Pirates’ September schedule gives them one last gasp in NL Wild Card chase

With the Pirates staring down the final month of the season and sitting four games below .500, a playoff berth seems to be something of an impossibility. However, a strong finish could allow Pittsburgh to sneak into a Wild Card spot. A weak slate of opponents might be just the thing to bring back October baseball for the Bucs.

The Pirates open the month of September with a pair of home series against two of the worst teams in baseball: the Giants and Angels. This plays right into Pittsburgh’s hands as the team is 34-32 in games at PNC Park and 32-31 against teams below .500. If the Pirates, who are coming off two straight wins over division-rival St. Louis, go 5-1 over this homestand and climbs to an even 72-72 record, a sliver of hope begins to emerge.

A September surge could send the Pirates to a most improbable playoff appearance

Realistically, to punch their ticket to the postseason, the Pirates would need to finish the year with 86 wins, and even that wouldn’t guarantee a spot. Still, that tends to be around where the Wild Card teams finish in recent history. To hit that mark, Pittsburgh needs to go 19-5 over the last stretch of the season. That’s a tall task, but a solid homestand reduces the feat to a more reasonable 14-4 finish.

To get there, the Pirates need to survive a Chicago trip against the White Sox (one of baseball’s best home teams) and Cubs (who seemingly hit everything out of the ballpark). The Bucs then turn around and play the Brewers in Pittsburgh, a series that could be the final nail in the Pirates’ coffin. Paul Skenes and Bubba Chandler are finally rolling, though, and Konnor Griffin could be days away. In short, the Pirates team that takes the field this September may be markedly different (and better) than the one that went 12-15 in August.

Strange things can happen in baseball. Just look at the 2025 Reds, who went 14-11 in September to sneak into the postseason. Or better yet, last year’s Guardians, who went 20-8. Why not us?

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow