Pirates Wild Card Dreams All But Lost
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates came into the 2026 season with high hopes and an exciting roster that gave them the confidence they could finally make a run at the postseason.
That hasn't happened, particularly in the second half of the season, as injuries and a slump has put the Pirates far behind most other teams in the race for a National League Wild Card spot.
Pittsburgh just suffered a weekend series sweep to the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium, Aug. 21-23, where they had a chance to get back to .500, but instead fell six games below it at 63-69.
The Pirates have a little less than five weeks until the end of the season and it's looking more and more like those playoff dreams are all but gone.
Pirates NL Wild Card Standing After Dodgers Sweep
Team | Standings | Games Ahead/Back |
|---|---|---|
Chicago Cubs | 75-56 (.573) | +4.0 |
Philadelphia Phillies | 73-58 (.557) | +2.0 |
San Diego Padres | 71-60 (.542) | - |
Arizona Diamondbacks | 69-62 (.527) | 2.0 |
Miami Marlins | 67-64 (.511) | 4.0 |
St. Louis Cardinals | 66-66 (.500) | 5.5 |
Pittsburgh Pirates | 63-69 (.477) | 8.5 |
The Pirates are no eight-and-a-half games back in the NL Wild Card race, behind the San Diego Padres, who are 71-60.
San Diego is actually the next location for Pittsburgh, as they finish off their final West Coast road trip of 2026.
The Pirates are also behind the Arizona Diamondbacks, Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals, who they face this weekend for the final three games on their nine-game road trip at Busch Stadium, Aug. 28-30.
Two teams have managed to stay above the rest for the majority of the second half of 2026, in the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies who are four games and two games ahead of the Padres, respectively.
Both the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals were somewhat threatening to make a run at the postseason, but the former is 62-69 and the latter is 61-71, in worse positions than the Pirates are.
Pirates Outlook the Rest of the Season
The Pirates making the postseason would require them winning a vast majority of their games and doing so against the best teams in baseball.
Pittsburgh has just 30 games remaining and likely needs to win 23-25 of them to earn a spot in the playoffs, at this rate.
The Pirates do have some series against the worst teams in baseball, including their next homestand vs. the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Angels, Sept. 1-6, and a weekend series vs. the Kansas City Royals, Sept. 18-20.
Pittsburgh also faces some of the best teams in baseball, including the Chicago White Sox and Cubs on the road, Sept. 8-13, the Milwaukee Brewers, Sept. 15-17, and the Cardinals at home, Sept. 22 and 24.
Unless the Pirates make an historic run, it's likely they will miss the playoffs for the 12th straight season.
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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.