A few weeks after it appeared the Pittsburgh Pirates would give the Cincinnati Reds a run for the cellar in the National League Central, they find themselves on a roll that has pushed them to within six games of the division-leading Chicago Cubs.
“It’s pretty fun,” said Adam Frazier, who had an RBI double Saturday in a 5-0 victory against the New York Mets at PNC Park. “Packed house the last two nights. This is what we’re looking for. As long as we keep winning, I think this will keep happening — just keep riding the wave.”
It should probably be noted that Saturday featured a postgame fireworks show, but the Pirates (55-51) are giving fans a reason to come to the ballpark. They have won 13 of their past 15 games after picking up their league-leading 12th shutout.
And they are doing it while short-handed.
Pittsburgh on Saturday got center fielder Starling Marte back. He missed two games after getting hit by a pitch on the left hand. That was the good news.
The bad news was they put first baseman Josh Bell and left fielder Corey Dickerson on the 10-day disabled list and recalled Jose Osuna and Austin Meadows from Triple-A Indianapolis.
Bell left Friday’s game because of a left oblique strain. Dickerson got a hamstring injury Tuesday that he described as mild, but apparently it is also stubborn.
The Mets (43-59) are in a neck-and-neck race with Miami for last place in the National League East and go into the four-game series finale Sunday with the specter of questions about changes hanging over them.
With the non-waiver trade deadline Tuesday, New York already has traded infielder Asdrubal Cabrera this weekend.
Sunday, New York right-hander Zack Wheeler (4-6, 4.33 ERA) is scheduled to face righty Joe Musgrove (4-4, 3.90 ERA).
With the Mets in sell mode, there are reports that Milwaukee has interest in acquiring Wheeler. In the meantime, barring a move before Sunday afternoon, he will face Pittsburgh having won back-to-back starts for the first time since Aug. 15-20, 2014.
He gave up two runs and four hits over seven innings Tuesday, with three strikeouts and one walk, in a 6-3 victory over San Diego. It was his 10th quality start. He said “it crossed my mind” that that might have been his last game with the Mets.
Wheeler said sitting out the 2015 and 2016 seasons after Tommy John surgery allowed him to study top pitchers.
“They got quick outs and pitched deep into games, and that’s what I’ve been really trying to do lately. It’s a lot easier when you have better command, which I’ve had this season,” he said.
Wheeler has no decisions with a 2.08 ERA in two career starts against Pittsburgh.
Musgrove has won two of his past three decisions after he lost three straight. Tuesday in Cleveland, his stats were very similar to Wheeler’s the same night. Musgrove allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings, with two strikeouts and one walk, in a 9-4 victory.
That was the Pirates’ 11th and final win in their recent streak. They are 2-2 since but Musgrove, in his first season with Pittsburgh, learned a lot about the club during the winning streak.
“There were a lot of questions about this team going into the season. As a team, all you need is confidence in one another,” Musgrove said. “It doesn’t really matter what anyone else says or what the hype is about you. If we believe in one another, we’re capable of this kind of run.
“You see what our team can really do when we get everything banging on all cylinders at the same time.”
Musgrove has never started against the Mets. While with Houston, he picked up a win against them with 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief Sept. 2 last year.
