The Pirates' Offense Just Dropped 18 Runs In Two Games and Nobody in Baseball Is Ready For This

Something is brewing in Pittsburgh, and it ain't the usual early-June slump. The Pirates, after a brutal start to the month where they dropped nine of 13 games, just slammed the door on the Oakland Athletics with two straight wins. But the real kicker? Their bats are absolutely ON FIRE heading into Denver for a three-game set against the Colorado Rockies starting Friday night. Everyone needs to pay attention.

The Pittsburgh Bats Are Waking Up, Big Time

Numbers? I got numbers. Pittsburgh's offense piled up a ridiculous 18 runs over their last two games against the A's, a massive leap from the measly 16 runs they scraped together in the five games before that. We're talking double-digit hits in both those recent wins. Ryan O'Hearn, man, he went off! He racked up a career-high six RBIs in Wednesday's 12-4 blowout. And you know what he said? "That's a key for us, quality at-bats and production up and down the lineup. Any stretch that we've had that's been really good this season, the common denominator has been the offense has been kind of relentless up and down the lineup." Relentless! Marcell Ozuna even cranked his first home run since May 15, and every single starter in the lineup got at least one hit in that Wednesday thrashing. That's the kind of balanced attack that makes you dangerous.

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Can Bubba Chandler Hold Off Colorado's Scorching Offense?

So, the Pirates are bringing their hot bats to Coors Field, already a pitcher's nightmare. They're sending right-hander Bubba Chandler (2-7, 4.76 ERA) to the mound. Chandler had a stellar MLB debut against Colorado in August 2025, tossing four scoreless innings for his only career save in a 9-0 Pirates win. But this season? He's started 13 of 14 games and hasn't made it past the sixth inning. Talk about a tough spot, because the Rockies are countering with lefty Kyle Freeland (1-7, 7.98 ERA), who is desperately searching for his first win since April 7! Back then, his ERA was 2.30. Since, he's gone 0-4 with a horrific 12.46 ERA over five starts in May, and he's 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA in his first three June outings. He's given up five or more earned runs in six of his last eight starts. Yikes. That's a huge red flag against a scorching hot Rockies offense! Colorado has scored four or more runs in their last six games, including a franchise-record 23-9 explosion against the A's in Las Vegas on Sunday. They just dropped 15 runs on the Chicago Cubs in their last series too. Hunter Goodman is mashing, hitting his team-leading 21st homer on Wednesday, and rookie Sterlin Thompson made history, smashing his first two career dingers in the same game, becoming only the sixth Rockies player ever to do that. Thompson was hyped, saying, "It's a great moment for sure, a cool spot to get the first one and then go to the next (at-bat) and hit the second one."

This series is gonna be a wild one. With both offenses absolutely locked in, and two pitchers, Chandler and Freeland, facing serious challenges, it’s all about whether Pittsburgh's resurgent offense can outgun the Mile High sluggers, or if Colorado's bats can break through against Chandler, giving Freeland a much-needed run support buffer. Get ready for some fireworks, Emerald City, because this road trip finale promises to be a battle!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.