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

3 of 5

PITTSBURGH, PA – APRIL 24: Josh Bell #55 of the Pittsburgh Pirates hits a solo home run in the fourth inning during the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at PNC Park on April 24, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

Offense

It wasn’t quite banner stretch for Bucco bats. However, it was not awful, either.

The offense started the Oakland series with a quiet performance Friday (as if it mattered) and went 10 innings without scoring in Sunday’s series finale. Saturday night, the bats didn’t get much done for six innings outside of two Josh Bell bombs. In the seventh, however, a two-run triple by Kevin Newman started the clutch hitting trend that would continue for the rest of the homestand. The hit also proved to be the hit that was the difference in a 6-4 win.

Tuesday night against Texas, the red hot Melky Cabrera continued this trend with a two-run, pinch-hit double, giving the Pirates a lead they wouldn’t give up. The bats then put up six runs Wednesday afternoon, but thanks to Clint Hurdle, that ended up being for naught.

The lineup still isn’t at full-strength as Corey Dickerson is still on the IL, as is Lonnie Chisenhall who was expected to be the fourth outfielder as a key bench piece. As for the healthy players, Jung Ho Kang and Francisco Cervelli have been awful, Colin Moran has been underwhelming and while he looks to be turning it around, Starling Marte’s overall performance has left a lot to be desired.

Pittsburgh probably won’t be an offensive juggernaut at any point in 2019, but if nothing else, this week showed that the bats are capable of timely hits. Which was a welcome surprise after their early season woes with RISP. Hopefully, it continues to do that over the impending 11-game road trip.

Grade. . . . B-