Initial thoughts after Pirates Opening Day

Win or lose, this game was still a good excuse to slack off at work.

The Pittsburgh Pirates lost their Opening Day matchup against the Miami Marlins 5-4 after a walk off single from Kyle Stowers put the Buccos away. Though it’s just the first game, there were certainly several key things that stood out from this initial performance.

Paul Skenes solid in first Opening Day start

The legend of Paul Skenes continues to grow, as he became the fastest first overall pick to have an Opening Day start after getting drafted. A solid performance, though maybe not quite dominant, Skenes pitched 5.1 innings, allowed 3 hits, 1 earned run, while striking out seven batters. On the day he threw 94 pitches, 64 of them being strike. He was commanding with his fastball as always, and mixed in the off-speed pitches nicely as well, generating a couple swing and miss opportunities. The first start is out of the way, hopefully with more good outings on the horizon, as Skenes was certainly the brightest part of the team’s performance.

We witnessed Oneil Cruz in centerfield, and it was not pretty

It’s hard enough to be a professional baseball player already, but it’s even harder to go out and learn a brand new position on the fly. All the offseason training could not prepare Oneil Cruz for game time action in the outfield. He made several game changing errors in the contest, with one errant throw to home plate putting the Marlins in scoring position, and losing the ball completely in the bottom of the ninth resulting in a triple that would ultimately become the winning run. Again, this isn’t an easy task, and growing pains are expected, but man, was that hard to watch.

The Buccos are flying around the bases!

The Pirates’ offense was certainly not firing cannons on all cylinders, however, they were stealing bases at will. The team stole six bases against the Marlins, making it the first time the team has had six steals in a contest since 2023 when they ran all over the Dodgers. Cruz had one, Ke’Bryan Hayes had a pair, IKF had one, while Tommy Pham and Bryan Reynolds nabbed a bag in the ninth inning. Going forward, this kind of movement could be huge for this team. Obviously, they do not have the greatest roster of hitters in the world, but they do have plenty of guys with wheels on the base pads. I don’t think it’s out of the question that the Pirates could lead baseball in stolen bases.

David Bednar is done

I hate writing poorly on a native yinzer, but David Bednar’s best days are behind him. He infamously had a very shaky 2024, after being named to the All-Star team the previous two years. Last season saw him take a huge step back in production, registering 8 losses, 7 blown saves, and gave up 37 earned runs. Unfortunately, he picked up where he left off last season, losing the Opening Day contest after giving up two hits. He didn’t show any signs of improvement during Spring Training, and now that the regular season is here, it’s becoming clear that Bednar’s days as the Pirates closer could be numbered.

It’s only the beginning of the season, but even after one game, it goes without saying that there’s no need to get your hopes up about the Pirates this season, They didn’t have a hit until the fifth inning, Nick Gonzales is already hurt, and the bullpen gives up more hits than whatever senior citizen Jake Paul is fighting. I want to be wrong, I hope I’m wrong, but I’ve seen this circus before and it’s the same old clown act.