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This season, I wouldn't say that the Pittsburgh Pirates have been perfect, but there definitely have been improvements on both sides of the baseball. It's almost crazy to say that the Pirates have been good, but can still be better, especially because they've been playing as well as they have in a very long time, and expectations typically aren't high for this organization.
Regardless, that wasn't the case this winter when the Pirates went out and added multiple above-average players, hoping to break a postseason drought and give the fans in Pittsburgh something to cheer about.
There have been some problems on both sides of the baseball, but the bigger problem has been offensively. Regardless, that hasn't stopped some from going after the starting pitching, but I don't think that's very fair, considering how bad the bullpen has been and what we've seen offensively from a team that should be much better on both fronts.
Despite that, one writer in Pittsburgh went as far as to say that Paul Skenes hasn't been as good as typical and even threw a dig at him.
“I also won’t include Skenes in this conversation because he’s still very good — sitting at 14th in the majors in ERA (2.89). But he also hasn’t gotten into the seventh inning in a month. The Pirates need him to be great, as in all-time great. Especially now. Is that fair?
“Maybe not. But if it’s too much to expect Michael Jordan to be Michael Jordan, then maybe he’s not Michael Jordan,” Joe Starkey wrote.
I don't think a guy with a 2.89 ERA, being as young as he is, really warrants a backhanded compliment like calling him Michael Jordan but not Michael Jordan.
I think even if you asked Skenes how he feels this year has gone, he probably wouldn't say he's been at the top of his game.
That's not to say it's still very early in the year in the grand scheme of things, as we aren't even in the summer yet, but to throw any shots at Skenes in Pittsburgh right now just seems very unfair. He's obviously dealt with a lot that he wants to change, and at the end of the day, the Pirates have failed him more than he's failed them.
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Regardless, that wasn't the case this winter when the Pirates went out and added multiple above-average players, hoping to break a postseason drought and give the fans in Pittsburgh something to cheer about.
There have been some problems on both sides of the baseball, but the bigger problem has been offensively. Regardless, that hasn't stopped some from going after the starting pitching, but I don't think that's very fair, considering how bad the bullpen has been and what we've seen offensively from a team that should be much better on both fronts.
Despite that, one writer in Pittsburgh went as far as to say that Paul Skenes hasn't been as good as typical and even threw a dig at him.
“I also won’t include Skenes in this conversation because he’s still very good — sitting at 14th in the majors in ERA (2.89). But he also hasn’t gotten into the seventh inning in a month. The Pirates need him to be great, as in all-time great. Especially now. Is that fair?
“Maybe not. But if it’s too much to expect Michael Jordan to be Michael Jordan, then maybe he’s not Michael Jordan,” Joe Starkey wrote.
I don't think a guy with a 2.89 ERA, being as young as he is, really warrants a backhanded compliment like calling him Michael Jordan but not Michael Jordan.
I think even if you asked Skenes how he feels this year has gone, he probably wouldn't say he's been at the top of his game.
That's not to say it's still very early in the year in the grand scheme of things, as we aren't even in the summer yet, but to throw any shots at Skenes in Pittsburgh right now just seems very unfair. He's obviously dealt with a lot that he wants to change, and at the end of the day, the Pirates have failed him more than he's failed them.
Continue reading...
