Stay with me here.
I realize the Pirates just got swept by the Atlanta Braves. I also know that bad experiences in Atlanta stir up horrifying memories of Sid Bream and Jerry Meals.
But what did you expect? I’m not among those pretending the Pirates are better than they are. Some have called them a top-five team in the majors. That’s ludicrous. I don’t even know if they’re a top four team in their division.
When it comes to the NL elite, which I define as teams with a real chance at the World Series, the Pirates don’t belong. Not yet. I’d put the Braves, Dodgers, Brewers, Phillies and Cubs — at least — above them.
So I didn’t expect the Pirates to win the series. I even figured a sweep was possible if Braxton Ashcraft wasn’t his usual awesome self, and he finally had a tough outing.
Nothing revelatory in the results.
I’m looking beyond the results of an early June series. And I actually think it was a good weekend big picture-wise.
Don’t laugh.
The Pirates’ most realistic goal is to sneak into the playoffs and do some damage there. The idea is to hit your way in and then pitch yourself through. And I think events of the weekend worked more in that direction than the opposite.
For starters, Brandon Lowe’s still walking. It looked like he might have shattered his knee cap like an egg shell on that foul smash the other night. The fact that he was back the next day — and lashed a dramatic pinch-hit double in the ninth inning — felt as big as any development this season.
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Elsewhere on the injury front, GM Ben Cherington said shortstop Konnor Griffin was declared asymptomatic on his arm injury after visiting a specialist in Houston. That was beginning to sound worrisome, so even if Griffin is out longer than originally expected, it sure sounds like he’ll be fine.
Griffin was rising fast with a .306 average and .820 OPS in May. Losing him for months would have been devastating. I’ll trade three losses in Atlanta for that news, too.
But nearly as large, in terms of the Pirates’ long-term outlook, was the performance of Bubba Chandler on Sunday. He was dominant. He was the guy the Pirates need, and anybody who wondered why Carmen Mlodzinski lost his spot in the rotation should wonder no more.
In 5⅓ innings, Chandler allowed just one hit, struck out seven and walked two. He toyed with a potent lineup after replacing opener Mason Montgomery for the second inning (the Pirates might be onto something there).
Forget about the fateful seventh inning. Third baseman Tyler Callihan unfortunately opened the floodgates with a throwing error. Chandler then walked a couple and was charged with two earned runs. If he keeps pitching like this, nobody will remember that.
In fact, if Chandler and Jared Jones can string together outings like the ones they just had — and if Cherington bolsters the bullpen — nobody will remember this weekend at all.
Except maybe to pinpoint where the seeds of a rise to real playoff hope were planted.