In this weekly Monday feature, Post-Gazette writers Bill Brink and Stephen J. Nesbitt look back at the week that was and grade the Pirates’ performances in a few key areas.
The Pirates (19-17) spent the week on the road. They split a rain-shortened series against the Cincinnati Reds, and needed eight scoreless innings from Gerrit Cole Sunday to avoid another sweep by the Chicago Cubs.
Offense
The Pirates played only five games last week, which put a dent in their counting stats, but they didn’t fare much better elsewhere. Their .190 batting average ranked last in the NL, their .291 OBP was 11th and their .342 slugging percentage ranked 13th. They struck out 23.4 percent of the time, also 13th in the NL, and scored 15 runs on 30 hits, both league lows. Andrew McCutchen went 7 for 21 with two doubles and two homers, raising his average from .238 to .252. Jung Ho Kang went 5 for 16 and homered twice, but Francisco Cervelli (2-17), Jordy Mercer (2-16) and John Jaso (1-13) all had tough weeks.
Grade: D
Pitching
The homers allowed by the starters told the story last week. The rotation had an NL-worst 6.16 ERA thanks to nine home runs allowed, three each by Jon Niese and Francisco Liriano. After poor starts by Liriano and Jeff Locke, the Pirates got a gem from Cole against the Cubs Sunday. The bullpen had a solid 2.38 ERA, 7th in the NL, and the pitchers as a whole walked 7.3 percent of batters, the fifth-best mark in the league last week.
Grade: C
Defense
Josh Harrison made a nice play in the shift in a crucial situation in the ninth inning Sunday. Kang, starting for the third day in a row, had a good diving stop. The Pirates turned three double plays Monday, and Cervelli caught Billy Hamilton stealing. Harrison also committed his team-leading sixth error Saturday, and Cervelli and Chris Stewart each allowed passed balls.
Grade: B
Coaching
Clint Hurdle had a tough call to make Sunday, with Cole cruising through eight scoreless innings at 95 pitches and a two-run lead. Still, Hurdle went to Mark Melancon, who allowed a run before converting the save. Hurdle has said in the past that he has seen numbers that show a drop-off in production in the start after a complete game, and that those considerations outweigh the intangible benefits (pride, confidence, etc.) of letting a starter finish the job. Tough to deny a starter a shot at a shutout, but Hurdle stuck to his beliefs.
Grade: B
First Published: May 16, 2016, 6:24 p.m.
