Pitching propelling Pirates to victories

The Pittsburgh Pirates won six games in a row.

You read that correctly, it’s not a misprint…. The Pittsburgh Pirates won six games in a row.

You read that correctly, it’s not a misprint.

Of course, the winning streak only lasted a grand total of three hours or so, thanks to a defeat in the second game of a doubleheader to the Atlanta Braves on Monday, but the statistic means an awful lot.

How much? The last time the Pirates conjured up that many consecutive victories, John Kerry figured to knock George W. Bush out of the White House.

Kerry’s quest failed, much like the Pirates’ after winning 10 straight from June 26 to July 5, 2004. That team ended up 72-89.

Since Pittsburgh’s last winning and playoff season in 1992, the team has struggled mightily to play any kind of consistent baseball. Every time the Pirates run up a few victories in a row, they seem to lose just as many immediately following the stretch.

A perfect example: The Pirates won four straight, April 11 to 14. In typical fashion, the Bucs lost six consecutive contests, giving up at least 10 runs in four of those games.

This leads into the exact reason why the Pirates have climbed within two games of the .500 mark as of Monday night.

Ironically, and almost fittingly, it might have been the cause of the team’s rough start.

Look no further than the starting pitching.

Sure, Jack Wilson’s injury at shortstop and the subsequent horrifying displays of defense by his backups is an easy target, as well as the putrid offensive slumps by Freddy Sanchez and Adam LaRoche in April.

But it cannot be ignored how poorly the Pirates’ starters pitched throughout April, and how well they bounced back during the winning streak.

Pittsburgh’s rotation of Ian Snell, Tom Gorzelanny, Paul Maholm, Zach Duke and Matt Morris fell behind opposing hitters early and often, resulting in hot smashes in gaps, barrels of walks and insurmountable early deficits.

The release of Morris, the team’s most highly paid player, in late April seemed to flick on the light bulb. Since Morris’ departure, the Pirates’ record stands at 9-5.

The new management, headed by general manager Neal Huntingdon, stressed accountability from the get-go, and manager John Russell echoed the mantra. Ridding the club of Morris provided the message loud and clear.

Pirate starters gave up only 10 runs during the six-game winning streak. Highlighted by two wins from Duke, the staff might be turning the corner, although Pittsburgh’s ERA remains the league’s highest.

Early runs doomed the Bucs throughout the first month. The starters took too long to get in a rhythm, and by the time they settled down and got outs, the team would be down 6-0 in the second inning.

Early-inning deficits were absent during the streak.

Command continues to elude the Pirate pitchers, however. As of Monday night, Pittsburgh has allowed the eighth most walks in all of baseball. It also is last in the National League in WHIP, or walks plus hits per innings pitched.

A few pitchers in particular are the main culprits.

Gorzelanny’s numbers sounded alarms until Saturday night’s win. He’s walked 29 batters to only 21 strikeouts so far, including 16 in 12 2/3 innings before only walking two on Saturday.

Snell, the opening day starter, has struggled to find the zone as well. With 21 walks in almost 48 innings, Snell is on pace to walk almost 200 hitters by the end of the season. He earned the victory Friday night against Atlanta, giving up only two hits and one run in seven innings, but he also walked six, narrowly escaping danger several times.

The winning stretch ended in Monday’s loss in the second game of the doubleheader to Atlanta. Why? Spot starter John Van Benschoten was torched for nine hits and seven runs in four innings.

He was sent back down to the minors immediately following the defeat.

If the Pirates have any realistic chance at a winning campaign, those types of performances must be a rarity, not the norm. They won with starting pitching during the streak, and they’ll win with it if they perform to their capabilities.

Now at 18-20, Pittsburgh faces a two-headed monster in St. Louis and Chicago on a six-game road trip. The Pirates have lost all six games they’ve played to the Cubs this year and do not fare well against the Cardinals away from home.

If they win three of these games, next week’s home stand looks all the more promising.

The next 22 games are all against NL Central foes. If the Pirates can hang around .500 by the time June 6 arrives, the city might have something to cheer about upon the conclusion of the Penguins’ season.