Pittsburgh Pirates: More Bullpen Struggles, Other Takeaways From Third Straight Sweep

A noncompetitive series

Arguably the worst takeaway from this series for the Pirates was that the team was not even competitive. They weren't just swept, they got swept without even competing with the Cubs in this series.

Pittsburgh was outscored 20-3 in the series and outhit 25-12. The Cubs had three home runs and 11 extra base hits to the Pirates zero home runs and four extra base hits. A disheartening, noncompetitive series.

What may have been most disheartening is that this was a series in which the Pirates should have come out swinging with their backs against the wall. Instead, they laid down and died without even a fight or a whimper. That does not reflect well on the culture built from Ben Cherington on down.