Dunlap: 5 Things The Pirates Can Do To (Possibly) Catch The Cubs
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) - So the ceremonial midpoint of the Major League Baseball season is here, with the Pittsburgh Pirates putting together a recent surge to find themselves in OK position. Not great, not bad, but most would agree a position that is fair to deem 'OK.'
As the second half gets underway with the Pirates starting a series on Friday in Washington, the club finds itself in third place in the National League Central with a 46-43 record, trailing the division-leading Cubs by 7 games. Sandwiched between those two teams are the Cardinals, who are one-half game ahead of the Pirates in second place.
In addition, the Pirates are 1.5 games back of the Wild Card leaders.
All that said, however, what are some ways this club could possibly catch the Cubs? Let's take a look …
1. Play Sean Rodriguez's hot hand: Rodriguez has run into a power surge, as he's blasted 10 home runs in just 165 at bats. Compare that to Josh Harrison, the Pirates' everyday guy at second base who has three homers in over 300 at bats. I'm not here saying that Rodriguez should supplant Harrison as the every day man at second, but it is worth a calculated effort to try to get Rodriguez --- at some position --- into the lineup each day until this power surge cools off. You never know how long these streaks are going to last, and it would behoove Clint Hurdle to ride it out. Rodriguez is now what Harrison formerly was.
2. Put Cutch on the DL for 15 days if he really is hurt: It pains me to see Andrew McCutchen at less than 100 percent. Know why? Because we all know how great Andrew McCutchen is at 100 percent. That said, seeing him at less than full force this season has been tough, but perhaps it has been a product of never being able to fully recover from whatever it is that is ailing him. If need be, Cutch should hit the DL for 15 days so that he truly gets a chance to regain strength and recover, rather than trying to gut and grit through what is infirming him. That way, he has the best chance of being close to full health at some point this season.
3. Get more from the starters: It's no secret these starters just aren't going deep enough in games. Certainly to this point, the bullpen has been a saving grace, but at what point will all those innings catch up with those guys? At what point might fatigue set in with the bullpen arms and it lead to a bit of a downturn? I wouldn't fault the bullpen one bit if some of those guys began to scuffle because, quite frankly, they've been overworked. The starters --- and there is no magic potion or words that can be said --- need to be more efficient, keep pitch counts down in the early innings and get to the seventh or so, not finish their night of work in the fourth or fifth.
4. Do something with Niese: In his last seven games, Jon Niese has an ERA of 6.45. He's also given up far too many flyballs and home runs for a man who was billed as an innings-eating, groundball machine when the front office traded Neil Walker for him in the offseason. I don't know if Niese --- who most certainly looks to be one-and-done here in Pittsburgh --- can be salvaged within the sequence of this season, but if there is any hope, he needs to miss some time. This club cannot afford to keep marching him out there every fifth day and taxing the bullpen. For me, one of the first moves I'd make when the Pirates resume business after the break is to find a phantom injury for Niese and get him on the DL. I'd figure out somewhere he has discomfort and go from there --- and hopefully look to reclaim whatever positives I could.
5. Keep Bell around: Take a chance, why not? Keep Josh Bell around. Heck, I'd take it a step further and be shopping John Jaso very heavily right now. Bell is one of a few guys in the organization --- even with his defensive inadequacies (which I think are a bit overblown) --- who can change a game in a big way with one swing. We have already seen as much. Take a chance on this youth movement both in the rotation and, most definitely with keeping Josh Bell around.
Colin Dunlap is a featured columnist at CBSPittsburgh.com. He can also be heard weekdays from 5:40 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Sports Radio 93-7 "The Fan." You can e-mail him at colin.dunlap@cbsradio.com. Check out his bio here.
