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Pittsburgh Pirates: One Of The Worst Pitched Series In Franchise History & Other Takeaways From Sweep In Chicago
Following a strong 13-7 stretch, the Pittsburgh Pirates were swept at Wrigley Field by the Chicago Cubs over the weekend
The Pittsburgh Pirates have not had much to be happy about this season. One thing that should put a smile of the faces of Pirate coaches, fans, and players alike, however, is that the team does not have to return to Wrigley Field this season.
After being swept in a three-game series at Wrigley by the Chicago Cubs over the weekend, the Pirates will finish the season with a 1-8 record at Wrigley. This sweep has dropped the Pirates to 21-40 since the All-Star Break, and 65-85 overall on the season.
Despite the sweep, the Pirates still have played better baseball of late owning a 13-10 record in their last 23 games. The team still has an opportunity to string a few series victories together during the season’s final two weeks to finish a woeful 2019 campaign on a high note.
Next up for the Pirates is an off day on Monday, and then a three-game series back home at PNC Park against the Seattle Mariners. But before we look ahead to the Mariners, let’s take a look back at three key takeaways from being swept in Chicago over the weekend.
This weekend was a total and complete disaster for the Pirate pitching staff
Often times in sports people will say a game they just watched was the worst they have ever seen a team play. Perhaps they will say the same about a player, or about the efforts of a coaching staff. However, often times, it is said in jest and is not true.
Well, to say this was the worst pitched series in Pirate history would not be an exaggeration.
Over the weekend the Pirates allowed 47 runs to the Cubs. This tied the franchise record for most runs allowed in a single series. Believe it or not, that’s bad!
The disastrous pitching all stemmed from the starting pitchers. Pirate starting pitchers allowed 16 earned runs in just 9 innings pitched over the weekend. They also allowed a staggering 9 home runs.
The Pirate bullpen was woeful as well. In 15 innings of work over the weekend the Pirate bullpen allowed 16 runs. Of the 24 innings the Cubs batted in this weekend they scored in 16 of them and they scored multiple runs in 12 of these 16 innings.
In baseball pitching wins. Nothing is more important than strong starting pitching. Not only did the Pirates get dreadful starting pitching over the weekend, the bullpen was a disaster as well. As a result, the team tied the franchise record for runs allowed in a single series.
Has the clock struck midnight on Steven Brault?
From May 25th through September 1st Steven Brault pitched in 14 games with 13 of them being starts. During this stretch not only did Brault pitch the best baseball of his MLB career, he was also the Pirates best starting pitcher.
While a stint on the injured list impacted this stretch, Brault owned a 2.75 ERA and a 3.58 FIP in 75 1/3 innings of work during this 14 game stretch. He allowed just four home runs, he walked 8.8% of batters faced, struck out 18.8%, and induced soft contact 21.4% of the time. It appeared that Brault was finally turning a corner as a MLB pitcher.
Well, in his last two starts, Brault has looked less like that pitcher and more like the pitcher he was during the first three years of his MLB career.
After allowing 10 runs in a 2 2/3 inning start in Friday’s series opening loss, Brault has now allowed 16 runs, 15 earned, in 8 innings pitched his last two starts. In these 8 innings of work he’s allowed six home runs, including a Pirate single game record tying five in Friday’s start, he has walked five batters, hit a batter, thrown two wild pitches, and struck out just four. Not good, folks!
Odds are Brault is closer to the pitcher that has gotten shelled in his last two starts than the pitcher that was masterful for a 14 game stretch earlier this season. This is due to his track record from 2016 – 2018 leaving a lot to be desired. While Brault once appeared to have a starting rotation spot all but locked up for 2020, he is pitching his way into being on the outside looking in entering Spring Training.
Bryan Reynolds continues to be historically good, makes Pirate rookie history
Dating back to collecting a base hit in his MLB debut on April 20th, Bryan Reynolds has been a rookie sensation for the Pirates this season. While he, unfortunately, will not win the National League Rookie of the Year, he is putting together a historic rookie season.
After collecting a pair of doubles on Sunday, Reynolds has now hit 37 doubles this season. This figure breaks Hall of Fame outfielder Paul Waner‘s Pirate record for doubles in a player’s rookie season.
Overall this season Reynolds is now slashing .322/.385/.517 with a .379 wOBA and a 135 wRC+. He’s collected extra base hit at a 12.1% rate, and his .322 batting average ranks third in the National League. While it looks unlikely, he still has a chance to become the first rookie in the NL history to capture a batting crown.
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There have been very few positives for the 2019 Pirates. One of those positives has been the emergence of Reynolds who has solidified himself as a key piece of the Pirate core moving forward. Reynolds, fellow rookie Kevin Newman, Starling Marte, and Josh Bell will give the Pirates one of the best 1 – 4 of any lineup in the NL in 2020.