Pirates Are Struggling in This Situation Right Now

The Pittsburgh Pirates looked like one of the best teams in baseball going into the All-Star break, and the front office even addressed the team’s biggest need before the trade deadline by acquiring multiple high-leverage bullpen arms.

So, how have the Pirates fallen so far back in the Wild Card race, and why is the team no longer considered a true playoff contender?

There are multiple answers to that question, but one of the main reasons is Pittsburgh’s inability to take advantage of runners on base over the last month. This was made apparent in their recent loss during their critical West Coast trip.

The Pirates won their series against the San Diego Padres and even had a chance to sweep them in the series finale. In fact, Pittsburgh had a lot of chances, but it couldn't find a way to score, hitting 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and leaving 10 runners on base.

Again, this has been a trend for the Pirates over the last few weeks. Since mid-August, Pittsburgh has a .248/.325/.404 slash line with a 95 wRC+ with runners at second or third. The numbers could be worse, but considering the close games the Pirates have played, even these small miscues can cost the team wins.

The team knows it needs to capitalize on these opportunities over the next few weeks if it wants to make a run for the playoffs.

“I mean, you can make it; you can throw any number of excuses out there, but I mean, plain and simple, we just didn't do it,” said Brandon Lowe after Wednesday’s loss.

“We just need to get the job done, and we had the opportunities to do it and just didn't do it.”

As the Pirates look to get back on track, manager Don Kelly wants his players to take a better approach at the plate and return to what the team did earlier in the year. Pittsburgh has a .742 OPS and a 101 wRC+ this season with runners in scoring position.

Of course, as the team struggles in this department right now, players are going to try to do too much to get everyone back on track. That can’t be the mentality, though, because one player isn’t going to change the tide.

It’s going to take a full team effort to string together hits and start driving in runs again.