Walking the Plank: Weekly Review: May 21-26: Rockies and Dodgers Series

Colorado Rockies Series Record: 1-2
Los Angeles Dodgers Series Record: 0-3
Pirates Record and Standings: 25-25, 4th Place NL Central

Pirates came into this home stand flying high after going 7-4 on a road trip playing 3 above .500 teams (Cardinals, D-Backs, and Padres). Before the road trip, I predicted the Pirates would fall apart over that span, but boy did they prove me wrong. But prepare yourselves folks, it all went downhill from there when the Pirates put out their JV pitching squad against some high powered offenses (spoiler alert: it did not end well for the home team). Here are my 3 big takeaways from this home stand: 

1. Jordan Lyles Continues to Impress (Hey, a positive!)

With the starting rotation depleted, Jordan Lyles continues to be the stopper. Who would have thought that at the beginning of the season he would be this productive? Even though he fell apart in the 5th inning and gave up 6 ER, his ERA only raised up to a whopping 2.81. For a guy who is considered the 5th starter, you can't ask for much more at 5-1 with a 2.81 ERA (Maybe a potential All-Star?). 

2. The Inconsistency Continues

When the Pirates win, they win close games with good pitching and some clutch runs, but when they lose, they lose BAD. In the loses in just this home stand, the Pirates lost by 5,6,8 (!!!), 5 and 4 runs. Their current run differential is -59, which is the rate that most last place teams are at. How this team is at .500 amazes me.  

3. Pitching Depth is a Joke

When the Pirates trotted the struggling Michael Feliz out as an "opener" against the Dodgers on Friday night, they may as well have been waving the white flag and not have played the game. Feliz, Brault, Kingham, Neverauskas, and Holmes should have no place on an MLB roster, but the Pirates are forced to keep them on their roster due in part to injuries, but also because of their inability to address their lack of depth going into the season. Poor development of minor league pitchers and one of the lowest payrolls in the MLB has led the Pirates to lose, and mostly get blown out, in many crucial games this year.  

Position Player of the Week: Josh Bell. I know you must have shocked expressions on your faces as you read this. At his current pace, Josh Bell might make this segment easy for me every week as he is by far our best position player. Batting .339, with 16 HRs and 47 RBIs, you can't ask for much more. 

Pitcher of the Week: Jordan Lyles (see above)

Moment of the Week: Josh Bell's splash down home run in the river on Wed. against the Rockies (15th HR of the season).
This is the SECOND time this season J-Bell has done this! This was only the FIFTH time ever for a ball to reach the beautiful Allegheny river on the fly. Wow-za Josh Bell. We tip our caps to you!

"My name is Josh Bell, and I hit dingers." tenor.com

Who Walks the Plank: Chris Archer. What a disappointment Archer has been. Without even getting into how great Meadows and Glasnow are doing, Archer has arguably been the Pirates worst starter all season when he is supposed to be a top 2 guy. 6 walks in 5 innings is unacceptable and his inability to go deep in games hurts a team with a depleted bullpen. Oh yea, he has that 5.75 ERA too. Walk the plank, Mr. Archer. 

Upcoming Games: Away: 4 Games Series vs. Reds (Double header Memorial day). Home: 4 Game Series vs. Brewers.

Record Prediction: 5-3. Pirates have a big week with 8 NL Central games. My predication is the Pirates take 3 out of 4 against the Reds and split the 4 game series with the Brewers.

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think in the comments below. Lets Go Bucs!!

-Aaron, TGYK