Pittsburgh Pirates series takeaways vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Aug 13, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Pedro Alvfarez (24) celebrates with Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kfang (27) and Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Francisco Cerfvelli (29) after hitting a two-run home run in the first inning off of St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Lance Lynn (not pictured) at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

This series did not go according to plan for the Pirates, as they lost two of three to the Cardinals, but after losing the first two games of the series, it felt really good to walk away with at least one win. Plus now you thankfully only lose one game in the standings compared to three if the Cardinals had swept the Pirates.

The important thing to remember is the Pirates are a very good team. Two bad games in a row does not reveal that they’re some terrible team masquerading as a good one. They are legitimately one of the best teams in all of baseball. The Pirates have flaws like every other team in the league. The only reason the Pirates’ flaws seem more apparent is because you watch them everyday, so you notice the cracks. However, ask any fan of any contending team and they will tell you everything wrong with their team and likely with the same venom as Pirates’ fans. Just remember the next time the Pirates lose two games in a row, that you don’t get to 20 games over .500 by accident and the Pirates are tremendous baseball team.

The Pirates will now turn their attention to another first place team as they travel to New York to take on the surging Mets. The Pirates have done remarkably well against the National League East and will look to continue that success. The Pirates will thankfully miss Noah Syndergaard and Jake Degrom in the series, which you would assume benefits the Pirates. However, the Pirates cannot overlook the mets as they are also a very good team. Regardless of pitching match-ups, it is still two of the best teams in the NL battling and that is always thrilling

Series Result: Pirates lose 2-1

2015 win/loss record: 66-46

2015 series record: 18-13-5

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