Pirates' remarkable home record makes 2025 disaster all the more infuriating

A lot has gone wrong for the Pittsburgh Pirates this season. Despite having perhaps the best young star in the game in Paul Skenes, the club has struggled to put a competitive product on the field, contrary to what Bob Nutting might tell you.

Sitting at 58-75, the Pirates are staring down the barrel of yet another losing season, making it a near lock that the club will finish below .500 for the 10th year in a row. A botched trade deadline where Pittsburgh failed to fully capitalize on its assets makes it likely that 2025 isn't the end of the losing.

Fans are at their wits' end, finding new and creative ways to voice their displeasure, as the organization continues to fail to build a winner despite some impressive cornerstones. But beneath the surface, there has been a truly extraordinary trend going on in Pittsburgh, and whether or not it makes you feel better or worse will depend on your proclivity towards optimism.

Pirates have played like a contender at home, and like the worst team in the league on the road

Shockingly, the Pirates are 39-30 at home, which is a 91-win pace. They're also 19-45 on the road, which is a ghastly 115-loss trend. It's not entirely surprising that a young and rebuilding team would play better in the friendly confines of their own ballpark, but the discrepancy is striking nonetheless.

The idea of the Pirates playing like a team in the thick of a playoff race, even if it's only limited to one environment, is wild. However, even with such a disparity, the crux of the Pirates' issues shines through.

On the season, the Pittsburgh pitching staff has more or less done its job. In total, Pittsburgh hurlers rank 14th in baseball with a 3.96 ERA (and that's with Andrew Heaney!). The team's biggest strength has been in the starting rotation, where the Pirates' starters have combined for a 3.81 ERA, which is tenth overall and just a hair behind the likely playoff-bound New York Yankees.

However, the Pirates' offense has been downright pathetic this season. By runs scored, the club ranks dead last in the majors with 473 runs in 132 games, good for just 3.58 runs per game. In their 69 home games, Pittsburgh has scratched across 271 runs while allowing 249, making for a razor-thin margin. That comes out to a paltry 3.93 runs per game at home, not substantially better than the club's overall performance.

So while no one would fault you for being optimistic about the Pirates' winning ways at PNC Park, the surprising success at home should only further drive home what you already know - this team can pitch, but a severe lack of investment on the offensive side of the ball will prevent them from escaping mediocrity.