PITTSBURGH -- With the Trade Deadline looming and postseason races tightening, games can start to feel more important than they truly are.
“I don't think I've ever seen anybody clinch in July,” veteran Brandon Lowe said after Tuesday’s game.
Lowe is right. But races can certainly be impacted by games in July. Entering the series finale on Wednesday, a win would tie for the final NL Wild Card spot and clinch the head-to-head tiebreaker. A loss would push Pittsburgh two games back and lose the tiebreaker, as it would fall to divisional record after a tied head-to-head.
How’s that for implications?
The Pirates fell, 3-0, to Arizona to drop the series and knot the head-to-head record at 3-3. Pittsburgh struggled against Diamondbacks starter Eduardo Rodriguez, with only five hits through eight innings.
The Pirates now have some work to do, as they hit the road for eight straight games against NL Central rivals. Pittsburgh finished the homestand 2-4 against two teams currently in postseason spots with two extra-inning losses.
“I think that it's always tough after a loss because losing sucks, and when you sit here and try to talk positively, it's hard,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “And looking at the home stand, 2-4 isn't good enough.
“And two of those losses were extra-inning games that we were right there, and I think that the fight that this team has shown, not just in this homestand and specifically in this series, coming back the first night, finding a way last night to come back. Today was frustrating. The fight is there, and we're right there. We just need to continue to do the little things that we need to do to get over the hump and win those close games, win the games against these teams.”
Pittsburgh starter Jared Jones cruised through the first three innings with just 29 pitches to keep a perfect game. In the fourth, Arizona broke through with a double by Corbin Carroll and a two-run blast from Gabriel Moreno.
On the other side of the ball, Pittsburgh’s offense once again couldn’t find a groove against a left-handed starter. Pittsburgh has now lost five straight games against left-handed starters.
“We’ve got to be better and try to find different ways to do that,” Kelly said of struggles against left-handed starters. “I know the hitting group is working with the guys on different approaches and trying to figure it out.”
As Rodriguez continued to set down Pirates batters with ease, Jones allowed another run in the sixth and reached his pitch count window to end his day. Carmen Mlodzinski came on in relief to keep the deficit at three and worked three scoreless frames.
But as Rodriguez remained on his game, Pittsburgh’s offense had no answers to make for a competitive outing. The Pirates offense has starred all season with over five runs per game. In the homestand against the Cubs and Diamondbacks, Pittsburgh averaged 3.3 runs per game.
Sure, the Pirates couldn’t have clinched anything had they won the series against the Diamondbacks. But it certainly would’ve helped their bid to break the National League’s longest postseason drought.