Pittsburgh Pirates: Looking At Current MLB Power Rankings
By Larry Snyder
The Pittsburgh Pirates continue to surge during the month of August as they own an 19-7 mark in 26 games with one match-up left to close out the month against the Colorado Rockies. The crew of the Jolly Roger have a record of 39-17 over their last 56 contests, going back to Friday, June 26th.
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Clint Hurdle’s squad has sold out PNC Park 21 times this season as they have put together a 46-20 record along the North Shore. The keyboard and mouse are both warmed up so let’s take a look at some of the recent reports about the Pirates from around the internet.
Bill James at billjamesonline.com has his World’s #1 Starting Pitcher Rankings up as of Saturday, Aug. 29th. There is no surprise that Clayton Kershaw is the No. 1 overall this season across the Majors. He has ranked Pirates left-hander Francisco Liriano at No. 19 and right-hander Gerrit Cole No. 22 in his Top 50.
Rumbunter‘s Jason Rollinson points out that while Francisco Liriano has not lost a decision since Saturday, June 20, some of his victories have been less than sterling. He asks the question, “Could teams be figuring out his slider?”
Our friend Zachary Weiss at the Pittsburgh Sporting News takes a look at broadcaster Greg Brown and his long journey as the Pirates play-by-play announcer.
Over at the Where Have You Gone Andy Van Slyke blog, while Pat Lackey enjoys Pedro Alvarez’s recent performance with the bat, he reminds us that it is similar to his hot streaks in the past. He remains a liability at first base with his glove. His Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) is the highest among all first baseman.
You can add the staff at the Raise The Jolly Roger blog to the list of those being impressed with Gregory Polanco’s play in right field of late.
Let’s cruise around the web and see where experts on the internet have the Pirates in their MLB Power Rankings.
Bleacher Report – This Week #2 / Last Week #3 – Joel Reuter has Starling Marte as his Hitter of the Week and J.A. Happ as his Pitcher of the Week.
Pittsburgh Pirates
CBS Sports – This Week #3 / Last Week #3 – Matt Snyder believes the opportunity is there for the Pirates to avoid the wild card game.
ESPN – This week #3 / Last Week #3 – The staff at ESPN joins the chorus of web sites that have the St. Louis Cardinals at No. 1 and the Bucs in the Top Five overall.
Empire Writes Back – This Week #3 / Last Week #3 – On this FanSided page, Kenneth Teape likes that the team is getting healthier at just the right time.
FOX Sports – This Week #3 / Last Week #3 – Craig Goldstein thinks that the return of A.J. Burnett could be the push the Pirates need to get to the top.
SI.com – This Week #4 / Last Week #5 – The eight voters at Sports Illustrated could not come to a consensus to move the Pirates up the rankings this week.
USA Today – This Week #3 / Last Week #3 – The writers at USA Today point out the fact that Pittsburgh is 26-15 against the rest of the current National League playoff field at this point.
Is it Pirates time? Let your fellow fans know in the comments section below.
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