Chicago Cubs: Pirates versus Cubs series preview

Poor offense has led to a poor record

Much like the Cubs, the Pirates have not been able to get their bats going. As stated above, the Pirates have had one of the worst offenses in baseball this season.

Josh Bell, who is playing in his first full season at the major league level, is finding it hard to have success. In 85 games, Bell is slashing .229/.314/.465. Even though he does have 16 home runs, Bell has struck out 63 times in 288 at-bats.

Bell is not the only Pirate that has fallen on tough times this season. Francisco Cervelli and John Jaso are hitting .241 and .249 respectively, while Gregory Polanco owns just a .316 OBP.

Even with their struggles, there is still a bright spot for the Pirates’ offense. Andrew McCutchen is slashing .289/.375/.520 with 16 home runs and 49 RBI in 83 games. Those solid numbers currently put McCutchen at the top of the Pirates’ leaderboard in batting average, hits, home runs, RBI and OBP.

Playing a supporting role to McCutchen has been Josh Harrison. Harrison is slashing .279/.358/.429 with nine home runs and 27 RBI. Despite though good numbers, Harrison currently has a 1.9 offensive WAR, while McCutchen owns a 2.3 oWAR.