The Pirates should be happy to get out of Miami.
In what was in every way a disastrous start to the season for the Pirates against a rebuilding Marlins team, they did some things that hadn’t happened in a long time in what was a bizarre series.
If there was one positive takeaway, Derek Shelton had his team be much more aggressive on the basepaths than at any point last season. The Pirates manufactured runs and created opportunities to score by stealing bases, although not many hitters took advantage of these opportunities. This is a great sign moving forward for a Pirates offense that lacks power.
The Pirates tied the MLB record for stolen bases in the first three games of a season with 14 and ended the series with 15. The Pirates also lead the league in walk rate at 15.2%. Despite this, the Pirates were unable to provide enough run support to close out games.
However, the bullpen also shares some blame, as it picked up where it left off last season, blowing multiple slim leads in the later innings. The main culprits were David Bednar and Colin Holderman, whom the Pirates are counting on to return to their 2023 form in high-leverage situations, but it doesn’t appear they have made many adjustments to their approach.
Pittsburgh is the first team in over 100 years to lose its first three games of a season in walk-off fashion, repeating the history of the 1924 Pirates.