Rum Bunter Radio Episode 51: The Pittsburgh Pirates Win 11 Out of 16, Is This Sustainable?

We’re one-eighth of the way through the season and the 2021 Pittsburgh Pirates are above .500.

Let that sink in, really. A team that has been missing their superstar Ke’Bryan Hayes since the second game of the season in Chicago, and have had to play two division leaders, along with a powerhouse in San Diego.

Over the stretch the Pirates won 11 out of 16 games, and have now won or split the past four series. What has gotten into this ball club?

Well for one a great deal of consistency both on the mound and at the plate. In this episode of Rum Bunter Radio the crew is rejoined by staff writer Cody Potanko to discuss the Pirates’ early hot  start, and what they need to do to maintain an above .500 record.

This run has been rooted with great starting pitching, from all slots. Mitch Keller, after looking sluggish in his season opener, has returned with two of the best starts in his young career. Tyler Anderson has looked like the Pirates ace to this point. And this past Tuesday Pittsburgh decided to get their first look at the return of the Jameson Taillon trade, Miguel Yajure.

The guys discuss pitching and shift their conversation to the hot bats that have surprised fans so far like the steady swing of utility man and fill-in third baseman Erik Gonzalez.

After showing positive signs of return last week, Ke’Bryan Hayes re-injured his wrist while taking “aggressive” cage swings, and will have to spend more time on the IL. Will the Pirates be able to continue this streak without their star?

To close out the episode the trio previews the Pirates two game series with the Kansas City Royals, and give a look into the pitching matchups on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Batten down the hatches, clear the decks, the Pittsburgh Pirates are .500 after 22 games, and they aren’t going anywhere quite yet.