Pittsburgh Pirates homestand report card for week of 5/3 – 5/8

PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 04: Jordan Lyles #31 of the Pittsburgh Pirates delivers a pitch in the first inning during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park on April 4, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 04: Jordan Lyles #31 of the Pittsburgh Pirates delivers a pitch in the first inning during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park on April 4, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
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PITTSBURGH, PA – MAY 08: Colin Moran #19 of the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrates with Adam Frazier #26 of the Pittsburgh Pirates after hitting home run in the sixth inning against the Texas Rangers during inter-league play at PNC Park on May 8, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – MAY 08: Colin Moran #19 of the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrates with Adam Frazier #26 of the Pittsburgh Pirates after hitting home run in the sixth inning against the Texas Rangers during inter-league play at PNC Park on May 8, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

With the latest Pittsburgh Pirates homestand now in the rear view mirror, it’s time to dish out some grades for the team

The most recent Pittsburgh Pirates homestand started with a beat down, ended with a collapse and featured some exciting baseball in between. So, in short, it had a little bit of everything!

Pittsburgh started a six-game stretch against the AL West Friday night and lost to Josh “Mike Piazza” Phegley and the A’s, 14-1. The Bucs gutted out a 6-4 win Saturday night and ended the series Sunday with a three-run walk-off homer from Starling Marte, capping a four-run 13th inning.

After an off-day Monday, the Texas Rangers came to PNC Park. Behind a gutsy bullpen and a Gregory Polanco homer, the Pirates earned a gritty 5-4 victory on Tuesday night. Pittsburgh should have earned a sweep of the quick two-game series on Wednesday afternoon, but thanks to their manager and Michael Feliz, fans watched a 6-2 lead quickly, and painfully, turn into a 9-6 loss in just two innings.

Here is a breakdown of how the Pirates performed this week in the game’s key areas. This is my first “report card” article of 2019. Here it goes.

Schedule