There’s no doubt that the Pirates have been no fun to watch over the last week. It’s hard to watch a team unravel the way they have, and even if you weren’t necessarily getting your hopesup that they go to the playoffs this year, seeing a team fall out of contention in a week can be a brutal thing. But it sort of drives me nuts to hear people talk about how this season is ruined. Even two months ago, no one expected the Pirates to be much better than a 75-80 win team. Now they’ve hit a rough patch and it’s hard to watch, but hey, you’re never as bad as you think you are on your worst day. The Pirates are still 54-53 in August. Just for some perspective, here’s how the Pirates have fared through recent August 1s:
- 2010: 36-68
- 2009: 45-58
- 2008: 51-58
- 2007: 43-62
- 2006: 40-67
- 2005: 45-61
- 2004: 49-54
- 2003: 50-57
- 2002: 49-59
- 2001: 41-65
Just remember: it could be so much worse right now. If the Pirates play their final 55 games as terribly as they played after August 1st last year, they’re is still a 74-win team. I think this Pirate team is better than a .362 pace in their final 55 games. The last week has been bad, but it’s really hard for me to swallow the argument that it ruins the entire season.
