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Pittsburgh Pirates road trip report card for week of May 22-25
By Joe Smeltzer
Defense
Monday was another frustrating night for the Pirates defensively, as an error by third baseman Josh Harrison in the bottom of the fifth inning led to a run scoring, followed by a two-run home run from Matt Adams.
The defense improved as the series went on, however. In the final three games of the series, the Bucs made just one error, and Thursday, in particular, was a beautiful day to flash the leather, as we saw fantastic efforts from David Freese and Josh Harrison.
The Pirates still have work to do in the field, but the days of defense being the main reason for losing a ballgame appear to be drifting farther away. Freese has been a big help to the D. He is a solid, dependable vet who makes most of the plays that he needs to make, and having him back at the hot corner does wonders for the infield. Also, guys like Harrison and Josh Bell have been solid in the field, with Bell continuing to improve as much as he can, even playing more than six innings every once in a while.
The Pirates still have lots of work to do defensively, as, not to beat a dead horse; Marte not being in the lineup sets things back a bit. But progress is being made, and as with the offense, we can only hope that it keeps up.
Grade: B-