Pirates winning series vs. Phillies should announce Pittsburgh as trade deadline buyers

After riding a four-game win streak into the All-Star break, the Pittsburgh Pirates faced a big test as they welcomed the league-leading Philadelphia Phillies to PNC Park to start the second half of their season.

At first, things looked bleak for the Pirates when Philadelphia jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning of the series opener Friday. Pittsburgh was able to mount a comeback to even the score, but the Phillies once again jumped ahead by three runs. Trailing in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Pirates refused to back down and managed to steal an improbable win thanks to a walk-off single from Nick Gonzales.

Pittsburgh then dominated the second game of the series behind right-hander Luis Ortiz, who blanked a fearsome Phillies lineup across seven innings. Andrew McCutchen broke through with a solo homer to break a scoreless tie in the sixth inning, and Oneil Cruz smacked an RBI double and a two-run homer to seal the 4-1 win for Pittsburgh.

After winning the first two games of the series, the Pirates fell flat in the finale. The 6-0 loss snapped their season-long six-game winning streak and dashed any hopes of a series sweep. Still, despite the disappointing end, taking two out of three from the best team in baseball should be considered a passing grade in what has arguably been the biggest test of the Pirates' season.

After the series win, the Pirates (50-49) sat above .500 for the first time since April, and got within half a game of the National League's third and final Wild Card spot. Any lingering questions surrounding their trade deadline strategy should have been clearly answered by now: they need to be buyers, which they proved once again on Monday night by parlaying their good feelings into a late-game rally and victory over the Cardinals.

Pirates need to look beyond internal improvements, make additions at trade deadline

With the Pirates in the thick of the NL Wild Card race, their next two series against the St. Louis Cardinals and Arizona Diamondbacks will go a long way toward determining their postseason fate. The July 30 trade deadline is fast approaching, and Pittsburgh has plenty of pitching depth in the minor leagues to make moves. The time to make those moves is now.

It's no secret that the Pirates could benefit greatly from an upgrade in the outfield, particularly at center field. Outside of All-Star Bryan Reynolds, Pittsburgh's outfielders have struggled mightily at the plate this season. Michael A. Taylor and Joshua Palacios add defensive value and have been solid options off the bench late in games, but the Pirates need some more productive bats for the earlier innings.

While they have a stacked starting rotation, the Pirates' bullpen could use some work as well. Ryan Borucki and Hunter Stratton are expected to come back once they complete their rehab assignments, and Quinn Priester has been solid out of the bullpen, but there's no such thing as having too many good relievers – especially if the Pirates are going to continue cracking down on workload management for their starters.

Ultimately, no matter where they choose to upgrade, the Pirates should be looking at external options in the week leading up to the deadline. An explosive outfield bat or a lights-out reliever could go a long way in helping this team secure its place in the postseason.

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