ST. LOUIS — After going 17-12 through the end of April, the Pirates continued their surprising ascent, reaching first place and nine games better than .500 on May 17. Since then they have lost 10 out of 13, the latest in walk-off fashion against the St. Louis Cardinals Thursday night. Let’s give out some grades.
Offense
The Pirates scored 123 runs in May, fifth in the National League. Their .326 on-base percentage also ranked fifth, their .441 slugging percentage fourth.
By weighted on-base average (wOBA) and weighted runs created plus — two metrics that attempt to calculate the value of the outcome of each plate appearance, with the latter adjusting for league and ballpark variations — the Pirates rank in the top four in the league.