The Pirates were 3-3 last week as they outscored their opponents 41-36.  The Pirates bats finally woke up last week and they would have won more games if their pitching was just a little bit better.  The Pirates entered this week with a 22-27 record which had them in 3rd place in the National League Central, 5.5 games behind the Brewers.

20 year old righty swinging Andrew McCutchen is off to a rough start for the Pirates AA baseball team.  McCutchen is the Pirates #1 prospect according to Baseball America but he’s not showing it so far.  In 44 games in AA ball, McCutchen is 33 for 166 (.199 avg, .639 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 4 homers, 19 RBIs and 8 stolen bases.  He has also whiffed an amazing 41 times which is way too much for a hitter of his caliber.  Look for the Pirates to be patient with McCutchen as he might have to repeat in AA ball next season if he doesn’t hit better the rest of the season.

Lefty reliever Damaso Marte has been nasty so far this season.  In 19 games, Marte is 0-0 with a 0.61 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP!   He has pitched 14.2 innings this season and he’s only allowed 9 hits while whiffing 17 batters.  Lefties are hopeless against Marte so far this season and the Pirates hope that continues.

The Pirates have replaced Tony Armas in their starting rotation due to his poor performance so far this season.  In 8 games (7 starts) this season, Armas is 0-3 with a 8.16 ERA and a 2.09 WHIP.  In 28.2 innings, he has allowed 43 hits, 6 homers, walked 17 batters and whiffed 22.  Shawn Chacon will replace Armas in the rotation and he will now be the mop up man in the bullpen until he starts to pitch better.

The Pirates went 3-4 last week despite outscoring their opponents 41-34.  It was still a good sign to see the Pirates bats come alive even if some of their runs were wasted last week.  The Pirates entered this week with a 19-24 record which was good for 4th place in the National League Central, 7.5 games behind the Brewers.