Pirates Starting Rotation is Last MLB Team Without One Major Stat
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The excitement is palpable as the Pittsburgh Pirates are off to a 6-3 start, and a large chunk of their success in the early portion of the season thus far can be attributed to their rotation.
As noted by 93.7 The Fan's Dan Zangrilli, the Pirates' starting pitchers are the only unit across MLB to not have allowed a home run up to this point.
The members of Pittsburgh's rotation has thrown a total of 42 innings so far, and while the fact that they haven't served up a long ball yet is impressive in and of itself, it's not like they've faced subpar offenses in their first three series of the campaign either.
Keeping Stars at Bay
Though Paul Skenes was roughed up on Opening Day by the New York Mets, which wasn't even necessarily his fault given Oneil Cruz' defensive mistakes in center field, he did not allow the likes of Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Bo Bichette to take him deep.
Both Mitch Keller and Carmen Mlodzinski twirled impressive outings in the confines of Citi Field against a star-studded top of the Mets' order, which led the Pirates into a road series with their NL Central foes in the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park.
Despite facing off against a lineup that features Elly De La Cruz, Eugenio Suárez and Sal Stewart in one of the most batter-friendly environments across the league, the trio of Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft and Skenes held the Reds to three earned runs and no homers over 15 1/3 innings.
Then, in a three-game sweep of Pete Alonso, Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and the heavy-hitting Baltimore Orioles at PNC Park, the Pirates' three starters in Keller, Mlodzinski and Ashcraft gave up five earned runs, and of course no homers, over a combined 16 2/3 frames.
Success of Pirates' Pitching Staff as a Whole
Pittsburgh's starting pitchers have been superb even outside of not allowing any homers, as the group's 3.14 ERA is the eighth-best mark across the sport.
The club's bullpen has followed suit too, owning a 3.55 ERA with 50 strikeouts (fourth-most in MLB) and a batting average against of .212.
The Pirates' pitchers have struggled with command, walking 4.89 batters per nine thus far (fifth-worst mark in the league), but that's just about the only blemish on their record as the team looks to keep pace atop the division.
Jack is a New Jersey native who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh as a Media & Professional Communications major in 2024 who is now covering the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Yankees for On SI.