The Pirates are 11-30 since the All-Star break and 50-84 overall. With 23 games left as of Wednesday morning, there is a good chance it's another 100-loss season for the Bucs.
So with another year of developing young talent in the hopes of a bright future, there isn't much for Pirates to get excited about.
But, last night's 8-2 against the Eastern Division leading New York Mets (tied with the Atlanta Braves) showed just a small glimpse of what Pirates fans hope to see more consistently starting next season.
Before we get to the star of the show, let's start with pitcher Mitch Keller, who got his fifth win of the season, going six scoreless innings giving up five hits with two strike outs and two walks.
On the offensive side of the ball, shortstop Oneil Cruz went 3-for-5 with a double and home run with two RBI to give him 39 on the year. The homer was his 13th of the year, a laser off the bat that landed in the Allegheny River.
Designated hitter Rodolfo Castro hit a two-RBI home run, center fielder Bryan Reynolds had two hits along with second baseman Kevin Newman and left fielder Jack Suwinski.
The good news for the Pirates is that it was young guys that were responsible for most of the run production on Tuesday night.
The Pirates will look for two in a row Wednesday afternoon in the first game of a split doubleheader against the Mets at PNC Park.
1-5 Duane Underwood Jr. takes on Mets Chris Bassitt who's 12-7 this season. First pitch is 12:35 p.m.
4-1 Jacob deGrom will pitch for the Mets in the second game, a starter has yet to be named for the Pirates. First pitch for game two is 6:35 p.m.
