Pittsburgh Pirates about to go through stern road test

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: the Pittsburgh Pirates face an important stretch of games over the next two weeks.

It was only 15 days ago that the Bucs were girding themselves for the franchise’s most important series ever at PNC Park, a five-game matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals. That showdown for first place in the National League Central started an 11-game homestand in which the Pirates won nine to snag a four-game lead in the division.

Clearly, this year’s club has it in them to seize the moment, especially at home where it has an MLB-best 41 wins in 61 games. But with 10 of their next 13 games on the road, it’s time for the 2013 Pirates to prove they can keep the ship afloat in any environment.

Aug 11, 2013 Denver, CO, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Bryan Morris (29) delivers a pitch in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The Rockies defeated the Pirates 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Bucs (70-47) entered the All-Star break with a 24-18 record away from PNC Park, but they have dropped eight of 13 as the visiting team since then. Series losses at Cincinnati (2-1), Miami (2-1) and Colorado (3-0) have occurred since mid-July, keeping the Pirates from really pulling away from the Cardinals, who have lost 13 of 18.

Getting swept by the Rockies over the weekend was a missed opportunity for the Pirates, who could’ve built a five-game advantage over the Cardinals if they had taken two of three at Coors Field. Instead, St. Louis is three back leading into the three-game series that begins Tuesday night in the shadow of the Gateway Arch.

Certainly the next three contests have additional leverage in shaping the NL Central race, but a seven-game trip out west to face the Padres and the Giants could be just as difficult. While the Pirates have won seven of 10 against the Cardinals this season, this core group of players has traditionally struggled in the Pacific Time Zone, lowlighted by a rough series in San Diego last August that started a serious downward trend.

Looking further down the road, the Pirates have a nine-game trip to Milwaukee, St. Louis and Texas in early September as well, putting 19 of their next 28 away from Pittsburgh. Continuing to succeed at PNC Park will keep the Bucs in solid playoff position, but they will have to improve on the road if they want to win the division.

The differential between the Pirates’ home and road performance comes down to pitching. While their team OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging) is around MLB average no matter where they hit, the Bucs’ ERA is nearly a full run better at home (2.70) than away (3.66). Some of that spread can be explained by pitcher-friendly PNC Park, but not all of it.

That seems fitting, since run prevention has been the primary motor behind the Pirates’ ascent to first place. Perhaps the Bucco bats can help make up the pitching-and-defense performance gap, which would help the team be a little bit more well-rounded.

An offensive eruption would be more likely than a reduction of the Pirates’ road ERA, which is still sixth-best in MLB. Either way, the Pirates are about to go through a stern road test, and they will need all aspects of their game to click to ace it.