Pirates

Pirates Preview: The Offense is Due for a Good Game at Some Point, Right?

Published

3 weeks ago

April 30, 2024

Ke'Bryan Hayes, Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates

It’s starting to sound like a broken record, but the Pittsburgh Pirates again struggled at the plate and fell 5-1 to the Oakland A’s on Monday night.

Ke’Bryan Hayes led off the game with a single, but the Pirates (14-16) didn’t record their second hit of the game until Oneil Cruz’s ninth-inning single.

The Pirates will look to even their series with the A’s (13-17) on Tuesday and hope for much better results from the lineup for the first time in quite some time.

First pitch is scheduled for 9:40 ET and the game will be aired on SportsNet Pittsburgh.

Weather

It’s shaping up to be a beautiful evening for baseball with clear skies and a first-pitch temperature of 66 degrees. Winds W at 10 mph.

The Pittsburgh Pirates Will Send Out RHP Mitch Keller (2-2, 5.14 ERA)

Keller looked like he had turned a corner after a subpar start to the season but has struggled over his last two starts.

The right-hander has allowed eight runs in 11 innings pitched combined between his last two outings. Walks have been a bit of an issue of late and he’s allowed a home run in four of his last five outings.

Opponents are hitting .283 against Keller and have managed an .812 OPS. Last year, Keller held opponents to a .249 batting average and a .713 OPS.

In one previous start against the A’s last year, Keller allowed five runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings pitched.

The Oakland A’s Will Send Out LHP Alex Wood (1-2, 6.59 ERA)

It’s been a rough start to the season for Wood, but he pitched well his last time out against the New York Yankees.

In that start, the veteran left-hander held the Yankees to one run in 5.2 innings pitched and struck out five batters.

In his first five starts to begin 2024, Wood carried a 7.89 ERA.

Wood has made 16 appearances agaisnt the Pirates in his career, 15 of which have been starts. He’s gone 6-4 against Pittsburgh with a 3.66 ERA.

A’s Hitters vs. Keller

JJ Bleday: 1 for 3, two walks
J.D. Davis: 1 for 3, one strikeout
Shea Langeliers: 1 for 3, one home run, one RBI
Brent Rooker: 0 for 3
Esteury Ruiz: 0 for 3
Seth Brown: 1 for 2, one double, one RBI, one walk
Ryan Noda: 1 for 2, one double, one walk, one strikeout

Pirates Hitters vs. Wood

Andrew McCutchen: 7 for 37, two doubles, one home run, three RBIs, four walks, 10 strikeouts
Michael A. Taylor: 8 for 18, two doubles, one home run, two RBIs, six strikeouts
Bryan Reynolds: 8 for 17, two doubles, six RBIs, two walks, four strikeouts
Connor Joe: 7 for 15, one home run, one RBI, three walks
Ke’Bryan Hayes: 5 for 9, two doubles, one triple, two RBIs, three strikeouts
Jack Suwinski: 1 for 5, one walk
Oneil Cruz: 0 for 3, two strikeouts

Tidbits

Over their last 14 games played, the Pirates have scored a total of 29 runs (2.07 runs per game).
The Pirates have scored more than four runs one time in those 14 games played. It came in a 6-5 loss to the Brewers at PNC Park.
Since being recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis, Kyle Nicolas has made a pair of scoreless relief appearances and has struck out four batters in two innings.