Despite a recent sweep by the Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Pirates are shocking the baseball world as they start the season on a good note. 

The team was expected to be one of the worst teams in baseball this year, but have surprisingly held their own as they have competed against good teams. One of the team’s latest series was against the best team in the AL East, the Kansas City Royals, and it resulted in a tie. 

The Pirates are doing this after losing one of their best players Ke’Bryan Hayes, who is out with a wrist injury. Players such as Erik Gonzalez and Phillip Evans have filled the crucial spots in the lineup.

Gonzalez currently is making plays at third and has driven in 14 runs with two home runs. Earlier in the season, the Pirates’ left fielder, Phillip Evans, was on fire. Evans currently has four home runs with 19 hits. 

The Pirates have shown that they can stick around with good teams with hitting, but one thing that is always a problem is their pitching. 

Their young prospect pitcher, Mitch Keller, is struggling as he is 1-3 with a 8.20 ERA. 

But not all Pirates pitchers are struggling. Closing pitcher Richard Rodriguez has four saves and 10 strikeouts in 11 innings. Rodriguez has had a great start to the season and could be in the race for the National League reliever of the year. 

Starting pitcher JT Brubaker is a good addition to their rotation, putting up a 2-2 record with a 2.63 ERA. 

The Pirates are looking to bounce back as they have lost five in a row. They are on the road against the San Diego Padres tonight. 

If the Pirates can hold onto staying healthy and pitching well, then they could surprise people this year, and possibly get into the playoffs.