The best laid plans

Due to a call in last night 15 minutes after my shift started due to a personal tragedy from a co-worker,I didn't get this post up.
I figured since the Pirates and Braves played an afternoon game to end their two game set,I would make just one post.
I will be working the next eleven days without an off night,so I hope to do the best that I can do with both the blog and the autograph circuit.

The Pirates dropped two very winnable games to Atlanta at PNC Park,losing Tuesday night 2-0 and yesterday 4-2 in extra innings.
Charlie Morton took the hard luck loss on Tuesday (5-2) and Jeff Karstens was the loser (3-3) in the final game.
Steve Pearce homered (1) yesterday.
The Pirates are off tonight and travel to Chicago for three day games at Wrigley....

Pirate Hooks

1) Once again,the loss has to go to the slumbering bats as both Charlie Morton and James McDonald pitched well enough to win,but lack of run support doomed both.
The best part of both pitchers outings were that they clearly didn't have their best stuff,yet were able to work their way out of jams.
That is exactly the type of thing that one wants to see as part of the maturation process....

2) Play of the game that no one is talking about-Jose Tabata being foolishly thrown out on the bases with Steve Pearce at the plate.
Did not seem like a big deal at the time,but Pearce's subsequent bomb would have given Pittsburgh a 3-2 win....

3) Clint Hurdle switched the lineup around a bit before Wednesday's game and the main switches were Jose Tabata leading off,Andrew McCutchen batting third and Steve Pearce in the lineup playing third base and batting second.
Pearce has long been deserving of a full time chance and Tabata was super batting leadoff this season before tailing off in the two hole....

4) Evan Meek returned to action with a scoreless inning on Tuesday.
A back to form Meek makes the surprisingly effective bullpen even better....

5) Still no idea on the Pirates thinking for the top pick.
ESPN's Keith Lawa has the Bucs down to one of these three-Virginia pitcher Danny Hultzen,UCLA pitcher Gerrit Cole and high school outfielder Bubba Starling as the favorites with Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon ranking behind all.
Still scared of the college pitchers,especially Hultzen,who has came out of nowhere and really makes me think of the Bryan Bullington pick,even though they are not similar pitchers style-wise...