Pirates Welcome Brewers Back to PNC Park: What to Expect
The Pittsburgh Pirates have not had an easy time of it as of late struggling in their last series against the Cleveland Indians and dealing with several off days the week before due to COVID-19 complications with both the Reds and Cardinals. However, things don't get much easier for the Pirates, as they start a stretch where they will play the Milwaukee Brewers in seven of the next nine games. That is not a recipe for success since the Brewers have owned the Pirates over the last several seasons, including taking two out of three games in a series earlier this season. The Pirates have lost eight of the last nine games to the Brewers and only have four wins since June 1st of last season.
With the offense struggling and the bullpen not yet finding their groove, a lot is going to have to go right for the Pirates to be successful this time around. The only real thing going in their favor is that the series is in Pittsburgh and not Milwaukee. All four of the Pirates wins in that stretch since June 1st, 2019, have come at PNC Park and the Pirates are hoping that can conjure up some of that home cooking magic to get some semblance of competitive baseball. To do so, the offense is going to have to support a starting pitching staff that has actually been pretty good this year. As we get ready for tonight's series opener, here is a look at what to expect from this three-game series.
What Happened Last Time
The last time the Pirates and Brewers matched up was during the first week of the season. The Pirates were opening up the home half of their schedule and were coming off some momentum after taking the final game of a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Pirates bats came out swinging and put up a combined 13 runs in the first two games of the series. Normally, that would be enough to win both games, but the Pirates ended up going just 1-1 in those two games with an extra-inning loss and an 8-6 come from behind victory. The last game of the series saw all the offense disappear as the Pirates got shut out 3-0.
Colin Moran was the one driving the offense in the series going 2-9 with two home runs and four RBI in the three games. Both home runs came in the Pirates home opener marking the third straight season that Moran has homered in the Pirates home opener. Phillip Evans was the other top performer in the series going 2-6 with a home run and an RBI. His home run came in the Pirates 8-6 victory in game two of the series and was the first of his big league career. Unfortunately, Evans is out for the rest of the season, and Moran has cooled off considerably since that series. The Pirates will be looking for someone to lead the offense this time around if they will be successful.
Another thing that kept the Pirates in all three games was the performance of the team's starting pitchers. Joe Musgrove, Derek Holland, and the combination of Steven Brault and Chad Kuhl each turned in quality starts during the series. Bault and Kuhl's was the most impressive of the three stars as they went a combined 5.2 innings of work allowing four hits while walking four and striking out five. Those quality starts kept the team within striking distance and kept the team in all three of the games. Unfortunately, things didn't go the Pirates way and the team has gotten just two wins since that series.
Time to Ring The Bell
For the Pirates to be successful in this series, their offense is going to have to be one of the driving factors. It helped the Bucs score 13 runs in the first series of the year and will be what can keep them in the series this time around. In that series, Josh Bell's bat was almost non-existent as he went just 2-13 with no RBI. When the Pirates need a quick turn around it usually comes because Bell is getting hot. However, Bell has been in a month-long slump and just hasn't looked himself at the plate. Part of the problem is he doesn't have any protection in the lineup and is getting nothing to hit, but the other part seems to be because he just doesn't look comfortable in the batter's box.
Over his last seven games, Bell is hitting just .179 with six RBI, two walks, and ten strikeouts. Whether it is the fact that he is trying to do too much or he just doesn't have his timing, he needs to get back on track. If the Pirates are in total rebuild mode, Bell is their biggest trade chip. Right now, he has no trade value right now and is over a year removed from the performance that made him an all-star last season. He is chasing more than he ever has in his professional career with a chase percentage of 32.8% of the time. Sometimes he can bail himself out by making contact with those pitches, but even that isn't helping him this season. His chase contact percentage is just 43.9%, also the lowest in his career.
The last two seasons for Bell have not been kind to him against the Brewers. He hit just .111 against them last season and this season he has raised that slightly to .153. However, in 2018 Bell hit .265 with two home runs and seven RBI. He hopes to channel his 2018 style and get his team back on track. Guys like Moran and Erik Gonzalez have since cooled down and the Pirates need someone to step up. If Bell is going to be the veteran leader for this team, he is going to have to find a way to be the man again and step into that clean-up hitter role that he belongs in.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (4-17) kick-off their three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers (11-11) tonight at 7:05 pm. Chad Kuhl (0-1, 3.21) takes the mound for the Pirates in his third start of the season against a starter to be determined for the Milwaukee Brewers. You can watch the game on AT&T Sportsnet or listen to all the action on 93.7 The Fan.
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