Fun year for the Pirates. They have everything they need to make a run at the NL Central and easily will finish 5 ahead of the Reds no matter how things shake out. They're better constructed.
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Fun year for the Pirates. They have everything they need to make a run at the NL Central and easily will finish 5 ahead of the Reds no matter how things shake out. They're better constructed.
I think the title of this thread should be amended to say, "I'm not sold on the Reds"
I'll go down with the ship on this one...still not sold.
But where would the Pirates be without that lofty 7-1 record against the Reds this season.
20 straight days in August the Pirates have the Brewers, Reds and Cardinals. That will give them an opportunity to seize the division or fall apart in spectacularly glorious fashion.
Pirates will not finish about .500.
I still think the Pirates fade.
Last year we got fat on every division rival but the Cardinals which we rode to the title: Cubs (12-4), Astros (10-5), Brewers (11-3) and the Pirates (10-6). We were 6-12 against the Redbirds. That's 49 of our 91 wins (~ 54%). Clearly we'd have been considerably less successful last year without our great record against our division rivals (.620 last season).
What redsmetz said. The model the Pirates are using at this point, beating up mercilessly on the have nots of the NL Central and riding that to the division, is the exact same one that the Reds used last year.
I think the problem a lot are having seeing that is that the Reds are one of the "have nots" in the NL Central. It is what it is, I would submit.
I keep waiting for the wheels to come off their starting pitching, particularly Karstens. I thought maybe that might happen today but he pitched very well. We'll see what happens in the dog days of August, though. If they can make it through that, and acquire some depth at the deadline to cover their spate of injuries, maybe I'll give them more credence. As of now I expect them to fall...probably back below .500 by the end of the season, honestly. As people here are saying, fourth place may be it for them. I don't see them having the depth to win the division.
I live in Pittsburgh and am trying to be gracious to their fans, which is not easy at times. So many years off from contending has made them overly starved/eager and, in many cases, a bit ignorant. At this point every time a routine fly ball is caught, the entire city climaxes. It's both charming and irritating.
Pirates are a below average hitting team and a below average pitching team. I can't believe their success has lasted this long. Reds will finish above them in the standings.
It seems there may be some nervousness about the Pirates contending, but I still think it isn't their time quite yet. They are improved and some major talent is coming through the pipeline, but right now I don't think their success is sustainable.
This thread sure got quiet during their epic collapse last year...