The Pittsburgh Pirates might be in last place in the National League Central, but that doesn’t mean things are all bad. Despite a difficult stretch of games, the team is playing well. They just took two of three from the Boston Red Sox and followed it up by winning the first two games of the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Of their last five series, they’ve won four of them and tied two games apiece with the St. Louis Cardinals.
They’re doing it with a very young roster, as well. Their average age is 27 1/2 years old, the seventh youngest in the league. There are some established young players like Paul Skenes and Oneil Cruz, but there’s also Cam Devenney, who’s getting his first taste of big league action at 28 years old.
Bryan Reynolds is one of the older players on the team. In the bottom of the first inning on Wednesday, Reynolds hit a solo home run to center field. That proved to be the only run the Pirates would need to beat the Dodgers, 3-0.
“We threw a bunch of rookies out there, worked through some jams, and put up a zero. Impressive,” Reynolds said.
Despite the team’s 63-77 record, they’re keeping their heads high and their spirits up. A disco ball was turned on in the clubhouse following the win. Ronny Simon crashed Andrew McCutchen’s press conference to ask a question.
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“Taking care of the young guys, doing my job, doing my best, keeping it light, and trying to set the standard for [the young guys]. If I can do it, you guys can do it, too,” McCutchen said after complimenting Simon’s English.
The Pirates youth movement continues on Thursday when Skenes takes the mound against Blake Snell to close out the series.
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Featured image via Jeff Curry/Imagn Images