Pittsburgh Pirates Report Card for week of May 15-20

Another homestand is in the books. Usually, when a 2017 Pittsburgh Pirates road trip/homestand ends, fans are left with a mixed feeling at best, and a negative one at worst.

Coming into this week, the Bucs fared no better than 3-3 in stretches of six games and had yet to pick up consecutive series wins. That changed on this homestand, as Pittsburgh took two of three from the Washington Nationals and the Philadelphia Phillies, respectively, to finish the stretch with a record of 4-2.

The Bucs got clutch performances from their hitters, starting pitchers and relievers this week, and managed to limit their defensive mistakes as well. Taking two of three from Washington should be the most encouraging thing to take from these six games, as the Nationals have the best record in the National League and are bonafide World Series contenders.

As for the Phillies, well, the Bucs were supposed to win that series and perhaps should have come away with a series sweep. As has become a tradition this season, here is my review of the homestand, as I will break down how the Pirates performed in the key facets of America’s pastime over the past five days. Let’s get into it.