Pirates Could Take Serious Stride in Wild Card Race Against Cubs
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates finished their first road trip after the All-Star break and head back home to take on the Chicago Cubs in what could be a pivotal series for the rest of the season.
The Pirates and Cubs are both in the midst of the National League Wild Card race, with the Cubs in firm position in the first Wild Card spot, while the Pirates are just one game back from that third spot.
Both teams are amongst the best in baseball and each went 3-3 post All-Star break, with the Pirates winning two of three games over the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field and losing two of three game to the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, while the Cubs won two of three games over the Minnesota Twins and lost two of three games against the Detroit Tigers, both at Wrigley Field.
Each team can take a big step towards putting themselves in a better spot for the postseason and also just a week prior to the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
NL Wild Card Outlook Before Cubs Series
Team | Record (%) | Wild Card GA/GB |
|---|---|---|
Chicago Cubs | 57-45 (.566) | +3.5 |
Philadelphia Phillies | 56-47 (.556) | +2.0 |
Arizona Diamondbacks | 54-49 (.524) | -- |
Pittsburgh Pirates | 53-50 (.515) | 1.0 |
St. Louis Cardinals | 52-50 (.510) | 1.5 |
Miami Marlins | 52-51 (.520) | 2.0 |
Washington Nationals | 52-51 (.500) | 2.0 |
San Diego Padres | 50-53 (.495) | 40 |
The Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies still remain in the first two spots in the NL Wild Card, with the Phillies two games ahead as well.
The Pirates are just one game back of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who have been the best team in this NL Wild Card race recently, going 8-2 in their past 10 games.
Arizona won three of four games against the St. Louis Cardinals and took two of three games against the Athletics post-All-Star break and swept the Los Angeles Dodgers right before that as well.
They will also come to Pittsburgh for the next series, July 27-29, so that is another massive opportunity for the Pirates to make some gains in the NL Wild Card race.
The Cardinals have fallen back with those three losses to the Diamondbacks and losing two of three games to the Los Angeles Angels as well.
One team that has completely dropped off is the Miami Marlins, who have lost nine straight games, getting swept by the Guardians at home before the All-Star break and suffering road sweeps to the Milwaukee Brewers and Houston Astros following that.
The Washington Nationals remain in the race, winning two of three games in their two road series against the Athletics and Colorado Rockies, keeping them just two games back.
Another team that may fall out of postseason contention entirely is the San Diego Padres, who lost three of four games to the Atlanta Braves and two of three games to the Kansas City Royals, falling three games below .500 and four games back.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.