster moves today in the hopes of adding some production to their anemic hitting bench.
This afternoon, the team announced that they’ve recalled Max Moroff and Chris Bostick from AAA Indianapolis and sent down catcher Elias Diaz and utility man Chris Bostick.
Bostick is a utility player that the Pirates acquired last year from the Washington Nationals. The Pirates drafted Moroff in the 16th round back in 2012.
Let me start this by saying this is all Starling Marte‘s fault.
Marte’s selfish and idiotic decision to knowingly use PED’s crippled Clint Hurdle‘s lineup options and killed any chance the team had of competing in the NL Central.
All that being said, due to slow starts by nearly every team in the division, the Pirates are only three games out of first and two games behind the Chicago Cubs.
It’s almost becoming comical but I’m sure Clint Hurdle isn’t laughing about it.
The Pirates have lost another front line player to an injury.
Right-hander Jameson Taillon was put on the 10-day disabled list because of groin discomfort. To take his place on the roster, the team recalled righty Josh Lindblom from AAA Indianapolis.
Wade LeBlanc has one of the more thankless jobs in baseball.
However, the Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander has embraced the role of long reliever. In fact, he is excelling at it.
“You never hear much about guys like Wade but he’s been one of the most important pitchers on this team,” right-hander Gerrit Cole said. “He’s saved our bullpen a couple of times.”
The Pirates’ late season trade last year for pitcher Ivan Nova continues to look better and better each day.
Today the right-hander was recognized for his great start to the season.
Major League Baseball named Nova the National League Pitcher for the month of April.
In five starts, Nova had 2 complete games, a 1.50 ERA, 22 strikeouts and only 1 walk.
Few teams, if any, have been forced to deal with the early season issues that Clint Hurdle and the 2017 Pirates have been dealt.
However, after looking at all that has gone wrong and then look where the team sits on May 3rd, I’d say things could be a lot worse.
During spring training, the team found out that their starting 3rd baseman and likely cleanup hitter Jung Ho Kang had legal issues and couldn’t get out of his home country of Korea.
Gerrit Cole made his fifth consecutive quality start Monday night since his meltdown on opening day in Boston.
The right-hander is pitching more like the guy who won 19 games and finished fourth in the National League Cy Young Award voting in 2015 than the one who won just seven games during an injury-plagued 2016 season.
At last season’s MLB trade deadline, most Pirate fans criticized GM Neal Huntington for once again not making a splash move.
He was also justifiably ripped for giving away Francisco Liriano in order to dump his salary.
Ten months later, it’s looking like another move that Huntington made could be his best trade ever as Pirates general manager.
Jordy Mercer looked like a lunatic as he stormed up and down the Pirates dugout in the middle of the fourth inning yelling “1.62 billion” over and over.
However, the shortstop did not lose his mind Wednesday night. It just seemed that way.
The population of the Africa is 1.62 billion and Mercer was signifying just how special it was that teammate Gift Ngoepe had just become the first player from that continent to appear in a major-league game.
For the third consecutive day, the Pirates have been forced to make a roster move.
Due to the uncertainty regarding the health of David Freese, the Pirates recalled infielder Gift Ngoepe (pronounced “n-GO-pay) from AAA Indianapolis.
Manager Clint Hurdle announced after the game last night that David Freese was dealing with a hamstring issue.