Every Pirates game could possibly hold a playoff feel
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On deck
Tonight: Pittsburgh at Arizona, 9:40 p.m.
Pitchers: Bucs RHP Luis Ortiz (5-2) vs. Dbacks RHP Zach Gallen (7-5)
TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh
By John Hartsock
jhartsock@altoonamirror.com
PITTSBURGH -- For the first time in nearly a decade, an electric, ear drum-shattering atmosphere is surrounding the Pittsburgh Pirates' home games at beautiful PNC Park.
That atmosphere was showcased during the Pirates' game earlier this week with their National League Central Division archrivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, before over 32,000 fans, when prized rookie pitcher Paul Skenes worked into the ninth inning, departing to a thunderous standing ovation after throwing 104 pitches and allowing just four hits in an unfair 2-1 loss that was the first of his young career.
The playoff-type feel was picked up on, and saluted after the game, by Cardinals' manager Oliver Marmol, who spoke of the intensity of the battles between the two teams this season.
With the month of August on the very near horizon and nearly two-thirds of their regular-season schedule completed, the Pirates are in the thick of a red-hot chase for the three Wild Card playoff positions against several teams -- with the Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks being among the principals.
Even the division championship is within striking distance for the Bucs.
It will all make for a riveting last eight weeks of a regular season that is sure to come down to the wire.
That was the goal when Major League Baseball's powers that be instituted its new playoff format before the 2022 season. With six teams from both leagues -- three division winners and three Wild Cards -- now eligible for the postseason, the vast majority of major league teams are enjoying realistic playoff aspirations well into the summer and beyond.
For the Pirates, their recent series with the Cardinals and their upcoming home-and-home series against the Diamondbacks (this weekend and Aug. 2-4) and Padres (Aug. 6-8 and Aug. 12-14), along with a four-game road series against the Cardinals and a three-game home series with the Central Division-leading Milwaukee Brewers in late September, will hold gigantic implications for the Bucs' postseason hopes.
But every game that they play until the end of the season will be a very significant one.
"I think there's value to those games against St. Louis and Arizona, because St. Louis is in our division and Arizona is in the Wild Card hunt, but every game at this level is just as important as the next,'' Carmen Mlodzinski, who has developed into an outstanding middle relief pitcher for the Pirates, said recently during the series with the Cardinals.
"Everybody in our locker room has the head space to say that we want to win every game and that we want to make the playoffs,'' added Mlodzinski. "That's the goal every season. Every game for us from here on out will be like a playoff game.''
Until recently, the Pirates were hovering a few games below the .500 mark and on the periphery of the NL Wild Card picture. That has changed markedly in the past two weeks, as the Bucs enter this weekend's three-game series with the Diamondbacks in Arizona on a roll that has seen them go 10-3 in their last 13 games. Included in that spree was a 4-2 home stand that included two out of three series wins against both the NL leading Philadelphia Phillies and Cardinals, following a 5-1 road trip before the All-Star break that featured a three-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox and a 2-1 series win against the Brewers.
The Pirates pass the eye test against just about every National League contender, particularly those teams that are in the Wild Card hunt.
"We've still got a lot of games left, but we're in a position where we have an opportunity to get (into the playoffs),'' said veteran Andrew McCutchen, who has been thrust into the designated hitter role and placed in the leadoff spot of the Pirates' batting order since late April. "It's good to be in that window in the second half of the season, even though that window is really small.
"We want to maintain it, and keep on going,'' McCutchen added.
The Pirates' pitching has kept the team in games despite a team batting average that is among the lowest in the National League.
Skenes, veteran Mitch Keller, and newcomers Jared Jones and Junior Ortiz have shined in starting roles this year, and the bullpen, anchored by Pittsburgh native and closer David Bednar, a two-time NL All-Star who has converted his last 17 consecutive save opportunities, has exhibited a vice-grip type of effectiveness during the Pirates' recent successful run.
Pitching will be continue to be vital down the stretch for the Pirates, who have been involved in 34 one-run games this season, winning 18 of those games.
"Any team that succeeds in the playoffs and wins the World Series has to have good pitching,'' said Keller, a 2023 NL All-Star who leads the Pirates' staff in wins this year with 10 and could have had at least a few more with some decent batting support. "So we need to stay consistent and just keep doing what we're doing, and the rest will fall into place.''
Veteran reliever Colin Holderman, who has been a bullpen staple in the seventh and eighth innings for the Pirates, said that a step-by-step approach will best serve the Bucs down the season's home stretch.
"Honestly, it's just about taking it day by day, and not getting too far ahead of ourselves,'' Holderman said. "We just try to win every series, and if we can do that, we're probably going to be pretty good.''
The Pirates and their fans should all be buckling up tight, because the ride over the season's final two months in an air-tight playoff chase promises to be a memorable one indeed.
John Hartsock can be reached at jhartsock@altoonamirror.com.