Five games out of first, Pirates hoping for breakthrough in divisional stretch

Jordy Mercer acknowledged how difficult the past six months have been for the Pirates.

They're playing without Jung Ho Kang and Starling Marte, the offense was a weakness until late May, Jameson Taillon was diagnosed with testicular cancer, and they can't seem to have a night where both the pitching and hitting are excelling.

Yet, the Pirates sat just five games behind the Central Division-leading Brewers entering Friday night's game at PNC Park against the Cubs, despite being six games under .500.

Mercer said it has everything to do with how they've handled those adverse situations, and that will have to continue during a key stretch of 10 consecutive division games.



"Yeah, we've hit adversity, but I think all that does is make you better," Mercer told DKPittsburghSports.com. "When you go through adversity and some things as a team it’s going to make you grow collectively and together. That's what we've done. Now it's time to put your foot down a little bit and start playing good baseball."

That has been the case with the Pirates, as they are hitting .303 in 12 games this month and .291 dating back to May 23, the second-best mark in the National League during that latter span.

Though the bullpen had a difficult time last week with Tony Watson blowing two saves and the front office forced to call upon multiple fresh relief pitchers from Indianapolis, the closer experiment has made a difference. Felipe Rivero has allowed just one run over his last 14 innings, and Juan Nicasio has posted a 0.73 ERA over his last 26 appearances.

But the starting pitching has not met expectations.

Gerrit Cole allowed 23 runs in four starts before a seven-inning, one-run outing Tuesday against the Rockies. Chad Kuhl pitched just five innings again in a 5-1 loss on Wednesday, and Trevor Williams is back on the pitcher's mound Friday after lasting just four innings against the Marlins last Saturday.

It's a rotation that will be tested against the defending World Series champions, though the Cubs rank 29th in the major leagues in batting average and 15th in runs.

But Adam Frazier said the Cubs' successes or lack thereof aren't a topic of discussion. It's about the Pirates and finding a way to get both the pitching and the hitting where they need to be, and time may be of the essence.

"This is a pretty good opportunity in front of us," Frazier said. "It’s 10 division games, so try to make the most of them and put us in a position we want to be."

Despite the suspension of Marte and the DUI arrest of Kang, the Pirates are in a better place in the standings now than they were a year ago. On June 16 of last year, they were 12 games back of the Cubs.

Part of the problem was a failure to play well in a key stretch that month. They lost 12 of 14 games in a stretch that included six division games. A victory over the Cubs on July 9 helped the Pirates climb within 6 1/2 games, but they would not get any closer.

Some would say that now is the time for a breakthrough, since the Cubs could suddenly return to form and the Cardinals are bound to improve sooner rather than later, but Mercer said that's far from the case.

"I don't think this is as big of a stretch as some guys do, but that's just me," Mercer said. "I think the Rockies series was as important as this series. We can’t afford to look ahead. We can’t afford to (say), ‘Yeah, we’re playing guys in our division,’ but it’s all about what we do. We need to get it clicking."

The Pirates have won four of their last five, and their marked improvement on offense can be exemplified by the turnaround experienced by Andrew McCutchen. His average dropped to the Mendoza line on May 24 before Hurdle gave him two days off in Atlanta.

McCutchen was dropped to No. 6 in the order and has hit .388 in 18 games since. Most of the Pirates' offense, in fact, has hit its stride. Now, they're hoping it comes together.

"Teams go through that where sometimes the pitching works, sometimes the hitting works and pitching isn’t working," Mercer said. "Sometimes it’s all coming together. I feel like that now. We’re all gelling and we’re all getting hot at the right time."

EXTRAS

• Gregory Polanco is in a 3-for-26 slump over his last six games and is batting .244 with three home runs and 14 RBI this season.

He seemed to have rediscovered his swing until he injured his hamstring chasing a fly ball in Arizona on May 14. Polanco had hits in four consecutive games and had four RBI in that span.

The Pirates' right fielder then had a six-game hitting streak after returning from the disabled list, but has since struggled.

"We're working through it," Hurdle said. "Andrew went through it for an extended period of time. Maybe we'll figure some things out, and take some of the routes we took with Andrew to see if it can help him re-ignite as well."

In the meantime, Hurdle said discussions are ongoing on whether or not to drop Polanco down in the order or if he could use a few days off, much like the Pirates did with McCutchen.

• With Francisco Cervelli off the disabled list, the Pirates are now carrying three catchers: Cervelli, Elias Diaz and Jacob Stallings.

Hurdle is not a fan of the situation. Two catchers on the bench lessens Hurdle's options late in a game, but nothing will change until after this weekend. The Pirates are going to monitor Cervelli and could use an additional catcher with two night games and a day game.

It also helps that Diaz has six hits in his last 16 at-bats.

"It's not something I'm warm and fuzzy about, carrying three catchers," Hurdle said. "I've said that all along. That doesn't change. The bat plays, which helps, and Elias being able to hit off the bench like that."