Where Things Stand
Happy Wednesday, everyone. I hope that your week is going well. The Pirates lost the first game of the Phillies series in extra innings. The loss moves them to 3-9 this season in extra-innings. I’m not a fan of the ghost runner in extra-innings rule, but it’s the same for everyone and the Pirates seem to struggle more than anyone else scoring that runner. That’s something the team needs to address before next season. Mitch Keller got the start and it was a pretty good outing. He appeared to be in a bit of pain in the fifth inning. Apparently, he hit his funny bone on the follow through and his hand was numb after for a short bit. He would give up a home run on the very next pitch. It’s good that it wasn’t anything serious. If 2024 is going to be another big step forward for this team they’ll need a healthy Mitch Keller to make it happen. The bats weren’t great. Henry Davis hit a big home run. That was nice to see. I’ll let Doug and Tyler break down all of the finer details for you.
Up Next
The second game of this three-game series will be tonight at 6:40 P.M. EDT. The Pirates will hand the ball to Johan Oviedo while the Phillies will counter with Ranger Suárez. In Oviedo’s last two starts, he’s pitched eleven innings while only allowing one run and striking out twelve batters. Suárez is coming off of a game where he gave up four runs in 6.2 innings to the New York Mets. This should be a pretty favorable pitching matchup and hopefully gives the Bucs’ bats a chance to get going again. Can they even up the series? Will Oviedo stay hot? Let me know what you think in the comments.
Quick Hits
We’ll start off with a bit of sad news. Yesterday, the baseball world lost one of its legendary figures. Brooks Robinson passed away at the age of 86.
BALTIMORE -- Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson, whose deft glovework and folksy manner made him one of the most beloved and accomplished athletes in Baltimore history, has died. He was 86.
"We are deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of Brooks Robinson," his family and the Orioles said in a joint statement. "An integral part of our Orioles Family since 1955, he will continue to leave a lasting impact on our club, our community, and the sport of baseball."
The statement did not say how Robinson died.
The Orioles held a moment of silence before their game against the Washington Nationals, and the teams lined up outside their dugouts to pay their respects. Also before the game, fans gathered around the 9-foot bronze statue of Robinson inside Camden Yards.
"Great player, great guy on the field, great guy off," said fellow Orioles Hall of Famer Jim Palmer, who was overcome with emotion. "Respectful, kind. And you don't meet too many guys like that. Brooks was a genuine person. There was no acting. Brooks was just a genuine person."
Coming of age before the free agent era, Robinson spent his entire 23-year career with the Orioles. He almost single-handedly helped Baltimore defeat Cincinnati in the 1970 World Series and homered in Game 1 of the Orioles' 1966 sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers for their first crown.
Robinson participated in 18 All-Star Games and earned the 1964 AL Most Valuable Player award after batting .318 with 28 home runs and a league-leading 118 RBIs. He finished his career with 268 homers, 1,357 RBIs and a respectable .267 batting average in 2,896 career games.
But he will be forever remembered for his work ethic and the skill he displayed at the hot corner, where he established himself as one of the finest fielding third baseman in baseball history, whether charging slow rollers or snaring liners down the third-base line.
Known as the "Human Vacuum Cleaner," Robinson won 16 consecutive Gold Gloves -- second only to pitcher Greg Maddux's (18) for most by a player at one position. Robinson also places third in career defensive WAR at 39.1 behind shortstops Ozzie Smith (44.2) and Mark Belanger (39.5), who was Robinson's teammate for 13 years with the Orioles.
"Brooks was maybe the last guy to get into the clubhouse the day of the game, but he would be the first guy on the field," former Orioles manager Earl Weaver said. "He'd be taking his groundballs, and we'd all go, 'Why does Brooks have to take any groundballs?'
"I wouldn't expect anything else from Brooks. Seeing him work like that meant a lot of any young person coming up. He was so steady, and he steadied everybody else."
Rest in peace, Brooks.
We’ll close things out with the latest edition of Starbucs. DiNardo was out this week, so Jim and Tyler sat down to talk about what lies ahead for Jared Triolo and their hopes for this final week of baseball and previewed the Phillies series that we’re currently in the midst of.
Alright. That wraps us up for today. We’ll be back here again tomorrow looking at the second game of the series. As always, #LetsGoBucs!