Pittsburgh Pirates home stand report card for June 8-18

Another Pirates homestand is in the books. Over this ten game stretch, The Pirates were what their 5-5 record says they were; inconsistent.

The homestand started with a four-game weekend set with the awful Miami Marlins. The series began the same way the previous road trip had ended, with disappointment. Gerrit Cole’s run of awful form continued, and the Marlins cruised to a 7-1 win. The next night was little better. Tyler Glasnow pitched himself back to AAA, and the Bucs fell 12-7 in a game that wasn’t even as close as the score would indicate. Saturday looked to be more of the same. Miami jumped out to a 3-0 lead early, and fans prepared for another defeat. The Pirates didn’t quit, however, and eventually clawed their way to a gutsy 7-6 win. Sunday, Pittsburgh managed to pull out a series split, as Ivan Nova stood out in a 3-1 W.

Up next were the National League leading Colorado Rockies. The series began Monday night, and it was a memorable occasion. Jameson Taillon returned to the mound just five weeks after starting treatment for testicular cancer. Taillon pitched well, shutting out the potent Rockies lineup thru five innings of work. The Pirates offense showed up as well, scoring seven times, and Pittsburgh sailed to a 7-2 win.

Tuesday, the Stanley Cup made it’s way to PNC Park, and the Bucs kept on rolling. Two home runs from Andrew McCutchen propelled the Pirates to a 5-2 win. Pittsburgh was not able to complete the sweep Wednesday night, as the Rockies won 5-1 in what was an offensive dud by the Pirate offense.

After an off-day Thursday, the team returned to PNC Park Friday to start a key three-game set with the hated Cubs. Pittsburgh’s ninth-inning woes continued in the series opener. The Bucs took a 4-3 led into the final frame, but Juan Nicasio was unable to shut the door. The Cubbies exploded for six runs in the ninth and came away with a 9-5 win.

Saturday, the Pirates again took a 4-3 lead into the ninth inning. This time, they kept it, as Felipe Rivero shut the door. Sadly, The last game of the might have been the worst. The Bucs were awful on the mound, in the field and at the plate, losing 7-1 in a contest that seemed even worse than that score would indicate.

Overall, the past ten games were a mixed bag. Here is a breakdown of what the Pirates did right and wrong in key aspects of the game, using a report card format. Let’s get into it.