Soaring Pirates Shockingly Claim Elite Spot In 2026 MLB Power Rankings originally appeared on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Add SportsNet Pittsburgh as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
MLB.com’s Will Leitch released his updated MLB power rankings on Sunday night, and the Pittsburgh Pirates occupied a shocking spot.
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Leitch had them at No. 5, up two spots from No. 7 last week.
Only four teams have more wins than the Pirates entering play on Monday. Unfortunately, they all reside in the National League.
Pittsburgh had another strong week, splitting its four-game series against the Washington Nationals and winning its weekend series against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Pirates likely would have swept the Rays, too, had a rain delay not curtailed Paul Skenes’ gem on Saturday.
Pittsburgh’s offense stayed hot during last week’s homestand with 6.71 runs per game, including a season-high 16 runs on Monday. Their pitching was more up and down but produced several strong outings, including their second shutout of the season.
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The Pirates have alternated wins and losses over their last eight games, so they’re still searching for consistency in the early going. They have a tough road trip coming up this week against the Texas Rangers and Milwaukee Brewers, so that will be another good test for them against two potential playoff teams.
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