As Neil Walker tied his shoes earlier this week, he faced an unusual question: Did he think, as he was rounding the bases after his 21st home run of the season, about the fact that he hit that homer over the Clemente Wall on Roberto Clemente Day?
No, Walker hadn't paused to consider the matter. Then he faced another question, one with which he had much more experience, dealing with the Pirates' 81st win.
"That number didn't even cross anybody's mind," Walker said. "It was simply, get it done, find a way to get to the playoffs."
Despite a slow start and injuries, the Pirates engineered a strong September push that put them in position to do so. The second consecutive season in contention rendered the 81st win, until 2013 an unreached mark that guaranteed a non-losing season, a postscript to the actual matter at hand.
"There's a lot less questions asking us what it's going to feel like to get No. 81, I can tell you that," Walker said. "You're not hearing that every single day. Our goals are what sits in front of us. We know who we are, we know what's going on. We're not looking past the day. We do a really good job of kind of staying in the moment, as cliché as it is. We're playing good at the right time."
Good at the right time manifested itself in the form of 11 wins in 13 games entering a weekend series against the Milwaukee Brewers, who are chasing the Pirates in the wild-card race. How such success? Several different sources.
The Pirates led all of Major League Baseball in offensive Wins Above Replacement in the second half of the season, according to Fangraphs' calculation of the statistic that attempts to quantify everything a player does on the field and distill it into one number. Their .435 second-half slugging percentage also led the majors and their .331 second-half on-base percentage was tied for second.
Among the driving forces behind the offense:
· Josh Harrison was no fluke. Entering the Milwaukee series, he was hitting .344 with a .372 on-base percentage and eight home runs in the second half, better than his first-half numbers that earned him a spot on the All-Star team.
· Andrew McCutchen can produce even when banged up. Since returning from the avulsion fracture affecting cartilage in his rib, McCutchen had hit .296 with a .500 slugging percentage in 27 games.
· Starling Marte found the switch. Since returning from the concussion-specific disabled list Aug. 5, he had hit .364 with eight home runs before Friday.
· They assembled this run against the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, Cubs again and Boston Red Sox, who had a combined 204-255 record.
"It's good at-bats, it's guys taking the initiative day in and day out to have good at-bats, to stick to their game plans as far as pitching goes, to playing the right positions defensively and just go out and play," Walker said.
The pitching staff has ensured the offensive production did not to go to waste. Entering Friday, the rotation had a 3.34 ERA in the second half -- second best in the NL behind the Washington Nationals. This was despite losing Gerrit Cole and Francisco Liriano for large chunks of the summer.
Liriano's second half resembles his 2013 season. He has a 2.16 ERA in 12 starts and a .191 opponent average compared to .245 in the first half of the year.
Liriano could make two more starts in the regular season, then pitch a possible wild-card game on three days' rest, unless the Pirates clinch early and can rearrange the rotation.
"It's a lot better, not worrying about my body at all," said Liriano, whose first half was hampered by a groin injury from spring training.
The starters pitched deep enough into games to limit the bullpen to 162 second-half innings, the eighth fewest in the majors. That extra rest translated to a 2.83 ERA, behind only the Miami Marlins in the NL.
"We still have our eyes set on winning the division," manager Clint Hurdle said. "That being said, you've just got to go play.
"Our focus needs to remain on ourselves and our nightly effort and our preparation."
Looking ahead: Braves
The Pirates travel to Atlanta for four games beginning Monday against the Braves, who played .500 ball in July and August before losing eight of 10 entering the weekend. They averaged 1.6 runs in those losses.
The Braves continue to get no production from B.J. Upton. Their 188 runs scored in the second half ranked above only the Cincinnati Reds in the NL and their .237 average ranked 12th out of 15 teams. Their strikeout rate, meanwhile, has been the third highest in the league since the All-Star break.
First Published: September 21, 2014, 4:00 a.m.
