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Might this be the year that the ugly streak is shattered? Pittsburgh defeated the Astros 7-3 yesterday, moving their record to 34-33. The last time that they were at .500 or better this late in a season was 1999.
They are 14th out of 16 teams in runs scored, so their offense is only slightly improved relative to the league, it has been their pitching which has vastly improved and is responsible for the rise in the club's fortunes. The Pirates have the fifth best team ERA in the NL.
At -6 runs scored/allowed, the Pirates' pythag projection is just one game off from their actual record, so the transformation from god awful to mediocre probably isn't just luck.
I tuned the Pirates out after the 2006 MLB All-Star Game, but jumped back on the bandwagon last year during a season in which they'd finish with a record of 57-105. That'd be their most losses since 1952 and their worst winning percentage since 1954. (Does it count as "bandwagon jumping" if you jump back on during a team's worst season in over 50 years?) I jumped back on for three reasons:
1. Trading Nate McLouth and promoting Andrew McCutchen was a smart move.
2. I read an article early last season talking about how the Pirates were spending a lot more money for scouting and player development.
3. I woke up the morning of August 1, 2010 and McCutchen was still with the team.
These three phenomena suggested to me that the Pirates just might be implementing a plan for a change, and maybe I should start paying more attention to them because they might soon join the Steelers and Penguins in relevance.
HOLY ****, THE PIRATES HAVE A WINNING RECORD IN THE MONTH OF JUNE!!!
The Pirates are:
26th in batting runs with -35
18th in base running runs with .5
8th in fielding runs with 8.5
23rd in Position Player WAR with 6.4
24th in starting pitching runs with 39.7
18th in relief pitching runs with 8.3
22nd in Pitching WAR with 5.3
Tied for 22nd in total WAR with the Mariners and Padres.
It's too late to look to far into this, I have to wake up for work in 6 hours and 10 minutes, to see why the Pirates are winning. But, given their talent, it is unlikely to continue.
Rain has halted play between the Pirates and Indians with the score knotted at 2 runs each. They must be playing under some special rules because ESPN reports:
Quote:
THE GAME IS BEING DELAYED DUE TO RAIN IN THE TOP OF THE EIGHTH INNING. SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, B WOOD ON FIRST, 3 OUTS CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 2, CLEVELAND 2
So, it is the top of the 8th with three outs and a runner on first?
Apparently they got that 4th out to end the top of the 8th. But alack alas, the Pirates' glorious five days of breathing .500 air came to an end when Cleveland's rookie secondbaseman, Cord Phelps, belted his first career homer, a three run job in the 11th,sending noble Pittsburgh to a 35-36 mark.
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