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Pittsburgh Pirates Head to the Desert Looking to Stay Hot
The Pittsburgh Pirates are heading to the desert to kick off a three-game series against the worst team in the National League – the Arizona Diamondbacks
There is no soft way to put it, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been one of the worst teams in the National League this season. Despite what many people in Pittsburgh may want you to think the Pirates have not been the worst team in the NL, however. That unwanted honor goes to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
This week the Pittsburgh Pirates will play a three-game series against the D-Backs at Chase Field in Phoenix. Entering the series the D-Backs own a 27-68 record which is the worst not just in the NL but in all of baseball. The second worst record in the NL belongs to the Pirates who enter the series at 36-57.
Despite the poor overall record on the season the Pittsburgh Pirates enter this series playing some of their best baseball of the season. Dating back to before the All-Star Break the Pirates are 2-0-1 in their last three series played.
Overall in these three series the Pirates own a 6-4 record. After taking two of three from the Atlanta Braves, they then split a four-game series with the New York Mets heading into the break and came out of the break by taking two of three from the Mets.
Now, the Pirates will be looking to continue to stay hot on the field as they prepare for a three-game series against the worst team in baseball.
Unexpected trio of heroes looking to stay hot
When Spring Training came to an end utility man Wilmer Difo was at the alternate training site after failing to crack the Opening Day roster of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The same can be said about John Nogowski after he failed to crack the Opening Day roster of the St. Louis Cardinals. Meanwhile, outfielder Ben Gamel was with the Cleveland Indians.
Now, each of these players have become unexpected contributors for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Currently, the trio is hot at the plate and all three will be looking to stay hot against a poor Diamondback pitching staff.
It did not take Difo long to join the Pirate roster in April. He would then be designated for assignment a few weeks later, clearing waivers and reporting to Triple-A Indianapolis. Since returning to the Pirates from Indy, Difo has been red hot at the plate.
The super utility man is now hitting .292/.350/.460 on the season to go with a 121 wRC+ and an isolated slugging (ISO) of .168. All of these are by far career-high marks for the one time highly touted Washington National prospect. Right now it is difficult to keep Difo out of the lineup.
Speaking of players that are difficult to keep out of the lineup, there is the Big Nogowski who is quickly becoming a yinzer cult hero. While it all comes in a small sample size that is not sustainable, the Big Nogowski has been a blast for Pirate fans to watch.
The Pittsburgh Pirates traded for Nogowski when Colin Moran, Phillip Evans and Erik González all landed on the injured list. Since joining the Pirates the right-handed hitting Nogowski is hitting for a .452/.489/.643 slash line, as well as posting a hard-hit rate and exit velocity that have been above league average. With a .385 batting average on balls in play Nogowski is due for regression at some point, but until then, let’s all bask in the glory of the Big Nogowski.
After going 2-for-3 with a double and a pair of walks in Sunday’s loss against the Mets, Gamel is now hitting for a .244/.327/.424 slash line on the season to go with a 105 wRC+. This, however, includes his poor 1-for-12 start to the season with the Indians. Since joining the Pirates, Gamel is hitting for a .259/.333/.449 slash line to go with a 10.6% walk rate and a 25.0% strikeout rate. His performance as a Pirate has turned Gamel into an under-the-radar trade chip.
Tyler Anderson’s potential final Pirate start
Left-handed pitcher Tyler Anderson is scheduled to start the second game of the series on Tuesday night. As Noah pointed out during the All-Star Break, it’s possible that Anderson has already made his final start with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
When the Pittsburgh Pirates decided to wait until the fifth game after the break to scheduled Anderson to start it made it even more clear that a trade could occur sooner rather than later. Then over the weekend there were reports that the New York Mets could be targeting Anderson for rotation help.
If Anderson makes it to his start on Tuesday night, which may not be a guarantee based on some rumblings Nick and I have heard from sources in the industry, it could very well be his final start as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
On the season the veteran lefty has pitched 97.1 innings in 17 starts. Overall, Anderson owns a 4.35 ERA, 4.44 FIP, a career-best 5.9% walk rate, 19.8% strikeout rate and a home run rate of 1.22 HR/9. If you take away a disaster of an inning against the Braves and one against the Nationals, Anderson’s ERA on the season drops to 3.60.
If Anderson makes it to his start on Tuesday night it will be one final opportunity for him to build up his trade value. Being a veteran lefty who has always been a quality starting pitcher, Anderson should land the Pirates a decent return for a non-top of the rotation starter who is a rental. With one more strong start, Anderson will only continue to raise his trade value.
Pirate offense looking to stay hot against a bad pitching staff
For much of the season the Pittsburgh Pirates have been one of the worst offensive teams in baseball. During their current 6-4 stretch, however, they have averaged 5.3 runs per game. This recent offensive success could continue this week against the Diamondbacks.
On the season Arizona’s pitching stuff owns a 5.45 ERA and a 4.97 FIP, both of which are worst in the National League. Arizona pitchers have allowed a National League worst 139 home runs this season and their 19.9% strikeout rate is the lowest in the league.
Facing a poor pitching staff can help Adam Frazier get back on track after a poor game on Sunday, as he continues to solidify his status as the best hitter available on the trade market. It can help Bryan Reynolds continue to post MVP type numbers, as well as helping Ke’Bryan Hayes continue to bounce back after hitting a mid-season slump.
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If the Pirate offense is able to capitalize on a poor Diamondback pitching staff then it could lead to another series victory for the Bucs. Now, of course, this would require a poor Pirate pitching staff to have a strong series, which could be asking a lot.