The Pirates Just Got Exposed

The Pittsburgh Pirates ended April with a five-game losing streak, a sweep at home against the St. Louis Cardinals, and a lot more questions than they had just one week ago. On this episode of OffBeat, Alex Stumpf breaks down how the Pirates went from 16-11 and right in the thick of the NL Central race to 16-16 and last place in the division. Paul Skenes struggled against the Cardinals again, the defense cost the pitching staff more outs, the offense missed chances with runners in scoring position, and the bullpen issues continued to show up at the worst possible time. Alex also looks at Don Kelly’s “we got punched” comment, what it means for the Pirates to punch back, and why the upcoming Reds series already feels like an important early-season test. Mitch Keller, Braxton Ashcraft, Oneil Cruz, Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn, Brian Reynolds, Marcell Ozuna, Spencer Horwitz, Konnor Griffin, Henry Davis, and Isaac Mattson are all part of the bigger conversation. Are the Pirates still a good team going through a rough stretch, or did this Cardinals series expose something real? Subscribe to North Shore Nine for daily Pittsburgh Pirates coverage. Subscribe to Book-Rule Bucs: https://bookrulebucs.substack.com Use Promo Code NS930 for 30% off your first order at https://www.defer.coffee Use Promo Code NORTHSHORENINE for $20 off your first order at https://www.seatgeek.com LIKE and SUBSCRIBE with NOTIFICATIONS ON if you enjoyed the show! NS9 MERCH: https://northshorenine.myshopify.com ►Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/NorthShoreNine ►Website: https://www.northshorenine.com ►Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/northshorenine ►TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@northshorenine ►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northshorenine ►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/northshorenine ►Discord: https://discord.gg/3HVYPg544m #pittsburghpirates Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.