2015 Pittsburgh Pirates

[OFFNY]

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After a mediocre 18-22 start to the season, the Pirates have won 11 out of their last 13 games.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/schedule/_/name/pit

They are still a distant 6 games behind the red-hot St. Louis Cardinals in their division, but they are tied with the Mets for what would be the first wildcard position in the National League.

[OFFNY]

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Francisco Liriano pitched 8 shutout innings last night in the Pirates'11-0 win over the White Sox.

For the season, Liriano has a 2.94 ERA, and an 0.956 WHIP.

The Bucs continue to hang tough in the most competitive division in baseball (the N.L. Central), as they have gone 18-5 over their last 23 games.

[OFFNY]

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(vs. DODGERS, 8/09)

Big comeback win over the Dodgers on the nationally-televised Sunday Night Baseball.

A 9-run 7th inning sealed the game, as the Pirates completed a 3-game sweep of the southern Californians.

The Bucs are now 11-4 over their last 15 games, and they have the 3rd-best record in all of baseball at 65-44.

[SteveA]

o

(vs. DODGERS, 8/09)

Big comeback win over the Dodgers on the nationally-televised Sunday Night Baseball.

A 9-run 7th inning sealed the game, as the Pirates completed a 3-game sweep of the southern Californians.

The Bucs are now 11-4 over their last 15 games, and they have the 3rd-best record in all of baseball at 65-44.

I saw some stats:

15-3 in their last 18 home games.

15-2 vs the NL West.

Jim Johnson was a major victim in that 9 run inning.

[SteveA]

And up next for the Pirates: a trip to a little town called St Louis. Should be interesting.

[MDtransplant757]

It's going to be interesting to see where they go. Really hope the Pirates do well in the coming years, their fans deserve it after 20 years of being in the gutter. It's nice to see teams like the O's and the Pirates do well after being bad for 14-20 years.

[OFFNY]

o

The Bucs are 17-7 in their last 24 games.

They have the 3rd-best record in the Major Leagues.

In 1980, the Orioles had the 2nd-best record in the Major Leagues (100-62), and did not make the postseason.

In 1981, the Reds had the best record in the Major Leagues (66-42), and did not make the postseason.

The 2015 Pirates may have the extra burden of having to participate in a one-game playoff, but at least they will have a ticket to the dance.

[OFFNY]

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OOOOOOOOOOOOO (AUGUST 23rd)

The Pirates Against the N.L.Central: ); 21-29

The Pirates Against Everyone Else: OOO) 53-19

[OFFNY]

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OOOOOOOOOOOOO (SEPTEMBER 14th)

The Pirates are in excellent shape heading into the final weeks of the season.

They essentially have a wildcard spot in their pocket, and they even have a reasonable shot at overtaking the Cardinals for the N.L. Central championship.

[OFFNY]

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3 consecutive playoff berths for the Bucs.

Most Pirates fans probably would not have dreamed of this happening about 5 or 6 years ago.

Pirates Rout Rockies 13-7, Clinch 3rd Consecutive Playoff Berth

(By Stephen J. Nesbitt)

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2015/09/24/Pirates-rout-Rockies-13-7-to-clinch-third-consecutive-playoff-berth/stories/201509230213

[Migrant Redbird]

The Pirates have a big challenge in this weekend's series with the Cubs.in Chicago. I would give the Pirates the edge Friday and Saturday, behind Cole and Liriano, but Sunday they face 20 game winner, Jake Arrieta.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals are hosting the Brewers. The Brewers have been devastating this year against the Pirates, less so against the Cardinals.

The magic number for the Cardinals is down to 6. It's possible that be the time the Cardinals go to Pittsburgh next week, the Cardinals could have clinched. That would require the Cards to sweep the Brewers while the Cubs sweep the Pirates. Unlikely, but the Cubs are hungry and will have the Wrigley faithful behind them. Of course, as much as I dislike the Cubs, you know whom I'm pulling for.

[OFFNY]

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Sterling Marte and Pie Traynor.

Not bad company.

Outfielder Matches Hall-of-Famer Traynor's Record in Pittsburgh's 6th Straight Win

Marte Ties Bucs Mark with 13th Hit in Series

(By Jack Etkin / Special to MLB.com)

http://m.pirates.mlb.com/news/article/151448484/starling-martes-13th-hit-ties-pirates-record

[OFFNY]

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(OCTOBER 7th) O[Wildcard Playoff Game]

CHICAGO CUBS

Jacob Joseph Arrieta - RHP (22-6, 1.77 ERA)

PITTSBURGH PIRATES

Gerrit Alan Cole - RHP (19-8, 2.60 ERA)

http://www.baseballpress.com/lineups

[bobmc]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/Pirates">@Pirates</a>: 1st team in Divisional Era (since 1969) to reach postseason with losing record vs all teams in own division (via <a href="https://twitter.com/EliasSports">@EliasSports</a>)</p>— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) <a href="

">October 7, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Cubs: lost 9 straight postseason games (longest in franchise history); 1 more would tie 4th-longest postseason losing streak in MLB history</p>— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) <a href="

">October 7, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[bobmc]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tonight's NL Wild Card game features 2 pitchers facing familiar opponents: We break it down: <a href="http://t.co/IFCjjfRPWS">http://t.co/IFCjjfRPWS</a> <a href="http://t.co/lQIiUZCWaq">pic.twitter.com/lQIiUZCWaq</a></p>— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) <a href="

">October 7, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>