Pittsburgh Pirates: Home Stand report card for week of 5/11-5/20

5 of 5

PITTSBURGH, PA – APRIL 04: Josh Harrison #5 of the Pittsburgh Pirates reacts after hitting a double in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins during inter-league play at PNC Park on April 4, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

Overall

At the end of the day, the Pirates had a decent home stand that ultimately wasn’t as good as it could have or should have been.

The fact that they started the stretch 5-1 and ended 5-4 is frustrating, and losing three of four games to the hapless Padres makes matters even worse. The good news is that Pittsburgh is still in a much better position than most expected it to be in at 26-20 and right in the thick of the NL Central standings.

Three games in Cincinnati this week will provide an opportunity to for the Pirates to make up the ground they lost this weekend, and 10 straight games against the Cubs and Cardinals will give the Bucs a chance to further prove that they can hang with the big boys in the NL Central.

Next: Nick Kingham Needs a Permanent Spot in the Rotation

There is still a lot of baseball to be played. In my opinion, 162 games is even longer than it seems. There will be a lot of ups and downs for the 2018 Pirates and while they might not be ready to join the NL’s elite, I think the first 46 games have proved that this team won’t be a laughing stock.

As for this home stand, these Pirates showed flashes both of how good, and how frustrating, they can prove to be. All we can do is hope to see more of the former as the days roll on.

C. Overall Grade. . .

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