MLB: July Is the Month for the Pittsburgh Pirates to Make Their Big Move

July is the month for the Pittsburgh Pirates to make their big move.

At the start of the month, they are one game behind the Cincinnati Reds in the NL Central and tied with the Dodgers and Mets at the top of the close wild-card race.

The July schedule is very kind. The Bucs play 22 of their 26 games against teams with a losing record. And 16 of these games are against the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros and Colorado Rockies, who have a combined winning percentage just under .390.  So if there is going to be a big move, it needs to come in July.

Two key rivals, the Reds in the NL Central and the Dodgers in the wild-card race have been struggling recently.

During the last two weeks of June,  the Reds dropped seven of 13 games.  Their closer, Aroldis Chapman, started the season without giving up a run in 28 innings.  But in his last eight innings he has given up eight runs and blown three saves.  Recently, Joey Votto has come up with a knee injury.

So the Reds are ripe for the taking.

And during the last two weeks of June, the Dodgers lost 11 of 13 games.  In six of the losses, the Dodgers were shut out. In two of the other losses, they scored only one run. With both Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp injured, there really isn't a lot of other offense on the team. James Loney and his .236 average are unable to take up the slack.

So with two key rivals struggling, the Bucs need to make their move now. 

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