Let's Go Bucs 2024!

[MJG75]

Starting pitching on this team has been fuckin amazing. Reds score what…2 runs in 3 games? Only 2 hits surrendered in todays shutout

Definitely our strong suit right now. Keller, who doesn't get as much attention, has been quietly having an all-star like first half (since April, that is).

[MJG75]

Since I am quick to criticize our Bucs, please let me pour out some praise for Paul Skenes. He was masterful last night on national television. And here's some praise for the ol' master Cutch looking like his old self lately. I enjoyed switching back and forth between that and watching my Celtics win the NBA Championship.

The Reds were all over his fastball early. He adjusted and had them baffled with a heavier dose of his other offerings. Veteran move. And what an arsenal that man has. Kudos to the Bucs for getting him some run support early.

Love how he made that adjusment in the Reds game. Skenes does, indeed, have a varied arsenal, all of them pretty darn effective to this point. It's great to see a player come up, do well, but then after the league adjusts, make adjustments right back, and in game.

Jack, congrats to you for the Celts. Not a BBall fan at all, but I can appreciate a solid fandom. Salute!

[Dan Smith--BYU]

If somehow this team could squeeze out 83-86 wins and make the playoffs, they would be a far more formidable team in the playoffs than they were in '13-'15. This time we have Jake Arietta, maybe three of them (well not quite)

[Stlcrtn1974]

If somehow this team could squeeze out 83-86 wins and make the playoffs, they would be a far more formidable team in the playoffs than they were in '13-'15. This time we have Jake Arietta, maybe three of them (well not quite)

Unless they go out and get a few bats, it won't matter this year. The 3 amigos can't go 9 innings each, pitching shutouts, without any run support.

[MJG75]

If somehow this team could squeeze out 83-86 wins and make the playoffs, they would be a far more formidable team in the playoffs than they were in '13-'15. This time we have Jake Arietta, maybe three of them (well not quite)

Unless they go out and get a few bats, it won't matter this year. The 3 amigos can't go 9 innings each, pitching shutouts, without any run support.

I'm on the fence as to whether I think we should go all in or not. I wouldn't be upset if we tried and came away successfully with it, but I'm not sure we are good enough that one or maybe two bats (and that's if we could afford them and such) will be enough to make the difference. As you say, even with the 3 guys at the top of our rotation, they won't pitch 9 innings, you have to score runs and have a decent enough Pen, and now with Bednar out, the Pen may be a weakness for a little while. We will see. Dammit it's so frustrating to have these 3 guys though and not go all in when we have the chance. I'm still on the fence about it, honestly.

[Stlcrtn1974]

If somehow this team could squeeze out 83-86 wins and make the playoffs, they would be a far more formidable team in the playoffs than they were in '13-'15. This time we have Jake Arietta, maybe three of them (well not quite)

Unless they go out and get a few bats, it won't matter this year. The 3 amigos can't go 9 innings each, pitching shutouts, without any run support.

I'm on the fence as to whether I think we should go all in or not. I wouldn't be upset if we tried and came away successfully with it, but I'm not sure we are good enough that one or maybe two bats (and that's if we could afford them and such) will be enough to make the difference. As you say, even with the 3 guys at the top of our rotation, they won't pitch 9 innings, you have to score runs and have a decent enough Pen, and now with Bednar out, the Pen may be a weakness for a little while. We will see. Dammit it's so frustrating to have these 3 guys though and not go all in when we have the chance. I'm still on the fence about it, honestly.

I guess I'd be ok with it this year but after this year, they only have 4 seasons left with these guys. Next year should be a deep push, 26 and 27 will be their years.

[Pabst]

I guess I'd be ok with it this year but after this year, they only have 4 seasons left with these guys. Next year should be a deep push, 26 and 27 will be their years.

I'm sort of in the "stay the course for this season" mode, and after that yeah I'm with you.

If they can get anything (literally anything) in return for Perez, Gonzalez, Taylor, or Tellez then send them off. Go out and get a legit bat or 2 in the offseason.

[SteelPro]

There are only going to be a handful of sellers and none of them have anything really impactful to sell. Josh Bell might be the best piece available. I don’t think adding him makes much of a difference. I expect some tire kicking, but nothing real to come from it. If they make any noise it will because the starting pitching carries them and the hitters figure things out and start producing. This isn’t a great lineup but it should be better than it has been thus far.

[MJG75]

There are only going to be a handful of sellers and none of them have anything really impactful to sell. Josh Bell might be the best piece available. I don’t think adding him makes much of a difference. I expect some tire kicking, but nothing real to come from it. If they make any noise it will because the starting pitching carries them and the hitters figure things out and start producing. This isn’t a great lineup but it should be better than it has been thus far.

I pretty much land on it here. Most "mock" trades I've seen take very little into consideration for the trading partner. All one sided. I don't see much happening either, and agree that our lineup should be much better than it's been. Maybe they've turned it on? Rowdy, for example, is hitting over .350 in June. Yeah, not sure anyone out there would be good enough, nor do I think we should squander assets yet. We will likely have to sneak in with who and what we have.

[Dan Smith--BYU]

Skenes is the best athlete in the city right now. Almost a no no vs top notch division opponent

[Rod & Wire Mill]

To paraphrase the Gunner, “It’s a brand new season”!

[Pabst]

.500 at the break and 1.5 out of a Wild Card spot

This has been a wild season

[Steeldrama]

Baseball.

Fell in love with the game playing tee ball 46 years ago (holy shit time flies).

We are Family?
Stupid song
But still my favorite baseball team of my 53 years of life.

Interned at KDKA sports dept in the summer of '92.
Mostly just carried camera equipment and played cards with the grounds crew but met some nice people:

Lanny Frattare
Pompeani- nice guy- (awful play by play skills aside)
Jim Rooker-- awesome dude
Jeff Bagwell
Craig Biggio
Tim Wakefield (RIP)

Took a baseball hiatus after Jim Leyland said "WTF are you looking at?" while chain smoking in the hallway exiting the Pirates dugout (took everything I had not to knock his ugly ass out).

Barry Bonds another jerkoff, but his then wife Sun was very nice (and hot).

Yes Bonds epic fail allowing Sid fucking Bream to score was painful, but my disdain for some not so nice people on that team made those early 90's playoff losses much more tolerable.

Anyway, my transplant hometown Braves brought me back to baseball after like two decades of not giving a rip.
.
Freddie Freeman
Dansby Swanson
The opening of the Battery and Truist ballpark (then SunTrust)
An awesome World Series title run

But PNC Park?
Took my kids few weeks back while visiting friends and family.
They LOVE the Braves and Truist ballpark but man when we sat down in our seats down the 1st base line and my kids saw the spectacular view of the city?
Forget about it.

Didn't see Skenes or a win, but I can't express enough how lucky those of you who still live in Pittsburgh are to have such a stunning ballpark.
If I were back in my prime, that place would be my go to for weekend entertainment.

Now?

My Braves went from a historic HR season last year to an offense that's like watching paint dry.

Throw in the hoops ya have to jump through just to watch a baseball game (Bally's AND Streaming SUCK goat balls) and baseball was on the verge of losing me again.

BUT

Paul Skenes (and LIVVY) will keep me interested for the next few seasons barring injury or his inevitable signing with the Yankees or Dodgers.

Yep

I'm going to tune in to the All-Star game and hope Skenes pulls a Pedro and K's the side to start the game.

The draft?

Watched the whole 1st round last night on ESPN.
Nothing nearly as compelling as the NFL draft, but I've been watching the college baseball World Series the past few years so I actually know a lot of the prospects.

SO

of course Ben Cherington drafted a HS kid (Konnor Griffin) I never heard of.

BUT

A talking head comp'd him to Fernando Tatis

Ahhh baseball

Implement Revenue sharing and a salary cap and you'll keep me around til my dying day.

Otherwise

I'll continue to live in the moment

Forget that MLB collectively is mired in mediocrity
That the great American pastime is in the past

Forget Nutting is a putrid owner

Just enjoy the great game of baseball

Go Skenes!
GO LIVVY!!

[MJG75]

Great stuff, Drama. I'm in all the way! Let's GO Bucs! 1.5 out of wild card spot, I'll take it when it comes to Buccos baseball!

[swissvale72]

Gotta say…I’ve not actually watched a baseball game in years, but this team has me following pitch by pitch on line on the MLB site and talking to my brother about the Bucs daily!! Skenes is fuckin’ phenomenal, just unreal. And yeah, Livvy is okay too!! Lol

[franco>madden]

Yup pretty geeked for the ASG tomorrow night -- Very exciting to finally have some Pirates news on the national stage.

Drama, man, love you and your takes -- Your baseball knowledge and insight is way beyond mine. But Duuude, outside of maybe Cinci, the Braves are the most heinous baseball franchise out there. I wasn't there in person as you were, but based on all other evidence, I'll take foul-mouthed, chain-smoking Leyland and even 7-hop-throw-to-home, head-swelling Bonds any day over those fuckin' Tomahawk-chopping, Hanoi-Jane & Ted-owning, Jimmah Carter-hosting, Bobby Cox wife-beating ATL sons o' bitches

Even brushing Sid Bream's rounding third aside, there's also that all-time worst 19th inning debacle in 2011 (horrific wrong call by clown/umpire Jerry Meals, but nonetheless resulting in another painful loss to Atlanta) ... among other evils so numerous I have trouble recalling them --- The individual unpleasant memories drowned out, lost in a loud, monotonous sea of that stupid droning, never-ending "Braves war chant" echoing through my brain. They're like a baseball amalgamation of the worst of the Bengals, Ravens and (when they were actually tough) Raiders.

Besides, obviously, the late great Hank Aaron, the only person associated with that franchise I can stand is John Smoltz, whom of course I always rooted for to break a leg during his illustrious career, but surprisingly find myself enjoying as a broadcaster.

Otherwise, dislike (but respect) for the Cards, hate the Cubs, HATE the Reds ... but -- nothing personal -- there's GOT to be a special place in baseball hell reserved for the Braves of the 1990s & 2000s

[Steeldrama]

I hear ya Franco

Those 90's and 2000's Braves teams under Bobby Cox unlikable in their own right, but honestly I had more disdain for that Rob Dibble bunch in Cinci.
The Nasty Boys
Norm Charlton
Randy Meyers
Lousy thugs

Speaking of underachieving

I was in my prime years during the 1990's.
Life was wall to wall fun.

Had college buddies that lived in Cleveland
Went to many games at the Jake followed by wild times on the Flats.
Those Tribe teams with Albert, Manny, Thome, the Alomars???
HOW IN THE HELL did that group never win a title????

I spent 96-97 in Pacific Beach
Saw the great Tony Gwynn play many times at Jack Murphy.
Helleva ballplayer and by all accounts a wonderful human.
Did nothing to revive my interest in baseball

Anyway, Back to those Braves

I moved to Suwanee, GA in 2002
First date I went on I took a distant cousin of Elvis to a Braves playoff game at crappy ass Turner Field.
Nice girl
Got lost in the ghetto behind GA Tech
No Siri back then.
Braves lost and I could care less

My one and only trip to NYC couldn't even revive my interest in baseball
Went to game 6 of World Series
Yankees beat the Phillies
I sat in right field behind Nick Swisher
Fans chanted "KATE HUDSON" because she was supposedly there watching A-Rod
The victory party at Times Square was epic.
Fun weekend
Still, baseball was dead to me.

Kids, Franco, Kids
I have kids
I teach kids
Braves are BIG down here.
Because of those kids interest in my transplant hometown Braves, I gave myself a clean baseball slate and I'm soooo glad I did.
Love going to the ballpark and watching the games nightly on garbage Bally's.

I still have a soft spot for the hometown Buccos.
Mostly that fantastic ballpark I try to get to a least once a summer.

So much parity this year.
Many teams hovering around .500 like those battlin Bucs
I hope Cherington adds a couple bats and sneaks into a wild card.
Maybe play my Braves
Maaaybe even beat them

Go Skenes!
GO LIVVY!!

[franco>madden]

It's all good, SF brother. You took my point in exactly the right way -- just venting as the Buccos have been Atlanta's b-hotch for soooo long.

And yes, I was also really pulling for those late-90s Indians (only Ohio team I ever liked)

Agreed with everything you said, including the kids part. That's how I ended up with Padres fans in my family.

In the golden days of my youth (60s & 70s) my Pittsburgh native Dad annually took us to Dodger Stadium to cheer on Clemente's laser throws from RF and Stargell (literally) knocking it out of Chavez Ravine.

But by the time I had my own kids in the mid-90s, we could no longer enjoy trips to LA games due to increasingly impossible traffic and the "Raiders-i-fication" of the fanbase (i.e., criminal) demographics --- no longer a comfortable place for visiting team (or really any) fans.

So instead of north we began heading south to San Diego and the much friendlier confines of Jack Murphy Stadium whenever the Bucs came out west. Except that the Pirates of course sucked during that era and my kids naturally gravitated towards the welcoming Friars, including heroic Tony Gwynn and ace reliever Trevor Hoffman.

Had a blast anyway -- and speaking of great ballparks, if you haven't been, the Giants' stadium on the bay in SF is just phenomenal -- Amazing view, food and seating, and almost has a "little league" or at least high school-scale compact feel to it. Best MLB stadium I've ever visited

[MJG75]

Gotta say…I’ve not actually watched a baseball game in years, but this team has me following pitch by pitch on line on the MLB site and talking to my brother about the Bucs daily!! Skenes is fuckin’ phenomenal, just unreal. And yeah, Livvy is okay too!! Lol

Glad to have you join us here, Swiss. Long suffering Buccos fans. It's been since 19-freaking-75 since a Bucco got to start an All Star Game, Jerry Reuss. I liked Jerry and he did have a great first half that season, but man, I don't think I've ever seen a starter dominate in a Buccos uniform like Skenes. Kid has the right stuff. Very excited to watch this tonight, and I'm not that often excited for an exhibition game.

[Dan Smith--BYU]

Livvy is not going to the Olympics but she has the record for the largest Skenes gland in her vag. Look it up.

[franco>madden]

Coming off the All Star break and Skenes' and Reynolds' good showings and positive media vibes, and having finally risen to the magical .500 point, the Pirates get no time for 'easing in' to the 2nd half as they host the current "best team in baseball" from (as Swiss might say) "fuckin Philly."

Do the Buccos have what it takes to, as John Smoltz wished for during Tuesday night's game broadcast, make a run for a postseason spot? And if so, please god not landing in the stupid one-and-out wildcard playoff game (or did they get rid of that?) in which we've done so well the last couple times

Beat 'em Bucs!!

[ironzabo]

Buckle up boys and girls

This Bucco Ship is heading toward much calmer water as we speak.

[franco>madden]

Uhhh --- it's still only July, but this team is freaking on fire. Two fantastic consecutive wins against a team that filled half the All Star Game roster a few nights ago. Holy moley, great pitching, clutch hitting, aggressive and smart base running/stealing...

And sooooo satisfying watching those smug fat fuck Phillies fans trying to take over PNC Park with their ugly blue & red dyed hair-do's, instead reduced to protesting strikeouts and leaving the stadium like sad, beaten Bengals fans

Now let's go for the sweep! Beat 'em Bucs!!

[MJG75]

Well, we didn't quite get the sweep, but I still thoroughly enjoyed watching those smug ass Phillies fans get their comeuppance on Friday and Saturday, and they didn't even have to face Skenes or Keller, our two best right now. Damn we've been hot though, 6 of our last 7, just having our longest win streak of the season, 6 games. Let's go, Bucs! Kick some Cardinal ass!

[Pabst]

Let's go, Bucs! Kick some Cardinal ass!

Massive series upcoming.

Shelton took some huge gambles in the Philly series and it paid off. Keller & Skenes are ready to go and the Cards used their top guys vs Atlanta.

Speaking of St Louis.....I'm getting Washington Capitals type vibes from this team. They're old as dirt and the stats/metrics seem way out of sync with their W/L record.

[MJG75]

Let's go, Bucs! Kick some Cardinal ass!

Massive series upcoming.

Shelton took some huge gambles in the Philly series and it paid off. Keller & Skenes are ready to go and the Cards used their top guys vs Atlanta.

Speaking of St Louis.....I'm getting Washington Capitals type vibes from this team. They're old as dirt and the stats/metrics seem way out of sync with their W/L record.

Started off great last night with Keller, 2-1 Buccos final score. 2 games over .500, let's keep stacking wins, there are still a lot of teams congested around the wild card contenders. Beating out St. Louis for 2nd place would be a great way to boost ourselves in that race.

I agree about Shelton. Good to see them actually playing to win games instead of worrying excessively about player development. Let's go Bucs! Skenes tonight!

[Pabst]

Shame they wasted a gem from Skenes last night but I'll take the series win

[franco>madden]

Agreed ... He certainly deserved a little more offense, but credit to Cardinal pitching I guess.

However, it's really good to see them bounce back today and moreso with Reynolds out (back spasms) ... Today is exactly the kind of game the Pirates have been dropping for the past decade to waste all the good energy from 2 nights ago and thumping Philly over the weekend.

This year's model seems to be pretty resilient and are starting to get it together, especially the pitching staff. Not sure it's sustainable but if they can keep winning series' at the same pace like they've been at over the past month, would project to 92 wins ...

We'll see what they've got in the tank ... Beat em Bucs!!

[ol skool]

I’m very bullish on the Pirates contending for championships from 2025-2029.

All the pitching we have now + the pitchers rising through the ranks = plenty of ammo to trade for the bats we’ve (generally) failed to develop. Can be done at the deadline, in the off-season, and beyond.

All that remains is for Cherrington to pull the trigger.

2024 isn’t the year to pony-up for rentals; it’s the year to try to find hitters with 2-3 years of control remaining who can be here for the first few years of the real window of contention, and if you can get anything for someone expendable who is on an expiring contract, do it.

And I honestly don’t care what position. Hayes isn’t hitting well enough to be above replacing, Cruz isn’t a SS, Gonzales is ok so far, 1B is a black hole system-wide, you can never have enough Catchers, and nobody has cemented himself in the OF outside of Reynolds.

Lots of interesting names out there. It could sting when you see the name(s) going the other way, but it’s a risk you gotta take as long as we’re this deficient at developing position players.

But God help me if we have another off-season of Tellez/Taylor/Grandal-type signings.

[Pabst]

I guess the Bucs aren't making a deadline deal?