Pittsburgh Pirates need to keep preying on weaker teams

Aug 20, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez (24) is congratulated after scoring during the seventh inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

By virtue of back-to-back wins in San Diego to start their West Coast road trip, the Pittsburgh Pirates have already clinched their first series win since sweeping Miami at home two weeks ago.

Taking series has been the Pirates’ modus operandi this season, as they’ve only had one winning streak longer than five games, a nine-gamer that pushed them to MLB’s best record in early July. Otherwise, the Bucs (74-51) have made progress by winning two of three, three of four and four of five.

That’s a solid plan for success – it’s foolish to expect to sweep a major-league opponent, no matter how feeble – but it might be time for the Pirates to get greedy. Their first chance to do that is Wednesday night in San Diego, when they can win all three against the last-place Padres.

Following that, Pittsburgh has four games against the defending World Series champions in San Francisco, who have stumbled to fourth place in the National League West and will miss the playoffs by a wide margin. Taking three of four by the Bay would create a nice cushion heading into a six-game homestand that takes us into September.

The Bucs still have six games apiece against their pursuers for the NL Central title, the Cardinals and Reds, but otherwise their season-closing schedule features more duds than studs. The Brewers and Cubs are in a heated battle for the Central basement, and the Pirates will face them a combined 13 times over the final five weeks. The Padres also come to town in mid-September for a four-game set.

Although they have a three-game interleague series at contending Texas in a couple weeks, the Pirates still have more games against also-rans (22) than probable playoff teams (15) the rest of the way. If they can win 14 of 22 against weaker opponents, that adds up to 88 wins, just a few shy of the 95 that should clinch the division.

A two-game lead with 37 games to go doesn’t sound like much, but the Pirates have a clear path to the NL Central pennant. Despite losing seven of their past 11, they have a smoother set-up than most if they can take care of business.