Just over a month ago, I started talking myself into this Pirate team. I said that if we were generous with the results from their schedule between now and August 1, that I could see the Bucs being 56-47 headed into their series with the Reds next weekend. I made two mistakes in that post: 1.) I miscounted the number of games between then and August 1 (I think I counted the Marlins’ series as a three-game set) and 2.) I grossly underestimated the Pirates, who are at 56 wins with six winnable games left before that looming Reds’ series. Accordingly, I’m adjusting my “the Pirates need this many wins by this date” total to 60 before the Reds’ series starts on August 3. That means two of three at the end of this Astro series and two of three at Wrigley.
Tonight, the Astros send Jordan Lyles, who’s been clubbed by pretty much the whole of the National League this year, to the mound to face Jeff Karstens. The first pitch is at 8:05.
