As the MLB non-waiver trade deadline approaches, the Pittsburgh Pirates are one of four teams in contention in a tight National League Central race.
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ NL Central division brethern will undoubtedly make the rest of the Central race an interesting one.
With that being said, which team on paper has the easiest path to the division crown?
I take a look at how all four teams in contention remaining schedules match up with paly beginning on Monday.
Chicago Cubs
- Winning Percentage of Remaining Teams on Schedule- .473
- Home Games- 34
- Away Games-31
- Division Games Remaining-34
- Off Days-5
The defending World Series champions have the easiest schedule remaining of the four teams in contention.
The Cubs have been red hot, winners of eight of nine since the All-Star break and have already added Jose Quintana into the mix. Quintana has won both of his starts since being acquired by the Cubs. Add into that, the Cubs are committed to winning another championship so I would expect them to add to the current group by the trade deadline. Once they load up, the schedule favors them.
Their toughest stretch could be upcoming July 28-Aug. 6 when they travel to Milwaukee before hosting Washington and Arizona.
After that, eight of Chicago’s next nine series come against under .500 teams in: San Francisco, Cincinnati (twice), Toronto, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh (twice) and Atlanta. After early August, the Cubs have only four series’ against teams currently over .500. The face the sinking Brewers three time and also have a two-game set against the Tampa Rays. The Cubs are also the only Central team that has more home games left than away games.
If the Cubs are going to remain hot and win the National League Central, the schedule certainly favors them to do so.
Pittsburgh Pirates
- Winning Percentage of Remaining Teams on Schedule- .495
- Home Games- 31
- Away Games-32
- Division Games Remaining-37
- Off Days-7
The Cubs have the easiest schedule in terms of opponents winning percentage, but the Pittsburgh Pirates are right there with Chicago.
If the Pirates want to win the Central, they have a golden opportunity right in front of them. With upcoming series against San Francisco, San Diego (twice), Cincinnati, Detroit and Toronto, the Bucs next 19 games are against teams currently under .500.
If they can’t take advantage of that schedule then they probably don’t deserve to win the division to begin with. The Bucs also have a golden opportunity to take care of business inside the division with eight games remaining against the Brewers and seven against the Cubs. Currently the Pirates are 15-8 vs. those two teams this season so they will need that to continue.
The Bucs still have a little ground to make up but their schedule will give them every opportunity to do so.
St. Louis Cardinals
- Winning Percentage of Remaining Teams on Schedule- .500
- Home Games- 31
- Away Games-33
- Division Games Remaining-34
- Off Days-6
The Cardinals are still lurking, just four games out of first place, but that could be worse after this week with the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks on tap.
In addition to the division opponents the Cardinals have to face and leapfrog, they still have to deal with the likes of the Kansas City Royals and Boston Red Sox on their remaining schedule.
For St. Louis, winning the division will come down to faring well against the three teams in front of them as they still have 10 games left with the Pirates, eight vs. Milwaukee and seven against the Cubs.
Milwaukee Brewers
- Winning Percentage of Remaining Teams on Schedule- .518
- Home Games- 29
- Away Games-32
- Division Games Remaining-35
- Off Days-9
The fading Brewers have the toughest remaining schedule of the four teams in contention.
They still have plenty of division games remaining to hold off the other charging teams, but Milwaukee has gone 3-7 in their past 10 games and still have series against over .500 teams outside of the division in Washington, Tampa, Minnesota, Colorado and the Dodgers.
There isn’t one long stretch where you can say Milwaukee’s schedule is as easy as the other teams ion contention.
The Brewers have more off days than the other four teams in contention so that should help their bullpen be nice and rested, but that is the biggest positive you can take from their remaining schedule.
It could come down to the Brewers making a big move at the trade deadline to stop the sinking ship, but if the Brewers are going to win the division, they are going to have to earn it.
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