In our Pittsburgh Pirates Wild Card Watch, we give you a semi-daily primer as the Pirates chase down a 2016 playoff spot.
The weekend was a big let-down for the Pittsburgh Pirates. They followed up getting swept by the Cubs by getting swept by the lowly Brewers at home. After losing to the Cardinals yesterday evening, the Pirates have now lost seven games in a row and have dropped under .500 for the first time since early July, and their playoff chances are seeming further and further away. This losing streak is baffling in that it comes right after the Pirates swept a four-game series in Milwaukee and pulling within just a half-game of a playoff spot. It’s funny how much a team’s fortunate can change just within one week’s time.
First, let’s take a peek at the NL Wild Card standings:
St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals have come on relatively strong as of late, taking over the second Wild Card spot from the also-fading Marlins, but they’ve had to hold off the surging Mets in the meantime. The Cardinals have won two games in a row, including a 12-6 beat-down of the Pirates yesterday. Rookie Luke Weaver takes the mound tomorrow night against veteran Ryan Vogelsong, while Mike Leake returns from the DL and takes the mound Wednesday night against Jameson Taillon on ESPN. The Cardinals follow this series up with a four-game home series against the Brewers.
- The Cardinals activated catcher Brayan Pena from the DL and promoted rookie catcher Carson Kelly from Triple-A
- Tom Hart and Jim Bowden of ESPN give their thoughts on the 12-6 Cardinals win from yesterday.
New York Mets
The Mets are surging to say the least. They are truly the opposite of the Pirates right now. They’ve won three games in a row and are in the midst of an away series against the Reds. Rafael Montero makes his second start of the season for the Mets tomorrow night while Noah Syndergaard pitches on Wednesday night to close out the series. They continue their road trip after the Reds series by travelling to Atlanta and then to Washington. The Mets schedule the rest of the way is much easier than the Pirates’ schedule, as their upcoming series against the Nats is their only series against a team with a winning record the rest of the way.
- The Mets are calling up 2012 first round pick shortstop Gavin Cecchini today, as the Mets make their series of September call-ups.
- Jacob deGrom is recovering from forearm inflammation, and there’s a chance that he misses multiple starts.
Miami Marlins
The Marlins, like the Pirates, are quickly fading out of the Wild Race, which seems to be turning into a three-way battle between the Giants, Cardinals, and Mets. The Marlins have lost four games in a row, and nine of their last ten. Their offense can’t score runs, even in games when the pitching has delivered. They’ve dropped their opening game against the Phillies as they hope to end their losing streak tomorrow night. Jose Urena pitches tomorrow night and Andrew Cashner goes on Wednesday. Unlike the Mets, the schedule the rest of the way for the Marlins is very difficult, with four series remaining against teams with winning records.
- What impact does the recent injury to starter David Phelps have on the Marlins’ playoff chances? Ryan Davis of Today’s Knuckleball gives his take.
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