9-13-24 – By Michael Castrignano – @412DoublePlay on X
The Pirates have been on a bit of a hot streak, winning 4 straight games including their first series sweep since before the All Star Break – though, the visiting Kansas City Royals have won 5 of their last 7 following a 7-game losing streak.
The Royals have been this season’s Cinderella story as they rebounded from losing 106 games last season to being on the precipice of their first post-season berth since their World Series victory in 2015 led by future AL MVP-finalist, Bobby Witt Jr., who is playing elite defense and about to post the 2nd 30/30 season in team history.
And the first one was him last year!
9/13
Royals – Alec Marsh (R) – 7-8, 116 IP, 4.66 ERA, 105 Ks/34 walks, 1.22 WHIP
Pirates – Luis L. Ortiz (R) – 6-5, 118.2 IP, 3.26 ERA, 90 Ks/37 walks, 1.11 WHIP
9/14
Royals – Michael Wacha (R) – 12-7, 151 IP, 3.34 ERA, 130 Ks/40 walks, 1.19 WHIP
Pirates – Mitch Keller (R) – 11-9, 163.2 IP, 3.85 ERA, 153 Ks/42 walks, 1.26 WHIP
9/15
Royals – Brady Singer (R) – 9-10, 163.1 IP, 3.42 ERA, 153 Ks/46 walks, 1.25 WHIP
Pirates – Jared Jones (R) – 6-7, 108.1 IP, 3.82 ERA, 115 Ks/31 walks, 1.11 WHIP
Royals:
Tommy Pham – Since being cut by the Cardinals and signed by the Royals as a free agent, Pham has been on a tear, posting a .317/.364/.512 slash line with 2 doubles and 2 home runs in just 10 games since signing with the Royals
Pirates:
Andrew McCutchen – For being the oldest player on the team, you REALLY can’t tell sometimes. Cutch went off this week, going 5-for-10 with a double and two home runs over his last three games. Without a doubt, if he is healthy and wants to come back in 2025, he’s going to be offered a chance to play another year in black and gold.
Royals:
Bobby Witt Jr. – Despite still having the best batting average in MLB (.333) and 4th best in OPS (.980), Witt is experiencing the closest thing to a slump that he’s had this year. Over his last 55 plate appearances, he is batting just .192 with a 62 wRC+ over a 13 game stretch.
Pirates:
Rowdy Tellez – Rowdy has only 1 hit in his last 15 at-bats and just 3 hits over 25 ABs this month after posting a .310/.346/.533 slash line from June 1 through August 31.
Key Injuries
Royals:
Vinnie Pasquantino (broken right thumb) had surgery recently to repair his thumb and likely will be out for the remainder of the season, ending a promising year for the Royals first baseman who had 19 home runs and 97 RBI before his injury.
Pirates:
No new injuries
Team Notes
As good as the Royals have been, most of the damage has been at home. They are 45-30 at home compared to 35-37 on the road with a team .759 OPS playing in Kansas City compared to .690 OPS on the road.
Let’s Go Bucs!
Steel City Pirates 