Despite sweep by Dodgers, Pirates insist they have 'good momentum' heading into tough June stretch

Because the Pirates are, well, the Pirates, any analysis has to be done through the prism of what they are versus what they are not.

What they are not is a Major League team with any goal of challenging for a playoff spot in 2021.

What they are is a team in development with a long-range plan that may be more in the shape of a never-ending circle than a straight line.

When most teams are swept at home — even against the defending World Series champions — it’s tough to forage for positives.

But when you are the Pirates and you are likely to lose more than 100 games and the Los Angeles Dodgers were picked to win more than 100, you can move the goalposts.

Such was the case against L.A. this week when the Pirates lost all three games but stayed close in each, falling 5-3, 2-1 and then 6-3 in Thursday’s rain-shortened affair. That last game was 4-3 heading into the seventh inning.

“We played well,” manager Derek Shelton insisted. “We were in every game. … I thought we competed well. We played hard. In situations like this, we have to play almost perfect to win. Wednesday we hit some balls right on the nose that didn’t fall. We need those balls to fall for us to win these games.”

And when those balls go over the fence, the guys that hit them need to touch first base.

Yeah. That, too. Maybe if Ke’Bryan Hayes does that, the team manages to pull out Wednesday night’s affair.

“Close but no cigar” thinking is fine for one series against a team the quality of the Dodgers. The problem is that mentality can’t become too comfortable moving forward. This Dodgers series was the first in a string of matchups against teams above .500 and in contention for playoff spots.

The Pirates are in Milwaukee for three games Friday night through Sunday afternoon. Then they travel to Washington to face the Nationals. After that, the Pirates have a five-game homestand against the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox before visiting St. Louis for four games against the Cardinals.

Among those five opponents, only the Nationals are under .500. The White Sox (38-24) and the Indians (32-27) are the top two teams in the American League Central. Milwaukee (35-27) is currently tied for first place in the National League Central with the Chicago Cubs. The Brewers have lost only twice in their last 13 games.

And the Cardinals, while scuffling lately, are still 32-30 and 8½ games in front of the Pirates in the N.L. Central standings.

“I thought we played pretty well against the Dodgers,” said Mitch Keller, Thursday’s losing starter. “I didn’t help us out much (4 ER/2.2 IP). Our bullpen was unreal again. Guys were hitting. Even though we did lose, I think we’re taking some good momentum into Milwaukee.”

Only around these parts can we rationalize a three-game series sweep and a four-game losing streak as “momentum.” That’s baseball reality in Pittsburgh.

Shelton’s club did a decent job recently against some of the other teams currently struggling. Prior to welcoming L.A., the Pirates had won four of seven against the Rockies, Royals and Marlins — all franchises who are also under .500 and slogging through 2021.

But getting over the hump in a few of these series is going to be important for Shelton’s bunch. Otherwise, being plucky and competitive on a nightly basis may give way to being overmatched and beaten down before we get to the start of July.

At the end of July, the trade deadline hits. That’s when things could really come off the rails if the Pirates ship away some of their good players such as Adam Frazier, Rich Rodriguez and Tyler Anderson.

When that dawn rises — and for future years when times may be better — Shelton hopes his players can emotionally pull from a series like the one against the Dodgers.

“It’s great for our group to play in games like this. Tightly contested games. … It’s important for us,” Shelton said.

Important for the 2021 standings? For this group? Nah.

To scratch out a few wins here and there the rest of June so the team doesn’t think it’s playing out the string for three months? Certainly.

To date, reliever David Bednar doesn’t sense dejection lurking.

“We played hard (against the Dodgers),” he said. “We were in every game. Frustrating to be on the losing end. But everybody is still coming out ready to compete.”

The Pirates played only 60 games last year, and it still felt like a long season with the team going 19-41. When the season was already cooked at 14-26, that’s when it got really bad as the Pirates won just five of their final 20 games.

It’s that kind of hopelessness that Shelton’s group is fending off for as long as possible. The Pirates are at 61 games so far in 2021 and are tracking slightly better at 23-38.

I guess that’ll have to do. This season, mild improvements have to be viewed as substantive gains so the fan base doesn’t stick its collective head in the oven before the Fourth of July.

So bring on the Brewers, boys. Sustain that … momentum?