Ran another count analysis check. What I do here is find out what percentage of the Pirates plate appearances they end up in favorable counts against unfavorable ones. So there are four things shown here. What percentage of the Pirates counts go to two strikes, what percentage end with the count being favorable for the hitter, what percentage end with the count being favorable for the pitcher, and what percentage end in the count being even. I compare the Pirates data with the better offenses in the league. For this one I picked the Cardinals, Reds, and Dodgers. The Cardinals and Dodgers are the two best teams in terms of batting average in the National League, and the Reds are coming into town so I figured I'd throw them in there too. Here's the data:
Pirates:
| Total PA | 1,626 |
| 2 Strike | 837 (51%) |
| Batter Ahead | 474 (29%) |
| Counn Even | 566 (35%) |
| Pitcher Ahead | 586 (36%) |
Reds:
| Total PA | 1,731 |
| 2 Strike | 863 (50%) |
| Batter Ahead | 570 (33%) |
| Counn Even | 573 (33%) |
| Pitcher Ahead | 588 (34%) |
Cardinals:
| Total PA | 1,841 |
| 2 Strike | 887 (48%) |
| Batter Ahead | 623 (34%) |
| Counn Even | 621 (34%) |
| Pitcher Ahead | 597 (32%) |
Dodgers:
| Total PA | 1,742 |
| 2 Strike | 844 (48%) |
| Batter Ahead | 611 (35%) |
| Counn Even | 557 (32%) |
| Pitcher Ahead | 574 (33%) |
The Pirates end at bats with a favorable count just 29% of the time. That's significantly behind these there competent offensive teams. It's no surprise that pitchers go right at the Pirates, just because they have basically nobody in the lineup that makes you worried outside of Andrew McCutchen. It's tough to hit from behind in the count and the Pirates are in those situations more than anybody else. They need to do what they can to get into more favorable counts. That probably means start hitting at least a little bit so the pitchers just don't come with strike one and two right away.
At least today's offensive showing was encouraging. They'll see what they can do against the Reds for the next three days.
