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.

Starting Pitching

The starting pitchers had their share of ups and downs in the west.

It started Monday night with an awful performance from Taillon’s replacement, Trevor Williams, who allowed six first-inning runs in a 12-1 Dodger rout. Tuesday was more encouraging, as the Bucs got a usual solid outing from Ivan Nova, who allowed two runs in 6 and 1/3. Wednesday saw more mediocrity from Chad Kuhl, who allowed four earned runs over five innings as the Dodgers completed a three-game sweep. The Pirates offense wasted another Gerrit Cole gem Thursday in a 2-1 loss to the D-Backs.

The most disconcerting outing came Friday night in Arizona. After two consecutive promising performances, it looked like Tyler Glasnow might be turning a corner. The tall righty took a step back, however, allowing seven runs in a nightmare third inning as the Bucs were pounded, 11-4.

In my mind, Saturday’s performance by Williams was the most impressive of the road trip. In five innings of work, Williams did his job, allowing one run and giving the Pirates a great chance to end their six-game losing streak, which they did. On Sunday, Nova did not have his best stuff. But he battled through six innings of three-run ball, and most importantly, gave Pittsburgh a chance to win.

This week saw some good, bad and ugly from the Pirates starting pitching. Since there was no set pattern, I think a solid C is a fair grade for the Bucco arms.

Overall Grade: C

Bullpen

It was not an easy week for the Bucco bullpen.

On Monday, a horrid start from Trevor Williams forced the ‘pen into action early, as they logged five innings of work, all after the outcome was a formality. The next night, what should have been remembered for Felipe Rivero’s clutch performance turned into a crushing 4-3 extra-inning defeat in which defense was to blame (I’m talking about you, Gregory). After an uneventful series finale in LA Wednesday, the bullpen got much-needed rest Thursday in Arizona, when Gerrit Cole logged seven innings.

The worst experience for the Bucco bullpen came Friday, as Glasnow’s shelling led to the bullpen logging 6 2/3 innings of work. Saturday and Sunday were easy either, as the ‘pen logged four innings in each game.

For all that the bullpen had to go through, they did not do a bad job and did not deserve blame for any of the five losses on the trip. They also significantly contributed to the wins on Saturday and Sunday. So overall, there isn’t a whole lot bad to say about the Bucco bullpen. Oh, and that Rivero guy is pretty solid too.

Overall Grade: C+

Defense

Without question, the Pirates have been a horrific defensive team this season. With that said, there was some good to take out of this road trip in the field.

On Sunday, defense was a huge reason why Pittsburgh picked up a much needed W. Great plays by Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer kept the Bucs in the game. Given all the negative that has come from the Pirate gloves in 2017, Sunday’s game was great to see.

Sadly, defensive issues still plagued the Pirates this past week, as evidenced by the ninth inning of Tuesday’s contest with the Dodgers. With one out and Tony Watson trying to lock down a 3-2 lead, Corey Seager came to the plate. The LA shortstop hit a line drive to right fielder Gregory Polanco that should have been out number two. But El Coffee misplayed it, and Seager wound up on first base. This led to the Dodgers tying the game and eventually, winning 4-3 in 10 innings.

The Pirates are probably not going to turn into a sound defensive team in 2017. So, all we can do as fans is hope to see as many flashes of brilliance as possible, while limiting the number of gaffes that can be the difference between winning and losing.

Overall Grade: D

Managing

Despite the Pirates struggles, I can’t be too hard on the job Hurdle has done this season. Many things happened that were way out of the skipper’s control, and he’s doing what he can with what he has. That said, one thing that Hurdle does have control over and is messing up is his (should be) first baseman.

Josh Bell has great offensive potential. He is also making strides defensively. So considering that one would think that he should be the Pirates first baseman all day every day, right? Well, Hurdle seems to disagree.

This season, Bell has been continually benched during games for underwhelming figures like John Jaso and Jose Osuna, neither of whom is significantly better than Bell is in the field. The worst part about Hurdle’s bizarre strategy is that it is no way to build his confidence.

If Bell either wasn’t getting better on defense or if the Pirates had a considerably better fielder also playing first base, that would be one thing. But neither of those theories is the case, so Hurdle’s managing of Bell is strange at best, enraging at worst.

Another point I would like to touch on is that Hurdle nearly cost his team the game Sunday when for some reason, he decided to have the struggling Daniel Hudson start the eighth inning. Hudson promptly walked three men, which led to the tying run scoring.

Clint Hurdle will always be a great motivator and a loveable guy. But his on-field managing is questionable, and that is on full display with the curious case of Josh Bell.

Overall Grade: C

Overall Thoughts

The Pittsburgh Pirates sit at last place in the National League Central. That is not an accident. Right now, the Pirates are not a good team. They are a far cry from their 98-win 2015 season and look to be behind even 2016’s six months of mediocrity. Yes, the Pirates have been snakebit, perhaps more than any other team in baseball. But at the end of the day, the Bucs have been a horribly disappointing product so far in 2017.

With talks of Andrew McCutchen and even Gerrit Cole being on the trading block, it looks as if there is a possibility that, for the first time since John Russell was in charge, the Pirates could be sellers at the trading deadline.

Next: Top Players So Far

Maybe Pittsburgh can turn this into a respectable season. Maybe blowing up the team is not yet necessary, and 2017 will be just a minor scratch on the big picture. But right now, things are not looking good. The silver lining is that it is a long season, and a lot can happen between now and October. All we can do as bloggers and fans are sit back and hope for the best. Till next time, take care, and Let’s Go Bucs.