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The Pittsburgh Pirates have been an interesting team to watch this year. After not much offense last year, they brought in some pop over the offseason in the form of Ryan O'Hearn and Brandon Lowe.
Both have done well, but O'Hearn is currently on the IL with a severe left quad strain, and their hard-hitting youngster, Konnor Griffin, also hit the IL with a torn left ring finger sagittal band.
On top of that, the elite pitching staff that was supposed to be, just hasn't been this year, as Paul Skenes has been struggling lately.
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Pirates improved in power rankings despite looming Paul Skenes dilemma
It's tough to get anything going when your ace pitcher isn't at the top of his game, and you're missing some key pieces in the lineup. Both of those were factors last week when the Pirates took on the Miami Marlins.
They got swept in the three-game series in Miami and then had to take on the Boston Red Sox at home. However, they had a much better time against the Red Sox, winning the series 2-1.
That has helped bump them up a spot in the power rankings, from No. 18 to No. 17, per Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter, but he can't help but question how the team is handling Skenes.
"How much longer before the Pirates simply shut ace Paul Skenes down for the rest of the year? His velocity is down, he has a 5.79 ERA over his last nine starts, and the team is down to a 3.6 percent chance of making the playoffs."
All in all, it's not looking good for the Pirates, who are 6.5 games out of the last wild card spot in the National League. While there is still plenty of baseball left to be played, it's going to be a huge uphill climb.
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