The Pittsburgh Pirates spent the weekend playing against the San Francisco Giants, and any other year that fact might be random. But, the year after trading Andrew McCutchen to San Francisco for some prospects while doing some major roster-dumping, it's a big deal. Especially considering that said roster-dumping that was supposed to prepare for a losing season has culminated in the Pirates currently holding a winning record and chasing the Cardinals and Brewers for 1st.
So...needless to say, it went well for Pittsburgh, who won 2 games out of 3. They're tied with the Cardinals for 2nd, and the Giants are heading back to the West with their heads hanging low.
The Pirates, so far, have managed to make a lot out of nothing. Instead of McCutchen, the Bucs signed Corey Dickerson and he's been hitting beautifully. Instead of Gerrit Cole, the Bucs called up Trevor Williams and he's been doing beautifully in the rotation. Francisco Cervelli is having his best season since he joined the team, Colin Moran's having a solid rookie year, and Felipe Vazquez is doing fine in the ninth. This isn't an especially showy team, but they're all doing a solid job, and they're bringing some inoffensive charm to a division where the Cubs have gone over the top the last 3 years.
Again, with the Brewers and Cardinals in front of them, and the Cubs slowly catching up, an inoffensive, tight team like the Pirates might get lost in the shuffle, but I'm confident they can hold onto the momentum for a bit longer.
Coming Tomorrow- His team's doing slightly better than expected, and he's throwing absolute fire in one of the best divisions for pitchers in baseball right now.
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