Pittsburgh Pirates Wake Up Call – Bucs Building Momentum?

Our daily Wake-Up Call gets you ready for the day with a look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.

In another edition of our Wake Up Call a few days ago, I talked about this week’s three game series with the Washington Nationals and how it was a big one for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Not only was it a three game set against the best team in baseball, but it provided the Bucs with an opportunity to gain some momentum going into matchups against some struggling National League East teams.

Despite their overall, lackluster play this season, the Pirates didn’t disappoint, taking two of three games from the Bryce Harper led Nats.

After falling 8-4 in the opening game of the series, hope seemed at an all time low. However, the Bucs bounced back for a 6-1 win in game two behind stellar pitching from Gerrit Cole and a three-run home run from Josh Bell that helped catapult the offense.

Game three was a similar story as Tyler Glasnow pitched five strong innings, the bullpen took care of business and Josh Bell homered once again to help lead the Pirates offense. Not to mention Adam Frazier was marvelous once again, going 3 for 5 with four RBIs as the Pirates leadoff man.

While the club currently sits in last place in the National League Central, the last three games impressed me, especially given the quality opponent that sat in the opposite dugout. The Nationals have the best offense in baseball – and two of the top hitters in the league with Harper and Ryan Zimmerman – along with a beyond talented pitching staff.

In the series, the Pirates , who sit at 18-23 this season and 5.5 games back in the division, played to their potential. The young guys stepped up and they were rewarded with a big series victory against a tough opponent. I’m sure not a lot of people believed they could win the series, but I’m sure it will provide the young group with some momentum and confidence moving forward.

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