Pittsburgh Pirates: The Latest Installment of “Most Important PNC Park Series Ever”

It’s the white unicorn for PNC Park, a late August series that means a whole lot. The St. Louis Cardinals roll into town tonight for a three game tilt with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and for once it has serious implications.

The Pirates won’t be trying to get a look at young players.  The youngsters are in a dogfight with their backs in the corner.  The team is having their worst month of the season.  Their superstar is mired in a slump, but Hurdle still has him in the lineup.  The team’s stopper is on  the mound, looking to rebound to his earlier form.

The Pittsburgh Pirates score early and often for A.J. Burnett – let’s trust that happens tonight. The Bucs have plated 24 first inning runs for the 15-game winner this season. A quick start is exactly what the Pirates need tonight.

The team has been outscored in the first inning at a wicked pace–90-59. It’s pretty crazy to think the Bucs have scored 24 runs for A.J. and just 35 for the rest of their starters.

Once again, Clint Barmes finds himself with a seat on the bench as Josh Harrison will get the start at shortstop tonight. Harrison has four hits in his past eleven at-bats and is hitting .267 against right handers while Clint Barmes hits just .202 against righties. In his last eight games at PNC, #AlwaysSmooth has gone 8-for-28 (.286) with eight RBI and four multi-hit efforts.

We started playing around with infographics.  It sucks, but we are starting to get the feel for it–if you like that stuff let us know.