The Pittsburgh Pirates pitching staff has been a bit of a wildcard to begin the season.
I recently wrote about how the Pittsburgh Pirates starting rotation is going deeper into games than the majority of teams around the league. As much as the bullpen has struggled early on, this is a huge factor for the Pirates’ success.
On game broadcasts, you’ll often hear the commentators talking about a team’s lineup eventually getting settled in and more comfortable after seeing a pitcher once or twice. It makes sense, especially if a team is seeing a young pitcher for the first time. So as the game moves along, the more pitches a hitter sees the better they can react to his arm slot, release point, and movement of his pitches..
The starting rotation has done an impressive job limiting runs in the early innings of games so far. I’ll break down the numbers by times through the order for the rotation.
First Time Through
Through the first 18 games of the season, starters have held opponents to a .241 batting average on their first trip through the order. They’ve allowed 14 runs on 35 hits, including 12 extra base hits.
However, some luck may be in play. The opponent batting average on balls in play (BABIP, any play that’s not a home run, strikeout, walk, sacrifice, or hit by pitch) is up at .303. As a group, the starters have 34 strikeouts but have also walked 15 in 162 total plays appearances.
Second Time Through
Typically the second time through the order would span from the third through the sixth inning. This is when the Pirate starters have excelled. In this time through the lineup, they actually have less strikeouts (31) but also fewer hits (30) allowed.
Before this series with the Philadelphia Phillies, the opponent batting average was .210 and the opponent BABIP was .236; both very low. While that may seem unsustainable, it means they have done a great job generating outs even though the hitters have a better idea of what to expect.
In the most recent starts from Trevor Williams and Steven Brault, we’ve seen them struggle early with their control but wind up settling down and salvaging their outing. As they begin to settle in, it would be around the time they would be seeing the lineup for the second time, supporting what the stats show.
Third Time Through
Ahh, right when the wheels begin to fall off for the staff.
On a normal game pace, this would typically happen in the fifth through seventh innings. Through the 18 games the team has played, 30 of the 77 runs given up have come in the sixth and seventh innings. However, this doesn’t all fall on the starting rotation.
Yes, this is a bit of a rough patch for the entire staff. However, with how deep the starters have been going in games, the trouble has been starting with them. Over 107 plate appearances, opponents have a .290 average, including nine extra base hits.
This trouble then turns over to the bullpen. When the relievers get their first crack at the lineup, they have given up 38 runs over 255 PA. Not exactly ideal but the pen seems to be on the mend and making progress.
Similar to the idea of my last article, the starting rotation has done a solid job battling and giving the offense a chance to make some noise (This was written before the first game of the Phillies series). In maintaining a consistent game plan, look for the rotation to continue to keep hitters off balance in the middle innings of the game before their opponent gets comfortable. However, part of it comes down on Clint Hurdle to know when to switch over to the bullpen. Sometimes, even just one batter too long can determine whether the game gets out of hand.
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