The Pittsburgh Pirates outscored the St. Louis Cardinals in the first series of the 2016 season by a score of 15-7. Even with the loss of power this season, the offense is still clicking on all cylinders and scoring runs allowing the Pirates to win ball games early on.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have been graced with some good pitching performances to start out the season. Juan Nicasio and Francisco Liriano each threw 6.0 innings while holding the St. Louis Cardinals at bay, and the bullpen came in and pitched fantastic after a rough outing in the Pirate debut of Jonathan Niese.
However, these pitchers have all had some support behind them to start the season. The Pirates scored a combined 15 runs in their three game sweep of the Cardinals and for the most pat played with the lead. The only time they were down was in game 2 against the Cardinals when Jed Gyorko hit a two run home run to give the Cardinals a 4-2 lead.
With the losses of Neil Walker and Pedro Alvarez, many expected the Pirates offense to suffer this season. At least early on, that has not been the case as the Pirates have been able to string together hits and score runs in bunches. All of these runs have been coming with a very conventional lineup by today's standards lead by Jon Jaso who only has 15 career stolen bases in nine years in the MLB.
Jaso has been key at the top of the lineup for the Pirates. In the series against the Cardinals, he went 3 for 12 with an RBI a triple and two runs scored. Jaso has been known for having a high on-base percentage and working the count throughout his career. So far as a Pirate, he has been having success at the top of the lineup and looks to continue as the season progresses.
He got a hit in each game, two of which coming in key situations. While the .250 average to start the season does not look all that impressive, Jaso has contributed a lot to this team in the short time that he has been a Pirate. Since becoming a full-time major league player, Jaso has never had an OBP under .337. If he can continue this during his time as a Pirate, many good things will come for the Pirates out of the lead-off position.
Andrew McCutchen also had a good series for the Pirates going 5 for 11 with an RBI, two walks, and a run scored. McCutchen will be looked upon to lead this team from an offensive stand-point in 2016. He has won the silver slugger award in each of the last four season and is currently a five-time all star. He is batting in the second spot in the order for the first time in his career and is getting on base to set-up the three and four hitters in the lineup.
As expected, one thing we have not seen from the Pirates yet in 2016 is the home run ball. The closest the Pirates came was last night when both Jaso and Sean Rodriguez hit balls that missed home runs by mere inches. However, a high number of home runs does not necessarily translate into a winning team. According to Forbes magazine, no team that has won the regular season home run title has won the World Series.
Pittsburgh ranked 23rd in the league last year with 140 home runs and still won 98 games and finished second in the National League Central. Home runs are not everything over the course of a major league season. As long as the Pirates continue to hit the gaps and drive in runs on a consistent basis, they will be just fine in 2016.
There have been a couple of surprise faces on the offensive leaderboards early in the season. Gregory Polanco and Francisco Cirvelli have really stepped up at the plate and given the Pirates the run production they have needed. Both players delivered big hits in key situations and helped the Pirates sweep the Cardinals.
Polanco, who just signed a five-year $35 million extension with the club, went 3 for 7 in the series with five walks, three RBI, and four runs scored. Polanco's move to the middle of the order seems to be really helping him this season. Polanco's plate discipline has greatly improved from last season to this season. In total last season he walked 55 times in 120 games played. He already has five walks in three games and drew a big bases loaded walk yesterday after taking a pitch that was just off the outside corner.
Moving to the number six spot in the lineup will allow Polanco more opportunities to drive in runs and contribute in big situations. Polanco looks like a totally different player at the plate in 2016 and it bodes well for the Pirates future. Polanco is currently second on the team with a .429 average and looks to continue his hot streak into Cincinnati this weekend.
Another player who has come through big for Pittsburgh is catcher Francisco Cirvelli. Cirvelli went 4 for 11 against the red birds with two walks, a triple, three RBI, and two runs scored. This included a big two-run double in yesterdays contest that scored David Freese and Starling Marte putting the Pirates ahead 4-1. Cirvelli is another guy who looks locked in at the plate right now with no signs of slowing down.
Cirvelli had a break out year last season with career highs in both average and RBI. The key for Cirvelli will be staying healthy all season. Last season was the first year that Cirvelli caught more than 100 games in a season. If he can continue to stay healthy for Pittsburgh, there is no doubt in my mind that he will once again be a key contributor for this team.
These players alone are not the only contributors to the Pirates early season success. Currently Marte is the only position player hitting below .250. Jordy Mercer came through with the big walk off single on Tuesday night, Josh Harrison has two RBI and has been a productive out at the plate, and David Freese has two multi-hit games in his first three with the Pirates and posseses a .357 batting average. The current offense is firing on all cylinders.
There are no easy outs in this 2016 Pirates lineup. While the threat of the home run is not there as in years past, there is no one person in the lineup that you can look at and say "That's an easy out." Each player poses their own challenges to opposing pitchers. The Pirates can hurt you in a lot of ways with their speed and defense, but do not count out their offensive abilities either.
The offense will look to continue its hot streak tomorrow in Cincinnati when the Pirates face off against the Reds. They will look to right the ship this year against the Reds as they were a combined 6-11 against them last season. The Reds will have Alfredo Simon on the mound as he makes his season debut. The Pirates will counter with Francisco Liriano (1-0 0.00) as he come off of an Opening Day start in which he struck out 10 Cardinals in a 4-1 Pirates victory. First pitch at Great American Ball Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.
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