Jake Arietta proved that his insane second half numbers were no fluke. The Pirates couldn't do anything with him and lost the wild card game to the Cubs.
Of course, that's sparked a lot of complaints that the one-game wild card play-in is unfair. There didn't seem a lot of sentiment in that direction two years ago when the Pirates dispatched the Reds in the wild card round.
Nobody much cared that the Reds were suddenly heading home after a successful season. People were probably too busy chanting Johnny Cueto's name and fighting with Mat Latos' wife to think much about the Reds.
Of course, the Reds only won 90 games that season and were a true wild card. Their record wouldn't have won any of the six divisions.
The Pirates won 98 games this season, and their record would have led any division other than the National League Central.
The obvious answer is the one the Pirates emphasized all season: Avoid the wild card round. That was too big a task in a season that saw the Cardinals win 100 games. The other solution is to win the wild card game. That didn't happen because Arietta continued the incredible pitching that characterized the second half of his season.
It's all spilled milk now, but take a look at his numbers from the middle of June through the rest of the season: 16-1 with a 0.86 earned run average. Opponents batted .150 against him, had an on-base percentage of .200 and slugged .210. Arietta walked 17 batters and struck out 147. In his 147 innings, he allowed two home runs.
Even in a best-of-three wild card series, the Cubs would have been halfway toward winning with one Arietta start.
The best of three isn't really workable anyway. The season ends on Sunday. MLB keeps Monday open in case any division ends up in a tie and needs a one-game playoff.
They'd have to block out four days to play a potential three-game series. That means the division series wouldn't open until Sunday, which would keep the division winners idle for a full week after the end of the regular season.
So one and done is going to continue. Cubs fans have no problem with it, just as Pirates fans didn't in 2013.
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--NEW WAVE
The Seattle Mariners fired Lloyd McClendon as manager after two seasons, one pretty good and one hugely disappointing.
McClendon was doomed as soon as the man who hired him, Jack Zduriencik, was fired in September. New GM Jerry DiPoto wants his own man, and that manager will appreciate analytics more than McClendon did.
One of the overlooked stories with the Pirates is how smoothly Clint Hurdle has embraced the implementation of modern metrics. Hurdle is 58 and profiles as old school, but he's on board with the latest ways of doing things.
A lot of managers from his generation might roll their eyes at the spreadsheets and ridicule the non-athletes who produce them. .
A previous administration in Cleveland referred to the new age analysts as "propeller heads" as they scurried around the Indians offices with their latest revelations. Hurdle hasn't done that.
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--ALVAREZ AGONY
Bob Sproule is a devoted but discerning fan of Pittsburgh sports who writes a blog called The Grandstander.
He raises the question of whether any local athlete has inspired as much consistent commentary as Pedro Alvarez. He sort of answers his own question by noting that technology makes it much easier for more people to have their say.
Sometimes a ground ball will skip past Alvarez and someone will Tweet a woe-is-us message before the official scorer can even crack the microphone to say, "Error, first base."
There are many more opportunities for fans to vent, even if they don't want to stay on hold to call 24-hour sports talk stations. Alvarez gives them plenty of material.
The Internet may have fried if it had been around in the days when Terry (Bradshaw) vs. Terry (Hanratty) for Steelers quarterback was the hot debate.
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