Pirates’ offense surprisingly potent
PITTSBURGH — It would be hard to fathom a little more than three months ago that the Pirates would have one of the most potent offenses in the major leagues.
The Pirates entered spring training looking like a team that would struggle to score runs. The lineup had appeared to be weakened following an offseason in which second baseman Neil Walker was traded to the New York Mets and first baseman Pedro Alvarez was released.
Yet the Pirates entered Wednesday night’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at PNC Park ranking fourth in the major leagues in runs scored with an average of 5.02 a game. They were also second in batting average (.283) and on-base percentage (.360).
Through the first eight games of the current 10-game homestand, the Pirates had scored 50 runs.
Considering that more than a quarter of the season is gone — the Pirates had played 44 games prior to Wednesday, going 25-19 — it is fair to say the production is more than a small-sample fluke.
In fact, the two managers whose teams have faced the Pirates on this homestand both came away impressed.
“It’s a really powerful lineup,” the Atlanta Braves’ Brian Snitker said. “And it’s a deep lineup, too. There aren’t any soft spots. They have guys who can beat you up and down the lineup.”
Said the Colorado Rockies’ Walt Weiss: “It’s one of the best lineups in the league, a very athletic lineup. They can do a little bit of everything — make consistent contact, work counts, draw walks, run, hit the ball in the gaps, hit the ball out of the park.”
Indicative of the depth of the Pirates’ lineup is that center fielder Andrew McCutchen has the lowest batting average of any regular at .243. All he has done is finish in the top five of the National League Most Valuable Player voting each of the last four seasons.
The Pirates have missed the power of Alvarez and Walker, who combined for 43 home runs last season.
But only to an extent as the lineup is not powerless.
The Pirates’ .429 slugging percentage going into Wednesday was eighth in the majors. However, their 40 home runs were just 24th, meaning this isn’t the Lumber Company of four decades ago.
Yet the Pirates make up for the lack of the longball by being able to consistently sustain rallies.
A case in point was the third inning Monday against the Rockies. The Pirates parlayed four singles, a walk and a throwing error into four runs to take a 6-0 lead.
“It’s what you strive for, having a lineup where there are no easy outs,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “You’re not always going to win by hitting home runs. It’s fun to see guys running around the bases like we did in that third inning. It’s good to see so many different men involved.”