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PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – While you will hear treating every game the same. Taking it one game at a time, the Pirates are embracing the importance of a series in August against the Diamondbacks.
Entering the weekend, Arizona held the final Wild Card playoff spot with the Pirates 2.5 games back. Last year to start August the Pirates were 10 games under .500, in 2022-21 games under .500 and in 2021-25 games under .500. This team is a couple of games over with the starting pitcher in the All-Star Game.
“We’ve embraced that since the first day after the All-Star Break because of the teams that we played,” Shelton said Friday. “Right from jump of getting Philly out of the All-Star Break, having the trip we had and then we have these guys and then the Padres and then we have the Dodgers. I think the most important thing is we put ourselves in this situation, now we have to continue to play in this situation.”
“We are getting close to crunch time here,” said outfielder Michael A. Taylor. “I think our schedule is great because we play a lot of the teams that are ahead of us and our fate is in our own hands.”
Taylor says they believe in themselves and that gives them a chance to win every game. New Pirates reliever Jalen Beeks has only been with the team a couple of days but noticed a bunch of guys who know what to do, with talent.
“I think it’s just more fun. It’s more exciting for us than just playing another baseball game. Everybody here, even the young guys, have played a lot of baseball. It is just another game, but at the same time I think everyone knows in the back of their minds we are blessed to be able to play for games that mean something late in the year. It’s awesome.
Let’s appreciate it and go do something.”
“We know what we are capable of,” Taylor said. “We know we deserve a chance to be in the playoffs.
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