![\"PITTSBURGH,](\"https:\/\/platform.vivaelbirdos.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/176\/2025\/08\/gettyimages-2230174703.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100\")
<\/a><\/p>\nPITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 18: Jared Triolo #19 of the Pittsburgh Pirates loses his helmet after a swing and miss during an MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays on August 18, 2025 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Robbins\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n
I\u2019m going to be a little less detailed because the Cardinals have faced the Pirates a lot this year already. You kind of know the deal. They are bad offensively as a team with a team wRC+ of 82 on the year. That\u2019s only a little better than Victor Scott. They\u2019re doing that as a team. Spencer Horowitz has not been the savior they were hoping for with just a 98 wRC+ and the batted ball data is not much better. He got traded for Luis Ortiz, who might not ever play baseball again (under investigation) so they\u2019re probably not going to regret that trade anyway.<\/p>\n
They have also since traded Ke\u2019Bryan Hayes. In his place is Isiah Kiner-Falefa as the regular 3B, which if that\u2019s the best you got to trade him, I don\u2019t know why you trade him (the answer is money). Although longer-term, at least I think, that probably goes to Jared Triolo who is sure on a heater. He has a 135 wRC+ in the 2nd half, and that doesn\u2019t include his 2-2 day yesterday with a BB and a homer. To give you an idea how bad he was in the 1st half, his season wRC+ is still just 82. Triolo at least appears to be a good defender at 3B, but he\u2019s playing SS these days and has been -1 OAA in 237 innings. Triolo does have 892 PAs that says he\u2019s a bad hitter though and he has a .388 BABIP in the 2nd half, so we\u2019ll see if it\u2019s just a hot streak or if he figured something out. He does have actual power, which he never had before.<\/p>\n
Another player with a great 2nd half is Tommy Pham, which is really unfortunate timing for the Pirates, because I\u2019m sure they\u2019d have loved to trade him for something. He has a 136 wRC+ since the All-Star break. Joey Bart has fallen off a lot, which has led to them giving more playing time to Henry Davis at catcher. That\u2019s a developmental move, because he has been terrible. He has a 51 wRC+ in 221 PAs. Andrew McCutchen is still there and has been an average hitter. So has Nick Gonzales.<\/p>\n
To finish off the offense, Bryan Reynolds looks like he was a very poor choice for the Pirates to extend as he\u2019s barely above replacement level. He\u2019s been a below average hitter and a poor fielder. Jack Suwinski has been awful, although he has a pretty good xwOBA and a .175 BABIP, so some unluckiness there for sure. Also only 133 PAs this year too.<\/p>\n
As far as the bullpen, they traded David Bednar and Caleb Ferguson, who are replaced by Dennis Santana and I guess nobody. Santana has a 2.32 ERA, but completely mediocre advanced stats. They have one lefty in the bullpen and that\u2019s Andrew Heaney, who has been kicked out of the rotation. He hasn\u2019t pitched in eight days. I assume we\u2019ll see him in a bulk innings role. He didn only throw 0.2 innings in his only outing since the move though. They are using a bulk innings approach with Bubba Chandler, who pitched 4 good innings in relief in his debut. He pitched Friday, and I assume we\u2019ll see him in this series.<\/p>\n
Isaac Mattson does have a 27% K rate, but does have a 4.40 xFIP. Honestly, the rest of the bullpen is not good. But considering Chandler is probably going to finish one of these games and Heaney is a lefty who might throw a bunch of innings in another, they might not need to use many of the not very good pitchers. If the Cardinals have a lead when the starter leaves though, they should take advantage of the weak arms that will probably be used.<\/p>\n