The Pittsburgh Pirates finished their second week of the season with a record of 8-2. They took two of three from both the Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles.
In the series versus the Nationals, they won the opener, failed to impress in the Mitch Keller start, and won the rubber match before returning for the home opener.
In the home opener, the Pirates failed to take advantage of an electric crowd, never having the lead in the game. However, they were able to win the next two against the Orioles both in walk-off fashion. The first walk-off was a back-and-forth affair with equal parts surprise and heartbreak. But in the end, a walk-off win belonged to the Bucs. In the last game of the week, the Pirates were behind and mostly listless until the bottom of the ninth when they won in crazy fashion.

In this weekly recap, we will look at each of the three major categories—Offense, Pitching, and Defense—and grade how the Pirates played.

Offense:
The Pirates scored 28 runs in their six games this past week, scoring less than three runs in only one game. While it was not the 31 runs scored over the first four games of the year, these games were also not played against the worst NL team. There were no true offensive standouts this week, although, Oneil Cruz, Michael A. Taylor, and Rowdy Tellez might be the best. But the whole team contributed to help the team win, including Joey Bart in his first game with the Pirates going 2-5 with a double and a home run. When you consider that the Pirates have a few of their key players off to cold starts, or having bad weeks, there is actually a lot to be excited about. Bryan Reynolds, Jack Suwinski, and Andrew McCutchen will not continue to be so cold at the plate. Even Ke’Bryan Hayes had a low week, another thing not to expect to happen much. Even if other bats cool— looking at you Michael A. Taylor—the others should heat up. The Pirates are far deeper than in years past at the plate. They have proven so far in the early going that even when Stars struggle there is enough talent to cover the difference.

Pitching:
Mitch Keller scuffled again in Washington, but as written here, there is nothing to be concerned about just yet. Jared Jones looked strong again giving up two solo home runs but striking out seven and walking none. There are no superlatives that can’t describe how Jones has pitched and how he holds himself. It is quite possible that the Pirates have a very exciting player on their hands. His next start will be another good test versus the Phillies. Martin Perez had another good start, going 6.2 innings, and giving up two earned, striking out six, and walking two. If Perez can continue to make starts like this when he starts facing better teams, it will go a long way to answer some of the rotation questions that were asked pre-season. Marco Gonzales pitched two games this week, impressing in both. He held the Nationals to one run over five innings, then held the Orioles to two over six innings. The starts versus the Orioles were a much more impressive feat, but again, if he remains even just serviceable, it will be a huge benefit as the Pirates will look to limit the innings of Jones, and eventually Paul Skenes. Next up: Bailey Falter. He heard the boos of the fans on opening day, internalized them, and threw a gem versus the Orioles. He technically should have thrown six no-hit innings; however, a lack of decision by Suwinski led to a bloop hit that dropped between three Pirates. Nevertheless, he looked damn impressive in the start; however, do not expect it to make a difference in the long term. David Bednar scuffled a bit out of the bullpen this week, but coming off an injury that limited spring appearances, it is almost to be expected. The rest of the bullpen remains a strong point for the Pirates. They have had to rely on depth already with injuries, including recently to Ryan Borucki. But with two key pieces, Colin Holderman and Carmen Mlodzinski, still yet to hit the majors this season, there is a lot to remain excited about.

Defense:
The Pirates committed 4 official errors this week and continued to have some miscues in the field. This has been somewhat of a staple for the Pirates in years past, where simple plays seem to give them fits, and then they turn around and make impossible plays with the next batter. The Pirates have three players that could easily win gold gloves, two of which are becoming the main error culprits. As stated last week, this needs to be addressed—and quickly. They have yet to be bitten in the ass too badly by these defensive issues, but it is statistically improbable that will continue. Cleaner fielding and better baserunning will start to help them win even more games, and not potentially cost them a few.

At 8-2, the Pirates should be excited, knowing their best baseball is yet to come. This week the Pirates will play two versus the Detroit Tigers and four against the Philadelphia Phillies. Both will be tough opponents, but if the Pirates can keep doing what is working and fix what is lagging, they could remain in a good spot by the week’s end.