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Pittsburgh Pirates Need To Go Streaking This Homestand

By Matt Gajtka

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Aug 2, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Russell Martin (55) celebrates with Travis Snider (23) after scoring in the seventh inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

This may seem like a bad time to request such a thing, what with reigning MVP Andrew McCutchen reportedly going on the disabled list with an oblique strain, but the Pittsburgh Pirates could really use a winning streak.

I’m not talking about winning a series or two, or taking five out of seven, or even eight out of 10. I’m talking about a legitimate, standings-busting streak.

Looking back at the season thus far, it’s remarkable how the Pirates (59-52) have been allergic to stringing wins together. Despite boasting one of MLB’s best records since April, Pittsburgh hasn’t been able to take more than four games in a row. The Bucs have reached that limit four times, most recently from June 21-24.

The Pirates have won at least three in a row nine times, which is somewhat surprising since they have been able to sweep just two series all year, including a three-game whitewash of the Rockies just after the all-star break.

Starting with that sweep of Colorado, the Pirates are 10-6, rising within 1 1/2 games of the first-place Brewers in the National League Central as of Monday afternoon. They’re also just percentage points behind the Cardinals for the second wild-card spot, so what they’ve done in the unofficial second half has been just fine.

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But while “just fine” can be effective, it hasn’t been quite enough to make anyone feel great about their playoff chances, which are around 50-50 with 51 games to go. You might remember last June, when the Pirates ripped off 10 wins in a row to make the postseason nearly a foregone conclusion.

I bring that up because this upcoming homestand – at least the start of it – seems like a good opportunity to finally line up five or more straight wins. The Marlins and Padres come to PNC Park over the next week, giving the Pirates a chance to load up at the buffet before consecutive series against the Tigers, Nationals, Braves, Brewers, Cardinals and Reds to close out August.

All of those teams are either in playoff position or still have a decent shot to climb into a postseason spot. It’s about to get more difficult, especially if McCutchen is out 3-4 weeks as expected. That makes this upcoming week the last oasis before venturing out into the desert until early September.

There’s a baseball axiom that says a successful team wins two out of three at home and splits on the road. The Pirates just went 5-5 on their just-completed trip, but mere series victories against Miami and San Diego might not be enough to fend off the coming storm.