The Pittsburgh Pirates closed the first half with real momentum, but the path to October still looks crowded and unforgiving.
A sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park on July 11-12 gave Pittsburgh three wins over the second-best team in baseball and the top club in the National League Central. The offense came through across the board, and rookie right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez stood out in the doubleheader on July 11 as the Pirates put together an impressive run against a divisional rival.
That finish left Pittsburgh at 50-47 at the All-Star break, its first time reaching 50 wins at that point since 2015, the last season the club made the playoffs.
The Brewers series mattered because it came right after a rough trip against the Atlanta Braves from July 7-9, when the Pirates dropped the final two games and slipped five games back in the NL Wild Card chase. Now, the picture is tighter.
Pittsburgh sits two games behind the Miami Marlins, who were swept at home by the Cleveland Guardians, while the St. Louis Cardinals have gone 4-6 over their last 10 and are still just a game back.
The teams ahead of them have some breathing room, too. The Chicago Cubs are 2.5 games up, and the Philadelphia Phillies are 2.0 games ahead.
Chicago remains five games behind Milwaukee in the NL Central, while Philadelphia is two games back of Atlanta and could move past them. The Arizona Diamondbacks also finished strong, riding a four-game winning streak into the break after sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers on the road, and they are 2.5 games back.
The San Diego Padres, after winning their last two against the Toronto Blue Jays at home, trail by 3.5 games. The Washington Nationals, meanwhile, dropped below .500 after being swept at home by the New York Yankees.
Pittsburgh’s schedule isn’t offering much relief. The Pirates head to Progressive Field for a July 17-19 series against the Guardians, then travel to Yankee Stadium for three games against the Yankees from July 20-22. Cleveland is tied with the Chicago White Sox for the American League Central lead, and New York is 54-42 and three games behind the surging Tampa Bay Rays.
After that, the Pirates return home to face the Cubs and Diamondbacks at PNC Park from July 24-29 before starting an eight-game road trip. That stretch includes four games against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park from July 30-Aug. 2 and four more against the Brewers at American Family Field from Aug. 3-6.
If Pittsburgh is going to stay in the postseason race, it will have to keep swinging the bats and get better work from its pitching staff. The competition is stiff, and the month ahead does not get any easier.
In Other News...
Paul Skenes Just Gave Pirates Fans Another Reason To Smile
Paul Skenes spent the MLB All-Star festivities doing what he has done so often for Pirates fans lately: giving them another reason to enjoy the moment. The young right-hander was in the middle of the leagues showcase in Philadelphia, where his presence alone has become part of the attraction, and he handled the spotlight with the same easy confidence that has made him such a compelling figure in Pittsburgh.
Along the way, Skenes also had a little fun with the kind of speculation that tends to follow stars once they start getting big-stage attention. When he crossed paths with young reporters in Yankees attire, he noticed the pinstripes and made the joke land, then later reacted with clear confusion when someone tried to label him a future Yankee. For Pirates fans, it was a small but welcome reminder that even in an event built around baseballs biggest names, Skenes still sounds very much like a player firmly in the present. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Just Took A Wild Card Gamble Fans Will Want To Track
With the Pirates hanging around the NL Wild Card race, the front office made a small but interesting roster move by adding outfielder Robert Hassell III from Washington in a deal that cost only cash considerations or a player to be named later. It is the kind of low-risk pickup contenders often make when they are looking for extra depth without sacrificing much, especially this time of year.
Hassell, a former first-round pick who once carried a lot of prospect buzz, had been designated for assignment by the Nationals before Pittsburgh stepped in. The move gives the Pirates another name to track as they try to stay in the race, and it also hints at how they are approaching the stretch run - looking for upside wherever they can find it, even if the next step for the newcomer is still to be determined. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Suddenly Have An Awkward Marcell Ozuna Problem
Marcell Ozuna was one of the more notable offseason additions for Pittsburgh, a one-year bet meant to give the lineup some middle-of-the-order punch. Instead, the early returns have been rough, with Ozuna sitting at a .623 OPS and eight home runs in 250 plate appearances, production that has left the Pirates with far less than they hoped when they signed him.
Now the bigger issue is what that means as the Aug. 3 trade deadline approaches. If Pittsburgh decides to sell, Ozunas performance makes him a tricky piece to move, especially when other hitters around the league are drawing more obvious interest, leaving the Pirates to sort out whether this is a player they can still count on or one whose market has already cooled off. [Read more 🡒]