PITTSBURGH -- Playing 17 games in 17 days is no easy feat. Especially for a Pirates team riddled with injuries and fighting for their postseason lives.
The Pirates made it to the finish line, earning a day off Monday. Though after Sunday’s 11-1 loss to the Mets to finish the stretch 5-12 and drop all five series, Pittsburgh has plenty of work to do to snap its 10-season playoff drought.
“Anytime you're playing 17 in 17 is tough, and we've got to find a way to bounce back,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “Got the off-day tomorrow and have a big series coming up in Miami.”
New York got to Pirates starter Jared Jones early and often to take the lead. Jones loaded the bases in the first without recording an out, allowing two runs to cross on a single and sacrifice fly. Two innings later, Luis Robert Jr. added on with a two-run homer to right-center field.
Jones then loaded the bases in the fourth before exiting with no outs and 69 pitches. Evan Sisk came on and allowed a bases-clearing double to balloon the deficit to seven and put the game out of reach.
Entering the 17-game stretch on July 24, the Pirates were three games over the .500 mark and just one game behind Arizona for the final NL Wild Card spot. Their offense was soaring as one of the best in baseball, while the starting rotation and bullpen still hadn’t found their groove.
Fast forward 17 days, and Pittsburgh is now four games under .500 and five games back of the third NL Wild Card spot. The club’s problems have evolved.
Its ace, Paul Skenes, isn’t acing. The rest of the rotation hasn’t pitched up to par, despite the improvements of rookie Bubba Chandler, and veteran Mitch Keller is now out for the year after a right arm teres major muscle injury, making the fifth-starter spot a fluid situation.
The Pirates offense that averaged 5.27 runs per game before the July 23rd off-day has slowly deteriorated. Spencer Horwitz returned from the injured list on Aug. 2, but Ryan O’Hearn went down the day before, likely sidelining the veteran until just a few weeks left in the year.
The Pirates didn’t make a deal at the Deadline to address their woes against left-handed pitching and instead released Marcell Ozuna and called up Ronny Simon from Triple-A Indianapolis. Star rookie Esmerlyn Valdez’s production has tapered off as the league adjusts, and Bryan Reynolds has hit a slump.
Against Mets lefty Sean Manaea, Pittsburgh batted just one true lefty, Brandon Lowe, with the rest batting from the right side or as switch-hitters. Jake Mangum homered in the third inning, but Manaea absolutely dominated the Pirates, striking out 11 and allowing only three hits over seven innings.
With no offense to protect any leads, a revamped bullpen has gone to waste thus far. Ahead of the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline, Pittsburgh added Camilo Doval, Luke Weaver, Kirby Yates and Lake Bachar. With more experience and consistency, the group is built to pitch for a postseason contender. The moves haven’t meshed with their hot offensive window.
Throughout the 17-game stretch, Pittsburgh dropped nine games by three or fewer runs, with a -30 run differential in total. Eleven games were against divisional foes, while 10 came against teams ahead of the Pirates in the NL standings.
Of course, there’s plenty of season left for Pittsburgh to right its wrongs and climb back toward the postseason. The Pirates take on some of MLB’s worst teams in the Giants, Angels and Royals over the final 42 games. But they also take on some of the best, with the Red Sox, Dodgers, Cubs, Brewers and more, resulting in a .505 strength of schedule remaining.
To reach even a .500 record after 162 games, Pittsburgh would have to go 23-19. To reach 87 wins, a likely target for a Wild Card spot, the Pirates would need a 29-13 record.
“I don't think anyone needs to try to go out there and be Superman,” Mangum said. “I think we all just need to play a little bit better baseball collectively.”
The 17-game swing ripping through late July and early August very well could’ve defined Pittsburgh’s season on a positive note to blaze a trail toward the playoffs. Instead, it made the road much harder.