Pirates Series/Thursday's game

[FVBrewerFan]

So special, I figured it deserved it's own topic. Feel free to post any records, obscure or otherwise. How about certain moments you enjoyed? Finally, any stories from anyone there today would be interesting.

 

A few things I found interesting.:

Even after this series, the Brewers are still 11th in the NL in ERA.

Brewers pitchers scored more runs in one game than the Pirates entire team did for the 3 game series.

In 4 games, the Brewers scored more runs than the Astros, and just as many as the Orioles have all year.

Brewers have an OPS of .864 as a team (thatt's INCLUDING pitchers and Zaun)

[Mr QL]

So when is the next time we play the Pirates? lol

[mls4]

A couple things I posted in the game thread:

 

It's the first time the Brewers have outscored their opponents by at least 35 runs in a 3-game period.

 

I believe it hasn't happened since 1949 that a team has outscored the same team by more than 35 in a 3-game period.

Edit: should have said more than instead of at least

[zzzmanwitz]

So when is the next time we play the Pirates? lol

 

Next Monday

[theavrock]

As luck may have it I was watching the Brewers Jays 22-2 game up late when my parents were out to dinner for the evening and I was working from home today. I wouldn't have seen either game normally.

Just a special afternoon where you can do no wrong. I had a friend ask me before the game if the Brewers would beat the Pirates today because he was doing the ESPN Beat the Streak. My response. "The Brewers own the Pirates." Didn't prove me wrong today guys. Good on ya!

[Crew2323]

In

this three game series, the Brewers scored nearly as many runs as the

Houston Astros have scored all season long. Houston has scored 40 runs going into tonight, and the Brewers scored 36 in this three game series.

[AJAY]

I enjoyed the massacre, but I also felt really bad for the Pirates players and fans. After 18 years, I am sure they expected some return on their rebuilding efforts. It's gotta be a terrible feeling there.

[RockCoCougars]

As luck may have it I was watching the Brewers Jays 22-2 game up late when my parents were out to dinner for the evening and I was working from home today. I wouldn't have seen either game normally.

Just a special afternoon where you can do no wrong. I had a friend ask me before the game if the Brewers would beat the Pirates today because he was doing the ESPN Beat the Streak. My response. "The Brewers own the Pirates." Didn't prove me wrong today guys. Good on ya!

That '92 Blue Jays game is definitely in my Top 10 Brewers games ever. I remember that the Jays had just completed the deal for Cone. It was a Friday night, and I was driving around aimlessly just to listen to the carnage on the radio. The next day they went out on the Game of the Week and knocked Cone around.

[theavrock]

I enjoyed the massacre, but I also felt really bad for the Pirates players and fans. After 18 years, I am sure they expected some return on their rebuilding efforts. It's gotta be a terrible feeling there.

I loved the fact that it was against the Pirates. After all the smack they talked last year and the fact that Duke hit Rickie yesterday. I loved the can being opened on them.

[BCZF]

Loved the victories, but I agree with Ajay, you can feel that towns' frustration. Been there, done that..

[Invader3K]

I enjoyed the massacre, but I also felt really bad for the Pirates players and fans. After 18 years, I am sure they expected some return on their rebuilding efforts. It's gotta be a terrible feeling there.

I agree. There just doesn't seem to be any real end in sight for their "rebuilding" either. I'm sure this current crop of guys will just be traded off in 2-3 years anyway.

[owbc]

From the Pirates perspective, this is made far worse because they got killed by the mediocre Brewers, not the Phillies or Cardinals or a perennial playoff contender.

 

It seems like frustration has turned to indifference in Pittsburgh. They have a rich tradition but got left behind in the steroid/big salary era. Now they are left with the nicest ballpark in the majors but no hope of a winning team anytime in the near future. Yeah, the baseball team is bad, but the Steelers are all over the news and the Penguins are making another Stanley Cup run. I recently read that the Yankees make more money at the ballpark in one home stand than the Pirates do the entire season. The average attendance for the series was lower than any series in Miller Park's history.

 

The Yankees payroll is 6 times greater than the Pirates. The Pirates payroll is less than 1/2 the next lowest team in the division. Even worse, baseball teams no longer trade away young talent like they did 5-10 years ago. The Pirates dumped their veterans last year, but instead of prospects, they got young but mediocre/underachieving players in return.

 

Why would any rational person become a passionate fan of that team? They are in an indefinitely hopeless situation. If the Brewers were in that situation, I would not waste my time, even though I have followed the Brewers for over 15 years.

[trwi7]

Loved the victories, but I agree with Ajay, you can feel that towns' frustration. Been there, done that..

 

Poor them. They have the Penguins and Steelers to fall back on.

[logan82]

The Pirates could have a much higher payroll if the desired. Their GM stated that it didn't make any sense to pay big money for free agents just to increase payroll. I think we will see some Braun type deals done by the Pirates in the next couple years. They took their revenue sharing money and reinvested it in Scouting and building a baseball academy in South America somewhere.

[madrx]

As much as I enjoyed the offense in this series, it was nice to see the starters get 3 wins and pitch 17 scoreless innings. I know it was "just" the pirates, but hopefully this gets the pitching staff going well for a while.

[rluzinski]

The Pirates were projected to win around 72 games, so it's not like they are going to win 40 games or something. Winning a series against any team by a combined 36-1 score is absolutely amazing.

[bork]

They finally broke the streak of having a different pitcher for each victory this season. I can't recall ever seeing the first 7 victories in a season, all by different pitchers.

[markedman5]

I actually was at that 92 Bluejays game. 2 buddies and I made the drive up to Toronto for the weekend.

 

What a game it was......we met Jaha in bar that night as well. Very nice guy.

 

"That '92 Blue Jays game is definitely in my Top 10 Brewers games ever. I remember that the Jays had just completed the deal for Cone. It was a Friday night, and I was driving around aimlessly just to listen to the carnage on the radio. The next day they went out on the Game of the Week and knocked Cone around."

[dlk9s]

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/5649/20100422brewerspirates0.png

 

 

[sbrylski]

Here's the 10-run first inning game from last weekend against the Nationals too:

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/tgraphs/20100418_Brewers_Nationals_0.png

 

Winning is fun.

[AJAY]

Even if the Pirates were willing to boost their payroll, it would still be very difficult for them to attract good players. Good free agents would either ignore them or just use them for leverage to get more money out of better teams. They are going to have to turn this thing around through their farm system. I don't see many other options.

 

On a side note, I really wish it was the Cardinals that was going through that kind of mess. God has been way too kind to that franchise and their fans.

[logan82]

A lot of what you just said would apply to the Brewers 5 years ago. Their fire sale last year was a step in the right direction.

[JohnBriggs12]

On opening weekend of 1978, the Brewers swept the Orioles by scores of 11-3, 16-3, and 13-5. What made that offensive explosion remarkable is that those games were played in 40 degree weather. Having been at 2 of those 3 games I never thought I'd see a more thorough dominating series.

 

I guess I was wrong. Still considering that the Brewers hammered 3 pretty good O's pitchers, Flanagan, Martinez, and McGregor, and a lineup that featured Eddie Murray, Doug DeCinces, and Lee May on a team that went on to win 90 games, I'm still inclined to favor that 78 series.

 

There is one connection between the 78 Oriole team and the 2010 Pirates and that's Joe Kerrigan. Yes, that Joe Kerrigan, the current Pirate pitching coach, was an Oriole pitcher and in the 16-3 game, and he allowed 8 runs in 3 2/3 innings and gave up 2 Gorman Thomas HR.

 

Nobody has had more a more close up view of Brewer bats exploding than Joe Kerrigan. No wonder he has his Pirate pitching staff throwing at Brewer hitters. He's having flashbacks to Thomas, Molitor, Cooper, Lezano, Money, etc.

[clancyphile]

So... was pulling Prince, Ryan. and Casey the right call? I'm not sure about that one...

[Invader3K]

A lot of what you just said would apply to the Brewers 5 years ago. Their fire sale last year was a step in the right direction.

The difference is that five years ago, you could start to feel that the Brewers were turning a corner. We had Fielder and Weeks coming up from the minors as heralded prospects. I'm not sure you can really say anything like that about the Pirates at this point. 2005, don't forget, the Brewers went 81-81. Heck, even in 2004, the team was somewhat in contention before fading down the stretch. This Pirates team is obviously a non-contender might struggle to win 70 games.

 

As far as the Pirates "fire sale", they do that every couple years. It's like they can't pick a crop of players and just stick with them. What is there to be a fan of there at this point? Zach Duke? They'll surely trade him in another season or two.