Pittsburgh Pirates Wake-Up Call – Pirates Surging

In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pittsburgh Pirates had themselves a fantastic weekend. The team finished off their first ever four-game sweep of the Brewers in Milwaukee, a monumental accomplishment considering the horrors that typically plague the Pirates at Miller Park. And to go along with this, the rest of the teams in the National League Wild card chase didn’t fare so well. The Cardinals lost two out of three to the A’s and the Marlins lost two out of three to the Padres. That marks two straight series losses for both the Cardinals and the Marlins, and the NL Wild Card race is now condensing with the Giants poor second half of the season and the Mets managing to stay above water. The Pirates are just a half-game back of the Cardinals with a game in hand, and sit just three games back of the Giants for the first Wild Card spot. It’d be cool to see the Pirates host the Wild Card game for a fourth consecutive season, but at the same time, it might be nice to see the Pirates go on the road as the underdog without the added pressure. In any case, making the playoffs in any way, shape, or form is the priority.

There were a few different standouts from this past weekend. Ivan Nova shined again yesterday, and what’s remarkable is that he’s only walked one batter in his five starts since becoming a Pirate. He’s looking like a great deadline pickup for Neal Huntington so far. Chad Kuhl had another quality start on Thursday night, and the future looks bright for him. Andrew McCutchen is heating up and has his average back up above .250. Gregory Polanco became the first Pirate to hit the 20 home run mark this season. And the bullpen continues to shut the door late in games.

Now the Pirates have a tall order ahead. They have to hope to stay competitive in what will be a tough series at Wrigley Field against the Cubs. They will see Jake Arrieta first tonight, followed by Kyle Hendricks and John Lackey in games two and three, all three of whom have been fantastic for the Cubs this season. Why should we remain optimistic for this series? Last time the Pirates played the Cubs, they took two of three from them and shelled Arrieta for six runs, effectively slaying the demon that had plagued them over the past season-and-a-half. Maybe the psychological factor of Arrieta taking the hill won’t impact the Pirates as much on Monday night. The Pirates rotation is also vastly improved since the last time these teams met at the beginning of July. It’s also beneficial that the Mets and Marlins will be playing each other, and that the Pirates have a home series against the Brewers following the Cubs series.

September figures to be an exciting month.

Yesterday’s Player of the Game

#RaiseIt The Pirates beat the Brewers 3-1 to sweep the series in Miller Park. Who is your player of the game?

— Jason Rollison (@jrollisonpgh) August 28, 2016

Baseball Talk Around the Web

• What were some of the best free agent signings from this past winter? Mike Axisa of CBS Sports lists his best free agent bargains. Did any Pirates make his list?
• Are the Pirates interested in Tim Tebow? We know a bunch of teams will have scouts watching him Tuesday in Los Angeles. R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports gives you an update on where every MLB team stands in their interest in Tebow.
• And don’t forget to check out Travis Sawchik’s Starting 9, where he talks the future of Chad Kuhl, David Freese‘s extension, and much more.

Thanks for checking us out here at Pirates Breakdown. Please make sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook for the best Pirates coverage all year long!