Pittsburgh Pirates Fans, Hope You Enjoyed the 85-Game Joyride
By Jason McIntyre
At 48-37, they’re 11 games above .500!
A one-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds in the NL Central!
The Pirates are 29-14 at 3 Rivers Stadium PNC Park, good for best home record in baseball!
It feels real! Like Pittsburgh could finally get back to the postseason for the first time since 1992 – which is also the last time this woebegone franchise finished above .500.
For a city that was heartbroken by Tim Tebow and then had to deal with Sidney Crosby’s concussions, the Pirates have folks excited!
Pipe down, people. According to RJ Bell of Pregame.com, the odds are still against the Pirates reaching the postseason. Good news: They opened the year at 100:1 in Vegas to win the World Series, but have shrunk to 40:1. Bad news: They’re still 3:1 to win the division. The Reds (+120) and Cardinals (+160) have better odds to win the NL Central. The Pirates have a +32 run differential; the 3rd place Cardinals are at +70. Of the six division leaders, the Pirates are 5th in run differential (the Dodgers are last at +10).
I’ll predict 32-45 the rest of the way, and a 80-82 record, which would still be an improvement. But enjoy the show, Pittsburgh, kind of the way I fleetingly took in Models, Inc. one summer before it was cancelled.
Previously: Pittsburgh Pirates Are At It Again, Leading Division Relying On Pitching, Defense, and Andrew McCutchen