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.
MILWAUKEE — The Pirates punctuated a 1-4 week by being swept in Milwaukee, scoring a combined six runs in three losses in a series during which they never had a lead. They scored 20 runs and allowed 20, but their 10 runs Wednesday skewed the total. They are 52-51, 10½ games back of the Cubs, and four games back in the wild card. In the meantime, they lost their All-Star closer, Mark Melancon, and added a seventh-inning guy in lefty Felipe Rivero.
Offense
The Pirates’ offense defied easy classification last week. They ranked fifth in average (.256), sixth in slugging percentage (.423) and seventh in WAR (0.7). Not bad. But they were tied for last in walk rate at 6 percent, 10th in strikeout rate at 22.5 percent and tied for 13th in runs with 20 (though they only played five games).
The corner outfielders had a good week. Starling Marte went 8 for 18 (with three walks!) and four extra-base hits, and Gregory Polanco went 6 for 16. Jordy Mercer went 7 for 18 (.389). Andrew McCutchen struck out seven times and went 4 for 14, Josh Harrison went 3 for 13, Jung Ho Kang 3 for 16 and John Jaso hitless in nine at-bats.
Grade: C
Defense
We saw the best and the worst. The defense played a large role in Gerrit Cole’s complete game: Kang’s diving stop at third, David Freese’s behind-the-back flip, Sean Rodriguez’s two catches, one a diving snag in the gap. Then we saw Hernan Perez turn a stolen base into a run on a bad throw by Eric Fryer, McCutchen running after it and Fryer unable to corral McCutchen’s throw.
Grade: C
Pitching
The Pirates’ ERA of 4.29 ranked 12th in the NL, and their Fielding Independent Pitching backed that up: 4.49, 14th. They walked only 7.3 percent of batters, fourth in the league, and allowed 20 runs (fifth, but in five games). Their home-run-to-fly-ball ratio and home runs per nine innings ranked 14th, and their 1.31 WHIP was 11th.
Cole threw a gem of a complete game, and Steven Brault and Jameson Taillon had quality starts, but Francisco Liriano continued to struggle. In two starts, he allowed 11 earned runs and seven walks in 8⅓ innings. The bullpen struggled Saturday night as well.
Grade: C-
Coaching
There weren’t too many coaching decisions to parse; possibly Clint Hurdle leaving Liriano in to start the fourth Tuesday after he allowed four runs and two homers in the first three innings, with off days and a full, rested bullpen. The players complained a lot about the strike zone during the weekend, and possibly the coaching staff could help channel that into action. “You don’t want them to get sad; you want them to get mad,” Hurdle said.
Grade: B
First Published: August 1, 2016, 5:05 p.m.
