In the first half of the 2011 season, the Pirates managed to get themselves four games above .500 and within a game of first place because of two things:
- A rotation that performed way above expectations or peripherals
- Andrew McCutchen
And so how fitting is it that the Pirates kick off the second half of the season with a complete game shutout by Jeff Karstens that was fueled by a two-run triple from Andrew McCutchen?
Karstens threw a crazy complete game tonight: he breezed through nine innings with just 83 pitches and he threw 64 of those pitches for strikes. He threw a complete game shutout with less than 20 balls. Who’s left that wants to bet against this team? Not me.
The Pirates win tonight coupled with losses by the Cardinals and Brewers has the Pittsburgh Pirates tied for first place in the National League Central. It is July 16th. We’re 91 games into the season. The All-Star Break is over. The Pirates are in first place. Soak it up, Pirate fans. As awesome as this feels, it’s going to feel 1,000 times better if the Pirates are still here in 71 games.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
