The Pittsburgh Pirates are continuing their early-season offensive tear which has them sitting atop the league in the batting average column. Unfortunately for the team, they’ve struggled to find consistency in other offensive areas, as well as their pitching which has them in third place in the NL Central with a 10-9 record.

The Pirates picked up a much-needed series win against the Arizona Diamondbacks Sunday but it didn’t come easy as an early laugher quickly turned into an extra inning squeaker. It’s a rare situation in which a team will collect 20 hits but need 13 innings to win the game. Pittsburgh’s scoring explosion was encouraging but the inconsistent pitching continues to be a concern.

Gerrit Cole owns a record of just 1-2 thus far, though he’s managed to keep his ERA (2.70) under control. It’s certainly not the number you want to see from your ace, but it’s the best earned run average the staff has to offer. The team needs to find an immediate replacement for Jeff Locke, who is 0-2 with a 7.24 ERA in three starts.

On the positive side, Jonathan Niese has been a solid addition since arriving in the Neil Walker trade. Granted, Walker has been playing very well for New York but the Pirates needed rotation depth and he definitely adds something. Niese is 3-0 through four starts.

It’s also extremely encouraging for the offensive unit as a whole that they’ve been slugging so well with minimal production from Andrew McCutchen. The former MVP is hitting just .213 with two home runs and five RBIs. The bench has done a great job lately, namely Sean Rodriguez who’s been seeing more action and has been one of the main contributors over the past week. When McCutchen finally gets going and Jung-Ho Kang returns from his rehab assignment, the offense should be pretty special.