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Pittsburgh Pirates report card for week of May 8-14
By Joe Smeltzer
Offense
The Pirates offense is weak, and it will likely continue to be weak until Starling Marte returns. This road trip saw little reason for optimism, as the Bucs averaged just three runs over seven games. Not everything is bleak, however. Josh Bell and Gregory Polanco seem to be coming around, and getting Adam Frazier and David Freese back from injury makes this team better.
The biggest storyline for the Bucco bats continues to be Andrew McCutchen. The former superstar is hitting just .132 since April 29, and the city is anxious to see if and when he starts even to resemble the MVP he once was.
Although Polanco continues to look better at the plate, he suffered a setback Sunday and is now day-to-day with hamstring discomfort. Hopefully, this is just a minor blip. Bell continues to show promise, although some of it is overshadowed by Clint Hurdle‘s refusal to play him for nine innings (more on that later.) The biggest positive to take from this week could be the return of Frazier, who is undoubtedly the Pirates best leadoff option, and showed that with three hits Sunday.
In all likelihood, the offense will be frustrating for the bulk of 2017. Hopefully, it won’t be as repulsive as it has been for the season’s first month and a half. But without Marte and Jung-Ho Kang, I don’t think these guys will bring back memories of the old Lumber Company.