Former MLB All-Star Still High On Pirates After Rough Road Trip originally appeared on SportsNet Pittsburgh.
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The Pittsburgh Pirateshit a bit of a rough patch on their latest road trip, going 2-4 against the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves last week.
But despite getting swept by the Braves over the weekend, the Pirates are still in good shape. They enter this week’s homestand with a 34-32 record and a 48.2 percent chance of making the playoffs, per FanGraphs.
Accordingly, former All-Star catcher Alex Avila is still high on Pittsburgh despite the team’s recent stumble.
“I’m high on the Pirates, I think they can make the playoffs.”@AlexAvilaMLB, BK and @Joelsherman1 share their thoughts on the Pirates with Jared Jones back in the rotation. https://t.co/0oZP1wzQWRpic.twitter.com/nHDYglNnNY
— MLB Now (@MLBNow) June 8, 2026
“I’m high on the Pirates, I think they can make the playoffs,” Avila said Monday on MLB Network. “What they’re able to do offensively, runs per game, plus what they’re featuring in their starting rotation, that to me is the formula for a playoff team… When you look at their rotation, there’s no one that’s gonna wanna face them in a playoff series.”
The Pirates’ offense has been among the best in baseball this year, ranking sixth in scoring at 5.05 runs per game. Their starting rotation is also excellent and recently got Jared Jones back from the injured list.
Pittsburgh could still use some bullpen help and plays in a tough division, but if the team stays healthy, there’s enough talent there to reach the postseason for the first time since 2015.
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