With Tuesday’s loss to the Chicago Cubs, the Pittsburgh Pirates fall to 4th place in the NL Central.
The game looked like it was going to get out of hand quickly in the bottom of the first when the Cubs used four consecutive hits to push across three runs with only one out. Bryse Wilson was able to then tighten it up and only allow two more hits and a walk the rest of the way. Wilson completed six innings while only giving up the three earned runs.
Wilson has actually been able to complete six or more innings in three of his last four starts while allowing eleven runs, only eight of which have been earned. The recurring theme as of late — No, not the “Pirates offense wastes another strong starting pitching effort” theme — he seems to be seeing far better results from an uptick in a sinker-slider combination, complimented with a significant drop in four-seam fastballs.
Bryse Wilson’s sinker usage didn’t really have any trends earlier in the season. It was anywhere from as low as 12.5% and as high as 37.3%. In his last four starts it hasn’t dropped below 40.4%. Likewise, his slider usage was all over with as low as 1.7% and up to 29.1%, but in his last three starts it hasn’t dropped below 28%.
Four-Seam fastball? Three. He threw three total in this last start against the Cubs.
Over the last month — not including yesterday since Fangraphs isn’t updated as I write this — the Pirates are tied for 9th with the Cleveland Guardians in starter fWAR (2.1) and ranked 15th in Starter ERA (4.02).
The elephant in the room is that Jose Quintana is the probable starter for Friday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Key word is “probable” with the looming deadline only a week away.
