Offense Continues to Battle, Leads to Second Win of the Season
Throughout the first five games of the season, the main focus of the Pirates struggles has been their pitching staff, and particularly their bullpen. However, for as bad as the bullpen has been, the offense has been that good over the first week of the season. They were the stars once again orchestrating a four-run come from behind victory in the last three innings to move to 2-3 on the year. Six of their right rubs came over the last three innings of the ball game and saved the Pirates from what could have been a disastrous 1-4 start. The bullpen then came out and held the lead with Nick Burdi picking up his first Major League save.
Over the first five games of the season, the offense has done their part scoring runs in bunches. Over those first five games, the offense has put up four or more runs in four of the five games. Power hasn't been a major factor with the team with only five combined home runs, three of which coming from Colin Moran. However, they have been doing it by stringing together hits and driving in runners. The offense has also been coming from people other than the team's stars. Josh Bell and Bryan Reynolds have been slow out of the gate, but the bench players have been the ones leading the way. A look at the offensive leader boards shows Phillip Evans (.400) and John Ryan Murphy (.400) leading the way.
This is a recipe for success because the Pirates are showing that they don't necessarily "go as their stars go." They have other guys in the lineup who can step up and carry the team when the stars are struggling. When Bell and Reynolds get going, this will add another dimension to the Pirates lineup. Now, let's look at the men who have led the way for the Bucs in the early part of the season. We will also look to see if that success is sustainable or if they are going to show any regression as the season moves forward.
Colin Moran:
Without Colin Moran in the starting lineup over these first five games, there is a very good chance the Pirates are at 1-5 right now. The Redbeard has been on fire to start the season hitting .353 with three home runs and four RBI. Not only is he picking up hits at a high rate, but he is also coming through in clutch situations when the Pirates need him. He jump started the offense with his first home run of the season in the team's 5-1 win on Sunday and has consistently been reaching base with an on-base percentage of .421. He leads the team with six hits this season, with four of those going for extra-bases.
His biggest day came in the Pirates home opener as he went 2-4 with two RBI in the team's 6-5 extra-inning loss. It was the first multi-home run game of Moran's career and both home runs came in big situations. His first came in the bottom of the 2nd following the rain delay and gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead. It was big because it allowed reliever Chad Kuhl to work with a lead in his first game back rather than having to try and keep the Brewers off the board in a scoreless game. His second home run of the day came after the Brewers tied things at 1-1 in the top of the seventh. With one out, Moran deposited his third home run of the season into the Allegheny river giving the Pirates a 2-1 lead and starting what would be a four-run rally.
Moran worked with hitting coach Rick Eckstein in the off-season on a new approach at the plate and it seems to be paying off. He was told to not be timid with two strikes and let it fly if he sees his pitch. He has taken this to heart no matter what the count and is becoming much more aggressive at the plate. This has shown through early in the season, as you see Moran swinging more often at the plate. While this may lead to some more strikeouts for the infielder, I think that it will also add to his power numbers. Moran should be able to sustain this success throughout the season and not only continue picking up those extra-base hits but start hitting the ball out of the ballpark more often.
Phillip Evans
One of the surprises for the Pirates entering the 2020 season has been the performance of infielder Phillip Evans. Before the shutdown, it was unlikely that Evans was going to make the Opening Day roster. However, he broke out during Spring Training 2.0 and basically swung his way onto the team. He continues to swing a hot bat through the start of the regular season hitting .400 with two RBI in his first three games played. The two RBI already tie his career totals from the previous two seasons, and even when he makes outs he is making hard contact. He has come up with big hits in two of those three games that have eventually led to both of the Pirates wins this season.
His first big hit came on Sunday in St. Louis, when he had the best game of his Major League career. He went 3-4 with one RBI and his biggest at-bat came in his last plate appearance of the day. He came up with two outs and a runner on first and lined an RBI double to the base of the left-field wall to give the Pirates a big insurance run in their 5-1 win. His other big hit of the year came last night during the team's six-run rally to beat the Milwaukee Brewers. With two outs and two on, Evans grounded a ball up the middle scoring Kevin Newman and tying the game at 6-6. He hustled into second with an acrobatic slide and gave the Pirates a chance with two in scoring position and two outs.
Evans is still a young guy, so it is hard to tell whether or not he will be able to keep up the consistency at the Major League level. He had success throughout his Minor League career, gaining more power each season, but that power has not quite translated to the Major League level. He is off to a hot start and soon might force manager Derek Shelton to put him in the lineup more often. With the DH in the National League, he will have more opportunities to play third base with Moran DHing. Only time will tell how the transition to the Majors will fully go for Evans, but as of right now he is having lots of success with the Bucs.
John Ryan Murphy
One of the surprise breakout players for the Pirates has been back-up catcher John Ryan Murphy. He has appeared in three games, two starts, for the Pirates, and is hitting .400 with an RBI in his first three games and is tied for fourth on the team in hits. While he has been hitting the ball well, it is his patience that has helped him drive in his only RBI of the season. He got the start behind the plate in last night's 8-6 win over Milwaukee and caught the 9-1 loss at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday. He had a hit in both games and showed strong plate discipline in his biggest at-bat with the Bucs.
It came during the team's 9-1 loss to St. Louis and provided the only run of the game for Pittsburgh in the top of the 2nd. Murphy came to the plate with the bases loaded and one out with a chance to do some damage. After falling behind 0-1, he battled back and worked the count full and fouled off a tough pitch to stay alive. He was able to draw the bases-loaded walk and tie the game at 1-1. He would also try and start a rally for the Pirates later in the inning when he hit a leadoff single, but nothing would come of it. Murphy has also been playing solid defense behind the plate and is a good back-up option for Stallings.
That being said, the success is probably going to be hard to maintain for Murphy being that he is a back-up catcher. He doesn't get the opportunity to get into any sort of a rhythm, but when he is in there he is still looking to produce at a high-level. He has experience playing with teams around the MLB on both ends of the spectrum and his main job is to help Stallings in his development. The offensive success has been a welcome treat for Shelton and the Pirates, but in terms of sustained success, I see his average dropping down to somewhere in the low to mid .200s by season's end.
The Pittsburgh Pirates wrap up their three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers tonight at 7:05 pm at PNC Park. Joe Musgrove (0-1) makes his second start of the season for Pittsburgh going against Brandon Woodruff (0-1) for the Brewers. You can watch the game on AT&T Sports Net or listen on 93.7 The Fan as the Pirates look to win their first series of the year.
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