Pittsburgh Pirates home stand report card for 8/17-8/24

Offense

The Pirates offense has been frustrating all season long. What was thought to be a strong point of the club has turned out to be frustrating and at times non-existent. This week, however, the bats showed up and did what they could to win ballgames.

It started Thursday night against the Cardinals. In what would be a preview of how the majority of the home stand would go, the Pirates scored seven runs and lost the game. The next night, the Pirates scored ten runs and lost the game. The offense was potent again in the final two games of the series, scoring six times each. The pitching held up its end of the bargain, and the Bucs salvaged a series split.

When the Dodgers came to town, the Pirates continued to score, putting up a combined ten runs in the first two games of the set. Once again, the Bucs did not execute in other aspects and dropped both games. Ironically, the Pirates managed to win Wednesday’s contest despite going nine innings without a hit. Thank you, Jay-Hay

Overall, the bats are finally starting to show some life. The offense averaged 5.25 runs per games over this home stand, while Josh Harrison and Starling Marte are on fire, and Josh Bell and Jose Osuna are continuing to show promise. The team might be plummeting, but the offense could be on the rise.

Grade: A