The Pittsburgh Pirates are still mathematically alive in the National League Wild Card race and have a path to it. Before we proceed, here’s a short video from Wednesday’s game against the Texas Rangers that you can view while you stop laughing.
Pirates Have a Path to the Wild Card (If Only They’d Take It)
The Pirates entered Wednesday’s action eight games out of the final Wild Card spot, currently occupied by the Atlanta Braves. To pass the Braves, the Pirates must first pass the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, and New York Mets.
Yes, it’s true that with Wednesday’s loss to Texas, the Pirates have now lost 15 of their last 19 games. It’s true that their hitters and their bullpen are locked in a contest to see who can waste more good starting pitching performances. However, they have a favorable schedule ahead, more favorable than most of the teams they’re chasing.
Here’s How the Schedules Look, Beginning with Thursday’s Action
| Games against: | Braves | Mets | Giants | Cubs | Cardinals | Reds | Pirates |
| NL wild card contenders |
4 |
6 |
3 |
9 |
10 |
20 |
17 |
| Other teams -winning records |
18 |
20 |
27 |
9 |
20 |
12 |
12 |
| Other teams – losing records |
14 |
9 |
3 |
16 |
6 |
3 |
7 |
The Cubs have the easiest remaining schedule of all. They have home and road series with the Washington Nationals. There are three games each against the Miami Marlins, Colorado Rockies, and Oakland Athletics. On the other hand, there are three games each with the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Philadelphia Phillies. Only the Yankees series is at home.
The Reds have the most control over their own fate with 20 games against the other contenders. They have games against the Pirates (7), Mets (3), Braves (4), Cardinals (3), and Cubs (3). However, the Athletics are only cupcake on their schedule. They host the Milwaukee Brewers and Houston Astros and have road series against the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Guardians. There’s also an inconvenient trip to Atlanta to play a makeup game. The Braves won’t be pushovers, either.
The Pirates also control their destinies somewhat, with games against the Reds (7), Cubs (6), and Cardinals (4). They also have tough road series coming up against the Guardians and Yankees. There are home series against the Brewers and Kansas City Royals. They get a big break in the schedule with home series against the Marlins and Nationals.
Help Wanted
To traverse their path to the Wild Card, the Pirates will need some help as far as the contenders outside the NL Central Division. To an extent, they may get it. The scheduling gods were most unkind to the Giants. Their remaining schedule is brutal. They play the Arizona Diamondbacks, Brewers, and San Diego Padres at home and away. There are also road series against the Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles, and Royals. The only breather comes against Miami at home. They close the season by hosting the Cardinals.
The Cardinals and Mets don’t have it much better. The Redbirds must go to Minnesota, Yankee Stadium, and Milwaukee. They host the Padres, Mariners, and Guardians. Their games against losing teams are on the road against the Rockies and Toronto Blue Jays. Coors Field can be a tough place to play.
The Mets have seven games remaining against the high-flying Phillies. They must also travel to San Diego, Arizona, Atlanta, and Milwaukee. They host the Boston Red Sox, which won’t be easy. Easier times might be had when the Mets have the Nationals at home and the Blue Jays and Chicago White Sox on the road. They have a unique chance to defend the honor of the 1962 Mets by sweeping the White Sox, bringing those Chisox that much closer to the worst all-time record.
The Baddest of All
The Braves have a tough schedule, too, with the caveat that despite their injuries, among this group of would-be Wild Card teams, they remain the baddest on the block. Who they have to play yet is almost irrelevant. For the sake of completeness, however, we’ll note that they have a few difficult opponents ahead. They’ll complete a home series against Philadelphia, where they have to travel for four games later. There’s also a road series against the Twins and home series against both the Dodgers and Royals. Some games should be slam-dunk wins for them, too. The Braves have the Nationals home and away. They also host Toronto and Colorado and go to Miami.
The Last Word
None of this means anything for the Pirates, however, if they don’t get their act together. Their hitters must stop stranding so many baserunners and the bullpen has to stop collapsing late in tight games. Do the Pirates really have a path to the Wild Card? If the Pirates can make these things happen, they control their destiny against three teams and may well get some help against the other teams. They remain a long shot. The oddsmakers give them a 0.4 percent chance to play in the postseason. The prediction here is that the Braves will hang onto that final Wild Card berth. But the schedule gives the Pirates a flicker of hope. Just a flicker.
Photo Credit: © Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
