PIRATES

This offseason, the Pirates uncharacteristically went out and added legitimate talent to help bolster one of Major League Baseball's worst offenses. 

Brandon Lowe and Ryan O'Hearn, two proven big-league hitters acquired over the winter, have done their part, as they did in the Pirates' 2-0 loss to the Reds here tonight at Great American Ball Park. But there isn't nearly enough balance or production from the remaining hitters in a lineup that was limited to four hits, all of which came beyond the fifth inning in this one. 

Lowe reached three times tonight, walking twice and adding a single to lead off the sixth inning. He reached to lead off an inning twice. O'Hearn also walked and singled to lead off a seventh inning in which two runners were stranded. In total, the Pirates went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position and the rest of the lineup went a collective 2 for 26 with 10 strikeouts. 

"Early in the season, everything gets magnified," Don Kelly said. "Lowe and O’Hearn have been really strong. We’re gonna need everybody to chip in. They certainly will. Especially early on, you start to feel the pressure. We just need them to stay within themselves and keep battling. We’ll come up with some big hits." 

Lowe and O'Hearn were brought in to do exactly what they've done through the first four games, providing the boost this team needs with batting averages sitting above the .429 mark. But how much of a boost is it when the rest of the group isn't following suit? In order for the Pirates to go anywhere, they'll need better at-bats and more production throughout the lineup. That includes guys like Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz, who went a combined 0 for 8 with three strikeouts tonight. Reynolds is now 3 for 18 with a walk and eight strikeouts to begin the season. Cruz is 2 for 14 with a walk and eight strikeouts. Those are two of the most important hitters in the lineup. And they haven't held up their end of the bargain through the first four games. 

"I think hitting is contagious," said Jared Triolo, who went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in this one. "One person does it and everybody else will start falling in line. That’s what we need right now.”