
Stock Down: Pittsburgh Pirates
Through the first couple of months of the season, the Pittsburgh Pirates were one of the good stories of the season. They were sitting on top of the National League Central Division standings, getting good pitching, timely hitting and even locked up star outfielder Bryan Reynolds. Things haven’t gone as smoothly in June, mainly the last seven days.
Pittsburgh showed up at American Family Field for a three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers and got swept, dropping into second place in the division. Looking to turn things around at home, the Chicago Cubs were not having it and they promptly swept the Pirates and all of a sudden, after finding themselves in first place a week ago, they slid down to fourth place thanks to an 11-game Cincinnati Reds winning streak that has them in first place and the Cubs playing better.
Final. pic.twitter.com/OF0qjrluQm
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 21, 2023
During their losing streak, the Pirates have been shut out three times, including twice on back-to-back days by the Cubs at home. They scored one run in the series final on Wednesday and have scored just seven runs in the last week. Everything that was going right for them early in the season seems to be going wrong for them now.
Teams learn about themselves during stretches like this in a 162-game season. For Pittsburgh, their makeup will be tested with their next two series, four against the Miami Marlins and three against the San Diego Padres. This is not a make-or-break week for the Pirates, but a big week in terms of how they respond to adversity.