Francisco Liriano gives up 10 runs in blowout loss

I didn't watch a lot of this one. I admit it! It's too bad, too. I've always wanted to see Josh Harrison pitching. It's right up there on my Things To Check Out list, along with Steve Forbes acting, Trevor Bauer rapping, and Hawk Harrelson talking.

Anyway, Francisco Liriano got tagged with 10 runs, which is probably less interesting than what Clint Hurdle had to say about it afterward.

Hurdle said he told Liriano to "Just flush it." "You don’t psychoanalyze it, you don’t overcook it," Hurdle said.

This is what we in the writing biz call a "mixed metaphor," and a rather unfortunate one. We should, apparently, not want Clint Hurdle writing, any more than we would want, say, George Saunders managing.

We are, presumably, not supposed to think too hard about why, exactly, we are considering cooking something that we should have flushed, or what smell that would produce, or exactly how overcooked it would have to get before we would no longer consider eating it. But I'll give Hurdle this -- if we do think too hard about these things, then psychoanalysis probably is the next step.

Anyway, the Pirates had four hits in the first inning and didn't score. Then Liriano allowed five runs in the bottom of the first, and four in the bottom of the second. Starling Marte had four hits and a walk, and didn't score once, thanks in part to a caught stealing. That's most of what you need to know, isn't it? Liriano has been great this year. Return him to a normal altitude, and he'll probably be fine. The Pirates have been great this year, too. They'll probably come back tomorrow and be fine. As for the rest? Just flush it.