What the rest of the schedule holds for the Pittsburgh Pirates after recent disasters

At the worst time of the season, the Pirates have hit their low point in a stretch against three playoff teams. When the offense finally started producing runs, the pitching could not hold leads, and that led to the Pirates falling below .500 once again.

After losing 10 straight games, the Pirates head home to take on another playoff team in the Seattle Mariners. Luckily, they received an off day in between series, which was extremely necessary to help them regroup and prepare for another tough series.

Although the Bucs have reached a point where it seems like the season is over, that's far from accurate. The Pirates have proven recently that they can compete with the best, as they came out of the All-Star break as one of the hottest teams in the league. The rode a six-game winning streak, then won back-to-back series against the Phillies and Cardinals.

Unfortunately, that led to this stretch where they looked like the White Sox, but now they have a better schedule that can help turn things around. Moving forward, the Pirates will take on a slumping Seattle team before having three straight series against clubs below .500 in the Rangers, Reds, and Cubs.

All three of those teams are similar to the Pirates, but are not as dominant as San Diego and Arizona. If the Pirates get past Seattle without being swept, they have a chance to win three straight series, and possibly sweep any one of them. Doing so would likely put Pittsburgh back into third place and within a few games of the Wild Card.

After that, though, they face a very talented Cleveland Guardians team, followed by the Cubs, Nationals, and Marlins, which is another stretch that could establish Pittsburgh back into the hunt. With the remaining schedule, the Pirates could definitely heat up again and re-enter the playoff race. Not an easy task at all, but this team can compete as we have seen all season.

What players could the Pirates promote to help get back to winning?

The Pirates urgently need to promote Nick Yorke and Billy Cook to replace Ji Hwan Bae and Jared Triolo. Both are very athletic and can play all over the field efficiently, along with providing support to the lineup. Each of these deadline pickups have spent time with Indianapolis and have done very well.

Since joining the Pirates organization, these prospects have batting averages over .300, wRC+ over 100, which is the MLB average, and multiple extra base hits. Cook, in particular, has stolen four bases and has hit two home runs in just nine games in Indianapolis.

With the addition of an excellent defender in Isiah Kiner-Falefa, the Pirates could move on from Michael A. Taylor and promote Nick Gonzales back to the big leagues, once he returns from injury. Although his .680 OPS was not anything crazy, he provided many big hits that played a huge role in the Pirates' success.

That should not be all, either, as Henry Davis should replace Yasmani Grandal as soon as possible. Davis has been oustanding in Triple-A, but has struggled in two stints in Pittsburgh this season. Regardless, he needs to work out of it at the big league level, as he has shown consistency in Indianapolis. His .975 OPS and 150 wRC+ backs all of it up, too. Grandal has been the personal catcher to Paul Skenes, but Davis has also caught Skenes in the past.

Overall, this losing streak has been very frustrating to sit through, but the season is not over. Better days are ahead with an easier schedule and reinforcements coming from the minor leagues. Do not lose hope just yet!