Pittsburgh Pirates: Grading the Series Loss in Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 11: Adalberto Mondesi #27 of the Kansas City Royals rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the 1st inning of the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Kauffman Stadium on September 11, 2020 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 11: Adalberto Mondesi #27 of the Kansas City Royals rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the 1st inning of the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Kauffman Stadium on September 11, 2020 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – SEPTEMBER 13: Manager Derek Shelton of the Pittsburgh Pirates takes the ball away from starting pitcher Chad Kuhl as Kuhl leaves the game in the third inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on September 13, 2020 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – SEPTEMBER 13: Manager Derek Shelton of the Pittsburgh Pirates takes the ball away from starting pitcher Chad Kuhl as Kuhl leaves the game in the third inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on September 13, 2020 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /

Pirate Starting Pitchers

Friday night Steven Brault toed the rubber for the Pittsburgh Pirates to kick off the series. Brault lasted just 4 innings and threw 97 pitches in these 4 innings of work. In addition to an ungodly high pitch count for 4 innings, Brault also allowed 3 runs on five hits, three walks, a home run, and a wild pitch.

While allowing 3 runs does not constitute a poor start for a starting pitcher, only going 4 innings does. Brault continued to battle control issues in the start, which is what led to a spike in pitch count and a short outing.

The second game of the series saw Trevor Williams take the mound for the Pirates. In this start, the collapse of Williams continued. In 5 innings of work, Williams allowed 6 runs on 10 hits, three walks, and he allowed two home runs. Williams now owns a 6.35 ERA this season and is quickly becoming a non-tender candidate this off-season.

Sunday afternoon Chad Kuhl started for the Pirates and turned in possibly the worst start of his MLB career. In 2.1 innings pitched, Kuhl allowed 9 runs on four hits, a home run, he walked six, and struck out five. Not good!

The Verdict

The 2020 season has not been a good one for Pirate starting pitchers. This continued over the weekend in Kansas City. In fact, the starting pitching performance over the weekend was a complete disaster

Grade: F