Pittsburgh Pirates Wake-Up Call – Playoffs?!

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

Somehow, someway, the Pittsburgh Pirates continue to remain on the outside of the playoff race, never quite going away but never entering a playoff spot. Should fans still have hope of making the postseason? Of course; crazier comebacks have been made, after all. If the Pirates do make the postseason, it will be after going through three tough series with the Nationals, Cubs, and Cardinals, so it’s going to be no easy task.

I still think the Mets and the Cardinals will be the two teams to make it. The Giants are in epic collapse mode, and I don’t think their even-year magic holds up again this year. And the Mets have the easiest schedule left of the teams left in the race. There just doesn’t seem to be enough time left in the season for the Pirates to claw their way in. It might be a little too late after their early-September collapse did them in.

And if the Pirates did make it in, could they even compete? Gerrit Cole is shut down for the year, Chris Stewart is out for the season, and Josh Harrison wouldn’t be ready for the start of the playoffs. But on the flip side, a number of guys are getting hot at the right time, including, most importantly, Andrew McCutchen, who seems to have found his power stroke.

The Pirates still have on game left in the series against the Brewers tonight, but they open the first two games this weekend against the Nationals with Jameson Taillon and Ivan Nova on the mound, arguably the team’s two best pitchers right now. If they can take advantage of good starts from those two and finish off the Brewers tonight, next week could get interesting…

Yesterday’s Player of the Game

The #Pirates defeat the #Brewers 4-1 tonight. Who is your player of the game?

— Jason Rollison (@jrollisonpgh) September 22, 2016

Baseball Talk Around the Web

• This is Vin Scully’s last season broadcasting for the Dodgers. Jayson Stark of ESPN, Bob Costas, Bud Selig, and others takes turns to reflect on the legendary career of a voice we will all miss.
• Matt Snyder of CBS Sports gives his up-to-date NL Rookie of the Year rankings. Did any Pirates make the list?
• What would happen if the Giants, Mets, and Cardinals wound up tied at the end of the year? Jayson Stark of ESPN breaks down the scenarios.

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!