National League Wild Card standings: Pirates pick up a game
By Hayden Kane
A triple play turned the hard way was all the talk yesterday as the Pittsburgh Pirates tried to maintain their hold on a Wild Card spot.
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Pittsburgh was trying to hold off a punchy Chicago Cubs’ team and come out on top in a game that they needed to win at home. The game was very much in doubt until rising star Josh Harrison snared a ground ball at third base and started a triple play.
Momentum is a fickle concept and it is probably relied upon too often to explain the events of a game. That said, it is hard to argue with the momentum that the Pirates generated in this spot.
As for the Giants, they gave up a game in the standings to the Pirates and Brewers while also falling further back in the National League West on Sunday. While San Francisco cannot be too happy about the fact that they lost such a big series at home, they can take some comfort in the fact that they were serious underdogs on Sunday.
Why were they underdogs, you ask? Because Clayton Kershaw was the starting pitcher for the Dodgers, and he was doing things like this to the Giants’ hitters.
Here are this morning’s National League Wild Card standings, with the Giants and Pirates the two teams that would currently get in and play in a one-game playoff.
- San Francisco Giants – 82-67, +3.0 WCGB
- Pittsburgh Pirates – 79-70, — WCGB
- Milwaukee Brewers – 78-72, 1.5 WCGB
- Atlanta Braves – 75-74, 4.0 WCGB
- Miami Marlins – 72-76, 6.5 WCGB
Having kept pace in the standings on Sunday, the Brewers now turn their attention to a tough series on the road against the St. Louis Cardinals starting on Tuesday. The Giants start a road series in Arizona against the Diamondbacks on Monday while the Pirates host the Boston Red Sox.
As for those Atlanta Braves, if they want to start making any noise in this race they will have to start winning games soon. They host the division-leading Washington Nationals starting on Monday night.
Stay tuned to FanSided for all of the latest news, rumors, and analysis for Major League Baseball as the season races towards the postseason and the hot stove this off-season.