The Pirates have belief.
They got zero depth. They are wracked with injuries. They got no shortstop.
But the Pirates have belief.
The Pirates got routed at St. Louis Thursday, losing 17-4. That’s a slow-pitch softball mercy score.
To that point, the Pirates had only one victory against a team with a winning record. It would have been a convenient time to collapse.
But Trevor Williams and Jordan Lyles pitched great Friday and Saturday. The Pirates won both games, 2-1.
Williams is Mr. Reliable. He’s no ace, but he’s dependable.
You keep waiting for Lyles’ balloon to pop. Saturday, it didn’t.
The Pirates won a 10-6 slugfest yesterday. Anytime you win a game that Steven Brault starts, it’s a bonus. Josh Bell was 4-for-4 with a home run and five RBI. The Pirates blew up St. Louis’ relief corps. It’s nice to see another bullpen in flames.
The Pirates need a lot better from a lot of guys: Starling Marte, Francisco Cervelli, Adam Frazier, Jung-Ho Kang and the shortstop position.
They need the bullpen to stabilize.
They need Clint Hurdle to manage more aggressively. The Pirates won’t sprint through September. They need to assume an advantageous position and bleed it out.
But the Pirates have belief.
But they had belief last year, and it got them bupkus.
The Pirates get the most out of what they have. They just don’t have enough.
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