Pirates Start to Exorcise Demons Against Division Rivals

Two days ago, the Pittsburgh Pirates won two consecutive games. On the road. Against the Chicago Cubs, who usually dominate them.

With the last game cancelled due to rain, the Pirates actually won a road series. That's awesome.

Counting their win in the opener of the season series, that's the third Pirate victory this year in Wrigley Field. Now, if they could only win more than one game against the Cubs at home.

Prior to these two games, the Pirates were all of 20-56 on the road for the season. Their new 22-56 road record is still the worst in the majors, but by a smaller margin.

In an earlier piece, I opined that Charlie Morton would be in a class with the Cubs' Ted Lilly if he were a bit more consistent. But Morton actually out pitched Lilly, 4-0, in the day game of Wednesday's doubleheader. Maybe he is as good as Lilly after all, without a three-game "handicap." 

Jeff Karstens, who's only a mediocre pitcher overall, was "lights out" again against the Cubs in the nightcap after having debuted with the Pirates in a six-inning shutout against the same Cubs over a year ago.

Prior to the first game of the doubleheader, the Pirates had never won by as many as four runs in a game where they scored only in the first inning, and the last such three-run victory was in 1986, over 20 years ago.

Recently, the Pirates won one out of three in Houston's Minute Maid Park, in games that were all tight (at least in terms of earned runs). That's about par for the course on the other team's turf. But they need to win more than one game out of three at home against this team.

The Pirates also won the home portion of the season series against the formerly unbeatable Milwaukee Brewers, 5-3. That compares favorably with their single victory at home against the Brewers in 2008. But they've lost 20 consecutive games, over three seasons, in Miller Park.

The Pirates were also 3-4, a not-too shabby result, in Busch Stadium this year against the division leader. But they won only two of eight against the Cardinals at home.

After they leave Chicago, the Pirates go to Great American Field to show what they can do on the road against the Cincinnati Reds. After the two teams split their first eight games 4-4, Cincinnati has won seven in a row.

The Pirates are finally beginning to win their share of games on the road against some National League Central rivals and against others at home. But they're going to have to do better overall against their division if they are going to amount to anything.