Pittsburgh Pirates Swept in Cincy, Have Now Lost 8 in a Row

Wednesday night at Great American Ballpark the Pittsburgh Pirates were looking to avoid being swept by the Cincinnati Reds in a four-game series

It was not a good week for the Pittsburgh Pirates in Cincinnati. To start the week, the Bucs were swept in a double header on Monday. This, unfortunately, was just a sign of things to come for the Pirates.

Following a 1-0 loss on Wednesday night, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been swept in a four-game series against the Reds. With the loss, the Pirates have now lost eight games in a row. This drops their overall record on the season to 14-34.

Brubaker’s Best MLB Start

In Wednesday night’s loss, JT Brubaker turned in his 7th and best MLB start. In 5.1 innings of work, Brubaker allowed just 1 run. He held the Reds to five hits, he did not allow a home run, he walked a batter, and he struck out four.

While Brubaker’s ERA on the season is 4.79, his FIP is now 3.90. He also owns a 1.01 HR/9, and he’s struck out 22.9% of batters faced. Rather it’s as a starting pitcher or a member of the bullpen, Brubaker has pitched his way into being part of the pitchign staff for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2021.

Make It A 10 Game Hitting Streak

Pirate slugger Josh Bell had just one hit on Wednesday night. This hit was just a single. However, this hit extended his hitting streak to 10 games. Bell also drew a walk in the 1-0 Pirate loss on Wednesday night.

While Bell’s overall numbers this season remain poor, he has turned it on in recent weeks. On the season, he now owns a .247/.321/.395 slash line to go with a 91 wRC+. Not good numbers, but much better numbers than what he had a week or so ago.

Bell also continues to hit the ball hard. He hit a ground ball for an out on Wednesday night that left his bat at 114.2 MPH. This was tied for the hardest hit ball by any Pirate batter so far this season. Bell appears to be teetering on exploding at the plate.

A Good Night For The Bullpen

With a runner on third and one out in the 6th inning, Sam Howard took over for Brubaker. Howard continued his breakout season by striking out the first batter he faced. He then got a pop out to end the inning, stranding the runner at third.

Speaking of breakout seasons, Chris Stratton then took over. Stratton pitched 1.1 scoreless innings before he was lifted for Nik Turley. Turley retired both batters he faced, including a strikeout.

It is no coincidence that a night Derek Shelton went with his A Team bullpen arms was a good night for the Pirate bullpen.

What’s Next

The Pittsburgh Pirates will start a five-game in four day series against the St. Louis Cardinals at 7:05 on Thursday night at PNC Park. Steven Brault (4.73 ERA, 6.69 DRA) will make the start for the Pirates, while the Cardinals will send young righty Dakota Hudson (2.92 ERA, 3.76 DRA).