Big Yellow's View From 142 At PNC Park

So thanks to the heroics of Rafael Flores Jr and Brandon Lowe yesterday, the bucs finish the homestand at 4-2, and the 12 game stretch since my last writing at 6-6. Currently 5.5 games out of the final wild card spot, and 3 games under 500. In looking at years past, the Bucs have often gone to the dogs when the calendar reaches August. In this decade, the bucs have failed to win 10 games in the month of August 4 times. The Bucs current August record is 8-10 so they would need to go 7-3 on this roadtrip to achieve something that hasn't been done since 2016...a winning record in August. It certainly is going to be challenging in that they face the top 2 teams in the NL west, and the team 2.5 games ahead of them in the Central. The Bucs will have Bubba and Jared on the mound for the first 2 games against the Dodgers. It looks like the series finale will be a bullpen game, unless Don is so bold as to move the red hot Ashcraft up a day. It would be awesome if Braxton could shut down the Dodgers in under 100 pitches like he did the Marlins and Tigers. But I'm going to predict they'll save him for Petco Park. As for the "opener" I would think Bachar or Antoine Kelly would do the first few innings before handing it to Mlodzinki. With the tremendous disparity between Carmen's ERA as a starter, compared to his relief numbers, I would say when his turn comes up, have an opener. If the Bucs can go 7-3 or better, i would say the game yesterday would be the turning point. If the Bucs can survive this 10 game stretch, the schedule will get better on paper with the well out of the race Giants and Angels coming to PNC. I'm looking forward to seeing if the Bucs can make their California dreams come true this week! LET'S GO BUCS!!

Well, 2-6 on this roadtrip was a significant letdown. The usual issues of lack of hitting in scoring position, and the Starters struggling to get past the 5th inning were the main culprits. While this doesn't eliminate the Bucs from the wild card, it certainly digs the hole deeper. These next 12 games will be huge in the sense that 4-8 or worse would put the Bucs out of the picture, but that they're facing the Mets who do not look like the team expected to contend when the Bucs last faced them, then there's the 3 games in Miami, and the Marlins are hanging tough, and are one of the teams the bucs would need to overtake in their quest for a spot in the postseason, then you have the Red Sox who have been playing incredibly well since July (25-3 in a 28 game stretch is rare) Hopefully they'll cool down a little by next Friday. Then 3 against Detroit who while trading Skubal away are still just 2 games out of the last AL Wild Card spot. I would hope Cruz would be back before the end of this stretch, but no information about "baseball related" activities is a concern, another big concern is how Valdez is not making contact. I'd figure there's enough info on his tendencies, and the league has adjusted, but considering he only has 2 hits and over 20 strikeouts since he was hit on the hand is troubling. Hopefully the day off today will help recharge the batteries. It looks like it'll be a fun weekend ahead, and great that J-Hay is back in town, and that t-shirt looks good! Looking forward to better things ahead after that horrible roadtrip. LET'S GO BUCS!!

Well the Bucs wrapped up their 12 game stretch against contenders to start the 2nd half 5-7. And can add a few more "ones that got away" like the nightcap of the twinbill in Cleveland, the extra innings game Friday against the Cubs, and last night against the D-Backs (such a shame O'Hearn's ball went just foul in the 11th, especially on the 25th anniversary of the greatest comeback at PNC Park) then there were games where the pitchers had their way with them like Max Fried, S***a Imanaga, and Eduardo Rodriguez today.Sometimes one big hit is all it takes, and Moreno delivered it for Arizona today. Not often you see a ball carry like that. Garcia thought it would be a routine out, but it carried to the tune of 405 feet into the shrubbery. The Bucs are having a difficult time against left handed starters this season, and while I'll give those pitchers I mentioned credit, I wish there was something that could fix that.

So now we head to an 8-game roadtrip against division opponents. Cincinnati has fallen on hard times, and with a sweep, the Bucs can finish them off for '26. I feel like the reds will play with some urgency this weekend, and the bucs can't let up, especially considering what follows...a trip to Milwaukee. Hopefully they can avoid the pratfalls they have regularly had there, but that Brewer lineup is potent between Yelich, Chourio, Bauers, and Contreras. And I think that while the Brewers have a comfortable lead in the Central now, they'll want to improve that, and will likely be seeking revenge for that last series before the All Star Break. Of course the trade deadline is looming, and the Bucs say they're buyers, but talk is cheap. Let's see if they will add any big pieces, hopefully without sacrificing the future. It's great to still be over 500 at this juncture, but the Nats,Marlins,Cards, or D-Backs aren't going away right now, and the Bucs will have to put it together in order to bolster postseason chances! LET'S GO BUCS!!

And we reach the All-star break! Bucs are 50-47. At the break last year, they were 39-58, so an 11 game improvement! It was an incredible homestand at PNC Park with many historic events taking place, like the first 10-RBI single game in pirates history thanks to Ryan O'Hearn! The emerging Esmerlyn Valdez with 3 HR's and 8 RBI on Saturday, and the first time ever a pitcher throws 6 perfect innings, and his team does not win the game. Oh yeah, the quickest turnaround to a double admission doubleheader I can ever remember. When the AL East introduced this concept in the 90's to make sure revenues stayed steady, the first game would be played at 1 with the 2nd game at 7, giving ballpark personnel ample time to get the first crowd out, and re-load before opening the gates for the 2nd game. It was a complete mosh pit on Federal Street on Saturday with the 4:05 crowd lining up before game 1 even ended, and the lines seemed to snake around the sidewalks of PNC instead of spreading out like across the Clemente bridge, or all the way down Isabella St, or down the ramp to the Riverwalk. Of course, I am of the belief that they should have played Friday, and waited out any storm (which surprisingly never happened, must have used the same meteorologists that advised Morgan Wallen a few weeks ago) but the decision was haphazardly made for this twinbill. It was horrible how many were still outside of the ballpark when the first pitch happened, especially a few that would have stayed in the park had it been a traditional doubleheader. It seemed very unfair to the ushers, concession stand workers, and especially the ticket takers to have to rush like that. I could see why fans would be upset, even though things went right on the field. It was a tough situation, but it could have been handled much better than it was.

Speaking of looking ahead, season ticket renewal notices went out this week. It seems rushed to me in the sense I would like to know the schedule before committing to another season, but it is understandable the Bucs want to invest any monies they would get from their most faithful customers so that they could make something if they have to give refunds out at some point in 2027 (or roll it over like they did in 2020) with all of the rhetoric from both sides, I would be very surprised if the 2027 season starts on time, unless the big $$ owners jam the status quo down the throats of the 20 "have nots". While the on-field business is primary, these secondary issues should be addressed. Hopefully the Bucs and come through with strong play in the 2nd half in the hopes that we'll see meaningful baseball here in October! LET'S GO BUCS!!

Nothing like making history!! LET'S GO BUCS!!

Ryan O'Hearn set a Pirates record with 10 RBI tonight! 🏴‍☠️

His historic performance earned him Player of the Game honors!

(MLB x Primo Brands)

So, we're slightly more than halfway through the season, and the Bucs are 42-42 on the year. Considering that the Bucs were 34-50 at this point in 2025, it does show improvement. This week was where all of the good things, and all of the bad things (including the weather) showed up at PNC Park. It's great that the Bucs are going deep more this year, the fact that they have a chance to match their 2025 home run total by the All Star Break is proof of that. But more stranded runners are adding to the frustration of just being at 500. With the 11 stranded today (3x leaving the bases loaded) the Bucs have left 633 on base over the first 84 games, an average of 7.5 per game. 2nd most in MLB behind the Cubs. If the Bucs were in the middle of the pack, they'd probably have 60 more runs. It's also difficult to see the lack of clutch hits, the 2 games in Denver were proof of that. Hopefully more home runs and less stranded runners in the 2nd half of the season.

Then there's the pitching. The starters have been very good this year for the most part. The biggest issue is pitch efficiency. To regularly be over 80 pitches through 5 innings is a recipe for bullpen struggles, and sadly the bullpen is holding up that end of the deal. The Bucs have arms that show the ability to shut down opponents. Unfortunately the same arms have been adept at throwing gasoline on a fire, or creating their own fire by allowing runners on, usually by throwing pitches well out of the strike zone. I'm not sure what the solution will be. Try to make a trade seems to be the common answer. But most of the "available" arms have the same issues. It's too bad that they don't have "2-way" contracts in MLB like in the NHL or NBA. The I-70 road would be frequently traveled between guys like Sanders, Devenski, Bidois, and Mattson, but with the limited options, there can't be much movement. Another option would be to give Mlodzinki 100 pitches a week, and try to spread them out. It looked like that was the plan before mother nature changed that today. But the simplest solution is throw strikes and try to keep the ball in the yard. It would be nice if the starters can get to the 7th before they reach pitch 80 as well.

So on this 250th birthday of our nation, the schedule makers make the Bucs "America's team" starting tomorrow in the city where the declaration of independence and the constitution were drafted! While that city has gotten "grittier" over the last 200 years, it's still a historic place, and they have the most losses in NL history, and it would be great to add 4 more as payback to what they did at PNC Park earlier this season. Then on to celebrate our nation's birthday in the nation's capital! That 11 AM start on the 4th should provide ample time to make it to the national mall for the party 250 years in the making! But the Nats have been doing well, and they're one of the 5 teams battling alongside the Bucs for that last wild card spot! It should be a fun week ahead! Hopefully 5-2 or better for the Bucs in the week ahead!! LET'S GO BUCS!!

PS: Some scattered photos from the first half of the season!!

Well, this week proved how much more the Bucs need to contend consistently with the big boys. While they went 1-5 against the Braves and Dodgers, they did battle. It's a shame Sisk couldn't get Harris out on Sunday. And it was brutal to see the bullpen get beat up on Tuesday, and mitch not having his A stuff tonight. It seems the magic number for the Bucs is 8, as they've gone 13-2 when scoring 8 or more runs. It is kind of bad how they're now 5-4 in games scoring exactly 6. It was nice to see Flores hit his first career homer tonight, and Lowe going deep again, but it seems like it'll be a revolving door in the outfield until Cruz returns. I'm guessing Flores will be sent back once Davis returns from paternity leave. As for the pitching, the hope would be more consistency. I thought Ramirez and Santana did well tonight. Having said that, I worry that they will get shelled in their next appearance. While the bucs struggled, they're still over 500, and the next 2 weeks are against middle of the road teams, starting with the Marlins tomorrow. It is wild that the Marlins are just under 500 now, and fresh off of a sweep of the D-Backs. Looking at their lineup, Otto Lopez is their catalyst, and he finds ways to get on base. While there isn't much power in the Marlins lineup, Liam Hicks has gone deep 12 times. The pitching is the reason the Marlins are hovering around 500. Mr. Sandman (Aka Sandy Alcantra) is having another strong season, and will start tomorrow. The scheduled matchup Sunday in the 12:15 peacock wake up special between Max Meyer and Skenes should be a good one! After the Marlins, the bucs make their first (and likely last) trip to Sacramento to battle the Athletics, as by the time the bucs are scheduled to play them again, their new home in Vegas should be ready, after Sacramento, it's Colorado. While they're still in last place, they have improved a little over last season, and the Bucs have had their issues playing at Coors Field. The remainder of this month is a golden opportunity to gain some games over 500. Hopefully the offense can remain strong, even without Griffin and Cruz. LET'S GO BUCS!!

Well, as we reach Memorial Day, the Bucs are over 500, but in last place in the Central. A big 4-game series begins today against the Cubs. Hope the Bucs can win a few this week, and move up in the standings. While it is bad that the Bucs will be without Joey Bart and Ryan O'Hearn for a few weeks, it does give Garcia and Valdez the opportunity to make an impact. It was nice to see Valdez go deep yesterday, but being that's been his only hit since coming up, it is a concern. I like what I've seen from Endy Rodriguez since he's come up, and Davis is still doing great defensively, but that 139 average sticks out like a sore thumb. Hopefully Jared Jones will be coming back soon, and hopefully he'll be as sharp as the last time we saw him pitch here. Looking forward to the week ahead! LET'S GO BUCS!!

Well that was ugly. Hopefully it won't be a thing that would torpedo a season like a similar losing streak about this time in 2023. It's wild how things fell apart in each of the 4 games of this series, and at different times. Like Santana on Monday, Ashcraft in the 5th on Tuesday, Skenes in the first inning today. Not to mention the same dilemma of runners being left on time after time. Of course, maybe it's the Cardinals being the Cardinals. While they had struggled in Pittsburgh in 24 and 25, it looks like some new Cardinals hitters are carrying on the legacy left by Puljols, Molina, and Pham among others who tee off on pirate pitching. This week JJ Wetherholt, Pedro Pages, and Nathan Church did bad things to the Bucs, and the Bucs had no answers...or at least not enough to win. It's good to score 16 combined runs over 3 games, but not so good to surrender 26 runs in those same 3 games. Another rough aspect of this week is how whenever the Bucs would get close, the pitching would dig the hole deeper, like today when the bucs got it back to 5-4, Mattson comes in and the Cards (with help from bad defense by Reynolds) add 5 to their lead. When it's going as bad as it has been for the Bucs this week, you almost expect something bad to happen. Hopefully the bats will be strong at the eighr moments this weekend, and the bucs can beat up on Cincinnati before heading out west. Still at 500 right now. Gotta get back to basics to get back (and hopefully stay) over 500 for the rest of the season! LET'S GO BUCS!!

Well, that was some kind of series against the Nats. Starting pitching was strong except for Keller on Tuesday, and a lot of crazy moments occurred in the series finale. I thought they put rules in place to prevent the interference we witnessed today after Chase Utley and Jung Ho Kang were injured on similar plays. While it was bang-bang on who touched the 2nd base bag first, I'm not sure why New York didn't make the obvious interference call that would have at least had Nunez out at 2nd, instead 4 runs score and it's safe to say Ashcraft was rattled by the non-call. It was nice to see the Bucs tie it up in the bottom half with Ozuna's first longball of the season! Ramirez had some serious control issues today in giving the Nats the lead back. Bucs battled to tie it up in the 9th, and while many will get on Tony Beasley's case with his go-stop-go hand motions, I would have to think what happened on April 9,2023 was in the back of ONeil's mind after seeing the stop sign. It's a shame Joey Bart didn't come through after that. And it was questionable to not have Konnor Griffin run into scoring position in the 10th, but who expected Mangum's hit to be in the most incorrect place it could be?? So this one can be filed in the "ones that got away" along with the game at Wrigley this past Sunday. Hopefully we'll see only about 10 of these in the season, but it isn't good that we've seen 3 (maybe 4 if you count that Padres game) and we are still in April.

So Tampa Bay comes to town tomorrow fresh off sweeping the Chisox, and have won 6 in a row, and currently lead the AL East. Historically, the bucs have struggled against Tampa, and perhaps City Connect 2.0 can help reverse that troublesome trend. Certainly looks like Bubba, Paul, and Mitch will be on the hill this weekend. Hopefully the bucs will be a cut above (thinking how the letters on the jerseys have some sword attached somewhere in the lettering) and the bucs can go on their NFL Draft mandated roadtrip with a little momentum! Gotta reduce those mental errors though. LET'S GO BUCS!!