Pirates home stand report card for May 26-31

Another Pirates homestand is in the books, and as has become a pattern for the 2017 season through nearly two months, there were some ups, and unfortunately some more downs. The Bucs played two three-games sets between Friday and Wednesday, and dropped two games each to the New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks, respectively.

The week started off on the wrong foot, as two home runs from local icon Neil Walker propelled the Mets to a comfortable 8-1 win. The next night’s contest would be much more exciting and ultimately, more satisfying.

The Pirates trailed 4-3 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, but an unlikely hero was about to step up. With one out, and Gift Ngoepe on third base, John Jaso, who has been ridiculed and deservingly his play this season, lined a single into left field to tie the game. After tying it up, Jaso won it in his next at-bat, as his first hit off of a left-handed pitcher in over a year scored David Freese and gave the Bucs a dramatic 5-4 win.

The excitement would not carry over to the series finale, as a national TV audience saw young Tyler Glasnow struggle, and the series ended as it began, with an easy win for New York.

The D-Backs were next. The series started well enough for Pittsburgh, as Andrew McCutchen gave the Bucs a dramatic 4-3 victory with his first walk-off home run since July of 2015 to lead off the bottom of the ninth. As with the last series, however, the good feelings did not last. The Pirates bats were dominated by Robbie Ray Tuesday night, and the series ended with a heartbreaking 6-5, 14-inning loss Wednesday afternoon.

Here is a breakdown of how the Pirates performed in the major facets of the game over this past week, using a “report card” format. Let’s get into it.