Brewers’ World Series dominance exposes a surprising truth about Pirates’ biggest weakness

Emma Lingan of Rum Bunter argues that the Milwaukee Brewers' run prevention demonstrates that the Pittsburgh Pirates' primary weakness is now their pitching rather than their offense. While the Brewers stood one win away from a World Series title after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 10-1 in Game 3, regular-season statistics showed the Brewers allowed 121 fewer runs than the Pirates, compared to scoring only 65 more.

Lingan notes that while Pittsburgh improved its offense behind Brandon Lowe and Ryan O'Hearn, its pitching staff regressed significantly. The starting rotation's ERA rose from 3.71 in 2025 to 4.23 in 2026, highlighted by Mitch Keller's 5.29 ERA and Paul Skenes' ERA increasing to 3.82.