Some would say the Pittsburgh Pirates came out of the gate slow, but slow doesn’t even correctly identify the sluggish start the Pirates had. Pittsburgh was below .500 up until this weekend’s series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Pirates were able to sweep the Diamondbacks in Arizona.
The Pirates scored a total of 14 runs in the three-game set, but the most impressive stat of all is that the Pirates held Arizona to only 2 runs in those three contests. The Pirates’ starting pitching has been fairly solid thus far this season, but the bullpen has been a major problem. Relievers blew lead after lead in game after game, but they are finally hitting their stride. The bullpen has been one of the biggest factors in the Pirates current five-game winning streak.
The Pirates’ offense has also finally come to life of late. Pittsburgh has been about timely hitting all season long, but on Sunday they finally broke open the floodgates. The Pirates were holding on to a four-run lead heading into the 8th inning, and they were able to tack on an extra run. They were then able to score three more times in the top of the 9th to solidify the victory.
The Pirates have had major fantasy success of late, mainly from this past weekend, and the bulk of the success has not been from who most might expect, Andrew McCutchen. Instead, it has been from Neil Walker, and he is on absolute fire. Walker has recorded a hit in nine-straight games. He also leads the Pirates with 21 hits, and he has the most total bases, 32. Gregory Polanco has also been on a tear. He is tied with the most hits, and he’s been getting on base and stealing bases. His fantasy value has skyrocketed because of his ability to steal bases.
Starling Marte has had a solid start, and you can look for Pedro Alvarez and Josh Harrison to pick up their production. The amazing thing is that the Pirates find themselves two games over .500 without any production out of their former MVP, McCutchen. The center fielder has been absolutely terrible over the past week, with one hit over his last 21 at-bats. Considering his age (28) and career numbers (.297/.384/.494), you can expect McCutchen to rebound, which will only continue to help Pittburgh’s offense improve.
Caleb Luketic is a Correspondent for FantasyPros. For more from Caleb, check out his Profile or follow him @CalebOnSports.