How Sweep It Is! Pirates Move to 3-0 in the Young Baseball Season

The temperature in the steel city may be cold as of late, but things were heating up this week at PNC Park.  Not only did the Pirates sweep the hated rival St. Louis Cardinals, but for two out of the three games they dominated play.  Last night completed the sweep with the Pirates winning 5-1.  Some observations:

It's no secret that Ray Searage does a masterful job in reclamation projects with this pitching staff over the years, and it seems that early on he can add another name to that list.  Juan Nicascio was superb last night going six innings, giving up one earned run, and striking out seven Cardinal batters.   His pitching arsenal was effective, as his fastball would reach on a consistent basis of  97MPH.  The key stat for the night I believe was that Nicasio didn't allow a walk his entire start.  Prior, Nicasio's last time being a starting pitcher for a full season was back in 2013 for the Colorado Rockies were his ERA (earned run average) was 5.14.  I know it's early on, but what I saw was really promising, and I think we owe a lot of that to pitching coach Ray
Searage.

Another person who looks comfortable at the beginning of the season is right fielder Gregory Polanco.  Polanco just signed a five year extension for thirty five million dollars, and so far the money has been well spent.  He is not chasing bad pitches, and is either getting on base with a walk, or tattooing the ball when he puts it into play.  I don't think he can ever reach the numbers Andrew McCutchen will over a season, but the potential to put up healthy numbers is definitely there.  The Pirates outfield is the best in baseball.

So three games are in the books and the Pirates are riding high.  Next they set their sails for a five game road trip in Cincinnati and Detroit.

https://sports.yahoo.com/news/nicascio-helps-pirates-beat-cardinals-5-1-3-023728981--mlb.html

Make it Six! Pens Win Again 6-2

Another game, another win, another day.  Every time the Pens are on, I can't help but hum in my head, "All we do is win, win, win, no matter what...", and so on.  The battle for Pennsylvania was a laugher as the Penguins beat the hated Philadelphia Flyers 6-2.  Some observations:

With Fleury on the shelf with a concussion for the second time this year, Matt Murray currently has been holding the fort strong.  Not only did he shutout the Islanders the day before, he was spectacular in shutting down the Flyers by stopping 28/30 shots.  However, with that being said, I would like to see the flower back and healthy for the playoffs.  Not saying I don't have confidence in Murray, just the playoffs are a whole other animal.

The Pens power play once again registered a goal thanks to Sidney Crosby.  It is nice to start seeing the power play gel on a more consistent basis without Malkin in the lineup.  Without Malkin in the beginning of his injury, the Pens struggled to create any momentum or chances on it.  Furthermore, the Pens were able to score a short handed goal for their third straight game, as Eric Fehr found an empty net at the end.

Last, their domination in all phases of the game is apparent.  What really stands out, is that they have 5 or more goals in their last five out of six games.  We aren't just beating teams, we are bludgeoning them.  The Penguins return back to action tomorrow night as they face the Ottawa Senators.

https://sports.yahoo.com/news/penguins-build-early-lead-rout-flyers-6-2-000536770--nhl.html