After 44 games the Pirates should feel lucky to be 20-24. With an ERA ranking fourth in the major leagues, pitching has been the savior for the Bucs thus far. The Pirates currently rank dead last in runs scored, RBIs, team average, walks and on base percentage in all of the major leagues.
Not to mention they have struckout more than any team in the league. Obviously the runs scored is of the most concern, but with an average of less than 3 runs per outing, the Red Sox and Rangers have more than doubled the run production of the Pirates.
The lack of runs can be contributed to a few factors. First, ranking dead last in walks is not a good start. Even after they do draw a walk, the Bucs have only 19 stolen bases on the season and are not getting runners into scoring position. Add in the strikeouts mixed with the league low in team average, and it becomes even harder when runners actually do reach scoring position.
Pittsburgh fans will say that the talent just isn't there. I will agree and disagree with that. Andrew McCutchen has shown he is certainly a star and has been driving in runs at an outstanding mark this month. However the rest of the lineup just isn't showing up night in and night out. Neil Walker is having a down season, but he is still batting .313 with runners in scoring position in a limited amount of oppurtunities. Cutch and Walker average less than 1 at bat per game with runners in scoring positon, which is god awful. When your best hitters come to the plate without a chance to drive in runs it certainly affects your production. This can attributed to the fact that other than Josh Harrison (.274 average in 26 at bats) only Walker and McCutchen are batting above .221 on the entire team. These numbers are strikingly horrible, and there isn't many options in the minor leagues for the Bucs either.
Clint Hurdle must find a way to give Cutch and Walker more run scoring at bats. Jose Tabata has been very disappointing this season and must find a way to reach base to use his speed on the basepads. Josh Harrison has been a bright spot lately for the Pirates, but his hot streak won't last forever. Pedro Alvarez has cooled down from the home run streak he was once on, while Barmes and Barajas are what we thought the were. Management has repeatedly said they will keep Starling Marte in AAA, but they desperately need a spark at this point in the season. Marte would add great speed and let's be honest here, could he possibly do any worse than what McClouth and Presley have done so far?
The Pirates hitting woes are not an easy fix. It will take Clint Hurdle and the rest of the coaching staff a whole lot of practice and film study to solve their hitting problems. If they continue to hit at this rate, the Pirates are in for a very long season.
The lack of runs can be contributed to a few factors. First, ranking dead last in walks is not a good start. Even after they do draw a walk, the Bucs have only 19 stolen bases on the season and are not getting runners into scoring position. Add in the strikeouts mixed with the league low in team average, and it becomes even harder when runners actually do reach scoring position.
Pittsburgh fans will say that the talent just isn't there. I will agree and disagree with that. Andrew McCutchen has shown he is certainly a star and has been driving in runs at an outstanding mark this month. However the rest of the lineup just isn't showing up night in and night out. Neil Walker is having a down season, but he is still batting .313 with runners in scoring position in a limited amount of oppurtunities. Cutch and Walker average less than 1 at bat per game with runners in scoring positon, which is god awful. When your best hitters come to the plate without a chance to drive in runs it certainly affects your production. This can attributed to the fact that other than Josh Harrison (.274 average in 26 at bats) only Walker and McCutchen are batting above .221 on the entire team. These numbers are strikingly horrible, and there isn't many options in the minor leagues for the Bucs either.
Clint Hurdle must find a way to give Cutch and Walker more run scoring at bats. Jose Tabata has been very disappointing this season and must find a way to reach base to use his speed on the basepads. Josh Harrison has been a bright spot lately for the Pirates, but his hot streak won't last forever. Pedro Alvarez has cooled down from the home run streak he was once on, while Barmes and Barajas are what we thought the were. Management has repeatedly said they will keep Starling Marte in AAA, but they desperately need a spark at this point in the season. Marte would add great speed and let's be honest here, could he possibly do any worse than what McClouth and Presley have done so far?
The Pirates hitting woes are not an easy fix. It will take Clint Hurdle and the rest of the coaching staff a whole lot of practice and film study to solve their hitting problems. If they continue to hit at this rate, the Pirates are in for a very long season.
Posted by Rick Bauer
Follow Rick on his twitter @RickMBauer
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