The Stretch Is Over.....Finally

     The Buccos went into this past 20-game stretch with a try-to-survive mentality. They had to go to Cinci, St. Louis and play the Dodgers and Diamondbacks at home. San Diego was a home and home set in there as well. We all were hoping 10-10 at the least to keep with the Reds who have been surging and 12-8 would have been great.
     Well...........it didn't go off as planned. The Pirates limped to a 7-13 record and are now 8 1/2 games behind the first place Reds, 4 games behind the Braves who hold the #1 Wild Card spot, and now a 1/2 game behind the Cardinals for the #2 and final Wild Card spot.

     This is the first time since late June that the Buccos have been on the outside looking in to the playoffs and most of us see this as a growing problem. One reason is the way they played against the bottom feeding San Diego Padres. The Padres took 5 of 6 games from the Buccos by just about every way possible. A 6 run comeback against J-Mac, hitting multiple homers off of AJ "the stopper" Burnett, a walk-off homer in the 10th inning after the Bucs crawled back into it by way of a ninth inning 2-out 2-run homer. Every way you could think the Padres beat us in it.  Today frustrated me the most. The Friars sent a kid making his major league debut, after looking terrible in his last AAA start, and he dominated the Bucs. The guy was pitching against the Washington Wild Things only a couple years ago in the Frontier League and they scored more off of him then the Pirates could today. (UGH!)

     Anyway, That is all over. There are no more games against NL West opponents, Padres included, which is a sigh of relief to the Bucco faithful. The focus now turns to the NL Central where the Buccos will play the next 28 games against (3 vs. Reds, 3 vs. StL, 9 vs. Mil, 6 vs. Hou, 7 vs. Chi) and only 7 more games against the NL East (3 vs. Atl, 4 vs. NYM) This will be the true test if the Pirates want to finally make the playoffs. They can easily gain that #1 spot over the Braves and they still have games remaining against the Cardinals to overtake the #2 spot. The only place we will really need help is for the division lead. The Reds will have to slip down the stretch for us to have a shot but that's why they play all 162. There are a lot of ball left folks, and even after a horrendous stretch we still find ourselves in contention.

#YouGottaBelieve

We're Still Hangin Around

     J-Mac looked like the dominant, pre-all star break, ace as the Buccos beat the Cards 2-1 by way of a wild pitch and past ball on back-to-back batters. It was a big win because it gives the Buccos a bit of distance for that second wild card spot. They lead the Dodgers by 1 1/2 and the Cards by 2.

     In tonight's post we will look ahead (yes, I'm going to break the unwritten rule of looking past the current series) to compare the "Big 4" (Bucs, Reds, Cards, Braves) by their schedule. After you see this you my have a different thought on if the Bucs still have a chance in the NL Central or, at least, the #1 WC spot.

     After tonight's completed games the standings are as follows:

NLC

     CIN 72-47   --

      PIT  66-53    6

      STL 64-55    8

NL WC 

    (1) ATL 70-49    -- 

          (2) PIT   66-53    4     --

                 LA   65-55   5.5  1.5

               STL  64-55    6     2

Here is the schedule for the "Big 4" for the rest of the season: (I do not have LA or SF on here because this is more aimed towards the Division and #1 WC spot. I see those two teams fighting for the #2 spot.) If the Pirates start to fall farther away from Cincy and Atlanta I will have a post about the #2 spot. But today we get to still talk about the good stuff.

     PIT                   CIN                STL                ATL

     @STL (2)    <        CHI (3)           PIT (2)            LA (2)   

             @SD (3)      >    @PHI (4)          HOU (3)      @WAS (3)       

       MIL (3)     >       STL (3)       @CIN (3)         @SF (4)

       STL (3)    =      @AZ (3)        @PIT (3)         @SD (3)

   @MIL (3)    <   @HOU (3)     @WAS (3)          PHI (3)

       HOU (3)    >        PHI (3)         NYM (3)         COL (4)

         CHI (3)      =      HOU (3)         MIL (3)       @NYM (3)

    @CIN (3)      =      PIT (3)         @SD (3)        @MIL (3)

    @CHI (4)      >   @MIA (3)       @LA (4)         WAS (3)

         MIL (3)      <    @CHI (3)        HOU (3)       @MIA (3)

      @HOU (3)      >       LA (3)        @CHI (3)        @PHI (3)

    @NYM (4)     =      MIL (3)       @HOU (3)        MIA (3)

         CIN (3)       =    @PIT (3)         WAS (3)        NYM (3)

       ATL (3)      =    @STL (3)          CIN (3)          PIT (3)

As you can see, each of these teams play the same amount of home/away games/series.

If you compare the Bucs and Reds the Pirates may have the upper hand if you go series-by-series. 

< = Reds have it easier (By record of opponent)

> = Pirates have it easier (By record of opponent)

= Equal (By record of opponent)

Pirates would have a 5-3-4 advantage. (Not counting the 2 series against each other). 

The Reds lead the division by 6 games but this is a very doable task but as we all know a bad team can still get streaky. Couch, cough, Cubs and Padres.

You can also see with the Cards and Braves that the Pirates would have an upper hand down the stretch as well. 

The one MAJOR player in all of this could be the Phillies. Thankfully we already got them out of the way early while they were in the midst of a major struggle and St. Louis has as well. The Phillies, as of late, are 17-15 since the all-star break. They still have the ability to play spoiler against the Reds and Braves.

     We can all say that it's finally great to be able to talk about these kind's of things in the Burgh again. Pretty soon (Check back in 2 weeks), if we can gain a few games on STL/LA, those two wonderful words can be mentioned again by Bucco fans..........Magic Number.

#YouGottaBelieve

 

Buccos Get Back On Winning Track

     The Buccos got a HUGE victory to end their disappointing homestand defeating the Dodgers 10-6.


Hitting:      The Buccos got on the board first for the first time in ten days by way of a 3-run jack by Garret Jones. Cutch and Jordy would score on the play. Pedro would add a double after the homer but failed to score. The Buccos would be blanked the next two innings before answering in the bottom of the fourth with a one out walk by Barajas followed by a Barmes trip-trip-triple. (Yes, The Barge scored from first). Burnett would ground back to the pitcher and Marte would strike out looking. 4-4 after 4. Joe Blanton made a HUGE mistake in the fifth. Jordy Mercer led off the inning with a single, Blanton then walked Cutch on a close 3-2 pitch. That brought up Garret Jones and he made them pay with his second 3-run shot of the game. That would be followed by a #DayDro solo shot to make it 8-4. Blanton would be removed from the game and as he was walking to the dugout he would get tossed for arguing with the HP Ump.  They would add two in the seventh by way of a Barmes 2-RBI single.


Pitching:      AJ Burnett got through the first inning unscathed (finally a scoreless first for the opponent) then allowed a solo-shot by James Loney in the second but that wasn't the highlight of the inning. With Andre Ethier at the plate, Matt Kemp yelled at the Umps from the dugout and got tossed, then continued by running after the Ump. Don Mattingly would come out to get Kemp then put in his two cents before getting tossed himself.  The Dodgers would take the lead in the fourth by way of a run by a Pedro Alvarez throwing error after Mark Ellis led the inning off with a ground-rule double followed by a 2-run shot by Hanley Ramirez to make it 4-3.  That would be the only time they led but it did get interesting in the seventh. AJ would allow the bases to load with two outs.  Mark Ellis hit one off of Burnett to reach on an infield single to make it 8-5, he would then hit Juan Rivera to make it 8-6.  That would end Burnett's outing. Tony Watson would come in and get the final out to end the Dodger threat. Grilli pitched a scoreless eighth and The Hammer did as well to end it. PIRATES WIN! PIRATES WIN!
    

      This is a big win for the Buccos because it keeps them in the second WC with the Cards who they will play the next three games in StL. It also keeps them within 7 of the Reds. Yes, I still think they can do it in the Central with 6 games, still, with Cinci. The Reds still play the Phillies 7 times and I may be the only person to think that's important but they still are the Phillies and they game go on a streak at any time.  It  CAN happen.

#YouGottaBelieve

    

Stud: Garrett Jones 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 Runs

Dud: Gabby Sanchez 0-4, 2 K's 1 Run

Playoff baseball starts now

     The Buccos dropped a tough one tonight, 5-4 to the visiting Dodgers. A team that is only 1 1/2 games behind the Bucs for the last NL Wild Card spot. We have 3 games left against LA with the most favorable game already taken place. It doesn't get easier after this series with the Buccos traveling to St. Louis to take on the Cardinals who are 2 games behind the Bucs for another crucial 3 game series.

     Tonight's game was a tough one to swallow. Yes, they fought back to within one but the outcome could have been different had the bullpen succeeded. Juan Cruz came in for the seventh and loaded the bases on two walks and a HBP. Tony Watson would come in to get the final two outs but allowed an inherited run to cross which would be the difference in the game. I think it's about that time when Bryan Morris should be making an appearance in the bigs. The six man rotation is pressing the pen. Jeff Locke is up solely for long relief, therefore taking two spots away in the pen. If the Pirates want to keep this roster and keep competing, the pen will have to be close to perfect in order for them succeed.

     With that being said, The Buccos are still 64-51. They are still only 5 games behind the Reds with six games remaining against them. The schedule gets easier after the Cardinals series while the Reds does as well but the reds face the Phillies seven times. Yes, the Phillies have been bad this year but they seem to be turning it around and it could help us in the race. There are still 47 games left, crazier things have happened so try and stay away from the edge of the cliff.

#YouGottaBelieve