The Pittsburgh Pirates appear to be heading back to the same familiar position; below .500 season. The Pirates have not finished above .500 since 1992 when they won 96 games. The last three seasons, Pittsburgh has averaged just 64 wins per season, and since 2000 the Pirates have only won over 70 games three times. In 2009, the Pirates finished 28.5 games out of first place, winning just 62 games.
While the struggles of the Houston Astros may keep the Pirates out of the National League Central basement – they won’t be far away. Pittsburgh is still fighting to get to .500, and have another year to wait. The Pirates pitching has been absolutely horrid this season, ranking dead last in the National League with a 5.84 earned run average. The display did not get any better on Sunday when the Cardinals had 11 runs on the Pirates through six innings. When the Pirates DO have good pitching, they make bad executive decisions. The latest was announcing Jeff Karstens, who threw six shut-out innings against one of the best offenses in the NL, will go to the bullpen. Right-hander Ross Ohlendorf is coming off the disabled list on Monday to start against the Reds. Ohlendorf was out with bad back. Also, youngster Brian Burress will get a start during the week.
Offensively, the Pirates have several guys they are depending heavily on that haven’t done it in the big leagues yet. Andrew McCutchen and Garrett Jones have great promise, while Lastings Milledge has always been a key name in the future of a ball club. Milledge couldn’t cut it in New York or Washington is now roaming the Pittsburgh outfield. McCutchen leads the team in batting average, with a .333, but as a team Pittsburgh is hitting just .243. The Pirates as a team have hit 25 homeruns, with McCutchen leading with 4.
Pittsburgh has some work to do. It appears the guy at the helm, John Russell is the man for the job. The Pirates have been on about the third rebuilding phase, but will this be the one? With the young names, are the Pirates up and coming in the NL Central? Another question that has been posed for Pirates fans, would they fare well in the American League? Would a move to the AL Central (trade for Kansas City), be a benefit or a hindrance to a baseball team that has a long history of success; which has turned into embarrassment.
