Pirates Face Tough NL Wild Card Race After All-Star Break
In this story:
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates had a strong finish to the first half of the season and are still battling for a spot in the playoffs.
The Pirates swept the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park, July 11-12, getting three wins over the second-best team in baseball and the best team in the National League Central Division.
Great hitting from the entire team, but particularly rookie right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez in the doubleheader on July 11, led the Pirates to an impressive sweep over their divisional rival.
It puts the Pirates at 50-47 at the All-Star break, marking their first season with 50 wins at that point since 2015, the last time they made the playoffs.
Pirates NL Wild Card Position After Brewers Series
Team | Record (%) | Wild Card GA/GB |
|---|---|---|
Chicago Cubs | 54-42 (.563) | +2.5 |
Philadelphia Phillies | 54-43 (.556) | +2.0 |
Miami Marlins | 52-45 (.536) | -- |
St. Louis Cardinals | 50-45 (.540) | 1.0 |
Pittsburgh Pirates | 50-47 (.505) | 2.0 |
Arizona Diamondbacks | 49-47 (.510) | 2.5 |
San Diego Padres | 48-48 (.500) | 3.5 |
Washington Nationals | 48-49 (.495) | 4.0 |
The series vs. the Brewers was crucial, as the Pirates had just come after a disappointing series defeat to the Atlanta Braves, July 7-9, losing the last two games and falling five games back in the NL Wild Card race.
Pittsburgh is now just two games back of the Miami Marlins, who suffered a series sweep at home to the Cleveland Guardians, and the St. Louis Cardinals have gone 4-6 in their past 10 games as well, but are still just a game back.
The Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies are both in a good position, with the former 2.5 games ahead and the latter 2.0 games ahead.
Chicago still trails Milwaukee by five games in the NL Central, but Philadelphia is just two games back of Atlanta and could overtake them.
The Arizona Diamondbacks finished the first half on a four-game winning streak and are 2.5 games back, with a sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers on the road.
Two teams further back are the San Diego Padres, who won their last two games vs. the Toronto Blue Jays at home and trail 3.5 games, while the Washington Nationals are now below .500 after suffering a home sweep to the New York Yankees.
Pirates Face Tough Test Ahead After All-Star Break
The Pirates don't get much of a break from their grueling schedule, as they'll face both the Guardians at Progressive Field, July 17-19, and the Yankees at Yankee Stadium, July 20-22.
Cleveland is tied with the Chicago White Sox for the American League Central Division lead, and the Yankees are 54-42, just three games back of the surging Tampa Bay Rays.
The Pirates then host both the Cubs and Diamondbacks at PNC Park, July 24-29, and then embark on an eight-game road trip, with two four-game series against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park, July 30-Aug. 2, and the Brewers at American Family Field, Aug. 3-6.
Pittsburgh has to beat the best if it wants to make the postseason, but it's still a difficult month ahead for them and they'lll need to keep up their great offense and get some better outings from their pitching staff to do so.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
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.