Popgun Pirates

OK, I know the Pirates overcame a four run deficit last night to defeat the Mets, 5-4, even had a two run home run in the process, but tonight the Corsairs pulled out the popguns once again and lost to the Mets, 3-2.  It is getting increasingly tiresome to watch these guys and their inability to hit and score runs, or even, for God's sake, make contact - there were 13 more strikeouts tonight.  Another great pitching effort from James McDonald wasted tonight, and the Bucco leather joined in the fun tonight with some shoddy defense in the eighth that allowed the Mets winning runs to score.


Neal Huntington keeps saying that "there are no trades to be made" for hitters.  Really?  In 2003, the much maligned Dave Littlefield managed to find Jason Bay blocked in the San Diego minor league system.  I am betting that there is another "Jason Bay" somewhere in somebody's minor league system who could be had without giving up Jameson Taillon of Gerritt Cole.  Why can't Huntington and his minions find him?


As my friend Al "The Legend" Cotton put it recently on Facebook, after four years at the helm, Huntington's drafts have produced one, count 'em, ONE player on the major league team, Pedro Alvarez.  That is almost intolerable.


It is a miracle, or a testimony to a weak division, that the Pirates found themselves two games under .500 and 2 and 1/2 games out of first place this morning.  Credit Neal for being able to find some pitching talent in his off season maneuverings, but watching a team that is hard pressed to score three runs a game is maddening.


Am off to PNC Park tomorrow to see if the Pirates can win this series with the Mets.  Hope Charlie Morton has a shutout in him.  That's about what it's going to take to pull it off.


Two notes on tonight's game:  (1) James McDonald's strike out of David Wright was really, really fun to watch. (2) Am I the only one who thought that Andrew McCutchen should have ended up on second base in the eighth inning when David Murphy dropped that popup?  He seemed to be nonchalanting it coming out of the batter's box on that one.