As the Pittsburgh Pirates head into a Game 3 showdown with the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park today, they find themselves in a very rare position indeed. While many would still call the Bucs the underdogs against one of the most hallowed franchises in the history of baseball, they have the momentum going forward in this series, and could conceivably win the next two games to play for the NL pennant.
The offense seems to be coming together at just the right time, as the team followed up the mulligan they put up in Game 1 to pick off right where they left off against the Reds. Starling Marte and Pedro Alvarez homered, and Alvarez has hit a bomb in each of the first two games. Marlon Byrd, Andrew McCutchen and Justin Morneau have helped lead a potent attack in the middle of the order, and Game 2 starter Gerrit Cole even led off the scoring with a base knock to score El Toro. With the clear lack of left-handed pitchers on the Cardinals roster, Alvarez, Morneau, and Neil Walker should all see plenty to handle for the remainder of the series, which plays into the team’s strength’s.
Cole was nothing short of dominant in his first career playoff start, using his breaking stuff and his blistering fastball to great effect and stifling the major league’s best offense. After Game 1 starter AJ Burnett laid an egg in a 9-1 Cardinals romp, the Bucs desperately needed a solid start and trusted their young ace with the task. Not only did Cole give the Bucs the confidence they needed to get the bats going, he continued an amazing run in which he has won his last six starts and his ERA in those starts has been inching closer and closer to 1.00. He hushed the crowd at Busch Stadium time and again and let the Cardinals and the baseball world know that these Pirates aren’t satisfied with simply playing in their first playoff series since 1992.
With the offense coming alive, Francisco Liriano getting the ball, and the general atmosphere that is sure to take place at PNC Park, the ball is now in the Bucs’ court (or field) to continue this special season and give the city even more magic. It will be fun to find out if they can take advantage of it.
