Roy v. Charlie

I like the Charlie Morton vs. Roy Halladay pitching matchup as a microcosm for the entire Pirates/Phillies series right now. One struggling entity is trying to be a lot more like the other, much more successful one. Morton copied Halladay’s motion to try and revive a career that was on life support around this time last year. The Pirates are trying to match the Phillies’ success and turn a city that everyone thinks of as a football/hockey city into a baseball town. 

I don’t have to lay the stakes out for you: the Pirates are a game and a half back of the Brewers and the Phillies are the best team in the National League. The Pirates need one of three this weekend and with the Brewers playing the Astros, it’s possible that they’ll lose ground even if they take two of three. The season will not be made or broken this weekend, but it’s a huge weekend for the Pirates nonetheless. 

I know everyone’s getting caught up in what will and won’t happen on Sunday’s trade deadline, but take a second and consider that the Pirates are playing a huge series in Philadelphia as August winds down. We’ve all been waiting a long time for this. 

First pitch tonight is at 7:05. Ronny Cedeno is not in the Pirates’ lineup, which might mean nothing or might mean something significant. You never can tell at this time of year.