Pirates Response Will Show Teams Resiliency

How "Cutch" & Company Respond vs the Reds
Will be HUGE

If you've been a Pirates fan for any length of time, you've been through this before.  You've seen the team get off to hot starts, you've seen the pitching out perform their own expectations, you've seen the team win close games, and be comfortable doing so.  However, as I tweeted after the Pirates' 1-0 11 inning win over the Detroit Tigers, those 1-0 games can swing the other way as fast as you can blink.  Next thing you know, the team could be losing close games rather than sqqueaking out victories that boost their record and overall stance amongst the National League and the NL Central. 

As the Pirates embarked on the Cincinnati series, there was some doubt in my mind.  Just as strange as the Pirates sweep of the Reds was in April, this series loomed over me as a fan.  Next thing you know, the Pirates only get one hit as the Reds cruise to a 6-0 victory at PNC Park.  When the crowd was buzzing for this series, the Pirates fell flat on their faces.  Don't take that last sentence as a death sentence for the team.  Every MLB team is due to fall flat on their faces one time or another amongst a 162 game schedule.  Don't you think Yankee fans were flipping out after being swept by the Mets?  Which team do you think will be in contention at the end of the season...the Mets or the Yankees?  Exactly, for the Yankees that sweep was nothing more than a blip on the radar. 

This brings me to my point of this article.  The Pirates laid an egg on Friday night, but one loss isn't going to determine anything when it comes to the complete marathon that is a MLB season.  If you ask me, how this team responds will tell me more than the 6-0 loss did.  The Pirates are a team that is fragile.  No matter how many wins they've accrued this season, no matter how many games they are out of first place, no matter how the team is pitching, and no matter how the team is hitting...this team has a very fragile psyche.  Some of these hurdles that have plagued this team for years are finally being cleared.   Look at how the Pirates have finally started to beat the Brewers...and in Miluwaukee!  The Reds have been a thorn in the Pirates' side for years, and that trend isn't due to change any time soon based on the fact that they have a solid young team that rivals those famous "Big Red Machine" teams.  Nonetheless, if the Pirates want to be considered a legitimate contender, they need to pick themselves up off the mat after the beat down they got last night, dust themselves off, and go out and win at least one of the next two games.  Their response will tell me alot about this team, and I have a feeling that they will show up tonight and play well.  Does that mean they will win?  I never said that.  I think they will play well and will scratch out at least one of the next two games.  In my humble opinion, these are the games that can define a season...even one as long as a MLB season.  Lets see how the bucs respond...