Stay Strong Bucco Fans; They'll Be Back

Did you hear that sound? It's the familiar sound of the fair-weather Pirate fans abandoning ship. For many, the current 4 game skid is like watching Old School for the third time and knowing exactly what is going to happen before it happens. In this case though, it's not Will Ferrell streaking; it's the Pirates lackluster offense failing to muster together a few runs to support great pitching efforts.

However, my words of wisdom to the Pirates faithful: Stay strong, they'll be back.

This team was good enough to be the best team in the majors through the first half of the season. Compiling a franchise best 51 wins before July is not an accident. They say pitching wins championships, so it's not surprising that the Pirates pitching staff was the best in baseball during that stretch as well.

If one thing is for sure, this pitching staff appears to have what it takes to maintain the superhuman stats they posted in the first half. A little more help by the Pirates offense and they are still the best in baseball.

Now, the reality of the situation is the Pirates need a few current players to play better and they need to consider upgrading a few positions before the deadline. Hopefully a player or two can be added to strengthen the offense just enough to put together an extra run or two per game.

Regardless, hang in there. Every MLB team hits a rough patch, or multiple rough patches, throughout the course of a grueling 162 game season. The best team in baseball didn't suddenly become the worst. This is just a bump in the road right now, not a collapse. (I told myself that over and over until I believed it enough to write this...)

So, hang in there Bucco fans...They'll be streaking like Will Ferrell again before you know it

The Pirates have their work cut out after All Star break

It's easy to get caught up in the emotion of our hometown Pirates leading baseball in wins as we head into July. And rightfully so. After 20 years of losing, it's pretty awesome to see the Buccos continue to pile up the wins.

Emotion aside, most Pirate fans are cautiously optimistic after experiencing the late season melt-downs in recent years. Taking a look ahead at the schedule after the All Star break validates the cautious optimism.

July - Post All Star Break

@ Reds - Although the Reds have dropped 7 of their last 10 games, they should continue to contend for the remainder of the season. They are far better when playing at home.

@ Nationals (4 gm series) - The Nats are beginning to play to the potential that most people expected before the season. They are currently a game over .500 and getting Bryce Harper back soon. They also play well at home (22-16 home record is the same as St. Louis).

@ Marlins - For most of the season, the Marlins have been terrible. That said, they are one of the hottest teams in baseball (7-3) over their last 10 games and they've played well in June. In the month of June, the Marlins have series victories against the Mets, Cardinals, Giants, Twins, and are on the verge of taking 3 of 4 from the Padres.

vs Cardinals (5 gm series) - The Cards are 2 games behind the Pirates in the NL Central, but most "experts" believe the Cardinals are still the favorite to win the division. The Cards are struggling recently, but it would be hard to imagine they will struggle for an extended period of time.

In August, the schedule lightens up a little bit as the Pirates play NL West teams 17 times. Every team in the NL West is within 5 games of .500 and nobody is dominating to this point. The greatest challenge will be playing the Cardinals 6 times, but the Pirates could conceivably come out of August unscathed.

In my opinion, the first 4 series after the All Star break could have an impact on the direction the club goes for the rest of the season. Two division rivals, an under-performing quality team, and a shitty team riding a hot streak makes it tough to come out of the gate strong. But if they come out strong, it will be #BUCN awesome.

Let's Go Bucs!