Pittsburgh Pirates Remain In Top 20 Of MLB Power Rankings
By Larry Snyder
After claiming a 3-0 victory over the Cubs Sunday in Chicago to avoid a series sweep on the road, the Pittsburgh Pirates (18-20) head into an eight-game homestand determined to keep the wins coming.
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The Bucs start off with a two-game set against the Minnesota Twins (21-17). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. The Twins will send righthander Ricky Nolasco (3-1, 6.38 ERA/1.80 WHIP) to the hill, and the Pirates will go with lefthander Francisco Liriano (1-3, 2.96 ERA/1.01 WHIP).
Pittsburgh is tied for third in the National League Central standings with the Cincinnati Reds. They are both 7.5 games behind the first-place St. Louis Cardinals (25-12).
The crew of the Jolly Roger is 6-5 in their last 11 matchups. Looking back at 2014, they were 16-22 after 38 contests.
It is time to go up to the bridge, review the ship’s log and check the Tale of the Tape for Clint Hurdle’s crew:
Pirates At Home: 9-7 / On The Road: 9-13
NL Central Record: 12-16 / NL East Record: 2-2
NL West Record: 3-0 / Inter-League Play: 1-2
Team Batting Average: .241 / Runs Scored: 146
Team ERA: 3.16 / Team WHIP: 1.28
Runs Allowed: 133 / Earned Runs Allowed: 121
The rest of the internet has the Pirates in the Top 20 this week, but not in the Top 10. Let’s take a look at their Power Rankings.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Bleacher Report – This Week #14 / Last Week #9 – Joel Reuter feels that the offensive production is not backing the efforts of the starting pitchers.
ESPN – This week #16 / Last Week #19 – This week’s panel of experts at ESPN.com likes that the Pirates are third in the majors in ERA, but dismayed with their overall hitting at .241 so far this season.
FanSided – This Week #13 / Last Week #11 – Kyle Franzoni is concerned with Jordy Mercer’s poor start, but thinks that Andrew McCutchen has turned the corner.
FOX Sports – This Week #16 / Last Week #17 – Craig Goldstein believes that Gregory Polanco is a work in progress in the Pittsburgh outfield and there is still time for his game to improve.
Rant Sports – This Week #16 / Last Week #16 – Jacob Kornhauser has the team holding steady in the Top 20 and is pleasantly surprised with Jung Ho Kang’s play thus far.
SI.com – This Week #13 / Last Week #13 – The Sports Illustrated staff joins the chorus of having the Pirates holding steady this week.
Where would you rate the Pirates at this point? Are they living up or down to your expectations? Let me and your fellow fans know in the comments section below.
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