Series Review: Pittsburgh Pirates vs New York Mets

Aug 16, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Pedro Alvarez (24) celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the New York Mets during the second inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

Baseball is a game of ups and downs. It’s a game where you lose two of three to the St. Louis Cardinals and then sweep the New York Mets on the road. The Pirates’ last nine games were against all the current National League division leaders and they went 7-2 in those games. I don’t think even the most cynical fan can complain about this recent stretch of baseball. The Pirates also swept the leaders in both the West and the East. While losing two of three to the Cardinals was annoying, you cannot deny the Pirates played mostly solid baseball in the nine game stretch.

The Pirates have the San Francisco Giants coming into town next weekend, but before that they most focus on the under .500 Arizona Diamondbacks. It’s really easy to play focused and intense baseball against division leaders, but the true sign of a great team is playing with the same level of intensity against struggling ball clubs and I think we’ve seen the Pirates do that a lot this season. You don’t lead the league in sweeps without having a killer instinct.

Series Result: Pirates win 3-0

2015 win/loss record: 69-46

2015 series record: 19-13-5

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