A Very Different September For The Pirates

As we approach September the Pirates clearly will not repeat history this year. This team showed that they are still for real last night by shutting out the Cardinals 5-0. Francisco Liriano once again pitched as if there were never any questions about his health. Looking at the Pirates lineup you will see that this is a true National League team. This team would probably have 10 more wins if they had someone else on the team who produced like Andrew McCutchen. After seeing the Giants win two World Series in recent years with a similar lineup it would not surprise me if the Pirates continue this run deep into October. Looking at their schedule, the Pirates have 7 more games against the downtrodden Cubs and 4 versus the under .500 Padres. Those teams will try to play the role of spoiler, but the odds would favor the Pirates having a strong finish to the season. All this being said, its hard to imagine that the Pirates will not end up with a wild card spot as a consolation prize if the Cards end up taking the division.