Sixteen men left on base.
For most Pittsburgh Pirates fans, that was the moment that a possible National League Central Division championship became unrealistic.
The inability to hit a medium length fly ball with the bases loaded four times likely cost the Bucs the division.
For others it was watching Charlie Morton get lit up like a Christmas tree in the biggest game of the season to date on Wednesday night.
But while both losses to the dreaded Cardinals played a big role in why the Red Birds are sitting as division champs again and not the Pirates, the main reason the Pirates are headed to the Wild Card game for the third consecutive season is another dreadful April.
This Pirates team learned a tough lesson. That’s the fact that wins in April and May are just as important as wins in August and September when you are in a pennant race.
Back in spring training, manager Clint Hurdle preached a fast start to the season. He’s had a front row seat to slow starts year after year and despite his preaching the Bucs came out of the gates playing sloppy baseball.
Early on in the season this team seemed to invent ways to lose games.
Whether it was being swept by the Cincinnati Reds to begin the season or losing three consecutive to the Cardinals in walk-off fashion to the Cards in early May, the Pirates dug themselves an early hole they were unable to dig themselves out of.
Oh, and who can forget the infamous Gregory Polanco flop in Wrigley Field that handed the Chicago Cubs a win.
Then there were the countless base running blunders and sloppy defensive play that cost this team games throughout the season.
Even later in the season getting swept by the Milwaukee Brewers twice didn’t help their cause very much.
But through all that this team not only rebounded, they did so in a major way.
This Pirates team still has a chance to win 99 games. Unfortunately for them they dug themselves a hole behind a team that just won’t lose in that fashion.
Yet despite that, this Pirates team still has a legitimate shot of a lengthy playoff run that could end up in a berth in the World Series.
They are just going to have to go through Jake Arrieta and the Cubs to do it.
That’s not an easy task, but it isn’t impossible either for a team that will likely finish with the second best record in all of baseball.
Yet while you may sit there and complain that the playoff system isn’t fair and it likely isn’t as the worst team in baseball can beat the best team in baseball on one given night.
The reality of the situation is that if the Pirates took care of business early on in the season, they likely wouldn’t be in this spot.
I believe this team can make a lengthy postseason run this year if they get past Arrieta. If they don’t, this team is built for the long haul and should be just as good in 2016.
Maybe then they will learn their lesson and come out of spring training ready to go.
As they found out this season, April wins matter as well.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
