38 and 49 before the all-star break? Now, 46 and 51. 8-2 since the break, that has to be the best 10 game record the Pirates have had all season. Taking 3 of 4 from Miluakee, 2 game sweep of Houston, 1 of 2 from Cincinatti, and now looking for a sweep of the division leading Cardinals. The Pirates now stand at 7.5 games back from those Cardinals in the National League Central. The reasons for this are? The offense has finally come alive scoring 60 runs in the past 10 games. The promotion to the big leagues of Adam Hyzdu who has hit 3 home runs in the past two games including a grand slam. Also, the Pirates bullpen, which has been one of the strongest all season up until the past few days when it has had minor problems. After this series, the Pirates will face the Cardinals 6 more times, the Reds 10 more times, Houston 4 more, Cubs 6 more, and Miluakee 6 more times. But, on the other hand, away from their division, Pittsburgh will face off with San Francisco, LA, Atlanta, Colorado, Florida, and the Mets. The only way it seems, that the Pirates have any chance of making the playoffs, is if they win the division by capitalizing on all those division games, because the wild card this year is going to be a tough with the likes of San Francisco, LA, and Arizona depending on who wins their division. But one thing is for sure, the Pirates are not giving up despite the rough first half.
