Pirates rotation starting to find groove, even without Jones
A look at the numbers over the last 2 home series
PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Sure Oneil Cruz hit a couple of home runs and Andrew McCutchen continues to swing a good bat, but the Pirates have won two of the last three series for the very reason you would have thought before the year began, starting pitching.
Over the last eight home starts, every one went five innings and the worst start of those eight was by Paul Skenes. If at any time through a rotation Skenes is your worst start, you feel good about the rest of the staff.
The starting pitching numbers show why the Bucs have won three of the last four
· Andrew Heaney 7.1 innings/5 hits/0 runs/2 walks/4 strikeouts
· Bailey Falter 7 innings/2 hits/0 runs/walk/2 strikeouts
· Mitch Keller 6 innings/six hits/3 earned runs/2 walks/3 strikeouts
· Paul Skenes 6 innings/3 hits/1 earned run/0 walks/6 strikeouts
"I think you feed off each other," said Pirates manager Derek Shelton. "You have inner competition with each other which is really healthy and really good. So, to see this group settle in, I like that. Because they've pitched well over the last week."
Heaney has really stepped up after a dreadful Spring Training, which he said he never pitches well in. It's about getting ready and once he started the regular season; the numbers were impressive. A 2.13 ERA, 25.1 innings, six walks, 22 strikeouts, 0.91 WHIP and .191 batting average against.
The 10-year veteran said its what good rotations do. They see the guy in front of them, for Heaney it was Falter facing in the minimum number of batters over seven innings. Then you want to go out there and try to do better. Not in an undercutting way, rather to build off that momentum. Heaney said it's the same for every pitcher, not just him.
"You want to go out there and build on that as a unit," Heaney explained. "Especially in a four-game series. You've got a lot of information on those guys, and you want to use that. It's good to talk to these guys. See what they're feeling. Bailey had a couple words for me before, we talked about it and that's great. I think that's the kind of thing that can make you feel like it's a downhill train."
"You're just trying to build on that momentum and keep going, keep going, keep going and it just feels relentless."
During the opening two series in Florida it appeared while the starters were pretty good, the bullpen was going to struggle. The team has overcome and a group that currently includes five new pitchers from last year has a 3.31 ERA, fifth in the National League and ninth in MLB. The Bucs 1.07 ERA in their last eight games, ranks first in all of baseball. Currently the team has four relievers with at least eight innings pitched, with impeccable numbers-Caleb Ferguson 0.90 ERA, Joey Wentz 0.93 ERA, Justin Lawrence 1.04 ERA, Dennis Santana 2.16 ERA.
When you compare the whole staff, only the Mets have given up fewer homers, and only the Mets, Padres and Giants have a better ERA. The Pirates is ERA better than the Dodgers.
If they can just find consistent bats, maybe it is truly just early in the season.
