Pittsburgh Pirates: Home stand report card for 6/18 – 6/23

PITTSBURGH, PA - JUNE 23: Melky Cabrera #53 of the Pittsburgh Pirates slides safely into home plate to score a run on a two run RBI single by Jacob Stallings #58 in the eleventh inning during the game against the San Diego Padres at PNC Park on June 23, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - JUNE 23: Melky Cabrera #53 of the Pittsburgh Pirates slides safely into home plate to score a run on a two run RBI single by Jacob Stallings #58 in the eleventh inning during the game against the San Diego Padres at PNC Park on June 23, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – JUNE 18: Josh Bell #55 of the Pittsburgh Pirates watches his second inning home run against the Detroit Tigers during inter-league play at PNC Park on June 18, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – JUNE 18: Josh Bell #55 of the Pittsburgh Pirates watches his second inning home run against the Detroit Tigers during inter-league play at PNC Park on June 18, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

The offense

The Pirates hitting is their biggest strength in 2019, and that didn’t change over the past week.

Against Detroit, the Bucs came back from a six-run deficit for the first time since 2008 to salvage a series split. The home stand ended with another historic comeback when Pittsburgh scored seven runs over the last three innings to complete the weekend sweep over the Padres.

Individually, Rookie of the Year candidate Reynolds continues to rake, while fellow first-year Kevin Newman is riding a 14-game hitting streak. Some of the bench players are also stepping up, with Jose Osuna and Jacob Stallings both delivering big hits over the weekend. In fact, so far this season no team in the Majors has been better at pinch hitting than the Pirates.

Overall, there’s nothing really to complain about regarding the offense. The Pirates have established a solid core of position players to build around, and it’s fun to watch during a season that has otherwise been frustrating.

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