PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) - Another lackluster performance from the Pirates offense after they drop their 5th straight game in a 4-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox.
The Pirates faced an early 2-0 deficit in the first inning and the way their offense has been this past week and facing one of the best pitchers this season in Kutter Crawford with a 0.42 era coming into the game, the deficit felt insurmountable.
"We had the opportunity when it was 2-1 to either tie the game or take the lead. During those situations we have to have better at bats," said manager Derek Shelton.
In this series the Pirates have only scored once with runners in scoring position in 17 at bats. They are 11-68 in their last 9 games with runners in scoring position.
"We're in that stretch where even when we're creating the opportunities we're not cashing in on them," said Shelton.
After starting the week with an 11-5 record, the Pirates have dropped five games in a row and look at a record of just one game over 500. They have scored just 8 runs in the last 5 games, that's less than half a run per game during this stretch. They average 4.45 runners left in scoring position per game, that's dead last in the MLB.
Oneil Cruz is continuing to slump. He has struck out 19 times in his last 9 games and is hitting just .222 so far this season with three home runs. The everyday DH Andrew McCutchen is hitting .191 with one home run and 20 strikeouts. Henry Davis has also struck out 20 times and is hitting .181 on the season with no home runs. The Pirates offense ranks third worst in strikeouts this season with 210.
"I think we've ran into some decent pitching. Some guys have had some good outings," said first baseman Rowdy Tellez. "I don't think there's anything too much to press about. I think a lot of guys are just not finding their groove right now. I think we're gonna be good in the long run. It's April 20th,"
The Pirates will look to end the slump Sunday afternoon in the series finale against the Red Sox. Their schedule doesn't get easier this week as they welcome Milwaukee to town on Monday for a four game series and then head to San Francisco.