The Pirates host Colorado for three before hitting the road.
When & Who
Colorado Rockies (14-21) at Pittsburgh Pirates (20-15)
Game 1 – (5/8, 6:35 EST)
Probable Pitchers:
For the Pirates – Mitch Keller (3-1, 3.32 ERA)
For the Rockies – Kyle Freeland (3-3, 3.76 ERA)
Game 2 –(5/9, 6:35 EST)
Probable Pitchers:
For the Pirates – TBD
For the Rockies – Connor Seabold (0-0, 5.30 ERA)
Game 3 – (5/10, 12:35 EST)
Probable Pitchers:
For the Pirates – Rich Hill (3-3, 4.54 ERA)
For the Rockies – Antonio Senzatela (0-1, 1.80 ERA)
Team Trends
Colorado comes to Pittsburgh after taking two of three against the Mets in New York. The Rockies have won five of their past six games, and have played convincing games against tough opponents. The Rockies’ pitching has seen a steady improvement over the past handful of games, and it comes at the right time for them with the Pirates still looking to get anything going on offense after disappointing series in Tampa and against the Blue Jays.
The Pirates have lost seven straight games, and are trending downhill in every direction. In this stretch, the offense has failed to score more than two runs in any game, and when they do get runners in scoring position, they are rarely cashing in. The Pirates are playing terrible defense, which cost the team multiple times in both series against the Rays and Blue Jays. Despite this, the Pirates remain in first place in the National League Central due to some incredible luck with Milwaukee losing nearly as much as Pittsburgh.
Who’s Hot
For the Rockies – Randal Grichuk: Despite the smaller sample size for the season, Grichuk collected hits in each of the three games against the Mets, and will provide much needed help to Colorado now that he is back from injury.
For the Pirates – Ke’Bryan Hayes: Let me be clear, the Pirates’ offense has been terrible as of late. But Hayes had two multi-hit games against the Blue Jays and struck out just once in the entire series. Hayes has been seeing a slight, but steady uptick in his offensive production as the season has progressed, a welcome sign for a player who is known for high-level defense, but inconsistent offense.
Who’s Not
For the Rockies – C.J Cron: Cron had just one hit in the Rockies series against the Mets, going just 1-for-8 over the three games. Cron is willing to take walks, and took three against New York, but did not provide much production in the series.
For the Pirates – Jack Suwinski – Suwinski has gone just 1-for-22 over his past seven games and has struck out twelve times in that stretch. He collected just a single hit, (although it was a homer) against Toronto, but had five strikeouts in the series.
Series Overview & Prediction
The Rockies are playing good baseball, and the Pirates are playing bad baseball. The records don’t matter right now. The Pirates have played some tough competition lately, but going winless in six games against the Rays and Blue Jays says a lot about the competitive level of the team. With nothing working for the Pirates on the mound or at the plate, it’s really hard to see them taking the series, and the way the Rockies look, would it really be a surprise if the Pirates got swept again?
I’ll give the Rockies the series win here. The Bucs’ schedule doesn’t get much easier when they head to Baltimore next, and if they want to put together some positive momentum, now is the time to do it.
Inside The Bucs Basement 