Wait, so the Pirates Might Actually Have a Chance?

So...hear me out.

Alright, obviously the Cubs have the NL Central wrapped up, unless something catastrophic happens, and I honestly don't think the Cubs are in danger of blowing the entirety of that massive lead they have on everybody. So we're assuming, in this case, that the Cubs will be ending the season in first, and the Reds and Brewers will be ending this season in 4th and 5th. Respectively? Not respectively? Who cares.

That leaves the Pirates and Cardinals. The Cardinals have lost a shit-ton of momentum, and their best players are injured, leaving a sad husk of a team that was once great. The Pirates, meanwhile, have taken the opportunity to power up their farm system by 80000 and start infusing their team with a series of nice pitching prospects, as well as keeping the majority of their lineup on the up.

The Cardinals are 12.5 games out of first. The Pirates are 13.5. Which means it's time for a good old fashioned foot race.

The Pirates have a lot more going for them with a lot of impressive clutch hitters like Starling Marte, Josh Harrison, John Jaso and Sean Rodriguez, just off the top of my head, as well as one of the most impressive big game pitchers that nobody talks about, Gerrit Cole, and people like Jameson Taillon, Chad Kuhl and newly added Ivan Nova holding up the back of the rotation. The organization suddenly has a CRAP TON of depth, and a lot of great players hiding behind players that are already there. So if they need to make a move for a potential Wild Card run, which could be tricky seeing as the Marlins and Dodgers are already making great cases for it, they'll need to buckle up and start winning for right this very second.

The Cardinals, for the first time in years, are easy to beat, and the Pirates NEED to take full advantage of this if they want to be taken seriously, not only as a wild card sleeper, but as a team that could regroup and potentially take down the Cubs next year and the years afterward.

So yeah...the Bucs have a chance. Whether they take advantage of it is their decision.

Coming Tonight- One of the many young pitchers for an improved Astros squad.