Division title gone, Pirates must refocus
PITTSBURGH — It is certainly something difficult to take for the Pirates.
They have the second-best record in the major leagues at 96-63. Yet they won’t be one of the six teams that win a division title.
The St. Louis Cardinals (100-59) clinched the National League Central title and eliminated the Pirates from the division race with an 11-1 win over Pittsburgh on Wednesday night at PNC Park.
After an off day Thursday, the Pirates host the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series that concludes the regular season.
The reality of finishing second to the Cardinals for a third straight season was frustrating enough to cause losing pitcher Charlie Morton to tear up as he met with reporters after the game.
“This is a game I come into and I want to win,” he said after being tagged for five runs in two-plus innings. “Folks showed up tonight, everybody’s excited and I go out there and I give it up. It’s just heartbreaking.”
However, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said the frustration should not last long. After all, his team will play in the winner-take-all NL wild card for a third consecutive year next Wednesday when the Pirates face the Chicago Cubs, yet another NL Central team.
“We’ve still got to stay focused on right where we are,” Hurdle said. “The ultimate goal hasn’t changed, to win a world championship. We’re just going to have go about it in a different method now.”
The Pirates have the upper hand for the first wild card and home-field advantage as they hold a two-game lead over the Cubs (94-65) with three to play. The Cubs play a three-game weekend series at Milwaukee.
The Cubs would host the game if they finished tied with the Pirates by virtue of winning the season series.
That is why Hurdle does not anticipate his team having a letdown against the Reds (63-96), who have clinched last place in the NL Central.
“Our focus was to win the division,” he said. “Now it’s over. So you close the book on that, now it’s to win Friday and take it from there.”
Center fielder Andrew McCutchen also believes it is wise for the Pirates to put behind the disappointment of finishing second.
“You can say, dang, if we’d be in any other division we’d be in first place,” McCutchen said. “But why dwell on something that’s not possible? You’ve got to man up.”