The Pittsburgh Pirates’ offense has been a major issue this season, ranking among the worst in baseball. That was the case again over the weekend as the Pirates were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park, managing just five runs during the three losses combined.
While the Brewers have a great pitching staff, Pittsburgh’s lineup has struggled against most opponents this season, ranking last in the Major Leagues in runs per game (3.62), home runs (102), slugging percentage (.351) and OPS (.657).
The lack of power is concerning, but the Pirates don’t get enough hits of any kind to generate consistent offense, ranking 28th in both hits (1,111) and batting average (.233).
It’s tough to score runs without getting hits, especially when you’re not driving the ball into the gaps or over the fence.
While batting averages have been steadily going down across the sport for years now, Pittsburgh is particularly bad in this category. Its .233 average is 13 points below the Major League average of .246 and marks the club’s sixth straight season under .240.
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Prior to 2020, the Pirates hadn’t hit below .240 since 1952 (.231) — one of the worst seasons in franchise history (42-112).
They’ve now done so in six consecutive seasons, all of which have produced losing records for Pittsburgh.
If the Pirates want to return to contention, it’s clear that they need to add impact bats this winter that can hit for average and power. They already have an elite pitching staff that ranks sixth in runs allowed per game (4.10), but they need an offense that can provide adequate run support.
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Batting average isn’t everything, but it does contribute to run-scoring, and thus winning. Pittsburgh’s lineup desperately needs to improve, and its recent low batting averages reflect that.
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