Can the Pirates Sail Past the Rays at LECOM Park?

As the Pittsburgh Pirates prepare to host the Tampa Bay Rays at LECOM Park, fans are eager to see if their team can continue their recent performance trends. The Pirates have shown a mixed bag of results in their last few outings, but there are positive signs that suggest they could be turning a corner.

In their most recent game against Atlanta, the Pirates secured a win with 9 hits and 4 runs. Despite committing 3 errors, they managed to keep Atlanta at bay with only 2 runs. This victory was built on solid pitching from both starters and bullpen, who together held an ERA of just 2.0 over 9 innings while striking out nearly ten batters per nine innings.

The game before that saw the Pirates fall short against Detroit despite racking up an impressive .278 batting average and slugging .444. They showed resilience by scoring in multiple innings but ultimately couldn't overcome Detroit's offense.

However, it was against New York Yankees where we saw what this team is capable of when everything clicks. The Pirates' hitters put up a strong show with a .270 average and an even more impressive .541 slugging percentage – thanks in part to hitting two home runs – leading them to score six times.

Fielding has been somewhat inconsistent for Pittsburgh; while they played error-free baseball against New York Yankees, errors have crept into other games which could be costly against a disciplined Rays side.

Fans heading to LECOM Park should expect an intriguing battle as both teams look for pre-season momentum. With some tightening up on defense and continued aggression at bat, especially in clutch situations (hitting .250 with runners in scoring position), the Pirates might just have what it takes to claim another victory before regular season play begins.

The upcoming match is scheduled for March 17th at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Florida. First pitch is set for 1:05 PM ET and fans can catch all the action live on SportsNet PT.