A lot has been made lately about the horrible state of the Pirates' defense this year. I touched on the defense being an issue for the Pirates earlier this week, noting that it will probably see some improvements when Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer return. But even with those two in the lineup, the Pirates have struggled this year defensively.
Another issue for the Pirates lately has been their starting rotation. A lot of their starters have been struggling, including a few of the guys who were doing great in the first half. I started digging around with the numbers, and found that the defense might actually be the problem here as well.