Know Your Enemy: Pittsburgh Pirates
Your Enemy
The original heroes of "Angels in the Outfield," the Pittsburgh Pirates. The last time these two teams faced one other was 2018. Since we all know how 2018 went, you can probably guess who won that series.
Carson Fulmer was picked up by them recently. It feels like Fulmer is just following the Sox around until they let him back in to their bullpen. (Because it took so long to drop him, I'm going with a hard "no" on that one.) Whatever magic Fulmer wasn't able to find with the Tigers, he thinks he'll be able to find with the Pirates. Or that he's dying for a revenge game and he'll go about it by any means necessary.
Did you know that Bing Crosby was once a part-owner of the Pirates? I sure didn't. The only celeb I ever associate with the Pirates is Michael "Batman" Keaton, which is mostly due to a wild story about him confronting someone who was heckling Andrew McCutchen during a Braves-Pirates matchup. It also gave us this glorious picture:
The Pirates don't seem to spark particular ire in baseball circles. Definitely not in the same way their neighbors the Phillies (and even that ire appears to be associated with the fan base and not the team, something we Sox fans are no strangers to). The Pirates are one of those teams that are so old they used to share a stadium with the local football establishment.
The Pirates are kind of the red-headed stepchild of Pittsburgh sports franchises. Their last World Series was in 1979, and in that time the Steelers have won three Super Bowls (1979, 2005, and 2008) and the Penguins have taken the Stanley Cup five times (1991, 1992, 2009, 2016, and 2017).
Also, I think the scoreboard guy is lonely.
No fans in the ballpark who need rain delay updates on the scoreboard, so the Pirates are expanding their reach. pic.twitter.com/z1x96JjSRc
— Adam Berry (@adamdberry) August 23, 2020
Enemy manager
Clint Hurdle was fired by the Pirates, and then retired from baseball at the end of the 2019. I genuinely thought his cranky, gum-chewing self was going to die on the third base line. The Pirates replaced Clint "Come and get me, Maddon" Hurdle with Shelton.
Shelton's career managing started in the minors for the Yankees, but he's mostly known for farting around Cleveland and Tampa Bay as a hitting coach for a few years until he got fired from the Rays in 2016. He got picked up in 2017 as a quality control coach for Toronto, and then the bench coach for the Twins in 2018. Going by the 7-17 start, Shelton might not be long for the Pirates organization.
Your Enemy's 2019 record
69-93
The 2019 season was not a great one for the Pirates, to put it mildly. They went from 44-45 before the All-Star break into a second-half free-fall, losing their spot in the wild card and ending the season 69-93.
Hurdle was fired an hour before the last game of the season, after they were eliminated from the Wild Card in September. That seems a bit harsh, but if you look at the entire picture of the 2019 Pirates, it kind of makes sense.
They were second-to-last in team ERA (5.18) in a season where they were expected to have one of the best bullpens in the NL. Chris Archer posted a career-worst ERA at 5.19 in 23 starts, with injury ending his season early. Plenty of issues followed the bullpen as well, with the scuffle between Kyle Crick and Felipe Vazquez ending Crick's season when surgery was required on his finger. Crick also got in to an altercation with bullpen coach Herbie Andrade, ending with Andrade being suspended. I don't need to rehash the gross details of why Vazquez is no longer with the Pirates.
Pittsburgh had more players on the IL in 2019 than any other in franchise history. Sixteen players from the Opening Day roster ended up on the IL. That doesn't include players called up from the minors only to end up on the IL, or Chad Kuhl and Edgar Santana missing the season for Tommy John.
It wasn't all bad for the Pirates, though. Starling Marte had possibly the best season of his career, and rookies Bryan Reynolds and Kevin Newman made a case for themselves as keys to the team moving forward. The off-field antics and clubhouse drama of the rest of the team overshadowed any good work that was done on the field.
There was that fight between Yasiel Puig and the entire Pirates bench, not once ...
Puig was not backing down today in the Pirates-Reds altercation... pic.twitter.com/WQDfVnd9qg
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) April 7, 2019
... but twice
Amir Garrett went at the Pirates all alone, Yasiel Puig still came to his defense after being traded to Cleveland 🤭
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 31, 2019
Madness in Cincinnati
(via @FOXSportsOH)pic.twitter.com/vqhNq9S2Ww
Enemy pitchers
First up is Steven Brault vs. Lucas Giolito. Brault has made some great starts this yea,r with nine strikeouts through 12 scoreless innings, allowing three hits in four starts. Expect him to go five or six innings. Giolito lasted seven innings during his last outing against the Tigers, striking out 13, which tied his career high.
Wednesday is going to see the soft contact matchup between Trevor Williams and Dallas Keuchel. Williams has a 1-4 record, with 23 strikeouts over five starts. Williams struggled in his final 16 starts in 2019, allowing 21 home runs. Keuchel threw the most pitches for any Sox starter this season against the Cubs, with 114 in eight innings.
It'd be nice if we got an appearance from Fulmer in his ongoing attempt to have a revenge game against the Sox. I say it'd be nice, because with a solid 6.75 ERA in 2020 (not too far off from his career ERA of 6.57) it would be great to be on the other end of his spotty pitching.
Old (weird) friend Derek Holland is a part of their pitching staff, and has a rather strange honor of being the first player thrown out from watching in the stands during the 2020 season.
What sucks for the Sox
Not a whole lot right now. Brault and Williams have been putting up respectable efforts, but if the Sox can get ahead of them early and force the Pirates to go in to their bullpen, there's not a lot that can go wrong on the South Side.
The Pirates managed to sweep the Brewers in their last series, so they're going to be coming in with some confidence. Gregory Polanco went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run while Reynolds, Adam Frazier, and Jarrod Dyson all had RBIs in the series.
What might not suck for the Sox
The Pirates are dead last in the NL Central, sitting at 7-17. While there's plenty of young talent on the team, the Pirates don't seem to be utilizing it all that much.
The Sox tore through the Cubs and Tigers bullpens, taking seven in a row before facing Yu Darvish on Sunday and falling, 2-1. Rumor has it that Nick Madrigal is coming back soon, so Danny Mendick may not be long for the starting lineup (which is a pity, because I've enjoyed being wrong about Mendick).
Hear it from Sox fans
They should be in the NL East not the central
— tom (@IneptBisexual) August 25, 2020
I dont like them because they have a nicer park than us
— Jim (@jsram311) August 25, 2020
I don’t like them because they’re playing us.
— Buzz (@Buzz721) August 25, 2020
I find fans of Pittsburgh teams to be some of the most obnoxious fans in the entire sports universe.
— Krizz (@mckrizzy2) August 25, 2020
They had a good team back in the day
— joe bright (@joeysox1952) August 25, 2020
Their owner makes Reinsdorf look careless with his money. Also the Primanti Bros inside the ballpark SUCKS (the real one down the street is awesome though) https://t.co/2HddNOoPSU
— Mark Bussey (@Mark_Bussey) August 25, 2020
I do like the pirates!
— Ken.W.o. (@KenWo4LiFe) August 25, 2020
Because we traded with them for Todd Ritchie. And he was the trashiest trash pitcher I’ve ever seen
— Classy To〽️ (@ClassyTom24) August 25, 2020
Born and raised in Chicago, Colleen brings with her the complete inability to write a decent profile. You can often find her sarcasm on Twitter (@colleensullivan) talking sports, pop culture, and dog pictures.