ST. LOUIS — Looking ahead to first pitch …
Game: Pirates (65-45) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (72-40), 8:15 p.m., Busch Stadium
Pitchers: RHP Gerrit Cole (14-5, 2.39) vs. RHP Michael Wacha (13-4, 2.92)
TV, radio: Root Sports, 93.7 The Fan
Online: Gameday | Multimedia | Media notes
Pregame notes: 5:39 p.m.: There’s serious, there’s serious-as-a-heart-attack, and then there’s however one would describe the Pirates’ mood down there just now. Beyond intense. Deathly silent. Guys sitting at stalls just staring. Ick. … Neil Walker, who was among the most tightly wound after the game last night, was now among the few smiling a little. “It’s a big game,” he said. “We know that.” Sure is. If the Pirates lose this one, they’re guaranteed to leave here at least six games back. And it could be eight. Overcoming that is asking quite a bit in mid-August. … Jared Hughes has “zero” lingering effects from that 98-mph liner by Stephen Piscotty that came right at his face last night. Fortunately, Hughes was able to raise his glove in time to redirect the ball, and it “just grazed my face.” Still, scary stuff. “Oh, don’t think I didn’t say an extra prayer when I went to bed,” he said. … Jung Ho Kang is supposed to be getting tired, right? Clint Hurdle has talked since spring training of the need to regulate his usage, given Korea’s 130-game schedule and all that. But Kang is now batting a ridiculous .363 — 29 for 80 — since the All-Star break, seventh among all National Leaguers and tops among all rookies in the majors. I asked Hurdle, yet again, if he’s still worried about Kang getting tired: “I think he has days where he looks energetic. I think there are still days where the sting of the season on the field does take away from his legs a little bit. We’re going through a 20-game stretch right now where we’ll have to look at times to get him off his feet. Most of these guys are probably going to need a day. It’s 20 straight. But he’s definitely built up his strength, his resiliency, and I think he’s in a good place.” … Gregory Polanco, now at .303 with three home runs and 12 extra-base hits in 22 games since the break, when I asked if he’s still locked in on the outer half of the plate: “One half! That’s it!” He smiled, too, but this was out of the clubhouse. … Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer each were given off today by Class AAA Indianapolis after opening their rehab stints last night with seven innings each.
8:16 p.m.: First pitch, Wacha to Polanco, 83 degrees, mostly clear.
8:34: Cole concedes two hits and a walk, but 97-mph heat wraps up a three-pitch swinging strikeout of Randal Grichuk to put that to rest. Place just went totally silent with that pick. Kind of cool.
8:40: Kang doubles in his first at-bat. He looked exhausted in doing so. Remarkable that he survived the entire trek to second base, really.
8:58: Starling Marte has left the game, right after popping up to end the Pirates’ third. He motioned to first base coach Nick Leyva after running it out, and that was that. He didn’t even get visited on the field by the athletic trainers.
9:07: Marte has discomfort in his left hand, the Pirates just announced.
All I’ll add is that hand has been hit more than once this season, and he’s had it wrapped and iced a ton. That might not mean anything, but most baseball injuries are the result of repeated trauma rather than a one-time incident.
9:12: Cardinals, 2-0, 3rd. The Pirates need a first baseman.
9:16: Cardinals, 2-1, 4th: Andrew McCutchen home run, solo shot to right off an elevated baseball. Full extension. Well done.
9:39: All Polanco does is hit, hit, hit. And that’s three now in as many at-bats, twice to the opposite field as discussed in the prescient pregame notes. He’s aboard to open the fifth.
Oh, and that’s also six straight hits in as many plate appearances for the young man.
9:43: Pirates, 2-2, 5th. Cutch with an RBI triple on a looping liner that eluded a diving-forward Grichuk in center. On another day, it might have been an inside-the-parker.
10:02: Alvarez’s book-rule double is followed by two outs and Polanco getting a free pass. Sean Rodriguez will try. It’s the sixth.
10:11: Cardinals, 3-2, 6th. Oh, those fundamental Pirates. Polanco, for all he’s done so well of late, allows an in-between liner to get past him and all the way to the wall off the bat of Yadier Molina. That’s scored a triple, and it’s an RBI.
Not one of these runs off Cole should have crossed.
10:13: Cardinals, 4-2, 6th. Piscotty up the middle through a drawn-in infield. That’s it for Cole. He should go break stuff.
11:04: All over. Pirates lose here again. Also, Pope remains Catholic.
Michael Morse heads back to the dugout after making the Pirates’ final out Wednesday. — GETTY
August 12, 2015
Final: Cardinals 4, Pirates 2
711by Dejan Kovacevic • Game previews
ST. LOUIS — Looking ahead to first pitch …
Game: Pirates (65-45) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (72-40), 8:15 p.m., Busch Stadium
Pitchers: RHP Gerrit Cole (14-5, 2.39) vs. RHP Michael Wacha (13-4, 2.92)
TV, radio: Root Sports, 93.7 The Fan
Online: Gameday | Multimedia | Media notes
Pregame notes: 5:39 p.m.: There’s serious, there’s serious-as-a-heart-attack, and then there’s however one would describe the Pirates’ mood down there just now. Beyond intense. Deathly silent. Guys sitting at stalls just staring. Ick. … Neil Walker, who was among the most tightly wound after the game last night, was now among the few smiling a little. “It’s a big game,” he said. “We know that.” Sure is. If the Pirates lose this one, they’re guaranteed to leave here at least six games back. And it could be eight. Overcoming that is asking quite a bit in mid-August. … Jared Hughes has “zero” lingering effects from that 98-mph liner by Stephen Piscotty that came right at his face last night. Fortunately, Hughes was able to raise his glove in time to redirect the ball, and it “just grazed my face.” Still, scary stuff. “Oh, don’t think I didn’t say an extra prayer when I went to bed,” he said. … Jung Ho Kang is supposed to be getting tired, right? Clint Hurdle has talked since spring training of the need to regulate his usage, given Korea’s 130-game schedule and all that. But Kang is now batting a ridiculous .363 — 29 for 80 — since the All-Star break, seventh among all National Leaguers and tops among all rookies in the majors. I asked Hurdle, yet again, if he’s still worried about Kang getting tired: “I think he has days where he looks energetic. I think there are still days where the sting of the season on the field does take away from his legs a little bit. We’re going through a 20-game stretch right now where we’ll have to look at times to get him off his feet. Most of these guys are probably going to need a day. It’s 20 straight. But he’s definitely built up his strength, his resiliency, and I think he’s in a good place.” … Gregory Polanco, now at .303 with three home runs and 12 extra-base hits in 22 games since the break, when I asked if he’s still locked in on the outer half of the plate: “One half! That’s it!” He smiled, too, but this was out of the clubhouse. … Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer each were given off today by Class AAA Indianapolis after opening their rehab stints last night with seven innings each.
8:16 p.m.: First pitch, Wacha to Polanco, 83 degrees, mostly clear.
8:34: Cole concedes two hits and a walk, but 97-mph heat wraps up a three-pitch swinging strikeout of Randal Grichuk to put that to rest. Place just went totally silent with that pick. Kind of cool.
8:40: Kang doubles in his first at-bat. He looked exhausted in doing so. Remarkable that he survived the entire trek to second base, really.
8:58: Starling Marte has left the game, right after popping up to end the Pirates’ third. He motioned to first base coach Nick Leyva after running it out, and that was that. He didn’t even get visited on the field by the athletic trainers.
9:07: Marte has discomfort in his left hand, the Pirates just announced.
All I’ll add is that hand has been hit more than once this season, and he’s had it wrapped and iced a ton. That might not mean anything, but most baseball injuries are the result of repeated trauma rather than a one-time incident.
9:12: Cardinals, 2-0, 3rd. The Pirates need a first baseman.
9:16: Cardinals, 2-1, 4th: Andrew McCutchen home run, solo shot to right off an elevated baseball. Full extension. Well done.
9:39: All Polanco does is hit, hit, hit. And that’s three now in as many at-bats, twice to the opposite field as discussed in the prescient pregame notes. He’s aboard to open the fifth.
Oh, and that’s also six straight hits in as many plate appearances for the young man.
9:43: Pirates, 2-2, 5th. Cutch with an RBI triple on a looping liner that eluded a diving-forward Grichuk in center. On another day, it might have been an inside-the-parker.
10:02: Alvarez’s book-rule double is followed by two outs and Polanco getting a free pass. Sean Rodriguez will try. It’s the sixth.
10:11: Cardinals, 3-2, 6th. Oh, those fundamental Pirates. Polanco, for all he’s done so well of late, allows an in-between liner to get past him and all the way to the wall off the bat of Yadier Molina. That’s scored a triple, and it’s an RBI.
Not one of these runs off Cole should have crossed.
10:13: Cardinals, 4-2, 6th. Piscotty up the middle through a drawn-in infield. That’s it for Cole. He should go break stuff.
11:04: All over. Pirates lose here again. Also, Pope remains Catholic.
Michael Morse heads back to the dugout after making the Pirates’ final out Wednesday. — GETTY