See, now this is how Pirates/Reds games are supposed to go. A five-run rally, a monster home from Jung Ho Kang, a dominant start from Francisco Liriano, and an easy win.
The runs against Raisel Iglesias are nice to see, but it’s a strong start from Liriano that’s probably the most important thing from this win. The Pirates won every game he started in August, but that doesn’t mean he pitched terribly well; he had a 4.94 ERA, he made some really short starts, and he walked a ton of hitters (15 in 27 1/3 innings). The ten strikeouts he notched last night wasn’t just the first time he’s hit double digits since July 23rd, it’s the first time he’s struck out more than five hitters in a start since then. Obviously we’ve all put a ton of focus on Gerrit Cole lately for obvious reasons with a potential Wild Card Game looming, but if the Pirates do win that game and want to play any deeper into the season than the NLDS, they’re going to need more from Liriano than they were getting in August. The Reds aren’t a good team, but a dominant start is a dominant start and it’s a step in the right direction for him.
Anyway, the Pirates have 82 wins now and even though it happened on almost the exact same day on the calendar that it did in 2013 (they won their 82nd on September 9th that year), they’re a full week ahead of that season when it comes to games played. The Cubs also trounced the Cardinals last night, so the Cardinals’ division lead is back down to 4 1/2 games. That’s where it was before the disastrous Brewers series started last week, which is fine except that another week is gone at a point in the season where time is at a premium. The Cards and Cubs play at 1:45 this afternoon, so the Pirates will know when they take the field tonight if they have a chance to cut into that lead any further. Every single time the Pirates fall off the pace enough that I think it’s time to mail in the NL Central title hopes, they get juuuuuust close enough for me to think they have a chance again.
Photo credit: Andy Lyons, Getty Images
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