Pittsburgh Pirates series takeaways vs. Chicago Cubs

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Aug 4, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; General view as the Pittsburgh Pirates host the Chicago Cubs during the fifth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Pirates came off a fairly successful 4-2 road trip where they swept the Minnesota Twins in a two-game series and split four games against the Cincinnati Reds. However you choose to look at it, a winning road trip is always a good thing.

The Pirates then turned their attention to the red-hot Chicago Cubs, winners of five in a row. The Cubs are also on the cusp of making the NL Wildcard race very, very interesting. The Pirates have been there, done that the last couple years, but the Cubs are young, hungry and looking to establish themselves as contenders. Could the Pirates fend off the Cubs in this important early August series?

Next: Game One: Francisco Liriano vs Jon Lester vs. Rain

Aug 3, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; MLB umpires Tony Randazzo (11) and Paul Nauert (left, center) talk with Pittsburgh Pirates ground crew supervisors Manny Lopez (right, center) and Andrew Barnett (right) during a rain delay against the Chicago Cubs in the second inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Game One: Francisco Liriano (7-6, 2.92 ERA) vs. Jon Lester (6-8, 3.26 ERA)

Result: Rained Out (No make-up date announced)

Winning Pitcher: N/A

Losing Pitcher: N/A

What went right:
- The game started on time.

What went wrong:
- The game was delayed and eventually rained out.

In a battle of elite left-handed pitchers, the winner was rain. The Pirates looked to respond to the rain out with their new guy, J.A. Happ, on the mound..

Next: Game Two: J.A. Happ vs. Jake Arrieta

Aug 4, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher J.A. Happ (32) delivers a pitch against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Game Two: J.A. Happ (4-6, 4.64 ERA) vs. Jake Arrieta (11-6, 2.62 ERA)

Result: Pirates lose 5-0

Winning Pitcher: Jake Arrieta (12-6, 2.50 ERA)

Losing Pitcher: J.A. Happ (4-7, 4.78 ERA)

What went right:
- Starling Marte had a two-hit ball game. He went 2-4.
- Andrew McCutchen reached based three times. He went 1-2 with two walks.
- Arquimedes Caminero had another scoreless inning, continuing his streak of strong appearances. He went 2.1 innings, allowed no runs on three hits and struck out six.
- Antonio Bastardo had a scoreless outing, going one inning and allowing no hits and a walk.

What went wrong:
- J.A. Happ did not have a very strong first start as a Pirate, going 4.1 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits and struck out eight.
- Anthony Rizzo continued to be a Pirate killer, going 4-5 with two runs scored.
- Jorge Soler had a pretty big game, going 1-3 with two RBIs and two walks.
- Chris Denorfia had a surprisingly big game, going 3-6 with a run scored.

J.A. Happ did not have a very effective Pirates’ debut as the Pirates were pretty hapless in the ball game. They looked to respond and earn a series split with Jeff Locke on the mound.

Next: Game Three: Jeff Locke vs. Dan Haren

Aug 4, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jeff Locke (49) reacts on the field prior to playing the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Game Three: Jeff Locke (6-6, 4.21 ERA) vs. Dan Haren (7-7, 3.42 ERA)

Result: Pirates win 7-5

Winning Pitcher: Antonio Bastardo (3-1, 3.82 ERA)

Losing Pitcher: Travis Wood (5-4, 4.58 ERA)

Save: Mark Melancon (34, 1.44 ERA)

What went right:
- Gregory Polanco had a very big game, hitting a lead-off home run and hitting the go-ahead RBI in the bottom of the sixth inning. He went 2-5 with two RBIs and a run scored.
- Andrew McCutchen was involved in a big way, going 1-2 with a home run, a sac-fly, two RBIs, two runs scored, and a walk.
- Francisco Cervelli was awesome in the eight spot in the order, going 2-4 with a triple and two runs scored.
- The new back end of the bullpen looked fairly solid as Joakim Soria, Tony Watson, and Mark Melancon closed off the game and sealed the win for the Pirates.

What went wrong:
- Anthony Rizzo can officially be called a Pirate killer, going 1-3 with a home run, two RBIs, and a run scored.
- Jeff Locke wasn’t able to go very deep in the ball game. He wasn’t terrible, but allowed a 4-1 lead to disappear very quickly. He went 5.2 innings, allowed four runs on four hits and struck out four.
- Jared Hughes was not very sharp out of the bullpen. He didn’t record an out, and allowed one hit and two walks.
- Sean Rodriguez was picked off of first base in the eighth inning.

Next: Final Thoughts

Aug 4, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle (13) walks on the field to make a line-up change against the Chicago Cubs during the ninth inning at PNC Park. The Cubs won 5-0. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Because of the rain, the Pittsburgh Pirates weren’t able to play the complete series against the Cubs, but splitting the two games keeps the Pirates four games ahead of the Cubs in the wildcard standings, which is always a good thing. The goal is still to win the division, but the Cubs are not going away and if the Pirates want to win the NL Central, they have to start beating the Cubs consistently. The Pirates, to the surprise of what feels like way too many Pirates fans, have played pretty well in the last 10 games, going 6-4 on the strength of a much-improved offense. The pitching has taken a step back with the injury of A.J. Burnett, but if the offense can continue to produce at a high level, the Pirates will be just fine.

The Pirates difficult schedule continues as they turn their attention on the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers for a three-game series. The series kicks off with one of the best pitching match-ups of the season as Gerrit Cole takes on Clayton Kershaw. If that doesn’t get you excited as a baseball fan, there’s something wrong with you. The Pirates are a World Series contender and the best way to reiterate that fact is to beat other contenders. The Pirates have a tough road ahead, but to quote Ric Flair, “to be the man, you have to beat the man.”

Series Result: Split 1-1

2015 win/loss record: 62-44

2015 series record: 17-12-5

Next: How is Gregory Polanco improving as of late?

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