OPINION —
THE PIRATES woke up on May 25 facing a three-game series with the Cubs after their two-game losing streak at the hands of the Mets had left them with a 20-24 record, mired in fourth place in the NL Central, five games out of first. Only consensus bottom feeders in Chicago and Houston allowed the Bucs to avoid the Central cellar.
The pitching had been the strength of the early part of the season, and it was a good thing: The offense would have to get better just to improve to “horrendous.” Firmly entrenched at the bottom of virtually every offensive category, it seemed miraculous that the Bucs were within a modest winning streak of getting to .500.
The first two months of the 2012 season had given fans only a glimmer of hope that this could be the year that the team would break its 19-year streak of losing seasons. After all, Memorial Day was near and the Bucs hadn’t been mathematically eliminated.
Still, on May 25 the anticipation of a .500 season had begun to fade when the Bucs enjoyed a 6-1 run against Chicago, Cincinnati, and Milwaukee. It was the start of a time frame from May 25 and before last night’s matchup in Chicago where the Bucs went 38-20 (a .655 winning percentage), the best record in the majors during that time, even counting Monday night’s implosion at the (not so) Friendly Confines, aka Wrigley Field. Last Saturday’s win in Houston marked the team’s league-leading 30th come-from-behind win.
The starting pitching continues to be outstanding and the bullpen lights out. The team is 45-1 when they have the lead after six innings, 49-0 when leading after seven, and 52-0 when leading after 8.
Closer Joel Hanrahan leads the majors with 31 saves, joining Kent Tekulve as the only two pitchers in team history to register 30 or more saves in back-to-back seasons. Brad Lincoln leads all MLB relievers with a 0.50 ERA. Overall the bullpen’s 39 saves and 86.7 save percentage lead the majors in both categories.
But during that time, the Bucco bats have been phenomenal: Pirate hitters finally lived up to the term and lead all major-league teams with 72 home runs on the road, including 19 consecutive away games with a homer. Their 115 roundtrippers in their first 101 games betters by eight their season total in 2011. With Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez smacking 22 home runs each, Garrett Jones with 15 and Neil Walker with 10, the Bucs could end up with eight batters with double digits in home runs come October. Michael McKenry has nine, and Rod Barajas, Casey McGehee, and Alex Presley each have eight with 60 games remaining.
In the first 16 games after the All-Star break, the Pirates went 10-6, a record to projects over the course of a 162-game season to 40 games above .500.
Yet the Cincinnati Reds used a 14-2 record, including 10 consecutive wins, to go from one game out to three games in front in the Central Division after the break.
Cincinnati’s surprising run comes after an injury to the Reds’ best player required surgery on Joey Votto’s left knee. Before Monday night’s 10-5 loss to Colorado, the Reds hadn’t lost since July 18 (the day after the surgery) and were 11-3 without Votto.
“With the way we’ve been playing,” Reds outfielder Drew Stubbs told the Associated Press, “we were hoping to have a little more cushion than that. But Pittsburgh is playing outstanding baseball. On the flip side, they’re probably thinking, ‘What do we have to do? We’re trying to make up ground, and this team won’t lose.’ ”
He’s right, which is amazing, considering that two months ago, Pirate fans were still hoping for a season goal of .500. But the surprising Pirates have raised our expectations with their unexpected play. And what we would have accepted two months ago would be a huge disappointment two months from now.
Jim Sankey writes this weekly baseball column for the Allied News.
Sports
EXTRA INNINGS: Pirates' improvement brings higher expectations
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STAIRWAY TO SEVEN: Mike Adams is an example about making good decisions
ANOTHER OFFSEASON AND another Pittsburgh Steeler in the news for all the wrong reasons.
This time, it was second-year offensive tackle Mike Adams, who was stabbed in the stomach and forearm last weekend during a reported carjacking.
According to police reports, a witness flagged down police around 3 a.m. near Carson Street in Pittsburgh and Adams was found bleeding in a nearby restaurant. -
EXTRA INNINGS: Nobody hit home runs like Willie Stargell
THE MOST IMPORTANT fact about Garrett Jones’ monster two-run home run Sunday is that it tied the Reds-Pirates game at 4 in the eighth inning. But the most historic fact about the achievement is that the shot made him the first Pirate in the 13-year history of PNC Park to hit a ball on the fly into the Allegheny River.
Before Sunday, the only other player to reach the water on the fly was Houston’s Darryl Ward, when he connected off Kip Wells in July 2002. -
THE CHECKERED FLAG: Holtgraver doubles up at Mercer
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NCAA Football: Rock 6-1 after 17-3 win over Cal U
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NFL: Steelers top Jags as Mendenhall makes return
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IndyCar Racing: Crash takes Wheldon’s life
Every race car driver heads onto the track understanding this race could be the last and hoping it won’t be. On Sunday, IndyCar drivers got a harsh reminder when the worst happened to one of their own.
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NHL: Sabres beat Penguins 3-2
The Buffalo Sabres have had trouble with the Pittsburgh Penguins whether Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin play or not.
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NHL Quick glance: Montreal at Pittsburgh
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High School Highlights: Oct. 19, 2011
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Leading Off: Oct. 19, 2011
News and notes from the local, regional and national sports scene.
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