Has the June swoon begun?
The month of June has not been kind to the Pittsburgh Pirates. At all. Eight games into the month the Pirates own a 2-6 record.
Right now the pitching staff can not get out of its own way. Either they get a poor start, or, as was the case on Sunday, the starter does well and the bullpen lets the team down. It is possible that the June swoon has begun.
Things are not going to get any easier for the Pirates, either. On Monday, they start a four-game series against one of the NL’s best teams in the Atlanta Braves. They also have a trip to Houston and a second to Milwaukee left this month.
The Pirates have 25 games remaining before the All-Star Break. 20 of these 25 games are against teams that currently own a winning record. This would be a tough slate for any team, let alone a team with the current pitching staff the Pirates have.
If the June swoon has begun, then things could get ugly in a hurry for the Pirates. This team’s pitching staff is not one capable of pulling them out of a rut right now. The fact they have averaged over 5 runs per game the last 20 games and are just 6-14 in these games is proof of that.