Pirates Outperforming Early Season Expectations In Mid-April
Before the season began, the Pittsburgh Pirates had already been counted out from being anything that resembles a competitive team. The start of the season also warranted some of these claims as the Pirates stumbled to a 1-6 record out of the gates, and nothing was looking like it would go right for the Pirates. Las Vegas's over/under of 58.5 wins, which I still think is ridiculous, was looking more and more like a possibility. I'll admit even I started to have doubts about my 71-91 prediction and started rethinking if this team could really be that bad. However, they were in front of their home crowd for the first time in over a year and fed off that energy as they tried to prove the doubters wrong.
As of late, they have been doing just that, and they haven't lost a series since they played the Cincinnati Reds from April 5th to April 7th. Their record since that series has been 6-3 and they are outscoring their opponents by a score of 46-35 during this nine-game stretch. There are a lot of things that have contributed to this success, in a team effort to keep the Pirates record right around the .500 mark. While they haven't made any headway in the NL Central standing, sitting in fourth ahead of the Chicago Cubs, they are showing that there is some young talent here in Pittsburgh. Even though they are having this early success, they still aren't going to compete for a playoff a lot but it creates hope for a brighter future. Today, we take a look at what has helped the Pirates surprise teams early and how they can keep playing competitive games throughout the season.
The Offense Carrying Team
One of the big driving forces of the team's recent success has been their offense's ability to drive in runs. They have helped bail the pitching staff out on a few occasions during this stretch, and have done enough to battle and keep their team ahead in games. Particularly, the work done by the middle of the Pirates order has helped the team score runs. Colin Moran's new approach is working for the second season in a row, and Bryan Reynolds has seemed to have found his swing making a dangerous three/four combination in the middle of the Pirate's order. However, there have been some other unlikely surprises helping the Pirate's offensive game. Guys like Erik Gonzalez and Phillip Evans have each also stepped up during this run to help the Pirates score some timely runs.
The 2020 season was the worst for Reynolds in his professional career, and he said it was because his timing was off. The outfielder had hit .300 or better at every level of professional baseball but had a .189 batting average by season's end last year. However, Reynolds is back this season, hitting .317 with two home runs and seven RBI. However, he has really turned it on as of late, hitting .304 with a home run and four RBI over his last seven games leading the Pirates to success. With Moran, this success has been happening since he changed his approach last season. He is the top producer for the Pirates right now, hitting .298 with four home runs and 13 RBI as he is working to spread the ball out to all fields rather than just pulling the ball. However, these two can't do it alone, and they have been getting support from guys throughout the lineup.
The biggest supporting player to the middle of the lineup has been infielder/outfielder Phillip Evans. Since the Ke'Bryan Hayes injury, Evans has taken full advantage of his opportunities, hitting .275 with three home runs and five RBI through 51 at-bats. Evans burst onto the scene in 2020, but a fractured jaw quickly ended his season. He is showing his hot start wasn't a fluke and is forcing Manager Derek Shelton to find ways to get him into the lineup. Another player who has taken advantage of his opportunities has been Erik Gonzalez. Kevin Newman has been slow out of the gate, and Gonzalez has been taking advantage. Over his last seven games, Gonzalez has hit .360 with four RBI and is earning more and more playing time for the team. The offense has been one factor in this recent success, but the starting rotation has been more consistent as well giving them chances to win games.
Pirates Go As The Pitching Goes
In the early part of the 2021 season, the Pirates seem to go as their starter goes, feeding off the energy either way. When the starting pitcher turns in a good outing, the team has been rewarding him. However, when the outing isn't so good, the Pirates are having a hard time battling back from early deficits. The Pirates have seen their fair share of both kinds of starts this season, but as of late, the pitching has begun to take baby steps forward. The pitching has allowed 35 runs during this 6-3 stretch, allowing an average of 3.8 runs per game. As the starters begin to stretch out, they are starting to eat up some more innings, saving a bullpen that has been mightily overtaxed in the early part of the year.
One of the early surprises in that Pirate's starting rotation has been second-year man JT Brubaker. Brubaker made his Major League debut last season and posted ok numbers going 1-3 with a 4.94 ERA over 47.1 innings of work. The 2018 Pirates Organization Pitcher of the Year came into camp this season looking to earn his first spot in the Opening Day rotation, and he did just that. He has taken full advantage of that opportunity so far, going 2-0 with a 1.76 ERA over his first three starts. He has walked just five in 15.1 innings while striking out 18 batters so far. However, his last start really showed that he can handle the Big Leagues as he got into several high pressured situations and kept the Pirates ahead. He seems to have a new attitude this year and is showing he can own a Major League mound.
On the other hand, one of the most disappointing members of the rotation so far has been Mitch Keller. Aside from his one good start against the Chicago Cubs, things have been pretty bad for the 25-year-old pitcher. Through three starts, he has gone 1-2 with an 8.74 ERA over 11.1 innings of work and has been pounded early on. His last start was his worst yet as he went 3.1 innings of work while giving up seven earned runs on nine hits while walking three and striking out one. Much like fellow rotation member Chad Kuhl, a lot of Keller's struggles have come in the first inning. He has an 18.00 ERA in that first inning but had settled down after that. The Pirates have gone as their rotation has gone, and while it is leading to success now, this is probably a trend that will continue for the rest of the season.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (7-9) have an off day on Monday but will return to action tomorrow in their first interleague series when they take on the Detroit Tigers (6-10) at 6:40 pm. Tyler Anderson (1-2, 4.02) looks to continue his consistent approach on the mound for the Pirates as he takes on Michael Fulmer (1-0, 3.00) for the Tigers. You can watch the game live on AT&T Sportsnet, listen on 93.7 The Fan, or follow along with us on Twitter at @Buccos_Cove.
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