After the Pittsburgh Pirates went on their first four game winning streak in almost three years, they’ve since lost seven of the following nine games. With four of those seven losses coming by way of only by one run.
As has been the typical storyline as of late, they were lead by a solid starting pitching effort, only for the offense to struggle and not provide any run support. JT Brubaker continued his recent run of success by keeping the Chicago Cubs at bay with only two runs through six innings. The Cubs were then able to score the winning run on a double by Nico Hoerner in the bottom of the 8th.
Bryan Reynolds returned much quicker to the lineup than I expected. As generally when I hear it’s an oblique injury, I don’t expect to see that player for quite some time. He didn’t have any rehab appearances, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets the day off even with a scheduled off-day on Wednesday.
If there’s a bright spot to be noted, it has seemed that a handful of pitchers have seen positive trends as of late. Mitch Keller, JT Brubaker, then even Bryse Wilson and Zach Thompson have seen stretches in the right direction. Although Zach Thompson did get lit up by his previous employer in his last start.
The Pirates have remained outside the NL Central cellar for majority of the season. With the most recent stretch, they unfortunately find themselves a half game from dropping below the Cubs and only two games ahead of the Reds.
If you’re team #LoseForCrews then they’re currently within arms reach of top three lottery odds.
Pirates @ Cubs
Time: 2:20 PM EST
Pirates Starter: Bryse Wilson (1-5, 6.52)
Marlins Starter: Keegan Thompson (7-4, 3.43)
Wilson Notes: Bryse Wilson has had an up-and-down season. Literally and figuratively. In his first nine appearances before being optioned on June 15th, Bryse threw 33.2 innings with a 8.29 ERA. He has made three MLB starts since his original demotion, totaling 16 innings with a 2.81 ERA. He had been recalled and subsequently optioned after the first two starts, but this will be his second start since he latest recall on July 17th. During his split time in Indianapolis he’s made six starts, throwing a total of 36.1 innings while carrying a 2.97 ERA.
LINEUPS:
Pirates
Wilson on the mound.#LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/rA5GiYOZWt
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 26, 2022
Cubs
1. Rafael Ortega (L) CF
2. Willson Contreras (R) DH
3. Seiya Suzuki (R) RF
4. Ian Happ (S) LF
5. Nico Hoerner (R) SS
6. Patrick Wisdom (R) 3B
7. Yan Gomes (R) C
8. Alfonso Rivas (L) 1B
9. Christopher Morel (R) 2B
