Pittsburgh Pirates' Midseason Grades

Another veteran, another great competitor, and another smart pick-up by the Pirates' front office. Michaels has been a terrific backup, never complaining about being stuck behind three guys who are having amazing seasons.

 

And he has made some plays, too, when given the chance, including hitting a walk-off home run to cap the Pirates’ amazing 12-11 come-from-behind victory on Saturday.

 

Midseason Grade: B-

 

 

Paul Maholm, SP

 

Let’s start with the good when it comes to the Pirate rotation, which won’t take long. After battling several bouts of inconsistency, Maholm has really been pitching well of late, and has emerged as the one reliable starter on the entire Pittsburgh staff. His 3.93 ERA is almost a half-run better than that of any other Pirate starter.

 

Midseason Grade: B+

 

 

Zach Duke, SP

 

Duke is once again doing it with smoke and mirrors; scratching and clawing his way to a 4.40 ERA despite a WHIP of nearly 1.6. I would say he can’t keep doing this forever, but he has been for so long, so why not? That said, he’s not exactly a top-of-the-rotation starter.

 

Midseason Grade: C+

 

 

Phil Dumatrait, SP

 

Dumatrait pitched extremely well in his first several starts, but he has since been hindered by arm trouble that caused his ERA to balloon and has since resulted in two trips to the disabled list. The Pirates might still consider him a future back-of-the-rotation possibility, but we certainly haven’t seen enough for that to be more than a hopeful projection.

 

Midseason Grade: C

 

 

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