3 Roster Flaws Continue to Burn Pirates
Losers of four in a row and 13 of their last 21, the worst stretch of the season for the Pittsburgh Pirates has resulted in their overall record hitting .500 and a spot in the cellar of the National League Central.
It was a miserable weekend for the Pirates, who blew a late lead and fell in extra innings to the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night before getting shut out in back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday.
After a day off on Monday, the Pirates showed fight against the Cardinals in St. Louis to tie the game in the ninth. But the comeback effort proved to be false hope, and the Pirates were walked-off in 10 innings.
A .500 start through 48 games isn’t the worst showing, but their record should be better than what it is so far. There are three glaring holes on the roster, which continue to plague the Pirates as we approach the one-third mark of the season.
Designated Hitter
At what point do you just pull the plug? The Pirates had high hopes for Marcell Ozuna after signing him as a free agent. They’ve praised his work ethic and his clubhouse presence, but 171 plate appearances into the season and Ozuna has been one of the worst statistical hitters in baseball.
The 35-year-old had a chance to come through with a big hit in Tuesday’s loss. The Pirates loaded the bases with nobody out and trailing by two against Cardinals closer Riley O’Brien. Ozuna brought home a run by bouncing into a double play, a trade St. Louis was surely pleased with.
Through 40 games this season, Ozuna’s .179 batting average is the seventh-worst in baseball and his .580 OPS is 10th-worst. He has five home runs, 16 RBI and is only batting .136 with runners in scoring position.
Part of the problem is the Pirates don’t have many sources of offense not currently on the active roster. Another issue is cutting Ozunz loose would cause Bob Nutting to eat $12 million guaranteed between his 2026 salary and the buyout on next year’s option.
With Ryan O’Hearn on the injured list, the Pirates need someone to step up to replace his production. Ideally, that would be Ozuna, but he hasn’t offered much inspiration to think that’s possible.
Catcher
Henry Davis had a tough game on Tuesday night. He struck out with two on and nobody out in the second inning. He stepped into the same situation three innings later and flew out to shallow center. In his third trip to the plate, he popped out in foul ground to the catcher.
Davis’ spot in the lineup came up again with two outs and a runner on second in the eighth, but manager Don Kelly opted to pinch-hit Endy Rodríguez, who flew out to fairly-deep right center.
In 35 games this season, Davis is hitting a career-low .137 with a .472 OPS, three doubles, two home runs (both of which came in one game) and eight RBI.
For comparison, Gerrit Cole hit .174 with a .420 OPS during his career with the Pirates. There’s no denying the value Davis brings behind the plate, but at some point, it’s not enough to outweigh having pitcher-level output offensively.
Maybe Rodríguez will get more playing time in hopes he can offer more with the bat, as he did in his first game of the season last week. But the track record isn’t there and the Pirates, who want to make the postseason, can only do so much hoping before actually seeing results.
The Bullpen
Ah, the bullpen, the biggest red flag on the roster heading into the season that is turning out to be even more troubling that initially thought.
The Pirates have a 4.22 ERA from their relievers this season, which ranks 17th in MLB. But their eight saves rank last, and their 12 blown saves — yes, 12 — lead all teams.
Pittsburgh has had issues with every right-handed option on the roster all season. Dennis Santana is nowhere near as dominant as he had been the last two years. Isaac Mattson hasn’t been the same as he was last year. Justin Lawrence has gotten knocked around. Yoahn Ramírez’s command often evades him. Brandan Bidois is the latest to try and hold down the last spot in the ‘pen.
The left-handed options in the bullpen have largely been good, but lately, it’s been a different story. Gregory Soto blew the save in Friday’s disaster of a loss and has been scored upon in two of his last three outings. Evan Sisk entered Tuesday’s game and immediately surrendered a costly two-run home run. Mason Montgomery served up the walk-off three-run homer.
How many arms in the bullpen can the Pirates currently have full faith in? Whether it’s none, one, or two, the real answer is not enough.
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