Pittsburgh Pirates report card for week of May 8-14

Analysis: Another Pittsburgh Pirates road trip is in the books, and it was an eventful one. Pittsburgh invaded the west coast this past week for three games with the LA Dodgers, and four more with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Things could have gone better, as the Bucs went an inauspicious 2-5 on the trip.

The stretch ended on a high note, however. The Pittsburgh Pirates took their last two games in Arizona, first with a 4-3 win Saturday night, followed by a thrilling 6-4 10-inning victory Sunday evening.

The biggest storyline for the week was the awful news about Jameson Taillon, as the world learned Monday that the promising young pitcher was in treatment for testicular cancer. There is no telling when Jameson will be back, but his illness is a matter that goes far beyond baseball, and long-term health is the most important thing to think about.

Here is a deeper breakdown of how the Pirates performed this past week, as this article will go over the key facets of the game, and how the Pirates performed in them. Like all things in baseball, it starts with pitching. Therefore, that is the grade that will come first on the agenda.