Pirates schedule offers a massive reward if they can survive the next test

Saying that the Pittsburgh Pirates made their own lives harder by losing their first three series after the trade deadline is probably an understatement, but at least they took care of business against the Red Sox and Tigers at home this week.

Their reward for doing so? A West Coast road trip to face the Dodgers, Padres, and Cardinals in a nine-game gauntlet that will wrap up August.

That trio is a combined 37 games above .500, most of which is because the Dodgers are fighting with the Brewers for the best overall record in baseball. Still, the Padres and Cardinals are two of a handful of teams that the Bucs need to surpass in order to claim a Wild Card spot this year, making those series as crucial as any you'll find during the dog days of summer.

Thankfully, if they can survive that road trip, they'll be welcomed back to Pittsburgh with a cushy homestand to kick off September.

Pirates have golden opportunity to prove they can hang with NL's elite during upcoming road trip

Next month, the Pirates will draw the Giants and Angels at home, which are there two easiest remaining series this season (save for, maybe, when the Royals come to town in the middle of September). That'll be the perfect time for the team to make up any lost ground in the standings.

But in order to enjoy that favorable stretch, they first need to get past three of the best teams in the National League. They're at least entering their set against the Dodgers with some momentum following Rafael Flores Jr.'s emotionally charged performance against the Tigers , which set a little franchise history along the way.

Still, this is a tall task we're talking about. The Bucs are 29-34 on the road this season, which doesn't jive well with the home records of the Dodgers and Padres (37-26 each). There's also a matter of bad scheduling luck at play, as the Pirates are set to draw Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, and Blake Snell in three consecutive games this weekend. As far as pitching gauntlets go, that's about as tough of a three-game stretch as you'll find in the regular season.

Of course, it'd be nice the schedule was laid out with nothing but sub-.500 teams the rest of the way; the Pirates have certainly beat up on that crowd this year, going 33-26 against them. However, there comes a point where you have to prove your playoff bona fides, and their 30-40 record against teams that are above .500 suggests that they may not have what it takes.

Well, here's their chance to change the narrative. Survive this road trip, and the Pirates will be right back in the thick of the Wild Card race.

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