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After getting swept by the Rangers with the bullpen blowing leads in two of the three games, the Guardians move on to Pittsburgh to face a much less imposing team. The Pirates got off to an encouraging start at 20-8, and at one point were 32-27. But they have since hit a tailspin, losing 25 of their last 34 games and plummeting to fourth place, one game out of last.
Breaking it down, the Pirates are 11-18 against the American League, 22-24 at home, 28-38 against right-handed starters, and 13-14 against lefties. But the main thing is they’re 9-25 in their last 34 games and more recently have lost 10 of 12.
Since June 6 the Pirates rank 29th in wRC+ (75) while the Guardians rank 8th (108). In runs scored the Pirates rank 28th. They also rank 28th in WAR since June 6. They’re just one of the three worst teams in baseball right now.
For the season they’re 24th in runs per game, but at home they hit better, ranking 19th. They’re below average offensively across the board except for walks, where they rank 6th. The Guardians pitchers need to attack these guys in the zone. According to Statcast, only one other team swings at fewer pitches outside the zone than the Pirates, so nibbling at the edges won't work.
This series will feature two of the most punchless teams in the majors. The Pirates rank 27th in home runs while the Guardians are still last at 62, which is a shocking 17 behind the next weakest team. The anticipated home runs from Bell, Zunino, and Oscar Gonzalez have not materialized.
CF Jack Suwinski leads the Pirates with an OPS of .846 and 19 home runs. He’s hitting just. .226, however. Andrew McCutcheon, now 36 years old, is hitting .267/.801. Bryan Reynolds is having an off year at .264/.776 with 9 homers and 43 RBI’s. He just signed an 8-year, $106 million contract, ending rumors that he might be traded to Cleveland or elsewhere.
Carlos Santana has landed in Pittsburgh at age 37. As reliable and bulletproof as always, Los leads the Pirates in at-bats with 313. He’s hitting .230/.701 with 9 homers and 45 RBI’s. Austin Hedges also found a job in Pittsburgh and is hitting .175/.453, which are familiar looking numbers to Guardians fans.
The Pirates are better at pitching than hitting, ranking 17th in ERA. They are 24th in WHIP, so it’s easier to get on base than to score.
The Pirates will be bringing up a prospect for his first major league appearance tonight. Quinn Priester, a 22-year-old right-hander, makes his debut after going 7-3 with a 4.31 ERA at AAA Indianapolis. Priester was ranked 5th on their prospect list by Fangraphs at the start of the season. He had 7 quality starts out of 18 in AAA this year.
The Guardians will have a bullpen game with Shane Bieber out for at least a couple of weeks. At the moment they are down to three healthy starters in Civale, Williams, and Bibee, but Logan Allen will be brought up to start tomorrow against Mitch Keller, who is the ace of their staff this year at 9-4, 3.31 ERA. Keller was selected to the All-Star game and pitched an inning. Wednesday’s game, which will be a day game, will pit Aaron Civale against 43-year-old lefty Rich Hill, who I’m sure will flummox the Guardians with his vast array of off-speed junk.
The Pirates don’t mind playing old guys. Santana, 37, and McCutcheon, 36, are regulars. Hill, 43, is in the rotation and is tied for the team lead in starts. I wonder if they would trade Hill to us for a minor prospect. We need somebody to eat innings every fifth day the rest of the season to keep Williams, Bibee, and Allen from pitching too many innings this year. I'm not real optimistic that we're going to get many starts out of Bieber, Quantrill, or McKenzie. Hope I'm wrong.
Breaking it down, the Pirates are 11-18 against the American League, 22-24 at home, 28-38 against right-handed starters, and 13-14 against lefties. But the main thing is they’re 9-25 in their last 34 games and more recently have lost 10 of 12.
Since June 6 the Pirates rank 29th in wRC+ (75) while the Guardians rank 8th (108). In runs scored the Pirates rank 28th. They also rank 28th in WAR since June 6. They’re just one of the three worst teams in baseball right now.
For the season they’re 24th in runs per game, but at home they hit better, ranking 19th. They’re below average offensively across the board except for walks, where they rank 6th. The Guardians pitchers need to attack these guys in the zone. According to Statcast, only one other team swings at fewer pitches outside the zone than the Pirates, so nibbling at the edges won't work.
This series will feature two of the most punchless teams in the majors. The Pirates rank 27th in home runs while the Guardians are still last at 62, which is a shocking 17 behind the next weakest team. The anticipated home runs from Bell, Zunino, and Oscar Gonzalez have not materialized.
CF Jack Suwinski leads the Pirates with an OPS of .846 and 19 home runs. He’s hitting just. .226, however. Andrew McCutcheon, now 36 years old, is hitting .267/.801. Bryan Reynolds is having an off year at .264/.776 with 9 homers and 43 RBI’s. He just signed an 8-year, $106 million contract, ending rumors that he might be traded to Cleveland or elsewhere.
Carlos Santana has landed in Pittsburgh at age 37. As reliable and bulletproof as always, Los leads the Pirates in at-bats with 313. He’s hitting .230/.701 with 9 homers and 45 RBI’s. Austin Hedges also found a job in Pittsburgh and is hitting .175/.453, which are familiar looking numbers to Guardians fans.
The Pirates are better at pitching than hitting, ranking 17th in ERA. They are 24th in WHIP, so it’s easier to get on base than to score.
The Pirates will be bringing up a prospect for his first major league appearance tonight. Quinn Priester, a 22-year-old right-hander, makes his debut after going 7-3 with a 4.31 ERA at AAA Indianapolis. Priester was ranked 5th on their prospect list by Fangraphs at the start of the season. He had 7 quality starts out of 18 in AAA this year.
The Guardians will have a bullpen game with Shane Bieber out for at least a couple of weeks. At the moment they are down to three healthy starters in Civale, Williams, and Bibee, but Logan Allen will be brought up to start tomorrow against Mitch Keller, who is the ace of their staff this year at 9-4, 3.31 ERA. Keller was selected to the All-Star game and pitched an inning. Wednesday’s game, which will be a day game, will pit Aaron Civale against 43-year-old lefty Rich Hill, who I’m sure will flummox the Guardians with his vast array of off-speed junk.
The Pirates don’t mind playing old guys. Santana, 37, and McCutcheon, 36, are regulars. Hill, 43, is in the rotation and is tied for the team lead in starts. I wonder if they would trade Hill to us for a minor prospect. We need somebody to eat innings every fifth day the rest of the season to keep Williams, Bibee, and Allen from pitching too many innings this year. I'm not real optimistic that we're going to get many starts out of Bieber, Quantrill, or McKenzie. Hope I'm wrong.
