A long way to go but 鈥�
It’s only been 35 of a 162-game season, but that doesn’t mean the Pittsburgh Pirates aren’t a different team than in recent years.
The naysayers will point out the tough start for the bullpen, and even the two subpar starts from ace Paul Skenes, but the Bucs’ recent sweep of NL Central rival Cincinnati after losing five in a row proved that these Pirates appear to be a different club.
At 19-16 prior to Tuesday’s game, the Bucs sit fourth in the five-team division, but are just one game behind the Reds for the final wild-card berth.
Pittsburgh is sixth in all of baseball with a .253 batting average, fifth in on-base percentage (.339) and sixth in on-base plus slugging (.732). The Pirates have struggled to keep up with teams in leaving the yard in recent years, but are tied with two other teams for 14th in MLB with 38 home runs.
Ryan O’Hearn, who the club signed as a free agent during the offseason, leads the team in batting average at .306. He has five home runs and 24 RBIs. Second baseman Brandon Lowe is second on the team in homers with eight, and has driven in 21 runs. Lowe, who was acquired via trade with Tampa Bay, had a hot start to the season, but has cooled off and is batting .243.
Designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, who was picked up during the offseason as a free agent, struggled mightily to begin the season, but is batting .273 in his last seven games.
Center fielder Oneil Cruz has faced criticism for most of his career, and after having fielding issues in the opener, the negativity continued, but he has come on strong with his bat. Cruz leads the team with nine home runs and 28 RBIs. He is second in the NL with 11 stolen bases.
Rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin struggled after a strong debut, but has worked his average to .260. The 20-year-old is batting .417 in the last seven games and .302 in the previous 15. Griffin has seven stolen bases, which is good enough for sixth in the NL.
The starting rotation has been relatively strong, and the team’s ERA leader is not Skenes, as No. 2 starter Mitch Keller checks in at 2.85. Keller is 3-1 in seven starts this year with 31 strikeouts and 12 walks.
Skenes leads the team in pitching victories with four, and if not for a disaster start in the season opener against the Mets in New York, last year’s NL Cy Young winner would be sitting well below his current ERA of 2.91. He won three straight starts following his mishap in New York, which caused the baseball world to ask what was wrong with Skenes, but after a no-decision against Tampa Bay, took a loss to St. Louis after allowing three earned runs, as the team fell to .500 for the first time since the second series of the season.
Keller took care of business to get Pittsburgh back to its winning ways last Friday in a 9-1 victory against Cincinnati at PNC Park.
Carmen Mlodzinski evened his record to 2-2 in a 17-7 triumph in Game 2 before Braxton Ashcraft pitched 7 鈪� scoreless innings. The Pirates won the game, 1-0, as Cruz had the game-winning single in the eighth inning.
Ashcraft has a record of 1-2, but his ERA of 3.02 is third among the starting rotation.
Bubba Chandler is having the toughest time of the five starters with a record of 1-3 and an ERA of 5.16. Chandler has 28 strikeouts, but control has been a problem, as the 23-year-old has issued 21 walks.
Help could be on the way, as Jared Jones is working his way back to the majors after spending the last several years dealing with injuries.
Gregory Soto leads the bullpen with a record of 3-0 and an ERA of 1.59. Pittsburgh has only five saves in 13 opportunities this season.
The clubhouse has been upbeat and manager Don Kelly has brought an energy to the Bucs that appears contagious.
It is premature to be optimistic just a month and week into the season, but the year looks to be so far, so good.
缅北禁地 sports writer Jonathan Guth can be reached at jguth@heraldstandard.com