The Pittsburgh Pirates have reached the point where every series feels like a turning point, and right now the turns keep going the wrong way.
Pittsburgh sits at 58-62 after losing two of three to the New York Mets at home, a stretch that only deepened the worst slump of its season. Since the All-Star break, the Pirates are 8-15, have dropped their last six series and are just 6-14 over their past 20 games. For the first time this year, they are four games under .500.
That slide has put real pressure on their postseason outlook. The Pirates are now five and a half games back in the National League Wild Card race, which leaves them with a steep climb and very little room for more wasted chances.
The recent results have been ugly across the board. Pittsburgh lost two of three to the Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks during a six-game homestand from July 24-29, then fell three of four to the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park from July 30-Aug.
- The Pirates also dropped two of three to the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on July 20 and July 22, and three of four to the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field from Aug.
3-6.
That leaves Pittsburgh as the fifth team chasing the third Wild Card spot, with the San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals sitting ahead of them. The Cubs are six games clear of both the Diamondbacks and the Philadelphia Phillies, who are also trying to separate themselves from the pack.
What makes the Pirates’ fall sting even more is how quickly it happened. After beating the Diamondbacks in extra innings on July 27, they held the third Wild Card spot. Now they’re staring up at a crowded group in front of them.
There is still time, though not much of it. The Pirates have 42 games left, which means six weeks to try to erase the gap.
Their schedule does give them direct shots at some of the teams they need to catch, starting with a road series against the Marlins at loanDepot Park from Aug. 11-13.
They’ll also visit the Padres at Petco Park from Aug. 24-26, and the Cardinals at Busch Stadium from Aug. 28-30, before hosting St. Louis again at PNC Park from Sept.
22-24.
Those matchups could help Pittsburgh climb, but they could just as easily push the Pirates further out if they keep losing them. There are also softer spots on the schedule, with home dates against the Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals, but tougher road tests remain against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cubs and Chicago White Sox, along with a home series against the Brewers.
For the Pirates, the next few weeks are a grind, and the Marlins series looms especially large. A strong showing there would go a long way. Another stumble would make an already difficult chase feel even longer.
In Other News...
Termarr Johnson Just Suffered A Brutal Setback For The Pirates
Termarr Johnsons latest step forward in the Pirates system hit a painful pause Friday night in Triple-A Indianapolis, where the young infielder went down with a serious left knee injury against Iowa. Johnson had been showing better offensive form in recent months after a difficult stretch earlier in the season, making the injury sting all the more for a player trying to build momentum at an important stage of his development.
The scene on the field suggested this was more than a routine setback, as Johnson had to be helped off after the injury and could not leave under his own power. For Pittsburgh, the concern now goes beyond his recent progress at the plate and shifts to the bigger question of how long the organization may be without one of its more closely watched prospects. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Enter A Pivotal Stretch With Their Wild Card Hopes Fading
The Pirates just came through a brutal 17-game grind in 17 days, and the results left little room for comfort. They went 5-12 over that stretch, dropped all five series and had to keep patching things together while injuries piled up and both the offense and pitching staff slipped at the wrong time.
Mitch Kellers season-ending injury only deepened the strain on a team already searching for stability, even as recent moves were made to bolster the bullpen. The bigger problem now is the calendar ahead, because the Pirates need to find traction quickly to keep their fading postseason hopes from slipping any further away. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Bullpen Decision Is Getting Harder To Ignore In The Playoff Race
The bullpen churn around the Pirates has only grown harder to ignore as the club tries to stay in the NL Central race. Ron Marinaccio arrived from San Diego on July 23, got into four games for Pittsburgh and was gone before August arrived in a more complicated way than anyone expected, with the reliever putting up a short stint that included four runs allowed in 5 1/3 innings.
His last outing for Pittsburgh came against the Reds, and the sequence of moves since then has created an awkward little footnote for both teams. For the Pirates, it is another reminder that every bullpen decision gets magnified in a tight division chase, while Cincinnatis claim adds another layer to a transaction that may end up mattering more for what it says about timing and roster fit than for the numbers alone. [Read more 🡒]