Pittsburgh Pirates Power Rankings - 2013
| Power Ranking | ||||
| WEEK | RECORD | RANK | COMMENT | |
| Week 12 | 41-28 | 7 | With 22 of their next 34 on the road, the Buccos needed a strong homestand. Taking two of three versus both the Giants and Dodgers qualifies. The starting rotation continues to resemble a MASH unit, with A.J. Burnett suffering a torn calf muscle, but all hail Gerrit Cole! -- Diane Firstman, Value Over Replacement Grit | |
| Week 11 | 37-26 | 8 | Getting swept in Atlanta slowed the Buccos a bit, but they rebounded by taking two of three at Wrigley. Coming into Sunday's game, Starling Marte had compiled a .194/.276/.247 line in his past 25 games after starting out .336/.399/.517 in his first 36 games. -- Diane Firstman, Value Over Replacement Grit | |
| Week 10 | 35-22 | 6 | Since starting out 1-5, the Buccos have played .667 ball (34-17), including winning four of seven games this week against the Tigers and Reds. The offense is in the bottom third of the NL in terms of OPS, but the pitchers lead the league in opponents' OPS (.650). -- Diane Firstman, Value Over Replacement Grit | |
| Week 9 | 31-19 | 8 | They're off to a 31-19 start, something they haven't done since 1991 (when they went 33-17 on their way to a division title). It's unfortunate that two of the best teams in the NL are in their division. If the Buccos play .500 the rest of the way, they will finish 87-75, which may not be good enough for the wild card play-in game. -- Diane Firstman, Value Over Replacement Grit | |
| Week 8 | 26-18 | 12 | Three one-run wins highlighted a 5-2 week in games played against the lowly Brewers and Astros. Francisco Liriano has come off the DL to go 2-0 with 16 Ks in 12 innings against admittedly weak teams (Mets and Brewers). Soft schedule continues this week with Cubs and return date versus Brewers. -- Diane Firstman, Value Over Replacement Grit | |
| Week 7 | 21-16 | 14 | The Pirates won four of six during the week. Took three of four against the Mets to push their road record to 11-9. They haven't won more than 37 road games in a year since 1996. Soft home schedule (10 games versus the Brewers, Cubs and Astros) coming up. -- Diane Firstman, Value Over Replacement Grit | |
| Week 6 | 17-14 | 14 | A 2-4 week leaves the Buccos three games behind the red-hot Cardinals. A.J. Burnett leads NL starters with 12.21 K/9 and has limited opponents to a .211 average. Starling Marte also has a robust .918 OPS, including 13 extra-base hits. -- Diane Firstman, Value Over Replacement Grit | |
| Week 5 | 15-10 | 15 | At 15-10, this is the Pirates' best 25-game start since their last playoff season (1992). The relievers are a combined 6-2 with a 2.42 ERA and 11 saves in 12 chances, but they've already pitched 93 innings (second most in the majors). -- Diane Firstman, Value Over Replacement Grit | |
| Week 4 | 10-8 | 20 | A 7-2 homestand versus the Cardinals, Braves and Reds puts the Buccos at 10-8. This is only the third time since 1992 they've been over .500 after 18 games. Opponents are batting an MLB-worst .212 against Pirates pitching. -- Diane Firstman, Value Over Replacement Grit | |
| Week 3 | 6-6 | 24 | Sweeping the Reds at home capped a 5-1 week. The Pirates' pitchers have limited opponents to a .224 average (third-best in the NL), but they're still hitting .204 as a team. Cardinals and Braves come to PNC this week ... should be a good test. -- Diane Firstman, Value Over Replacement Grit | |
| Week 2 | 1-5 | 25 | Yielding 16 runs over six games should result in better than a 1-5 record, but the Buccos hit .119/.188/.159 versus the Cubs and Dodgers. Andrew McCutchen accounts for the team's only homer while Russell Martin has begun the year 0-for-14. -- Diane Firstman, Value Over Replacement Grit | |
| Week 1 | 0-0 | 22 | With the second-half collapses of the past two years, you might have thought April was a good month for the Pirates. Actually, 2009 was the last season that saw them with a winning record in April (11-10), and that year they finished 62-99. First up: Hosting the Cubs for three, then off to L.A. and Arizona. -- Diane Firstman, Value Over Replacement Grit | |