Pirates Kick-off Final Homestand vs. Cardinals: What to Expect
It has been a rough stretch for the Pirates over their final 20 games of the 2020 season. After a dismal 4-16 start, the Pirates looked like they were going to turn things around going 10-10 over their next 20 games. However, since then things have gone downhill for the Bucs as they have lost each of their last eight games and currently sit at 14-34 with the worst record in Major League Baseball. With 12 games remaining in the season, the Pirates need to win six of those games to get to 20 wins and have a respectable record. However, the road will not be easy as they have to face the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, and Cleveland Indians to end the season.
They kick off their final homestand of 2020 with a five-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals, who sit in third place in the National League Central Division. For the Cardinals, this five-game series could mean the difference between making the expanded playoff field or going home empty-handed at the end of the season. For the Pirates, it is a chance to play spoiler, as they give their young guys a chance to prove themselves at the end of the season. These five games could completely change the course of the National League playoffs, and the Pirates could help determine who's in and who's out. Here is what to expect as the series kicks off.
Ride The Coat Tails of the Young Guns
Despite the Pirates record this season, they have had some great individual performances. Guys like Chris Stratton, Erik Gonzalez, and Jacob Stallings have all been under the radar guys who have performed really well. To go along with their success, are a class of young guys who have come up and electrified this Pirates team. Guys like Ke'Bryan Hayes, JT Brubaker, and Blake Cederlind have all came up and made an impact and it is these guys that the Pirates will rely on once again. They are playing for the chance to earn a spot on next year's club, and that is enough to get any player going.
The biggest impact coming from a young guy has been the play of third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes. He made his MLB debut against the Chicago Cubs on September 1st and went 2-5 with a home run and two RBI. Since then, he has taken the team by storm hitting .304 with two home runs and five RBI entering play on Thursday night. Not only is he hitting the ball well, but he is doing it with runners in scoring position. He has a .286 batting average with runners in scoring position, which is higher than any other scenario he has been in. The pressure doesn't seem to get to Hayes as he shows natural ability, having not committed a fielding error and having made some spectacular plays in the field.
The other two surprises come on the pitching staff in the form of Cederlind and Brubaker. Cederlind made his Major League debut a few days ago against the Cincinnati Reds and threw a scoreless sixth inning, inducing two groundouts and a flyout. He featured both a four-seam fastball and a slider and showed his velocity hitting in the upper 90's for most of the night. In the starting rotation, Brubaker and Cody Ponce have been the two standout rookies. Brubaker just pitched against the Reds and had a solid outing allowing one run over 5.1 innings while striking out four. However, the one you will probably see is Ponce who is 1-1 with a 3.18 ERA and made his first MLB start against the Cardinals. He lasted 5.2 innings giving up five hits while walking two and striking out three. These young guys performing well will be key to the Pirate's success in this series.
Bats Need to Wake Up
One of the major problems for the Pirates over their current eight-game losing streak is the team's lack of offensive production. Over their last eight games, the Pirates have been outscored 47-14, including last night's 1-0 shutout at the hands of the Cincinnati Reds. They are averaging just 1.8 runs per game while allowing 5.9 runs per game to the Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, and Cincinnati Reds. One of the big problems has been the underperformance of guys like Josh Bell, Gregory Polanco, and Kevin Newman. All have batting averages below the .250 mark and have struggled for most of the year.
The biggest gash in the Pirates lineup has been Polanco, who undoubtedly has gone through a lot this season. He had about with COVID-19 during Spring Training 2.0 and had to miss substantial time. Still, he is entering Thursday's game hitting just .135 with five home runs and 16 RBI. He has been tardy on too many fastballs this year, and it has led to him striking out in 41.6% of his at-bats this season. Polanco has been a streaky hitter throughout his career, but the tardiness and the lack of overall contact are really concerning for Polanco's future. Hopefully, for his sake and the Pirate's sake, he can break through against the Cardinals, a team that he has only hit .125 against in his career.
Guys like Josh Bell and Kevin Newman started to show signs of life prior to the eight-game losing streak, but Newman has since fizzled out while Bell is thriving. Since the eight-game hitting streak, Bell has hit .478 with three home runs and four RBI and has been hitting the ball very hard. He had two home runs in the series with the Royals and one against the Reds. However, Newman has been the opposite way hitting just .150 going 3-20 at the plate. Last season, Newman was in competition for a batting title, but that offense has seemed to disappear this season. If the Pirates are going to be successful against the Cardinals, the offense is going to have to be a driving force.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (14-34) get set to open a five-game home series with the St. Louis Cardinals (22-23) tonight at 7:05 pm. Steven Brault (0-3, 5.06) tries to get back on track for the Pirates going against Dakota Hudson (3-2, 2.92). You can watch the game on AT&T Sportsnet or listen live on 93.7 The Fan as the Pirates get set to kick-off their final homestand of the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season.
Comments
Post a Comment