Perrotto: Young Pirates Catch Eye of Division Leaders (+)
The St. Louis Cardinals are the measuring stick for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Cardinals lead the National League Central by 8 games over the Milwaukee Brewers with three weeks left in the season. The Pirates are in last place in the five-team division.
The Pirates aspire to reach the Cardinals’ spot in the standings. It’s a place the Pirates haven’t finished a season in since 1992 when they won the third of three straight National League East titles.
I’ll save you the math. It was 30 years ago. 30!
So just how far away are the Pirates from the Cardinals?
The standings say 29 games. The Cardinals’ record is 84-59 and the Pirates have a 55-88 mark, even after sweeping a four-game series from the Reds in Cincinnati on Wednesday.
The Pirates have lost 10 of 13 games against the Cardinals this season, including losing two of three last weekend at PNC Park.
The Cardinals saw the Pirates at about their absolute worst this season when they clobbered them 18-4 on May 22 in a Sunday morning special for Peacock at PNC Park. Albert Pujols hit two home runs despite not entering the game until the fifth inning and catcher Yadier Molina finished the game on the mound for the Cardinals in the first pitching appearance of his 19-year career.
However, the Pirates gained some respect in the Cardinals’ eyes last weekend. In fact, Pujols and veteran left-hander Jose Quintana both went out of their way to say nice things about the Pirates without being prompted.
Both know a few things about baseball.
Pujols is finishing his 22nd and final season in the big leagues. He long ago surpassed 3,000 hits and is three home runs away from becoming the fourth major league to reach 700.
Quintana marked his 10-year anniversary as a major leaguer back in April when he was with the Pirates. He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals on Aug. 1 with reliever Chris Stratton for right-hander Johan Oviedo and corner infield prospect Malcom Nunez.
“The thing I like about the Pirates is they play hard, and they play the game the right way,” Pujols said. “They battle you. They don’t quit. It would be easy to start thinking about the end of the season, but they kept coming at us the whole series.
“I think they have some good young players. I think they’re going to be good in a couple of years. It just takes time with a young team, but they definitely have talent.”
Pujols was impressed by the double play combination of second baseman Rodolfo Castro and shortstop Oneil Cruz. Both are 23 years old and have played well in recent weeks, both at the plate and in the field.
Meanwhile, Quintana has been keeping an eye on former rotation mates Mitch Keller and Roansy Contreras and likes what he sees from the right-handers. Both have pitched well in the second half of the season.
“They are getting better and better,” Quintana said. “They are both going to be good major league pitchers. Roansy seems to improve in every start. He has so much talent.”
The Pirates must finish 8-11 to avoid a second straight 100-loss season. They are also on course to finish in last place four years in a row for the first time since 2007-10.
However, Quintana feels general manager Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton are making progress in the Pirates’ rebuild.
“We weren’t having a good year when I was there, but I liked the young players a lot,” Quintana said. “They play hard, and they really care. They will get better with more experience. They are going to have a good team in a few years. You can see that coming. They just have to keep being patient.”
Based on such encouraging words from two respected veterans, maybe the Pirates are indeed headed in the right direction despite another dreadful season.