The halfway point of the season officially arrived for the Pirates with Saturday night's game.
There's no question the first half has been disappointing. They're a shade under .500 and have clearly fallen short of expectations. They slogged through a sorry 9-19 June, which is usually a point when they shake the dust from a slow start and take off.
Is there hope things can be better in the second half? Absolutely. It comes with no guarantees, of course, but there's reason to believe the team can improve.
It all hinges on one factor: The starting pitching has to be better.
No matter how many detailed stats are developed, the fundamental truth holds that it all starts with starting pitching. Good starts keep the game manageable for the offense, and allow the bullpen to line up in a logical order to keep things under control.
Have too many poor starts, and it's chaos. The bullpen gets overworked, mediocre middle relievers get overexposed (so long, Cory Luebke) and the offense gets overwhelmed trying to overcome large deficits.
But effective starting pitching is a cure-all that can help a team get better in a hurry.
The Pirates desperately need more from the top two spots in the rotation. Gerrit Cole started late because of a spring training injury, then needed to go on the disabled list because of a triceps strain. He's pitched just 68 and 1/3 innings and gone past the sixth inning only twice in 12 starts. The Pirates need more from their No. 1 starter.
Francisco Liriano, the No. 2 starter, has been awful. His command issues have led to too many walks and too many fat strikes that have been pounded. He's been a miserable return on a hefty investment.
(For the crowd that likes to snarl, "You get what you pay for," it's worth noting that Liriano is being paid $13.67 million this season while Jake Arietta is getting $10.7 million from the Cubs).
Jon Niese has gone from mediocrity to liability in the No. 3 spot.
Jeff Locke is still capable of the truly awful outing (he's had starts where he's allowed 11, 8, 7 and 6 runs), but the others have been more than acceptable. To say he's been the team's best starter is probably an indictment of the others, but it's true.
Jameson Taillon adds both hope and the kind of inconsistency that comes with inexperience. It's too soon to tell about Chad Kuhl. Ryan Vogelsong is still a month away from being an option, and Tyler Glasnow continues to work on control issues at Class AAA.
If Cole and Liriano can contribute at past levels, the Pirates can make a legitimate run at a wild card spot. That's true even if Andrew McCutchen doesn't find the answer. The offense has found ways to function through McCutchen's prolonged slump.
The second half hinges on fixing the starting pitching. It's easy to identify the issue, difficult to address it.
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--OLD TIMERS DAY
When the Penguins hired Jim Rutherford to be their general manager, he was 65 years old.
In preparing him for the introductory news conference, the staff explained that he would undoubtedly get questions about his age and whether he had the energy to function in a stressful job.
Rutherford suggested he'd answer by pointing out he had a wife who was 25 years younger than him and they had a young son.
The Penguins' people appreciated the sentiment, but didn't think that would be the most prudent response.
Just weeks after his moves helped the team win the Stanley Cup, Rutherford has signed on for three more years, which will keep him on the job through 70.
It's a sensible move for the Penguins, but it must come with disappointment for the legion of assistants who have been apprenticing with the hope of taking over the GM job upon Rutherford's retirement.
It won't be a surprise if some of them move on to a situation where the conditions for quick advancement might be more favorable.
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--QUICK STUDY
Watching John Jaso adapt to first base after never playing the position before just reinforces what a hopeless lummox Pedro Alvarez was there last season.
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