If the start of the Pirates season was impressive, the last ten days reminded us of who this team was.
I went to see the Pirates in Pittsburgh on June 11, and that’s when Andrew McCutchen hit his 2,000th hit.
It was also their last victory before the game yesterday, June 23. A small 2-1 snatch victory against the New York Mets. After that it was a disaster.
Losses of 3 to 11, 6 to 10 and 2 to 7 against the Cubs; 4-5, 0-5 and 5-2 against the Brewers; 0 to 8, 0 to 4 and 3 to 8 against the Cubs, then 4 to 6 against the Marlins. When you lose nine games in a row against the teams in your division, it hurts extremely.
And in all this, we can note the catastrophic performance of the launchers. Surprise? Not really. It’s been several seasons that the biggest problem of the Pirates is at the level of pitchers. There is David Bednar, who is very, very good. But he only throws one inning, the ninth.
Starting pitchers aren’t very good. Keller, with an average of 3.45 points allowed, is the *best*. This is not very good news.
Another important point, the Pirates’ attack had a very difficult sequence. To overcome this, the Pirates made some reminders of the minors.
First, it is first Osvaldo Bido, a pitcher. Another pitcher was recalled: Carmen Mlodzinski. But, the biggest recall was that of a hope with great potential: Henry Davis.
First game, first hit for Davis. Then, three days later, a first circuit.
But, the Pirates continued to lose. So they called Nick Gonzales back.
This reminder made a difference, as the Pirates finally won 3 to 1 against the Miami Marlins.
Will the arrival of all these young players have a long-term impact on the team? It is to be continued. But, honestly, I think the Pirates have shown a lot of good things since the start of the season, and that they can continue to win games. At least, I really hope so.
