Not dead yet: Pirates surge after deadline dump, set for wild card run
SAN FRANCISCO – That wasn’t the Jolly Roger they were raising in Pittsburgh around the trade deadline, when the Pirates were dealing away All-Star closer Mark Melancon and Opening Day starter Francisco Liriano in a three-day span.
To many in the Steel City, where three consecutive playoff appearances have raised expectations, that looked an awful lot like a white flag, even though the Pirates still had a realistic shot at the wild card.
With the National League Central-leading Chicago Cubs too far ahead to catch and the wild card offering such an ephemeral chance at postseason glory – Pittsburgh was bounced out in the one-game elimination each of the last two years – the club’s management tried to straddle the line between buying and selling.
In the most debated trade, the Pirates acquired two hard-throwing young lefties – one an immediate contributor in reliever Felipe Rivero – for Melancon, the majors’ saves leader in 2015 who’s an impending free agent. They also sent Liriano, the $16 million left on his contract and two prospects to the Toronto Blue Jays for minor-league right-hander Drew Hutchison. And they picked up starter Ivan Nova (4.90 ERA with the New York Yankees) for a song and maybe a dance.
The moves created what star outfielder Andrew McCutchen called “some confusion’’ in the clubhouse, and lots of consternation among the fans.
Two-and-and half weeks later, though, it’s hard to argue with the results.
The Pirates have closed to within a game of the second wild card by winning nine of their last 12 as they open a six-game homestand Friday against the Miami Marlins, who trail them by a game in the wild-card race. Pittsburgh is coming off a six-game trip in which it claimed five wins against the top two teams in the NL West, including a three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants.
“This is the time of year when teams make or break themselves, and it’s really nice to see some guys turn the corner and keep fighting, keep pushing,’’ said outfielder Matt Joyce, who delivered a key two-RBI single in Wednesday’s finale at AT&T Park. “Because it’s very easy to just say, ‘Ahh, we’re not in the race,’ or, ‘We’re a couple games out,’ and just kind of roll over.’’
That was the general expectation of the Pirates after they endured the upheaval of the trades as well as a three-game sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers that left them at 52-51, four games back for the wild card, with four teams ahead.
Besides the competitive blow of losing two mainstays – although Liriano was having a poor season – they had to deal with the emotional trauma of watching two popular players leave.
“The guys they traded were leaders,’’ catcher Francisco Cervelli said. “Besides being good players, they were our brothers. We consider ourselves a family. Of course, it hits you at first, but you move on.’’
It didn’t happen right away, as the Pirates lost two of three to the dreadful Atlanta Braves as manager Clint Hurdle made the bold decision to sit McCutchen for the whole series in an effort to awaken his bat, which had been in a two-month slumber.
McCutchen does not see a correlation between the three-day break and his recent resurgence, believing he would have snapped out of his funk sooner or later, but the reality is he’s hitting .317 with two homers and eight RBI in the 12 games since. Just as important, he has walked 12 times in that spell, exhibiting plate discipline that was missing most of the season as his ratio of strikeouts-to-walks nearly doubled from last season’s 1.36 to 2.45.
“I’ve turned something,’’ McCutchen said when ask if he had turned a corner. “Whether it’s turning a page or a corner, something. Things are going well for us. Going well for me too.’’
McCutchen, who made a game-turning diving catch in the series opener against the Giants, said he realized moping over getting benched would bring the club down, so he kept a positive attitude and looked to contribute in other areas when he returned to the lineup.
He also noted the newcomers have pitched in as well, with Rivero fashioning a 0.00 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings since his arrival and Nova going 2-0 in three starts. In addition, holdover lefty Tony Watson has proven a capable replacement for Melancon, converting seven of eight save chances since becoming the closer.
The Pirates still need better work from their starters – who have pitched the second-fewest innings in the NL and rank 10th in ERA at 4.64 – if they’re going to remain serious playoff contenders. Their current rotation contains only one pitcher, Gerrit Cole, who has won more than three games for them this season.
But if nothing else, their 10-5 August has made it clear the Pirates have moved beyond their trade-deadline blues.
“We’re all professionals here. You can’t be crybabies,’’ first baseman John Jaso said. “There’s stuff Melancon’s done for us, there’s stuff Liriano has done for us. They’ve both been great. But that’s the way the game works. I think we all understand it.’’