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Jason Mackey's Pirates chat: 05.03.23
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Jason Mackey
11:56
Hello, everyone. Welcome to my weekly Pirates chat. Wifi has been in/out in my hotel room, so apologies in advance if something goes down. We'll try our best. Couple minutes we'll get started.
Chris Parker
12:07
Hi Jason - thanks for the chats! Excited that the Pirates are doing so well through the first month of the season. Big question is - do you think it is sustainable?
Jason Mackey
12:09
Hi Chris. Good question. And maybe most pertinent with this team right now. I think part of it, yes. I wrote about this some today, but basically they should be capable of making better swing decisions and sticking to a plan. Do they have Braves-level offensive talent? Of course not. But it should be enough to be 15-20th in offense. Maybe higher. Pitching-wise, are they going to rattle off 11 quality starts? Of course. But they should be able to throw more strikes and produce 6-7 QS instead of of 2-3 per 11 games. Basically we're seeing progress, and large chunks of that are sustainable. I just think we need to be realistic, too.
Ryan
12:09
Disgusting performance last night. Everything on the line and we play the worst game of the year. Extremely disappointed. Ruined my night no doubt
Jason Mackey
12:10
My man. They play 162 of these things. It's a long season. I'd take a breath.
Panic
12:10
Last night was a sign that the good times are over. They can't compete. They'll be lucky to win 30 more games
Jason Mackey
12:10
There's no way this is serious.
Ricky
12:10
Puig would have caught that ball Suwinski didn’t last night.
Jason Mackey
12:10
No doubt. Would've made a basket catch, Willie Mays style. And might get admonished by Lou Brown on his way into the dugout, too.
Jay D W
12:11
I absolutely love what the Pirates have done to this point.  But my question is, looking at the numbers and style of play, how much of this do you think is sustainable?
Jason Mackey
12:12
Just to build on this ... the running, yeah, I think it will be. They've actually been not good in the field. Other than Hayes, of course. I think that can actually improve. Hayes also hasn't hit much. His OPS, I believe, trails what he did last year. But I think the bullpen can come close to keeping this up. I think the starters can, too. A lot depends on whether guys like Suwinski, Joe and even Cutch -- who has been scuffling some -- can keep helping the offense.
Wicky
12:12
Tough loss last night, it’s great to have the Buccos relevant again. What are your thoughts with having guys on first and second and having Marcano bunting with a .143 hitter on deck?
Jason Mackey
12:14
Good question. Was discussing this with someone on the way down to the clubhouse last night. I don't hate it, honestly. But I think what I would have done would be to pinch hit for Hedges. Marcano is a good bunter. Probably the best on the team. A single there ties it. Even getting a run would've helped. Surprised he didn't pinch hit Andujar there and then bring in Delay.
Woah woah woah
12:14
The Fan is talking playoffs and winning seasons. Lets pump the breaks Yinzers. This team beat cupcakes. They got beat up last night by a good team
Jason Mackey
12:15
I'm all in favor of pumping the brakes. It's a long season. They've shown improvement. Last night was one game. Doesn't mean they stink either. It's a process. It's a process.
Felish
12:15
Albeit small sample size, Jason Delay has been hitting the ball well. Why isn’t he seeing a bigger share of the playing time over Hedges? Is it SP preference perhaps?
Jason Mackey
12:16
I just think they view Hedges as a true No. 1 because they're paying him like one. And I'm not sure they're wrong. I like Hedges a lot. I think he makes pitchers better, although guys really like throwing to Delay, too. But I agree with you. Having more of a rotation wouldn't be the worst thing.
Guest
12:16
Hey Jason, I think it’s time for people to quit being scared and say that the Pirates can very well win the division this year. How much of this team do you think needs to be sustainable to get that job done?
Jason Mackey
12:17
Man, we're all over the map this week. In 10 minutes I've heard they stink, it's over, they blew it ... and now we're talking about winning the division. This is something.
12:18
I don't think we need to be talking about the division, personally. I think we should be talking about it being a good month, and, yeah, as I said, there are things that can be repeated over time. Sticking to a plan. Cutting down chase/strikeouts/swing and miss. Throwing more strikes. Getting on base. Been some really good improvements there.
Wicky
12:18
Does Suwinski start tonight against a lefty? He has pop in his bat and can change a game, but he struggles mightily against lefties. TB clearly wanted a lefty to face him last night
Jason Mackey
12:19
I liked what they did strategy-wise. I haven't seen the lineup, but I would probably expect them to get Andujar in there. Or play Cutch in the outfield and DH Andujar.
Jay D W
12:19
Why do you think Bae was given the night off against TB last night...his speed is a game changer and I think could have been helpful earlier in the game.
Jason Mackey
12:22
My guess is that, because their bulk guy was Fleming -- a lefty -- Shelton wanted to get a righty in Mathias in there. FWIW, I get what you're saying and agree with you. I would have Bae in there more times than not. He was also 7 for 17 with six steals his last six games prior to last night.
Wayward
12:22
Jason, Where does the Trop rank as related baseball facilities you have seen games in.  Seems like it is universally disliked.
Jason Mackey
12:23
Funny you ask, it's one of the reasons why I'm gonna avoid Twitter for a while. I liked it. Convenient for us. Food was good. Clubhouses are close. Good workspace. Again, objectively, it's perfectly fine. But I expressed that opinion on Twitter and got a bunch of replies on why opinion was wrong. ... Anyway, I genuinely liked it. We're also close to the action. Easy to get around. The atmosphere could be better, sure, but it doesn't change my job anyway.
Guest
12:23
Realistically the Pirates would just need to beat out two teams here in the Brewers and Cubs (not ruling out the Cardinals, but we can talk Redbirds when they are 4-5 games out). I just feel like that division discussion should be on the table at this point. It’s a very realistic possibility don’t you think?
Jason Mackey
12:24
It's May 3. If you're looking for a serious division discussion, I'm afraid I'm not going to be of very much help. ... They've been better, the Cardinals have looked worse, and I don't think it's an overly dominant division. But outside of broader stuff, I think we're getting a little ahead of ourselves here.
Apollo
12:25
is there a health update on Endy? Might have missed it on recent Todd T. Interview
Jason Mackey
12:27
Yeah, he said last week that Endy would return in a couple days as a DH, which he did. He's expected around Friday to return as a catcher. Here's the last quote from TT: "Endy Rodriguez (right forearm strain). We also got encouraging news from him. He has resumed hitting over the past couple days. That’s no issue. He’s played some light catch. We envision Endy being available for games as a DH before being available as a position player. I would project as a DH in the next three to four days (from last Thursday). Projection for a full position player, if everything trends in a perfect world, probably a week to 10 days from (last Friday)."
Munkeefist
12:27
Do you see the Pirates making any early season trades to boost the starting pitching depth options? Are there any notable arms still unsigned? I'm a little nervous about the depth right now. Thanks!!
Jason Mackey
12:28
I would be very surprised to see that, unless you're talking about someone who could start at Triple-A. Can't think of anyone who's just out there who would really warrant a spot. Wouldn't put it past them to make some sort of minor league trade, but there's no way I could tell you who I expect that to be.
Guest
12:28
Any health update on Cruz as far as next steps? Any potential dates we should look out for as far as movement, drills, PT, ext.?
Jason Mackey
12:31
Cruz had his two-week post-op visit with doctors and got his stitches removed. Still ~ 6 more weeks of non-weight-bearing. He started some seated, non-weight-bearing upper-body conditioning & exercises last week.
DaquidoBazzini
12:33
Ji Hwan Bae looks out of place to me in CF. He's made a couple great plays, but he just doesn't seem to be consistent and be in the right position. What are their reasons for taking Reynolds out of there? If anything, Reynolds should be in there when Suwinski is not playing. Also...Any early updates on Oneil Cruz?
Jason Mackey
12:35
Shared all the Cruz info I have. Again, he's relatively limited what he can do upper-body-wise. He was around PNC Park toward the end of the most recent homestand. ... I don't agree with you on Bae, at least not to the point where he should never play out there -- pardon the 14 negatives. Reynolds' defensive metrics were not good last season. Suwinski was a little better. I think they want Reynolds to be a really good left fielder. Maybe CF goes to Jack, maybe Bae, maybe someone else. But I think it's a little unfair to just blank statement that this 23-year-old kid CAN'T play out there. They're young and learning. They've also done a lot good.
Justin
12:35
Rich Hill seemed to have a bit of a velo spike in his last start.  Do you know if this is something they've been working on, or is it probably just statistical noise?
Jason Mackey
12:35
It's likely just Rich maturing and growing into his body.
Guest
12:36
Seems as though Luis Ortiz is ready, just waiting for someone in the current rotation to fail so he gets the nod. What do you think the Pirates do with him to get him in that rotation if he continues his success? Hear me out, I would not mind seeing Rich Hill head to the bullpen with that wonky slow speed coming after a guy who throws upper 90’s
Jason Mackey
12:38
I've heard you out. And I hate it. No. 1,000% no. Unless his performance warrants it, perhaps. But it hasn't. Hill has been good. I want him as a starter, with the starters, etc. I'm not ready to move out the 43-year-old who makes $8 million and who has pitched well for Ortiz. Not yet. I wanna see more from all involved.
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