Pittsburgh Pirates Week in Review: Hot vs. Not

The Pittsburgh Pirates are riding a five-game winning streak heading into Monday night’s action against the Chicago Cubs, in large part due to great performances from the starting pitching coupled with a few starting position players knocking the cover off the ball. Maybe the Arizona Diamondbacks can be considered inferior competition, but taking back-to-back games from the Cubs isn’t too shabby. The Pirates have averaged 4.7 runs per game over the last seven games while allowing only 3.3 runs per game. That’s great production from both sides, as Gerrit Cole, Francisco Liriano, and A.J. Burnett are all pitching like aces to start the season.

More from Pirates News

• Pittsburgh Pirates: Potential Leadoff Hitters in 2023
• Pittsburgh Pirates: The Rotation is not being Improved
• Pittsburgh Pirates Make Vince Velasquez Signing Official
• Pittsburgh Pirates: Bob Nutting, Please Sell the Team
• Pittsburgh Pirates: Free Agent Starting Pitchers Still Available

Neil Walker is having arguably the best offensive season so far from anyone in the Pirates starting lineup, yet the rest of the lineup, while surging lately, has struggled for most of the season. Andrew McCutchen continues to fail to produce at a high level, whether that’s because of a lingering injury or not. Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer also aren’t performing to the level that’s expected of them this season. Nonetheless, the Pirates are still three games over .500 heading into Monday night. Let’s first take a look at who’s been hot for the team this past week, and then who hasn’t.

Next: He's baaaaaaack

Apr 25, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher A.J. Burnett (34) throws in the fifth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

HOT

3. A.J. Burnett is back in the Burgh. And when I say back, I mean back to the form the team saw from him in 2012-2013, when Burnett pitched two of the best seasons of his career. Now, he’s back for his final season, and he hasn’t disappointed. Over the last week, Burnett has a 1.38 ERA, giving up two lone runs and no homers over 13 innings and two starts. His strikeouts are down, as he only had five, and the 13 hits he gave up means his low ERA might not be sustainable. But in the end, the production is what matters. Burnett has tended to pitch to contact more in Pittsburgh than he has on any other team in his career, so as he gives up more hits, keep in mind that many of these will be ground balls. Burnett may not pitch to his 2012-2013 form this year, but he should be much better than the time he spent in Philadelphia.

Next: Franky

Apr 26, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Francisco Liriano (47) throws during the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

HOT

2. Francisco Liriano showcased why he may have been the best value starting pitcher signing this past offseason. Over 11.1 innings last week, Liriano pitched to a 2.38 ERA, giving up only three runs on five hits and no home runs in his two starts. But what stood out the most were the 16 strikeouts Liriano had as he blew batters away. He did have eight walks, which is never a good thing, but control has never been Liriano’s specialty. The Pirates need an ace this season, and, right now, the team has three of them at the top of the rotation. On the season Liriano has a 2.22 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP; those are ace numbers to say the least.

Next: The Hometown Kid

Apr 27, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Neil Walker (18) turns a double play during the second inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports

HOT

1. Neil Walker is on fire. Over the last seven days heading into Monday night, Walker is batting .393/.433/.571 with a 1.005 OPS with five doubles and five RBIs. Needless to say, he’s put the offense on his back. During this time, he’s led the team in total bases, RBIs, doubles, and hits, and tied for the team lead in walks. Walker’s been relied upon as a run producer in the middle of the Bucs’ lineup, as the team hasn’t felt comfortable enough to place Pedro Alvarez in that role, and they probably never will. If Walker continues to produce at a high rate in the cleanup spot, Andrew McCutchen may finally get the protection he has been looking for behind him in the lineup since he came into the league.

Next: The Lone Lefty on the Bench

Mar 23, 2015; Port Charlotte, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder

(15) hits a RBI single during the fifth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Charlotte Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

NOT

3. Andrew Lambo secured the last bench spot out of spring training likely because Jaff Decker got injured and because he’s a lefty. He’s the only lefty option off the bench, but he’s no Travis Snider. He has only one hit in 22 at-bats on the season heading into Monday night, and even though he’s made some good contact, he continues to struggle to adjust to major league pitching. He’s had two poor spring trainings the past two seasons and has a career .207 average with just one home run. The past week, Lambo has secured the only hit he’s had this season, but went hit-less in his other nine at-bats, adding three strikeouts and no walks. Lambo has to start hitting soon, and hitting anything at all if he wants to stay at the major league level.

Next: Mark the Shark

Apr 25, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates catcher

(29) and

(35) celebrate after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-1 at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA T-ODAY Sports

NOT

2. Mark Melancon has had his problems early on this season. In 9.1 innings pitched, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ closer has given up six runs on ten hits and has a 5.79 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. Yeah, that’s not good, especially for a closer. Melancon had one of his two blow-ups of the season this past week, giving up three runs in a game against the Cubs in the 9th to blow the save as the Pirates lost 9-8. With his velocity and release point woes, the concern over Melancon may be justified. Since that blow-up, however, Melancon has only given up one hit and one walk over three innings without allowing a run in the process. End results matter most, but all fans will have their eyes on Melancon as the season progresses.

Next: Cutch

Apr 24, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen (22) scores on an RBI double by second baseman Neil Walker (not pictured) during the eighth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

NOT

1. Andrew McCutchen is having a rough start to the season. Management and McCutchen himself have said that he is battling an injury, but that he will continue to battle through it over the course of the season as opposed to dealing with it. Whether this is the right choice or not can be debated. What can’t is the obvious affect this injury is having on the 2013 NL MVP. Over the past week, Cutch is batting a weak .143 with just three hits in 21 at-bats. Just one of those was an extra-base hit, and he had seven strikeouts to four walks. On the season, Cutch is batting .186 and slugging a mere .322 heading into Monday night’s action. He’s had some poor April numbers in the past, but none this bad. Needless to say, if the Pittsburgh Pirates hope to have any chance to go far in October this year, McCutchen needs to produce.

This past week, A.J. Burnett and Francisco Liriano each had two great starts, while Mark Melancon had another uncharacteristic blow-up in the ninth. Neil Walker carried the offense in the sweep of the Diamondbacks, while Andrew Lambo and Andrew McCutchen contributed next to nothing over the five-game winning streak. Baseball is a game of streaks, so expect some of these players to rebound while others will surprise and get hot. I expect another exciting week for the Pittsburgh Pirates coming up.

Next: Pittsburgh Pirates spring cleaning: Rum Bunter Rumblings