Cup of Joe: Starkey on Sports in 350 words or less

I’m sorry. I can’t watch this anymore. We’re four games in, and I have already seen enough of Bryan Reynolds, Henry Davis, Oneil Cruz and especially Jared Triolo, whom the Pirates seem to have confused with Cal Ripken Jr.

Did Triolo really bat leadoff the other day, or was I hallucinating?

This lineup already needs a jump start. Konnor Griffin is shredding Triple-A. He’s batting .500 with a 1.315 OPS through three games. He is basically the hitting version of Paul Skenes. Get him here by Friday’s home opener against the Baltimore Orioles, if not sooner.

The Indianapolis Indians are in Columbus on Tuesday. That’s only 105 miles from Cincinnati. I’ll drive him there myself. The Pirates are 1-3. They cannot afford another ruinous start, and if they keep wasting excellent pitching performances, that is what’s in store.

Reynolds, the $100 million man, needs to reverse course immediately. He let his team down last season. He’s been awful, with eight strikeouts, one walk and a .167 average.

Cruz has been worse. He’s not a leadoff hitter. He should be batting seventh. He hit like a pitcher the final two months last season and has picked up where he left off. His pitch recognition is a weakness that might never be corrected.

Davis had a big hit Sunday but was back to his old tricks Monday. He’s hitting .182.

Triolo came up in a huge situation in the ninth inning. Down 2-0, the Pirates opened with consecutive walks off shaky reliever Connor Phillips. Triolo probably should have been asked to bunt. But if he was going to hit, he absolutely should have been ordered to take a pitch or two. Instead, he swung at a sweeper so far out of the zone it was headed for Kentucky.

“He couldn’t have hit that one with an oar,” said FS1’s Joe Davis.

“You have a pitcher struggling out there,” added analyst John Smoltz, “and you just hand him strike one.”

Triolo struck out on three pitches, just like Cruz an inning earlier.

The Pirates don’t have a ton of options. I didn’t mention Spencer Horwitz and Marcell Ozuna. They’re a combined 2-for-23. But they do have one option, and it’s an enticing one: Konnor Griffin.

He better be here no later than Friday.