Pittsburgh Pirates road trip report card for week of May 22-25

Another Pittsburgh Pirates road trip is in the books. It was a brief one, as the Bucs were only away for one four-game series with the Atlanta Braves, but the trip did not lack in excitement, to say the least.

The series started Monday night, where the Bucs fell 5-2, as neither Gerrit Cole nor the offense were sharp. Tuesday was a fun one. With the Bucs nursing a 3-2 lead after 6 1/2 innings, a long rain delay pushed the game back over three hours. After play had resumed in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Bucs lost the lead, got it back, and finally, just before 2 a.m., Matt Adams walked off a 6-5 win for the Bravos.

Wednesday looked like it would end in more disappointment. After the Bucs had played solid baseball for 5.1 innings, Atlanta scored four times in the bottom of the sixth to take a 4-3 lead. The Braves added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth, and then the fun started. A two-out, bases loaded single from Jose Osuna tied the game at five, and then, the Bucs exploded for seven runs in the top of the tenth that included back-to-back-to-back jacks from David Freese, Osuna, and Jordy Mercer, to come away with a shocking 12-5 victory.

The Pirates trip was more encouraging than the series split would suggest, and here is a breakdown of how the team performed in the main facets of the game, using a report card format.

Starting Pitching

Atlanta was not kind to the Pirates ace. Gerrit Cole struggled in his outing Monday night, allowing five runs on ten hits in just 4.2 innings of work. Cole is a star, so he should be just fine. Nonetheless, it is frustrating to see any pitcher of Cole’s caliber struggle, as this team needs him to be at his best if they want to have success.

Tuesday night saw another step forward from young Tyler Glasnow. The big rookie pitched six innings allowing just two runs, and even contributed three hits at the dish. Glasnow could have come away with the W if the rains did not come in.

Wednesday, Trevor Williams pitched well for the third outing in a row. Although he picked up a no-decision, Williams is settling in ever since that awful start at Dodger Stadium 18 days ago, and his progress has been great to watch.

The series concluded with the usual shove from Ivan Nova. Although he did get hit around a little bit, allowing four earned runs on ten hits, Nova still did the job, going 8.1 innings and picking up his second straight win.

Overall, the starting pitchers were excellent. Aside from Cole’s outing, every performance was a quality one. The rotation has been a high point for Pittsburgh this season, and that doesn’t look to change anytime soon.

Grade: A-

Offense

Like Cole, the offense struggled in the series opener. The Bucco bats had their chances, as they left 19 men on base, but were only able to manage two runs in the 5-2 loss.

Tuesday, the bats did what they had to do, scoring five runs. Unfortunately, the bullpen was not able to hold up its end of the bargain, and the Pirates lost a heartbreaker, 6-5.

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The offense continued its surge Wednesday night. Adam Frazier continued his torrid month, getting on  base six times and smacking a three-run homer in the second inning. The Pirates ended up scoring twelve runs, seven of those coming in the tenth inning. So I would say the bats did their jobs in the penultimate game of the series.

The hot streak continued in the finale, as another second inning three-run jack from Frazier gave the Bucs a 5-0 lead and put the game out of reach practically before it ever got underway. The Pirates added four more runs, finishing their trip down south with 21 runs scored in the final two games- both being without Andrew McCutchen in the starting lineup.

The bats have come alive over the past ten games, and it has been fun to watch. I’m not sure how sustainable the surge will be, as Frazier won’t be able to hit around .370 forever, Starling Marte is still gone for awhile, and we have no idea when the real Cutch will please stand up.

Nonetheless, the offense is exciting for the first time in what feels like forever, so we can enjoy it for the time being. With the Mets putrid pitching staff coming to town, there’s a decent chance the hot streak goes on for at least another weekened.

Grade: A

The bullpen

After a somewhat quiet series opener, the bullpen did not do its job Tuesday night, as it could not hold a 3-2 lead in the seventh inning or a 5-4 lead in the ninth. The Pirate relievers have been excellent all year long, so it being the main reason for a loss has been a rarity, but that was certainly the case Tuesday.

The ‘pen also struggled the next night, as the usually dominant Juan Nicasio coughed up a 3-1 lead in the sixth. Johnny Barbato allowed another in the eighth to expand Atlanta’s lead to 5-3. Although the Bucs came back to win, it was not an exceptional effort for the bullpen.

Thursday was an easy day, as the bullpen worked just 2/3 of an inning thanks to the excellence of Mr. Nova.

Overall, the bullpen has had better weeks. They lost the Pirates one game in Atlanta and almost lost another, so the overall impression of their performance should be a negative one. The Bucco relievers have been excellent for most of the season, so it’s ok to cut them some slack, and there is no cause for long-term concern, and probably won’t be for awhile.

Grade: C-

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-

The bench

The Bucco bench, as has been the usual this season, did not do a whole lot Monday or Tuesday night. Wednesday, however, was a different story, as Jose Osuna and Gift Ngeope each had two hits, with the former tying the game with a two-run single in the ninth inning before contributing the second of three consecutive jacks in the tenth, and the latter getting the game-winning double. The Pirates whole offense is coming together and maybe the bench will start to play a bigger part in it.

The most intriguing bench option that has emerged is Osuna. The 24-year-old rookie does not have a sexy stat line. But as we saw Wednesday, the kid has power and lots of it. Osuna is a guy who has 25-30 homerun potential, and it will be interesting to see how much of that is on display as this season unfolds.

With Gregory Polanco off the 10-day disabled list, John Jaso it set to come back off the pine. As hard as it may be to believe, Jaso has been swinging a hot bat as of late, and he will help the Pirates pinch-hit situation as well.

Overall, the Pirates are showing, perhaps for the first time this season, some depth, and that is a huge thing for any big-league team to have.

Grade: A