Dunio : What Happened to the Pirates Pitching Staff?

Have you ever heard the old adage, “Pitching Wins Championships”? Sure you have and it’s a very true statement. Look no further than the Pittsburgh Pirates to see the adage at work.

Before the All Star break, the Pirates led the National League in ERA (3.08), runs allowed (290), opposing OPS (.643), and hits allowed (311). Unlikely heroes arose from the depths of nothingness to best in the majors. Jeff Locke earned 9 wins and a trip to the All Star game. Francisco Liriano rediscovered his ridiculous talent and AJ Burnett struck out droves of opposing hitters. And let’s not forget the Pirates bullpen, affectionately dubbed “The Shark Tank”. The bullpen, highlighted by fellow All Stars Mark Melancon and Jason Grilli, converted nearly every late game lead to a victory.

With the best pitching staff in the majors, the Pittsburgh Pirates delivered a 56-37 record at the All Star break and appeared to be legitimate World Series contenders. The only weakness in their game wastheir putrid offense. The Pirates offense ranked 12^th in batting average(.242), 13^th in runs (357), 11^th in OPS (.696), and 9^thin extra base hits (262).

Pirates GM Neal Huntington recognized the Pirates weak offense and made significant trades at the waiver deadline when he acquired OF Marlon Byrd, C John Buck, and 1B Justin Morneau. The Pirates frontoffice delivered what every Pittsburgh fan clamored for. They finally had aformidable offense to compliment the pitching staff.

Fast forward to September 9^th. The Pirates were just swept by the Cardinals in a pivotal series in which theCardinals regained first place. The red hot Cincinnati Reds swept the Dodgers to move into a 2^nd place tie with the Pirates – both 1.5 games behind St. Louis.

The Pirates second half offense has improved immensely. Since the break, they are leading the National League in extra base hits (150), they’re third in OPS (.729), and their team batting average has improved .12 points to .254. However, the improved offense hasn’t translated towins. Since the break, they’re sporting a record of 25-24 and are set to begin a series in Texas against the Rangers tonight.

So what changed?

Remember that dominating pitching staff from thefirst half? Well, they haven’t been very dominant recently. In the month of September, their team ERA is nearly the worst in the majors at 6.56 and opposing hitters are batting a gaudy.305 against them.

The most notable statistic is the number of hits they’ve allowed since the All Star break. In the first half, they allowed the least amount of hits (311) in the National League. So far in the second half, they’re only one hit shy of allowing the most hits (447) in the National League and they’ve already allowed 136 more hits post All Star break than they did the entire first half. The influx of hits allowed has impacted the increased second half team ERA (3.80) and the number of earned runs (187). Pittsburgh’s dominant first half pitching staff now ranks near the middle of the National League andappears to be mediocre at best.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are living proof that pitching really does win championships. If the Pirates can’t regain their quality starting pitching soon, they will be watching playoff games in October from their living rooms – instead of in front of a sold out PNC Park.