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The Pittsburgh Pirates will finally play a baseball game that counts. On Friday, the Bucs behind starting pitcher Joe Musgrove will take on the Cardinals in St. Louis.
Before the first pitch, the Fan Morning Show gives their predictions on how the Pirates will do in a 60 game shortened season.
Colin Dunlap: 23-37
For me it comes down to the bullpen and defense. There are a lot of things to like ---- Reynolds and Bell's bat, Musgrove's ability in the rotation --- but I think a few glaring weaknesses will come back to bite them. The uncertainty of the bullpen, especially Crick and Kela and the inability of the defense on the corners of the infield will really limit this team.
Chris Mack: 26-34, Last in the N.L. Central
This is a developmental year for the organization General Manager Ben Cherington took over this past winter. That was going to be the case had there been 162 games played or only the 60 currently scheduled. While it’s fun to dream about some upstart team getting hot and going on an improbable run -and still possible given the recent change to this season’s playoff structure- it’s most likely not going to be the Pirates in the most competitive division in baseball. In fact, I predict they’ll be the only team in the division to not make the playoffs.
Jim Colony: 27-33
Thanks to the addition of Pitching Coach Oscar Marin and a second year under Hitting Coach Rick Eckstein, the Pirates will do a little better than most people expect and finish 27-33. They will not qualify for the expanded post-season even though they will have a better record than one of the playoff teams (the second place finisher in the NL West).
Producer Matt Koll: 24-36
In a shortened season, I think pitching will come to the forefront and the Pirates don't have much of it outside of Joe Musgrove and Trevor Williams at the top of the rotation. Team defense could also be a problem with Bell, Moran, Frazier and Polanco all being, in my mind, below average defenders. An ultra-competitive NL Central doesn't help, either.