Liriano still Pirates’ No. 1 underachiever
Once again, Liriano had no command. So much for the progress he made in his previous start against Milwaukee Thursday night when he struck out 13 and didn’t walk a batter. Just 10 pitches into this start he had walked two and thrown a wild pitch. Thirty-four of his 72 pitches were balls. When he did throw a strike, the Mariners hit rockets, including home runs in the third inning by Franklin Gutierrez and Kyle Seager. Liriano left after getting one out in the fourth, giving up seven runs on eight hits and four walks. It’s fair to think he wasn’t thinking about his long home run when he handed the ball to Hurdle.
“I didn’t see him get into a really consistent rhythm out on the mound,” Hurdle said. “Obviously, he couldn’t get much down in the zone. When he got in the zone, it was up. Pretty much with all three pitches. That just takes you to a bad place. When you’re not ahead and you’re not down, it’s hard up here.”
Adding to the frustration was that Liriano blew a big lead for the third time in his past seven starts. He couldn’t hold a 5-1 lead after two innings June 22 against San Francisco and a 4-0 lead June 27 after one inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers. This time, he wasted a 3-0 lead after one inning and a 4-1 lead after two. Those are brutal losses. If the Pirates had won those three games, they would be in control of a wild card. As it is, they have a glaring need for a starting pitcher with Monday’s trade deadline quickly approaching. It’s a shame. A productive Liriano would be so much better than anything the Pirates could get in a trade without drastically overpaying.
I keep saying Liriano will find his game and lead the Pirates back to the playoffs. He keeps making me look like a fool. But I have to admit I’m looking forward to his next start Sunday in Milwaukee. I’m excited to see what’s coming next.
I just hope Liriano stays in the game long enough to get more than one at-bat.