Pittsburgh Pirates Fans: Tonight Is The Night

The Pittsburgh Pirates are playing like one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball.  You can throw their name in with the Chicago Cubs and Florida Marlins over the last month.

Gerrit Cole is pitching.

Yu Darvish is pitching.

The Pirates have never won in Arlington.

The Bucs walk onto the field winless in their last four as they search for elusive win number 82.  The Pirates will face the Major League strikeout leader and is the owner of thirty-seven different pitches and wants to be sure that the opposition knows he can throw any of them at any time.

The Rangers walk onto the field winless in their last four as they search for elusive win number 82.  It just means a little bit less for Texas as they face a rookie fire-baller who has been pitching his ass off for Pittsburgh.

Yep, write it down.  Pirates strike out eleven times, but win 5-3.  Win number 82 will happen tonight.  I trust you won’t be sleeping.

Pirates skipper Clint Hurdle was the Rangers hitting coach three years ago and helped the team get to their first World Series.

That was then this is now.  The series against the Texas Rangers is ahem, the biggest series in the last twenty years for the Pirates.  (Tired of hearing that shit yet?)  The Bucs were winning with pitching and defense as they soared to the top of the NL Central where they held on tight to first place for over 40 days.  Pitching and defense have been absolutely horrid the past 28 games.

Tonight it all changes.  It has to change.  The Buccos are tied with the Reds in second place.  The team will face Yu Darvish who has sucked his last four times to the bump with an ERA of 4.50.  Darvish walked six in his last outing Wednesday.

Cole has pitched well in his last three times out, a loser in two of those starts while posting a 3.26 ERA.  But the last time the Bucs won, Cole was the starter.

The Rangers bullpen is taxed.  The Pirates bullpen, well the arms that matter most, have been rested after getting crushed in St. Louis.

Tonight is the night Pirates fans.   Get a nap today.