Walking the Plank: Weekly Review: June 18-23: Tigers and Padres

Detroit Tigers Series Record: 1-1

San Diego Padres Series Record: 3-0 

Pirates Record and Standings: 36-40, Currently Tied with the Reds for 4th Place

Trivia Question of the Week: Who was the last Pirate to win NL Rookie of the Year? Answer is at the bottom of the article. 

Can the Pirates play the Padres and Tigers all the time??? What an amazing comeback win the Buccos had today to sweep the Padres!! The battling Buccos looked out of it so many times, but they never gave up! The Pirates improve to 6-1 against the Padres on the season and their parting message to the Padres is....

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The Buccos split the series against the Tigers taking 1 of 2 and 3 of 4 on the season. See why I want to play these teams all of the time? Especially with the upcoming schedule, us Pirate fans may be hoping for more Padres and Tigers. Here are my 3 big takeaways from this week's amazing games: 

1. Bryan ROYnolds

Pirate fans on twitter have started the movement; from now on, any mention of of #10 for the Pirates will be Bryan ROYnolds. What a year it has been for ROYnolds. He continues to wrack in hits every week, and you will see below he even had this weeks moment of the week! We all love Cutch, but the Pirates won that trade by a large margin just like the Rays did to us in the Archer trade.. Where would this team be without ROYnolds? 

2. Josh Bell has Cooled Off

No one expected Josh Bell to continue his ridiculous pace that he had in May, but he has been struggling at the plate at a similar rate to last season. There have been many instance where Bell has come up with RISP and has come up empty and even instances of hitting into double plays. Bell is up against Freddie Freeman (Braves) and Anthony Rizzo (Cubs) in voting to be starter at 1B for the All Star Game in July, and Bell could use a big game before voting begins at noon on Wednesday and runs for 28 hours in order to create some hype around him. Many analysts are currently projecting Freddie Freeman to win the starting spot, but I have faith in Bell and Pirate nation to get the job done! Make sure you vote! As you can see, Bell would greatly appreciate it. 

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3. Upcoming Schedule will Decide the Season

We are close to the All-Star break and the Pirates four games under .500 and near the NL Central. GM Neal Huntington has claimed he believes his team will be able to get back into contention as they continue to get healthy, and these next few weeks will show that. Wins against the Padres and Tigers are nice, but how will they fare in upcoming series against the Astros, Brewers, Cubs, Cardinals, and Phillies? You'll like my prediction at the bottom of the article!

Position Player of the Week (Last week: Starling Marte): Bryan ROYnolds and Jose Osuna. This segment of "Walking the Plank," might as well have been completely dedicated to Bryan ROYnolds. What a gem he has been! However, Jose Osuna's clutch hitting this week cannot be ignored as he drove in the winning run on Friday night along with a pinch hit HR Saturday! Honorable Mention: Starling Marte and Kevin Newman (14 Game hitting streak)!

Pitcher of the Week (Last Week: Steven Brault): Richard Rodriquez. I will be the first to admit I have given Rich Rod a lot of criticism this season, but he has been very good lately. He made three appearances this week having 3.1 IP and 6 Ks!! What a stat line. Also, kudos for Rich Rod being the first bullpen arm to win Pitcher of the Week! Honorable Mention: Joe Musgrove. 

ESPY's Game of the Year Nominee: Sunday's walk off win against the Padres may have been one of the best games I have ever witnessed as a Pirate fan! The Buccos came back from down three runs in both the 9th and 11th inning just when I thought they were not going to get the sweep. Newman came up with bases loaded and a 0-2 count to walk it off with a walk! What a game!!

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Moment of the Week (Last Week: Moran 5 RBIs): Bryan Reynolds 3-Run Go-Ahead HR on Wednesday Night. This one was easy. What a clutch play to cap off a much needed comeback by the Pirates. I almost spilled my margarita at Steel Cactus when watching him hit that ball, but of course I saved my precious drink. 

Who Walks the Plank (Last Week: Chris Archer): Jung Ho Kang. It is time to end this fantasy that Kang is a MLB player. Ever since coming off of the IL, Kang has been awful at the plate and his defense has been no better. Yes, he has power potential, but the high strikeout rate does not make it worth it. Once Erik Gonzalez comes off the IL, Kang should be off the team and Gonzalez and Osuna should be the back up SS and 3B. Enjoy your swim, Mr. Kang!

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Trivia Answer: Jason Bay in 2004! 26 HR, 82 RBI and a .282 BA! 

Upcoming Games: Away: 3 Game Series vs. Astros, 3 Games Series vs. Brewers. Sending the Pirates out on this tough road trip like... 

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Record Prediction (Last Week: 4-1- 3 weeks in a row being correct!):  These next few weeks are going to define the season for the Pirates. With match ups against the Astros, Brewers, Cubs, and Cardinals, it is time for the Pirates to put up or shut up. Tuesday night will be a huge game for the Pirates as they will face Gerrit Cole and it looks like all four players the Pirates got in return in the trade will be on the roster for the game. I expect Trevor to bounce back and the Pirates to continue their hot streak and beat Cole and take 2 out of 3 against the Astros and 2 out of 3 against the Brewers to finish to week 4-2. Hopefully this is not just wishful thinking.. 

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think in the comments below. Try to stay positive Pirate fans and Lets Go Bucs!!

-Aaron, TGYK