#honestly underrated dynamic. the FOUR YEARS of those two walking around being less and less discrete

[parvuls]

fic idea every day #9

Trope: First Time. Setting: Coffee Shop. Word: Sport.

Everything was going well. They woke up in the same bed, and Ollie didn't look at him like last night had been a mistake, and he even smiled that douchebag smile when Pacer courageously kissed him good morning. Neither of them had a no homo, dude panic the entire walk to get coffees, and honestly, Pacer isn't even too freaked out about it. People hook up in college. Being gay and playing sports isn't that weird when you go to Samwell. Or. Everything was going well, at least, until Annie's front door bangs open to reveal half their hockey team, and Pacer remembers he has hickeys all over his throat and Ollie is wearing his sweatshirt.

[iloveyoupittsburghpirates-blog]

It’s Time To Move Forward, Pittsburgh Pirates

My Dearest Pittsburgh Pirates,

Why hello there. It’s been a while. I believe it’s been since “The Trades” occurred. You look well. Opening Day has come and gone. We usually talk before that day but it felt important to allow myself some “me” time to allow things to properly digest. It took a little longer than I initially anticipated but I’m ready to move on. I’m not going to discuss “The Trades” anymore. It’s in the past and I think it’s vital for us to keep our focus forward. Your 2018 roster is set and we will see where the year takes you and me. You did make one move this offseason that immediately made me more optimistic. That was the trade that allowed you to acquire outfielder Corey Dickerson. It’s old news by now but adding a player that bats lefty with a career OPS of .864 against right handed pitching, had a WAR almost identical to a certain former center fielder of your’s last year, and only cost you Daniel Hudson and a prospect who wasn’t even in your top 30 is a big get. He’s only 28, he only costs 6.5 million, and he’s under your control through 2019.  With his addition and Moran’s, you add two left handed bats with pop. That won’t necessarily make up for what you lost by itself but it’s a start. I’m going into this season optimistic because the one thing every team has in common is that they all start the season 0-0. Right now, we have the same shot as every other team. Kind of…

The offense was one of the worst in home runs last year in a season defined by the home run ball.  The additions of Dickerson and Moran that we already discussed will hopefully make an impact on that. Ideally other players can personally improve in order to help matters. Josh Bell, Francisco Cervelli, Starling Marte, and Gregory Polanco all had monster springs with OPS’ around or over .900. It seems unlikely that Cervelli will do that in the regular season but it’s not out of the question the other three could. For Cervelli or Polanco to have a chance at that, they will need to be healthier than last year. A full season of Marte and Bell hopefully progressing from his very impressive rookie campaign would make a huge difference. If those four can stay healthy plus Moran and Dickerson providing more pop, then this lineup could be very interesting.

Harrison/Marte/Polanco/Bell/Dickerson/Cervelli/Moran/Mercer

If that’s your typical starting lineup against righties, that works for me. Frazier can slide in for spot starts here and there and your left with a righty dominant bench of SRod, Freese, Diaz, and eventually Osuna. If Marte, Bell, and Polanco do anything like they did this spring, this lineup could be much more dynamic that I originally expected.

I wouldn’t have originally anticipated the pitching would be my biggest concern after the way the offense performed last season but that’s the reality of this situation. While the rotation is set, it’s far from a group I’m confident in. Your second-best pitcher is probably Trevor Williams and, nothing against him, but that’s nerve-racking. He was your best pitcher in the second half of last season and I actually have pretty high hopes for him. The rotation centers around Jameson Taillon turning into a reliable ace. He has all the tools to accomplish that but his health is always a concern. I loved what I saw in training camp and I have a feeling he could break through this year. Kuhl, Nova, and Musgrove are question marks. They could be anything from good 3’s, to great 4’s, to not even worthy of being a #5. Only time will tell. The bullpen is by last year’s dominant closer Felipe Rivero, fresh off his contract extension. He had a bit of a rough spring but if his performance in game one of the double header is any indication, he will be he’s still his dominant self. George Kontos provides the experience and will mostly like serve as the 8th inning guy. Michael Feliz, acquired from Houston when we traded our former ace, is a hard thrower with plenty of upside but could be an adventurous 7th inning option. Dovydas Neverauskas and Edgar Santana made the team this year after seeing some action last season. They both possess powerful arms but neither performed well enough last season to put too much on them. You have three long relievers in Steven Brault, Josh Smoker, and Tyler Glasnow. Brault has made a handful of starts in his career and could be a decent weapon out of the pen especially as a lefty. Smoker is another lefty who was an underdog to even make the roster so not someone you want pitching in high leverage situations. Glasnow should have started the season in Triple-A in my opinion to keep working on his control. You have a new concept of having starters spend time in the major league bullpen. Glasnow pitched two scoreless but chaotic innings in Game Two today. He walked two, struck out two, but did throw 21 of 37 pitches for strikes. I don’t know where this is going but it’s safe to say that every time he pitches stress will be at optimal levels. This bullpen is filled with lively arms which is something to like but there is little experience which can lead to shaky results.

Opening Day proved anti-climactic when the game in Detroit against the Tigers was rained out. Friday was an off day so that’s when you opened the season with a high scoring affair. In the top of the 13th of a 10-10 game, Gregory Polanco hit a towering 3 run homer game-clinching homer to give you the 13-10 win. Saturday was yet again rained out so that meant an Easter Sunday double header. Game One saw Polanco keep a hot bat with a first inning RBI double that would prove to be the difference in a 1-0 game. Trevor Williams had a no-hitter through 6 innings but had walked five and threw more balls than strikes. Hurdle smartly took him out before the 7th inning which is when Michael Feliz gave up the first hit of the game. He worked a scoreless 7th, Kontos worked a scoreless 8th, and then Felipe Rivero came in for the 9th. There had been concern in Spring Training about his control issues, but those fears seemed like a distant memory as Rivero easily struck out the middle of the Tigers lineup. It really wasn’t fair. Two games. Two wins. Game Three of the series had Chad Kuhl on the hill but this turned into the Josh Harrison show. JHay was 3 for 5 with a homer, a double, two runs, and 2 RBIs. Marte and Freese also hit absolute bombs in another dominant offensive performance. The 8-6 victory means the offense is averaging over seven runs per game. The Tigers’ pitching staff is one of the weaker staffs in the league, but you should dominate and did. I can remember plenty of games last season when you were shut down by less than average starters. You swept a team on the road to start the season. You won’t hear one complaint out of me the rest of this letter.

Tomorrow is the Opening Day at beautiful PNC Park. Jameson Taillon will get the start in Game One of an odd two-game series against the Minnesota Twins. Tuesday is an off day and Wednesday Ivan Nova gets the start in the series finale. The Twins made the playoffs last season and have an underrated lineup. You will face newly acquired starter Jake Odorizzi followed by former Cardinals’ pitcher Lance Lynn. They are better than any pitcher you faced on the Tigers. This team is much better than the Tigers too so you better come in prepared. Thursday marks the start of divisional play when the Cincinnati Reds will come to PNC Park for your first four-game series of the year. The Reds are still rebuilding but they have some high-end talent in the rotation and some big bats in the lineup. They are beatable but they aren’t going to make it easy for you. After the Reds’ series, you go to Chicago to play the Cubs so getting wins this week will be important. I honestly couldn’t have hoped for a better start. More than anything, it’s just nice to see you. I know I can be critical but that’s only because I care so much. There are legitimate reasons to be excited about this season and I really mean that. I have no idea where it will go but I’m excited about the ride. It’s great to have you back and have a great week!!

                                                                                       Eternally Optimistic,

                                                                                                   Brad

P.S. stands for plugging something. I might want to come up with a different name for that. I would just like to make people aware that I co-wrote a radio play podcast called DEATH AT SUNSET: HARD TIMES AND SOFT DRINKS with my friend Chris Maxwell that is now available on Apple Podcasts (aka iTunes), Stitcher Radio, Google Play Radio, and SoundCloud. It’s a comedy noir that follows P.I. Jack Dime as he takes cases in modern day Los Angeles. All Four Episodes of the first case are ready for download now. Follow us at @deathatsunet on Twitter, check out DeathatSunset.com, and please rate and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for your support!!