The Pittsburgh Pirates entered the weekend on a five-game losing streak after getting swept by the St. Louis Cardinals and in last place in the National League Central, so it’s not surprise that manager Don Kelly considers it way too early to start scoreboard watching.
Yet a glance at the MLB standings would be good for the Pirates, if only as a reminder that the NL Central is baseball’s only division in which every team has at least a .500 record. The Central was the only NL division to have three teams qualify for the postseason last year, with the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds.
At 16-16, the Pirates would be tied for first place in the American League Central, in second place in the NL East, tied for second in the AL West, in third in the AL East and in fourth in the AL West.
But the NL Central has four teams with winning records, with the first-place Reds (20-11) visiting PNC Park this weekend. Only 4 ½ games separate first and last place in the division, which adds value to every series early in the season.
“I think that all the teams in our division are strong and we need to find a way to handle ourselves and find a way to go out there tonight and compete like we have been all season,” Kelly said. “We know that there are four other teams in the division that have started off strong, as well. I think it’s going to be like that all year. It’s really exciting.”
Kelly has preached the importance for the Pirates to focus on their own improvement and compete at a high level every game, and he’s counting on the additions of veterans like second baseman Brandon Lowe and right fielder Ryan O’Hearn to provide leadership in the clubhouse.
Both were involved in a tight AL East race in 2023, when four of the five teams in the division finished with winning records and three reached the postseason. Lowe’s Tampa Bay Rays tied a modern era record with a 13-0 start, had baseball’s best record at 23-6 at the end of April and won 99 games — only to finish second to O’Hearn and the Baltimore Orioles, who won 101 games to clinch the AL East title.
“Everybody was pretty good,” O’Hearn said. “Obviously, record-wise we’re in the best division in baseball right now. You’ve got to beat your own division to win the division. That’s one of our goals.”
It’s a lofty goal, considering the Pirates have never won the NL Central since its inception in 1994 as part of MLB realignment that created three divisions in each league to accommodate expansion. The Reds and Cardinals are the early surprises, as both have fared better away from home, with Cincinnati going 10-3 on the road and St. Louis 11-5.
“To play as well as the division has, I think people can probably start to realize that it’s going to be a gauntlet of a year,” Lowe said. “It’s also May. As much as you want to put a ton of things on it, I’ve been on a team that won the first 13 and we (finished) second in the division. You keep your head down, take care of business in here and take care of business between the lines. Don’t worry about what everybody else is doing. Maybe in September you can start to look up a little bit. Right now, it’s really early and a lot of things can go differently.”
If there is promise for the Pirates, it’s in the strength of their starting pitching — which is expected to get a boost when right-hander Jared Jones comes off the 60-day injured list later this month — and an improved offense that has a plus-12 run differential. That’s better than both the Reds and Cardinals, who are both minus-3, but well behind the NL Central favorite Brewers (plus-38) and Cubs (plus-35). The Pirates also have played the most games against teams with a record better than .500, going 7-9.
The Pirates, of course, have an ace up their sleeve with unanimous 2025 NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes, whose response to the standings was a shrug of indifference.
“I don’t know. In my opinion, none of that matters. You can’t start thinking about outside stuff because the only thing that matters is inside this clubhouse,” Skenes said. “If we do what we’re supposed to do, what we believe we should do, everybody thinks we are as a team we’re going to be fine. That has nothing to do with the Cubs or the Cardinals or the Brewers having a couple more wins than us on April 30.”
O’Hearn emphasized the importance of every game but especially division games, which makes this a vital 10-game stretch against NL Central opponents for the Pirates. They won two of three in Milwaukee, which played without stars Christian Yelich and Jackson Chourio, before losing four consecutive to the Cardinals. They would need to sweep the Reds for an even split. The Pirates know they can move up and down in the standings, depending on how they fare in each series.
“If we’re going to have a skid,” Lowe said, “it’s a good time to have a skid.”
Both Lowe and O’Hearn pointed to July as the true test of where the standings come into play, mostly because of the trade deadline at the end of the month. That’s where the separation came in the AL East in 2023. Where the Rays endured their only month with a losing record (8-16), the Orioles went 17-9 and moved into first place. It’s where teams determine whether they are playoff contenders and trade deadline buyers or sellers.
“It’s a close race and it’s not even May,” O’Hearn said. “I’m in the camp of, I’ll check the standings at the trade deadline to see where we’re at. Some guys are different. But there’s so many games to play. I would prefer to take it one series at a time and not really watch the standings until July, until we get closer (to the trade deadline).”
The Rays were 54-54 last July 29, two days before the trade deadline, which put everyone on edge in Tampa Bay. The Rays made seven moves to change their battery but kept designated hitter Yandy Díaz, reliever Garrett Cleavinger and closer Pete Fairbanks. (The Pirates went 11-12 last July).
“The only reason in July that it matters is for the trade deadline,” Lowe said. “We went through it pretty heavily last year in Tampa where they were toeing the line: We’re going to sell all of our guys or we’re going to keep our guys and go for it and add. If you’re hovering like we were last year in Tampa, it’s not a whole lot of fun so you pay attention in July. But I’d more say once you get into August and September, then you can start looking at, what do we have to do? How many games back are you?”
Heading into the weekend, the Pirates were still within striking distance of first place. With 2-1 records against the Reds, Cubs and Brewers, the Pirates know they can compete with the top teams in the NL Central.
“I think it just shows that the competition in this division is really, really good,” Pirates third baseman Nick Gonzales said. “Every single game is nail-biting. Every single game is close. We’re all neck and neck. This division is really good.”