Despite some rough starts of late, the Pittsburgh Pirates pitching staff has been terrific this season. Headlined by superstar Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh is ranked No. 13 in the league with a team ERA of 3.94. Pittsburgh is also fourth in the league in quality starts.
Jared Jones has also been exceptional for Pittsburgh this season, with a 3.56 ERA across 16 games played. Jones is nearing his return after missing over a month due to a right lat strain. This couldn’t have come at a better time with the recent injury to Marco Gonzales.
It’s no surprise the Pirates rank in the top 10 starting rotations in Major League Baseball. Their rotation ranks sixth according to Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller.
“You know full well who the main attraction is here,” Miller reports. “It wasn’t until Paul Skenes’ 15th start that he allowed more than three runs in a game. And even in that ‘less dominant’ start against the Dodgers, the rookie phenom was still impressive, striking out eight while allowing four earned runs in six innings of work. He’s going to win NL Rookie of the Year, and he just might win the Cy Young, too.”
“Mitch Keller has certainly been solid, backing up Pittsburgh’s decision to ink him to a five-year, $77 million extension in February. However, that pair of aces is weighed down a bit by the set of No. 5 starters that completes Pittsburgh’s full house. If Jared Jones comes back soon and resumes pitching like he did early in the season, though, it becomes a different story.”
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The Pirates’ starting rotation is one of the best in the league and looks to be for the near future with Keller, Jones, and Skenes all under team control for multiple years. The future is looking bright for Pittsburgh.
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