The Pittsburgh Pirates are moving in the wrong direction in the MLB power rankings.
The Pittsburgh Pirates went 3-3 in their southern California trip this week, moving their record to 11-18 on the season.
Despite grabbing a series win against the Los Angeles Angels and picking up a victory against the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers, the Pirates moved down one spot in MLB.com writer Will Leitch’s power rankings.
The Pirates are now at No. 28 after being No. 27 last week.
The first time Paul Skenes pitched at Dodger Stadium, last August, he gave up four runs, the worst start of his 2024 season. So the California native was pretty excited to return on Friday, in front of family, friends and a whole bunch of frustrated Dodgers fans. He was the best he’d been all year, going 6 1/3 innings, striking out nine and giving up no runs and five hits. Again: Against the Dodgers.
“I was playing for free tonight,” said Skenes. “It was fun. I’ll go up there and see them here in a minute. Today, actually, was kind of a family get-together. It was all my mom’s brothers, my dad’s brother and their families are all here, which is cool. It hasn’t happened for a while, so cool to be able to share that with them.”
The only teams to rank lower than the Pirates are the Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies, both of whom have yet to crack 10 wins yet this season.
BD community, what are your thoughts on Pittsburgh’s placement in the power rankings? Chime off in the comments section below.