Hoo boy. Nothing like the bullpen blowing the last couple games on a road trip and returning home to face the hottest team in the league. But here we are.
I will say one thing for lowered expectations. Painful losses are not nearly as painful. Yeah, it sucks to see the Bravos’ pen squander yet another lead, especially a six-run cushion. But when you don’t expect to contend, anyway, it stings less. For the fans, that is. I suspect the players are as pissed as they’d be if they’d been picked to win it all.
In come the Pirates, having won 10 of 12.