We know the team cannot hit. Get over it. If you look right now, the Pittsburgh Pirates are in first place tied with the Reds.
With the St. Louis Cardinals dealing with injuries and the Cincinnati Reds unable to win consistently, the Pirates once again find themselves relevant in the NL Central.
How have they done it?
With a starting rotation only people on the west side of Pennsylvania can name.
A.J. Burnett is holding the pitching staff down. He has a 6-2 record with a 3.61 ERA. Burnett has won both of his starts in the month of June.
The Pirates pitching is third in the Majors with a combined 3.15 ERA. They have surrendered the second fewest amounts of hits and earned runs in the Majors, only behind the Washington Nationals.
Ironically, Burnett is only one of two pitchers in the Pirates' rotation with a winning record.
The other is James McDonald. He is 5-2 with an ERA of 2.39, good for sixth in the Majors.
You also have to give credit to their bullpen as they have saved 22 games, good for a four-way tie for second place in the Majors.
The Pirates have done a great job playing at home. Their 19-11 home record is second in the Majors behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Tampa Bay Rays are also 19-11 at Tropicana Field.
The 19-11 record is the best in the NL Central.
Pirate fans remember 2011 all too well. They were in contention until July 26th when they lost a 19-inning game in Atlanta on a blown call by home plate umpire Jerry Meals.
The Pirates hope history does not repeat itself and if they can only get more production from their offense, they could give their team an even better chance of staying in the race.