Cautiously optimistic about the Pirates
So the Pirates just shut out the Atlanta Braves for the second straight day, and so far, I've been impressed.So far.
They've gotten mostly good pitching from everyone on the staff and they've played pretty solid defense so far. The pitching is the big surprise because the Pirates ranked near dead last in every category last season.
While I don't expect the starters to continue putting up goose eggs, I hope they can at least be a pretty good staff most of the year. I won't hold my breath, though, because it's still way too early.
Craig Monroe's banner day aside, the big problem will be the offense. They've gotten big hits when they needed them late in games lately, but there will come a time when the pitching staff will need to be picked up, and I don't think the Buccos are at that point yet.
Nate McLouth will round into form, Freddy Sanchez appears healthy, and if the LaRoche brothers can hit anything close to .270, I'll consider it a blessing.
Will the Pirates finally break the .500 mark? Experience says no, but at least this season is looking better than the last 16.
Posted by
on 04/18 at 10:45 PM
