Marcell Ozuna headlines Pirates' five-game skid after Cardinals sweep
marcell ozuna is not the story in Pittsburgh, but the Pirates' five-game losing streak is. A sweep by the St. Louis Cardinals left Pittsburgh in last place in the National League Central entering the weekend, and the margin was small enough to keep the pressure high anyway.
Don Kelly said it was way too early to start scoreboard watching. The Pirates were 16-16 entering Friday, yet that same record would have put them tied for first in the American League Central and in second place in the NL East.
Kelly on the NL Central
Kelly did not sound interested in scoreboard math. He said, “I think that all the teams in our division are strong, and we need to find a way to handle ourselves and find a way to go out there tonight and compete like we have been all season.”
He added, “We know that there are four other teams in the division that have started off strong, as well. I think it’s going to be like that all year. It’s really exciting.”
The setup was already tight. The NL Central had four teams with winning records, the only division in which every club was at least.500, and only 4½ games separated first from last.
Reds at PNC Park
The first-place Cincinnati Reds arrived at PNC Park at 20-11, giving Pittsburgh an immediate division test after the sweep in St. Louis. That kind of meeting is why the standings matter this early, even if the Pirates are trying to ignore them.
Last year's postseason picture showed how unforgiving the division can be. The Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds all reached the playoffs from the NL Central, while the Pirates stayed out.
Pirates' early path
Pittsburgh still had signs of life beyond the record. The club entered the weekend with a plus-12 run differential, and Brandon Lowe said, “To play as well as the division has, I think people can probably start to realize that it’s going to be a gauntlet of a year.”
Lowe also said, “You keep your head down, take care of business in here and take care of business between the lines. Don’t worry about what everybody else is doing.” He added, “Maybe in September you can start to look up a little bit.”
That is where the Pirates sit now: a five-game skid, a division packed with winning teams, and no room for early panic from the clubhouse. Jared Jones is expected to give the rotation a boost later in May when he comes off the 60-day injured list, but for now Pittsburgh has to handle the stretch in front of it one game at a time.
