RECAP - Padres - 2 / Pirates - 0

AJ Burnett Didn't Get Much Help Last Night

Pittsburgh Pirates - 0
San Diego Padres - 2

WP - Cashner
LP - Burnett

Some Pittsburgh Pirates fans see the world with rose colored glasses.  They just brush off the fact that the Buccos might be facing a 1 game "play in" game like it was a given that the Pirates would win that game and make it to that desired "series" round.  Last night was the perfect reason why a one-game playoff scares me to death.  It wasn't that the Pirates were almost "perfect gamed" (is that even a baseball term?), it wasn't that Cashner retired 27 batters, and it wasn't that the Pirates simply didn't have "it" last night.  It was a combination of inconsistency, a ruined solid pitching performance by AJ Burnett, and an offense that couldn't hit their way out of a wet paper bag that has me scared to death of that one game playoff.  Now, I know that alot has yet to be decided before anything happens in regards to who will win the NL Central and who will be a wild card team, but last night's performance cannot be comforting for anyone that follows the Pirates.

Just take a look at some simple statistics...and one in particular that stands out to me.  The Pirates mustered just ONE hit in the game last night, and that runner was then retired in a double play.  There were 3 batters (all that played the entire game) that didn't face double digit pitches throughout the entire game.  Yes, through 9 innings and 3 at bats, they didn't even see 10 pitches.  Which leads me to the big statistic of the night.  Cashner completed his 1 hitter by throwing 97 pitches.  97 pitches.  97 stupid pitches.  The fact that the starter didn't even hit the century mark speaks volumes about the Pirates hitters and their approach.  Even I know that when you are facing a pitcher with the stuff that Cashner had last night you want to work every at bat, force him to throw more pitches, and hope that his pitch count would climb to the point where he would be removed from the game.  The Pirates have gotten into this "swing happy" trend before, and honestly, it never ends well.  The Pirates succeed when they milk the starter early, and then feast off of the opponent's bull pen.  Why that didn't happen last night is beyond me.  Maybe that is the approach that hitting coach Jay Bell gave the hitters last night, but I think its safe to say that theory failed miserably.

All isn't lost, the Pirates have 3 more games against the sub par Padres, and some pitching matchups that vary from advantageous to interesting.  Tonight its Locke vs Stults, Wednesday sees Morton vs Ross, and Thursday has Cole vs Kennedy.  The Pirates are fully capable of winning the next 3 and gaining momentum before the Reds come to town with some pitching battles that will need an article by themselves.  Time to turn the page after last night's loss Pirates' fans...time to move on to the next game, and after all, the Buccos are still tied for 1st in the NL Central. All isn't lost.