What is the goal?

Returning to Pittsburgh after a disappointing West Coast road trip, the Pittsburgh Pirates will begin a crucial seven game homestand that can either make or break their season on Thursday. Despite their hot play and big acquisitions in July, the Bucs have not been able to consistently find the win column in August.

As of where they are currently located in the standings, it is more than likely that the Pirates will miss the postseason for the third straight year. After having a disappointing end to both 2016 and 2017, the 2018 Bucs will look to avoid a similar fate.

However, is it possible for this season to be labeled as a success even if the Pirates do not reach the playoffs?

I don’t think it can be stated enough just how dark and gloomy the state of the Pirates organization looked at the start of the 2018 season. The face of the franchise was gone, multiple veteran leaders were calling out the front office and worst of all, fan interest had seemingly hit an all-time low.

Even after being in first place for a majority of the opening month, the narrative surrounding the Pirates present and future remained pessimistic.

Obviously, this all changed in July. The 11-game win streak along with the Keone Kela and Chris Archer trades made the Pirates relevant in Pittsburgh once again.

For the first time since 2015, the Pirates were playing meaningful baseball in August. Fans were back and the future seem bright.

However, is there a chance of this new found goodwill can vanish away?

The Pirates have not had many good moments since Archer and Kela came into town. Although they have not played a big role in the Bucs’ August struggles, one has to wonder if the positive vibes that came along with both transactions will go away if this team completely falls off and finishes under .500.

While the expectations of many changed after the deadline, were we all simply caught up in the moment? Did we set the bar too high?

Considering how things were at the beginning of the season, if someone were to tell me that the Pirates would be 61-60 coming into August 16, I would have been ecstatic. There is no denying that. Yet part of me is hesitant to revert back to cheering for the Bucs to just win 82 games. Especially if it means they end the year more than seven games back of the second wild card spot.

Have the last two seasons been so damaging that fans are now giving this club the same goals as the ones from 1993-2012?

To me, it isn’t where the Pirates finish this season, but how they finish. The biggest overall flaw for the Bucs in 2018 has been consistency. Hitters, pitchers and the club as a whole have been up and down all year long. In my opinion, the Bucs have to end on a high note.

Forget the standings and forget finishing ahead of the Cardinals.

While both of those things matter, I believe that if this team can once again show that they can play head-to-head with some of the best clubs in baseball, everything else will take care of itself.

Give fans a reason to flip between the Pirates and the Steelers on Sunday afternoons.

Give fans a reason to stop looking at the Tampa Bay Rays box score every time Tyler Glasnow starts.

Finally, give fans a reason to be excited for 2019.

September baseball is very enjoyable when your favorite team is still relevant. That, at the end of the day, should be their main objective.

If this club can stay relevant until the final week of the season, then 2018 will go down as a success, regardless of where they end up in the overall standings.