“There’s nothing much like playoff hockey,” said Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “We’re just getting into the spirit.”
Hurdle, Pirates players and coaches are all getting into the playoff spirit by sporting Pittsburgh Penguin jerseys on the road.
With a playoff state of mind it’s no surprise that the Pirates didn’t allow for the one-hour and forty-seven minute rain delay to stop them from winning Thursday’s game against the Chicago Cubs (4-2), and sweeping the three game series.
The Pirates are on a four-game win streak and their confidence and attitude is to blame.
“It’s something fun, something to change things up a little bit during a long season. Plus, we’ve got to support our boys [the Penguins],” said Pittsburgh native and second baseman Neil Walker.
Their last four-game win streak was snapped in game five by the Houston Astros, but the loss only marked their second in recent games; they’ve won 11 of the last 13 games.
The Pirates are sure that their winning streak will not end so quickly this time.
“We’re playing good baseball and I don’t think we’ve reached our ceiling yet,” center fielder Andrew McCutchen said. “The pitching has been good all year but the hitting has kind of been up and down. The bats are eventually going to come around and we should be even better when that happens.”
McCutchen had three of four hits and two RBI’s. When Cutch stole second and scored on Michael McKenry’s single, fans were reminded why he’s considered one of the best center fielders in the league and the face of the Pirates.
The Pirates suffered a minor scare earlier this week when McCutchen felt an uncomfortable sensation in his knee and was removed from the starting lineup against the Astros.
“There was a small play where I slid home, and came up not feeling right,” said McCutchen. “Something caused an uncomfortable feeling, so I wanted to check everything out. I didn’t want to jeopardize the rest of the season. Better safe than sorry. I didn’t want to sit out today, it’s just something I had to do, but we were able to get a win, so it’s OK.”
As long as Cutch is performing at his best, the Pirates will hold frequent winning streaks until playoffs, even if this one ends sooner than expected.
