Last night and today has been a lot of fun, but that's over and done with now. The Pirates have 82 wins and a winning season is clinched; now it's time to focus on winning the NL Central.
Last night's win was actually a huge step in that direction as much as it was the club's 82nd win. I sort of figured they'd need two wins in Texas to stay in the race before facing the Cubs and Padres, and they're halfway there now. The ugly four-game losing streak is over thanks to Gerrit Cole last night, and another win will pretty much bury it so that the Pirates can move on to the next phase of the season.
Francisco Liriano takes the mound tonight, looking to put his brutal start against the Brewers last week behind him. He'll face Martin Perez, who's a pretty decent prospect having a nice-enough season for a 22-year old. He is not Yu Darvish.
First pitch tonight is at 8:05.
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