At about midnight, the Pittsburgh Pirates closed out a 2-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds just minutes after the Arizona Diamondbacks finished up a 3-0 win over the Milwakee Brewers. Those two results put the Pirates into first place all by themselves by a half-game over both the Brewers and the Cardinals.
For most teams, a day in first place in July doesn’t seem like much to celebrate. The Pirates, though, are not just any team. The Bucs haven’t been in first place by themselves since their last winning season in 1992. Between that season and tonight, the latest the Pirates had been in first place by themselves was July 15, 1997 and the latest they’d had even a share of first place was 1997 of the same year. That 1997 Pirate team is the only one over the course of their losing streak to be in first place outside of April at any point until now.
The Pirates got an impressive outing from Charlie Morton tonight, who threw five shutout innings even though his first inning was interrupted by a rain delay that lasted an hour and 23 minutes. He outlasted Reds’ starter Dontrelle Willis, who pitched strongly in his first big league appearance since July 3 of last year, though the two rain delays (the game also started 55 minutes late) held him to just 4 2/3 innings.
Perhaps even more unlikely for the Pirates is that this 2011 turnaround comes after one of the worst seasons in franchise history. The club lost 105 games in 2011, which is more than they’ve lost in any other season of their 18-year losing streak. Their win over the Reds last night was the team’s 50th of 2011: they only won 57 in all of 2010 and they didn’t get their 50th win until September 18th. They’re a full two months ahead of last year’s win pace right now.
The Pirates’ spot in first place is going to be immediately tested. They’ve got two more games against the Reds followed by three at home against the Cardinals, then four in Atlanta and three in Philadelphia. If they’re still in first when this stretch is over, it’s both going to be less of a novelty and a lot more serious. For now, though, both the Pirates and their fans shouldn’t have any problem enjoying their one day on the top of the hill.
Also last night: Besides the Pirates and D’Backs wins, Ryan Vogelsong kept his unlikely season going with 6 2/3 shutout innings, lowering his ERA to 2.02 in a 5-0 Giant win. In Tampa, the Rays ran out to an early 3-1 lead over the Yankees but then fell apart late — perhaps a remnant of their marathon game on Sunday — in a 5-4 loss. The Yankees are now 6 1/2 games up on the Rays in the AL wild card race. In Minnesota, the Indians swept the Twins in a double-header to take a one-game lead over the Tigers. All of last night’s results here.
On the schedule tonight: There’s a Michael Pineda watch in Toronto and a Cliff Lee alert in Chicago. Brandon Beachy and Ubaldo Jiminez face off in Colorado, and all eyes will be on Jiminez after this week’s trade rumors. Jordan Zimmermann, who’s been excellent of late, pitches for the Nats against JA Happ in Houston. Tonight’s full schedule is here.
