Pittsburgh Pirates Stay In Top Ten Of MLB Power Rankings
By Larry Snyder
As the Pittsburgh Pirates (32-27) continue their homestand along the North Shore this weekend against the Philadelphia Phillies, it is time to go over some news and notes from the crew log of the Jolly Roger.
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With the victory over the Brewers Wednesday, the Bucs have put up a 13-6 record this season for final games of a series. It includes a 7-2 mark at PNC Park.
According to the folks at the MLB Network, Gerrit Cole‘s ERA since May 15 is 1.02 which is the absolute best in the National League for pitchers with 30-plus innings. The 24-year-old righthander has struck out 86 and has walked just 19 in 78 innings of work.
Neil Walker has turned 46 double-plays so far this season. Since the beginning of the 2011 campaign, the 29-year-old Walker is the N.L. leader in double plays turned by second basemen with 405.
Karl Buscheck at Bleacher Reports puts the odds at 1-to-3 that Ke’Bryan Hayes, selected by the Pirates with the 32nd overall pick in the first round of the MLB Draft, will make it to the majors as a Legacy Prospect. The third baseman is the son of 14-year MLB veteran Charlie Hayes. Buscheck wrote, “With his impressive physical and mental skill sets and his big league pedigree, Hayes has all the traits required to rise through the ranks.”
This from the Pirates on Twitter about a couple of draft signings…
The @Pirates have signed 2015 6th round draft selection J.T. Brubaker, 8th round selection Seth McGarry & 9th round selection Bret Helton.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 12, 2015
Time to check in with another edition of the “Tale of the Tape” after 59 contests:
Pirates At Home: 16-11 / On The Road: 16-16
NL Central Record: 13-18 / NL East Record: 10-3
NL West Record: 8-2 / Inter-League Play: 1-4
Runs Scored: 233 / Runs Allowed: 202 – Earned Runs Allowed: 177
Team ERA: 2.97 / Team WHIP: 1.23
All of this week’s internet experts have the Pirates in their Top 10. Time for another round-up of the MLB Power Rankings.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Bleacher Report – This Week #2 / Last Week #8 – Joel Reuter believes that the team is hitting its stride and playing as well as any team in the Majors.
CBS Sports – This Week #7 / Last Week #4 – Matt Snyder would not be surprised if the Pirates still took the N.L. Central.
Empire Writes Back – This Week #7 / Last Week #10 – On this FanSided page, Kenneth Teape likes how the crew of the Jolly Roger has put themselves back in the wild card race.
ESPN – This week #4 / Last Week #9 – The panel of experts at the four-letter network likes the pitching combination of Gerrit Cole and A.J. Burnett is pretty good this season.
FanSided – This Week #8 / Last Week #11 – Kyle Franzoni points out that Gerrit Cole ranks only behind Zack Greinke of the Dodgers with 10 quality starts.
FOX Sports – This Week #9 / Last Week #14 – Craig Goldstein reminds everyone that there is just a 0.47 ERA differential between Burnett and Cole.
SI.com – This Week #3 / Last Week #7 – The staff at Sports Illustrated has the Pirates moving four spots into their Top Five.
USA Today – This Week #7 / Last Week #9 – The writers at USA Today think Gerrit Cole has a strong claim to start the All-Star Game for the National League.
Do you believe that the Pirates belong in the Top Ten again this week? Take time out to let your fellow fans know in the comments section below.
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