The second half of summer might be my favorite time of the year, and it's not because us high school and college kids get one last hoorah before school springs back into session. It has nothing to do with the fact that August is unbearably humid in Western Pennsylvania. It is solely because the end of July through September marks baseball's annual race for the pennant. Whether my favorite team is in the thick of things or not, these pivotal games down the stretch are incredibly exciting and entertaining considering all that is on the line. This year, like the previous three, I am optimistic about the Pirates' chances at making a run in the playoffs.
Their record is rather deceiving. Despite their meager record of 46-43, they won 8 of their last 10 and 12 of their last 16 heading into All Star Break. The Cubs on the other hand lost 8 of their last 10 before the brief midsummer hiatus, allowing to allow the Pirates to essentially cut their division lead in half to 7.5 games. You can attribute this to any number of factors like improved starting pitching, more timely hitting, et cetera, but what it comes down to is the players' attitudes and mentality day in and day out. Every single game is played without regards to the way the previous game went, who is pitching, or the games they have to play tomorrow. Each day is a new one, and that mentality has been fundamental to the Pirates saving their season because without that recent surge and mental fortitude, there's not a snowball's chance in hell that they catch the Cubs.
They are slowly getting healthier. Gerrit Cole should be returning shortly from his strained right tricep. It also won't be much longer until Jameson Taillon rejoins the big league team from his Disabled List stint with right shoulder fatigue. On top of those two returning to provide a much needed boost to the starting rotation, Fransisco Cervelli should be back from his broken hand for the stretch run. Also, with General Manager Neal Huntington shopping Jonathon Niese, I wouldn't be surprised to see Tyler Glasnow getting called up and contributing down the stretch.
The offense is picking up again. As I previously hinted at, the bats have come around suddenly during the recent winning streak, and it is likely centered around one man, Andrew McCutchen. Similarly to a large portion of postseason contenders, the team goes as their MVP goes, and until mid to late June, Cutch just wasn't himself. He had abysmal hitting splits by his standards, and looked out of it, but he got hot the last 15 games and so did the team around him. He has always been one of those guys that gets better as the season progesses. This summer it has just taken him longer to find his groove, but now that he's found it, the rest of the NL Central better look out--not just for him, but for the Pittsbrugh Pirates.