The Next 20 Pittsburgh Pirates Games Should Tell the Tale

The Pittsburgh Pirates went 6-4 in their past ten games.  Now it gets interesting, as the Pirates start a stretch of 20 games in 20 consecutive days tomorrow night.  All the attention goes to the battle for first place in the National League Central Division when the 20/20 stretch starts in Cincy against the first place Reds.

But it doesn’t just stop when Marty Brennamen gets his head shaved tomorrow night – 14 of the 20 games are against teams that are playing over .500 baseball.

The Arizona Diamondbacks (54-51) will slither into PNC Park on Monday.  Currently, the Snakes are on a three game winning streak, and are 7-3 in their past ten.

San Diego (44-62) breaks up the action next weekend, but who can forget what the Padres did to the Bucs last season in PNC?  Perhaps Styx can fire up ‘Renegade’ a night earlier, so the Bucs can get some revenge.  The Friars are 13 games back of the Giants, have lost their last two to the Reds, and are 24-27 on the road.

The Los Angeles Dodgers (56-50) have attempted to buy every name veteran player in baseball recently.  The Dodgers are currently one game behind San Francisco in the NL West, and 4-6 in their last ten games, but are playing .500 ball on the road.  A four game tilt against L.A. could be decisive in the wild card race.

The St. Louis Cardinals (56-48) are getting hot as they defend their World Series title in 2012.  A big three game set in St. Louis will happen in two weekends.  The Cardinals are 7-3 in their past ten, and are 29-21 at home.

The Pirates then travel out to San Diego to finish off the 20/20 with three games in paradise.

It’s a stretch of games in which the Pirates can stake a serious claim to the National League Central Division title.  The Pirates control their own destiny, thanks to playing so well to begin the month of August within three games of the Reds.  Now, all eyes will be on the Bucs to see just how well they can play against the big boys.  Last season the Bucs faded; this year, the club needs to start their sprint toward the finish line.

Get some rest –  it’s about to get really good.