Pittsburgh Pirates need to move on to the Houston Astros

Going into Thursday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers, I knew what I was hoping for out of Pittsburgh Pirates starter Francisco Liriano, but I wasn’t quite sure if that would actually match up with the result on the field.

This wasn’t the New York Mets he was facing, it was the team that has been a thorn in the Pirates paw for quite some time now. While Lirinao got into and also got bailed out of a few jams, he hung in there on a night when he didn’t quite have his best stuff and only gave  up one run. While he didn’t go as deep into the game as Clint Hurdle may have liked him to, he kept the Bucs in the game until the offense did its thing.

May 15, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Wandy Rodriguez (51) throws a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

It was absolutely beautiful to see they Pirates kick the ever-loving crap out of the Brewers. It was a long-awaited and much-needed victory, especially in the fashion the Pirates did it in. You could tell the players were enjoying it just as much as the fans were.

Going into Friday night’s game with the Astros, the Pirates should come into the game with a little extra swagger. A good team walks on to the diamond each night knowing they are going to win. They will do whatever it takes to accomplish that. At 24-17, the Pirates are proving that they are a good baseball team.Each night, someone different is stepping up to help the Pirates win ball games. They are winning games with Andrew McCutchen not yet up to full speed as far as his offensive stats go, but he is hitting the ball hard and I think ready to bust out.

I also have to say this: not only should the Pirates win this series, they should sweep it. That’s what good baseball teams do.

The Astros are the worst team in baseball. Now I also know anything can happen in this sport, but the Pirates need to send a message out to all the talking heads. They need to sweep this series which would put them on a six-game winning streak and force the national media and the rest of baseball itself to realize that the Pirates are nobody’s doormat anymore. Teams need to have the respect that when they play Pittsburgh, they better be at their best or they are in trouble.

The Pirates have not had this good of a record at this point of the year in a long time. Yes, there is a lot of baseball left to be played and a lot can happen over a long season as we all painfully know. This year just feels different. The Pirates can prove it by sweeping a team that should be swept. It’s time to move on.