2011 Pirates Still Have Plenty to Play For
By mikeshaeffer
by Mike Shaeffer
Five weeks from now, the 2011 Pittsburgh Pirates will finish their season in Milwaukee. The first four months of 2011 had a lot of people thinking that those three games would be pivotal in the NL Central division race. However, with the bad start to the month that Pittsburgh had, and the surging Brewers winning twenty of their last 29 games, the Pirates have 15.5 games out of first place.
However, that doesn’t mean the Pirates don’t have anything to play for in the next five months. For one, there’s the obvious. At 61-68, the Pirates would have to win 21 of their remaining 33 games to finish with a winning record. Yes, a 21-12 record doesn’t seem likely, but stranger things have certainly happened.
Many of the current Pirates will also be battling for 2012 jobs. While Neil Walker, Andrew McCutchen, and Jose Tabata don’t have much to worry about, a lot of starting spots will be up for grabs for next year’s squad. Will Alex Presley anchor McCutchen and Tabata in the outfield?
Will Pedro Alvarez return next month and salvage something out of what’s been a rough 2011 for him? Ronny Cedeno seems to be the organization’s top shortstop for now, but can Chase d’Arnaud challenge him? Who is going to play first base for Pittsburgh next year? Garrett Jones? Derrek Lee? Both?
The pitching staff will also have some questions. Can Brad Lincoln keep a starting role? Can Charlie Morton and James McDonald finish the year strong?
The 2011 Pittsburgh Pirates will not make the postseason. But that doesn’t mean the rest of the year won’t be interesting.