OnlyBucs

To believe that this team is legit and can contend for a 2nd wildcard and get back over .500. With that being said, big opportunity right out of the gate to start the 2nd half with 7 of the Pirates first 10 games coming against the Reds and Mets. I need to see at least 7-3 in this 10 game stretch with the Reds,Indians, and Mets which is definitely possible. But I definitely think the first 10 games after the break will go a long way in determining if the was a fluke this last week or if maybe just maybe this Pirates team isn’t too bad after all.

Without looking at the schedule I would guess that stretch will be wrapping up around the end of the month, so maybe NH will use those games as a gauge as well. Then there are those August DFA's.

I know the Reds are in last place, but they have been playing excellent baseball the last month.



So these first 6 games out of the gate -- at Cincy, at Cleveland -- are not going to be easy.



Remember, we're talking about the Pirates here. These other teams are looking at their schedule and saying, "Okay, we've got the Pirates coming to town. This is our chance to pick up 2 or maybe even 3 wins."



I'd say 3-3 is the best we can realistically hope for. Then hope you can come home and try to sweep the Mets.

Realistically, they dug themselves too big a hole to compete this year. I am looking for them to play .500 baseball the rest of the way out to hopefully have some momentum heading into 2019.

6A5749444B414A684057464041250 wrote: Realistically, they dug themselves too big a hole to compete this year. I am looking for them to play .500 baseball the rest of the way out to hopefully have some momentum heading into 2019.


I hope they play well enough that NH shoots for a higher projection than 78-82.

163031263020530 wrote: Realistically, they dug themselves too big a hole to compete this year. I am looking for them to play .500 baseball the rest of the way out to hopefully have some momentum heading into 2019.


I hope they play well enough that NH shoots for a higher projection than 78-82. 




Every week he talks about their internal model for the season.



It is so annoying.

I believe that the young pitching staff will still be inconsistent going forward. What I'm hoping is that their maturation process via experience will help to make that inconsistency less of a factor as the season progresses. If that happens I believe that this team will be around the .500 mark at the end of the year even with Clint Hurdle as their manager.