Things seem to be going from bad to worse in Pittsburgh with the Pirates amid an absolute disaster of a season. Bryan Reynolds added to the organizational drama by being ejected following the seventh inning of today’s matchup with the Braves.
Reynolds was called out on strikes to end the seventh inning on a pitch that just caught the bottom corner of the strike zone. This was the two-time All-Star’s second strikeout of the game, and he took issue with the call, which carried over into the inning change and resulted in his day ending early.
Reynolds’ ejection came shortly after current club manager Don Kelly was ejected in the sixth inning. Kelly took issue with a pair of borderline calls that did not go the Pirates’ way. A hot mic picked up the home-plate umpire Clint Vondrak saying, “(I’m) not going to listen to it anymore.”
Kelly returned another quip and was tossed from the game. The former bench coach shot up from the dugout to get his money’s worth following the ejection.
This was just Kelly’s second game serving as manager. Pittsburgh decided to move on from Derek Shelton on Thursday, following the team’s 12-26 start.
This was not a game that will be used in clinics for umpires moving forward, but it feels like a case where Reynolds’ frustrations are boiling over from his underwhelming start. He has struggled in all areas this season, underwhelming in the field and slashing just .221/.282/.351 at the plate. Reynolds entered the day posting a -0.7 WAR.
With 122 games remaining in the regular season, there is still plenty of time for the Pirates to turn things around. Maybe this show of emotion could have some ripple effects within the locker room and can be used as a turning point moving forward. This will need to happen soon, with the hole the team dug beginning to grow steep.
Pittsburgh showed some fight following the ejections, tying the game in the bottom of the eighth inning o an error by Austin Riley.
Unfortunately for them, the Braves took a 3-2 lead in the 11th inning, and the game ultimately ended with this as the final score.
The Pirates’ odds of making the playoffs have grown to +2200 on DraftKings Sportsbook, which is tied for the second-largest number in the National League.
