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Pittsburgh Pirates: The Collapse Continues & Other Takeaways From Being Swept In St. Louis
By Marty Leap
Josh Bell showing signs of getting back on track
A big reason the Pirates have struggled the way they have since the All-Star Break is due to the struggles of Josh Bell. Entering the series Bell was slashing .176/.299/.230 with zero home runs, four doubles, a .054 ISO, and a wRC+ of 48 since the break. Obviously, this is extremely poor.
Prior to the start of the team’s series in St. Louis this weekend Bell had four consecutive days off, and it appears to have gotten him back on track. Over the weekend Bell was 5-for-10 with two doubles and two home runs. He also drew a pair of walks over the weekend.
In this series Bell hit his first two home runs since the All-Star Break, he also matched his extra base hit total since the break. He has now hit a career high 29 home runs this season, adding to his already career high extra base hit total which is now at 68.
Despite his awful July, Bell is still having an excellent season. He still owns a healthy .284/.368/.590 slash line, a .306 ISO, and a 141 wRC+ this season. His 16.4% extra base hit rate continues to be a healthy number.
If this series was the start of Bell getting back on track then it could help lead to the Pirates to stabilizing things. While the Pirates have absolutely nothing left to play for this season, Bell finishing his breakout season on a high note the next seven weeks is still something that would be great to see.