April is a Month of Opportunity for the Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates are off to a hot start and they have a great opportunity to continue that start through the rest of the month of April

Currently, the Pittsburgh Pirates own a 9-4 record and are in first place in the National League Central Division. So, despite having only played 13 games, the team is off to a hot start. With their remaining schedule the rest of the month of April, they have a great opportunity to continue this hot start.

Entering last night’s game against the Marlins, the Pirates owned a 9-3 mark. According to this FanGraphs article, that should give Pirate fans hope. As the article points out:

"Historically speaking, a 9-3 start isn’t an automatic ticket to the playoffs, but it does bode very well. Of the 32 teams to get out to such a start 1995-2017, 22 reached the playoffs, 19 by winning their respective divisions. Fourteen of the last 15 such teams reached the postseason, 12 by winning their respective divisions."

Last night the Pirates played arguably their worst game of the season. The team made defensive errors, had brain lapses in the field, and failed to take advantage of Dillon Peters throwing junk in a 7-2 loss to the lowly Miami Marlins. This loss makes the next two games vital for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Miami entered this series with a 3-9 record. And, on paper, the Marlins are arguably the worst, least talented team in all of baseball. This makes it imperative that the Pirates take advantage and win this series in Miami.

After the final two games of their series in Miami, the Pirates come home to play the Colorado Rockies. After a four-game series at Citizen’s Bank Park in Philadelphia, the Bucs return home for series against the Detroit Tigers, who the Pirates have already swept this season, and the St. Louis Cardinals.

These five teams have a combined record of just 26-28. Also, minus Colorado, each of these teams missed the postseason in 2017 and only St. Louis joined the Rockies in having a winning record. So, the opportunity is certainly there for the Pirates to be sitting in a good spot at the end of April.

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When the Pirates head to the nation’s capital for a series that begins on the final day of the month there is no reason they can not have 17 or 18 wins piled up already. If that happens, everyone would agree that would be an excellent start to the season for the Bucs. Now, it is up to Clint Hurdle and his players to take care of business the next few weeks.