With the Pirates, Is This a Bump In the Road, or the Wheels Falling Off

Have the Pirates Come Crashing to Reality?

Don't lie.  Don't even try to deny the fact that at times this year you haven't seen the Pirates hit a rough patch and think...Good Lord, here we go again, collapse #3.  People on Twitter joke about this all the time, but if you are a really fan, you've felt that way.  I have done a pretty good job of controlling that emotion, until this weekend.  The Pirates getting swept by the Cardinals is possibly the worst thing that could have happened at the worst possible time.  Let me elaborate...

The Pirates have been hanging by a thread since the All Star break.  They just haven't played that same brand of inspired baseball that they did leading up to the break.  They've had their moments, but the core of this team, the ONE thing that couldn't falter has started to show some major kinks in the armour.  That would be the Pirates starting rotation.  At one point, it didn't matter which arm they threw on any given day...heck, even Cumpton gave the Pirates some quality starts in spots this season, they would give a quality start for the Pirates.  However, the "Rocks" of the rotation have become more pebbles and less boulders (to stick with the 'rock' analogy).  Francisco Liriano, the obvious choice as the staff 'Ace' has pitched just as many duds as gems in the last month.  AJ Burnett follows suit and has been every bit the disappointment lately.  Jeff Locke...well...Jeff Locke has been Jeff Locke, and we all know that isn't good.  Gerrit Cole seems to not only lost his confidence, but also his ability to strike out batters.  What happened to the 4-0 Gerrit Cole?  Is the book out on him?  Is his "stuff" just not MLB quality  yet?  Charlie Morton has been the saving grace for this Bucco rotation, and he left yesterday's 9-2 loss with an unknown foot injury.  The Pirates pitching is in shambles, and that is something they can ill afford...especially with the bats (or lack thereof) in this lineup.

Let me first say that Andrew McCutchen is the antithesis of everything that I'm about to say about the Pirates bats...after all, he is only one man.  It is well know, and well documented, how poor the Pirates offense is.  Just look at the total statistics and its unbelievably telling, and also shocking, that this team has won 81 games so far.  Just in the NL Central, the Pirates are above only one team in regards to runs scored.  That would be the Chicago Cubs.  St. Louis has scored a whopping 688 runs, Cincinnati 626, Milwaukee 561, Pittsburgh with 555, and the Cubs with 554.  Thats right, the Pirates are 2 runs away from being the lowest scoring team in the NL Central.  Major kudos to that pitching staff for keeping this thing glued together with duct tape and ace bandages at times this year.  The Pirates are just a team that rarely gets that clutch hit.  Whether its Pedro striking out, someone failing to move a runner over, or not being able to drive in RISP...too many Bucco baserunners are being left on base.  Good teams drive in those runners...for crying out loud just look at the team that swept the Pirates.  The Cardinals do it better than any other team in the National League.  The Pirates just hope they can drive in a few...that about says it all.

With the rotation in shambles, and the hitting consistently inconsistent, the Pirates are now currently tied for 2nd place with the Cincinnati Reds as they both stand a 1.5 back of the St. Louis Cardinals.  The Pirates are about to wrap up their 9 game road stretch with 3 games at Texas.  To say these 3 games are important is an understatement.  Gerrit Cole, Francisco Liriano, and AJ Burnett have a tall order in front of them as they try to right the Bucco ship as they head back to PNC Park for an 11 game home stand (4 vs Padres, 4 vs Cubs, and 3 vs Reds).  This will be the last home stand of the 2013 regular season.  These games are huge, and its time for the Pirates to prove that this is just a bump in the road, and that the wheels aren't falling off.  It starts tonight with Gerrit Cole taking the mound against Yu Darvish.  It can only get better right?  Can't get any worse than the last series in St. Louis.